Host Anita Campbell interviews Lee Dodd of Zydeca Media (Forum Trends) in this edition of Small Business Trends Radio.

Many of you probably know forums by another term, discussion boards. In this information packed conversation Lee and Anita use a case-study format to bring you up to date on how forums operate today.

Forums continue to grow in popularity, driven in part by the renewed use of the internet as a vehicle for community building. Lee shares how to plan a forum, operate the forum, use it to leverage your business today or even start a business that is forum based.

A key takeaway is that forums take as much work and attention as any other business, the plus is that if you are passionate about a topic then you are half-way there.

Go here to learn more and listen to “Building a Successful Online Forum – a Case Study” with Lee Dodd..

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Now that there are over 20,000 podcasts available and growing, with some of the fastest growth in more formal business podcasts by corporations attempting to use the tool to evolve relationships with their markets, we podcast listeners are faced with the dilema of locating and choosing quality podcasts to listen to.

To the rescue comes Podnova, a search engine for podcasts with a twist — they transcribe a podcast and use the resulting text as the basis upon which to search for podcasts. This is different from most podcast directories like iTunes and iPodder which use titles and tag descriptions as the basis for finding a particular podcast. With Podnova you can actually search on elements of the content which can shorten the effort to finding content that will serve your needs.

Check it out and be sure to search on Small Business Trends Radio.

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Host Anita Campbell interviews Ramon Ray of SmallBizTechnology.com in this edition of Small Business Trends Radio.

Are you wondering what all the fuss is about these Blackberry devices or Treos? Or wondered what are those strange looking earpieces you see people walking around with looking like they are talking to themselves?

Do you take photos with your phone? Instant message to your clients or check a press release on the internet with your phone in the lobby of a customer’s office?

If not you may be missing out on some mobile technology tools that could give your small business a real competitive edge. But like any tool there are risks in using them and it takes informed risks to get the best return on any investment.

Listen to this information packed conversation and you will be more informed and smarter about how to leverage technology for businesses benefit. Take the time and listen now!

Go here to learn more and listen to “The Mobile Entrepreneur - Equipping Your Office for Maximum Mobility” with Ramon Ray..

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I read somewhere the other day, I think Technorati’s website or Feedburner that there are over 18,000 podcast feeds and the number is growing rapidly. It is very obvious that individuals and businesses alike are learning what a valuable and fun communication vehicle a podcast can be.

One of my newest discoveries as a podcast medium is the Federal Government — there are several government podcasts and hundreds of government RSS feeds as well. Here are just a few links to these podcasts:

FirstGov.Gov Podcast

Free Government Info Podcast

WhiteHouse Podcasts

I could not find a Congress or Senate or Supreme Court Podcast, however there were several Senators and Congresspersons with Podcasts, no Supreme Court Justices however.

Small Business Trends Radio has hosted one of the top Government business related officials on our podcast, Hector Barreto the Director of the SBA, click HERE to take a listen!

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Host Anita Campbell interviews Jim Kukral of Revenews.com in this edition of Small Business Trends Radio.

Whether you are an online marketing beginner or an online marketing professional this conversation will provide you value. Why? Because it provides very practical advice and crystal clear information about online marketing that anyone can benefit from.

- Think spamming your customers with email is a good idea? Careful, it might land you in jail!

- Think that fancy multimedia graphic on your home page is a good idea? Think again!

- You cannot get a Google #1 ranking for $99. Tell me you didn’t buy that?

These topics and many more are covered in this show. Take the time and listen now!

Go here to learn more and listen to “The Top 10 Online Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” with Jim Kukral..

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Want to know what others are listening to here at SMB TrendWire?

Here are the Top Ten Small Business audio interviews for February 2006 (in no particular order):

Making a Living on the Internet Through Passive Income - Denise O’Berry (blog: Just for Small Business)

Search Engine Marketing is Not Voodoo - Jennifer Laycock, Editor of Search Engine Guide (blog: Search Engine Guide)

Blogs - Cutting Through the Hype - Barbara Payne, Blog diva (blog: Blog for Business)

Start the Sales Year Right - Warren Greshes, Motivational Speaker (blog: Greshes Blog)

Building Your Network to Grow Your Small Business - Rex Hammock, Founder of Smallbusiness.com (blog: RexBlog)

Beating the Big Box Guys by Changing the Rules - John Wyckoff, self-made business owner (site: MYOB-2.com)

Selling to Big Companies - It Can Be Done - Jill Konrath, CEO (blog: Selling to Big Companies)

The Well Utilized Business Lawyer - Anthony Cerminaro, Attorney (blog: Bizz Bang Buzz)

How to Stay in Business While Serving Small Business - Barbara Cagley, Business owner

Stage a Business Coup - Barry Moltz, Author (blog: Barry’s Blog)

For purposes of these Top Ten lists we’ve decided to kick over to “Emeritus” status the following two recordings: Your Best and Highest Use - Andy Birol; and CEO Talks - Warren Carter, CEO. Both recordings perennially perform well.

Congratulations to each of our guests, and thank you for supporting them. Until next month, go here for the full list of small business audio podcasts.

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Host Anita Campbell interviews Jack Yoest of Yoest.org in this edition of Small Business Trends Radio.

Take the time right now and invest the next 60 minutes in yourself, I can almost guarantee that the return on this investment will be worth it. Many of the items Jack and Anita discuss made a direct hit upon me and my way of operating my business. Here is just a tiny hint at the type of content in store for you in this conversation.

Time, we all have the same amount, how well do you use your time?

Are you burdened with an overflowing inbox, email box or to do list?

Have you learned to make your desk like a teflon pyramid, so that everything slides right off and does not accumulate?

Do you calendar your paper-driven action items?

Do you know how to use the human touch to influence? Jack suggests a technique called the “fountain pen.”

Go here to learn more and listen to “The Top 10 Mistakes Business Owners Make and What to Do About Them” with Jack Yoest..

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