Monday, May 30, 2011

Social Media Content That Achieves Business Goals PODCAST




Listen to internet radio with StevenStreight on Blog Talk Radio



Vaspers the Grate Presents: Vaspers New Reformed Blogorama

A meaty audio blog presentation on "Social Media Content That Achieves Business Goals"

You have accounts on Twitter, Facebook, a blog, and other social networks.

Now what?

Achieve business objectives by sharing your expertise, links, lists, news items, mobile coupons, videos, podcasts, web tools, product comparison guides, testimonials, site-specific discounts, odd blogs, questions, and other forms of content.

How to establish yourself as both an industry Thought Leader and a fully human participant in online communities. Avoid techniques that cause you to seem like a greedy vending machine that has only one theme: "Here's our product. How much do you want today?"

Make your social media valuable and interesting to fans, followers, and friends, instead of hammering them with hype or inundating them with inspirational quotes.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Interview with Roger Hutchinson on Blog Talk Radio PODCAST


Listen to internet radio with StevenStreight on Blog Talk Radio


Blog Talk Radio "Interview with Roger Hutchinson, Naturally Yours Grocery".

Check out my interview with social media consultant Steven Streight on the wildly popular and prestigious Blog Talk Radio.

This podcast is a great introduction to organic food and natural remedies, as it covers a wide range of topics in a brief amount of time. Feel free to share it with your friends, family, and co-workers. It might persuade them to look into healthy, non-toxic nutrition.




From the show page:

Discover the secrets of retail success, even in a tough economy.

Interview with the manager of health food and organic produce operation, Naturally Yours Grocery, the largest vitamin and supplement business in Central Illinois. With stores in Peoria and Bloomington-Normal, IL, this operation is growing and heavily invested in social media.

Roger Hutchinson reveals his insights as an aggressive David vs. the competitive Goliaths of grocery. He also discusses a variety of healthy diet issues and solutions.

Topics include Roger's business career highlights, why consumers are trending more and more to organic products and natural remedies, dangers of genetically modified food, healthy nutrition ideas for summer grilling, and what his stores offer for radiant health and longevity.

President Obama, Donald Rumsfeld, the Pentagon, and many famous authors and celebrities are on Blog Talk Radio. It is the #1 podcast platform for brands, artists, and individuals.



Listen to internet radio with Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Alan Levy, CEO of Blog Talk Radio with Wayne Hurlbert "Cinch and Blog Talk Radio Make Audio Easy"




Tuesday, May 24, 2011

My Blog Talk Radio interview with Merle Widmer



Listen to internet radio with StevenStreight on Blog Talk Radio


Vaspers the Grate Presents... is proud to announce a live Interview with Merle Widmer, founder and past CEO of Widmer Interiors.

WHERE: Interview with Merle Widmer on Blog Talk Radio.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 1:00 PM Central Standard Time.

Merle Widmer is the founder and former CEO of Widmer Interiors, an office furniture retailer.

Widmer Interiors was founded in 1964. From 1964 to 1992, Widmer Interiors grew to a multi-divisional office mart offering a broad spectrum of office products and services throughout 22 counties in Central Illinois. It remains a strong and growing company. Retired from business, Widmer now spends his time monitoring local politicians and exposing their follies in his Peoria Watch blog.

Topics: advice on business startups, hiring and managing employees, backing up advertising with customer service, borrowing to fund your business, work ethic as most important hiring criteria, Peoria politics.

Download mp3 or get embed code for the audio player, and follow my show at: Interview with Merle Widmer on Blog Talk Radio.





Monday, May 23, 2011

Managing Brand and Self in Social Media PODCAST


Listen to internet radio with StevenStreight on Blog Talk Radio




The web, blogosphere, and social media began with Sharing and Caring. These fundamental values will guide the business or individual as they participate in social networks.

Being a normal person, even if you're a CEO or Manager, is vital when interacting on social media. You cannot just hammer away at the online community, pounding sales messages at them, relentless hype or inspirational quotes.

Interact in a genuine, sincere, and human manner. Care about the social community members and share your expertise. By sharing your insights and tips, you'll establish your Brand and yourself as authoritative, effective, helpful.





Sunday, May 22, 2011

Ban the Anonymous Internet Troll PODCAST


Listen to internet radio with StevenStreight on Blog Talk Radio

Steven Streight / Vaspers the Grate Presents: "Ban the Anonymous Internet Troll" (17:08)

Why most anonymous comment posters are trolls, disrupting legitimate conversations.

Since they are invisible, unaccountable, irresponsible, hiding in the shadows of namelessness, their opinion is of no value.

Anonymous trolls may sign in with a nickname or alleged name, but they refuse to embed a URL into their names. You can't click on their name and visit their blog or website, to further verify their identity and to continue the discussion or debate over there.

These are immature cowards, striking against authentic personal voices in the blogosphere and social media, depositing their insults and slurs with no fear of you taking the fight to their terrain. They refuse to embed their alleged name or nickname with a link to their own blog, forum, Twitter, Facebook, or website.

Anonymous comments are worthless. They do not enrich a debate or add value to your content. You don't need them. No matter how funny, smart, or crazy they may seem, the fact that they are anonymous means that they are saying things they would never say in person. Thus, they are self-exaggerated, inauthentic, of no importance, irrelevant, non-transparent, dishonest dross.

Ban them. Do not allow anonymous comments to be posted to your website.




Be sure to also listen to these Vaspers radio theater podcasts:



Worst How To Books Ever Published

Misadventures of a Day Actuarian

Amoeba Mice

Trouble at Robot Land Labs

Rent a Party

Robot Rejects vs. the Moon Mutants

Adventures in Robot Land

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Common Web Usability Mistakes PODCAST

Friday, May 20, 2011

Big Mistakes in Small Business PODCAST





Listen to internet radio with StevenStreight on Blog Talk Radio

Vaspers the Grate Presents: "Big Mistakes in Small Business" on Blog Talk Radio. 16 minutes in duration.

Many businesses are shocked at declining sales, but what are they changing in the business to increase sales? Notice I asked "what are they changing in the business" rather than "what are they doing to increase sales".

Don't put your focus, or the blame, on the customer, the industry trends, the economy, or the President. Focus on what you as CEO, Owner, or Manager need to change about how you do and think about your business.

Reliance on discounts and sales events is no substitute for a solid business plan, superior customer relations, and great marketing.

Sell more products by educating customers, training and inspiring and rewarding employees, and helping customers make wise product choices. Shouting sales messages, instead of sharing expertise, is a quick way to alienate shoppers. You'll sell more, and get more word of mouth promotion, when you educate and interact with customers.

If customers are coming in as frequently, and aren't spending as much money as they used to, you must be able to absorb the decline as you search for a consumer group that is spending money on something related to your business, and try to appeal to that group.

Even in depressions, there are some people spending money on something.

If you sell something that is manufactured, perhaps you should start also selling products that enable the customer to make it themselves. You could sell tools and how-to books, for example.

Customer service is usually the best way to zoom ahead of your competitors. A truly friendly, non-pushy, helpful, fun environment is hard to maintain, so if you can do it, you'll improve sales and customer loyalty.

Ask employees what needs to be done, or what should be stopped. Find out more exactly, and with deeper insight, what consumers want now, and what they will want in the future.

Are you stuck in the past, while your customers are in the present, and your industry is speeding toward the future? If so, you're in a nightmare time warp, and you probably won't survive it.

Train everyone all the time. Give them assigned online research, reading, and test them on what they learned. Have a daily morning pep talk, where you get all your employees on fire for a focused goal for that day or week. Inspire, don't just hire and toss them into the quagmire.

You must personally learn new technology, not just delegate it to others. That way you'll be able to more accurately evaluate what you need, what it should cost, and what it should do in terms of business goals.

Just because you can't measure the impact of something, that doesn't mean you don't need it. Good will is an elusive and fragile substance. Building good relationships with employees and customers means mingling with them a lot more.

There is no excuse for having an Achilles heel. The less you personally know about technology, the easier you will be for con artists to scam. And you will be scammed. How can you avoid it, if you know nothing about the technology?

NEW MANTRA: "No Eventual Miracle. Only Continual Improvement."



Be sure to also listen to these Vaspers radio theater podcasts:



Worst How To Books Ever Published

Misadventures of a Day Actuarian

Amoeba Mice

Trouble at Robot Land Labs

Rent a Party

Robot Rejects vs. the Moon Mutants

Adventures in Robot Land

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Vaspers the Grate Presents on Blog Talk Radio episode 1 Internet Trolls


Listen to internet radio with StevenStreight on Blog Talk Radio


My first in a series of Vaspers the Grate Presents on Blog Talk Radio: "Blogocombat Against Trolls". My next episode will be "Big Mistakes in Small Business".

In this Episode #1 we cover common internet trolls, basic blogocombat based on the Text vs Text premise, the Reverse Troll, and how to handle insults and chronic troll attacks.

I promise, every episode will be inflammatory, disconcerting, and profound in a pragmatic manner, lavishly equipped with Eastern metaphysical progressions and elegant rhetorical stylings.

Want to be interviewed by me or join in a discussion in my new podcast channel on the wildly popular and critically acclaimed Blog Talk Radio?

Well then -- ping me.

My shows will be broadcasted at late hours, generally or mainly in the range of somewhere between 12 midnight to 3:00 AM, but I can set up shows for any time that's convenient for you.



Upcoming topics:


* SEO for Small Business

* How to Evaluate a Social Media Expert

* 10 Worst Mistakes of a Local Business

* How to Drive Traffic AWAY From Your Store

* Loud Advertising vs True Expertise

* Marketing is More About Customer Retention Than Sales Spikes

* Common Errors in Sales Presentations

* Troll Smashing 101

* Bad Social Media Consultants Can Wreck Your Brand

* Worst Web Usability Mistakes of 2011

* Curse of The Technological Imperative: Amoral and Uncertain Inevitability

* How to Find Work Without Using Resumes, Business Cards, or Interviews

* Literary Precursors to the Modern Blog: from Psalms to Derrida

* 7 Guaranteed Tips to Improve Your Blog Writing

* The Web as an Inherently Revolutionary Platform

* CEO Blogs and Video Tips

* Microblogging vs Slo Mo Blogging

* Why Online Slide Shows Suck

... and many more.

Don't see what you want to discuss?

Send me a suggestion for a show.

We can work it out.




Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Blog Talk Radio interview with Steven Streight PODCAST





Listen to internet radio with Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio


"Blog Bloke and Steven Streight interview on Blog Talk Radio hosted by Wayne Hurlbert"

Available as a FREE mp3 download. Click on "Download This Episode" link right under the middle of the player device.

Discussion on blog ethics, how to spot a bad marketing consultant, consumer review sites, stupid Twitter tricks, Pay Per Post, Yelp, SEO, and social media strategies.

NOTE: When I speak, the volume on my voice is low. So there are spikes in volume as the speakers take turns talking. Other than that, this should be entertaining and informative for seasoned bloggers as well as those new to the social media realm.

I'm going to do a Revised Version of this podcast, with the volume levels evened out. Stay tuned.




Be sure to also listen to these Vaspers radio theater podcasts:



Worst How To Books Ever Published

Misadventures of a Day Actuarian

Amoeba Mice

Trouble at Robot Land Labs

Rent a Party

Robot Rejects vs. the Moon Mutants

Adventures in Robot Land




Sunday, May 15, 2011

Interview with Steven Streight on Blog Talk Radio May 17




Mark your calendar now.

Check out my live podcast interview via Skype , along with special guest Blog Bloke, conducted by pioneer business blogger Wayne Hurlbert on the hit podcast channel Blog Talk Radio.

Topics will include blog etiquette, ethics, and values, blogocombat, social media strategies, Twitter and Facebook marketing, rogue apps, link farms, SEO, and the dangers of bad social media consultants.

Link: Steven Streight on Blog Talk Radio 

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Time = 8:00 pm Eastern, 7:00 pm Central, 5:00 pm Mountain, 5:00 pm Pacific.

It is one hour in length,


Listen to my first podcast interview, May 2005, "Steven Streight interview with Chris Ritke of 49 Media".




Thursday, May 12, 2011

Str8 Sounds ReverbNation Music Player






Str8 Sounds is now listed as #1 Electronica/Dance Music Artist for the Peoria, IL area on ReverbNation.

Check out mind-blowing, psychedelic techno dance club tunes like "Unicorn", "Empty Empire", "Fading From View", and "Stalker App Scam" from the new "Vanish" CD.

All songs in the ReverbNation music player are also configured as FREE mp3 downloads. Feel free to embed the Str8 Sounds ReverbNation music player on your own blog or website.

GET EMBED CODE by clicking on "Share" in the upper right corner of the music player.

Check local record and book stores for Str8 Sounds CDs for sale and on display.

Join the Radiant King Recordings mailing list to get RKR label sampler CDs mailed to you -- plus new CDs by Str8 Sounds, La La Landers Masochistic Orchestra, Wainwrights of the Mind, White Metal Headspike, Creepy Lewis, Hillbilly Tooth Ferry, Computers With Mental Problems, Trailblazing Trio (field recording orchestrations), and the Emergency Brain Pumps.

All using advanced and primitive music technology, and loudly or secretly performing in ratty garages and pseudo-philosophical bars all over the place, in various disguises and misconstured attribute bundles for foolproof indemnifications.

For more information, fan club membership, ticket sales, or to sign up for the CD mailing list, please email:

vaspers [at] inbox [dot] com