This past fortnight have been quite a challenge for me and the business.  Every business has it’s ups and downs and this time it was more down than up (or so I thought).

As a contractor to other small businesses my business really revolves around the work that comes in.  Sometimes there can be a lot of work and sometimes not as much.  I have been very lucky in my business that I always have an even amount of work coming in, and there is always something to keep me busy.

About 3 weeks ago I found out that I would be losing a contract (well not losing, reducing hours).  This was due to the change in structure in my client’s business and they needed a more permanent staff member instead of a contractor (fair call).  This was one of my main clients… and needless to say I was a little worried about the loss in workload (and income) but I am a very positive person and not one to shy away from a challenge so I saw it as a chance to go on to bigger and better things.

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I was chatting to a colleague about Facebook the other day about ettiquete for using Facebook and in particular when using Facebook for business.

Facebook is an extremely powerful tool for businesses but you need to use Facebook correctly. This is a list of things that should help you when using Facebook for business.

1. Disable all game application notifications

This is very important when you use your profile for business and personal use. Do you really want to bombard business associates everytime you win a game of Mafia Wars or fed your animals on Farmville. It is unprofessional and clogs up people’s live feeds. So the best way to avoid this is to disable notifications in the applications. Even your personal friends will thank you for this one.

2. Don’t send too many page requests

This is becoming a problem on my Facebook profile. It is really important that if you are going to suggest fan pages to people that they be relevant and not very frequent.

There are a couple of people who are constantly sending me facebook fan page requests. The majority of them are not even for their own business but for others. To be honest it really gets frustrating having to go through so many requests and declining them. It has gotten to the point where I am even considering removing these people as friends so I am no longer harrassed by fan page requests.

3. Regular updates… but don’t go overboard

You need to keep in regular contact with your customers and clients so utilising the facebook page can be very effective. You should be consistent with your updates and try to update everyone on a regular basis.  That said do not go overboard and update your page 10 times a day.  For the same reason as the applications it can become very frustrating when your live feed is constantly full of updates.

4. Make it personal

When adding new friends on Facebook why not personalise it. Tell the person who you are and why you want to add them. I never add someone (unless I know who they are) to my facebook profile unless they give me a reason to. If you don’t add a personal message be prepared for people to ignore your request.

5. Do not sync your Twitter to Facebook

Generally people tweet a lot more than they update their facebook page. It is accepted that on Twitter you will update your status a lot, but as already mentioned it is not on Facebook. I would advise against syncing your Twitter account to Facebook or you will clog up live feeds.  A good tool that allows you to pick and choose which updates go to both Facebook and Twitter is Hoot Suite and I highly recommend it.

One of the most common questions I receive is ‘How do I back up my database?’.

Unfortunately a small number of people do back up their websites. There have been quite a few cases recently where people have lost their entire website with no back up.

So I wanted to provide you with instructions on how to do this to prevent or minise the damage if something goes wrong.

There are two steps to backing up your site;

1.  Copying your wordpress files (this means your theme, uploaded media files and plugins)
2.  Backing up your database (which includes all of your page and blog post content)

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I am sure most business owners (at one stage or another) struggle with the work/life balance.  Generally you have your own business so you have the freedom to work your own hours, but in reality you work more hours than you would like.

This is one area I really struggle with. Particularly as I work from home my business is always ‘there’ and I don’t really switch off.  This has very much been the case over the past 6 months as my business has grown the whole “switching off” idea just doesn’t work. (more…)

This little gem was sent to me by Nick Bowditch and I just had to share it with you all.

Living Digital has compiled a list of the top 150 free Premium WordPress themes. And there are some beauties on this list. (more…)

WordPress 2.9.1 has been released, and is now available for downloads.

Upgrading your WordPress to the latest version is simple. You can either upgrade automatically by using the upgrade option in your dashboard. Or you can upgrade manually using FTP. Download WordPress 2.9.1 from here.

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Adele approached me in September 2009 and wanted me to help bring her new business venture to life.

Green Apple Organising was to be the ‘marketplace for fresh organising ideas in bite size pieces’. Adele wanted the site to be fresh, clean and uncluttered. The website was also to include an online shop using E-Junkie.

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The other week I read a post on ProBlogger about Twitter landing pages.

Twitter landing pages are a customised homepage for those who come to your site via Twitter. I loved the idea so decided to create my own Twitter landing page. There are so many benefits to having a Twitter landing page. (more…)

Last week I attended a VA Networking webinar, hosted by Leesa Barnes from the Association of Virtual Event Managers, Organisers and Hosts. The event discussed how to host virtual events and how they can help small businesses.

There is no doubt that cost cutting has affected the level of attendance at events. The majority of event managers are seeing a significat drop in attendance. In fact, Virtual Edge states that “67% of professionals responsible for traditional physical events report a drop in overall attendance.”

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Creating a Powerpoint template that suits your business is really simple.  Templates are great way to ensure all your employees use the same presentation format for the business, which really helps to formulate your brand.  Templates can also save you a lot of time.

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