Kidd, now that I've got your attention, we need to talk about what you need to do to maximize your online presence. There are 7 things you can do to RAWK (6 of them are quick and easy):

1. MyBlogLog - Joining this blog community has multiple benefits. Each member can upload a photo or icon to represent him or her which will be posted on thousands of blogs nationwide every time you visit. Some blogs even have functionality which posts the photo/icon when you leave a comment. This is obviously valuable as it lends credibility to your comments (proof that you're leaving the comment and not some random Sanjaya impersonator - sorry, Taylor!) It is also an excellent way to network, generate interest among bloggers (tip: bloggers are some of the most dedicated commentors), and add cool guest photo functionality to your own site.
2. Gravatar - A gravatar is an icon/image of yourself similar to what I mentioned on MyBlogLog. Since you have a Google Alert set for your name, Kidd, you should connect your gravatar to your email account so that every time you post a comment on a blog equipped with gravatar recognition, your photo will appear beside your comment. This will make the blogger feel special and promote your brand at the same time.
3. Twitter - This is the future of celebrity promotion, Kidd. Guys like Jason Calcanis (founder of Weblogs, Inc. and now head of Netscape) and Robert Scoble have been using Twitter since its inception. You can use your AIM, cellphone, or Twitter website to post comments about what you're doing. The KKITM crew should use this when they go out to clubs, parties, weddings, vacations, etc. to keep the KISS fans connected. Just post something once or twice a day to keep the fans happy. Twitter is especially effective for celebrities, because they will automatically have fans who want to know what they're up to. An added benefit of Twitter is that you can post a box on your blog or website which checks for your latest Twitter updates every time the page is refreshed. This means that users who visit your blog can not only read your latest thoughts but check in to see what you're doing throughout the day. Quite a few people are also using Twitter to promote products, websites, etc.
4. del.icio.us - Bookmark cool articles, blog posts, and websites, so that your fans can read what you like. This is also a great way to promote your advertisers, local bands, local bloggers, fans, etc. There are a dozen other places you can do this, but del.icio.us is the most popular.
5. FeedBurner - I'm going to talk about the current level of suck that your team's blogs epitomize in a second, but once we've covered that, you desperately need to add RSS feeds to your blogs. This gives your fans the option of subscribing to your blog feeds and checking in more often to see what you're blogging about. Trust me, you'll see an increase of readership with an RSS feed from FeedBurner.
6. WordPress - Now, back to your blogs. I know you're a radio show, but you DO have blogs. Anything worth doing at all is worth doing well. Your blog structure is pathetic. Comments are not attached to each post. Posts have no titles except dates. Do you use any kind of blog software? It looks like you guys just type something up and have some computer guy throw it up on the site. It's unattractive, boring, lacking in any special abilities (like WordPress plugins and widgets), and it screams "we have no idea how to use the Web!" That might sound like a harsh statement, Kidd, but I promote best practices regardless of how they will be received. You absolutely need WordPress for your blogs and RSS feeds attached. Taylor at least has a cheesy Blogger (blogspot) site, but even that is subpar compared to what you can easily get for free elsewhere (i.e. the most wonderful awesome WordPress).
7. KiddLive - Kidd, this website is not appealing to the eye, Again, I say this because I want you to know (in case your webmaster/designers aren't telling you) the true quality of this site. What's wrong with it? 1) It's not usable (find out more about usability and usability testing); 2) It's unattractive - you desperately need a better site design - you want to look like the cutting edge morning show that you are; 3) your homepage is ridiculously long - throwing up your newest info at the top and pushing everything else down works okay for a blog; 4) usability says most everything in one word - navigation is too small and the drop down navigation is awkward - i could go on.
8. This is a bonus - if you don't use web analytics, add them to all of your sites ASAP! Google Analytics is free and with the new interface is quite helpful (plus with their acquisition of FeedBurner, you will likely soon be able to view RSS subscription stats on Google Analytics as well). If you want "professional grade" analytics, get Index Tools. You need web analytics to tell you where traffic is coming from, where they are going, and how successful each part of your website is. You'll learn all kinds of geographic and demographic information as well.

As a search engine optimization and online marketing specialist, I know of which I speak. I tell you these things because someone needs to tell you that your brand suffers because of your online presentation. Your website could be radically transformed by a good SEO-friendly web design team and a content management system that allows a non-web savvy person to easily add content and new pages to the site.

Take my advice, Kidd. If you follow these seven steps, you will begin to see a difference online very quickly. Once you've taken these steps, There are deeper levels of tips I can give you to hone your blogging and online message.

Popularity: 6% [?]

We met up with Dallas-based musical artist StefanAnion, a German/Italian dual citizen mixing tracks in the U.S. We spoke with him for a few minutes and we're posting the conversation right here. CF: Stefan, how many years have you been mixing? SA: I've been a DJ for about 13 years and writing music for 10. CF: Has your approach to the "remix" changed over that time? SA: My approach to doing remixes hasn't really changed much. I usually take the best bits from the parts I get and write a new track with them. CF: What technology did you start off using and what are you into now? SA: Technology-wise, things have changed quite a bit for me over the past few years. I originally started out using Tracker software and stuff like Re-birth before I got into using synths and samplers. A few years into having a fully stocked studio and as computers became more powerful, I sold off most of the synths and started using software again. Nowadays it's a combination of both, but a lot is done using plugins and such. CF: What's been your most successful remix so far? Where has it been a hit? SA: Hmm..interesting question. I don't really pay too much attention to how well my music does once it's been released, but i would say that the recent remix of Hybrid's "Until Tomorrow" seems to have gotten the most attention. CF: So you've been doing this for a while and you've experienced some success. What's the next step? How do you take your work to the next level? Or is it more an issue of increasing your production? SA: Well, the next step at this point is to work on the album and see how that will do. In the meantime, I'm hoping to pick up more remix work and also get out and play a few gigs here and there. Eventually I'd like to get into scoring films, so i've been using more of that "soundtrack" type of approach when i work on tracks. CF: Who out there are you tracking year by year in the industry? Do they inspire your tracks, or are they a different feel just for your personal use? SA: I'm a big fan of bands like Radiohead and Kasabian. I don't really "track" them, but i do check in to see if new albums are available. I really like going out on iTunes or in local music shops and find new and interesting stuff I've never heard before - which has so far had a positive impact on my creativity. CF: Okay... New subject. Money or Recognition? Which one motivates your music more? SA: Neither. I LOVE music. I love writing and learning new things each time I'm in the studio. It's the experience of writing music and seeing a track through from beginning to end that motivates me the most. It is, of course, my dream to make music full time and make a living with it, but that's going to take a lot more work CF: Give us an idea of how much time you dedicate to your music each week. SA: That usually depends. Sometimes i'm in the studio 60 hours a week and sometimes i just need a break and go do other stuff, like hang with my mates or go to the lake and chill. CF: You obviously listen to quite a few genres. But which genre will you return to over and over again to recharge and get away from dance/club music? SA: 2 genres actually: Rock and Classical. I really don't listen to dance music all the time, but more so to rock, acoustic or classical. CF: Any strange hobbies or interests that influence your work in some way? SA: No strange hobbies really. I love being outside and going for a walk to recharge. Inbetween remixes i like playing video games every once in a while too CF: What about art? painting? sculpture? literature? composers? Any major influences or greats that you appreciate? SA: As far as composers go i would have to go with Claude DeBussy, Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson Williams. Literature-wise i love all of Douglas Adams' work (although i don't read that much) CF: Do you consider yourself a success based upon income, exposure, travel invitations, etc? SA: I don't really think about that, but I guess the more requests for remixes and gigs i get - that could be seen as increasing success, I suppose. CF: I've heard you're your own worst critic. How do you overcome your own opinion? Do you have some friends or other DJs in the industry that you run your stuff by for a creative opinion? SA: I am... hehe I'll always be that way, but that's a good thing. it drives me to continue learning more about music and production as i go along. I'll never be done learning. Most of the time i don't play unfinished tracks to anyone except for my best friend, but that's rare. CF: For all those kids out there thinking about becoming a DJ, throw out 3-5 tips you'd give them to help them get started in the industry. SA: 1. Do it for the Music 2. Listen to as much music as you can and always try to explore new genres 3. Experiment with making sounds and have fun with it * * * * * Thanks, Stefan. For more information about StefanAnion and to listen to his music, visit www.stefananion.com. I am personally a fan of his Mad World Remix, available online.

Popularity: 3% [?]

In a random chain of events, Mystery SEO and I happened upon the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Studio. Our office is located in the same building as the Studios of Las Colinas. I took Mystery SEO to Texas Bar and Grill for lunch by the canal yesterday. After eating too much, we walked around to see what else was going on in the area. I'm walking by these office windows when I see Shout Out! written on a piece of paper taped to a window.

With KKITM on the brain these days, I instantly thought of JC and Kidd Kraddick's morning show. Peering into the dark windows, I saw nothing. Ten feet further on was a door with Kidd Kraddick in the Morning printed on the glass. Seriously? How did I not know that Kidd and the gang were this close? I always pictured them out in the middle of nowhere like Denton or Gainesville.

I woke up this morning at 5:30 (radically early for me), and wrote a blog about the Wall Street Journal's article on reputation management. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I showered and dressed and headed for Las Colinas. I showed up in my infamous yellow long-sleeved shirt. It's the same shirt I'm wearing in my DanielthePoet photo online.
I was a little surprised to actually see the morning show crew live and right there in the window. Big Al was chillin' in his plaid shorts and flip flops, lookin' like he's ready to hit the beach. Kidd was hopping around the studio because he got his foot butchered at the doctor's office yesterday. JC looked a little younger than I expected, but he's got this easy going playful attitude like he doesn't have a care in the world. He also was the one who looked outside the most, as if to see if we (the people outside) were laughing at the same things. Kelly was a surprise. I expected her mannerisms to be a little bit more stern and motherly. She actually has an endearing cuteness about her that caught me by surprise. Taylor had her back to the window the whole time, and only turned around to wave at two girls in the audience. She seemed down to earth, and less frilly than I expected. Shannon was the biggest surprise of the group. She wasn't nearly as strange looking as everyone's comments suggested. She's a cute girl who could use a little more morning cheerfulness.

Honestly, looking at everyone, they look a little less thrilled than I expected, as though their Starbucks subscription just expired. They looked like they need a caffeine injection, but you couldn't hear it in their voice. Maybe it's just what happens when you do a radio show for years. They turn it on when they need to, but they don't force it.

Good first impression. Maybe I'll check them out again soon.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Seth Godin is a very famous marketing "guru" who got famous from marketing outside the box and then coining terms to describe new marketing phenomena. In a recent interview, Seth was asked about the value of the New York Times Bestselling List and whether writers should still aim for that accomplishment. Seth's response was (as should be expected) to answer a question with a question.

Basically, Godin pushes his own product, Squidoo, and his books. He is trying to establish himself as the foremost authority on marketing by denouncing things like search marketing and by attempting a hard reboot of marketing strategies. Not that his promotion of "outside the box" thinking is necessarily off target. But really, if you've read one book, the rest are fairly obvious continuations. Get one book, grasp the premise, and then read the others only if you become a huge fan.

It's all smoke and mirrors, anyway. Whether you're Seth Godin, Aaron Wall, or Rand Fishkin, it's all about creating perceived value and getting a few influential friends to back up your play.

Seth's statement about the small percentage of book purchasing /reading Americans is a valid one. How many people will you actually be influencing if you make the bestseller list? Answer: millions in the long term. More and more people read blogs and news websites rather than books and newspapers. That's a given. But don't give up your dreams to be an author just yet.

As you will see in the months and years to come, CultureFeast is an example of blogging your way toward a book. It sometimes takes a little momentum, confidence building, practice, and target audience building to pave the way for that first successful book. Rather than buying into Mr. Marketing's every word, consider doing what motivates you. If you really want to blog, then blog. If you want to write a book, write a book. The problem with marketing gurus is that they're chief end is to line their pockets by telling you how to line yours.

Of course you want to make money! Sure, you want to give up that crappy job and do your own thing! But for now, do what you love. Make room for it in your life. Spend time on it. Just enjoy it. Keep up with marketing best practices just so you don't completely fall off the relevancy map, but don't go changing your life every month when a new guru is announced.

Popularity: 3% [?]

If you want to get 20% off your directory listings on Best of the Web (www.botw.org), use promo code BEACHBUM on Best of the Web! BOTW is still one of the best directories out there. If you haven't submitted your site yet, do it today!

Popularity: 1% [?]

That's a question, not a statement. I was all excited by the prospect of faster download time, so I jumped at the opportunity to try the Safari 3 BETA. I tried Google first (of course), and all was well. I typed in CultureFeast.com, and the site looked good. By this time, I think to myself, I should blog about this! Safari rocks!

I log into my WordPress dashboard and click Write Post only to find that my CMS is all jacked up!!! The title and post fields are tiny and hiding down in the right hand sidebar below the fold. What the heck? WordPress isn't Safari-friendly? Seriously?

Talk about a buzz kill. I'm back in Firefox just so I could comfortably write this complaint.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Look for Noozilla.com to launch some time in mid-July. It's going to provide access to streaming video news coverage and full text articles.

Popularity: 3% [?]