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Posts Tagged ‘IZEAFest’

The New Follow Friday – Ted Murphy

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

Let’s be honest, #followfriday on Twitter has been dead for a long time. I’ve become so turned off by the endless stream of @bobthebaker @garythegardener @sallythesaleswoman @irenetheinsuranceagent @timthetechguy blah blah blah blah blah every Friday that I have almost completely stopped recommending people to my followers. It’s just become too much… and no one really listens… or acts. Including me.

So, I’ve decided to highlight one person each week and write a quick post with some bullet points telling you why I think you ought to listen to what they have to say… and uh… add a ridiculous morphed photo.

WEEK 1: TED MURPHY
#followfriday @tedmurphy

-CEO of IZEA
-branding genius
-innovator
-thinks outside the box
-brilliant marketer
-web visionary
-leader in sponsored conversations
-helps bloggers monetize through several online platforms
-knows his audience and adapts to their needs/wants
-engages with his audience
-accessible
-isn’t scared to answer tough questions
-fearless
-has an “anything is possible” and “no one is out of reach” mentality
-variety in his content
-bold
-very funny
-creative
-marathon runner
-helpful
-transparent
-encouraging

Ted Murphy and John Raser hugging it out post cake plow

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Related Category: branding, business, follow friday, marketing, social media

Tags: #followfriday, follow friday, izea, IZEAFest, John Raser, Ted Murphy, the new follow friday, twitter

Daphne’s Headcovers & Seeitgolf Post IZEAFest Giveaway!

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

In October I had a post IZEAFest giveaway on Twitter and announced the winners of the Daphne’s Headcovers and Seeitgolf imagery training DVD’s. One day later I was faced with having to deal with a terrible and unexpected family tragedy that would not be appropriate for me to discuss publicly on the web. I had to put everything on hold for weeks. This was a great reminder to me that some things in life are just more important than golf, business, blogging, vlogging, side projects, and even startups. In that time I missed 2 of my best friend’s weddings plus BlogWorld and Blogs with Balls in Las Vegas. On top of all of this I was just beginning to start moving across town from a 3 bedroom house into a 2 bedroom condo with my best friend, Christo Greyling (@stogreyling). Sooo, now I am finally moved in and back on track. I’ve been super busy checking things off my white board to do list and getting this stuff in your hands was one of my top priorities. I’m so sorry for the delay!

That being said…

I have had the pleasure of getting to know Jane Spicer from Daphne’s Headcovers through Twitter over the last several months. She is one of the sweetest most uplifting people I’ve met online. She loves what she does and it comes through in the way she interacts with people as well as in the quality and love put into each one of her famous animal headcovers. What’s interesting to me is that Jane doesn’t really have to reach out and build her brand image or awareness through social media. Daphne’s Headcovers is a category dominator. In the world of golf, Daphne’s is in a league of their own. They know it. Everyone knows it. They created the category (or niche). I believe Jane has embraced social media because that’s the way she built the company — in a truly grassroots, social manner. As a young girl she would design handmade headcovers and go door to door selling them. People bought them because they liked HER, not because they necessarily loved her product. People follow leaders, not products, and Jane is one of the best in the business.

WINNERS! Seahorse: Jennifer Dixon (@wpmomof2) Banana: Lisa Martin (@blm03) Dragon: Buck Rogers (@BuckDaddy) Shamu: Meredith Crosby (@craftyGAgal)

Danny Orr is another CEO that gets it. I have known Danny for about the same amount of time I have known Jane (several months) and consider him a real friend; never having met in person. That is how real he is. Danny’s company, Seeitgolf, markets a mental imagery training DVD that in my opinion is the freshest new training aid in golf. Danny is a genuinely nice guy who has a real passion for his product and for people. He simply wants people to get better at golf (specifically putting). Although new to the golf world, Seeitgolf is generating quite a buzz amongst tour pros. They are way ahead of the curve in terms of innovation. Their product is truly mobile, as the 15 minute DVD can be downloaded straight to iTunes and easily synced up to your iPhone or iPod. They also have a new iPhone app coming out soon that I can’t wait to test out. He too has embraced social media in a way his competitors haven’t — and it’s paying off! It has been awesome watching real people with real products do real things through social media.

WINNERS! Dave Myers (@ragingtech), James Pero (@jamespero), Eric Schechter (@EricSchechter), Toni (@itsToni), Dr. Gio Valiante (@fearless_golf), Amanda Stewart (@amandastewart), and Sandi McKenna (@McMedia)

To the winners: Please resend your mailing address/contact info to speedraser72[at]gmail[dot]com. I can’t wait to hear how you like your new swag!

To Jane and Danny: Thank you so much for your generosity in stepping up and making this Twitter giveaway possible!

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Related Category: Contests/Giveaways, Golf, Training Aids, social media

Tags: animal headcovers, contest, Danny Orr, Daphne's Headcovers, funny headcovers, giveaway, Golf, izea, IZEAFest, Jane Spicer, John Raser, training aid

I got my fame on at IZEAFest!

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

In early October I had the unique opportunity of speaking at the very first social media conference I ever attended: IZEAFest at Sea World in Orlando, FL. It was quite nerve-racking considering I was the new kid in the room and initially felt very out of my element. Would this community even care about what I had to say? Was I gonna get owned on the live-streaming Twitter feed? It certainly didn’t help that I was sandwiched between two people whom I have looked up to and admired since I first got really involved in social media and Web 2.0: Aaron Brazell (@technosailor) and Liz Strauss (@lizstrauss) – OK, honestly I was crapping my pants when Aaron finally wrapped up his keynote and it was time for me to come onstage.

Nonetheless, I have found that you grow the most in life by going outside and beyond your comfort zone. The first step is the biggest and most important. And this was a biiig first step for me. I was able to tell my story (a very quick version), explain how I, as an athlete, am using social media, and announce the launch of my new clothing brand, EdTrendy (@EdTrendy). I am incredibly grateful to Ted Murphy (@tedmurphy) and Ashley Edwards (@Social_Citizen) from IZEA for including me in such a wonferful event! Overall, IZEAFest was a tremendous learning and networking experience! I will follow up with another post about my highlights of the week.