Small Business Odyssey – Page 2 – Real world advice and tips for small business marketing

April 12, 2012April 12, 2012

Pinterest and Copyright: Where Do You Stand?

Pinterest changed its Terms of Service with effect from 6 April 2012 and reinforced its stance on copyright. This was in response to a growing debate on the Internet concerning copyright issues and the impact of Pinterest on particular groups such as professional photographers, sites that sell images, websites with original images and photo sharing sites such as Flickr.

Pinterest in its recent Terms of Service has made it very clear that you pin and repin at your own risk. You are licensed to use the site provided you abide with their policies. Under the Acceptable Use Policy of Pinterest you agree not to post content that:

…infringes any third party’s Intellectual Property Rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other personal or proprietary rights.

Pinterest: The Copyright Issues

Kirsten Kowalski, in a landmark blog post, highlighted the ethical and legal dilemmas for users of Pinterest. Her post attracted over 650 comments and led to discussions with Pinterest’s founder which, in turn, influenced the changes to the Terms of Reference effective from 6 April 2012. The title of her post is telling:

Why I Tearfully Deleted My Pinterest Inspiration Boards

When you breach copyright while pinning images to Pinterest, you carry the responsibility not Pinterest. A case in point is unauthorized use of images from other’s websites. Some webmasters (particularly in the Internet marketing field) are very aggressive about the copyright of images on their websites and explicitly exclude their use through their ‘Terms of Use’ statements.

Flickr too has license restrictions on the use of images. Flickr contributors can specify the restrictions on images they submit to the site. There are a wide range of licenses involved. The one that has the least restrictions is ‘Creative Commons – Attribution License’ – which enables you to use or remix images for non commercial or commercial purposes provided you acknowledge the source in the way specified by the creator.

Professional photographers have a special interest in copyright because their photos represent their livelihood. Many photographers now have hidden watermarks on their photos and tracking systems that can show where their photos are being used on the Internet. In situations of unauthorized use of their photos, they can request payment or sue the copier. Professional photographers were the group that were very keen to talk to Pinterest about their Terms of Use.

Repining brings its own copyright risks. For example, if you repin a Flickr photo from another Pinterest user, how are you going to ensure that you have provided the attribution in the form specified by the creator or that the initial pin did not breach any license restrictions?

So Pinterest involves legal copyright issues and the basic ethical issue of respecting other people’s rights. I know when someone copies an article of mine and claims authorship, I am very quick to insist on its removal from the article hosting site. I suppose the age-old motto should prevail here, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you!”

Pinterest and copyright: My stance

There are some Internet marketers who say that the controversy over copyright issues with Pinterest will all blow over. They argue that since many people are already abusing copyright on Facebook, it is okay to do it on Pinterest – especially if there is the possibility of earning income. This unethical and illegal stance contributed to the development of the draconian SOPA legislation which has been shelved (for the time being). While Internet marketers continue to abuse other’s rights, we are going to have a backlash which will end up in some form of legislative constraint.

I have decided that the stance I will adopt for my Pinterest site will follow these guidelines:

use my own photos wherever possible (like many others, I have hundreds of these)
use public domain images such as those provided by Pixabay where appropriate (link to the site will be automatically generated by Pinterest if I use the bookmark tool)
repin only where I am confident of the original source of an image and where I can legally use and acknowledge that source (e.g. a Flickr photo with Creative Commons – Attribution license)
create my own quotes and infographics
use images I have paid for through sites such as BigStockPhoto.

The creators of the Pinterest Traffic Blueprint have recently added a bonus training video to address the copyright issues. They provide a list of do’s and dont’s in response to members’ inquiries and concerns. I highly recommend the Pinterest Traffic Blueprint because it takes a balanced view and provides sound advice on how to use Pinterest.

There are real copyright issues associated with using Pinterest and they should be taken into account when using this fast growing site – so what is your stance?

April 1, 2012April 1, 2012

Easy Video Press: Video Player for WordPress Blogs

[evp type=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln-Xbz3TgbM[/evp]

Easy Video Press is a WordPress Plugin that makes it very easy to play videos on your WordPress blogs. You can play videos uploaded from Amazon S3, YouTube or your computer.

You also have the option of customizing the video player – e.g. color of the background, buttons or outline. You can change the size of the displayed video and allow full screen playing. If you prefer, you can set the Easy Videos Player to play immediately someone visits your blog post (… and you can change this for each video).

Easy Video Press comes with four very short videos that explain each step in the process of setting up the Plugin and creating a video player for your blog post.

Monetizing videos with Easy Video Press WordPress Plugin

Easy Video Press enables you to add a hyperlinked logo to your video and build in a redirect to a website of your choice so that you can monetize the video. I have illustrated these features in the video player below:

[evp type=youtube logo=http://smallbusinessodyssey.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/meritsolutionsthumbnail1.jpg link=http://www.meritsolutions.com.au]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4StJfmKDus[/evp]

Easy Video Press: an easy WordPress Plugin for displaying a video player

This is a powerful WordPress Plugin that can open up the world of video marketing. It is easy to use and makes video playing on your WordPress blog so much easier.

All you have to do is install the WordPress plugin, customize the default settings (e.g. Amazon S3 URL’s, color scheme, video size) and then start using the video player within your blog posts.

When you want to display a video in your blog post, you provide a few details and the WordPress Plugin creates a “shortcode” which is automatically inserted in your blog post.

The following illustration shows the control panel that appears below your blog entry as you are developing your post. It enables you to:

specify the source of video – Amazon S3, YouTube or your computer
size of the video player
color scheme for the video player
cover image
logo image (if desired)
logo URL link (if desired).

If you want to use the advanced options available with Easy Video Press, you can do any of the following:

allow full screen
auto start video
hide controls/buttons or show them
redirect viewer at end of video

With either the basic or the advanced controls, Easy Video Press will generate a shortcode that is automatically inserted in your blog post when you hit the “Send Shortcode to Editor” button. You can then locate the video player wherever you choose within your post.

I was becoming increasingly frustrated with displaying videos on my WordPress blogs until I found this simple-to-use WordPress Plugin.

Easy Video Press is, as the name suggests, an easy-to-use WordPress Plugin that will take the stress out of your blogging and enable you to professionally display, and monetize, videos on your WordPress blogs.

March 29, 2012

Eckhart Tolle: Aligning Outer Purpose with Inner Purpose

Eckhart Tolle discusses the need to align your outer purpose (taking action in everyday life) with your inner purpose. He describes this ‘awakened doing’ as a means to transforming your life and work. The secret to achieving the alignment is consciousness – in this way your daily activity can be infused with your inner purpose.

Aligning your outer purpose with your inner purpose through consciousness

Whether you are a small business owner engaged in small business marketing or an Internet marketer, the same principles apply. There are some clear lessons for small business marketing in Eckhart Tolle’s work. He specifically talks about the limitations of your thoughts and emotions (the EGO) on your capacity to take right action in any circumstance. Eckhart Tolle argues that creativity is released through consciousness.

In a previous article, I identified ways to develop consciousness while using technology. This article drew on Eckhart Tolle’s discussion with Google staff about Technology and Consciousness and provided some concrete recommendations for tapping into the energy of the present moment.

I have taken these recommendations further in another article where I describe five ways to develop consciousness. I also illustrate the power of consciousness through an example.

You might ask, ‘Why develop consciousness?’ The answer lies in the improved quality of life that you will experience. Not only will you be able to access your creativity but also be able to enjoy peace, tranquillity, joy and happiness. When you bring your outer purpose (your daily actions) into alignment with your inner purpose, you will also experience a renewed enjoyment and enthusiasm for what you are doing.

Awakened doing – the three ways to gain alignment with your inner purpose

Eckhart Tolle describes these three ways as ‘the three modalities of awakened doing’. While they represent ways to achieve alignment between your outer and inner purpose, they also represent states of being – ways of being in the world. I will describe each of the three ‘modalities’ below:

1. Acceptance – at peace in an unwanted situation

You will often find yourself in a situation that you do not enjoy. It may be a testy customer, a computer breakdown, spilt soup over your work, lost papers or any other situation that tries your patience. You can rant and rave, blame others for the situation or become frustrated and unfocused…or you can surrender to the situation and accept it with calmness. This alternative is what Eckhart Tolle calls acceptance. He argues that acceptance brings peace which has its own vibrational energy. Through acceptance, you are attaining consciousness in the moment and taking responsibility for your own life and its quality. I have found that this simple state of acceptance has enabled me to be at peace when I would otherwise be in turmoil because of my thoughts and attendant emotions. An associated benefit is that because acceptance requires you to access your consciousness, you are open to creative ways to handle your undesirable situation.

2. Enjoyment – the joy of being conscious

There is so much that you do that you may find boring or tedious. It could be social bookmarking, travelling to your work, taking out the rubbish, clearing the dirty dishes or even writing. You could focus on how life will be different in an ideal future or regret how much better it was in the past – and exacerbate your unease. Alternatively, you could develop consciousness in the moment and enjoy being fully present to what you are doing. Consciousness gives you access to joy – the joy of being fully present. So it is not the action that brings enjoyment but accessing the power of consciousness and enabling it to pervade what you are doing.

3. Enthusiasm – energy through realisation of your outer purpose

Have you ever found yourself highly enthusiastic in undertaking some task or project? What was driving you to renewed levels of energy? Eckhart Tolle suggests that if you continue to pursue the awakening of consciousness (your inner purpose), you will eventually gain a realisation of your outer purpose – what you are meant to achieve ethrough your life and work. Your activity then becomes infused with more meaning and you exude enthusiasm and new found levels of energy. At this stage, you have achieved an alignment between your inner purpose and your outer purpose and the outcome is renewed enthusiasm for, and creative pursuit of, your vision.

March 15, 2012

Small Business Marketing: Lessons from Eckhart Tolle

As far as I know, Eckhart Tolle does not write about small business marketing. However, his focus on creating a better life through consciousness has profound implications for small business owners and their marketing efforts. So profound, in fact, that I am unlikely to offer more than a surface exploration of Eckhart Tolle’s writing and its implications for small business marketing.

Photo credit: The birth of consciousness by Kevin Dooley

Small business marketing: Being controlled by your thoughts

A fundamental principle espoused by Eckhart Tolle is that you spend so little time in consciousness, if at all. He talks a lot about the tyranny of your mind and emotions – often the emotions are generated by your own thoughts.

So his proposition is that you are captive to your own thoughts and these, in turn, are driven by Ego – a hard proposition for anyone to swallow for sure. However, just reflect! – when was the last time that you were free from the tyranny of thinking about the past or the future? When are you just conscious of the present moment, your own existence, your breath, your surrounds (including the sounds)? Even when you see something or hear something, you immediately attempt to interpret it or categorise it.

The march of the Ego – non awareness

When Eckhart Tolle explains what he means by Ego and its impact, it is easy to understand and relate to what he is getting at. He suggests that much of your thoughts flow from the need to justify your actions, compare yourself with others, strengthen your perceived position relative to others or delude yourself by ignoring the hard realities.

It is a useful practice to just listen to your own thoughts – what messages are you giving yourself. Is it that you are not good enough or recognised enough? Is it that you cannot tolerate someone ‘junior’ pointing out mistakes or another way? Is it that you refuse to explore other options for marketing your small business because you ‘think’ that it might not turn out well and show you in a bad light?

It is very enlightening to listen to your own self-talk and to become aware of how your self-talk sabotages your own efforts. It is particularly instructive for you to listen to how you justify your actions and to identify what is the reference point for those justifications. It is even more instructive to explore why you ‘feel’ a need to justify yourself at all.

Small business marketing – the impact of Eckhart Tolle’s ‘being conscious’

Eckhart Tolle argues that you are not your thoughts, you just ARE! Your thoughts, along with your derived emotions, are part of your external reality – they are not ‘who you are’. Being conscious is a state of stillness – of awakening to your inner reality.

He offers you ways to be conscious, to awake to the power of your present moment – to break free of the limitations of your thoughts and emotions. Eckhart Tolle argues that it is only through being conscious that you can tap into your creative spirit. It takes but a moment to be conscious – and a series of conscious moments to start transforming the way you live.

Eckhart Tolle has some sobering lessons for small business marketing – it is not in frenetic activity or thought, but in conscious stillness, that true creative endeavour is realized.

March 7, 2012March 7, 2012

WordPress Websites: Policies for a Legal Website

If you are going to create or maintain a WordPress website, you have to ensure that you have the policies necessary to have a legal website. While there are legal requirements surrounding websites (such as Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, Earnings Disclaimer), Google also takes into account the existence of the legal policies when determining the value and ranking of a WordPress website. The absence of such policies can signal a site that lacks substance or is engaged in illegal activity (such as misleading people about potential services or earnings).

You can go the hard road and hire a lawyer to write the necessary policies for your WordPress website to make it a legal website or alternatively you can access a WordPress Plugin designed specifically for this purpose.

[Image source: Sarah B Brooks]

WP Policies: Free WordPress plugin for a legal WordPress website

The free WordPress plugin for incorporating policies for your WordPress site can be obtained here:

WP Policies (http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-policies/)

This WordPress Plugin will automatically generate a range of policy statements to enable you to create a legal website and improve the value of your WordPress website in the eyes of Google and other search engines.

The free plugin comes with 10 policies at the moment and you can edit these to suit your own purposes:

anti-spam policy
disclaimer
DMCA notice
e-mail policy
earnings disclaimer
external links policy
medical disclaimer
privacy policy
terms of use
testimonial disclaimer

Often you will find that a set of policy statements will come with other purchases that you make (for example, if you purchase the software for a membership site as I did with my personal productivity site). You can use these alternative policies if you prefer and it is just a matter of editing the ones provided with the WordPress Policies Plugin.

Installing WP Policies for a legal WordPress website

You can install the free WP Policies plugin by following the tips I offer in my post, How to Install a WordPress Plugin.

You need, however, to check the permission setting for the folder where the default policies are stored before activating the plugin. The instructions for this and for the overall setup of the legal policies are included as a text file with the plugin when you upload it. These instructions show you how to add the variable fields for the policy statements (such as Company, address, email and phone number), that are added automatically when you ‘import’ the default policies (Step 4 in the Instructions).

You can delete or deactivate any of the policy pages you do not want to display by clicking on “Pages” in the Dashboard of your WordPress blog and either ‘trashing’ the page or changing the setting to draft (deactivates the page).

You can also display the pages in the footer by adding the code provided to the footer.php file of your WordPress Theme (Step 6 in the instructions) – see illustration in the footer to SmallBusinessOdyssey.

It is important to make sure your WordPress website is a legal website by adding the relevant legal policies – the WP Policies WordPress Plugin gives you an easy way to do this.