My daughter, Mia Mei, has her own blog. She writes there somewhat regularly. What can I say? They don’t make 4-year olds like they used to.

Yesterday she wrote a post “How to get to car engine, um, Carnegie Hall.”

It got me to thinking about what I have learned from Carnegie that has helped me to be a better blogger.

Andrew Carnegie and the Blogger

Carnegie made a killing in oil and steel after coming to the US at the age of 13 and getting a job as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory for $1.25 week. I used to work for $1.25 an hour, but never that cheaply for a week. But, then at the time, I could buy gasoline for .25/gallon. Let me see…I worked for 5 gallons of gas (more…)

I knew a preacher once who’s favorite line was “If you aren’t you, who’s going to be you?” I am not sure what that had to do with anything in the Bible, but that is a different story.

I am in the process of reading Ronald Reagan’s memoir. Yeah, I know. He has been gone for a while.

One of Reagan’s best friends on the world stage was Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher has a famous quip that I think helps define voice for a blogger.

I am at the Blog World Expo in LA for the next 3-days…covering it for Examiner.com.

Here’s my first article: Keynote Peter Shankman – lost in translation.

Peter Shankman at Blog World Expo

BWE has come a long way since the first try in Vegas some half dozen years or so ago. I was there then, too.

It’s stimulating here…there a lot of interesting topics and the exhibits open tomorrow.

Shankman…gets us off to an R-rated start.

Really, is that the best he can do? Needs to resort do such language to get a laugh?

Maybe I am just prudish.

Indeed he did have some good insights, gained from experience. I just wonder who could hear them.

Transparency – if you make a mistake, own up to it.

Relvancy – listen to your audience.

There were a couple of more but I can’t remember now. I think they started with an F-.

If you are here…ping me. And let’s hook up.

Ripplemakers.tv in collaboration with venue sponsor Community School for Music and Arts (arts4all.org) and co-organized by Layaco Media (layaco.com) and Photograffiti (photograffiti.net), will be holding its first photo exhibit and film festival free of charge in the San Francisco Bay Area on July 8, Friday, 6pm at the Finn Center, 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View, CA. 

Wil.by is a Ripplemaker

Main Contact: Carol Gancia, 415.515.1633, carol@layaco.com

Benjamin Belew (my son – notice the same last name) is the creator of the Wil.by character.

I thought it might be interesting to readers and Wil.by fans to have a back end look at the creator of the character.

Not long ago, he did a photo shoot.

I am partial, of course, but the truth of the matter is that Benjamin is very very good at what he does.

There was a time when he’d call me, “Papa, I am sorry, I practiced the piano for only2 hours today.”

He plays the piano…he draws…he paints…he illustrates…he animates.

For more of what he can do…check out his web site. And if he can help you….reach out and ask. His services are becoming more and more in demand.

Doing the Bharata Natyam

Here’s a sneak peak of Wil.by in Thailand doing the Bharata Natyam.

Wil.by doing the Bharata Natyam

Uh, no. I won’t be doing the Bharata Natyam… I think I won’t be.

I am speaking at Asia’s largest print publishing convention in Bangkok next month.

Yeah, I get around a bit..stopping in Tokyo to meet up with a client on the way too and from as well. Also meeting some friends from when I lived in Japan. But that’s not the point of this post.

Benjamin Belew is the creator of Wil.by and the man who is able to put in character form the situations that I find myself in. He is also the one who dubbed his old man Wilby. And Thai Wilby is the latest.

When I get back from Thailand, I will share the final version. It is really cool.

Please book mark Wil.by or better yet subscribe to the feed and you’ll be notified.

Another option – please check out the Fan page for Wil.by at FaceBook. For those who Like it, there’s a freebie that comes with the push of the button.

Thanks for reading!

In the first couple of weeks of this month (June ’11) I had the privilege of sitting in on two phenomenal events.

The first was staged near San Francisco by the Millionaire Messenger, Brendon Burchard.

The second was staged in San Diego by Make Market Launch, Mike Koenigs.

Both of these men bring tremendous value, energy and selflessness to the attendees of their conferences. The evidence was in the feet – more than 300 pairs of them at EACH event. And the attendees did not show up for chump change either.

They have proven track records of effectiveness and people from all avenues of business and personal development are lined up to have them involved in their lives.

Still, there is something I can teach Mike Koenigs, Brendon Burchard and their attendees.

Nearly everybody who attended both of these events – some 600 people total – had an idea, some great and some not. Nearly everybody had an online presence or were building one or should be.

And everybody had one thing in common – they needed – more organic traffic coming to their site.

Organic traffic = put something in the search engine box and be found.

THAT is what I know how to do.

Here is a screen shot taken from my Google Analytics account on a day last month when I got 367,000 (count ‘em) visitors in one day at just one of my sites. Do the math, 90% of those came to me through search or directly = I paid zero for this traffic.  That is 330,00o people came to my site because THEY WANTED to… in ONE DAY.

I have 10 different and unrelated topics that I have taken to more than 1,000,000 unique visitors EACH. I can teach almost anyone how to do this with whatever topic, product or business idea they have, even Mike Koenigs or Brendon Burchard…..and you.

Let me know if you need my help.

This is the 3rd in an ongoing series of blogs about men and women who inspired me, who motivate me to be a better blogger, a better person, to not just do what I do but to do it well, to do it the very best I know how.

I have already blogged about Winston Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt. Oh, and I am not blogging about these people in the order of the most influential to the least. Just blogging about them as they come to mind.

This post is about Martin Luther King Jr. (BTW, did you know he was born Michael Luther King, Jr.?)

Wilby and Martin Luther King Jr on blogging

ML King Jr spearheaded the civil rights movement. I remember hearing the news that he had been shot. I was just a kid. But I remember. I also remember the massive march on Washington D. C. But barely.

ML King Jr. was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

He also owns one of my favorite quotes of all time.

1. “If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great sweetstreeper who did his job well.’” If a person is called to be a blogger, then s/he should blog….

3. “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” If a blogger hasn’t discovered a topic they will take a hit for, then they shouldn’t blog about it.

Yesterday I wrote 4 Lessons Winston Churchill taught me about blogging.

Two points being – I draw inspiration and motivation from great men and women AND the things they say, the lessons they teach can be applied to doing well in blogging also.

Today I share some insights, some nuggets of wisdom from Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt was:

1. statesman

2. writer

3. soldier

4. explorer

5. governer of New York

6. the 26th president, stepping in from his role as Vice President when McKinley was assassinated.

7. a Nobel Peace Prize winner

8. responsible for the creation of our national parks and forests

Wilby and Teddy Roosevelt on blogging

What he said:

1. “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes shot again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring valiantly…” If you think this is a bit of an overstatement when applied to the blogger, then you shouldn’t be blogging. A blogger should blog with the same zest for life and energy that Roosevelt applied to his life.

2. “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” Never before has the world been literally within reach of even the most seemingly insignificant blogger. Consider the blog of a 3-year old. In the last couple of days, she has welcomed readers from Japan, Malaysia, China, India, Turkey, Croatia, Spain and all throughout North America. Have you read  5 steps to good self esteem and conquering your fears?

3. “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Bloggers can and do make a difference.

4. “In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” When I blog, I don’t always get things right. I tell my blog classes that I would rather people love me (preferred) or hate me, but don’t be indifferent to me. I will never be accused of inaction.

5. “No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his body, to risk his well-being, to risk his life, in a great cause.” As a blogger, I WILL put myself out there. I have not nor do I think I will ever ‘shed blood’ as a writer, but I will take risks.

Your turn. Who motivates you? Who inspires you to write, to blog?