If your business uses WordPress for blogging or as a content management system, there are some great plugins out there to make life easier. Here are the top 10 WordPress plugins that I love.

1. Headspace 2 – HeadSpace manages meta data and other SEO functions. It allows you to tag your posts, create custom titles and descriptions that help your page ranking.

2. Simple Facebook Connect – This plugin comes with many different options. You can give your visitors the ability to comment using Facebook Identity (with FB avatar support), login with Facebook credentials and register using Facebook. It also allows you to automatically publish new posts to a Facebook Profile or manually publish posts to a Facebook Profile or Application/Fan Page. And if that weren’t enough, check out the other available buttons and widgets available through this plugin!

• Share button and Shortcode
• Connect Button Widget and Shortcode
• User Status Widget and Shortcode
• Live Stream Widget and Shortcode
• Bookmark Widget and Shortcode
• Find us on Facebook button Widget and Shortcode
• Fan Box Widget
• Fan Count Chicklet and Widget

3. TweetMeme – The TweetMeme button plugin simply adds the TweetMeme button to your posts and feed. It keeps a running total of how many times your content is tweeted. (See example on this post!)

4. Akismet – This does a great job of keeping your WordPress site free of spam. When a new comment, trackback, or pingback comes to your site it is Akismet runs hundreds of tests on the comment to determine whether or not it is spam.

5. WP Click-Track – This plugin automatically posts and rewrites links in your content (pages, sidebar, posts, etc.) in order to include a tracking element. It also allows users to create stand alone trackable links that can be included in posts. It also provides extensive reports right within the WordPress dashboard.

6. Category Order – This seems like a simple plugin but there have been countless times where I’ve needed categories to be in a specific order that wasn’t alphabetical or by ID. This little plugin allows you to easily reorder your categories the way you want via drag and drop.

7. Google Analytics for WordPress – Even though you can use Google Analytics on a WordPress site without this plugin, it’s missing a whole lot of features that this plugin offers. This plugin includes:

• Google Analytics Custom Variables
• Google Analytics API integration
• E-Commerce integration
• Event tracking

8. cformsII – CformsII is the best form plugin I’ve used. Its creators are actually the authors of one of my favorite cooking blogs. This amazing plugin has an incredible amount of features and flexibility. You can create detailed custom forms, style them individually and place them in sidebars, posts or pages.

9. AddThis – AddThis is my favorite share plugin because  it automatically optimizes itself for each person who visits your site. AddThis custom fits each menu with the services they’ll normally use. This plugin also has an automatic interface for iPhone users. The plugin allows a customized share button to be placed in a sidebar or on each post. AddThis.com also provides detailed analytics so you can see how your content is shared across the Web.

10. YD Recent Posts Widget – This WordPress plugin installs a new sidebar widget displays your most recent blog posts along with images. It is very customizable allowing different settings on the home page and other blog pages.

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing includes software as a service, platform as a service and infrastructure as a service. It is typically executed over the Internet. Third party providers license their products and services to businesses on demand. These providers develop and host the software, platforms or infrastructures instead of installing it on-site. Companies can subscribe to those services and access it online granting permission to one or many different users. Software as a service is most well known for its role in customer service management. Salesforce.com is one of the most popular CRM tools. However, cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular. Google now runs a large number of free services that are available by cloud. Gmail, Google docs and Google Analytics are just a few.

My Thoughts

I’m conflicted when it comes to cloud computing. I’m very cautious about privacy, security and control.  I embrace innovation but never blindly because I want to achieve the most efficient and secure processes for my clients. Cloud computing and software as a service is the next big thing and I’ve compiled my usual list of pros and cons.

PROS
• Reduction of operational costs
• Increased productivity
• Decreased initial investment
• Consolidated management
• More efficient collaboration
• Increased access to support and information
• Easier to implement new systems and business processes

CONS
• Heavy reliance on Internet service
• Chosen browser must meet all security requirements
• No guarantee that data is completely safe on an outside system
• Difficult to make certain who has access to your data
• What happens if the software provider folds?

At first glance, there seem to be more pros than cons but every company must weigh the importance of those pros and cons. When dealing with extremely sensitive data like health records of financial information, the cons may far outweigh the pros. However, I do not want to downplay the benefits of cloud computing because these services can do wonders for an organization by streamlining efforts, reducing costs and increasing the flow of ideas and information. I’m sure cloud computing will continue to grow, causing security features to improve over time. So when choosing to implement cloud services, be sure to conduct extensive research and choose the provider that meets all your needs.

Click here to test drive the cloud at Gone Google.

I seem to be on a location kick lately since two out of three of my last posts have been about location. Although it’s a hot topic in the social media world, we can’t forget the importance of local search results. A simple search for a business or product on any major search engine will usually cause a few top results in your area to show up within the regular listing. See example below:

Google

Bing

Yahoo

More local listings are available but the coveted spot and most valuable real estate are those top few listings on the first page. How do you get there? Here are a few tips.

• Submit your business listing on Google, Yahoo, and Bing if it doesn’t already show up in search. For multiple listings, make sure your information is complete and consistent. Double check business name, keywords and description before submitting. Be sure to include all possible contact information and feel free to submit photos of your locations.
• Your site should be search engine friendly. Search engines need to easily crawl your site and find relevant keywords. Your business name and address should be clear text and not hidden within an image or table. Listing the business address more than once and including your location in the title tag can also help crawlers deem your site more relevant than others.
• Don’t underestimate the power of reviews. Ask your customers to submit reviews. Reviews add more information and keywords to your listings building your site’s credibility.
• Find local web listings and request that they link to your site. You can also request local Chambers of Commerce to link to your site.
• Create different pages for different cities/regions if your business has multiple locations. Be sure to use unique and relevant content and do not duplicate information.

There are other ways to get found by search engines and customers. How many more can you think of?

Promotions have always been a popular way for businesses of all sizes to attract fans. Whether it’s a sweepstakes or a contest, these tools offer an opportunity to create a buzz and encourage fan interaction.  In an effort to protect users from fake contests, difficult to understand stipulations, and illegal practices, Facebook has instated its own set of guidelines governing all promotions taking place on the site. The new regulations went into effect on December 22, 2009. Facebook states that it can “modify these Promotion Guidelines at any time without notice to you. You will subject [sic] to the most current version of these Promotion Guidelines then in effect.”  This approach was apparent when the initial guidelines came out. Many businesses were and still are not aware these rules exist nor will they hear of any changes if and when they occur. Since violators can have their Pages disabled without warning, it is important to stay on top of the latest Facebook developments and terms to ensure compliance.

Some of the most important changes include requiring written permission from Facebook before launching a promotion. Approval may take up to a week and usually requires thousands of dollars in advertising on Facebook. This drastically reduces the opportunities for small businesses to run perfectly legitimate promotions on Facebook. However, you do not need permission from Facebook if you plan to run a promotion completely outside Facebook or using a 3^rd party application within a tab or box. This method assumes that your promotion will not make use of any Facebook applications such as the wall, status updates, Facebook video, Facebook photos, static FBML, etc. It also means contacting winners cannot happen through Facebook.  You must also disclose that your promotion is in no way sponsored or endorsed by Facebook and that participants are providing their information to you and not Facebook.

Be sure to read the guidelines thoroughly before starting every new promotion to become familiar with the latest regulations. They can be found at http://www.facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php. You must adhere to any local regulations that apply as well so do your homework on the laws governing promotions in your area.  You may also want to enlist the help of a Web Marketing Agency if applicable or possible. Experience and expertise with Facebook can make a big difference in the successful implementation of your promotion. Even a small business can usually consult with an agency and gain valuable information and insight before starting a Facebook promotion.

Last year location-based applications started popping up everywhere and had everyone speculating.  2009 was the year that location applications became user-friendly and widely available. Networks like Foursquare offer real time location information and larger networks like Facebook and Twitter are starting to include their own location-sharing features. What does this mean for businesses?

Unlocking the power of location can give many businesses a boost. Foursquare and now Google Buzz allows its users to “check-in” at various locations and recommend activities, nearby businesses, or local products to other users. This serves as free viral advertising and can be very effective. Twitter has started offering a location feature as well. You can choose a location for a profile, which helps other Twitter users find it. Also, simply submitting your business to local search engines makes sure your business appears when customers are looking.  Another way to use location to better your business is to segment email communication by location in order to provide relevant information to your customers. Gathering location data about your customers can help avoid high unsubscribe rates resulting from sending irrelevant information.

One final tip: Stay informed. New location applications and features will continue to roll out. There are plenty of great blogs and news sites available that stay up to date on tech trends. Learning about new location applications and features is the only way to start using them!