Tag: How To

Top New Year Business Resolutions: Professional Work Resolutions

Friday, December 31, 2010 / Vince Golangco

Today is the start of the rest of your life. Welcome to the new year. Today is the first Monday, and for most, probably the first work day of the new decade. With the new year and new business world ahead, have you made the aptly New Year Business Resolutions?

Many, many Americans and people from all around the world make New Year Resolutions. They do this to help kick start a better year with better habits or attitudes. Though, did you know that it is equally vital to have New Years Business Resolutionsto kick start your business as well.

Well let’s start off first by naming off the top five personal New Years Resolutions:

1. Get in shape / Lose weight
2. Spend more time with Family & Friends
3. Quit Smoking or Drinking
4. Delight in life more
5. Pick up a new leisure activity

All excellent resolutions and all pushing you in the aptly direction to start off the year. So for your entrepreneurial self or for your business mind, here are some top New Year Business Resolutions for you:

1. Have less meetings – Many a times, the thoughts and ideals get lost in too much “assembly time” but not sufficient expediting and application. Make a promise to yourself to spend less time debating on the color scheme for your new website and just build the damn website!

2. Promote your business for free – There are countless ways of promoting your business for free. From Facebook Fan Pages, Chirrup Tweets, Blogs, Friends in the media and ancient flames you used to mess around with, there are bridges and applications at your disposal. USE THEM!

3. Learn a touch new – Take a new class. Learn how to write better, learn how to do your finances, learn how to draw, just learn a touch! Besides, other than feeding your mind, you’ll also feed your social self when attending classes and assembly like-minded people, which of way brings me to my next business resolution,

4. Meet new people – You can never meet sufficient incredible and fascinating people in this world. Assembly new people makes you feel alive and young. It’s also tied in very closely with learning a touch new as there’s always a touch new you can learn from a new friend.

5. Don’t do tomorrow, what you can do today – Stop procrastinating. Do it, and do it NOW! No matter what it is that you need to do… just do it! (no we are not sponsored by Nike) What you waiting for? Less talk and more DO!

So what are your New Year Business Resolutions?

Top New Year Business Resolutions

Work Resolutions / Professional Resolutions

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How Not to DIE

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 / Vince Golangco

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Here’s some very important tips on how to avoid dying.

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How not to die:

1. Don’t jump off planes, bridges, cliffs or any high places

2. Don’t talk to strangers

3. Don’t try unfamiliar things

4. Don’t forget to brush your teeth

5. Don’t question the way things are

6. Never break the rules

7. Never take risks

8. Do as you’re told

9. Conform

10. If in doubt, don’t do it

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How to LIVE:

1. Ignore all of the above

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“There was a very cautious man, who never laughed or cried
He never risked, he never lost, he never won nor tried.
And when he one day passed away, his insurance was denied,
For since he never really lived, they claimed he never died”

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Importance of New Media Marketing TODAY

Thursday, January 28, 2010 / Vince Golangco

If’ you’re not starting your online marketing then you are seriously hurting yourself. It doesn’t have to be anything too complicated or strategic, but simply maintaining a Facebook or Twitter account may be enough to keep you in the loop.

Have a blog? Even better! The digital age is upon us and getting familiar with it is a necessity for you and your business to survive.

It’s quite a different market here in the Philippines where the internet is just now emerging as a platform for advertising and marketing. Even now, in 2010, it still has yet to reach it’s full potential. It may actually be a few more years before we actually see what the internet is fully capable of doing. That’s why the internet bloggers, marketers, twitters and SEOers of TODAY will be the sought after leaders and experts when that time comes for Asia, and the Philippines in particular, to use the full potential of the internet.

Want to learn more about the net? Well I recommend starting a blog, getting a Twitter account and maintaining your Facebook account on a regular basis. Just start with that. On Twitter, follow the experts I mentioned in an earlier post (Top Twitters to Follow on Twitter) and you should start getting info on how to go about with online marketing and branding.

Some interesting facts and statistics from the video:

1.7 billion internet users worldwide
Philippines ranks #18 in top users
14 million Filipinos online in 2008
28 million Filipinos online in 2010 (equal to entire population of Malaysia)
83% are on social networking sites
90% read blogs (of over 300,000 Pinoy bloggers)
6 out of 10 Filipino kids are online
Asked if you were stuck on an island, “What would you bring?”
- 4% TV
- 20% cellphone
- 32% laptop computer
25,200,000 Filipinos watch videos online
5.5 million Pinoys browse the web on their mobile phones
In 2014 there will be 41 million Filipinos online (if the world doesn’t end in 2012)

Very interesting numbers to think about. So, how are you going to communicate to your audience TODAY????

Thanks to my friend, and new media marketing guru, Carlo Ople of CarloOple.com and NewMedia.ph for sharing this very insightful video with me.

So what do you think is the Importance of New Media Marketing TODAY?

Write the Best Headlines. EVER. (Digg teaches us how to get clicks)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 / Vince Golangco

If a tree falls in the forest but no one hears it, did the tree really fall? If you have the BEST blog post in the world, but no one clicks on it… well… you get my point.

Writing an eye catching / click suckling HEADLINE is often more important than the actual content itself. I mean, you can have the best story or blog post in the world, but if no one clicks on it to read it, then it’ll be nothing but another lost blog post in the vast spaces of the internet.

So here we “Digg” for help from Digg.com to see how to write the best blog titles or headlines. EVER. Let’s see which headlines got the most clicks from 2009 and what techniques we can use to get the same results!

(Thanks to my Advance Internet Marketing Mentor, Jomar Hilario, for inspiring these priceless lessons. To find out more about him or to join his Advance Internet Marketing Classes, check out http://jomarhilario.com)

Here are a few tips on how you should draft your next headlines or blog titles! Also, I attached pics of the actual headlines used on the popular news story voting website, Digg.com that got the most Diggs (or clicks) from that Digg community. Let’s learn from the masters.

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How to write the best blog titles or headlines. EVER.

(according to Digg)

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1. Big Corporations Doing Injustice to Small Things

It’s the classic David vs Goliath story. Everyone wants to hear about, and route for, the less powerful underdog who is somehow being mistreated by the giant tyrant. People will click on that headline of the little guy trying to overcome the injustice brought about by some power-tripping big guy. You click on this title beacause you relate to stories like this and quickly associate yourself with the underdog, hoping to one day overcome your own big corporate injustices. Stick it to the man, just like we want to but don’t have the guts to do!

Kidnappers vs John

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2. Eavesdropping Stories with Personal Info

As much as you may hate to admit it, we’re all intrigued by personal stories of personal lives with even more personal dirt, drama and secrets. We’ll click on that very real story of something happening to someone else and mock them for how stupid, crazy or idiotic they may be. Laughing at someone else’s expense is always a leisure that we unfortunately enjoy a bit too much. We each have our own little skeletons in our closets and it’s just funny to see how others react when theirs come out. I swear my mouse has a mind of it’s own and clicks on these controversial headlines. Exclusive leaked top secret stories sell!

Pat Robertson’s Secret Pact with the Devil

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3. This is Why I Love _____ !!!!!

Good stories that are passionate and well written usually stem from extreme feelings. Loving something so much that you write an article about it is usually a great idea that translates into great writing. Your viewers can relate to you liking or loving something just as they do themselves. So write about what you love and share it with the world. Chances are, they’ll click on this headline to find out more about what you love and why you love it.

This is why I love Steve Jobs

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4. Best ____ I’ve Seen Today that Will Surely Make You Smile

99.999999% of people like smiling. So why would anyone not want to click on something that will make them smile?

Funny video that will surely make you smile today

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5. Mention “Facebook” “Twitter” or other popular sites

It’s already popular, so ride that wave! You’ll click on these headlines because it possibly holds relevant information or stories to something you use or associate yourself with.

Secret Hottie on Facebook

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6. “Did you know? It will BLOW YOUR MIND!”

Don’t ask and don’t change anything. This is as good as it comes!

“Did you know?” Well, you probably didn’t know since you don’t even know what this headline is talking about, and mind blowing things are really cool So you’ll click. You know you will.

Did you know? It will blow your mind!

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7. Why ____ should rethink _____

You’ll click on this because it challenges something you like. You immediately relate to it and wonder: “Why the hell should I rethink _____!!??!?!” So you click on it.

Why you should rethink wearing Skirts

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8. How _____ should have ended…

Insert popular movie title in the blank for this headline. Again, riding a wave of popularity already. You can plug in whatever advocacy or product your selling as long as you do it in a semi comedic way. Spoof it, and they will come…

How Lord of the Rings should have ended

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9. The ____ of the future has arrived

You definitely want to know what happens in the future. No one really knows this, but we’re intrigued to hear, see and read about predictions. I predict that in the future, you will click on a headline that talks about how things will be in the future.

Olympics of the Future

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10. Best. ___. EVER.

If it’s the best EVER, then it has to be clicked on! In fact, clicking on headlines that talk about best things EVER, is the best idea. EVER.

Coolest Restaurant. EVER.

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11. Insert “Cat” anywhere

Cat Kitty Kitten Cute-Lil-Kitty-Witty…. doesn’t matter, but in this LOLCATS crazy world of ours, having cats online is nothing but a good thing. Not sure why but it’s been proven time and again, that the internet loves cats and / or little cute furry things. So referencing kitties, bunnies and puppies, as well as adding pictures of them, will just make people smile and want to share that smile with others (refer to: tip # 4 on headlines that will surely make you smile).

Cat in the sink explains what PageRank (PR) really means

One Tip on How To Make People Like You Instantly

Saturday, January 23, 2010 / Vince Golangco

It’s no secret that the more people you know, the more likely you’re apt to achieve the dreams you set out for in life, or get that cup of sugar you desperately need to borrow.

A network is power. It’s all about who knows you. It’s safe to say that the more people who know, and like you, the better off you will be in your professional and personal life.

But for someone to be considered a “friend,” you need to put in the time. That’s equivalent to a minimum of 26 hours watching movies, 11.5 hours in a car together, 15 meals with each other and at least one crazy experience that includes alcohol and a hot member of the opposite sex. In short, it takes time to make a new friend.

However, if you did put the time in, as listed above, to be someone’s friend, then there definitely will be a shared bond and comradely between you. Something that will show every time you get to hang out with each other. In fact, you’ll probably be missing them if you don’t get to spend of time with each other. When you finally get to see each other again, SNAP, just like that, instant connection and happiness between both parties that can be felt throughout the room.

And that’s exactly the little trick to make someone feel comfortable with you and put you on the right path to becoming friends. Even though you just met someone for the first time, always act like they’re a good friend from the past whom you haven’t seen in umph-teen years. This automatically lowers unnecessary defenses that each side usually sets up.

Before you meet someone, you’re usually self-conscious and wary of what others may think of you. You put on a front, a wall, to only show your best side. The other party is doing the same thing and what usually happens is that walls are set too high and in the end, no one gets to cross them. Which is why showing that you are open, friendly and happy to see someone else will instantaneously make them feel like you’re an old friend.

It doesn’t matter if this is your first, second, third or 75th time meeting someone. Showing them that you missed them and that you are excited to see them always makes others feel more at ease with you.

Don’t overdo it though; a big , genuine smile and a warm handshake is usually enough. Ask them how they are and be genuinely interested in their response. It’s kind of like the mannerisms of your pet dog. When you come home after a long day of work, who’s waiting for you at the door wagging his tail like he hasn’t seen you in forever? Well, have your body language set the same way. Smile with your eyes, listen to what they have to say and direct your body and attention to them. Oh and don’t forget to wag your tail!

Treat a stranger like a friend and pretty soon he will be. In fact, treat them like your best friend whom you haven’t seen since high school! You’ll also notice that you’ll soon be the life of the party as everyone starts getting excited to meet you or see you again. Just like an old friend…

How To Start Your Personal Blog

Saturday, January 16, 2010 / Vince Golangco

Here’s a video of Hannah Villasis, author of the blog FlairCandy.com. Hannah won the 2009 award for “Best Personal Blog” at the Digital Filipino E-Commerce summit (DigitalFilipino.com) held at the Intercontinental Hotel. FlairCandy gives us a brief talk on how to successfully start your own personal blog…

Some highlights from Hannah’s talk:

Put yourself into the blog
Be just who you are
You are your own personal brand
Your own personal brand will connect with others like you and that will be your niche
You can be funny, crazy, goofy, sexy or whatever, your readers will relate to you if its you
If you want to communicate to your audience, it’s no longer about the super models, it’s about just you and me, the personal bloggers

Check out more of Hannah at her site FlairCandy.com or I recommend you follow her on Twitter at Twitter.com/FlairCandy.

Check out more of Hannah at her site FlairCandy.com or I recommend you follow her on Twitter atTwitter.com/FlairCandy.

Things I Wish People Knew When Driving in the Philippines

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 / Vince Golangco

Driving in the Philippines isn’t quite like it is anywhere else. Here are some things I wish people would think of while driving when in the Philippines.

Patience isn’t just a virtue… it’s a flippin necessity!
You can start your day off by smiling and keeping the little things exactly what they’re supposed to be – little. Or, you could totally BLOW UP and frustrate yourself at that one guy who cut you off on the road. It’ll really reflect the rest of your day. Your choice.
Size doesn’t matterJust coz you drive a bigger car doesn’t mean that you’re the king of the road.
Motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians are people too you know!
Pedestrians should have the right of way
I mean they’re walking… you’re driving…. you hit them… they die…. So can we just wait an extra few seconds to let them cross the street?
Did honking your horn that much really make things move faster?
Like really? Quit being a horn-y-bastard (get it… ‘horn-y’…. no…? Nevermind!)
Mind your manners
If you insist on flipping me off every time something doesn’t go your way, then I insist that you also say thank you during times that they do – like when I let you cut in front of me
The evil stare makes you look like a punkDon’t give me a stare down like you’re gonna do something while you drive off and hide behind your locked car. It just makes you look like a wuss
Try smiling, it makes everyone’s days better
They invented this thing called “Trash Cans”USE IT!
Stop throwing stuff out your window! This is YOUR WORLD and YOUR COUNTRY too!
It would be nice if you were niceIt’ll make this long road trip better for me and you
I know you have somewhere to go and you’re in a rush, so is everyone else. Can’t we all just get along?

Hope you’re all having a wonderful driven and driving day!

*Image #1 photo credits to http://filamfunk.blogspot.com

How To Create Your Own Tiny Web Icon or Favicon

Thursday, January 7, 2010 / Vince Golangco

So working on my blog and just thought I’d share the cool new things I’m discovering.

Quick thing is that I just learned a new web term…. lol. A FAVICON!!!! Without the exaggerated CAPS and exclamation points though!!!!

So anywayz, a Favicon is that tiny little icon that appears when your page is bookmarked. If you’re like me, you have a whole list of Favicons on your bookmarks toolbar for all your favorite sites. Oh and this screenshot below is of my Google Chrome Browser btw.

Oh oh oh, and the Favicon I found was the letter G for this site, VinceGolangco.com. And please believe that I tried to make my own Favicon, but that resulted in an EPIC FAIL!!! Haha, not really much of an artist when it comes to drawing.

Here’s the pics of my first couple of tries at creating my own Favicon. Some have commented that my artwork reminds them of one – Vincent Van Gogh….. ahhhh yes, Vincents are truly talented. But just in case my “impressionism” style of art is beyond your interpretation, I was trying to go for the letters VG for Vince Golangco (or Vincent Gogh). But alas, I am an Avant-garde way ahead of my time. So I just picked the pre-made LetterG Favicon. =P

So anywayz, it’s really easy to pick one of many many favicons available, or you can upload your own picture, or better yet, for the artists out there, you can even create your own. Just check out http://www.favicon.cc and you should be able to create your own Favicon for your site.

Here below is a screenshot of my browser. I circled the my Favicons. that letter W Favicon is for my WhenInManila.com video blog (though I had nothing to do with that, was my web designer partner). So yeah, this was my first time trying this and I got the Letter G Favicon, underlined, for this site.

Happy Faviconing!