Website of the Week

Site of the Week – Twitter

It’s simple…I am fascinated by Twitter.

Twitter is a microblog.  Participants subscribe to each other’s feeds and post updates (Tweets) 140 characters or less in length.  Tweets can be read online or directed to an iPad, smartphone or other mobile device.  I appreciate the interaction with others and identifying trends.  It is interesting to read about and discuss current events or interests with others from all over.  I recently participated in a discussion on whether NASCAR drivers should have their smartphones in their cars during the races (no, not to text while they are driving).  This discussion was in response to an event during the Daytona 500 this year.  The cars were red flagged for a crash on the track.  One of the drivers (@keselowski) had his phone with him and live tweeted a picture of the fire.  Other drivers were out of their cars as well and came over to watch what he was doing…all of this was being broadcast on live national television.  In turn, this driver’s following grew by 40,000 followers.  He now sits at over 241,000 followers.  Brand awareness…you bet!

March Networking in Northwest Ohio

7 - WEN BG, 11:30 am @ Stone Ridge County Club, Bowling Green.
7 - TechConnect, 5:30 - 8 pm @ BGSU - Olscamp Hall
8 - Morenci Chamber Meeting, 5:30 pm @ Pearl's Pizza Palace.
12 - WEN West, 11:30 am @ Loma Linda's, Toledo.
12 - Deshler Chamber of Commerce Member Meeting, 12:00 noon, Pisanello's Pizza, Deshler.
13 - Social Media Workshop, 9:00 am @ Defiance College. Call 419-782-7946 for info.
13 - Maumee Chamber luncheon, 11:30 @ The Pinnacle.
14 - EPIC Toledo Lunch n Leads, 12:00 pm @ Mancy's Bluewater Grill.
14 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Clair David Office Furniture and Design, Toledo.
14 - Simply Social Lunch Meeting, 11:30 Luckie's Barn & Grill, Oregon.
14 - Small Business Basics Seminar, 9:30 am, Community Room of the Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce, Tiffin. To register contact Bill Auxter at 800-826-2431 or bauxter@terra.edu
15 - TASBA Luncheon Series, 11:30 am @ Hilton Hotel, Glendale Ave, Toledo. Speaker: State of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine on "Supporting Ohio Small Businesses". Contact Toledo Chamber for more information and to register.
17 - Holland Springfield Business ConXions Showcase, 10 - 2 @ Springfield High School.
20 - WEN IDDM, 4:30 pm @ The Flying Joe Coffee Shop, Perrysburg.
21 - SO NOW (Stone Oak Network of Women) 6:15 pm @ Stone Oak Country Club, Holland. RSVP jennwenzke@hotmail.com
21 - Perrysburg Chamber Luncheon Meeting, 11:45 am. Contact Chamber for location details.
22 - Holland-Springfield Chamber Luncheon, 11:45 am @ Lutheran Village at Wolf Creek 'Creekside' Bldg, Holland.
22 - Charting Your Course: Start Up Business Basics, 9:00 am @ Toledo Edison Bldg, Rm 813, Toledo. Contact Toledo Chamber to register.
24 - Rossford Business Association's 2012 Business Fair, 9:00 am @ Owens Community College, Perrysburg.
24 - Showcase Sylvania Expo, 9-3 @ Tam-O-Shanter.
26 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 am @ LaScola Restaurant, Toledo.
27 - OGINAD!, 5:30 pm. Location TBD. For details contact Marian Kandik 419-382-3066 toledo@fibrenew.com
27 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay Networking Meeting, 11:30 am @ Greek Garden Restaurant, Findlay.
28 - EPIC Toledo Lunch n Leads, 12:00 pm @ Mancy's Bluewater Grill.
28 - Rossford Business Association Meeting, 12:00 noon @ Interstate Lanes.
28 - Business Card Exchange, 5:30 pm @ Huntington Arena. Contact Toledo Chamber to register.

Site of the Week - February 27

I am a bit behind.  I have been doing LOTS of training for companies in the area and have had limited blog time.  So here is the February 27 site of the week and it is one I visit everyday…Facebook.

Yes, I know that is an easy one, but I see people settled into their little slices of the program and not reaching out in to the other areas.  I have several friends who are there for chit chat and games, and that’s fine, but from a business perspective there is so much more.

Groups, Community Pages, Pages.  Groups are where groups of people like clubs, alumni groups, etc. get together online.  The benefit of groups is they can be closed or private.  Pages are for entities, it could be a business, brand, celebrity and more.  Community pages get drawn from mentions of a place or company on Facebook or often are pulled from Wikipedia.  It is important for a business who has not set up their own Facebook page to monitor if a community page has been set up for them and claim it (before someone else does). 

Don’t forget events.  A great way to get the word out to a lot (or not so many if you choose) people.  You can include directions, let people rsvp, and it is free!

Ads are not free and while I haven’t tried them I have heard mixed reviews.  They are very customizable to your demographic and you set the upper limit on what you want to pay.  If your target market uses Facebook, it might not be a bad thing to consider.  I also research potential customers on Facebook.  If I meet someone at a networking event, I like to see if their company is on Facebook to help me learn more about what they do.

Special offers/Facebook only give-aways.  More and more companies are using their Facebook page to post coupons or conduct Facebook-only contests.  I have even found it a way to communicate with a company.  Last February I was at Ft. Jackson for my son’s graduation from Basic Training.  Sitting in my hotel room after I had dropped him off for his 5:30 am check in on base I was listening to a Toledo area County station online (of course K100) and was feeling a little lonely, but deeply proud of my son.  I Facebook-messaged one of the DJ’s, told him I was listening online and why.  I asked him to play something patriotic and THE NEXT song they played was just that and they dedicated to my son and all our military personnel.  (Thanks Shores and Steele)

There is more to Facebook than meets the eye; you might want to check it out.

Site of the Week - February 20

Regular followers of our Twitter feed (@trainwithcts) may have noticed many links from Mashable, this week’s site of the week.


http://www.mashable.com/

From their website: “Mashable is the largest independent online news site dedicated to covering digital culture, social media and technology. With more than 20 million unique monthly visitors, Mashable has one of the most engaged online news communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.”

Mashable is one of my first stops on weekday mornings to see what is new and what is trending in the world of digital communication and social media. Their articles are timely and easy to share via social media outlets such as LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, Facebook and more. I also enjoy reading the reader comments after the various articles. The techies that read Mashable often have additional commentary on the articles that provide useful information or their practical experience.

Targeted at techies, Mashable is written in a way that casual tech users will get something from it as well. Entertainment, Social Media, Tech, Business, US & World, or Videos…which is your favorite part of Mashable?

Seth's Blog: Time doesn't scale

No matter how you look at it, we only have 24 hours in a day. Read Seth Grodin's thoughts on that:

Seth's Blog: Time doesn't scale