Congratulations to Donna S!  She has won the $100 Sears Giftcard from Sears and Izea.  You will be contacted by Crystal at Izea with letting you know what you need to do next, shortly.

For those of you who weren’t aware of the contest, Sears gave me a $100 giftcard to spend on anything I wanted.  All I had to do was write about my shopping experience.

But it didn’t end there, they also gave me another gift card to giveaway to one lucky reader.

If you want to find out more about my shopping experience, read the article here.

If you’re interested in winning a future contest here at Steven-Sanders dot com, please subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out.

Are you interested in sponsoring a contest on my blog?  Let me know.

If you missed my latest post, click here to learn how I make $40-$50 per month with my SMS Blog Feed and only 3 subscribers.

It’s a new year and the beginning of many great things on this blog and in the internet world.  I’m happy to be a part of it, and I’m even more happy to be experiencing it with all of you, my readers.

My Way Of Saying Thanks

For a couple of months now I’ve been giving some shoutouts to many of my readers.  You can see the first post here and the second post here.

This is the third installment of “Reader Shoutouts”, and it won’t be the last., so I hope you’ll stay with me and get your chance to be in a future post right here.

The Deserving Readers

The following people are those that I’m giving a shoutout too here on the first day of 2009.  You rock, and without you, none of this would be possible!

• Tumblemoose
• Small Biz Bee
• IE FOOD
• AverageGal
• Heather In B.B.C.
• Webdesi3
• Laura-Whateverebay
• Mike
• Tom

Thanks you again for everything.  If you want to be in a future shoutout, make sure you subscribe here so you never miss another opportunity.

Another year has come and gone.  It only seems like yesterday that it began, yet here we are.  Stepping into not only a new year, but a new era.  An era where we have finally shown just how diverse America can be.  A year when a black man takes office as the president of the United States.

I can only wonder what changes lay in store for me as I slip into 2009 and another year with the military.  It’s a scary thought, but whatever choices are made, whatever paths are taken, I’ve already promised my service, and should my country call me, I stand ready.

Aside from the economic and political changes our country faces, we can all be sure of one thing.  Tomorrow is a new day, a time for a fresh start.  And in the spirit of that fresh start, I give you my personal and professional goals of 2009.

The Izea Insiders

As many of you already know I am one of only 10 Izea Insider Crew Leaders and it’s an honor to have been chosen to be a part of this super elite “Rockstar” team.

It was an awesome year for Izea in 2008 and it promises to be even better in 2009.  The best part about that thought is I’ll be there every step of the way, helping in any way I can.

My goal as an Insider is to really help open up the online community that we all seem to forget has very little existence beyond the bounds of bloggers and social media gurus.  I want to bring the knowledge of the revolution that’s really going on within our walls to those on the outside who never knew they wanted in.

Izea is planning things that are going to blow your socks off in 2009 and with the possibility of IzeaFest 2009 being at SeaWorld, we are going to be in for a real treat.

Networking With The Masses

Another of my goals is to reach out and touch as many people as possible.  I’ve got plans to attend a lot of the major blog conferences and expos in 2009.  I’m expecting this to help push my blog through a major threshold and never look back.

In addition to the conferences, I’m looking at building a local group of bloggers to help each other grow in our online journeys and to help propel us with a force like you’ve never seen right on into 2010.

The Advancement Of My Blog

My blog, the key to completing my previous goals, is going to achieve things in 2009 of which many bloggers can only dream.  I’ve already shown the speed at which this blog has grown.  A display of growth only a small number of bloggers can reach so quickly.

I’m not slowing down anytime soon, so if you plan on sticking around, hold on.  It’s going to be a fast ride.

A Little Personal Goal

Among all of these professional goals I’ve created for myself in 2009, lies my one personal goal.  To get into shape.  And I’m not talking about “round”.

When my wife was pregnant with our first child, I gained 30 lbs.  And now, almost 2 years later, I haven’t lost it.  So I’m beginning my exercise and healthier eating routine, and within 2 months, I plan to lose all 30 of those lbs.

It’s a goal that will make me happy, as well as my family.  Its also helps that losing weight is cheaper than buying all new clothes.

For all of you that don’t know, Ted Murphy at Izea is exercising and getting healthier as well.  So make sure you check out his blog, and help motivate him to keep going.

What are your goals for 2009?

Most of the time, as bloggers we all get caught up in trying to further our reach and increase our success in every online way imagineable.  But how often do we think about offline methods of promoting our blogs?

For centuries, offline promotion has been extremely successful.  Only in the last 10 years has online promotion of any kind started taking off in a major way.  In fact, online promotion has only just recently become the biggest and best way to reach your target market, especially for the “little guy”.

But successful promotion can still be attained through offline methods, and one offline method in particular is even better than any online promotional method could ever be.

Networking Like A Rockstar

Social networking has been a driving force in connecting others from all over the world.  It has helped bloggers and companies alike to garner the attentions of those they wouldn’t have otherwise reached.  But with all that online social networking provides, it still doesn’t compare to face-t0-face networking.

In a world where connection by proxy runs rampant, everyone still likes to be able to talk to others in person.  As humans we are community driven and like the physical company of others.  And with no physical social interaction, we face the possibility of becoming far less social than any generation before us; no matter how many online social presences we have.

Physical networking also plays a big role in creating trust between you as a blogger and your readers.  Are you more likely to take the advice of a friend or some stranger from the internet?

When I try to explain the need for real physical interaction and how big a role it plays in gaining readers, I always like to refer to my example of the Walmart “self-checkout” lane.

“When you get a chance, go to a Walmart that has self-checkout lanes.  Find a good place to stand and watch people as they checkout.  You’ll start to notice that the majority of shoppers will choose to checkout at the employee manned counter rather than doing it themselves.  It doesn’t matter if there are 10 self-checkout conters open and only one employee manned counter.  The shoppers don’t seem to care that it takes them longer to get out of the store.  They seem to be more focused on getting a real person to help them, not some machine.”

If you’re interested in promotion of your blog offline, try attending blog conferences and social media expos.  You can even try setting up tweetups in your local community, or starting a dot com group.

Have you noticed the same Walmart “self-checkout” lane preference?  What are your thoughts?