Auer Agency

PRESS RELEASE
October 18, 2008

Meghan Wier, Writing for the Web is pleased to announce an new media partnership with Auer Agency, Sports Marketing and Design located in Charlotte, NC.

Auer Agency delivers graphic design, marketing / advertising solutions and custom apparel design services. Primarily a sports marketing company, the Auer Agency can do everything from designing a jersey for your cycling team, a brochure promoting your sporting event or a logo for a new product or service, Auer Agency can help you realize the possibilities.


Meghan Wier
Author -- Writer -- Web Consultant

Friday

It has been a while since I felt like I really needed a weekend... but as I sit here this evening reflecting on the week--I am glad that tomorrow is Saturday, and I have no plans to go anywhere in particular. Sleeping-in sounds like a wonderful idea and I am looking forward to enjoying a sunny Charlotte afternoon with my feet in the kiddie pool.

Some exciting projects are coming down the proverbial funnel over the next few weeks and I am very excited about the prospects of working with some amazing new clients on their corporate blogs.

I have been working a fair amount this week on Charlotte-related SEO. The search engine optimization community in Charlotte is very good, and I am happy to have such competent competition in getting top placement for my clients--keeps things interesting! I am always happy to talk about SEO, and welcome your comments here or via email if you are clever enough to follow a couple links to get my contact info (putting it online just one more time makes things just WAY too easy and my spam filter is working over-time these days). In the last month, I have had the pleasure of talking to two different groups about how to better maximize their message through good SEO techniques. Good stuff. I love those smaller groups who are excited about using technology to take business to the next level (cliche terminology, I know, but I am only working on half my cylinders tonight--hence the need for the weekend).

Speaking of small groups -- or rather the dislike of large ones due to my introvertedness... (bad segway, sorry)... Sourcebooks has posted my book on their website. I will no doubt be soliciting reviews through the site as soon as the book is ready, so brace yourself for my burst of forced-extrovert-neediness but until then I request your links, your love and your wishes of luck. Oh and click on that link every now and then to see then updates.

On a personal note, we have my cousins in from Rochester, and my sister coming in for the 4th - so it will be a great holiday week filled with family, as it should be.


Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

American Lifestyle and Living in Charlotte

Things here in Charlotte are going well--can't complain about near perfect weather and happy clients and new friends. This month has been packed full of work and travel and company, as well as plenty of ingnoring work while I travel and spend time with company.

I have a couple new picks for favorite sites:

The first in American Lifestyle - a company that sells products all over the world. American Lifestyle has a ton - and I mean literally thousands of products available. As someone who one lived oversees and would have killed for a root beer and a box of Cheerios, I can tell you this is one great business idea. Check them out.

The second is Charlotte Real Estate News - a new site for news on Charlotte's real estate market. I am really looking forward to seeing this site take shape. Set up like a blog, it will have the most up to day information, and links to agents. Charlotte is a dynamic market right now, and this is a great forum to share the knowledge from the experts.

Well - that is all for this evening, more later if I can get myself organized and back to blogging. Afterall, that is what I am telling my clients every day "blog at least once a week - it isn't hard, just get into the routine" -- better put my money where my mouth is on that one folks... g'nite.



Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

productivity

It was a rather productive day and I have to say that it is great part to my new friend and success guru Pete McGourty and his suggestion to brain-dump first thing in the morning with three pages of whatever the heck (Pete would wish that I refrain from using the word "hell"...) is going on in there. Somehow spending 45 minutes blurting out my thoughts on paper is gaining me efficiency. That said, this forum is sort-of the same thing, only I don't have Mr. McGourty of Expect Success checking in on me to see if I "blogged." Although perhaps he will now...

Got the car checked, picked up dry cleaning, went to the gym, took walk in the sunshine, played with my kid, got the grocery shopping done, made more lists of things to do tomorrow-- (like move the appt on thurs and buy said kid his soccer gear for the practice which is... you guessed it: thursday).

I am happy to report that Team Events has launched their new site thanks to the artistry and programming mastery of the talented Carrie Greno. The site is for their new Jump - bounce play party extravaganza in Long Island NY. Check that out! If I am fortunate enough to get my self in gear tomorrow, I will see what I can do to add some text to that site so those of you interested in bounce parties in the NY Long Island area will be able to find it. Beautiful site - kudos to all there.

Today I am glad I don't have $ in the stock market. Well not true -- I am glad I don't have $ I need to take out right now in the stock market. Because I "had" money in the stock market....sigh.

The good people at the GoodYear did a quick diagnostic on my car and gently pointed out that I didn't tighted the gas cap enough - causing the engine light to go on... but I guess they took pity on me and the unimaginable amount of $4/gal gas that evaporated , that they let me go without charging me for the test. THANK YOU GOODYEAR OF FORT MILL. You undoubtedly will see my old car again (and again) over the next few years as I baby it long enough for the auto industry to come out with the perfect affordable electric/solar/wind powered car.

Thanks also to the Lowes Food in Ballantyne - and apologies to the lady behind me in line as I used all 20 coupons allowed and saved $58. I am cheap, and I am sorry that inconvenienced you. Actually I am not that cheap - I just like a good challenge and grocery shopping is a sport. You would not believe the shopper's high I have right now... and that is indication of a serious problem. Don't get me started on what I can do in a Target...

Some other things to note: 5 Star Home Improvement, is an awesome home Improvement, (and replacement window, siding and roofing) company in Rochester. They are my Rochester PICK OF THE WEEK. Go check out that site. As spring comes around the corner, it is important to have a quality and professional contractor to work with on those honey-do projects. I recommend Five Star - and tell Jason I sent you there!

Well, I best be going, because in two minutes I will have to start thinking about writing my morning papers, and I have a feeling I will not be nearly as productive tomorrow if I don't get some sleep.

Happy St Patricks Day -- and Happy Birthday to Jane

Business Blogging

I am getting ready to send out my business blogging post-cards to businesses here in Charlotte, and I hope to pick up a couple more clients in the next few weeks while balancing my current work load.

Things in the blogging business are good. Although it is interesting how things have changed in the last year. Blogs have probably reached their peak--with those who are going to create them having done so. In a year's time I predict we will have moved into the next craze--at least from a personal writing standpoint. I do think that blogging for business will grow however as more and more people see the benefits of an archivable and easily searchable resource for things like news, frequently asked questions, etc.

A couple years ago I met a woman who was setting up blogs - and "blog strategies" for clients and asked to partner with a Web company I was working at. I remember thinking that she would never make money doing that- and I mistakenly was under the impression that blogs were nothing but a fad for teens to blather on about their angst. --Now they are for that too, but a blog can be an extension of a corporate site, a tool for information sharing and prospecting and organizing.

Here are a couple thing one should know about blogging... If you are using a blog creator such as blogger, you do not own the code. The information that you post is yours but it sits on a server and in code that is not yours. It could go away at any time. If this content is valuable to you, save it. Cut and paste it into a .doc or have the posts get emailed to you (and save those). While Google's Blogger and the other free Blog sites are probably not going anywhere, it is better to be save than sorry.

Also, it is important to understand linking. Who you link to and who links to you will set up your blog and the sites that it is connected to for possible heavy traffic. You may be forever connected. While this is a remarkable tool for those of us looking to create "webs" of information and build credibility with the SE's, it is important to track where the links to your site are coming from and carefully link out. In order for a blog to generate higher PR and traffic, it must link to the parent or corporate site.

--on a personal note, Charlotte is lovely. But the weather-people don't know much about bad weather! We had a forecast of cold wet weather today. Now admittedly it was overcast some of the day - but the temp was between 66 and 70. Perfectly acceptable for March! Tomorrow they say it will be "much nicer" -- mid 70s. It is all good. Kid is feeling better, dog's problem has been resolved and besides the house-work that is piling up, things are decent. I even got my SC liscense yesterday (although it took 2 trips to Lancaster...long story). Also happy to let you know I am working on a blog for Team Events in NY - Ask the Party Planner. Want to plan an event in NY/NJ? I know who to talk to!

Thanks to all who check in and read this little blog. I look forward to hearing from you all.

...y'all.

-Meg

PR Checker

Here is a PR checker I found - let me know what you think

update

Well, the new house is getting situated and the art is being hung up on the walls and the floors are beginning to be cleared of the random bits and pieces of my life. It is starting to feel like home.

Went to the DMV today to get a new liscense to find out I needed about 3 more forms of identification than I had. Which frankly was ok since the place was crowded and I am not a fan of small rooms of crabby strangers. I'll try again tomorrow.

I got another new client today. A glass block company that needs some Search Engine Optimization consultation, which I am happy to do. It is about a full day's worth of work, which should take me a full week to get done with all the life stuff in between. Which again is fine. There is plenty to do.

I am also working with an Events Company out of NYC and doing a little Corporate Blogging for them. I suspect you will hear more about that here soon.

-Realized that I got a paypal order through my website today. Actually the order came 7 days ago--which is embarassing since I just found out today. My site is still set up to auto-notify me at my old email account. Whoops. Something else to take care of. Truth is no one has actually ever bought my book through the meghanwier.com site... they all go to Amazon. Either way is fine as long as I sell books and help people... so I got that book in the mail today.

I turn 32 on Thursday. My eyes are telling me that that can no longer be considered youthful... I am having trouble seeing. I will have to get an eye exam when I get the doctor stuff situated. It seems like I could be getting a little age-related macular degeneration - as the computer is getting harder to read. Especially late at night. Seems as though I will have to save my pennies so that I can have the laser surgery to fix that. Since I had Lasik a few years back to correct near-sightedness, it would be a shame to go get glasses now...especially since I know I can get it fixed. Perhaps I will go see the folks at the Rochester Eye Center next time I am in Rochester...

Well I am off to sit in my Garden tub with a glass of wine and a Southern Living Magazine... Good news: I found a corkscrew today.

Meg

I miss my friends and family. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again soon.

New Project - Ask Dr. Ellie

I have teamed up with Dr. Ellie Phillips: author, dentist, speaker and restauranteur, to create an informational blog about tooth decay, treatments and prevention for a healthy smile. Dr. Ellie will be answering questions about dental health and xylitol, the miracle sugar that can save your teeth. Check out the new Ask Dr. Ellie blog.