I promised myself that I wasn’t going to join the thousands of others writing their Pinterest blog post.

And I do not intend to spend this whole article trying to convince you. And yes, I did write an article not long ago about why I wasn’t going to join the Pinterest fray.

click to enlarge

But I’ve been on the network for about two weeks [you can find me here], as of this writing. And I merely wanted to share with you a few quick observations. And these, in my humble opinion, should inspire you to consider at least exploring Pinterest.

1. After two weeks, it is already driving traffic to my blog. Just four days ago, it ranked as the 23rd best referral source. This morning, it ranked 13th. And, again, this is after just two weeks.

2. More importantly, the bounce rate for visitors referred by Pinterest is MUCH lower than the site average.

3. And even more significant, in my opinion, the average time on site for visitors referred by Pinterest is ELEVEN MINUTES! This goes without saying, but this is WAY higher than the site average.

Three immediate comments:

1. With items 2 and 3, the point is, at least at this point, Pinterest is driving meaningful traffic to my site!

2. These same measurements NEVER occurred when I first joined Google+.

3. I do expect these numbers to normalize over time, but for now, it is very exciting to observe.

As I promised, this isn’t an article meant to teach you how to use Pinterest. But I thought these numbers were worth reporting…in case you had doubts about investing time here.

Full disclosure…I did finally join Pinterest because I had a client that I thought could benefit from the platform. And after two weeks of experimenting, I think this will become a meaningful tool for my client…and all small businesses.

Pinterest is proving to be a great platform to tell your story, and promote your brand promise.

That is, of course, if you use it correctly…

###

[join my merry band of intrepid marketers and learn more about integrating social media into your organization]

I was blessed with the opportunity to share a five minute lightning talk at this past Saturday’s A Web Afternoon mini-conference. The goal of the event? A conversation by people who love the web and all it’s possibilities. A special hat-tip to J Cornelius for the generous invitation. I had a wonderful time.

Video may be available down the road, but I thought I’d share a rough recollection of what I said to the attendees. Enjoy.

My one slide...

Best-selling author, cartoonist and general all-round agitator and instigator Hugh MacLeod published this cartoon several years ago. “The web has made kicking ass easier to achieve, and mediocrity harder to sustain. Mediocrity now howls in protest.”

I love this cartoon. I look at it every day. It inspires me, it makes me think about what is possible on the web. You see, the web changed my life. It gave me a voice.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was the quintessential introvert. Quiet. Shy. Reserved. I hated, detested, social interactions. I doubt that I said a total of 200 words during high school.

Today, childhood friends, family, and high school and college buddies are stunned that I make my living doing internet radio…

The web made that possible…

You see, my first gig out of school was in politics, thus, I became a political operative for the next several years. It wasn’t until I transitioned from political operative to marketing strategist that I began to come out of my shell.

Why?

The web made that possible. I experimented with the web. Tried things. Learned things. Succeeded. Failed. Failed again. And then, I stumbled onto podcasting. And that changed how I do business.

Nowadays, I do internet radio for a living. I have a studio in north Atlanta, conduct dozens of interviews a week, reach thousands, and travel coast to coast broadcasting from trade shows.

It is a fun way to earn a living, helping people and organizations tell their story. The web made that possible…

Why? The web unleashes your true potential. It unleashes your true power. And like me, it can help you find your voice. There is an artist…there is a creative…in all of us. If you let it, the web will draw that out.

You can reach millions. You can inspire millions. You can educate millions. And yes, you can even instigate millions [pointing to image of cartoon].

yesterday at GTRI, the venue...

Now, I am about to finish my second book, a collection of essays entitled Kicking Fear’s Ass, the title inspired by that cartoon [pointing again].

It is a collection of essays from people about how they are combating, and battling fear. The project is eye opening. And it reminds me that still far too many people are NOT taking advantage of what the web has to offer. And it is up to us to help them see what is possible.

And sadly, the three things that I believe hold most people back, are the three things that I think makes the web so wide open to possibility.

They say, “Oh Todd, the web is just too big. My message will be lost.” Perhaps, but there is a niche out there for you. A niche that only you can reach, that only you can touch, that only you can motivate. It is hard work finding that niche, glorious work, but hard. But when you find it, your world changes.

Two, people are scared of the transparency of the web. They think they don’t like people getting into their business. I say bunk. Transparency is what makes the web great.

I can spend an hour on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn, and see what inspires you, see what motivates you, see what moves you, and see what pisses you off. This is how I learn about you. And this makes for powerful connections between us. In my view, Twitter is a window into your soul.

Transparency makes the web great.

Three, people are too damn afraid of negative reactions, negative feedback. It is the reason still too many organizations do NOT engage on the social web. Heck, not a podcast goes by that I don’t trip on a word, stumble on a phrase, or mispronounce someone’s name. And sure as heck, someone calls me on it.

But that makes me human…and that’s how I connect with my guests.

You will get negative feedback on the web. But don’t worry, that never ending flow of information will keep flowing, and people will be talking about something else soon enough.

And the great thing is, when you get negative feedback, there will be people in your community who will lift you up, help you, support you, advise you, counsel you, collaborate with you and love you…

And that’s what makes us ALL better.

The web changed my life. It gave me a voice. The web made that happen.

Now I need you to help others see what’s possible, to find their own voice on the web, to help others kick ass on the web [pointing to cartoon again].

Now let’s get to work. Thank you.

###

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For the first time in my life, I have ZERO business cards (other than mine) in my office. This suits my minimalist lifestyle just fine.

And yeah, I went through the stages, just like you:

1. I purchased that lovely black notebook with the plastic see-through sheets where you could insert people’s business cards into them. That ended up being crap. Like I had any desire to carry another damn notebook around.

2. Then I moved to containers on the desk, after I had collected thousands of cards. In these, I actually alphabetized them by last name. Spent hours and hours getting it set up. And then never looked at that pile of crap again. Once, I actually had to remove a spider web from the F – J container.

3. Then, I got the smartphone! And decided, “Hey, I won’t actually save the business card, but I will key in the person’s data into my database, and sync to the phone.

[Disclaimer: I never purchased one of those business card scanners. Mainly because 97% of the people I knew who had one constantly bitched that the thing was largely useless, and they spent more time correcting the scanned data than if they had just keyed it in themselves to begin with.]

And after about eight cards, this became a pain in the ass. And after a week, I was back to having stacks of cards sitting on the desk, waiting to be entered.

But then I discovered Evernote…

Now, this isn’t a post about how to use Evernote. Because, quite frankly, if you dig deep enough into Evernote, you will discover that you could probably run NASA with it, it’s that awesome. In fact, if you are using Evernote seriously, you are a fan. But most of you are probably saying, “I’ve heard good things, but just not sure what to do with it.”

Well, let me give you one suggestion for using Evernote. Here is my six-step plan for managing all those business cards:

1. First, open an Evernote account. The basic plan is free.

1a. Download the app to your handheld device. The iPad app that I use rocks.

2. When you receive a business card from someone who you want to – or might need to – contact again, simply snap a pic of the card with your digital camera/smartphone.

3. From your smartphone/iPad/modern digital camera, simply email it to Evernote. Once you set up your account, you are provided with a special email address to where you can send virtually anything for safe keeping in Evernote, on the cloud.

4. Then, tag the image of the business card in your Evernote account with relevant keywords. [Note: my iPad enables me to do this on my Evernote app, so I don't have to wait until I am back at my computer to complete this process.]

4a. I tag each business card in “Business Card File.” That way, when I am in my Evernote account, I can pull up ALL business cards. Just in case I want to see them all, or I can’t remember a name, and I want to scan them all…

4b. I tag each card with the person’s name. That way, once in your Evernote account, I can simply search for the person, and anything I’ve tagged with their name will appear.

4c. You can also add a relevant keyword or keyphrase to that person’s card, marketing expert, SEO specialist, graphic designer, etc… That way, if you want to find all the marketing experts you know, you can pull those up easily.

5. Toss the card into recycling.

6. Then, when you need to, you can email the image to someone else if that’s helpful.

But Todd, will the Evernote image translate to my database? What if I want that person’s contact info on my phone?”

Great question. What I’ve discovered over years of dealing with business cards is that I rarely ever try to contact someone after I collect their card. Maybe one in ten. And honestly, for that one person? I hand enter their contact info in my Google contacts list.

Note: For all I know, Evernote has a means to move that data into a database, or maybe soon will. Will have to look into that.

So that’s it. Just a handy weekend tip on how to manage that gigantic pile of business cards sitting on the floor, filling a drawer, or in a shoebox in the closet (or all three). And a handy way to use Evernote if you were looking for a way to test it out…

Enjoy. What are some other ways you are using Evernote?

###

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What Are Your Weapons Of Choice?

In 2010, I wrote a post about what tools I use to run my various companies. Several friends said they enjoyed seeing and understanding what tools I use.

Furthermore, I realized recently that a lot of the tools I used then are different now. I thought it would be interesting to do this once a year to see the progression and evolution over time.

Here is where I stand currently, Summer 2011…

1. WordPress - I have been using WordPress since 2008. And I wouldn’t use anything else for my main business blogging. And if you are new to WordPress, or thinking about switching, the new 3.2 version of WordPress is OUTSTANDING, and so worth the transfer.

2. Tumblr - Now that said, I do love Tumblr. In fact, on my crazier days, I’ve even contemplated switching all my blogging over to Tumblr. But, for the time being, I will maintain my business interests on WordPress. But I use Tumblr for several projects, and recommend Tumblr to those just figuring out if blogging is right for them. Lastly, if you are one member of a large sales force, and you think maintaining a little blog for yourself if a good idea (it is…), you can’t go wrong with either WordPress or Tumblr.

3. Evernote – Evernote has been around a while, but I’ve only recently jumped on board. And now, I can’t help wondering how I’ve lived without it. For me, this is where I store blog posts and articles that I want to read later, and keep permanently for reference. I snap photographs of things that give me blogging or marketing ideas, and keep them here. I photograph business cards, and store them here. I scan documents that I need to keep, shred them, and store the digital image here. I’ve only begun to fully tap into all the great things Evernote can do for me.

4. iPad 2 – I’ve had the iPad 2 for a month and a half, and I love it. The big question for me was, will I retire my MacBook and principally use the iPad for business. The answer is no. I still use the MacBook far more often. But I love the iPad for four main reasons: One, I do most of my RSS reading on the iPad. Two, I’ve switched and now read books via the iPad Kindle app or iBooks. Three, I use the iPad when I go to my studio and/or attend meetings with people in coffee shops, instead of bringing my laptop with me. Fourth, I am using Skype more and more on the iPad. And I will soon test Google+ Hangouts on the iPad as well.

5. Moleskine Notebooks - Save for being seen reading a worn copy of Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye or Kerouac’s On The Road in a coffee shop, there is nothing cooler than be seen jotting notes in a Moleskine notebook. Well, I ain’t cool. But I sure love my Moleskine. I’ve finally settled on the perfect one for me: soft cover, squared notebook, 5 x 8.25. [You can see it in the image above] I bought extras, like five of them, just to have enough. But seriously, I still jot most original TO DOs to myself here first, and then transfer them into Google Docs project matrix later. And still use the Moleskine during business meetings to notate actions items and such.

6. Blackberry – Yeah, I still use a damn Blackberry, you know, since my Sprint contract ends in Spring, 2026. With the iPad, I am using the BB less and less. In fact, I’ve even started removing apps from it that never worked that well in the first place. The BB is my only phone, since I don’t have a home land line. But methinks I will switch to Verizon (when I can) and Bluetooth my phone calls from my future iPad 3. That said, my most important use of the BB, other than phone calls? Using the voice recording app to record ideas, blog post ideas, client meeting follow-up recollections, etc. Now, I merely email that little audio file to Evernote, and I have a nice way to follow-up on ideas and meetings.

7. Swiss Army SwissGear Airflow Backpack – I recently retired my old Tumi briefcase. I have to admit, I loved that thing. My Tumi had seen a lot of miles though, and as mobile as I am, I needed a better solution. I am loving my new backpack, and to this day, still finding new pouches where I can store stuff.

8. Macbook Pro – In early Fall, 2010, I finally made the switch to Apple. And like many before me, I will NEVER go back. Being a long-time PC user, waking up to the MacBook still is a novelty that hasn’t worn off. As you probably know, I do a ton of audio and video editing, and I really enjoy doing it on the Mac. IMovie is an amazing tool, and for me, worth the price of admission for making the switch. And the sleek design just makes you look hip (and I need help there) when sitting in coffee shops.

9. FlipCam HD Camera – To say I am disappointed that Cisco will stop producing Flipcams is an understatement. Because I still love and use this thing. In fact, shot a bunch of client video on one just yesterday. The ease of use is what still blows my mind, whilst producing good video. But methinks my tools review circa 2012 will let you know what new camera I will be using, and this one will have better sound recording functionality. Stay tuned. [Note: I am using the camera on the iPad 2 more and more as well...]

10. Google Docs – I have moved to the cloud. I manage all my finances, admin, and invoicing thru Google Docs. I draft all my proposals on Google Docs. I maintain client project notes on Google Docs, even sharing those with my clients so we can collaborate on the cloud. I used to use Google Wave for a lot of this online collaboration, but Google Docs works just fine. And every day, the functionality of the tools here improve, and every day they sync better and better with Gmail and other Google apps. And with the advent of Google+, I assume this will only get better.

11. Notational Velocity – I wrote the first draft of this post using Notational Velocity. Sometimes I need to [or want to] write notes and article drafts without an internet connection. Notational Velocity allows me to do that on my Macbook Pro. It is a very simple, minimalist program that makes it easy to organize and write. I don’t even have to hit the save button – it does that automatically.

12. Pandora - My Pandora account is what keeps me sane when I am working. And too be honest, I rarely listen to my catalog on my iTunes account. I have several channels ranging from Mile Davis to Fleetwood Mac to Sevendust…depending on my mood. For the coffee shop-based entrepreneur, Pandora is a must.

13. Kindle / iBooks - When I got the iPad, I promised myself to attempt to read a book via iBooks or the Kindle app, thinking I would be one of those who always would read hard covers. I was wrong. Reading books on the iPad rocks. And quite honestly, I don’t really intend on buying a hard cover again. Having all my books stored on the iPad also enables quick reference to my notes and highlights, which facilitates all the writing I do.

14. Google RSS Reader - Without my RSS reader, I would be lost. This is where I review all the blogs I review daily. This is where I feed all the news I read. This is where I feed all the Twitter Search queries I monitor, as well as Google News Alerts. It all goes to my Google RSS reader. If you asked me to keep only three things on this entire list, I would tell you my RSS reader would be one of them.

15. Skype - It is safe to say a majority of my client conversations, and certainly with my business partner, occur on Skype. And now that I have the iPad, these Skype conversations can be even more mobile. [it will be interesting in one year's time to see if the "Hangout" function on Google+ will replace Skype...] As of this writing, I have ten clients. And at this time, seven of them interact with me on Skype.

16. Vokle – For SalesChaosTV, my collaborator and I use Vokle to host our internet-based TV show. A relatively new platform, Vokle is perfect for our purposes, except it currently does not allow us to record, but we understand that functionality is coming soon. This is a great tool to use to host live online video, enabling the audience to be able to watch, share on the social web, build community, and feed us questions via chat. I am excited to see how this product develops.

17. Gmail - Yeah, almost forgot Gmail. It is the only email service I use. Having started six businesses over the last several years, I have accumulated too many email addresses. I stopped doing that. Feeding them ALL into my one gmail account. Gmail continues to get better and better.

So, that’s it for now. What other tools, apps, and platforms are you using with great success? Please share!

###

Do You Believe?

As you might have heard, Google+ has launched over the past week. You can find me here.

Clients are beginning to ask me is it worth it? My answer is yes. If you believe.

If you believe that the social web moves the needle for your business. If you believe that conversation and relationships are what drive sales. If you believe that interacting with human beings – using social platforms – move people to action.

Most don’t believe.

In fact, a majority of small business people still need to be convinced of the value of blogging. Of Twitter. Of using Facebook for business. Of podcasting. Heck, some still need to believe that LinkedIn can drive business opportunity.

So my recommendation is this: if you are still futzin’ around with and learning the value of blogging, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc…it probably isn’t worth your time diving into Google+. Yet.

How will I use Google+? I will use it as a better way to keep in touch with close friends. I will use it as a way to deepen relationships with people I want to get to know better. And of course, I will use it for prospecting…both for new business and to recruit guests for all my radio shows.

Google+ does two things that change the game, in my opinion. One, they have a feature called Hangouts, where you can have a group video chat with up to ten people. Think of the collaborative opportunities with that… Two-way skyping is so 2010. Ten-way collaboration, learning, sharing…now that’s social, and that’s powerful…

And two, you can very easily group your connections into small, organized groups, called Circles.

Why does Circles matter? On Twitter, for instance, when I share a news article, my entire following of 5,100+ sees it. On Circles, if I only want my close friends to see something, I can opt for that. If I build a circle for prospects, which I’ve done, then I can choose to only share content with my prospects.

Circles makes it very easy to target specific content with a specific audience. You can do this on Facebook, but it isn’t easy and it is very cumbersome. And you can’t do it on Twitter.

For me, I will be very strict in who I let into my Google+ world. I am only connecting with people I know, and very specific people that I want to get to know. I am NOT blindly following anyone who wants to connect. My Twitter and Facebook worlds are too big. With Google+, I will closely monitor who I let into my little world.

So, Google+ is a game changer, in my opinion. But don’t join in just to half-ass it. If you believe that social connection matters, if building and cultivating human relationships matter, Google+ might be the best social network yet.

But don’t engage anywhere on the social web until you believe…

###

[Todd Schnick is a marketing strategist, helping entrepreneurs become intrepid marketers...]
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Are you building connection with your prospects first?

It sucked.

To fill you in, I made a few cold calls on behalf of a client. I am producing a radio show on their behalf, and am doing a little recruiting to help secure specific guests for their show.

Let me say again, it sucked.

And, I am not surprised to report, and you aren’t surprised to learn, I haven’t heard a damn thing from the individual. And honestly, I assume that I never will.

And I don’t blame them.

Cold calling is hard. The target doesn’t know you exist. Doesn’t care that you exist. Doesn’t want you to exist. Doesn’t want to give you time. Doesn’t want to make time for you…

…unless you build a relationship with them. And therein lies the secret to cold calling.

What I should have done for my client was accept their list of show targets, and then done the following:

1. See if they are active on Twitter, and follow them. Because then I can look for opportunities to engage with them when they tweet something.

1.5. And if they are active on Twitter, set up a Twitter Search query to keep an eye on their activity, so I can learn what they are interested in talking about in real time.

2. See if they blog. Because then I can look for new posts that I can comment and engage my target.

3. Do a Google search for them individually. See what pops up in the query. Are they active on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc?

4. Do a Google search around their organization, to learn about their latest news, new product announcements, quarterly earnings, etc. Here, you are identifying opportunities to reach out and engage your prospect.

5. Search their name (and their organization) on LinkedIn. See what comes up. See what groups they are active in. Perhaps join those groups yourself to engage your prospect there.

6. Now you can connect with them on Google+, and place them in your “prospect” circle, and look for opportunities to connect there.

7. You are probably not friends with them on Facebook, but if you scan their profile, some people still allow you to view their profile. From this, you can see the things they are interested in (“likes”), and this could potentially give you some things in common, which make connection easier to achieve.

So, that’s what it takes. And yeah, it takes a little time. But when you finally connect with your target individual, it is NO LONGER a cold call.

It reminds me of the film Hoosiers, starring Gene Hackman. If you’ve seen it, you remember the coach’s instruction that the team had to pass the ball five times before taking a shot at the hoop. This was meant to encourage better shot selection and to break down the defense.

Same principle with destroying cold calls forever:

You shouldn’t make a contact to your target individuals until you’ve engaged in at least five meaningful non-sales conversations with your prospect.

This encourages more meaningful conversation to actually get to know someone, and breaks down their defenses to a cold sales call from a complete stranger.

The seven tactics above help with that. What do you think? And what else would you suggest?

###

[Todd Schnick is a marketing strategist, helping entrepreneurs become intrepid marketers...]
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[pic from IMDB]

I just don’t know why cold calling is necessary. I don’t understand why you would make a phone call to someone you don’t know, who isn’t expecting your call, and expect to advance a sale as a result.

I know it works…if you believe a response rate of one percent “works.”

First, my definition of cold calling: When you call through a phone list of (unqualified) leads, and they don’t know you, and have no idea who you are or why you are calling (other than to harass them and try to potentially sell them something).

I thank my lucky Gods that I have never had to cold call in my work. Because I wouldn’t do it. I’d prefer inserting toothpicks into my eyes.

But there is opportunity in those lists of leads. Here is how I would hack the cold-calling process:

1. Get the list of leads. Whatever the list. Whether you are responsible for procurring the list, or whether your sales manager gives you a list, perhaps marketing provides them, or maybe you have to bribe the boss to get the Glengarry leads. I don’t care. Get your hands on your list.

2. Google them. Find out what you can. In my mind, you are looking for a few things. Find their LinkedIn profile. See if they are on Facebook. Are they on Twitter? And most importantly, see if they have a website and/or blog. And keep an eye open for anything else interesting, such as your lead being quoted in an article somewhere.

3. Set up a Google Alert. This is especially true for any leads that look promising. This way, you can capture any online mention of these people, and from this, you might find a bit of information that you can use to your advantage, as well as simply getting to learn more about them. Finding an excuse to contact someone is much easier than the traditional cold call, such as reaching out to comment on their mention in a news article.

4. If they are active on Twitter, set up a Twitter Search query. Here is how to do this. Monitor the Twitter stream of the people on your list. What are they tweeting? What films are they seeing? Where are they going to dinner? Where are they going on vacation? Here are 14 ways to strike up a conversation on Twitter.

5. Find common interests on Facebook. Facebook is trickier, since the person must give you permission to formally connect. And it also depends on your security settings. But when I search a lot of people that are not my “friends” on Facebook, their profiles still provide me with a lot of information about who this person is by providing the list of people and organizations they are fans of. You can very likely find some sort of common interest by reviewing these lists. File this away, it will be helpful later.

6. See where they engage on LinkedIn. LinkedIn, like Facebook, requires this person to formally agree to connect with you. But most likely, you are able to review their profile and can look for bits on their resume that can be helpful, or more importantly, show you what LinkedIn groups they are active in. Here, you can also join those groups and look for a way to connect.

7. Yes, you can even use Foursquare to your advantage. What? Really? Yes really. See if any of the names on your list have Foursquare profiles. If they do, they are probably also active on Twitter, and you can likely see where they check-in on either their Foursquare profile or on Twitter. Why does this matter? Because if you monitor their stream, you can strike up a conversation. How? Well, if they check into a bookstore on Foursquare, in addition to now knowing they like to read, you can also reach out and ask what book they got, and did they like it. You have just started conversation, and also a new relationship.

8. Do they have a blog? If they do, this is the best news yet. You can get a peek into their mind, their thought process, their interests. And you can read their posts, and comment on them! This is the best way to connect with someone. They will appreciate you taking the time to comment on their blog, and this will do more to advance your relationship that virtually anything else.

9. ENGAGE! This is obviously the most important step. After the preliminary work you have done with steps one through eight, you now have knowledge. You have details. You have data. You can now make strategic moves to connect with this once unknown name on a list. They are no longer a name. They are now a person with a history. You have things in common (most likely). The GREAT thing about the social web is that it is accepted to reach out to people and connect and dialog.

No, people don’t like to be cold called. But they don’t mind you reaching out on Twitter. Take advantage of this phenomenon.

You see, in the film clip from Glengarry Glen Ross above, the lead sales guy talks about AIDA (Attention, Interest, Decision, Action). Think how much easier this process would be if you could do a little advance work using social media to connect with those leads? Using the internet to get to know these people a bit more, see what they are interested in, seeing what they write, seeing how they work.

Can you now see how much easier it would be to gain attention and interest, using the tactics described above? You have the beginnings of a relationship now.

With your new friendship, you can suggest a quiet cup of coffee. Or make arrangements to chat by phone to discuss common interests. And the miserable existence that is cold-calling will soon become a distant memory…

What do you think? What are some other ways to hack cold-calling that I missed?

###

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My Moleskins...

OK, so nearly every blogger I know does this exercise: publishes a list of the tools they use to perform their job.

So I will to. But not because I want to show off, or promote any particular product… Mainly because I want to leave behind a time capsule for myself and monitor over the years the evolution of the means by which I execute my work.

So here goes:

1. WordPress blog, with most on Thesis. Most of my blogs are on WordPress, such as this site, and here, here, and here. WordPress is solid, easy, reliable, and Thesis is good for SEO pop and customization. I can’t imagine a future where my web presence isn’t on these tools. But, that’s the purpose of this time capsule…

2. Tumblr. Although, I must say, my minimalist blog is here. And I am having a lot of fun with Tumblr.

3. Google Docs – Probably the biggest change I have made in my tool set over the last few years is moving a lot of my data to the cloud. My database, my invoices, client memos, calendar, my management spreadsheets – are all housed on Google docs. I love the idea of being able to access all my stuff from any machine anywhere…

4. Google Wave. Lots of conflicting commentary about Wave on the social web. But this is a tool of growing importance in my world. As a home-based consultant who is frequently mobile, Google Wave is changing the way I work with vendors AND clients…the ones who get it. As far as a means of project collaboration, I cannot live without it.

5. Blackberry. Yeah, yeah, I’d love to switch to the iPhone, but I am on the Sprint plan from hell, and that contract expires in 2018. That said, I do love my Blackberry. And I just upgraded a few weeks ago to a newer model (Curve), and although the battery lasts only 42 minutes, I love the improved functionality and improved apps within it…

6. FlipCam Ultra HD. This is one of most important weapons in my arsenal. Video, and the ease of producing it, is becoming a much more integral part of how I conduct business.

7. Moleskine notebook. My moleskins aren’t my most important tool…but they are my favorites. And while I am moving more and more to digital, I will NEVER get rid of notebooks to jot down notes. Plus, I just look cool sitting in a coffee shop, writing in my moleskin…

8. Toshiba laptop – I am counting the days until I can retire this machine. And I have made the decision that I will switch to a Macbook Pro, probably sometime in the next few months.

9. Tumi briefcase. This is where I keep all my stuff when I am mobile. This is an over-the-shoulder strap briefcase (I’ve had it a while). Someday, I do think I will move towards a backpack…

10. Sharpie pens, fine point. Just. feels. so. good using these pens in my moleskin.

11. Google calendar, synched with my Blackberry. I love this tool. This calendar is where I manage my life. And the cool thing is synching it with my clients schedules to better manage our time.

12. RSS reader. The tool I cannot live without. This is where I do most of my learning. This is where I get ALL of my news. This is where I keep my finger on the pulse of the planet.

13. Twitter. My main means of connecting on the social web. The better I get and striking up conversations with people, the more enjoyable, and the most useful Twitter becomes.

13.5. Search.Twitter.com. My new most favorite search mechanism. I learn how to better use this every day. And it is changing the way I do business, and how I help my clients do business.

14. Facebook. I do enjoy connecting with people, prospects, and clients here.

15. LinkedIn. I will be honest in that this is where I spend the least amount of my time. That said, now that LinkedIn status updates can be fed into my RSS reader, my time spent here is picking up.

What tools do you use? What changes do you plan to make in your weapons of war?

I’ve been doing some reading and experimenting on this topic. I think social search/real-time search is an important step forward for the social web. Big time. In this episode, I claim that intrepid marketers fully embrace this, and aggressively seek to take advantage of it. Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGZhDhRN93g]

Here is a VIDEO from Google to get you up to speed!

Learn how to Be Intrepid here!