China Blocks Twitter

June 2nd, 2009
How could such a small bird threaten such a large country?

How could such a small bird threaten such a large country?

In a piece of not-as-shocking-as-it-should-be news today, China has blocked it’s citizens’ access to twitter. Naturally, they’re not saying why it’s been blocked, but there’s a lot of speculation that it has to do with the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests coming up on June 4. This article from AdAge tells a bit more.

Sometimes I forget how good I have it living here in America. Not only do I have free access to just about any corner of the internet I choose to venture into, but my government usually doesn’t kill dissenters. I digress…

Clearly China is starting to catch on to what clever marketers figured out from day one. Twitter is unbelievably powerful for spreading ideas. It’s like being at a party that everyone in the world is invited to, and being able to join (or just eavesdrop on) any conversation you want. It’s a learning tool, a social tool, and an incredible marketing tool.

Don’t be China.

Twitter is a powerful (and very, very simple) tool that smart businesses will need to know how to leverage if they are serious about marketing their brand on the web. Don’t shut it out just because it’s scary or new. There’s opportunity to be had in that brave new world. And isn’t that what we’re all looking for?

The Limits of DIY

May 27th, 2009

Independent business owners tend to be do-it-yourself types. I know firsthand. I started my business because I wanted to be a writer. Soon after starting, I met someone who suggested I learn graphic design to provide “One stop shopping” for my clients. So I did. 

After that, I saw just how much I needed a website. So I bought a couple books and built myself a site. Now I provide all three of those services to my clients. 

That’s all been great and wonderful, but now I’m coming up to a new challenge. One that I can’t seem to overcome. 

SALES. 

I’ve read the books, I’ve talked to salespeople I know, but I just can’t seem to master this one by myself. I hate to admit it, but I need someone to really show me the ropes. Someone to work with me directly to help me learn the process. It’s a skill I’d pay a good chunk of cash for, because I know it will pay off for me in the long run. 

And that situation is why I created my web design course. Because I know there are businesspeople out there who just feel safer maintaining control of their own websites.

DIY The Right Way

My course teaches you to build and maintain your site without sacrificing the professional look you get from a web designer. No more broken pages, no more pulling your hair out because your site looks great on your office computer but horrible on your home computer. It’s all the information you need to build websites like a pro with a minimal investment of your time and money.

I’m taking sign ups right now for the first session starting in a couple weeks. There are complete details here, and you can sign up here.

And keep in mind – Sessions will only be open to a maximum of 3 students. Once the class is filled, you’ll have to wait for another session to open. If you want a spot, it’s a good idea to get booked now to ensure you don’t miss the boat.

Blog  Side Note

I’ve made a change to the comments section of the blog. You no longer need to be signed in to post a comment. You’ll still need to sign up once, but after that you won’t have to jump through any hoops to leave a comment.

Learn Web Design with Me!

May 20th, 2009

A bit of a different kind of post for this week. I want to announce the start of a new program here at www.bradenrussom.com. 

Starting in a couple of weeks, I’ll be teaching classes on web design fundamentals. I’m doing this to serve a portion of the population who simply can’t afford to hire me to design their websites. Ultimately, I know that my services are a good deal for businesses who have the budget for me. But the really small businesses simply don’t have it. Especially now.

 

You Can Learn This Stuff!

You Can Learn This Stuff!

My classes will have three students MAXIMUM. At the end of the class, you can expect to know the ins-and-outs of current versions of HTML and CSS. I’ll be teaching using the most up-to-date standards as well, so the websites you build will work on all major browsers and have the professional look that small businesses need. 

There’s more information here, or you can get signed up here.