Alan R. Bechtold has released the latest issue of ‘E-Wealth Report’. This featured article is titled “Should You Mind Your Manners?”. [E-Wealth Report]


Alan Bechtold’s latest ‘E-Wealth Report’ newsletter article:

Should YOU Mind Your Manners?

My mom taught me manners and instilled in me an ethic that has carried me farther through life than anything I ever learned in school.

Actually, I believe manners and ethics are more often than not one in the same.

Sadly, I see a lot of people online who don’t seem to have a clue about respect, manners or ethics.

Case in point: BlogTalk Radio and UStream are proving to be extremely popular among Twitter users. Why?

Of course, it depends on the presentation topic and on the presenter. But, I also believe it’s because both platforms allow the presenters to open up a chat box on the page where visitors listen to the radio show or watch the live video show.

People from social networking sites – especially Twitter – seem to love this.

Twitter is the first social network I’ve seen that comes so close to providing live realtime chat. Their 140-character limit keeps comments short, sweet and IMMEDIATE. And response is usually quick.

I’ve watched “conversations” on Twitter go on and on for post after post, pulling in others who add to the conversation as they go.

It’s a beautiful thing.

So – when you launch a BlogTalk Radio podcast or a live Ustream video broadcast and announce it on Twitter … people will come over to listen or watch.

I want to warn you – they will also come over for another reason: THEY WANT TO CHAT!

I’ve watched several successful marketers drive a lot of listeners and viewers to their podcasts and video broadcasts using Twitter and other social media. Without fail, those who also choose to provide access to a chat room tend to attract more listeners or viewers who stay longer.

For this reason, I did the same thing with my new Ustream TV show, Breakfast With Alan, opening up a chat room viewers can “play” in while they watch the show.

It’s a blast conducting these events and seeing real-time feedback that what you’re doing is appreciated.

But, I’ve also noticed, some of you need to review your manners.

I’m referring to the number of people I see in chat rooms during these online events who do little more than push their own URLs and try as hard as they can to get some business for themselves while they’re there.

You do realize this is patently rude, don’t you?

Let’s say you just launched a Tupperware party and invited a dozen friends over. Everyone’s having a great time socializing and chatting while you present the options, demonstrate new products and lead people into a buying decision.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the room, ONE of your guests is busily talking – loudly enough all the others can hear – about a different food storage system she thinks is far superior to Tupperware and that she just happens to sell.

Do you see where I’m headed here?

Legendary marketing expert Rich Shefren recently did a magnificent live 24-hour Ustream broadcast to promote the launch of a new free report he’d just released. It was brilliant marketing. Rich simply poured out what he knows, interacted with people on his blog and answered questions. A perfect way to sell coaching – the product his free report was focused on selling.

The guy had as many as 1,000 people on Ustream watching and chatting, too. And I couldn’t believe how many people were ignoring the info this guy was literally pouring out. Instead, they were greedily making deals and offering products and links.

Rude.

Still, I don’t favor the actions I’ve seen some of my colleagues take when this happens in their chat rooms during a presentation. One marketer states up-front there is NO “pimping your URLs” allowed in chat – and he boots anyone from the room who ignores his warning.

Another suggests you must have a co-moderator who watches chat, monitors what is being said and by whom, then warn people if they go too far and boot people who don’t follow the rules.

I agree you must be a good guest. I agree you should exhibit manners while attending any event. Promoting your own business is no way to thank your host. Still, I don’t agree with tactics to control such activities that are too heavy-handed. They go against the grain of what people honestly want in social media.

Besides – I learned long ago that you gotta give people what they want or they won’t, in the long haul, give you what YOU want.

If you see your customers doing something you didn’t plan for, study it. Look at the “why.” Then, before you slap their hands, consider what you can do to enhance and focus on that activity, instead.

If your customers are chatting and having fun while you present online, they’re telling you this is what they WANT to do. Perhaps you should consider telling them to be polite and patient – then provide them with a time when they can promote themselves or do whatever else they wish to use the chat room to do.

Call it “networking time.”

Or – you could just stick with the tried-and-true teleseminar format without chat. I personally love the new format offered by BlogTalk Radio and Ustream TV. I’ve seen the response of the listeners and viewers to having chat available to them and I’m not about to stand in the way.

But – you need to do your part. Be a welcome guest. Don’t tread on your host’s toes so they’re forced to set limits and act like angry parents.

Then we’ll all benefit.

My gift to you this week is the opportunity to help someone out who needs help desperately – by buying some really cool stuff dirt cheap.

Jan Tallent (@jantallent on Twitter) is in dire need of repairs to her roof. The ceiling in her kitchen caved in and she doesn’t have the money to fix it, due to a failed attempt at running a brick-and-mortar shop. So – she’s selling a package loaded with TONS of great health-related resale rights products, including banners and headers and video and much more, for an amazingly low amount of money.

In fact, the price is so low, it qualifies as a gift for this issue. Not to mention the incredible gift you’ll be giving yourself, knowing you’ve helped someone who really needs a hand.

Check it out RIGHT HERE NOW!

See you all next week!

– Alan R. Bechtold, author, Will Work for Fun: 3 Simple Steps to Turning Any Hobby or Interest Into Cash

and…

Co-Producer and star of The FUNdamental You!

‘E-Wealth Report’ Newsletter

*IMNewswatch would like to thank Alan Bechtold for granting permission to reprint the latest article.

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