Even more reason you should make those tweets count. Google announced on October 21, 2009  “…their agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results.

We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you’ll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information.”

For more information visit the Official Google Blog

I want you to think about the impact this could have and why you want to start rethinking your tweeting. The smart marketers will think before they tweet. They will learn to use relevant “keywords” in their very limited 140 character tweets.

Follow @hollypowell on Twitter

If you’re a blogger and have written reviews of products or endorsed products there are new FTC guidelines that you should be paying attention to.

The FTC has published Final Guides Governing Endorsements and Testimonials.

I have written many blog posts endorsing products without adding a disclaimer. No longer can you do that. “…the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement.” As affiliates of many products it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m not sure exactly how this will affect us bloggers; however, I will choose to err on the side of caution and add a line of text that says something like:

“I will be paid an affiliate commission if you click on the following link.” Will that satisfy the FTC regulations? I’m not sure. But beware; it’s better to put something than nothing.

“The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed”

Read the complete Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

Working with Bob, Elise, and Dewey at Hollingsworth Cabinetry, Wilmington NC today.

Wow, if any of you have been following my story the past few posts; you’ll know that one of the first courses I bought and applied was the Magnetic Sponsoring Course.

Well, this morning I opened my email and received a “Congrats” from my friend Daryl. I’m thinking for what? So I scrolled down in the email; he sent me a current contest standing for the Magnetic Sponsoring Course Contest and I was listed!

How cool is that? Now I’m at #6–but I’m not complaining. Now let me tell you how ironic this is:

1. 6 years online almost to the month I quit my 9-5 job-October 13, 2009 1:34 PM

2. One of the first courses I bought online was Magnetic Sponsoring Online

3. The first affiliate check I ever received was from Magnetic Sponsoring Online

4. By applying the tactics in this course I started to grow a responsive list and build my online presence.

Oh so back to what does this have to do with you?

I’m going to be very transparent here. If any of my readers buys the course from my link I will have my Design Team create a custom social networking addme button for your website/blog. That’s a $93 value! After you purchase the magnetic sponsoring course; send me a note showing your receipt to hollybpowell(at)gmail.com

Here are some examples of what a custom addme button looks like:

After I verify that in fact you made the purchase through my link–I’ll have my design team to go work!

O.K. now listen…you should remove cookies first or I won’t receive credit and well neither will you. That’s it. I don’t even care if I win this contest; as I’m up against some pretty steep competition! But being listed–well it just made my day!

In my previous post I told you that I Quit my job. Now I’m going to share with you my journey to that wonderful day!

October 13, 2009 at 1:43 PM–I quit my job of 17 years to work my passion full-time–I walked out–with an email and a subject line that said “I Quit Effective Immediately”

I joined my first network marketing company in 1981–but my online journey started in November 2003. Well, no wait that is too early. Let me start from the beginning. I joined a network marketing company in November 2003. Worked that business the old school way for as long as I could. We made a few $1,000 over the next few months and then because my warm market had run out I had to find some way to reach people. So from mid year 2004 through 2006 I went on an educational journey.

I signed up for every newsletter, ebook, marketing course, etc. that I could find on marketing. I wasn’t looking to learn how to network market. I was on a journey and studied internet marketing. I spent $1,000’s educating myself.

I called 3,627 cold calls to Network Marketers from January 2005 through May 2005 and did NOT sign up ONE person in my business. But I never thought of quitting; call me stupid or just plain determined. I just knew that if I applied the techniques that I had learned “it” would happen for me!

In May 2005 I signed up for Magnetic Sponsoring and devoured the book; applied those techniques and created a 14 day bootcamp and started growing my list. My very first affiliate check came from Magnetic Sponsoring. I can’t remember when I earned it…and I think it was for $11 or so but it didn’t matter! Whoo hooo; I was on my way to my first $1,000,000! I knew it in my bones.

In August of 2006 I had a team of 7 or 8 in my network marketing company. I started implementing what I had learned and by January 2007 my team had grown to over 200. My team was creating capture pages targeting groups; stay at home mom’s, traveling nurses, etc. We captured the first–heck we had the first 5 pages of googled locked up for our keywords–it was incredible! If anybody typed in our opportunity–they were bound to click on one of my team mates pages.

I must have pissed somebody off; because May 18, 2007 I received my cease and desist letter from the legal department of my company. They listed out all of the pages I had built. I was terminated on August 6, 2007.

It was o.k. because by then I had joined another company and quadrupled my income in 30 days; what took me 4 years to build with the company who terminated me. Now I worked that new company until the end of 2008; they changed the comp plan; added products that had nothing to do with our company and well on and on and on. By then it didn’t matter. I had created my own products and was working real hard to build up that business.

I continued my online education and in October 2007 added my first video to youtube. From then on I have had the privlege to JV with some incredible folks; formed partnerships with some of the best marketers on the web. So from start to finish–actually beginning of my freedom from my JOB–it was almost 6 years to the month.

I know this is a long post; but I have to say thank you to Mike Dillard, Melanie Milletics, Pam Bennett, Diane Hochman, Dennis Karganilla (DK), Bill and Irma Frye, and the many more mentors I have had through this journey. I will continue to seek out new mentors. Heck, some folks were mentors and didn’t know. You see I didn’t complain. If my mentor said do; I did! If my mentor said jump; I jumped. I’m serious. They didn’t call me and say “Do”. I watched them, studied them, copied them–I CASE(D) everything they did. Copy And Steal Everything. I put my own spin on it…I was so busy I didn’t have time to complain.

I could not have done this without the incredible support of my family; my best friend and husband Jesse, and my three girls; Tammie, Christen, and Megan. They supported my dream while I worked a full-time job and then came home and worked from 5:00 PM until some morning 4:00 AM only to get up at 6:30 AM to start all over again.

And now I work for me full-time! October 13, 2009 is a day I will remember for all time! The day I gave myself permission to walk away from my JOB and well now I can finally say it…

I am “Throwing Out The Alarm Clock of Life and Living in the Moment”!

Yes, I really did it. I quit my job of 17 years yesterday–10/13/09 my first official day of freedom. I’m not scared…but if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous I’d be lying.

I quit without fanfare and I quit happy. I quit with ONE email and in the subject line I said; I Quit Effective Immediately.

I’m going to tell you a story. I have been working for Brunswick County School since 1992. I worked my way up as far as my education would let me go. I worked hard and I made pretty good money.

Around February or so of this year my friend asked me to be a character witness for her in a grievance she was filing. I said absolutely without hesitation. I had known my friend for almost 20 years; it was a no-brainer. She said now wait you may not want to when you find out who the grievance is against. She said it was against the superintendent of the school system; I answered again…yes I will be your character witness.

A few months later this grievance was finally heard by the board. And lo and behold a few weeks after that 1/2 of my friends witnesses were transferred out of the central office to different positions in the school system. Now I was one of those transferred–from a central office setting to a school setting and given another job on top of the job “they let me keep”. How nice of them. This was a clear retaliatory action; and I believe against the “whistle blowers” act; but the board didn’t care–they upheld all of these transfers.

There was no notice given; I happened to hear on the day of the board meeting that I was on the “hit list”. They didn’t give me the courtesy of notifying me; sitting me down after 17 years of good service–so did I feel that I owed them a notice? No!

Anyway, I was put into this new position PLUS still had to fulfill my other responsibilities; both of them being full-time jobs. The board wouldn’t hear me; the HR Director wouldn’t hear me…my boss wouldn’t hear me. There is probably a lawsuit here–but…

Anyway I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Last week I took the week off and actually went to the Dr’s and was put on anti-depressants! Now mind you I’ve never been in that position. Hell, I was depressed. My job was never-ending never get caught up–I couldn’t handle both positions and do either of them well. So I started back to work on Monday morning with a dread of even being there. On Tuesday I received several emails from my director saying give rights to this person; give rights to that person–jobs that I had been doing. And I thought I know where this is headed.

I called hubby and said, “Can I quit? Right now?” He said let’s talk about it tonight. I said o.k. then he sent me a text that said; “Walk right now!” And well I did.

Now that being said I know how folks feel when they say; “I knew if I didn’t make this decision my business was never going to go on to the next level.” You see I have worked online since 2003 of November. So almost 6 years to the month–I am able to quit. I started in January of this year with 2 Virtual Assistants and am now up to 9 people who help me with my business. So my business has grown and now it’s time for my income to double! I knew that if I continued to work on my business only from 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM I would never get it to the next level…so here I am!

Happily enjoying my freedom! I had to (taking from my friends words) give myself permission to quit. I had to have the mindset that it was finally time to take my business to the next level. My team is in place…and I’m ready to take on the world.

Who wants to join me on this incredible journey? Any takers?

In my next post I’ll tell you the story of my experience and what I’ve done to get here.

So today I finally bit the “bullet” and decided to create a FaceBook Fan page. Funny, I don’t much feel like a celebrity; but I am very much into marketing and knew that down the road the 5,000 friend limit for my FaceBook profile would bit me in the butt.

Any how I wanted to get a vanity name because let’s face it…FaceBooks long as string of names for your fan page just doesn’t cut it. So first you have to find out even where to add a fan page.

Yup, check got that! Add a FaceBook Fan Page

Yes, it’s almost like setting up your regular site. Can have notes, etc.

Then you have to start getting fans so you can get the vanity name–hey I’m a celebrity–gotta have a vanity name right? So in your new Fan Page; click on Settings (top right). Click on change name and you should see a drop-down for your new page. Mine was called Holly Powell–what else? Right?

Now because I am already using hollypowell for my regular facebook profile I can’t use that for my fan page too. So I chose whoishollypowell and it worked!

But wait…you can’t get a vanity name for your fan page until you have 25 fans! Now if you want to know how to get 25 fans in less than 2 hours! You gotta comment on this post and I’ll turn you over to my secret star!