You can’t be awake and all over the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But your online brand is.

Your website doesn’t have an off switch, and neither does your brand. Here are ten different ways you can develop and make your online brand more global!

1. Put some serious thought into your design.

Don’t take your design for granted! Carefully think all this through choose the best brand for you. It’s very important to really think about what you want your brand image to say about you – because it speaks volumes. While larger corporations hire Brand Specialists, this isn’t necessary if you’re an Entrepreneur or Small Business Owner. There are more resources out there than ever before, and most of them cost very little, if anything at all. There are many free themes out there, here are 100, or if you want to take your design to the next level I recommend going with WooThemes since they are very high quality and offer two free themes with the purchase of one.

2. Keep compelling content on your radar.

It is good ideas to subscribe to the blogs you find the most interesting and helpful. One word of caution: it’s very easy to get carried away with the amount of blogs you follow. Keeping the number of blogs you follow to a manageable number will help eliminate information overload.

3. Take advantage of free Google services.

A site that organizes and centralizes all the blogs you follow into one place is called an “aggregator”. One of the best known aggregators is Google Reader. Since new blogs appear daily, it might be a good idea to set up a Google alert for your blog and other blogs in your areas of interest. This is a great way to stay current with information, brainstorm new post ideas, and to learn new things.

4. Get the word out.

One of the easiest things that you can do is to customize your email signature. We see it all the time, but many people forget to do this for themselves. For example, you could add your full name (first and last), your website URL, and any related profiles, such as LinkedIn. Whatever you put in your custom signature, keep it related to your brand. This will also subtly say “I’m a professional”. For more constant and interactive promotion of your brand, it’s highly recommended that you roll up your sleeves and get into Social Media. It’s not as scary as it may seem. Setting up a Twitter profile and engaging with the people out there is as easy as saying hello or asking a question. Staying plugged in and keeping the Twitter conversations going will help you build a community of clients, prospects, and colleagues that will reach further than an ad in the classifieds. To take this a step further, you can build a Facebook business page and fan page. Invite the people from Twitter to these pages. Be sure to leave the Facebook pages and your Twitter page public so that you are easy to find. Facebook and Twitter are instant and endless sources of global connections.

5. Keep your writing style simple.

That is, avoid using complicated sentence structures and over elaborate words. The goal is to attract the most diverse audience as possible. You don’t have to over simplify things, but make sure that your writings are easy to read. For example, if you are writing in English, you’ll want the people just learning the language to understand everything as well as the native speaker.

6. Sometimes you have to meet face-to-face.

With software like Skype, you can talk to someone face-to-face for free, no matter where they are in the world (there are some restrictions, but a general guideline is: as long as both people have Skype accounts the video calls are free. In some countries Skype can be connected to a number and called as if it were a regular phone.) Global travel can’t get any more cost effective than that! You no longer have to reschedule appointments when you are traveling for business. Simply connect with whomever you need to online. Skype is only one example of many. Review your choices and pick the one that suits your needs the best. Another way is to actually get out and about where you work or live and shake some hands. Talk to people in the line at the grocery store. Go to networking events, or other gatherings of people who might be ideal clients and colleagues. Make conversation with other parents before or after your child’s event. There are so many possibilities. The point is not just to get to know the person in front of you. It’s to get to know who they know too. And don’t worry about being nervous. We are all nervous at some point. Once the conversation gets going, you’ll be fine.

7. Be consistent.

Be certain to use the same fonts, colors, writing style and other brand specific characteristics consistent throughout every piece of written material. The reasons are that you want all of your materials to be visually appealing, and maintaining consistency is a definite plus. When you are consistent you are setting a high standard of quality, and that’s a win-win for everyone.

8. Be creative.

People love new, fresh, great ideas. Sometimes the best route is the simplest one. One of the best traits in a businessperson is to find new ways of doing what everyone else is doing. Sure, most businesses have a website now. But what can you do, in a creative way, which makes you different? Is your business card a standard size and shape like everyone else that passed out cards in the room? Does your logo make someone stop in their tracks and take notice?

9. Be memorable.

It’s no secret the endless names of companies that have achieved memorability. The key is to be memorable for the right reasons. Word of mouth can be a blessing or a curse. Once you achieve a positive global image your brand will soar all on its own. This is where all your Social Media connections come in very handy. There comes a point when you will still have to advertise, but the most effective form of marketing is the word of mouth spread by your colleagues, clients, and prospects.

10. Be supportive of others.

This doesn’t necessarily mean for business either. This does not just mean writing a check. It’s far more meaningful that you stopped what you were doing to help someone. Mentor someone who could use sound business advice. Tap into your global connections and see how they are doing. Can you give them feedback on a project they’re working on? Can you retweet their latest post on Twitter? It’s important to remember that we all began at the starting gate. And when you help and support others, we all get to the finish line.

All of the suggestions in this post let you know that it’s ok to think out of the box. Color outside the lines. Zig, zag, twist and shout. Build yourself a great global brand, and you’ll be building yourself one great future.

About the Author: Kelly Ann Carpentier is the author of the Blog: Global thinking, networking, and information all in one place. She is also a Social Media Strategist, an Open Networker and an Entrepreneur. You should follow her on Twitter: @kcarpentier77

Video is a powerful medium. To really leverage the power of video and spread your message to the widest possible audience it is important to make sure that you describe exactly what you talk about in the video so that the people who are searching for what you are saying in your video can find you with ease. The following 25 tips cover several different ways that you can get the best video quality possible, and then share your video across a variety of platforms.

1. Get a YouTube Account

YouTube dominates the online Video space. If you Upload your Video to only one Video Network YouTube is your best bet. They are the biggest and serve over one billion videos daily.

2. Get a TubeMogul Account
There is also significant niche traffic to be had by uploading Videos to numerous networks, and a great way to manage this is with a site called TubeMogul. TubeMogul is video syndication site and distributes your Video to multiple Video sites, saving you uploading video multiple times.

3. Be Professional
You don’t need to be wearing a suit and tie but at least remember to shave. If you want to produce a Viral Video you probably won’t do it looking like a slob. Find yourself a good professional setting. I just use a couch but it works for me because that is where I feel most relaxed, which brings me to my next point.

4. Get as Comfortable as Possible
Video Blogging is a little nerve racking, so it helps to be comfortable. Find the place where you feel most comfortable, your favorite couch or chair perhaps, and get set up. Plenty of light is also a necessity, but not so much that it feels unnatural. Personally, I prefer to record when no one is around so I can focus on the video at hand and not what others in the immediate area are thinking about what I am doing.

5. Make sure your Batteries are Charged
I have learned this lesson the hard way. Trust me when I say it sucks if you get into a good dialogue and are cut off mid sentence due to a failing battery. A dead battery disrupts the entire flow so make sure you are charged up.

6. Use a Script
Sometimes I just wing it, but having a script makes the production process significantly less painful. Knowing exactly what you want to say before you say it allows you to focus on delivery when the camera is rolling. It is best to look at the camera as much as possible so bullets are a great way to ensure you achieve the best results possible.

7. Remember that YouTube has a 10 minute video limit
Even though they support HD Video YouTube still implements a 10 minute video length cap. 5 minutes is a good target to aim for. If your plan is to create a video longer than 10 minutes you will be forced to chop it up.

8. Practice makes Perfect
The more videos you are able to make the more natural it will feel for you to be in front of a camera. Until you feel perfectly comfortable talking into a lens I recommend filming several different sections to your video and then piecing them together.

9. Use a Tripod
I bought a compact tripod from a local electronics store for under $20 and I use it almost every time I shoot. I also had a Heavy Duty tripod stand given to me and I use this as well for some scenes. A steady camera makes a video much better so if you do not have a tripod handy ensure the person handling the camera is careful to hold it still.

10. Give yourself time to edit
The Photographer Thomas Hawk says that for about every ten pictures he takes he usually only keeps about one. When shooting video a similar rule applies: record a lot, use a little.

11. Syndicate your video as a Podcast
If you are unfamiliar about how Podcasting works check out this Podcastblaster.com and look for the tutorial about How to make a Video Podcast. Once you have created your Video Podcast you can submit it to Podcastblaster and iTunes so that viewers download new episodes automatically into iTunes.

12. Video Blog with an iPhone
If you are a proud owner of a 3Gs you are able to take Video with your phone, and you also are able to stream video with one of the two apps I will now mention as tips #13 & #14.

13. Ustream for iPhone
I have not yet been able to get Qik to work for me but it allows a live stream of video to be shared from an iPhone or nokia video phone. This app also has built in chat features so that people watching can comment and ask questions that can then be answered by those participating in the live stream.

14. Knocking for iPhone
Knocking is not so much Video Blogging as it is Mobile to Mobile live sharing. This cool and free app allows you to “knock” on a friends iphone and share a video stream with them live, with only a few seconds of delay.

15. Create a Custom Channel & Video Player with Blip.tv
Blip.tv is another video site that is compatible with tube mogul. My favorite feature of blip is that they allow you to create a custom video player, using whatever color you want for the border and text, and even including the name of your brand beside the play bar.

16. Light is your Friend
A camera is just a device that captures light so it helps to have plenty of it if you want a high quality video.

17. Natural Light is the Best
Natural light simply looks the most natural, and is difficult to reproduce. If you cannot film during the day I recommend buying daylight effect bulbs, unless you are willing to spring the extra cash for professional lighting.

18. Keep your Video short and sweet

Brevity is the art of wit. Twitter is proof that it works.

19. Film in HD
I don’t have an HD camera yet so I can’t follow this advice, but I plan to get one so I can asap. YouTube supports 1080p now, which is phenomenal quality. The main setback to HD is long upload times, but for the quality you get, it is so worth it.

20. End on a Positive Note
Go out with a bang. Save the best for last. End with a smile and keep your viewers eager for more.

21. Get great Editing Software
One of the many reasons I am happy I bought a Mac is because it comes stock with the easiest video editing program I have ever used, iMovie. That said I have also edited on a PC, and when I did I used Adobe Premiere. I am going to invest in Final Cut for my Mac as soon as I can justify spending $1,000 on software. I keep hoping I will run into someone who already owns it!

22. Do a Screencast
TechSmith is a software company that produces two cool pieces of software for screen casting. For the record a screen cast is a video of what is happening on your screen. The more affordable option is Jing, which I have purchased and am quite happy with. For advanced features such as cursor zoom and others check out Jing’s big brother, Camtasia.

23. Use Screenr to Screencast

If you are looking for a free screencasting solution check out screenr. Screenr is powerful, simple, and works on either Mac or PC. You can download screenr videos, upload to youtube, and easily share them with your Twitter network.

24. 12 Seconds.tv
This tip is really just an elaboration of tip 18, keep it short and sweet. Sign up for a12seconds.tv account and you can create 12 second videos that you can share with your friends. These are great for concise little messages, like an update of where you are, or what you are working on. 12seconds even has a 12cast iPhone app for vlogging from your iPhone.

25. Create a Video Challenge
Are you have a skill that you think goes unmatched? Put it to the test and create a video challenging others to step up to the plate. If you can get a ton of video responses there is a good chance that the people who make them will tell their friends about the challenge and this will help you build hype! I am planning to do a video challenge soon…I’m just not sure yet what my challenge will be (Any suggestions?). I’ll figure something out so subscribe to my youtube channel garin.tv and stay tuned for my upcoming videos and video challenge!

Are you a Video Blogger? Do you have any video blogging tips that I forgot to mention? Feel free to share your youtube channel name below as well as any video blogging tips that you use when making your videos!

Twitter is a Powerful Platform for communication.  Part of the reason that Twitter has been so successful is because there is a developer friendly API that helps developers build powerful Twitter apps, fast.  Below I list the most powerful ways to engage with Twitter that I am aware of.  If you find these tips helpful your comments are appreciated below!

1. Befriend the Giants

Unless you are @aplusk, someone else has a bigger network than you. The great thing about Twitter is the ability to talk to people who have bigger networks than you do.  I am friends with Jason Pollock who has brought a significant amount of traffic my way when he Retweeted me several times.  Although Jason Pollock does not have a network of 3 million+ people, when Ashton Kutcher Retweets Jason (and he has several times) then Jason potentially has the attention of millions.  Befriending Jason, Scobleizer, Rob McNealy, Tom Maduri, and others on Facebook and Twitter has helped me net some serious big name retweets.  One night when I went to Robert Scoble’s house and drank wine with Scoble and my cousin Luke. Scoble made a friendfeed post with my name in it that received over 800 comments.   Spark the right kind of interest and you could get the attention of someone like Ashton, or Ellen.

2. TweetDeck is Powerful

The latest version of TweetDeck is the most powerful yet and offers auto link shortening and bit.ly account integration. I just produced a Tutorial covering the new features. Here it is:

With TweetDeck you can manage multiple accounts, and it now also features Facebook & Myspace posting capabilities. TweetDeck works on a PC or a MAC and you can download TweetDeck for free.

3. Shorten & Track your Links

The link shortening service bit.ly is the default link shortening service for Twitter.  Shorten your links with an alternative system and it has been proven that you will lose out on clicks. Bit.ly is the best link shortening system to use since it has a robust link tracking system built right in.  One reason bit.ly was brought in to replace tinyurl.com was because the short url makes shorter links.  With a limit of 140 characters space is at a premium.  If you need to go another 2 characters shorter than bit.ly then look no farther than the worlds smallest link shortening service 3.ly.

4. Integrate Twitter into your Blog

One cool way to integrate Twitter conversation and flickr photos into your Blog is by using TwitterFountain. Twitter Fountain is a visually cool way to watch a stream of tweets about a specific topic.

5. Add a bit.ly ReTweet Button to your Blog Posts!

eJohn, the inventor of jquery, created a wicked Twitter Retweet Button based on bit.ly link clicks, instead of just ReTweets. This gives a better indicator of how much of an impact any post has had by tracking the total number of times the link to the post has been used. This is the style of Twitter ReTweet button I use on Interawesome.com.

6. Give Twitter some Oomph!

A free account with Social Oomph will give you get everything you will need to automatically schedule messages, stop following people who unfollow you, auto-follow people who do follow you, and more! Social Oomph offers automatic Direct Messaging services also, but I do not recommend you use them.  Most people I have met hate DMs because too many are Spam.  Another valuable service SocialOomph provides is a DM Inbox purging feature that will help you unload all messages from a flooded direct message inbox.

7. Join the Wefollow Twitter Directory

Wefollow was developed by a team that was led by Kevin Rose, founder of Digg. The site now automates the process of adding yourself to the directory, but it used to be facilitated entirely via Twitter tweets.  Follow the process on wefollow.com with the form shown below to add yourself to the directory: To add yourself to different topic categories in the directory simply mark your category choices as I did above.  This takes only a minute and allows you to list yourself under relevant categories with likeminded people.

8. Check out Twitter Widgets & Goodies

There is a Widgets Section of Twitter.com that makes it easy to customize and grab the embed code for different types of Widgets. The first style they offer is a traditional Flash based Status Widget:

9. Use #Hashtags

#Hashtags are a great way to organize tweets into common trending threads.  They are powerful because they linkify the text string they are attached to and connect conversations based on a keyword. If #Hashtags are used excessively they become a Trending Topic and all of Twitter can jump in on the conversation.  If a #Hashtag sparks a readers interest the person reading it can click the #Hashtag and view all recent tweets by other people who have used the same #Hashtag.

10. Make your followers Mutual

Mutualityis a free service that works by automatically un-following anyone you follow that does not follow you back. Mutuality also gives you the option to unfollow everyone if you so choose, a service that other sites charge upwards of $20 for. Personally, I do not recommend unfollowing everyone.  By unfollowing everyone you will miss out on valuable connections you have made since you joined Twitter, and you may never get them back.  At the same time I understand why people might want to use this service, because there are way too many spammers on Twitter.  My Direct Message Inbox is constantly flooded, which is why I recommend against using Auto-DMs!

11. Tweet Everywhere

Many people openly admit that their favorite place to Tweet is from the toilet. iJustine and Shaq are two self-admitted toilet twitterers, and they are not alone.  Toilet tweeting would be more difficult without mobile phones, and there are many different Twitter apps for many different types of phones. For a Blackberry I recommend Twitterberry.  On my iPhone I continue my TweetDeck fixation and use the free TweetDeck for iPhone App. By using one of these Apps, or simply by updating to Twitter via SMS, you have the power to get your message out to the world whenever and wherever the inspiration to tweet strikes you!

Feedback

Where is your favorite place to Tweet from?  What is your favorite Twitter App?  Heck, say anything you want about Twitter or your take on the Tips above!

By: Garin Kilpatrick

Twitter is a great way to connect with new people and to help swell your sphere of influence by thousands if you are so inclined. From my research from watching my Twitter Stream I have read many blog posts and come up with 5 tips that will help you on your way to becoming a Twitter Pro! Using these five Tips combined with working hard to connect with new people are the reasons why I now have over 24,000 followers and why I continue to connect with new people via Twitter every single day.

Twitter Tip #1 – Tweet Like a Pro

A great way to tweet like a pro is to tweet about the hottest stories on twitter.

TweetMeme.com is just one way to find the hottest topics, you can also search twitter for topics you are interested or you can jump in on Trending Topics. A history of all trending topics is tweeted about by @trendingtopics.

I find that there is usually at least one trending topic at any time that I can use to easily find something to tweet about.

Some people say that Hash Tags are dead but using the hashtag in the tweet above included my tweet in a common trending topic hashtag thread. If you don’t use a hash tag (#) when there is one beside the trending topic title (ie. #MichaelJackson) then your comment will not be included in the trending topic thread on Twitter or included in related websites like HashTags.org.

Write Re-Tweetable Tweets. You should try whenever possible to leave the length of your username so that if someone likes your tweet they will have enough space to retweet your name. My Username (@GarinKilpatrick) is 15 letters (16 with the @ symbol) so I subtract this from 140 and try and make all of my tweets under 124 so that they can be retweeted easily. If you are not completely sure about what re-tweeting is pay extra attention to this next tip.

Twitter Tip #2 – ReTweet Like a Pro

ReTweeting is the act of re-delivering a message of another Twitter user, and giving them credit.

So here is how to ReTweet.

The Tweet about this Blog Post: 5 Tips to Use Twitter like a Pro http://bit.ly/5twittertips

Is ReTweeted Properly like this:

@YourUsername: RT @GarinKilpatrick 5 Tips to Use Twitter like a Pro http://bit.ly/5twittertips

or @YourUsername: 5 Tips to Use Twitter like a Pro! http://bit.ly/5twittertips (via @GarinKilpatrick)

or @YourUsername: Your comments (great post!) RT @GarinKilpatrick 5 Tips to Use Twitter like a Pro! http://bit.ly/5twittertips

There is even a Retweeting News site called the Retweetist that tracks ReTweets and lists them in order.

One strategy that some people use to help spread the really important posts is by asking people to please retweet. For example since I really want people to know about this Blog post I will probably tweet this: 5 Tips to Use Twitter like a Professional http://bit.ly/5twittertips (Please RT!

Twitter Tip #3 – Use A Twitter Program li

A Twitter Program is software that you can download for free that works as an interface between you and Twitter. I like to use the Web Based version of Twitter in tandem with an Application, because the programs Seemsic Desktop, TweetDeck and Twhirl, offer unique tools that are not available through the browser.

Some of the unique features these programs offer:

• Seemsic Desktop imports your Facebook Stream, and has built in link shortening.

• Twhirl (Also owned by seesmic) provides a compact interface and also supports friendfeed integration.

• TweetDeck is the most popular twitter program right now. It supports facebook status posts, groups, translation, customization, and more.

All three of these programs are available for Windows or Mac.

My Recommendations. Right now TweetDeck is the most powerful program. Seesmic is doing a good job as competition with their Seesmic Desktop and Twhirl and they are certainly a company to look out for.

Twitter Tip #4 – Be a Twitter Pro on the Go

Life happens everywhere, not just when you are sitting down at your computer. Tweeting on the go is is fun, and there are many different mobile apps allow you to engage with Twitter on different mobile devices. Due to it’s text messaging style and strong mobile presence Twitter is probably the best way to get up to the minute breaking news, (or to spread it.)

Mobile Twitter Applications for the iPhone include TweetDeck and Tweetie, among others, and for the Blackberry my favorite app is TwitterBerry! There are so many apps out there for these devices that I have not had the time yet to investigate them all, so please share your favorites in the comments below!

Twitter Tip #5 – Link like a Pro

Twitter shortens long links automatically using the link shortening service bit.ly. To link like a pro I recommend you take 2 seconds and sign up for a bit.ly account. Once you are signed up you can create custom links as I am doing in the image below.

By entering “5twittertips” into the field above I was able to create the link http://bit.ly/5twittertips for this post. Since I have an account I am also able to keep track of how many visitors have visited each link. There is also a box beneath the custom name field (partially visible above) which allows you to tweet your newly created link to Twitter directly within bit.ly.

Bonus Tip: Want an even shorter link? Try using the “world smallest” url shortening service 3.ly.

And those are my 5 Twitter Tips! Make sure to check out my Ultimate Tweetdeck Tutorial and add a comment below!