Social Networking Tools

The Facebook like box looks like the box below. Utilizing it connects your social media efforts with your web site and puts Facebook on autopilot! 

Here’s why you should add a Like Box to your website:

• Your website audience is a warm audience and are very likely to follow you on Facebook too.
• It’s easy to implement (takes less than 5 minutes!) and is one of the more effective ways to grow a quality fan community.
• The Like Box will  get you more fans, but NOT move your existing website traffic over to Facebook.

Now, go get the plugin and cross this 5 minute task off your list!

WordPress Like Box Plugin

As always, if you found this info useful, please feel free to SHARE IT!

So the "new" Timeline has come and is now officially in place. And you, being the savvy techno-marketing geeky business owner you are have all your bells and whistles in place. Your page is stylin' and pulling in new traffic and really working for you. Right?

If that person I just described is you then woooooohoooooo for you! I'm applauding you right now and singing your praises for your industriousness and for being on top of this whole Facebook marketing thing. Give yourself a deserved pat on the back!

However if that techno-marketing geeky person isn't you, then READ ON! This information is for everyone else…that 95% of us who are still figuring it all out. Believe me, you are in GOOD company and we will work together here to get a grip on this pronto.

I know, I know…the blog posts and pdf e-books and training sessions are all over the internet on how to make your new Facebook Timeline Business Page rock, REALLY shine, garner more "likes," etc. etc. etc…..

This little "how to article" is just about two of the (very important) basics - the cover image and new tab images and how to MAKE THEM WORK for your business. Here's why I'm writing this little ditty for you. Yesterday, I was referred to a Facebook page of a big time marketing guru type person. I excitedly followed the link and there, to my utter dismay, was a nice, albeit blurry, profile pic with a mishmash of all sorts of half-assed (yes, did just use a swear word there) tab like buttons and no cover image. Let me repeat. No. Cover. Image.

I hope your jaw is on the floor and you understand why this is no bueno! If not, keep reading.

It's a classic case of premium marketing real estate just thrown right out the door. Poof. There goes the perfect place for a "call to action" or your awesome business philosophy or your beautiful logo or your web address or your special one of a kind super duper thingy that only you sell and everyone covets.

I know it's hard. People get busy. Things happen. But remember this marketing mantra (write it down, commit it to memory). Think of your facebook page or any social media marketing endeavor as the front door to your business. Every person who comes to your front door is a potential new client, a new customer. Now, what do you want them to do?

1. Walk in (of course).

2. Browse around (would be cool).

3. Buy something (super cool).

4. Refer other people (holy cow…yes!).

Well, you've just missed what might be your first opportunity to do all those things. You've missed a perfect opportunity to tell them who you are, introduce yourself and start that relationship building process that leads to long term customers and clients. 

The kicker is the chances of you getting a second chance are slim. Like the anorexic kind of slim. I'm talking real, real skinny, here.

So, because I want you to fix this problem and use this lovely real estate for your own marketing endeavors to increase traffic, interest, likes and all those fun things listed above in #1 through #4, I'm giving you the exact dimensions and directions on how to implement a cover image AND tabs.

How to Make a Kickin' Cover Image:

Cover images are 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall.

If you upload an image that's smaller than these dimensions, it will get stretched to this larger size. The image you upload must be at least 399 pixels wide but really, aim for the exact dimensions. A stretched out image just looks, well, stretched.

To get the best quality image and fastest load times for your Page, upload a JPG file that's 851 pixels wide, 315 pixels tall and less than 100 kilobytes.

Now using the image below you can see there are several areas you can use to your advantage for marketing purposes. You do not have to make the image that appears in your cover photo a picture. It can be whatever type of graphic you'd like. You have an 851 pixel by 315 pixel blank canvas to put whatever you want on there. It makes sense to put your MOST IMPORTANT INFO about your business on there.

Now, On to Tabs!

When the Facebook Timeline launched, they (the Facebook powers that be) changed the name of tabs to "Views and Apps Boxes." Which is good because they really are more like boxes and they are where you use different apps like the mailchimp app, for example to grow your mail list. From here on out we will refer to them as boxes, not tabs.

The views and apps boxes are 111 pixels wide and 74 pixels tall.

For some apps, the developer has chosen not to make the app's icon customizable and you won't be able to change it.  But for those that are customizable, again, you have a blank canvas to create what you'd like. They are a little trickier to navigate, though (not as straightforward as uploading a new cover image).

Here's how to to do it:

*note…these instructions are assuming you already have a custom image created to the specs listed above (111 pixels X 74 pixels).

1. Open your Page's admin panel

2. From the Manage menu, select Edit Page.

3. Select Apps from the left sidebar.

4. Click Edit Settings under the name of the app whose icon you want to change.

5. Click Change next to Custom Tab Image.

6. On the next screen, click Change next to the existing image.

7. Follow the instructions that appear for uploading a new image or deleting the existing image.

Check out this page from one of our fave businesses - MindBodyGreen. It's a great example of how to use the custom image on a box that goes to a "Giveaways" page.

PS - I ALWAYS respond to emails so send over your questions sonya@trulytwistedmarketing.com or add your info here (yes…subscribe me to the trulytwistedmarketing email newsletter) and get tips and tools delivered into your email box

Pinterest has proven, already, to be a social media power player. So far, it's  referring more traffic than Twitter and generating more revenue per click than Facebook - this (in case you are wondering) is quite AWESOME!

So, when I discovered this sweet new way to streamline and combine my social media efforts I knew I had to share it with you.

After setting up the TTM Pinterest page, I had the thought that there needed to be a marketing channel between Facebook and Pinterest other than just the simple Facebook post. I started digging. Luckily for me (and you), it didn't take me long to figure out how to integrate Pinterest into my Facebook Marketing mix. It's a super easy quick little activity that will reap you extra traffic, boost your brand and and build your "Pinterest interest" - say that fast 3 times!

I know that many of you already have Facebook fans and are just dipping your toe into using Pinterest to promote your business. And with Facebook having over 800 million users, Facebook's size alone is reason enough to pair it with your Pinterest efforts.

One of the essential steps in using Pinterest to market your business is to have followers. By adding a Pinterest tab to your Facebook page (see the image of the TTM Facebook page below with the Pinterest tab implemented) you can add visibility to your Pinterest account and encourage current fans to join you on a new platform.

Easy. Breezy. Just the way we like it!

GET YOUR PINTEREST TAB HERE!

If you'd like to learn more about How to Use Pinterest to Gain Exposure for Your Business and Get More Customers & Sales sign up for the Truly Twisted Marketing free training on Pinterest Basics - Pinterest 101 and start generating traffic and sales today!

cforms contact form by delicious:days

And in the meantime, give a "Follow" on Pinterest! Love to connect up with you there - Pinterest.com/TTMarketing.

We’ve been stumbled. Ahhhhhhh, love it.

StumbleUpon is by far one of the absolute best traffic sources for any blog or website with the exception of search engine traffic from Google.

But first, let me tell you WHAT StumbleUpon IS then we can get into the WHY it is so fabulous.

StumbleUpon is all about social bookmarking (yes, just like Digg or del.icio.us). But the cool factor has to do with the slick toolbar that installs directly into your browser. What that means is that a stumbler (a StumbleUpon user) can mark any web site they happen to be browsing they can then give the site a “thumbs up” meaning “Like It” or a “thumbs down” meaning, um, yeah….the not so good “Don’t Like It.”

Here’s the formula. The more thumbs up your page gets, the more it’s served up to other stumblers on StumbleUpon which (obviously) leads to an increasing number of people who see your site – that’s a good thing! The alternative is that if a page gets too many thumbs down they are dropped out of StumbleUpon.

Now, here’s why StumbleUpon is so very fabulous. SumbleUpon has a unique algorithm that is different from Digg or del.icio.us. First of all you don’t have to land on the front page of StumbleUpon to get traffic. Popular pages and even not so popular pages are served up to new users everyday. So, a page that gets stumbled say two months ago will continue to send a steady stream of traffic because it’s still being seen by users.

I can testify that it works. This blog and the bestecostuff.com/blog (our lovely side gig) have both been stumbled and the traffic just keeps coming. As I said before…ahhhhh, love it!

Now, let’s make something clear. This traffic is link building traffic. Do not try to sell to stumblers (or any other social media users for that matter). It’s really bad form. Your information is getting stumbled because it is interesting, amusing and fabulously well-written. Stumblers aren’t looking for stuff to buy. They are looking for good information.

Now, those are the basics of StumbleUpon. There’s more, of course, there always is! Next time we’ll list out the must-have secret formula to StumbleUpon success – just kidding, I love throw in all those descriptive words. But we will list out some rules and a few hot tips to get you stumbling in the right direction.

Ok, as promised, it's time to get stumbling in the right direction. But before we do, I just want you to know (because several people have asked why the next post didn't come quicker) that I was out of town and alas…no internet connection! I know, I know…gasp! :-) 

Grab your pen and take some notes. Here we go. 

In part 1 we talked about how StumbleUpon can be one of the best traffic sources to your blog or web site and how you want to provide excellent resource information that Stumblers will want to read and pass along. Today, we are talking about how to craft your information so it gets stumbled. Here's a short list of what Stumbers tend to like:

Compelling Headlines - This is a no brainer for any copy writer worth their salt. Headlines are what is seen first and they should always be written to capture the attention of whomever your audience is. Put time and attention and love into those headlines.

First Paragraph - That first paragraph is almost as important as that headline you are working up. It's what pulls people into your article and makes them want to continue.

Images - Stumblers love funny, titillating or unusual images that go along with the article or site content. Istockphoto is my favorite at this moment in time, but there are tons of free resources for images. Just do a Google search and see what comes up.

Design - A clean, fun design that flows with the content contained within a site is important.

Here's what doesn't work for stumblers…

Any Commercialized Content -  Don't (I mean, don't) try to sell to stumblers. Your reputation will be on the downswing right out of the gate. 

Regular Site Pages - Don't submit your home page or product pages to StumbleUpon. It HAS to be something really useful and exceptional for regular site pages to get stumbled.

News - What is news today isn't really a hot topic for Stumblers because of the way the algorithm works. Content in StumbleUpon is shown to new Stumblers based on popularity and can be shown loooooooong after that breaking news story is ancient history.

Short Articles - Stumblers like in-depth, funny, resourceful, informative, cutting edge, researched articles. They don't usually go for short posts or articles.

You should join StumbleUpon BUT don't submit only your own content. It's best to allow your information to be found rather than tooting your own horn. However, if you feel you HAVE to get your information in there, here's what I'd recommend.

Set up your own profile and really get in and start stumbling content you find useful and engaging that you'd pass on to family and friends. Only after you've gotten a feel for how it works and what type of content is out there would I recommend stumbling your own info. When you get to that point, you'll have a good grasp of how it works and hopefully have a group you share information with on StumbleUpon. Still you should intermix and mingle your own information with that of other sites.

Also, just so you know, there is a limit to the number of pages you can submit from one domain. Here's a good rule to follow: for every page you submit from your own site, submit 10-20 from other sites.

Now, here's a smokin' hot tip to remember. When another blog or site talks about you/your site with a link, submit that content to StumbleUpon. Yes, you heard right stumble it! It not only will bring traffic in to your site, you are giving someone a helping hand with their traffic and thus begins a circle of link love that will continue to build.

So, get in there and get stumbling. It's free and can potentially bring you tons of traffic! As always, feel free to share your experiences and if you get stuck, don't hesitate to drop a line or leave a comment. Happy Stumbling!

I always say we are all connected.

Each and every person on the planet is connected by family, race or religion but the biggest connection is that we are all human beings – a giant matrix of connectedness spanning lifetimes and groups.

I know, I know…touting my own philosophies…AGAIN…but there is a point I am making here so stick with me for a sec. It does relate to a cool new marketing tool.

Let’s take a walk down a virtual street and chat for a moment.

The links coming into your web site and going out from your web site are the connections that keep your site active and on the radar screen of the search engines. Think of them as the roadways of the internet connecting the cities of web sites. No links means no traffic, no visitors means there are no roadways for people to find you.

Linking (as I hope you all know by now) is an extremely important aspect to any good Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign. There are people, for example, at Search Marketing firms that ONLY specialize in linking – how to acquire links, when to pay for links, what the most important links are, writing link code…the list goes on and on. You can read to your heart’s content, here, on the whole philosophy behind linking for SEO purposes.

Ok, so can I get a drum roll please? Here’s the cool tool…

Walk2web – walk, explore, have fun

Right now, at this very minute on walk2web, you can visualize the links (connections) between sites. Doesn’t matter if it’s your site, Great Aunt Myrtle’s…I mean, Crazy Aunt Purl's web site, that guy Bob’s web site over in Montana or the average Joe’s web site. The point is you can see the linking matrix and the hierarchy. It’s pretty cool stuff. You can also view, review, bookmark and vote for your favorite sites. All you have to have is a starting point.

***So, um, if you don't HAVE a specific place to start this is NOT the place for you. If that's the case, go to Google and do a search for something…anything…

If you want to see how it Walk2web works, look here. Follow the directions, they aren’t complicated and see where you end up. Or you can click the “Walk Me” button over in the right column of this web site and you’ll bring up my little blog as a starting point and can meander out through my links.

If you want to put your own site in and build up a network, feel free to add me in and share the link love or give my site a review.

What are you waiting for? Go on. Give it a whirl. See where it takes you.

Ok. Where are they?

This blog is owned and operated by a woman – yes, that would be me. I know there are tons of other blogs by women but where are they?

The reason I’m asking this question is simply that I was thinking the other day about women and that we, as a group, don’t really have a place online or enough places online that are just for us.

Okay, guys, no eyeball rolling please.

And to take it one step further, I don’t really see women-owned blogs at the top of the heap. My line of thinking…which (I have to warn you) tends to run rampant once I latch on to an idea…really got started by doing a Google search on women bloggers.

Go ahead. Try it.

#1 womenbloggers - web ring (directory) but still a great place to get a link from and good information.

#2 blogher - cool conferences, good information

While the blogs I found were interesting and offered up valuable information. They still didn’t quite answer my questions. I wanted to know who those other women were and what they were blogging about - work, family, kids, parents, hobbies? Are they on Technorati, Squidoo, or using social networking in any way? Women tend to be relational by nature. They talk and share -a lot. So, why am I not hearing those voices? Is it because I’m not listening? Is ANYONE really listening?

I think it’s time to turn up the volume.

I saw an article last week posted in the Reuters Second Life bureau  where one of the top Technorati bloggers Arianna Huffington was interviewed on her new book. There were two things that struck me:

First, she's a grown-up, successful businesswoman, author, radio personality and she has an avatar in Second Life (Arianna Hera). Don’t know about you, but for some reason, I just hadn’t thought about the two going together but it makes sense when you realize she has a grasp of technology and definitely knows how to use it.

Second, she’s not afraid to be bold, put herself out there and create controversy - thus her new book on being fearless.

Interesting.

So, here’s my challenge. If you are a woman and you are a blogger – leave me a comment or send me an email about your blog, about you. You can be brief and add your links. I’ll post the responses (links and all) and let’s see what kind of conversations we can get started.

Here’s an example format to follow:
Name:
Blog:
Description About You and/or Your Blog (3-4 sentences):
Your Biggest Challenge in Blogging (feel free to dish!):

Women of the blogosphere….UNITE!
(um, just couldn’t resist that one)

The TrulyTwistedMarketing traffic stats are off the hook. Somehow, (as a marketer, I'd dearly love to take full credit for this but can't) a little post I created got picked up by Buzzfeed. 

Check the number two article. Yep, that one right below Techcrunch. ;) 

(okay, when I first posted this the article WAS in the #2 spot. Now, it seems, we are located in the #1 spot and Techcrunch is waaaaaay down at #7) 

That wee little article that was more about random thoughts running through my head on a day I needed something to write about than anything else has quadrupled my traffic since last Thursday.

Wait. WHAT?

Yes. It's true. And, hilarious, considering the circumstances but still interesting because I just did a post on leveraging social media outlets like Digg and Furl and Del.icio.us for your marketing endeavors to generate both traffic and links. You can read it here.

There are some things I want to point out besides my post, though.

1. You never know what's going to happen in the blogosphere. (that was actually pointed out by someone else in an email to me but I thought it applied to this situation)
2. It was a lousy article. Not really an article at all. In fact, there was very little thinking that went into it which doesn't give a person any good indication of what's going to get picked up and when so you want to make it your best effort each and every time.
3. The traffic to this illustrious blog that came from the buzzfeed article was very un-targeted. Because I'm not a myspace user, don't sell myspace paraphanalia and have no myspace advice, the traffic coming into that page really didn't travel any further than that page. Bummer.
4. The links generated by the traffic were minimal. However, those links were good ones. Whoppers, in fact. Which certainly gives a little push to the TrulyTwistedMarketing SEO efforts.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I'll take extra traffic any day of the week. Besides, the whole basis  of this blog is to share what works and what doesn't and what just happens haphazardly. 

This was a haphazard moment. 

However, it does prove a viable point. Social media is increasingly important in the online marketing arena. And marketers who can take those haphazard moments and turn them into tangible results will most definitely be ahead of the curve. 

I am literally drooling with anticipation over Joost.

"What's so special about it?" You might ask. "What the heck is it, anyway? A new energy drink?"

Even better. 

Joost is a functioning real-time social network. You can watch a show, rate it, share it and chat with friends using its IM platform. How cool is that?

The best part? It's free.

Out of the box users can participate in a community chat that will, in essence, allow  soccer fans from across the globe the opportunity to gather to watch the World Cup. It has the potential to be a truly killer application and really twist up television as we know it.

Here are a couple of screen shots of the interface.

The Joost platform was created by the same guys who created Skype and originally called the Venice Project. The premise behind Skype is the premise behind Joost - free. Did I mention, "it's free?" Free phone service with Skype via the internet and free television with Joost via the internet. 

But Joost is far from traditional television. It's a customizable interface so if you want to share the experience with only a few friends, you can. It's truly user built television.

Love it the idea? Want to test it out yourself? You can, well, sort of. You have to fill out an application. Then wait. You might have to wait quite a while because apparently they are receiving thousands of applications a day and it's still in beta. 

But my bet is it will be worth it. 

Socializaton on the web is big and for many, finding a social and/or business network to compliment business goals is a must - especially for entreprenuers and small businesses. Well today, marketing fans, we are in luck!

Q. You are one of the co-creators of Biznik. What was the reasoning behind it?

I'm a web developer in Seattle (a town where you can hardly throw a rock without hitting someone with my skills). I started freelancing full time in 2000, and for many of those years I was barely surviving, but having a great time.

After I got married in 2004, my wife, who's also self employed, started saying things like, "um, honey, don't you think you should maybe do a little more networking, you know, grow your business?" I gave in and attended some BNI meetings, which I found to be horribly structured affairs at ungodly hours of the morning.

Much to my surprise, most of the chapters I visited weren't interested in having me as a member: my spot was "already filled" (they don't allow people from the same profession to belong to the same group.) I thought that was a little odd, since most of the referrals I've ever received came from people in overlapping professions. Also, I didn't really like the people I was meeting at these events, but I was determined to find a good fit, so I kept looking.

Finally I did find a chapter that had room for me, and I was all ready to, as they call it, "lock out the competition" by giving them a $400 check.

But then a thought struck me: I don't really like the people; I don't agree with their philosophy of exclusion; their website is an embarrassment; I hate getting up early and being treated like I'm in kindergarten. And I'm going to pay them $400 for this? What the hell am I thinking? I could build something better than this in my spare time!

Q. Who else was involved and why?

Well, when I shared my revelation to Lara Feltin, my wife, she wasn't particularly impressed. I think she had an immediate grasp of how much work it would be. Besides, BNI had been working fine for her for about six years. I told her, "If we could get 400 people to show up at our wedding party, we can get a dozen to show up for a business networking event."

She agreed to give it a try, and we got a dozen people at our first event. I threw together a website that began essentially as an online membership directory, and she started out facilitating the meetings. I added features in my spare time, and it's been growing ever since.

Q. How did you grow it into the network it is right now?

We didn't have very much imagination when we started this, so at first we pretty much copied the old-school approach and had breakfast meetings at insanely early hours of the day. That didn't go over very well in urban Seattle, so we adjusted and tried lunch meetings. Still not a winner.

It wasn't until we began doing happy hour events that people started paying attention. But the real breakthrough was realizing that a lot of our members had fantastic skills that they could share with other members.

How could we tap that?

We created simple tools on the website that allowed members to create their own events and host them. To sum it up, I think we're growing by allowing members to decide what type of events they want to have, and when they want to have them.

We're also free - sort of. We have a paid level of membership, which offers more features, and more visibility, for $100/year. I also put a lot of time and effort into optimizing member profiles for search engines, and you'll find that most of the members on the first page of the membership directory are #1 on Google. That's a byproduct of participation in this network, but a really valuable one for many members.

We're also very urban, and have a progressive attitude that lots of people here find appealing, even refreshing. We emphasize authenticity, and we don't force members to do anything they don't want to, and they appreciate that.

Q. There are other business networks out there like linkedin, for example. What do you offer that they don't?

LinkedIn is a corporate networking tool. It's really designed for people who are ex- or current employees of big companies for keeping track of their contacts. I'm sure it's great for people like that, but I got hopelessly confused by the privacy/permissions system when I joined, and gave up trying to figure it out.

Biznik is designed by and for indie business people. As such, it's really simple - we don't care about privacy - we care about getting noticed. So everything is designed with that in mind.

Here's the really big difference - LinkedIn is purely an online network. Biznik is about face-to-face events, which the  online social network supports . You simply can't build trust - the foundation of every successful business relationship - online the way you can face to face. So Biznik is about bringing people together online and then cementing those relationships with face-to-face events. And it really works.

Q. I'm curious about the marketing of Biznik. Do you have a plan of attack or a strategy for your online presence other than making it very SEO friendly?

Our only marketing strategy up until this point has been to create something remarkable, so that people will talk about it. And that's worked, but growth has been relatively slow. With the upcoming release of 2.0, we need to do more.

We're planning a private beta, and we'll be inviting bloggers from all over the place to participate in that, and also newspaper and magazine writers as well. So we hope to get some ink and blog coverage by inviting key people to be involved early in the release cycle. I'm sure there's more we could be doing - got any ideas for us?

Q. About how many members does biznik have right now?

As of today we have 2076 members in 52 countries. A year ago we had 109 members on Dec. 31, so if you think about it, that's actually pretty significant growth for one year. We expect much faster growth  this year after we release 2.0 in March. By the way, you can always  tell how many members we have - and exactly where they are located - by visiting the Biznik membership page, and then view by location.

Q. Is this a money making endeavor for you?

Until now, Lara and I have been creating and running Biznik in our spare time (although truth be told, it's been making full-time  demands on our time since last summer). We introduced a paid level of  membership in late August, and so far we've got 76 paying members.  Many of the new features we'll be introducing in 2.0 will only be  available to paid members (for example, only paid members will be  able to create groups, although free members can join existing  groups). We're committed to making Biznik available to everyone at a  basic level at no charge at a philosophical level.

We're also totally committed to making this a commercial success. As the relevance,  credibility and value of what we're doing continues to increase,  we're confident the money will follow. In addition to memberships, we  also make money through event fees, and we provide web hosting for  quite a few members.

You'll notice we  don't have any advertising on the site - ads annoy the hell out of  me, and no members have requested them yet, so don't expect to see  them any time soon.

Q. Based on your experience with creating and maintaining Biznik so far, are there any tips or tools you'd suggest for someone wanting  to create an online community?

As important as community is to me, I'm a little leery of the word  itself. Everyone wants to shout about how great community is - banks, mega corporations, churches, you name it. I think the term has become  something of a devalued currency. But when you're part of an  authentic community, one that nurtures you and gives you wings,  rather than clipping them, it's just amazing.

We didn't really set  out to create Biznik as a community, but because community is so  important to both Lara and I, it's sort of ended up that way  (although you don't have to engage with it that way). We're both very  active members of the creative community in Seattle, so it's just  part of who we are, I think. We love people, we love helping people  connect. It makes us happy.

So as far as tips go, I'd say: find ways to show the love. Care,  really care, about the people around you. And don't be afraid to be different. How you're different is what makes you interesting, and  memorable, and attractive. We choose terms like "indie business,"  "business networking that doesn't suck" and "radical self promotion"  intentionally. They filter out the wrong members, and attract the right ones. That way, you get members who "get it," and who are really excited about being part of it.

Q. What do you hope to accomplish with Biznik both personally and professionally?

When Friendster came out a few years back, I created a profile and was amazed at how quickly it became an index to (not a replacement for) my real-world social life. And I thought, wow, it would be cool to work on a project like this. I've watched the rise of social networks from the perspective of a user, so to now be actually building something like this is very exciting to me.

I'm also a big fan of "indie business," a term I use deliberately: indie film challenges Hollywood by creating smart, low-budget films. Indie rock is edgy music with an attitude. And to me, indie business is business that does a lot with a little, business that isn't afraid to challenge the status quo, business that's smart and social responsible and fun and interesting and a little bit radical. And I want Biznik to be a tool and a community that empowers more people to thrive in those types of businesses.

Q. You've mentioned Biznik 2.0 is being released in Feb. '07. How will that be different than the current Biznik Network?

We set out to create a business networking group that we wanted to be part of. And we've achieved that goal in Seattle. Now, we'd like to do that elsewhere! So Biznik 2.0 is all about localization. After the release, which is now scheduled for early March, a visit to biznik.com will show you what's happening in your local network, rather than what's happening in Seattle.

You'll also be able to form local groups, which is something members have been requesting for a long time. We're also going to have a lot of emphasis on business development and education. We're building the whole thing on Rails, a fantastic platform that allows us to take advantage of the latest in web technology.

By the way, all supporting members will receive an invitation to the private beta, when it begins in February, so we're looking forward to having a lot of community participation in the final stages of development. See you there!

For more information on how to join Biznik or to contact Dan, feel free to visit the Biznik site.