In the “chatterspace” of micro-blogging platforms like twitter, it’s not uncommon to see posts like “Feeling hungry. Going to get a burger” or “Just picked a bunch of lint from my belly button. Yuck!”. The question is, does this help or hurt your brand?

Mike alluded platforms like Twitter to the reality show “Big Brother” where “voting is done by people at home, people at home typically vote out all those who don’t say much, don’t swear, don’t take enemies etc. Those type of people typically end up being the first to leave”

As the current situation stands, the rabble rousers sometimes do end up with the most number of twitter followers by virtue of the “freakshow factor”.

Being able to garner a following because you’re excellent at stirring up controversy may bring the crowds, but are you much better than merely winning the title of the “Rodney Dangerfield of Microblogging” together with its accompanying “I can’t get no respect” title?

Additionally, Mike adds that most Twitter users see the channel as entertainment, rather than a bona fide communication tool, he goes on to say “if you compare this to Twitter, people want to follow those that will create controversy, swear, say stupid things, post a crazy video here and there, much more than they want to follow professionals who are going to post nothing but quality content”.

So how do you account for the fact that the most popular National Geographic program has 1% of the ratings of a Big Brother? It has to do with the audience profile and the program format.

Survivor: Gabon

Take the winners of the Survivor reality show, they’re usually quiet, fly-under-the-radar, non-controversial, diplomatic individuals. This probably wouldn’t fly in either Big Brother or Twitter. Being subtle or quiet doesn’t work the excitement factor.

Donald Trump’s The Apprentice

If you’re hoping to pick up business lessons from reality TV (hopefully it’s supplement other forms of learning!), Donald Trump’s The Apprentice model is a close analogy to business life. In Apprentice, in order to win you need to be a hustler. You need to lead by example, avoid acquiring enemies and win the respect of both your team members and your boss.

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Microblogging now has a lot of similarities with blogging when it first became popular, with bloggers initially writing about what they had for lunch or how much they spent on a shopping trip (some still do this).

But as the medium evolves, I’m sure like blogging, we can expect to see the content on microblogging platforms get more sophisticated.

Asked: “Did you really make (former Chrysler CEO and Ford President) Lee Iacocca cry?”

The Donald answered: “No, he made himself cry.”

Another question:

Amazon.com: Was there ever a time when you didnâ€t think big enough?

Trump: I don’t think so. I always had big plans, even when I was very young. I would build skyscrapers with my building blocks.

And finally:

Amazon.com: You’re critical of the “give me” attitude that you see in many young people today. What do you look for in a young person you are bringing into your business?

Trump: They have to be eager to learn and willing to work hard. I work hard and I expect the people around me to have a strong work ethic. I need people who can be part of a team and yet be able to think independently. That’s one of the qualities I look for on The Apprentice–they have to be capable of both dimensions.

This is part of Donald’s book “Think Big: Make It Happen In Business And Life”. A new reprint edition came out a couple of weeks ago.

Though some may consider Donald an egotistical, self-serving businessman, there’s no doubt that he doesn’t pull the punches, especially as he’s venting his disagreements with Martha Stewart and Rosie O’Donnell.

He goes on to say how he’s “been able to date (screw)” beautiful women.

I had a great time going through his previous books “How To Get Rich” and am working through “How To Think Like A Billionaire”. He certainly isn’t known as The Donald, or by his last name, Trump, for nothing.

“Think Big: Make It Happen In Business And Life” has been rated on of his best books and I’m looking forward to checking it out.

While Amazon’s prices are some of the best around, having the books shipped around the world incurs significantly higher shipping charges that I’d rather spend on more books. I’m building up my booklist that I’ll be filling on my next trip to the US (likely in January for the Affiliate Summit).

Some of the other items on my shopping list include:

* Dan Kennedy’s Ruthless Management Of People And Profits

Dan Kennedy’s Marketing To The Affluent

Both of Dan’s new books which were published earlier this year have received high praise from my inner circle. A member commented that implementing a couple of techniques from “Marketing to the Affluent” has given a boost to his company’s sales.

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I also noticed that Amazon is doing a promotion on Amazon Prime till the end of October.

This service allows you to get items shipped to you within 2 days for free, or for 1-day shipping at $3.99 per item.

If you are continually investing in your education by buying books often, the Amazon Prime trial (Where you enjoy the benefits of Amazon Prime for free for a month) more than pays for itself.

I’ve the fortune to be a member of a business-focused mastermind from whom I’ve got great advice, and have a number of established marketers on my skype list that I can consult regularly.

I’m not one to stand still, however, and have also enrolled the help of some of the greatest business minds to give me some advice in the next step of my internet marketing journey.

Donald Trump “How To Get Rich”

Property magnate and business owner Donald Trump has been a great help.

I haven’t had the chance to talk to “The Donald” on the phone yet, but I have been reading his bestseller “How To Get Rich“.

It’s not so much a “How to Get Rich” book, but it does give you insight into how Donald Trump runs his business, his business strategies, negotiation techniques, views on beautiful women and how some of his seminal projects, including his golf resorts and business operating procedures are decided.

For fans of the Apprentice, there’s great insight into how Mark Burnett and The Donald came together to work on the project.

And if you think you have a busy day, you also get a rundown of one of Donald’s typical days. It might leave you feeling like an underachiever, even if you are already a Type-A personality.

As soon as I make my way through this volume, I’m planning to check out the other 10 bestsellers he’s penned.

Gene Simmons “Sex Money Kiss”

The “Demon” in rock band Kiss might seem a strange choice for a business biography. But look beneath the makeup and you’ll discover an astute businessman.

Going back to his childhood entrepreneurial pursuits, you’ll discover that Gene has had a hand in starting up profitable businesses since his early childhood days.

His prime motivation for becoming a rock star (getting lots of hot women and making lots of money) are a living example of how passion and income generation can be combined successfully.

My interest was piqued about Gene after reading rave reviews about his presentation at Dan Kennedy’s SuperConference a couple of months ago.

I’m going through Sex Money Kiss now and Gene candidly shares his philosophies (and suggested action plans) on making money, relationships with women and ideas for kickstarting your business.

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Both these books have been helpful and given me new ideas to implement in my business not only because I have picked up new techniques and strategies to apply, but also because the books penned by Gene himself and with the assistance of a copyeditor in the case of Trump shift my thinking a couple of notches upwards in terms of what’s possible.

This “brain food” might just be the spark to set you off to a higher level in your business and personal life.

Check them out:
* How To Get Rich
* Sex Money Kiss

If you’ve developed your own product or service, you’ll realize that the development process can go on forever, as you’re adding enhancements, updates, tweaks to it.

But if you take a page out of the Microsoft book, you should launch a product when you feel it’s ready and launch the service packs later.

Listening to the audio version of Donald Trump’s “How To Get Rich” helped echoed the lessons I’ve learned over the years, you can’t expect to please all your critics, not everyone is going to become a rabid fan. Just go for the ones that matter.

There’re a number of factors why budding marketers don’t see success from their projects, and in extreme cases never get round to launching their products or services.

Here’re a couple of principles to get things done:

• Have a goal

You may not know what exactly you want when you start out, but you need a general direction. As you continue in your efforts, you refine your outcome and move towards it. Being specific about what you want to achieve means you know when you get there. Else you could get a concrete result and not know you’ve arrived.

• Time awareness

This sounds like commonsense, but I’ve known marketers who’ve been in “testing” phase for a year or more. If you achieve your outcome, but take 20 years to do so, it won’t help you. Being aware of how much time has passed will help you get more done in a shorter time. Use a time schedule, stop watch, scheduler, whatever it takes.

Of the various resources available to you – time, labor, funds – you can lose and gain back money, but time is one of the few that moves in one direction – once the time has gone, it’s gone.

• The moment of reckoning

This is the ultimate barometer of whether you’ll be a success…or a spectacular failure. There comes a moment when all the forces you’ve been putting together meets the market. And that’s when you know your efforts have come together, or come apart.

If you’ve ever proposed to a life partner, this is the critical few seconds after you’ve popped the question. Remember that moment of uncertainty, doubt and at the same time, elation?

It’s moving to and past the moment of reckoning that will bring you success.