Tonight we are kicking it LIVE in Atlanta for the ecommerce meetup with eBizATL.com. Up to bat this month are the KINGS of Blogging and WordPress. You still got time to register for the FREE meetup event in Buckhead right in the center of Atlanta.

Get in while you fit in and make it out. We got drink special, great food and killer networking. Be sure to get on the list cause we do this every month LIVE in Atlanta. But even if you are not in the local area you can still participate. How? Glad you asked…

Here is what you can do. Submit your question about blogging or WordPress below in our comments section. If your question(s) is selected, we will ask the panel LIVE. This event is being recorded and your response by the panel will get posted here on ColderICE.com for you. How’s that?!? So submit a question and get the pros advice on how to succesfully blog and use WordPress.com or WordPress.org for your business.

Today eBay released the 2nd quarter earnings. Banter was raised as eBay Inc. has a 6% increase over last year and Paypal has some strong earnings for the quarter…yippee, "whoop d sh*t". Sorry if you don’t find me too impressed. There is holes in this Swiss cheese and the real deal is this. eBay.com that’s the US marketplace is down from 6% growth in the first quarterly to a tiny 2% this quarter and overall down -12% from 2008. So they have suffered a -4% decline on the platform, had NO growth in ASP and zero performance with conversion.

The patron saint of Best Match has not blessed us with the promised land. Wow, am I to be surprise? Yeah, but wait to you hear all the other issue surrounding this news. Look it is too long for me to type here, so I lay it out in plain English for you. Is it just me? Are my assessments here wrong? This seems so ridiculously bad to me, I dunno?!?

Links to the earnings reports for 2010 (released today)  and 2009 for comparison.

This was recorded LIVE in Las Vegas at the eCommerce Summit 2010

Every day, thousands of small businesses and entrepreneurs miss out on millions of dollars in revenue simply because they don’t know how to utilize the Internet for marketing and selling. This is NOT your same old ABC stuff, these are actual eCommerce practices for Social Media that will yield bottom line results and amp up your business.

 

 

You comments from the #ICENotes hash tag. You can use Twitter to add comments here by simply including the #ICENotes hash tag. Enter your comments, I would really like to hear them!

You can listen to the full presentation above, the slides are below and here is a little information for you…

In the meantime, let me share with you a few links to get you started:

1. HootSuite - You can track, analyze, and review your links. You can schedule tweets for another time. You can search, separate, and organize your friends. It takes 5 different tools I was using and puts them all into one place.
2. Free Ecommerce Icons – Nice set of Icons that will help you create some wonderful images on your website.
3. Rapportive - This neat little Firefox add-on is a MUST HAVE for Gmail users!! Instead of showing you worthless Google Ads that don’t mean a thing to you… you will now see the sender’s photo, social media links, and some of the last Tweets they wrote. WOW! Use this tool to get personal with your customers and keep that customer for life.
4. Wibiya - This little toolbar is perfect for blogs or websites. You can add translation tools, testimonials, search, twitter, facebook, and many other tools that will help keep your customers interactive with you and your website.
5. Survey Monkey – Do you know what your customers want? Do you know what your customers need? Why not ask them instead of assuming? With Survey Monkey you can now get input from your customers… for FREE
6. TubeMogul – Why upload your videos to just YouTube when you can upload your videos to several online websites with one click of a button? TubeMogul will help you save time and help your search engine rankings!
7. Kampyle - Get honest feedback from your customers that you can use to make your website better. This wonderful feedback form will help you learn what you are doing right… and wrong.

Thanks to Shawna Fennell for compiling the list of tool, check her full blog post HERE and here me on her show with a post presentation interview below…

Post Presentation Interview with Shawna Fennel

(press play button and be patient, it takes a minute to buffer)

OR Click to Download

 

You can listen to the full presentation above with the slides.

In the meantime, let me share with you a few links to get you started:

1. HootSuite - You can track, analyze, and review your links. You can schedule tweets for another time. You can search, separate, and organize your friends. It takes 5 different tools I was using and puts them all into one place.
2. Free Ecommerce Icons – Nice set of Icons that will help you create some wonderful images on your website.
3. Rapportive - This neat little Firefox add-on is a MUST HAVE for Gmail users!! Instead of showing you worthless Google Ads that don’t mean a thing to you… you will now see the sender’s photo, social media links, and some of the last Tweets they wrote. WOW! Use this tool to get personal with your customers and keep that customer for life.
4. Wibiya - This little toolbar is perfect for blogs or websites. You can add translation tools, testimonials, search, twitter, facebook, and many other tools that will help keep your customers interactive with you and your website.
5. Survey Monkey – Do you know what your customers want? Do you know what your customers need? Why not ask them instead of assuming? With Survey Monkey you can now get input from your customers… for FREE
6. TubeMogul – Why upload your videos to just YouTube when you can upload your videos to several online websites with one click of a button? TubeMogul will help you save time and help your search engine rankings!
7. Kampyle - Get honest feedback from your customers that you can use to make your website better. This wonderful feedback form will help you learn what you are doing right… and wrong.

Thanks to Shawna Fennell for compiling the list of tool, check her blog post HERE

Press "Play" to listen now

Ecommerce edutainment on demand  

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The Aftermath:

eCommerce Merchants Atlanta

After Party

 

Welcome to HOTLANTA! What you heard is true, we know how to throw parties in this city. Take a break from the mundane and spend some time hanging out and having a few drinks with the "eCommerce Rock Stars".

This is the HOTTEST ecommerce party in this city for the eBay On Location event!!!

The Aftermath: eCommerce Merchants Atlanta After Party

Date: Friday March 19th, 2010

Time: 8:00 pm

Admission is FREE!

Register:  HERE

Location:

300 Marietta Street Northwest, Atlanta

(404) 885-1472

(2 blocks from the eBay On Location hotel)

Dress: Casual chic

 

Walking Directions:  Exit the CNN center or Omni Hotel facing Marietta Street. Turn left and walk 2.5 blocks. Stats is on the corner of Mariette and Baker.

Please Follow Our YouTube Channel

The Aftermath: eCommerce After Party 2010. This is the place to meet and greet after the eBay on Location events on Friday  in Atlanta. the after party is atomic and you have got to be on the VIP List! Register now and get up close and personal with the best and brightest minds in eBay, marketing, ecommerce and customer relationship management.

Featuring a private lounge VIP area for our guests, free drinks to the first 100 people in the door, prizes, giveaways at the "BEST Bar in Downtown Atlanta" a guaranteed good time.

   Join the Rock Stars of eCommerce

John Jantsch – Duct Tape Marketing

Richard Brewer-Hay – eBay Ink Blog

Brent Leary – Customer Relationship Management

Toby Bloomberg – Diva Marketing Blog

Peggy Duncan – Personal Productivity Expert

Charles Lumpkin – Ecommerce SEO Strategist

"JB" Braitwaite – Internet Technology Expert

George Trantas – CEO Designer Athletic

Marlene Gavens – The Savvy Seller

Melinda and Kat – Co-Hosts of eBay and Beyond Radio

Cindy Shelby – Web Sellers Circle

Hosted by eCommerce Merchants – Atlanta

with "Your Boy" John from ColderICE.com

plus YOU?!?

and many many more!

 

ProStores is Platinum Sponsors for The Aftermath: eCommerce Merchants – Atlanta Chapter After Party!

We’re pleased to announce that ProStores will be the platinum sponsor for “The Aftermath – eCommerce Party" here in Atlanta 2010.

 GOLD SPONSORS:

While making his treks across the country, I got a few minuets with Chris Brogan to talk about what is going on with social media, his new book "Trust Agents" and I get to explain what is ColderICE, LOL.

Also in this video my good friend and mentor Brent Leary makes a guest appearance. This was a blast and it is a must listen for anyone into this medium of social marketing, networking and media. Thank Chris for taking the time with me…Too cold, too cold!

 

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Ecommerce edutainment on demand  

Be sure to subscribe so you do not miss an episode.

[podcast]http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-24026/TS-294122.mp3[/podcast]

Press "Play" to listen now

Ecommerce edutainment on demand  

Be sure to subscribe so you do not miss an episode.

[podcast]http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-24026/TS-294122.mp3[/podcast]On today’s show I had a very special guest host. One of my mentors in social media came and co-hosted with me on the show. The result was POWER PACKED, it really was a show that I am proud to have been able to do. Brent is world renown as a leader in Social CRM and blogs over at BrentLeary.com.

He co-wrote “the” book on social media with David Bullock called Barack 2.0 Social Media Lessons for Business recognized by the Wharton School of Business.

Dude, this is a MUST listen show, just hit start and check the show notes below! If you liked it, PLEASE leave a comment below. I want to convince this dude to come back and do it again PLZ, it was fantastic!

B.S. Walks When Money Talks Show Notes (Wednesday114.com)

Listen to the Show NOW!
(press play button and be patient, it takes a minute to buffer)

OR Click to Download

OR Subscribe to the series via iTunes 

1:43 www.StartupNation.com Rich & Jeff Sloan
2:33 Home-Based Business 100 – John from ColderICE.com voted #1 “Savviest in Social Media””
5:38 Twitter List Plug in
6:40 www.HubSpot.com Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah
7:01 Website Grader
7:16 Twitter Grader
11:06 Oprah Winfrey
14:00 The “Social Media Expert” SMACKDOWN
16:00 Some Real Experts David Meerman Scott (DavidMeermanScott.com) and Brian Clark (www.Copyblogger.com)
17:13 Breaking down “Social Linguistics”
18:10 LMAO: Dis-pen-sa-tion:  a general state or ordering of things
20:31 Chris Brogan (www.ChrisBrogan.com)
22:50 Twitter Tool Tips: www.HootSuite.com and www.PeopleBrowsr.com
23:47 www.Twubs.com
24:27 Social Mention (www.socialmention.com)
24:45 L.A.ST. – Listening As A Stratgy
26:30 Listen to the customers on Amazon reviews and Epinions.com

On the ColderICE Facebook discussion boards I have asked the simple question; How do you use Social sites to support your business?

There really is NO right or wrong answer here, it is the open question of the week. Do you use it? Should you use it? Should you NOT use it? WHY?

Sure all of the "so-called" savviest in social media experts have a say, LMAO. But it really boils down to the business owners. Is social marketing a tool that you will use? If so how? If not, why not?

Screw the masses, what do YOU think. It is possibly one of the most important topics and it has a vast area of differentiation.

Let me here what you think, simply CLICK HERE and join the discussion.

Wow, you guys freakin’ ROCK! Damn, that is absolutely humbling to think that a idea can be implemented and catch an audience. I never would have guessed that a lone idiot like me would say something intelligent enough for anyone to listen, let alone come back again!

What started as a WordPress.com blog about my thoughts as a business owner and eBay seller just one year later is really making some noise. We are having a conversation and the results are astonishing.

The funny thing is that I had slacked off June/July and wondered if I was going to continue doing the blog. Then I went to Australia the first week of August and came back rejuvenated. After seeing the excitement about ecommerce those sellers had, I got back into the swing. Those sellers down there rubbed off on me. What they had was spirit and spirit can be awful contagious.

I love what I do, I love ecommerce and I love learning. Its cool that I can put that spirit in a blog post or video and others will join the conversation. You folks ROCK! Thank you so much for hanging in there on our journey. This might seem like a small number to others (10,000) but I appreciate every single reader. I LOVE YOU MAN…..LMAO.

Special shout outs to those who encouraged me and supported the project last year (they did not laugh at me when I told them I was going to blog).

Jeff Braithwaite (he told me to do it and gave me much encouragement, a true friend)

Brandon Dupsky (eCommerce Merchants director was my FIRST interview, he is very supportive)

Scot Wingo (CEO of ChannelAdvisor – he took me to lunch and took me seriously. A W00T! moment)

Phil Leahy (PeSA Australia- Did not know him in the 1st chapter, but he is co-authoring chapter 2)

Scott Pooler (he took a chance and let me be a guest blogger for my first ever blog post)

Dave White (broadcasting mentor)

Well leave it to me to do something completely different and a little crazy?!? So what else is new, right? But there is so much BAD information that is communicated to eCommerce sellers via social networks, blogs, and the constant "free" webinars from vendors, used to scare us into buying their wares. I wanted to do something to make our community aware of the GOOD resources that are available to us.

There are several blogs that are on my radar to keep me informed and focused on what is real and what is hype. That focus transcends to education which ultimately leads to better strategy and sales. So I decided to do something that I have never seen anywhere before. We are going to highlight the BEST Internet eCommerce Sites of the YEAR with our own little ColderICE Awards!

The ColderICE Award is focused on spotlighting the best in the business for news, education and strategy in blogs. The only real criteria is that it has to be a blog and that blog be focused on internet commerce and/or multi channel sales business. The blogs must be dedicated to the community of eCommerce and be committed to educating that community.

ColderICE is an acronym and the I.C.E. means Internet Commerce Education and I feel these 9 below exercise this standard every day with every blog post. I personally appreciate what these people are doing to enhance and educate our community.

Why 9? I told you I wanted to do mine differently, screw the top 10, I wanted a top 9

*** 2009 ColderICE Internet Commerce Excellence WINNERS ***

#1 – Practical eCommerce — Insights for Online Merchants, Practical eCommerce was launched in July 2005 by Kerry and Joy Murdock in Grand Junction, Colorado, USA. Its mission from the start has been to provide down-to-earth articles and advice to help smaller businesses succeed online. This editorial content was originally delivered primarily through a monthly, printed magazine, but it now (2009) includes website, two podcasts, two email newsletters, but no printed magazine.

#2 – Shop.org Blog — The state of Online Retailing, profitability, economy and multi-channel selling. This site will keep you in the loop of what many big box retailers are doing as well as keeping an eye out for small to medium business too.

#3 – eCommerce and Entrepreneurship Blog — The ecommerce and entrepreneurship blog is a collective of experiences, thoughts, processes and updates from people that are not only actively working in ecommerce but are also zealous about the industry.

#4 – eCommNewz — It is what its name says it is. A collection for writings, stories and education about ecommerce.

#5 – eCommerce Times — A subsidiary publication of the ECT News Network, get your business and technology mix to the fullest.

#6 – Internet Retailer –Internet Retailer is the most recognized publication in online retailing. Celebrating its 10th anniversary with its March 2009 issue, Internet Retailer Magazine is the flagship of a publishing group that includes a wide array of print and electronic publications and conferences that bear the brand name. Taken together, they deliver strategic and practical business information on e-retailing to more than 300,000 retail executives and direct marketers every month.

#7 – Amazon Strategies & eBay Strategies –  Dude only Scot Wingo can really claim the title of a strategist or an evil genius.  He is one or the other but most likely, BOTH. The dude has 2 strategies blogs that should be on your list.

#8 – TameBay — This is for the discerning eBay Auction seller. Tamebay is an eBay news blog and forum. TameBay is owned and written by Chris Dawson and Sue Bailey, two British PowerSellers…the ONLY problem with this blog is?!? The are in the UK! OMG, I wish we had a blog like this for the U.S. side, but they do keep up on our news too. TameBay is a MUST for any eBay seller no matter if you are US, Canada or Spain, this eBay news site will fill your plate with solid information.

#9 – Get Elastic– "Get Elastic is lovingly brought to you by Linda Bustos …" She says: We eat, breathe and sleep ecommerce and we’re passionate about innovation. Get Elastic is a way to blend the two and start a conversation with all online retailers and Internet marketing buffs. We want to stretch your ideas on how to sell on the Internet by covering emerging media and technology. We hope you get a bit more elastic every time you visit.

This was a short 7 minute presentation that comes from the Ecommerce Summit sponsored by The Professional eBay Sellers Association (PeSA) and the Ecommerce Merchants Trade Association.

He is an intro for the Social Media Marketing panel discussion featuring heavy hitters in social media like Brent Leary, Jay Berkowitz and the king of Pay It Forward marketing Chuck Hester. I hope you enjoy it, I was SOOOO nervous but I think I didn’t stumble too much

Here is the video and the slides (below)

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