Promote Your Blog on LinkedIn

How to promote your blog on LinkedIn?

There are multiple ways to do it. Here are 5 toptips that you can implement immediately:

1. Add your blog in your profile, under Websites. Most people have standard links to their website : My Website, My Company or My Blog. Change”Your Blog” into the actual title of your blog (or keywords). How? Choose ‘edit’ at websites, add a field ‘Other’. Here you can add a title and a URL.

2. Add Application. Here you can also insert your blog if you are blogging with WordPress or TypePad. Go to ‘More’ in the menu and click on ‘Application Directory’. Click the blog of your choice and install the application. From now on, your new blogs will appear automatically on your LinkedIn profile.

3. Update your status. When you write a new blog article, you can let your network know by updating your status. Add the link to your blog in the update. Of course, you can repeat this step everytime you are publishing an update on your blog.

4. Participate in Discussions in your favorite groups. Go to your groups and participate in the ongoing discussions. See where your blog has an answer to one of these discussions. Mention it while you answer them.

5. Answers. It is a great place to get more visibility and get more ‘expert’ status. Go to ‘More’ in the menu and click on ‘Answers’. Look for questions people are asking. Answer them by referring also to your blog. Or turn it around: write a blog article where you answer questions and put the link in the answers. It will create additional traffic to your blog as well!

Of course, these tips will only work if you have a blog 🙂 I am using WordPress and I recommend it to anyone.

Bert Verdonck is an extraordinary life coach and an inventive lifehacker. Bert is also one of the official Certified LinkedIn Trainers worldwide. Next to pragmatic trainings and personal coaching, he is an international keynote speaker to inspire and help professionals with their efficiency. As a published author and the founder of ‘Genius Shortcuts’ he already saved thousands of people at least 2 hours per day!

Start Sharing on LinkedIn

Most people already know that I am a Certified LinkedIn Trainer and with Networking Coach we are really helping a lot of people with getting more results by using LinkedIn.

So, I thought, it might be a good idea to start sharing some interesting tips on LinkedIn. Now, why would I do it all by myself if LinkedIn has their own clip on YouTube clip to show it to you 🙂

Happy Sharing!

Twitter Search Tips

Twitter is a wonderful tool and platform to share your message. We all know that! What most people don’t know is that Twitter has a magnificent search engine. Almost everyone (including me) is using Google, but if you want the latest trends or events, you’d better use Twitter. Why? Twitter is a real time search engine, while Google indexes everything and that takes time, sometimes up to 6 weeks before a site is included in Google. So, if you are looking for live input on a certain event, Twitter is more likely to find it.

In order to help you find stuff quicker, I am sharing a number of Twitter Search Tips with you. How does it work?
You first go to http://search.twitter.com. Of course, if you just want to use the regular search, you can type in your keywords and find anything right-away! Now, it becomes even more interesting if you would use the advanced search. Here is an overview if you want to use advanced search operators:

Operator	Finds tweets…
Genius Shortcut	containing both “Genius” and “Shortcut”. This is the default operator.
“happy hour“	containing the exact phrase “happy hour”.
black OR white	containing either “black” or “white” (or both).
Belgian –beer	containing “Belgian” but not “beer”.
#ff	containing the hashtag “ff” (followfriday, interesting people to follow as indicated by others).
from:bertverdonck	sent from person “bertverdonck”.
to:bertverdonck	sent to person “bertverdonck”.
@bertverdonck	referencing person “bertverdonck”.
“happy hour” near:“London”	containing the exact phrase “happy hour” and sent near “London”.
near:London within:15mi	sent within 15 miles of “London”.
lifehack since:2010-03-26	containing “lifehack” and sent since date “2010-03-26” (year-month-day).
lifehack until:2010-03-26	containing “lifehack” and sent up to date “2010-03-26”.
movie -twilight 🙂	containing “movie”, but not “twilight”, and with a positive attitude.
movie 😦	containing “movie” and with a negative attitude.
fun ?	containing “fun” and asking a question.
fun filter:links	containing “fun” and linking to URLs.
news source:twitterfeed	containing “news” and entered via TwitterFeed

Additional easy Twitter Search Tips:

1. Click on the Advanced Search link and save yourself from typing the operators!
2. If you want to search in a different language, use the language switch in the advanced search : “Written in:” and choose your language in the dropdownbox.
3. If you specifically want to search for retweets or you don’t mind that retweets are shown in the search results, then check the box: Include Retweets.

If you want extra Twitter Search Tips, you know where to find me 🙂

Handle With Care

A lot of people travel these days. More and more people are flying towards a well-deserved vacation or that golden business opportunity abroad. This blogpost is about the first things you could put in your handluggage. Several simple, easy-to-use Genius Shortcuts that will improve the actual trip for you. It’s a practical list that I put together myself. Most items saved my life (ok, I admit, at least a lot of frustration and wasted time 🙂 ) more than once.

What to put in your handluggage?
1. USB Memory stick : it’s easy to put on extra files or exchange them with people you meet. Make sure your commercial info is on it. I also keep some extra free space on my MP3-player (or iPod), just in case.
2. World-travel plug : wherever you go, you can at least plug in any of your devices and recharge them! If you are bringing several electronical tools (Laptop, Camera, Mobile, PDA…), you might bring 2 of those!
3. Multibox or multiplug : an easy, lightweight solution to your multiple devices. Sometimes the number of plugs is limited. If you bring a multibox or multiplug, you can charge multiple at the same time. I personally have 3 plugs in my multiplug (more tend to become too big to handle).
4. A bottle of water (0.5 liter) : with the severe airport security measures nowadays, you might carry an empty one and refill it after the security check or buy a new one. Staying hydrated is so important. Of course, if it’s empty, you can keep it, because you can refill it, not necessarily with water 🙂 Some airlines have a great service and serve you a can of beer or small bottle of wine. In case you don’t drink it all immediately, you can always put some in your empty bottle. Of course, some others (not you of course) would do that and ask another one…I leave that up to you. The thing is, just bring the bottle! And imagine that after arriving you have to wait (sometimes quite some time) at immigration or for your suitcases to arrive, you can still enjoy a drink. You are taking it easy while the rest are getting impatient and sweaty…
5. 2 ballpointpens and a (small) notebook : A moleskine, an atoma notebook or post-it notes are perfect for taking (small) notes or messages. Also exchanging messages becomes a lot easier when you have these at hand…Why 2 pens? Actually, so you can both write at the same time (saves time!) and in case one pen stops writing…
6. Pocket change : I suggest to have a small amount of pocket change available (€ 5, £ 5, $ 5…) and a note of € 10 in the little pocket of your jeans (or other pants). This way, you don’t have to take out your wallet. Potential thieves might see what amount of money you are carrying. With the pocket change, you can pay for whatever small purchase or tip is needed.
7. 2 Paperclips : you wouldn’t believe how handy this little things really are! Especially to tie or fix something. You can even use it as a zippertab or untie something that is stuck (not necessarily combined with that tab 🙂 )
8. powerbar or chocolate : I recommend to bring something to eat like a powerbar or piece of chocolate (yes, I am from the land of chocolate 🙂 ) You never know how long it will take or how long you’ll be standing in that row or be delayed. Even if you didn’t bring any money, you can still keep your energy high. Normally I’d advise you to bring fruit, but in several countries its against the law to take them with you (e.g. New Zealand) when travelling.
9. Something to read : I already wrote about strategies to avoid wasting more time and so, bring a magazine, a local newspaper, a book or even Sudoku puzzles. Time invested well passes more quickly and you might gain some time actually. Of course, a laptop could help too.
10. Shoelaces : you can always use them as a washing line, to tie something (e.g. instead of your belt) and of course as your next pair of shoelaces if the others broke.

Let me know what else you put in your handluggage. I am really curious now…

Oh, before I forget : bring some deo or perfume (in small dose like a tester?). After a couple hours (days?) of traveling you smell. And you probably want to avoid a “Psshht” experience!

Travel Pack

Some people love it, others hate it: Packing before going on holiday or travel in general.

I love to travel and gathered several interesting tips for you, also suitable for business traveling.

There are several things you can do before leaving home. Others are more adequate during travel or on the actual trip and finally some tips are about the first steps upon your arrival. In order to optimize this article, I created 3 parts, one for each phase of traveling.

So this article focuses on 12 useful tips before you are actually leaving.

1. Create a full backup of your portable. Use your corporate backup system or save your data on a spare harddisk, dvds, etc. Probably the best way is to perform an online backup (I personally use Mozy.com).
2. Scan all your important documents (flight tickets, hotel vouchers…) and make pictures of your passport, drivers license, credit cards, etc. Create a compressed file (zip, rar…) and encrypt it (or at least put a password on it!). Email this file to yourself, so that you can access it through your webmail. Very handy in case some of your documents get stolen or lost! Lifesaver! Extra how-to info
3. Bank token : Some time ago, my bank decided to change the online payment policy. Every time I want to book and pay something online and using my credit card for it, I need a special token (Digipass) to approve the transaction. Regardless of the fact that a lot more secure and more efficient measures exist, I now need to take this token with me, everywhere I go. Quite ridiculous, but if I want to re-book or pay something online with my credit card, I can’t get it done without (unless I go for Paypal, but it’s not always accepted yet) that token.
4. Extra plastic bag : pretty handy whenever you need to carry something extra with you. I know that some shops give you one when you buy something. I sometimes take 2 with me. A small, light-version and a more heavy-duty model. You can also use it to put your wet clothes in (I like to swim before going back home) or an extra souvenir or … It can be handy to use these when your hand-luggage is slightly over-weighed or too big, just put it in an extra plastic bag. You’ ll get away with it in most cases!
5. Pocket change. I always advise to take with you some pocket change, both your own currency (flight delayed?) as the one of your destination. If you have a little amount of the local currency with you (like 100 or 200 €, £ or $), you can immediately leave the airport when you arrive. Otherwise you first need to change money there. Always bad rates! And even while you are waiting for your suitcases, you can buy a drink or snack or give a tip to the bellboys, etc. You pay them in their currency, which is cheaper than to do that in your own currency!
6. Bring your business cards : I agree, a classic one, but often forgotten! Even on holidays, you never know who you run into. Can be the deal or prospect you’ve been waiting for!
7. Save weight : think twice before leaving home : take out extra loyalty cards, leave all keys besides your home keys (and carkeys?). You won’t need them at your destination! Also extra papers like bills, drivers licence (if unlikely you’ll rent-a-car), coupons… can be taken out of your wallet. Unnecessary to take them with you! Some people even have 2 wallets : home-version and travel-version.
8. Credit Cards : 2 types of credit card is always handy: Visa, MC, AmEx… If one doesn’t work, the other probably will. Happened to me! By the way, in some countries there is a significant difference between Visa and Mastercard, just that you know…
9. Park your car at airport? Make a picture of where you park your car. When you return just review the picture. Don’t loose time looking for your car…now where did I park it? Right!
10. Inform neighbours, family and friends : Let your neighbours and family know you’ll be traveling (if no one’s home). Also let the Police know. They make extra surveillance rounds in some areas if they know you’re on holiday…You might even ask your neighbours or family to empty your letter box, making it less obvious for thiefs that you are not at home!
11. Visa required : Is there a visa required for the country you travel to? Better check this upfront. You don’t want to arrive at your destination without the proper papers to enter the country. At least a lot of timewasting and in some cases you are not allowed to enter the country.
12 Spare battery : It’s always handy to have a spare battery for your mobile. Whenever there is no plug at hand, you can at least still communicate with the outside world.  Of course, a spare battery for your laptop helps too 🙂

What interesting travel tips do you have ? I invite you to share them here. Thanks!

Photoshop Shortcuts

Since my blog about 101 Photoshop tips in 5 minutes, I am getting frequently asked questions about Photoshop. Remember the cheatsheets are still available!

That’s why I decided to spoil you with extra lifehacks on this subject.

So, here is a FREE Idiot’s Guide To Photoshop (thanks to MakeUseOf.com and Karl L. Gechlik).

Amazing FREE Photoshop Tutorials (thanks to Tutorialized.com)

Advanced Photoshop Tutorials (thanks to PhotoshopSupport.com)

Photoshop Tips & Fixes (by Graphic-Design.com)

25 of the Best FREE Photoshop Plug-ins and Filters Resource Sites (by Speckyboy)

Need Photoshop Visual Shortcuts? Have a look at Instructables for the Photoshop Trics.

If you are like me, you might find it easier watching a tutorial than reading it. Here is a list of 20 Great Photoshop Video Tutorials & Resources! (thanks to Sean P. Aune)

And if you still haven’t found what you are looking for or you need more genius shortcuts, get in touch with me 🙂

Have fun, always,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach

In Shape for September?

Kom op 26 augustus naar dé work-out voor Vlaamse professionals!

Goeroes van eigen bodem, excellenties in hun vakgbied, worden in het Kasteel van Brasschaet uw personal trainers voor één dag. Zij geven u extra kracht om dit laatste
trimester ijzersterk in te zetten en 2008 met brio af te ronden…

Na het succes van vorig jaar, wordt In Shape for September opnieuw een top event! Ik ben uiteraard van de partij, dit jaar met een verfrissende lifehacking workshop. Ik werd zelfs gevraagd om 2 workshops te doen! Schrijf dus tijdig in!

Laat u verder ook inspireren door de direct bruikbare tips, workshops en presentaties over:
• Ingrijpende innovatie in sales en marketing
• Hoe tijd vinden en ermee omgaan
• Everlasting referrals, en hoe prospecteren zonder
• Onconventioneel & Slim : Life Hacking
• Transformatie als bron van motivatie
• Hoe stress omzetten in energie
• Positieve psychologie
• Technieken om krachtiger te presenteren

U ziet het, een fantastisch programma… Zie ons aan het werk op 26 augustus! Schrijf nu in voor 20 juli, want dan krijg je een vroegboekkorting!

Geniet elke dag,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker

Sharing my life hacking tips…

Ok, it’s time to step up again! I decided to start a new way of contributing. I am sharing my lifehacking tips with you.

What is life hacking I hear you say 🙂 Well, life hacking is a concept, a model, a group of tools to make your life easier, faster and more efficient. Some stuff is based on common sense and low-tech others are nifty pieces of software that will rock your world.

I have been a life hacker all my life, without knowing that actually a word was invented for this. Life Hack is created by Danny O’Brien in 2004 after polling a group of productive geeks on the details of their work processes. It all started pretty innocent with batch-files and automating repetitive tasks, but it has now moved to an entire community.

As the only Belgian, I participated at the Life Hacking Academy in Amsterdam recently. I not only met my friends Martijn Aslander and Jan Mulder again, but also got introduced to some other notorious, Dutch lifehackers : Anja Wassenaar, Taco Oosterkamp, Frank Meeuwsen and Filips Jager.

So, I’ll be publishing lifehacks regularly here, so you’ll be astonished how easy you can make your life. By the way, I just created a new slogan for this topic : Life Hacking, the easy way of life by Bert Verdonck!🙂

Enjoy every day,
Bert Verdonck
Network Creator & Lifehacker