CTS Blog

December Networking Opportunities

2011-11-28T16:13:00.000-05:00

Plenty of networking left to do in 2011:

1 - Lunch & Learn-Building Strategic Alliances, 11:00am @ Toledo Regional Chamber Office. Contact Toledo Chamber to register.
1 - WEN East of the River, 11:30 am @ Cousino's Steak House, Oregon.
1 - Seneca Networking Professionals Meeting, 7:30 am @ Community Hospice, Tiffin.
1 - Business After Hours, 5:00 pm @ Riverview Health, Port Clinton.
3 - Toledo Holiday Expo, 10:00 am @ SeaGate Convention Centre. For more information, visit http://toledoholidayexpo.webs.com
6 - Connected in NW Ohio Networking Event, 6:00 pm @ Brandywine Country Club, Maumee. Limited number of tickets. Register early at http://connectedinnwohiodec6th.eventbrite.com
6 - Business After Hours, 4:30 pm @ Heritage Corner, Bowling Green.
7 - WEN BG, 11:30 am @ Stone Ridge Golf Club, Bowling Green, Annual Merchant Fair.
7 - Business, Briefing & brew, 8:00 am @ WC Historical Center & Museum, Bowling Green.
7 - Coffee and Connecting, 8:00 am @ Shared Lives Studio, Toledo.
7 - Lunch & Learn Seminar: Marketing Your Business, 11:00am @ Toledo Regional Chamber. Contact Toledo Chamber to register.
7 - Lunch & Learn, 11:30 am. Contact Perrysburg Chamber of Commerce for more details.
8 - Seneca Networking Professionals Meeting, 7:30 am @ Community Hospice, Tiffin.
8 - EPIC Social! Social! Social!, 5:30 pm, location TBD. Contact Toledo Chamber for details.
8 - Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ Stoney Ridge Winery, Bryan. Contact Bryan Chamber for more information.
8 - Morenci Chamber Meeting, 12:00 noon @ Pizza Box.
12 - WEN West Swanton Lunch Meeting, 11:30 am @ Loma Linda.
14 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Clair David Office Furniture, Toledo.
14 - EPIC Toledo Lunch n' Leads, 12:00 pm, @ Mancy's Bluewater Grill, Toledo.
14 - Greater Findlay Inc Business 2 Business Networking, 8:30 am @ Holiday Inn Express.
15 - WEN Napoleon 11:30 am @ Azul Tequila.
15 - Seneca Networking Professionals Meeting, 7:30 am @ Community Hospice, Tiffin.
15 - Charting Your Course: Start Up Business Basics, 9:00 am @ Toledo Edison Bldg, Rm 813, Toledo. Contact Toledo Chamber to register.
15 - TASBA Luncheon Series - Mayor Mike Bell, 11:30 am @ Hilton Hotel, 3100 Glendale Avenue, Toledo. Contact Toledo Chamber to register.
15 - Business After Hours, 5:00 pm @ Bruno's Pizzeria, Marblehead.
20 - WEN, IDDM, 4:30 pm @ Flying Bean Coffee Shop, Levis Commons.
21 - Perrysburg Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Meeting, 11:45 am. Contact Perrysburg Chamber for more details.
22 - Seneca Networking Professionals Meeting, 7:30 am @ Community Hospice, Tiffin.
27 - WEN OGINAD! Networking Meeting, 5:30 pm. Location TBD. For info contact Marian Kandik toledo@fibrenew.com.
28 - EPIC Toledo Lunch n' Leads, 12:00 pm. Contact Toledo Chamber for more details.
29 - Seneca Networking Professionals Meeting, 7:30 am @ Community Hospice, Tiffin.

September Networking Opportunitites

2011-09-02T08:30:00.000-04:00

Basically...a chance for you to do business networking almost everyday this month!

2 - Christian Small Business Network, 11:30 @ Scrambler Maries in Maumee
7 - WEN BG, 11:30 am @ Stone Ridge Golf Club, Bowling Green.
8 - Summit for Women Entrepreneurs, 8:30 am, @ GlasSalon at Toledo Museum of Art.
8 - EPIC Social! Social!, 5:30 pm, Fifi's Restaurant, Airport Hwy.
8 - Morenci Chamber Meeting, noon @ De-Mor Hills Golf Course.
8 - Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce - Business, Briefing and brew, 8:00 am @ Downtown Bowling Green, Main St & Wooster St.
8 - Henry County Chamber "Business After Hours", 5:00 pm, Spengler's, Napoleon.
10 - Napoleon Fall Festival, 9:00 am, Henry County Fairgrounds.
12 - WEN West Swanton Lunch Meeting, 11:30 @ Loma Linda.
12 - Toledo Chamber of Commerce 2011 Annual Golf Outing, 8:00 am @ Stone Oak Country Club. Contact Chamber to register.
13 - Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours @ Whispering Winds in Neapolis
14 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Clair David Office Furniture, Toledo.
15 - Whitehouse & Waterville chambers joint breakfast, 7:30 @ St. Lukes. Rep. Barbara Sears guest speaker.
15 - WEN Defiance (Moved to Napoleon), 11:30 @ Azul Tequila.
15 - Defiance Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30 pm @ Chamber of Commerce.
15 - Business After Hours, 5:00 pm @ The Keepers House, Marblehead.
19 - WEN Bluffton, 11:30 am @ Jeanne's Kitchen.
20 - WEN, IDDM, 4:30 pm @ Flying Bean Coffee Shop, Levis Commons.
20 - Greater Findlay Inc Business 2 Business Networking, 8:30 am @ Findlay Inn & Conference Center, Findlay.
20 - Coffee and Connecting at Herzing University, 8:00 am @ 5212 Hill Ave, Toledo.
22 - Holland Springfield Chamber Luncheon, 11:45 @ The Lodge, Strawberry Acres Park, McCord Road, Holland.
22 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay, 11:30 am @ Greek Garden Restaurant, Findlay.
22 - Paulding Chamber Business After Hours @ Paulding-Putnam Electric Cooperative
24 - Archbold Fall Festival, 11:00 am @ Memorial Park.
26 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 am @ LaScola Restaurant, Toledo.
27 - Hey Small Business - You'll Do Better in Toledo!, 11:30 am @ Park Inn Hotel. Contact Toledo Chamber of Commerce to register.
27 - WEN OGINAD! Networking Meeting, 5:30 pm. Location TBD. For info contact Marian Kandik toledo@fibrenew.com.
28 - RBA (Rossford) Meeting, 12:00 pm @ Gold Medal Indoor Sports.
28 - Perrysburg Chamber Lunch & Learn, 11:30 am. Contact Chamber for details.
28 - Stone Oak Network of Women (SO NOW!), 6:15 pm @ Stone Oak Country Club, Holland. Reservations required.
29 - WEN Business Trade Show and Social, 3:00 pm, WW Knight Nature Preserve, Perrysburg.

5 Things I Like about LinkedIn (and 1 I Don't)

2011-08-12T12:18:00.002-04:00

LinkedIn is a useful, professional networking tool. No pictures of your 2002 spring break here. Just a place to do business. Here are 5 thinks I like (and 1 I don’t) about LinkedIn:

Professional site. You don’t have to weed through all the pictures of grandchildren and Farmville requests to get to business updates. Facebook is great for that, but LinkedIn is about business.

Updated information. I find that for the most part, information is pretty current here. It notifies me when people switch positions so that I am able to keep my CRM up to date.

Resource. I needed the names of a couple of CIO’s/technology Directors from local companies for an upcoming event. By doing a search on LI it was easy to identify these folks and to confirm those that I already had.

Making connections. As an advocate for business networking and having an appreciation for the fact that networking IS NOT selling I am a regular user of LI’s built in request an introduction tool. Similar to how you would ask to be introduced to someone at an event, you can ask for a virtual introduction through LI.

Keyword searches. Looking for an instructor who is able to teach SAP? Got it. Just did a search on LI and found one and asked our mutual contact for an introduction!

And the one thing I don’t like. Creepers. People who scope out your contacts and try to do business with them without asking you for the introduction. Please only try to connect with my contacts if you actually know them.

What are your likes/dislikes regarding LinkedIn?

August Networking in Northwest Ohio/Southeast Michigan

2011-07-28T10:47:00.000-04:00

Many opportunitites for business networking in the Dog Days of summer....

1 - Marketing Mondays, 8:00 am & 6:00 pm @ Whitehouse Chamber of Commerce.
2 - QR Codes, Direct Marketing and Social Media for Business, 11:30 am @ Toledo Edison Bldg. Contact Toledo Chamber of Commerce to register.
3 - WEN BG, 11:30 am @ Stone Ridge Golf Club, Bowling Green.
3 - Chamber Day at the Wood County Fair, 12:00 pm @ Wood County Fairgrounds, Bowling Green.
4 - WEN East of the River, 11:30 am @ Cousino's Steakhouse.
4 - Business After Hours, Port Clinton Chamber. Contact for details.
5 - Delphos Area Chamber Golf Scramble, 8:45 am @ Delphos Country Club.
8 - WEN West Swanton Lunch Meeting, 11:30 @ Loma Linda.
9 - Hey Small Business - You'll Do Better in Toledo!, 10:00 am @ Park Inn Hotel. Contact Toledo Chamber of Commerce to register.
10 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Clair David Office Furniture & Design, Toledo.
11 - EPIC Social! Social! Social!, 5:30 pm, Toledo Botanical Garden
11 - Morenci Chamber Meeting, noon @ Pub, Morenci.
11 - Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce - Business, Briefing and Brew, 8:00 am @ NAMI of Wood County, Bowling Green.
15 - WEN Bluffton, 11:30 am @ Jeanne's Kitchen.
15 – Archbold Chamber Celebrity Wait Staff event @ Stella Blue, 5 pm
16 - WEN, IDDM, 4:30 pm @ Flying Bean Coffee Shop, Levis Commons.
16 - Greater Findlay Inc Business 2 Business Networking, 8:30 am @ Country Inn & Suites, Findlay.
18 - WEN Defiance, 11:30 @ Azul Tequila.
18 - Defiance Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30 pm @ Chamber of Commerce.
18 - Business After Hours, 5:00 pm @ Cleats, Marblehead.
22 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 am @ LaScola Restaurant, Toledo.
23 - WEN OGINAD! Networking Meeting, 5:30 pm. Location TBA. For info contact Marian Kandik toledo@fibrenew.com or 419-382-3066.
24 - EPIC Toledo Lunch n' Leads, 12:00 pm, Location TBA.
25 - Charting Your Course: Start-Up Business Basics Workshop, 9:00 am @ Toledo Chamber of Commerce. Contact to register.
25 - Holland Springfield Chamber Luncheon, 11:45 @ Lutheran Village at Wolf Creek 'Creekside Building', Holland.
25 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay, 11:30 am @ Greek Garden Restaurant, Findlay.
31 - RBA (Rossford) Meeting, 12:00 pm @ Country Inn & Suites.
31 - Perrysburg Chamber Lunch & Learn, 11:30 am

Debby Peters, Networking Guru: Getting What You Want

2011-07-27T13:32:00.000-04:00

Referral sources are long term commitments and take time to develop. You won't get a million dollar contract at your first BNI meeting, why? Read Debby Peters, Networking Guru: Getting What You Want

July Networking

2011-07-06T10:54:00.000-04:00

7 - WEN East of the River, 11:30 am @ Cousino's Steakhouse.
8-10 - Delta Chicken Festival
11 - WEN West Swanton Lunch Meeting 11:30 @ Loma Linda.
11 - Deshler Chamber Luncheon, 12:00 pm @ Corn City Bar.
13 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Clair David Office Furniture & Design, Toledo.
14 - EPIC Social! Social! Social!, 5:30 pm, Toledo Botanical Garden
14 - Morenci Chamber Meeting, noon @ Village Inn, Morenci.
14-16 - Archbold Carp Festival
15 - Defiance Chamber Golf Outing @ Auglaize Golf Club
18 - WEN Bluffton, 11:30 am @ Jeanne's Kitchen
18 - Connext Nation guest lunch, 11:30 @ Spaghetti Warehouse
19 - Maumee Chamber Golf Outing
19 - Coffee and Connecting, 8:00 am @ Shared Lives Studio, Toledo.
19 - WEN, IDDM, 4:30 pm @ Flying Bean Coffee Shop, Levis Commons.
20 - Greater Findlay Inc Business 2 Business Networking, 8:30 am @ Blanchard Valley Industries, Findlay.
21 - WEN Defiance, 11:30 @ Azul Tequila.
21 - Charting Your Course: Start-Up Business Basics Workshop, 9:00 am @ Toledo Chamber of Commerce.
21 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber Golf Outing @ Eagles Landing
22-23 - Sylvania Chamber Pizza Palooza @ Centennial Terrace
25 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 am @ LaScola Restaurant, Toledo.
26 - WEN OGINAD! Networking Meeting, 5:30 pm. Location TBA. For info contact Marian Kandik toledo@fibrenew.com
27 - RBA (Rossford) Meeting, 8:00 am @ Kingston Residence of Perrysburg.
27 - Perrysburg Chamber Lunch & Learn, 11:30 am
28 - Holland Springfield Chamber Luncheon, 11:45 @ Lutheran Village at Wolf Creek.
28 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay, 11:30 am @ Greek Garden Restaurant, Findlay.
28 - Waterville Chamber Business After Hours TBA

Saying Goodbye to a Friend Electronically

2011-06-10T15:17:00.000-04:00

It took me awhile to write this as it is about a friend who passed away recently. Now the interesting thing about this friend is that we never met in person. She and I initially met through an online chat room dedicated to an organization to which we both belonged. She belonged in Oregon and I in Ohio. We had mutual friends who knew both of us in person, but she and I never met. I always had it on my list to do, but the trip never happened. Over the years we chatted online, on the phone, emailed and more recently exchanges on Facebook. It was through that social media channel that I was able to say my last goodbye. My friend had ALS and in her final months was still able to actively be on Facebook. So we exchanged messages and tended to each others "farms." In her last day, her hospice nurse was able to read to her the messages from her many, many Facebook friends. So even though we were spread across the country, we were right there with her as she passed.

To some, this may seem sort of creepy, but for me using Facebook was my chance for closure. Have you ever had this kind of exchange? How have you handed social media friends who have passed? Do you defriend them? When? I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

June Networking Opportunities

2011-06-03T18:33:00.001-04:00

6 - Marketing Mondays with the Chamber, 8:00 am or 6:00 pm @ Whitehouse Chamber of Commerce.

7 - Fresh Brewed Business, 8:00 am, Findlay Country Club.

8 - Small Business Basics Seminar, Tiffin Area Chamber of Commerce Conference Room. To register contact Bill Auxter at 800-826-2431 or 419-559-2210 or by e-mail at bauxter@terra.edu

8 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Clair David Office Furniture & Design, Toledo.

9 - Morenci Chamber Meeting, noon @ Pizza Box.

13 - Archbold Chamber-Focus on Learning 12 @ Mom's Diner

13 - WEN West Swanton Lunch Meeting 11:30 @ Loma Linda.

13 - Deshler Chamber Luncheon, 12:00 pm @ Villa Rose Restaurant.

16 - WEN Defiance, 11:30 @ Azul Tequila.

20 - WEN Hancock County/Bluffton, 11:30 am @ Jeanne's Kitchen.

21 - WEN, IDDM, 4:30 pm @ Flying Joe Coffee Shop, Levis Commons.

21 - Greater Findlay Inc Business 2 Business Networking, 8:30 am @ Hancock County Red Cross.

22 - EPIC Toledo Lunch n' Leads 12:00 pm. Location TBA.

23 - Charting Your Course: Start-Up Business Basics Workshop, 9:00 am @ Toledo Chamber of Commerce.

23 - Holland Springfield Chamber Luncheon, 11:45 @ Lutheran Village at Wolf Creek. Speaker: Judge Scott Ramey. RSVP 419-865-2110

25 - WEN Network at Noon @ Clara J's, Maumee.

25 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 am @ LaScola Restaurant, Toledo.

26 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay, 11:30 am @ Greek Garden Restaurant.

28 - WEN OGINAD! Networking Meeting, 5:30 pm. Location TBA. For info contact Marian Kandik 419-382-3066 or toledo@fibrenew.com

29 - RBA (Rossford) Meeting, 12:00 pm @ Bay Park Community Hospital.

29 - Perrysburg Chamber Lunch & Learn, 11:30 am

June Networking Opportunities

2011-06-03T18:31:00.001-04:00

ADD and Business Networking

2011-04-11T16:12:00.004-04:00

Help me! I have Attention Deficit Disorder … Those who know me, know it’s true. Sometimes I can’t remember something I was told 5 minutes earlier and I am not the only one who suffers difficulty retaining what I’ve heard. We are constantly receiving input from ads, TV, radio, people we meet, work, etc. So at networking meetings you need to be very specific when asking for an introduction so that your request is MEMORABLE. In the book "Referrals", Mark Sheer indicates you should use the following phrase when asking for a referral: "I’m expanding my business and I need your help. Who do you know who…?" It is an open ended question soliciting answers, but you guide those answers with what you say after who…

Rather than...

Do you know someone who would like to make a lot of money selling insurance? (Face it, this sounds like a come on or a pesky salesperson)

Try...

Who do you know who is good at talking to homeowners about their finances?

Think how easy it would be for you to name a person from your circle of influence who:

Is a teacher

Collects old cars

Needs help keeping track of their company’s finances

Making your request specific, makes it more memorable and more likely for you to get the introduction you need. Remember, networking is not selling, it is networking. A great quote I recently heard. At a particular networking meeting the facilitator asked everyone who hoped to sell something today to raise their hands. He had them lower their hands and then asked for a show of hands of who was planning to buy something today. Sobering results that reminded people of the true purpose of networking.

Adapted from my article in the March Holland Springfield Chamber newsletter.

April Networking Events

2011-03-29T16:06:00.000-04:00

Many opportunitites for business networking here in northwest Ohio/southeast Michigan in April:

1-2 - Home & Business Expo, @ Van Wert County Fairgrounds. For more info visit the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce online.
4 - WEN Defiance, 11:30 am @ Azul Tequila.
5 - Sylvania Chamber Luncheon, 11:45 am @ Lourdes College, Franciscan Center.
5 - Ottawa Area Chamber Luncheon, 12:00 pm @ Red Pig Inn, Ottawa.
5 - Toledo Chamber BCX - Business Card Exchange, 5:30 pm @ Hilton Hotel, Glendale Ave, Toledo.
6 - WEN BG, 11:30 am @ Stone Ridge Golf Club, Bowling Green.
6 - Archbold Chamber BRIC, 1:00 pm, Blaze & Babes, Archbold.
7 - WEN East of the River, 11:30 am @ Cousino's Steakhouse.
7 - Whitehouse Chamber Learn @ Lunch, 12:00 pm @ The 180th Air National Guard 2660 S. Eber Road, Swanton, Ohio.
7 - Port Clinton Chamber Business After Hours, 5:00 pm @ 200th Red Horse.
8 - Bluffton Chamber Breakfast, 7:30 am @ Town Hall.
11 - Marketing Mondays with the Chamber, 8:00 am or 6:00 pm @ Whitehouse Chamber of Commerce.
11 - Archbold Chamber Education series, noon @ Mom's Diner
11 - WEN West Swanton Lunch Meeting 11:30 @ Loma Lindas.
11 - Deshler Chamber Luncheon, 12:00 pm @ Ron's Soup & Such.
12 - Tiffin Chamber Membership Meeting, 11:30 am @ 19 W. Market St., Suite C. Please contact Chamber to RSVP.
12 - Maumee Chamber of Commerce Monthly Lunch, 11:30 am,@ Carrabba's. Speaker: James A. Poure.
12 - Wauseon Chamber Business After Hours, 5:00 pm, @ First Federal Bank, Wauseon.
12 - Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours, 5:00 pm, @ Cycle Werks Bicycle Shop, Whitehouse.
13 - Small Business Basics Seminar, Tiffin Chamber Conference Room.
13 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Clair David Office Furniture & Design, Toledo.
13 - Greater Findlay Inc Business 2 Business, 8:30 am @ Findlay Inn.
14 - Morenci Chamber noon @ Morenci Dari Ette
16 - Showcase on Commerce Expo 9:00 am - 2:00 pm @ Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center, Levis Commons, Perrysburg.
18 - WEN Hancock County/Bluffton, 11:30 am @ Jeanne's Kitchen.
19 - WEN, IDDM, 4:30 pm @ Flying Joe Coffee Shop, Levis Commons.
21 - Charting Your Course: Start-Up Business Basics Workshop, 9:00 am @ Toledo Chamber of Commerce.
21 - TASBA Luncheon Series "Branding", 11:30 am @ Hilton Hotel, Glendale Avenue, Toledo. Contact Toledo Chamber to register.
21 - Defiance Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30 pm @ The Black Lantern.
21 - Marblehead Peninsula Chamber Business After Hours, 5:00 pm @ Freedom Boat Club, Marina Del Isle.
21 - Port Clinton Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner, 6:00 pm.
25 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 am @ LaScola Restaurant, Toledo.
26 - OGINAD! Networking Meeting, 5:30 pm. Location TBA.
27 - Perrysburg Chamber Lunch & Learn 11:30 am. Location TBA.
27 - EPIC Toledo Lunch n' Leads 12:00 pm. Location TBA.
27 - RBA Meeting, 12:00 pm @ Hampton Inn, Rossford.
27 - Sandusky County Chamber Mixer, 5:00 pm @ River Cliff Golf Course, Fremont.
28 - Meet Me for Coffee, 8:00 am, @ Location TBA, Archbold.
28 - Holland Springfield Chamber luncheon, 11:30 @ Lutheran Village Wolf Creek
28 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay, 11:30 am @ Greek Garden Restaurant.

It's All About Coopetition

2011-03-25T01:40:00.001-04:00

According to Wikipedia (the ultimate authority for post midnight bloggers)coopetition is a "neologism coined to describe cooperative competition." in other terms two competing entities collaborating in a manner to benefit both. As I wrap up the first full day of our state professional association conference I have been reminded that this is one of the benefits of attending these type of networking events.

Tonight I blog from OCHEA (Ohio Continuing Education Association) annual conference and am encouraged by the increase in attendance of my peers from a year ago. We have wonderful conversation and even a wild Bunco tournament.

As we talk about the importance of business networking, one should not dismiss the importance of professional associations. I see the importance as twofold. First the opportunity to receive industry updates and Benchmark against your peers. We have had such great idea swapping and learning today I have already been modifying my website and planning my departmental meeting update. Second is the opportunity to explore mutually beneficial business relationships. If I train on a software package that you don't have a trainer for, can't we work together and both make money. Think of the long term benefit to keeping that customer happy by being able to satisfy their need. You are still the hero and yet we both make a profit.

Have you ever worked with a competitor? Did it work? Were both of you happy?

Are You LinkedIn?

2011-03-16T11:42:00.000-04:00

If you were to ask me what is a good tool for businesspeople to use to get their feet wet with social media I would respond "LinkedIn." LinkedIn is the online version of what we try to do in face to face business networking. It is the opportunity to connect with people that your connections know, to find a "path" to getting an introduction to a business that you would like to market to, and a way to help others learn more about what you do. You are also able to research companies and find out if you have a connection or just learn more about what they do in order to market to them better. I personally have used it to find subject matter experts for my business, have made important business connections, done research for presentations and monitor what is going on with my networking con-nections. Best of all, I am able to do all of this using LinkedIn’s free version! Check it out at http://www.linkedin.com/.

adapted from an article in the February 2011 Holland Springfield Chamber newsletter

March Networking Opportunitities

2011-03-02T09:53:00.001-05:00

3 - WEN East of the River, 11:30 am @ Cousino's Steakhouse

3 - Port Clinton Chamber Business After Hours, 5 pm @ Bauman Auto

3 - Paulding Chamber Business After Hours, Eagles Lodge

4 - Paulding Annual Chamber Banquet

7 - WEN Defiance, 11:30 am @ Azul Tequila

8 - Maumee Chamber of Commerce Monthly Lunch, 11:30 am, The Pinnacle. Speaker: Lemonade Dave

8 - Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours, 5:00 location TBA

9 - EPIC Toledo Lunch n' Leads 12:00

9 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 @ Clair David Office Furniture & Design, Toledo

9 - Perrysburg Chamber Luncheon Meeting, 11:45

9 - Greater Findlay Inc Business 2 Business, 8:30 @ University of Findlay

11 - Bluffton Chamber Breakfast, 7:30 @ Town Hall

14 - WEN West Swanton Lunch Meeting 11:30 @ Loma Lindas

14 - Deshler Chamber luncheon, noon @ Corn City Bar

15 - WEN, IDDM, 4:30 @ Flying Joe Coffee Shop, Levis Commons

15 - Bowling Green Chamber Business After Hours 4:30 pm

17 - Defiance Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30, Eagles

17 - Marblehead Penninsula Chamber Business After Hours, 5 pm @ Cleats

17 - TASBA Luncheon Series 1:30, Hilton Hotel, Toledo

21 - WEN Hancock County/Bluffton, 11:30 @ Jeanne's Kitchen

23 - EPIC Toledo Lunch n' Leads 12:00

23 - Community Health, Business & Industry Fair, 11am, Paulding County Fairgrounds

24 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay, 11:30 @ Greek Garden Restaurant

24 - Holland Springfield Chamber luncheon, 11:45 @ Lutheran Village Wolf Creek. Guest Speaker: Judd Silverman

24 - Waterville Chamber Luncheon, 11:30 @ Shawn's Waterville, Guest Speaker: Kathy Reyes - The Computer Nurse

25 - Bowling Green Chamber, March Coffee Hour 7 am

26 - Holland Springfield Chamber Business Expo, 10 am @ Springfield High School

26 - 2011 RBA Business Fair, 9am, Rossford High School Campus

26 - Sylvania Chamber Business Expo @ Tam O' Shanter

28 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 @ LaScola Restaurant, Toledo

29 - Bryan Chamber Business and Industry Show 11 am, Bryan Middle School

30 - Perrysburg Chamber Lunch & Learn 11:30

January Networking Opportunities

2011-01-02T20:59:00.000-05:00

Networking kicks off first thing Monday morning. Make your plan and network with a purpose in 2011!

3 - Breakfast Club, 7:30 am @ Trace Routes (Perrysburg)
4 - Sylvania Chamber luncheon, 11:45 @ Franciscan Center
5 - WEN Bowling Green luncheon, 11:30 @ Stone Ridge Golf Club
6 - WEN East of the River, 11:30 @ Cousino's
7 - Christian Small Business Network (CSBN), 11:30 @ Black Pearl (Toledo)
10 - WEN West, 11:30 @ Loma Linda's
11 - Maumee Chamber luncheon
12 - WEN AM Coffee, 8 am @ Claire David
13 - Morenci Chamber luncheon, noon
13 - Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ Stoney Ridge Winery
14 - Montpelier Chamber meeting, 8 am @ Chamber office
17 - WEN Hancock County/Bluffton, 11:30 @ Jeanne's Kitchen
17 - ConnextNation guest lunch, 11:45 @ Spaghetti Warehouse
18 - WEN IDDM, 4:30 @ Flying Joe
19 - Perrysburg Chamber meeting, 11:45
20 - Toledo Chamber Annual Meeting, 11:45 @ Gladieux Meadows. Speaker: Senator Rob Portman
20 - Defiance Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30 @ Papa Primo's
24 - WEN Annual Meeting, 11:30 @ LaScolla
26 - Defiance Chamber Breakfast of Champions, 7:45
27 - Waterville Chamber Breakfast meeting, 7:30 @ Chowders n' Moor
27 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber meeting, 7:30 am @ Lutheran Home
27 - Toledo Chamber Coffee & Connecting, 8 am @ Office Depot - Monroe St.
27 - Holland/Springfield Chamber luncheon, 11:45 @ Wolf Creek
27 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay 11:30 @ Greek Garden
27 - Bryan Chamber Annual Banquet
28 - Oak Harbor Chamber Annual Banquet, 6 pm @ VFW
29 - Bowling Green Chamber Annual Meeting, 6 pm

December Networking Opportunities

2010-11-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

Still plenty of chances for business networking before the end of 2010!

1 - WEN Bowling Green, 11:30 am @ Stone Ridge
1 - Whitehouse Village tree lighting @ 6:00 pm
2 - WEN East of the River, 11:30 am @ Cousino's
2 - Holland Village tree lighting, 7 pm @ Strawberry Acres
3 - Delphos Home Town Christmas
3 - Williams County Idol Finals
3 - #SMBTOL Holiday Toleetup (networking for social media buffs), 5:30 pm @ Toni & Guy Academy in Toledo. Please bring a new, unwrapped toy for Food for Thought
4 - Napoleon/Henry County Christmas Parade, 10 am
4 - Hicksville Chamber Christmas in the Village, 5 pm
4 - Liberty Center Christmas Open House and Holiday Walk
4 - Oak Harbor Chamber Olde Fashioned Christmas, 4:15 p
5 - Ottoville Winterfest
7 - Greater Findlay Inc Fresh Brewed Business, 8 am @ Findlay Country Club
7 - Sylvania Chamber luncheon, 11:45 @ Franciscan Center
7 - Toledo Area Chamber Business Card Exchange, 5:30 p @ Ice (PNC Bank Building 405 Madison Ave Toledo)
8 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Clair David
8 - Whitehouse Chamber annual meeting @ Lial; must RSVP
9 - Waterville Chamber breakfast, 7:30 a @ Staybridge Suites
9 - Morenci Chamber meeting, noon @ Pizza Box
9 - Waterville Chamber Christmas After Hours, 5:30 @ Wardell's Garden Center
9 - Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ Orchard Hills
9 - Holland Springfield Chamber annual banquet; must RSVP
10 - Montpelier Chamber meeting, 8am @ chamber offices
13 - WEN West, 11:30 @ Loma Linda's
13 - Archbold Chamber, noon
14 - Maumee Chamber luncheon, noon @ The Pinnacle
15 - Perrysburg Chamber luncheon, 11:45 a
16 - WEN Hancock County Findlay, 11:30 @ Greek Garden Restaurant
16 - Greater Findlay Inc Business2Business, 8:30 am @ Country Inn
20 - WEN Hancock County - Bluffton, 11:30 @ Jeanne's Kitchen
21 - WEN IDDM (I Don't Do Mornings) 4:30 @ Flying Bean

Google Unveils Hotpot, a Recommendation Engine for Places

2010-11-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

Google looks to dominate another growing market area:
Google Unveils Hotpot, a Recommendation Engine for Places

November Northwest Ohio Networking Opportunities

2010-11-03T07:31:00.000-04:00

3- WEN - BG, 11:30 @ Stone Ridge Golf Club
4- WEN East of the River Networking Mtg., 11:30 @
Cousino's Steakhouse
5 - Small Business Store Network luncheon, 11:30 @ The Black Pearl (south Toledo)
5 - The N.E.T.T. Casual Friday Networking, 5:30 @ Toledo Museum of Art
6 - Whitehouse Chamber Health Screening & Business Expo, 9 am - noon @ Hope United Methodist Church
8 - WEN West, 11:30 @ Loma Linda's
8 - Archbold Chamber meeting, noon
9 - Toledo Chamber Coffee & Connecting, 8 am @ Westfield Franklin Park mall
9 - Maumee Chamber business expo, 11 am @ The Pinnacle
10 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 @ Clair David
11 - Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ O'Bryan's
12 - Montpelier Chamber meeting 8 am @ Chamber offices
13 - Van Wert Chamber Entrepreneurship Fair
15 - WEN Hancock County - Bluffton, 11:30 @ Jeanne's Kitchen
16 - RPN Chapter of BNI Visitor day 7:30 am @ Charlies on Central Ave in Toledo
16 - WEN IDDM - Perrysburg, 4:30 @ Flying Joe
17 - Perrysburg Chamber luncheon, 11:45
18 - Greater Findlay Inc Fresh Brewed Business, 8:30 am @ Hancock County Agency on Aging
18 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay Networking Mtg, 11:30 @
Greek Garden Restaurant
19 - Sandusky County Chamber Coffee & Contacts, 8 am @ Chamber Office
20 - Bowling Green Holiday Parade
22 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 @ LaScolla
24 - Rossford Business Association, noon @ Rossford Recreation Department
26 - Bryan Santa Arrival Parade
26 - Archbold Parade of Lights, 6:30 pm

5 Superior Social Media Management Tools [Mashable Awards]

2010-10-21T11:02:00.000-04:00

5 Superior Social Media Management Tools [Mashable Awards]

Great article on valuable tools to manage your company's social media communications. What tools do you recommend?

October Networking Events

2010-10-05T14:49:00.001-04:00

October
6 - Toledo Chamber Coffee & Connecting, 8 am @ H.O.T. Printing
6 - WEN Bowling Green, noon @ Stone Ridge CC
7 - WEN East of the River, 11:30 @ Cousino's
7 - Holland Springfield Chamber Business After Hours @ Design Memorial Stone
8 - Montpelier Chamber meeting, 8 am @ Chamber offices
9 - Archbold Chamber Chili Cookoff
10 - Grand Rapids Apple Butter Fest
11 - WEN West, 11:30 @ Loma Linda
11 - Archbold Chamber luncheon, noon
11 - Entrepreneurial Fair, 5 pm @ Hilton Garden Inn Levis Commons
12 - Maumee Chamber luncheon, noon @ Pinnacle. Speaker: Nature's Nursery
12 - Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours, 5 pm @ The Whitehouse Inn
13 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 @ Clair David
14 - Bowling Green Chamber B, B & B (Business, Briefing & Brew), 8 am @ BGSU Fine Arts Center
14 - Hicksville Chamber luncheon, noon @ Hickory Hills. Speaker: Vicky Hawkey NOACC
14 - Leipsic Chamber
14 - Morenci Chamber
14 - Waterville Chamber luncheon, noon @ 180th Fighter Wing
14 - Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ Stoney Ridge Winery
18 - Certified Networker Guest Lunch, 11:30 @ Spaghetti Warehouse
18 - WEN Hancock Cty/Bluffton, 11:30 @ Jeanne's Kitchen
19 - WEN IDDM, 4:30 @ Flying Joe
20 - Perrysburg Chamber luncheon
21 - Defiance Area Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30 @ Buffalo Wild Wings
21 - Greater Findlay Inc Business 2 Business, 8:30 am @ Red Cross
25 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 @ LaScolla
27 - Rossford Business Association, noon @ Meijer
28 - WEN Hancock Cty/Findlay @ Greek Garden
28 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber, 7:30 am @ Luther Home. Speaker: Tami Norris
28 - Holland Springfield Chamber, 11:45 @ Lutheran Village Wolf Creek Speaker: Shannon Coats, FBI

Love/Hate Relationship with Wikipedia

2010-07-29T16:25:00.003-04:00

Love it, hate it, no doubt that Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) is here to stay.

Don't know what it is? Wikipedia is basically a user contributed encyclopedia (wiki + encyclopedia = Wikipedia)

Benefits include quick updates, multiple sources contributing to articles and multiple language support.

Problem: What if the multiple sources are not right?

The oversight board for Wikipedia has put a few safety measures in place. At the bottom of the articles you will usually find many bibliography references. You can also view the discussion tab to look at the discussion on revising the article and see how it got to the point where it is currently.

What are your thoughts?

Have you used Wikipedia?
Does you child's school allow it to be used for reference?
How do you verify the accuracy of the information?
How do you verify the accuracy of information on any website?
Is it an educational tool or just a nuisance?

I will post a great educational lesson for using this tool later...

August Networking Opportunities

2010-07-29T15:53:00.001-04:00

3 - GreaterFindlayInc Fresh Brewed Business, 8 am @ Findlay Country Club
3-9 - Wood County Fair
4 - WEN Bowling Green, noon @ Stone Ridge
5 - WEN East, 11:30 @ Cousino's Steakhouse
5-7 - Wauseon Homecoming
6 - Ottawa Area Chamber Golf Outing @ Pike Run
7 - Hicksville Summer Fest
7 - Van Wert Rib Cook-Off @ Van Wert County Fairgrounds
7 - Royal Bull Thistle Arts Festival, Fayette
9 - WEN West, 11:30 @ Loma Linda's
10 WEN Hancock County/Bluffton, 7:30 a @ Jeanne's Kitchen
10 - Toledo Chamber Coffee & Connecting @ Herzing University
10 - Maumee Chamber Luncheon @ The Pinnacle
11 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 a @ Clair David
12 - Leispic Chamber
12 - Waterville Chamber Luncheon
12 - Holland/Springfield, Waterville & Whitehouse Chambers joint networking mixer, 5:30 @ The Max Albon Lodge in Holland. You must be a member of one of these chambers to attend.
12 - Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ O'Bryan's
13-19 - Henry County Fair
13 - Montepelier Chamber Meeting, 8 am
16 - Bryan Chamber Golf Scramble @ Orchard Hills
17 - GreaterFindlayInc Business 2 Business Networking, 8:30 - 10:00 am @ Country Inn & Suites
18 - Perrysburg Chamber Luncheon, 11:45
17 - WEN IDDM (I Don't Do Mornings), 4:30 @ Flying Bean in Levis Commons
19 - Defiance Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30 p @ Stykemain Buick GMC
19 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber Parking Lot Party @ Oregon Economic Development offices 20 & 21 - Swanton Corn Festival
21 & 22 - Corn City Festival, Deshler
21-28 - Defiance County Fair
23 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 @ LaScolla
25 - Bowling Green Chamber Golf Outing @ Stone Ridge Golf Club
25 - Rossford Business Association meeting @ Country Inn & Suites

July Networking Events

2010-06-29T16:11:00.002-04:00

No rest this summer. July brings you plenty of opportunities for business networking in Northwest Ohio/Southeastern Michigan.

1 - WEN East of the River
7 - WEN Bowling Green @ Stone Ridge Country Club, 11:30 am
8 - Morenci Chamber meeting
8 - Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ Stoney Ridge Winery
8 - Leipsic Chamber meeting
8 - Waterville Chamber After Hours Cookout @ Farnsworth Park Shelter House
8-11 - Pioneer Clear Fork Festival
9 - Holland Springfield Chamber Business Connections @ Daily Grind, 7:30 am
12 - Defiance Chamber Golf Outing @ Kettenring Country Club
12 - WEN West @ Loma Lindas, noon
13 - GreaterFindlay Inc. Fresh Brewed Business @ Findlay Country Club, 8 am
13 - Toledo Chamber Coffee and Connecting @ Revol Wireless, 8 am
13 - WEN Hancock County/Bluffton @ Jeanne's Kitchen, 7:30 am
13 - Maumee Chamber meeting @ The Pinnacle, noon
13 - Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours @ Curves-Whitehouse, 5 pm
14 - WEN AM Coffee @ Clair David, 7:30 am
14 - Van Wert Chamber Golf Outing @ Hickory Sticks Golf Club
15-17 - Archbold Carp Festival
17 & 18 - Corn City Co-Ed Softball Tournament, Deshler
19 - Maumee Chamber Golf Outing @ South Toledo Golf Club
21 - Perrysburg Chamber Golf Outing
22 - Greater Findlay Inc. Business 2 Business Networking @ Blanchard Valley Industries, 8:30 am
22 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay @ Greek Garden Restaurant, 11:30 am
22 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber Golf Outing @ Chippewa Golf Club
22 - Holland Springfield Chamber meeting @ Wolf Creek, noon
23 & 24 - Montpelier Bean Days
23 & 24 - Sylvania Chamber Pizza Palooza
23-25 - Hamler Summer Fest (if you like to polka, this is the place to be!)
24 - Tri-State Rib Fest @ Putnam County Fairgrounds
24 - Liberty Center Tiger Town 5000 Run
26 - WEN Lunch Bunch @ LaScolla
28 - Rossford Business Association meeting @ Kingston of Perrysburg, 8 am
30 - Swanton Chamber Party in the Park

Did I forget something? Post it as a comment here.

Staying In Touch During The Storm

2010-06-24T07:04:00.005-04:00

As you may have expected, Twitter traffic spiked yesterday during the USA's winning soccer goal. Many tweets with GOAAAAAAL found their way through cyberspace. What you might not have expected however is the importance of these social media tools during severe weather. For instance at approximately 1:45 yesterday I tweeted "Was that an earthquake?" and immediately several other tweets confirming that I wasn't the only one feeling the earth move followed. It was also via Twitter that I learned it was a 5.5 quake in Canada. hmm...

Last night's storms were another perfect example of social media at work. One of my friends hit me up in Facebook chat for cell phone numbers of our neighbors who were at the drive in movies and didn't know about the impending storm. (she was understandably nervous as she was camping by Oak Openings when the tornadoes ravaged that area a couple weeks ago) I also saw many status updates wishing everyone a safe night and could track the progress of the storm across Toledo by the status updates of my friends in the area. Very ironic that people even posted about their electricity being out. No need for electricity with laptop batteries and cellphones that can post to Twitter and Facebook. I could see that people were nervous last night and were using social media to keep track of the storm, to report damage and in general...to stay in touch when the storm made them feel isolated.

How have you used social media tools to report on accidents, storms or at other times when you needed to share critical information?

Leverage Your Social Networks to Effect Corporate Change

2010-06-16T16:48:00.000-04:00

Leverage Your Social Networks to Effect Corporate Change

Groubal, Yelp, Twitter, Google Alerts...what are you doing to safeguard and monitor conversation/complaints about your company online? As I always say about social media..."the conversation is happening whether you are a part of it or not, hadn't you better be part of it?"

Google TV Explained in Less Than Three Minutes [VIDEO]

2010-06-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

Google TV Explained in Less Than Three Minutes [VIDEO]

As landlines for phones are heading down the path of extinction, what do you think of Google entering into the TV world? Have you watched TV online? Have you ever heard of Hulu? Check out this video and share your thoughts here.

Read-Only Facebook Coming to Your Company?

2010-06-14T16:39:00.000-04:00

Read-Only Facebook Coming to Your Company?

Why Small Businesses Shouldn't Take Social Media for Granted

2010-06-14T12:16:00.000-04:00

Why Small Businesses Shouldn't Take Social Media for Granted

Can Small Businesses Really Use Blogs?

2010-06-08T14:33:00.004-04:00

YES!

This blog post is in preparation for a presentation I will be making to area human resource professionals on social media. This is the second of my 2-part series on social media and we will be focusing on blogging, FourSquare, MySpace, Flickr and digital reputation management. After the presentation I will be inviting the participants to post comments here. If you have anything to share about your business success with blogs, please add that as a comment here too so I may show them how this process works.

June Business Networking Opportunities

2010-05-28T12:44:00.002-04:00

Another busy month in Northwest Ohio/Southeast Michigan for networking!

1 - Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours, 5 pm @ Chamber offices
1 - Certified Networker graduation, 5:30 pm @ Maumee Indoor
2 - WEN Bowling Green, noon @ Stone Ridge
3 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber Golf Outing @ Chippewa Golf Club
3 - WEN East of the River, 11:30 @ Cousino's in Oregon
4 - Napoleon Elks "Rally in the Alley"
4-5 - Putnam County Relay for Life
7 - Sylvania Chamber golf outing @ Highland Meadows
7 - Waterville Chamber gold outing @ Brandywine
8 - Greater Findlay In Fresh Brewed Business, 8 am @ Findlay Country Club
8 - WEN Hancock County/Bluffton, 7:30 am @ Jeanne's Kitchen
8 - Maumee Chamber meeting, noon @ Pinnacle
9 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Claire David
9-12 - John Paulding Days, Paulding
10 - Hicksville Chamber Lunch n Learn, noon @ Hickory Hills Restaurant
10-12 - Whitehouse Cherry Festival
10 - Waterville Chamber meeting, noon @ John's Manville
10 - Leipsic Chamber meeting, noon @ Leipsic Retirement
10 - Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ Union Street Grille
11 - Holland Springfield Chamber Business Connections, 7:30 a @ Daily Grind
11 - Montpelier Area Chamber Meeting, 8 am @ Chamber office
14 - Kingston HealthCare Charity Golf Outing @ Belmont CC
14 - WEN West, noon @ Loma Linda's (Swanton)
15-19 - Bryan Jubilee
15 - WEN IDDM (I Don't Do Mornings), 4:30 pm @ The Flying Bean (Perrysburg)
16 - Perrysburg Chamber meeting, 11:45 am
16 - RGP Tech Connect
16-20 - Holland Strawberry Festival
17 - Defiance Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30 pm @ GlenPark
18 - Henry County Relay for Life
22 - Greater Findlay Inc, Business2Business 8:30 am @ Hancock Co. Red Cross
22 - Holland Springfield Chamber golf outing @ Stone Oak
24-26 - Morenci Town and Country Festival
24 - WEN Hancock County/Findlay, 11:30 @ Greek Garden
24 - Holland Springfield Chamber meeting, 11:45 @ Wolf Creek
25 - Henry County Rib Fest, Napoleon
25 - Swanton Chamber Party in the Park
26 - Downtown Bryan Inc Day in the Park
28 - WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 @ LaScolla
30 - Rossford Business Association meeting, noon @ Bay Park Community Hospital

How To Use Google Wave for Live Blogging

2010-05-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

How To Use Google Wave for Live Blogging

May Networking Opportunities

2010-05-04T14:34:00.001-04:00

4 ~ Election Day, remember to vote!
5 ~ WEN Bowling Green, noon @ Stone Ridge Country Club
6 ~ WEN East, 11 am @ Cousino's on Woodville Rd.
8 ~ Fulton County Trade Show, 10 am @ Spangler Arena [Fulton County Fairgrounds]
10 ~ WEN West, 11:45 @ Loma Linda's
11 ~ WEN Hancock/Bluffton, 7:30 @ Jeanne's Kitchen
11 ~ Maumee Chamber meeting @ The Pinnacle
11 ~ Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours @ Park Shelter House
12 ~ WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 @ Claire David
13 ~ Waterville Chamber meeting, 7:30 @ Koral Hamburg
13 ~ Hicksville Chamber Lunch & Learn, 12:00 @ Hickory Hills
13 ~ Morenci Chamber meeting @ noon
13 ~ Pioneer Chamber meeting, noon @ Pizza Barn
13 ~ Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ Rita's on the Square
14 ~ Holland/Springfield Chamber Business Connects, 7:30 am @ Daily Grind
14 ~ Montpelier Chamber meeting, 8 am @ Chamber Office
16 ~ Bark in the Park, Arrowhead Business Park, walk to benefit Toledo Humane Society
18 ~ Delphos Chamber Bowling After Hours @ Delphos Rec Center
18 ~ WEN I Don't Do Mornings, 4:30 @ Flying Bean - Levis Commons
18 ~ Toledo Chamber Business Card Exchange, 5:30 @ BD's Mongolian Grill at Westfield Franklin Park
19 ~ Perrysburg Chamber meeting, 11:45 am
20 ~ Greater Findlay Inc, Business2Business 8:30 @ Ali's Alley
20 ~ Holland/Springfield Chamber Business After Hours @ MWA Financial in Maumee
22 ~ Bryan Fireworks Reverse Raffle @ Eagles
22 ~ Springfield Middle School Golf Outing @ Heatherdowns CC
24 ~ WEN Lunch Bunch, 11:30 @ LaScolla
26 ~ Defiance Chamber Breakfast of Champions, 7:45 @ Defiance College
26 ~ Rossford Business Association, 8 am @ 720 Dixie Hwy.
27 ~ Holland/Springfield Chamber meting, 11:45 @ Lutheran Village (Speaker Rep. Barbara Sears)
27 ~ WEN Hancock/Findlay, 11:30 @ Greek Garden
28 ~ Swanton Chamber Party in the Park, 6 pm @ Memorial Park
31 ~ Deshler Memorial Day Parade & Program

April Business Networking Opportunities

2010-03-30T11:58:00.002-04:00

Anthony Wayne Area Referral Enterprise (AWARE) 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 7:30 a.m. @ Chowders 'N Moor, Waterville
Archbold Business Connections 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 7 am @ Samuel Mancino's
BANC - Every Wednesday in Bryan, contact Sara Wicks (Sarah_wicks@us.aflac.com)
Boomer's Resource Network, Thursdays 11 am @ Uncle John's Retaurant (Toledo)
Impact Referral Group 2nd & 4th Fridays 8:15 am @ Cafe Marie's in Perrysburg
Net Sense - Every Wednesday, 7 am @ Fulton County Administration Building
Power Coffee - Fridays 7 am @ Panera on Central or Wednesdays 7 am @ Bigby's on Madison (Toledo)

April
6 - Ottawa Area Chamber Business After Hours, 5 pm @ Henry's Restaurant
6 - Greater Findlay Inc. Fresh Brewed Business, 8 am @ Findlay Country Club
6 - Sylvania Chamber meeting, 11:45 @ Franciscan Center
7 - WEN Bowling Green, 12 pm @ Stone Ridge
8 - Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ Rita's on the Square
8 - Morenci Chamber meeting
8 - Waterville Chamber meeting, 12 pm @ Smedlap Smithy's
8 - Leipsic Chamber meeting
8 - Hicksville Chamber meeting, 5 pm
9 - Montpelier Chamber meeting, 8 am @ Chamber
9 - Holland Springfield Chamber Business Connections, 7:30 a @ Daily Grind
12 - WEN West, 11:30 @ Loma Linda's
12 - Archbold Chamber meeting, 12 pm @ Mom's
13 - Maumee Chamber Meeting, 11:30 @ Carrabba's
13 - WEN Hancock/Bluffton, 7:30 am @ Jeanne's Kitchen
13 - Wauseon Chamber Business After Hours, 5 pm @ Corner Quilts & Gifts
13 - Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours, 5 pm @ Copper Kettle Confections
13 - Greater Findlay Inc Business2Business, 8 am @ Country Inn & Suites
13 - Ottawa Area Chamber meeting @ Red Pig Inn
14 - WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 am @ Clair David
15 - Defiance Chamber Business After Hours, 4:30 pm @ Kettenring County Club
17 - Big Brothers/Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake @ Bay City Recreation, Oregon, Ohio
20 - Delphos Chamber Business After Hours @ Keith's Landeck Tavern
20 - WEN I Don't Do Mornings, 4:30 @ The Flying Bean (Perrysburg)
21 - Perrysburg Chamber meeting, 11:45
22 - Holland Springfield Chamber meeting, 11:45 @ Wolf Creek
22 - WEN Hancock/Findlay, 11:30 am @ Greek Garden
22 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber, 12 pm @ GAF Clubhouse
26 - WEN Trade Show, 1 pm @ Parkway Plaza
28 - Defiance Chamber Breakfast of Champions, 7:45 am @ Defiance College

If your chamber or business group has an upcoming networking event or you would like contact information for one of the above events, please email tnorris@trainwithcts.com or post a comment here.

What are You Giving up for Lent?

2010-02-17T08:51:00.001-05:00

With today being Ash Wednesday in the Christian religion there will probably be much talk around the proverbial water cooler about what people are giving up for Lent. During the 40 days (plus Sundays) of Lent some Christian-based religions advocate giving up of something important in remembrance of this sacred time of year. I have in the past, given up chocolate for Lent. However, due to an increase in my levels of agitation, my co-workers have requested I not do that again! My friends Marty and Pam are giving up (gasp) Facebook for Lent.

I would submit that in addition to the religious importance of this ritual giving up something for this period of time can also help you set a habit. If you do/don’t do something for over a month it would seem to become a routine.

So, in terms of your business networking, what could you take up/give up for Lent?

1. Give up Cold Calling – try a month of doing business by referral and further cultivation of current customers

2. Give Up Handing out stacks of business cards to everyone you meet – try 40 days of asking the person you are talking to for their card first

3. Take up giving out referrals – try to give out one referral a day for 40 days.

4. Take up meeting at least 1 new person each day – your goal is to meet at least 40 new people in this time period. They may or may not directly relate to business, your goal is meeting new people.

5. Take up 40 new ways of answering the question “So what do you do?” – there are many aspects to your business, and to list them all in answer to that question will overwhelm the asker and they may never remember what it is you do. If you can narrow it down to specific points, that will make you and your business easier to remember.

6. Take up trying a different name tag each day. In honor of Scott Ginsberg-nametag guy, why not wear different name tags in the spirit of item #5 above. Day 1 could be “Tami Norris, Computer Guru”; Day 2 could be "Tami Norris, Queen of Excel.” Have some fun with it, you will be more memorable.

7. Take up calling at least 1 former client per day. Not as a hard sales call, just touch base, see how they are doing, etc.

8. Take up sending out at least 1 note to a current client per day. “Thanks for your business”; “You’re the greatest”; etc.

9. Take up remembering your internal customers. The people you work with probably talk about you when they leave for the day? What do they say? Why not try doing something for them during this period? 40 notes of encouragement, candy, etc.

10. Give up the defeatist attitudes. As you walk into a networking meeting, go in with the attitude of “here are people that can help me do business.” 40 days of a positive attitude could make the world of difference to you and your business.

Any additional suggestions?

Good luck!

February Networking Opportunities

2010-02-03T23:15:00.004-05:00

4 - Bowling Green Chamber After Hours @ Oasis Medi Spa
4 - Boomer's Resource Network @ Uncle John's on Secor
5 - Whitehouse Chamber Business Expo, 4 pm @ Anthony Wayne High School
5 - Small Business Store Network free luncheon, @ Black Pearl (Toledo), 11:30 am
8 - Archbold Chamber meeting
8 - WEN West, 11:30 @ Loma Linda's
9 - Toledo Chamber Coffee & Connecting @ Office Depot on Monroe St.
9 - Maumee Chamber meeting, @ Pinnacle
9 - Whitehouse Chamber After Hours, 5 pm @ National City
9 - WEN Hancock County - Bluffton Chapter
9 - Tweetup, 5 pm @ Flying Joe in Perrysburg DATE CHANGED to 2/16
10 - Perrysburg Chamber meeting, 11:45
10 - WEN AM Coffee @ Clair David
11 - Morenci Chamber meeting, noon @ Pub
11 - Boomer's Resource Network @ Uncle John's on Secor
11 - Leipsic Chamber meeting
11 - Bryan Chamber After Hours @ Mohres
11 - Waterville Chamber, 12:00 Chowders 'N Moor (Waterville)
11 - Hicksville Chamber Lunch & Learn @ Hickory Hills
12 - Holland Springfield Chamber Business Connections @ Daily Grind
16 - WEN I Don't Do Mornings @ Flying Joe Perrysburg
16 - Delphos Chamber Business After Hours, 5 pm @ Eagles
16 - GreaterFindlayInc Business2Business, 8:30 am @ Findlay Inn
18 - Boomer's Resource Network @ Uncle John's on Secor
18 - Defiance Chamber After Hours, 4:30 @ Eagles Club Room
18 - Swanton Chamber After Hours, 5:00 @ Shuckers
22 - WEN @ LaScolla
23 - SMBTol, 7:30 am @ Toledo Art Museum
24 - Delphos Chamber Lunch
24 - Rossford Business Association, 8 am @ Bulldog Hall
24 - Regional Growth Partnership Tech Connect @ Toledo Club
25 - Boomer's Resource Network @ Uncle John's on Secor
25 - Holland Springfield Chamber Meeting @ Wolf Creek
25 - WEN Hancock County - Findlay chapter
27 - Holland Springfield Business Expo @ Springfield High School
27 - Paulding Chamber Annual Banquet

Free Help for Your Small Business

2010-01-28T14:40:00.001-05:00

If you are a small business owner and have not heard about the SBDC (Small Business Development Centers) I would challenge you to take a minute and learn more. I attended today’s Holland Springfield Chamber of Commerce meeting and our presenter was from the local SBDC office. In the Toledo area, SBDC can be found at the Toledo Regional Chamber, although it is not a part of that organization. I was amazed to learn about the services they can provide for free.

The SBDC is a program of the SBA (Small Business Administration). Our speaker today informed us that traditionally people may turn to the SBDC when starting a new business, but lately one of the focuses of the local branch is to provide assistance to already established small businesses. Their mission: “The Office of Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) provides management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. SBDCs offer one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations. The program is a cooperative effort of the private sector, the educational community and federal, state and local governments and is an integral component of Entrepreneurial Development's network of training and counseling services.” An excellent point made by our speaker today, don’t wait until the last minute to call them. They are swamped in this economy with businesses needing help, so don’t wait until the day before you plan to file bankruptcy to call. Also, in case you are concerned, these are confidential services. Whether your assistance comes from an employee of the SBDC or an outside consultant they match you with, the services are free and confidential.

Keep an eye out here for possible training opportunities to be provided by the Holland Springfield Chamber in cooperation with the SBDC and CTS!

Have you had a chance to work with SBA or SBDC? Share your stories here.

Are you a Rocket Scientist?

2010-01-21T11:01:00.002-05:00

Angie Weid is.

Angie is with Organized Solutions a company designed to help you get it together. She helps you declutter your life. While we all probably know we need to get something in our life organized, doing it can be another matter. Whether it is lack of time, not knowing where to start or just being overwhelmed by it all, getting going is the tough part. In her blog I Organize You, Angie has been writing a series of "Time to Get Organized Challenges." These are quick tasks that can be done, and she even suggests a reward for when you finish. Breaking down into these smaller snippets may make the task at hand less overwhelming.

In reading her blog, I realize that these principles are not unique to our homes but can be applied to our businesses. Stop reading and look around you. What do you see? Any empty pop cans, file folders from someone you called last week, a phone number written on a note and you have no idea who it is, how many read emails in your inbox? Yes some companies have regulations on how long you have to keep certain items, but if you cannot find it, what good is that doing you? Whether in a cubicle, the corner office, or working from your car; getting organized can help you put your business's best foot forward.

What great organizing tip at work do you have to share?

With Freedom Comes Responsibility

2010-01-20T09:37:00.002-05:00

Those are the words I responded with to my almost 12 year old son when he blamed me for his almost being late to school this morning. He often likes to tout “it’s a free country” well that may be, but what he is about to learn that you are RESPONSIBLE for the choices you make in this free country and the outcomes they produce.

Being a techie, I began to ponder how/if that same logic could be applied to social media. Most of the social media sites are free or have a free component to them. You can, and people do, put just about any piece of information on them you can think of. So my question is, how much responsibility does the individual bear if their private information gets hijacked? In other words, if for some reason I post that I am going to be out of the country for a month on my Facebook account (which also lists where I live, work, etc.) do I bear some of the responsibility if my house gets broken into while I am gone. Facebook has had some potshots taken at them for their ever changing Privacy Policy, but I would submit that if it is on the internet, is it really private? Yes you can allow only friends to see your MySpace profile, but do you know who all their friends are or their friends’ friends?

Weigh in on your thoughts of privacy versus freedom in terms of information on social media sites. What does this imply for individuals? For companies? For Non-profits?

It's Not Your Father's Business Network

2010-01-17T11:45:00.000-05:00

The following is a link to a great blog post on networking:
http://veryofficialblog.com/2010/01/16/knowledge-flows-and-the-new-way-to-network/

In referring to a traffic jam the author has a revelation that can be applied to our business networking "that cars on the road weren’t simply playing follow the leader, or racing to a finish line, but they were only happening to move in the same direction as us for a short time. Life for me became much less linear. Now it was about navigating my way through a crowded, complex system." I would add that if one car makes a mistake, it can clog up the whole works. Does this apply to our networking as well?

I started to reflect to when my father was alive and in business. He worked in upper-middle management for a regional utility. I seem to remember a lot of lunch meetings but wonder if they were just talking business or were they truly one-to-ones with each participant seeing how he/she could help the other. I definitely do not remember any formal networking groups. I do remember a photography club in the early years and later an investment club. He was also in Jaycees for awhile (as I was I at the proper age). But think current day, there are any number of networking groups one can get involved in and people are expressly there to do business.

Which brings me to my second point the successful networker realizes that principle taught by BNI..."givers gain." I belong to several networking groups in Northwest Ohio and have observed the long time members versus those who come and go and overall have found those with longevity are the ones that are able to not only promote their company but can ascertain the needs of other members and help them as well.

Finally, how does social media play into all this? For us techies (and the not so techie) we have a whole new medium of networking capability. I would submit that applying the giver's gain philosophy is just as essential here. Those folks on Twitter who constantly barrage me with ads about their diet supplement or the house they are selling are going to be defollowed by me shortly. But if you are adding value to the conversation, I am more likely to look at your occasional ad as a need for a referral and may pass it on if appropriate. A great piece of advice for online social networkers, be a lurker first. See what the flow of conversation is, what is acceptable, topics that people discuss and then jump in with both feet, always keeping in mind, how can you add to the greater conversation.

What annoying habits of networkers (either online or in person) have you see lately?

Terrific Twitter Tools

2010-01-15T07:13:00.003-05:00

Twuffer, Tweet Deck, Bit.ly what do they all mean? If you are still scratching your head at the popularity of Twitter and trying to figure out how to effectively use it for your business you might look at some of the tools out their that work with Twitter for some ideas. Here are some that I use:

TweetDeck - this tool organizes your tweets. You are able to save searches by columns and then aggregate tweets on specific topics. This can be a great tool for environmental scanning. It also allows you to hook up your MySpace and Facebook accounts and choose to send out updates to all or some at the same time.

Twuffer - Twitter Buffer, this allows you to schedule out your tweets so instead of sending out a bunch all at once you can space them out through the day.

Twitter Grader - see how you rate on Twitter.

Twitter Local - way to monitor Tweets from people who are geographically near you.

Klout - tool to measure what kind of Twitter user you are and your influence on Twitter. (Connector, Persona, Casual, Climber)

Bit.ly, TinyURL - tools like these are URL shorteners, in other words since you have limited characters in a tweet you can use these tools to shorten any web link that you would like to send out.

There are many, many more out there. Implementing these tools helped me further my use of this interesting tool.

What is your favorite Twitter application?

Killing Your Audience With PowerPoint

2010-01-14T09:01:00.003-05:00

Raise your hand if you have ever nodded off during a PowerPoint presentation. Okay now raise your hand if you have ever thought or said "don't read the slides to me, I can read them myself." Okay, lower your hands, I am sorry to say that you have been subjected to death by PowerPoint.

According to Dave Paradi (The PowerPoint Lifeguard), the top 4 things that annoy people about PowerPoint presentations are:

62% Speaker read slide
46.9% Text so small couldn't read
42.6% Slides hard to see due to color choice
39.1% Full sentences not bullet points

What is the problem? With PowerPoint it is easy to learn the basics so people just run with that. It also seems they use PowerPoint to compose their speeches...folks, PowerPoint is a tool. Just like it takes more than nails to make a house, it takes more than PowerPoint to make a great presentation. You must have content, style, knowledge, ability to involve the audience and more to make a memorable presentation. If you really must compose the speech in PowerPoint do so in the notes section then highlight points from those notes in the slides.

A couple other pet peeves of mine:

Too much or not enough graphics - you should use pictures, only if they illustrate the point. They should also be based on the audience. Use photographs for professional presentations, keep the clip art for less structured venues.

Turning your back on the audience - print out an outlines, notes or something so you don't have to keep turning away. Yes, sometimes you can use the 3/4 stance, but never turn your back on the audience (day 1 lesson from my degree in education)

Not engaging the audience - incorporate stories, pictures, etc. that are relevant to your audience. If you are presenting to a company perhaps you could use their color scheme in your presentation, or a picture of their building or one of their products on the opening slide. Make sure you build in points where you can have them ask questions either by adding in a break slide or by using the W or B keys on your keyboard to toggle a white or black screen.

No action/conclusion slide. One of your last slides should either draw the logical conclusion to the presentation or be a call to action. In other words, "I've listened to you for an hour, now what I am supposed to do?"

So what are your PowerPoint horror stories from the trenches?

(Your call to action from this post...if you don't know how to do the above points, go to www.trainwithcts.com and sign up for a class!)

Should Your Company Create Its Own Social Network?

2010-01-13T14:22:00.005-05:00

Is Facebook good enough or does your company need it's own social network.

My question to the company would be "What are you trying to get out of it?"

In my opinion if you are trying to engage customers, potential customers and create conversation, why not use a tool that is already in place. Unless you are a large company who already has a strong following and a strong social media staff, creating an interactive, user-friendly site, and the promotion and maintenance of that site will be a costly, time consuming task. Your customers probably are already on Facebook or LinkedIn, why not engage them there? Unless yours is a fabulous site, do you think they are going to remember to go there as often as you would like?

However, if the purpose of your social network is to facilitate internal social interaction, you may want to consider a home-grown solution. Creating your own site will allow you to add the tools needed by your employees and allow for better security control. Since you have a captive audience (your employees) it will be easier to get them on the network than trying to enroll and engage all of your customers.

Here are two articles that address this topic:

http://www.helium.com/items/1521933-why-businesses-should-use-existing-social-networking-websites-for-marketing

So, what do you think? Home-grown or stick with the big guns?

Have You Googled Yourself Lately?

2010-01-12T09:38:00.003-05:00

I have written about this before, but it is a new year and this important topic bears repeating. Business owners need to keep track of what is being said about them online, as well as where they come up in search results. The size of your organization will determine who is responsible for this, whether it be you as sole proprietor or someone in marketing, IT or legal. You should be regularly looking for information on your company as well as your primary partners/officers in search engines. Why?

It will help you see what others see when they look for you.
It will help you keep track of what is being said about you online by customers, competitors, etc.

You can then use this information to make adjustments to appropriate areas of your business plan. (More on marketing, damage control over a bad product, social media dollars, SEO, etc)

Just for an experiment, I googled my division (Custom Training Solutions) today and we were #1, #3 & #4 in the top 10 search results!

I have spoken before about Google Alerts, these are email alerts on search phrases you set up. Rather than you having to go out and do searches, the results are regularly delivered to you. Definitely set up the following alerts:

Name of your company
Name(s) of your competitors
Name(s) of your biggest customers
Name(s) of customers you are trying to land
Industry topics that impact your business

Twitter is another area you should monitor for talk about your company. I did an experiment for a county economic group by doing a search in Twitter for tweets talking about the largest company in their county (Campbell Soup). It was interesting to see how many people were talking about their soups and what they had to say. What a powerful tool for a company...unsolicited feedback on their products.

So get busy and see what the web is saying about you..

HELLO, my name is BLOG!: 11 Contrarian Comments that Will Make You Squirm in Your Seat and Probably Hate Me

2010-01-08T08:23:00.001-05:00

HELLO, my name is BLOG!: 11 Contrarian Comments that Will Make You Squirm in Your Seat and Probably Hate Me

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Social Media: You’re Doing it Wrong!

2010-01-07T12:28:00.000-05:00

I recommend reaading Social Media: You’re Doing it Wrong! This illustrates a case study of a company who was being talked about on Twitter and they didn't even know it. You will also find 5 warning signs that you are using social media "wrong." I especially agree with the point that Social Media Marketing is not something you just pawn off on your interns. It must be a part of your overall marketing strategy.

What company have you found that is using social media effectively?

January Networking Events

2010-01-06T10:13:00.004-05:00

I have been a bad blogger, but with the holidays and the addition of a new son to our family, I hope you will excuse my tardiness. Below is a listing of networking events in Northwest Ohio/Southeast Michigan. Please comment if you have others I have missed for the month. I have also included some links to take you to the organizations' websites so you may learn more about them.

6 - WEN Bowling Green, Stone Ridge CC, noon
8 - Small Business Store Network Free luncheon, @ Black Pearl (Toledo), 11:30am
11 - Archbold Chamber meeting
11 - WEN West @ Loma Linda's
12 - Maumee Chamber meeting
12 - WEN Hancock County - Bluffton Chapter
13 - WEN AM Coffee @ Clair David
14 - Leipsic Chamber meeting
14 - Boomer's Resource Network @ Chowders N Moor in Holland
14 - Bryan Chamber After Hours @ Orchard Hills Country Club
14 - Hicksville Chamber Lunch & Learn @ Hickory Hills
19 - WEN I Don't Do Mornings @ Flying Joe Perrysburg
20 - Perrysburg Chamber meeting, 11:45
21 - GreaterFindlayInc Business2Business
21 - Boomer's Resource Network @ Chowders N Moor in Holland
21 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber State of the Communities Breakfast 7:30 a.m.
21 - Defiance Chamber Business After Hours @ Charlies Down Under, 4:30
23 - Bryan Chamber Banquet & Silent Auction
25 - WEN @ LaScolla
27 - Toledo Chamber Annual Meeting
28 - Holland Springfield Chamber meeting @ Wolf Creek
28 - Boomer's Resource Network @ Chowders N Moor in Holland
28 - WEN Hancock County - Findlay chapter
29 - Paulding Chamber Annual Banquet @ Paulding Eagles
30 - Bowling Green Chamber Annual meeting

November Networking Opportunities

2009-11-06T14:40:00.001-05:00

7 - WEN Sadie Hawkins Dance

9 - Archbold Chamber meeting

9 - WEN West @ Loma Linda's

9 - Whitehouse Chamber Annual Meeting

10 - Maumee Chamber meeting & Business Expo @ Pinnacle

11 - WEN AM Coffee @ Clair David

12 - Bryan Chamber After Hours @ Rita's on the Square

12 - Delphos Chamber meeting, noon

12 - Morenci Chamber meeting

12 - Pioneer Chamber @ Pizza Barn, noon

12 - Leipsic Chamber meeting

12 - Boomers Resource Network @ Uncle John's Restaurant Toledo, 11:30

12 - Napoleon Chamber Business After Hours @ Symphony of Trees

12 - Hicksville Chamber Business After Hours @ Randolphs, 5 pm

12 - Defiance Chamber Reverse Raffle

14 - Bryan Merchants Christmas Open House

17 - Toledo Chamber Business Card Exchange @ Crowne Plaza, 5:30 pm

17 - Greater Findlay Inc Business2Business @ Findlay Country Club

17 - WEN I Don't Do Mornings @ Flying Joe Perrysburg

18 - Perrysburg Chamber meeting

19 - Holland/Springfield Chamber meeting

19 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber meeting

19 - Waterville Chamber breakfast

19 - WEN Findlay Chapter @ Greek Garden

19-22 - Paulding Historical Christmas Open House

21 - Montpelier Chamber Olde Tyme Holiday Gathering

21 - Bowling Green Holiday Parade

23 - WEN Lunch Bunch @ Ramada

27 - Archbold Parade of Lights

28 - Antwerp Parade of Lights

29 - Ottawa Chamber Welcome Santa Parade & Park Lighting

As you can see there are many opportunities for you to do some business networking in Northwest Ohio/Southeast Michigan during the month of November. Hope to see you out and about!

Update to Cleaning House Post

2009-10-15T11:01:00.003-04:00

Just a quick update to my post from July on decluttering your life. At that time I had not had a successful transaction on Craig's list other than giving something away for free. I just wanted to report that I have since sold a television set and a shower seat both through Craig's list. The transactions were smooth, the people came to my house to pick up the items at a prearranged time and it was painless. I will still caution you that there are scammers on Craig's list. I have noted that I do not want any other offers beyond my post, but people do respond to my post offering me "quick and easy money." Use your common sense, be firm in accepting cash only and hopefully all will go well. Have you had a positive/negative experience with eBay or Craig's list?

Ten Steps for Creating a FANtastic Facebook Fan Page : MarketingProfs

2009-10-13T17:28:00.001-04:00

Ten Steps for Creating a FANtastic Facebook Fan Page : MarketingProfs

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NW Ohio October Networking Events

2009-10-12T09:42:00.001-04:00

Many networking opportunities for you during the remainder of October. If you see something I missed, please add it as a comment.

12 - Archbold Chamber meeting, noon @ Home Restaurant
12 - WEN West @ Loma Linda's
13 - Maumee Chamber meeting @ Pinnacle
13 - Greater Findlay Inc. Business 2 Business
14 - WEN AM Coffee @ Clair David
15 - Defiance Chamber Business After hours, 4:30 pm @ Miami & Erie Bar and Grill
15 - Waterville Chamber Annual Dinner
17 - Scare on the Square, Bryan
18 - Sylvania Fall Festival
20 - Delphos Chamber Business After Hours, 5:30 @ Peak 24Hour Fitness
20 - WEN I Don't Do Mornings @ Flying Bean Perrysburg
20 - Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours 5:00 @ Blue Creek Coffee House
21 - Perrysburg Chamber meeting
22 - Holland/Springfield Chamber meeting
22 - WEN Findlay Chapter
22 - Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber meeting
26 - WEN Lunch Bunch @ Ramada
29 - Van Wert Chamber Small Business of the Year Awards Luncheon
31 - Ottawa, SPPS Foundation Run
31 - Defiance Halloween Parade

NW Ohio September Networking Events

2009-09-04T09:30:00.003-04:00

In our monthly e-newsletter I publish a list of upcoming networking events and I wanted to start publishing it here as well for your reference.

2-7 – Hancock County Fair, Findlay
4-6 – Glandorf Park Festival
4-10 – Fulton County Fair
5 – Bryan’s Best Burger Battle, Bryan Moose Lodge 4 – 10 pm
8 – Maumee Chamber Meeting, 11:30 am
9 – WEN AM Coffee, 7:30 @ Clair David’s in Toledo
10 – Bryan Chamber Business After Hours @ O'Bryan's
10 – Pioneer Chamber Meeting, 12 pm
10 – Leipsic Chamber Meeting, 12 pm
10 – Morenci Chamber Meeting, 12 pm
11 – Montpelier Chamber Meeting, 8 am
12 – Rummage in the Park, Blissfield
12 – Sherwood Homecoming
12 – Party by the Pond, Holland, 7 pm
12-19 – Williams County Fair
12-13 – Canal Days, Grand Rapids
14 – Archbold Chamber Meeting
14 – Toledo Chamber Golf Outing @Stone Oak
14 – WEN West @ Loma Linda’s, 11:30 am
15 – WEN I Don’t Do Mornings, 4:30 @ Flying Bean in Perrysburg
15 – Whitehouse Chamber Business After Hours @ Diversified Insurance
16 – Paulding Chamber Golf Outing @ Auglaize Club
16 – Bowling Green Chamber Business After Hours @ Holiday Inn Express
16 – Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber Annual Steak Roast
17 – Defiance Chamber Business After Hours @ Okuley's
17 – Hicksville Chamber Golf Outing @Hickory Hills Golf Club
17 – Van Wert Chamber Business After Hours @ Baker Built, 5 pm
18-20 – Delphos Canal Days
19 – Harrison Rally Day, Perrysburg
19 – Liberty Center Fall Festival
19 – Wauseon Chamber Chili Cookoff
19 – Malinta Festival
19 – Napoleon Fall Festival @ HC Fairgrounds
19 – Napoleon Alive Street Fair (downtown Napoleon)
24 – Holland/Springfield Chamber Meeting, 11:45 am
24 – WEN Findlay inaugural meeting
24 – Henry County/Napoleon Chamber Meeting
24 – Toledo Chamber Business Card Exchange @ Manos, 5:30 pm
25-27 – Luckey Fall Festival
26 – Downtown Bryan Inc. Fall Festival
26 – Roche de Boeuf Festival, Waterville
26 – Fayette Fall Festival
28 – WEN Lunch Bunch @ Ramada

Interested in receiving the newsletter or have an event to share? Click here to email me. Thanks to Pam from The State Bank and Trust for letting us know about the Luckey Fall Festival!

What the Microsoft-Yahoo-Bing Deal Means for You

2009-07-30T15:03:00.001-04:00

What the Microsoft-Yahoo-Bing Deal Means for You

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What is ShareThis?

2009-07-29T08:59:00.007-04:00

You may have noticed my previous blog posts had no body, just a hyperlink. That is because I didn't write them, but I read them and thought you might find them interesting as well. At the end of the posting you may have seen the words ShareThis or AddThis. ShareThis and AddThis are two services that can help share your content with other services. Both services allow you to create a button that can be added to your site or possibly a blog post. This button allows users to post a link to your item in other areas. These two services allow you to customize the button and choose where people can post the links. Possibilities include Blogger, Digg, Facebook, delicious and more!

Why? By allowing people to post links to your article it promotes you or your business and ultimately can drive people back to your website or blog. In essence you are letting others market for you!

Have you used either of these services? Your thoughts?

Britain Prints Guide to Twitter for Puzzled Officials - Science News | Science

2009-07-29T08:57:00.001-04:00

Britain Prints Guide to Twitter for Puzzled Officials - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com

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Windows XP to Windows 7: It's Going to Be a Bumpy Ride

2009-07-27T18:07:00.001-04:00

Windows XP to Windows 7: It's Going to Be a Bumpy Ride

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Facebook Group vs Facebook Fan Page: What’s Better?

2009-07-27T15:31:00.001-04:00

Facebook Group vs Facebook Fan Page: What’s Better?

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Cleaning House

2009-07-21T21:50:00.004-04:00

I've spent a lot of time in the garage/attic and kids' rooms this summer trying to declutter. My capitalistic tendencies combined with my desire to not overfill our landfills has led me to try a variety of ways of getting rid of stuff. Here is a review to date:

Garage sale - baby clothes went well, so did furniture, but not adult clothes, knickknacks or sporting goods.
Furniture Ministry - our church operates a furniture ministry and they were pleased to get an entertainment center, chair and changing table.
Craig's List - jury is still out on this. I have not sold anything yet...a few nibbles that didn't pan out, but did give away a few free items. Sales transactions are made in cash...no protection through Paypal, but no fees either.
Freecycle - givers gain philosophy here. In an effort to keep things out of landfills various communities have "freecycle groups" on Yahoo. You list where you are and what you have and people pick up at an arranged time/location. Like Craig's list you can also request items. I am in need of a food scale that weighs in grams for a family member. I've listed that need on both and will see if I can find one.
Library - local libraries are often open to taking used books. Ours loves novels and children's books, but doesn't want old textbooks
Half.com - a division of eBay where you can sell your old textbooks.
EBay - Have had mixed success on this. Cell phones go well, with other items I've had varying levels of success. Sometimes there are fees even if the item does not sell.
Goodwill - when all else fails, Goodwill is a great place to donate items and get a receipt for your taxes. The library and our furniture ministry also supplied me with the need tax forms.

What has worked for you?

Social Networking Skills a Job Requirement?

2009-07-15T10:29:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Kim Komando's newsletter for the link to this article: "How Many Twitter Followers Does it Take to Get a Good Job?" This Network World article talks about a recent job listed on Best Buy's website for a Senior Manager - Emerging Media Marketing. In addition to a graduate degree the qualifications also indicated they wanted candidates with 250 or more Twitter followers.

Further in the article, according to Jennifer Perrier-Knox, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group, "Experience with Twitter and other social networking technologies would likely be of most interest to those in media and marketing. We’re also seeing increasing use of these types of tools in HR management."

What are your thoughts? What jobs should consider experience in social media? What emerging jobs do you see for people who are well versed in using these tools?

Microsoft Office 2010

2009-07-13T06:55:00.003-04:00

Keep your eyes and ears open today as Microsoft is due to make an announcement about its next version of Office. They are in New Orleans today for their Worldwide Partner Conference. From pre-release screen shots I have seen on the web including those at http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/13/the-complete-guide-to-microsofts-office-2010/, the interface appears to have stayed the same as 2007, so sorry if you were hoping to go back to toolbars and menus. The chatter, however, is all about cloud computing. Will it be totally online? Free? Are they going to take on Google Docs and Zoho? Stay tuned.

Kumo Renamed Bing

2009-06-18T11:12:00.002-04:00

Just an update to my May 21 blog post about Microsoft's new search engine. At that time they were using the codename Kumo to refer to their revamped search engine. About a week later it was revealed that the name had been changed to Bing. The revamped search engine is looking to do battle with industry leader Google and second place Yahoo. Ask is still hanging in there and is going after the NASCAR crowd with some interesting tactics this year. My best advice...shop around. Start let's say with Google and type in a search phrase. How many results, how close are they to want you want? Then try that same phrase with Yahoo, Bing, Ask and maybe even Altavista. Then, search for yourself on each. Try variations on your name as well as any screen names you might use. You might be surprised at what comes up. More on that (Digital Reputation) in our next blog post.

In the meantime, which search engine does the job for you?

Is Your Organization Friendly or Welcoming?

2009-06-15T15:55:00.003-04:00

Credit to my networking mentor, Debby Peters, as the inspiration for this post. Visit her blog on this same topic.

Several organizations which I am aware of or even belong to are struggling to activate or attain membership. I realize that the economy and everyone's multiple demands on our time play a big part in this equation, but I also got to thinking that the people who are active in an organization, are so for a reason, what is that reason? The group is as much a part of them as they are of it. So how do you develop that enthusiasm in others? Your group needs to be more than friendly, it needs to be welcoming.

To share a story, I won't name names, but my son auditioned for a play with a small, local company about a year ago. Everyone there was very friendly, I even at the spur of the moment auditioned for the parent role in the play with him. We had fun and walked away feeling good. My son did not get the part, which is okay. Now mind you this is not sour grapes, but since the phone call that he did not get the part, we didn't hear from them again. No add to their mail list, call to see if we would be interested in another audition down the road, nothing. I couldn't help but notice on their website that they have several open positions on their board. How many opportunities have they missed for members by not welcoming in those who have shown interest?

According to Debby Peters "friendly means that you smile at me when we meet. You probably also say hello. Welcoming means that a connection is made." So if your group is struggling for members are you just friendly or are you welcoming to both visitors and current members?

What are some reasons you find right now that groups are having trouble with membership? What have you done to combat that?

It's Festival Time, Don't Remove Your Networking Hat

2009-05-29T07:03:00.002-04:00

As I sit here debating which night to volunteer my services for the Holland Strawberry Festival, it strikes me that this festival is about more than having fun with the family. At the festival I will see neighbors, parents of my children's friends, business owners and more. So in addition to having fun with the family, the festival is a chance for me to continue to build visibility in the community.

Are you planning on attending an area festival or fair this summer? If so, put it in the framework of a networking event and you may rethink your festival-going strategy.

1. Like any other networking event, make a goal of meeting a certain number of people. Often times festivals and fairs have booths with local businesses. Make it your goal to visit these booths and meet X number of people.
2. Bring your business cards along with you.
3. While you will be dressed more casually than other networking events, keep an eye on what you are wearing and what it says about you.
4. Ditto the above in regard to alcohol consumption. If I am considering purchasing health and wellness products from you, but see you drunk Friday night in the beer garden, that would make me rethink your credibility.
5. Volunteer. If you volunteer to work at the festival it helps with your visibility and can help you establish credibility with the festival committee. If you do volunteer though be absolutely sure you fulfill your commitment. Not showing ruins the credibility you seek to establish.
6. Consider renting a booth, but only if this is your target market. If you have not been to this festival before, you should be able to ask someone from the committee what the basic demographics of the festival goers are. If this is not your target market, don't rent a booth, just go and network and enjoy!

By all means, do not ignore your family. It is about balance. You can still enjoy riding the tilt-a-whirl and eating funnel cakes after you meet your networking goals.

Is Blogging for You?

2009-05-27T08:58:00.003-04:00

You may be wondering in these economic times if you should start a blog. Well my response to you is why? Not meaning to be a smart-alec (although I have been accused of that more than once) I simply want to imply that you need to have a focus prior to beginning your blog. So answer the following questions before jumping in:

1. Who do I want to read this? Current customers? New customers?
2. What do I hope to get out of this? Increased awareness of my brand, more sales?
3. How much time do I have to spend on this?
4. How will I promote it? (cross promote on Twitter, in a newsletter, etc)
5. Do I know other bloggers who will link to mine?
6. How often will I post?

Still not certain? Social Media Breakfast Toledo will be covering this very topic at their June breakfast. Dave Rigotti will be speaking on "Do's and Dont's of Business Blogging". For more information click here.

What blogs do you read regularly? Why do you read them?

Goodbye Live Search, Hello Kumo

2009-05-21T14:39:00.004-04:00

Much buzz in the technology world about what Microsoft will be doing to regain their standing in the search engine world. Today, I found that they are supposedly previewing a new product called "Kumo" at a Wall Street Journal conference next week.

I googled "Kumo" and got a variety of articles. According to CNN, Microsoft is a step behind Yahoo and Google who have already previewed their improvements.

So what does Kumo bring to the table? Early previews show a new panel on the left side of the screen "that breaks searches down into a number of related queries. The results themselves also feature information organized into categories." Enhanced search capabilities on video and images along with a natural language search have also reportedly been added. PC World is reporting "three-column search results page featuring useful tools like related searches" and "a single-session search history for quick backtracking."

For a preview of the new look visit Kara Swisher's Boom Town Blog

If you have tried Kumo let us know. Also, what is your preferred search tool? Do you use Google, Yahoo, Live Search or something else?

Well if You Weren't Fond of Vista, Will Windows 7 Be the Answer?

2009-05-14T11:50:00.003-04:00

I am encouraged by the things I am reading about Windows 7. Now, don't get me wrong, I like Vista just fine; but when it comes right down to it, I usually run my computers on their Windows XP partition.

When scanning cyberspace today, I found an article that compares what was/is new about Windows XP, Vista and 7. Check it out here.

I am especially looking forward to trying out:
-Revamped system tray
-Virtual folders
and that it is supposed to be able to function well on less powerful machines that what Vista needs.

If you have been experimenting with a Beta or RC of Windows 7, please share your thoughts here.

Sometimes it's as Easy as F11...

2009-05-13T06:34:00.003-04:00

...and sometimes it is not.

Why am I such a big proponent of training for business owners and their employees? Not just because it helps pay my salary, but also because of thousands of dollars and hours my coworkers and I have saved businesses by helping them become more efficient, helping them meet recertification requirements or simply helping them to discover how to do something they never thought possible. Often in difficult economic times one of the early line items struck from a budget is training, but when you have the need to run "lean and mean" it is training that can help get you there.

A month ago I worked with a company in central Ohio. We did a class on converting from Excel 2003 to 2007. Several of the students were not fans of this conversion but we were able to discover many positives about Excel 2007. One of the students expressed frustration about charting in Excel's latest release. She and a coworker spent several hours the previous day creating a graph. After taking the class, she now knows how to create one in no time at all....sometimes it IS just as easy as F11...

Measuring the ROI of Social Media

2009-05-01T13:00:00.005-04:00

Aaron Nemman of Techrigy presented at today's Social Media breakfast in Toledo and I had the opportunity to watch his presentation online. His topic was Social Media Measurement and I wanted to get a conversation on this started here.

Social media measurement refers to the tracking of various social media content such as blogs, wikis, etc (from Wikipedia.org).

Three points
- Monitoring: Let me know when someone is talking about my brand
-Measurement: Calculate qualitative and quantitative attributes (who is doing the talking and how often)
-Analysis: What does this mean for you

By finding means to measure the talk you can then begin to track it to ROI

How to measure. Aaron suggests:
-Quantitative measures might include how many times you, your company or brand are mentioned.
-Qualitative measures might look at what light the mentions were in (positive or negative), what is the tone, is it accurately reflecting what you do, etc.

Tracking to ROI:
-You could look at did you receive any leads? Did they convert to sales? Did you create goodwill with a customer/potential customer (yes, hard to quantify this). This article from Decker's Marketing breaks down the process in pretty simple steps.
-Is there internal ROI, in other words, did it help something within the company? Click here for a blog post that discusses that perspective.
-If you use social media to recruit, here is an article that discusses measuring the success of your efforts in that portion of your business.

To be able to measure ROI:
1. What area(s) of your business are you/do you want to use social media in?
2. Create a strategy. How much time, money and effort to be spent.
3. Define success. Are you looking for conversation, leads, links, sales, qualified applicants?
4. Create a matrix to measure costs versus return.
5. Evaluate, regroup and repeat.

Are you using Social Media in your business? How do you measure its success?

Using Twitter To Find Customers

2009-04-18T08:30:00.005-04:00

Was watching Twitter through my TweetDeck the other day and saw a post where someone was complaining about Excel 2007. Now I happen to like Excel 2007 so I chimed in that it was one of my favorite programs to teach. This person is not one of my friends I follow, so how and why did I do this?

In addition to keeping in contact with people I know, I use Twitter to see what is being talked about right now. I do this in two areas:

1. news - I follow the Wall Street Journal, The Toledo Free Press, and WTOL and WTVG out of Toledo. By following news sources I get information on what is going on both in nationally and locally. I forward relevant pieces of information onto my co-workers. I also use this to keep an eye on what is going on with my customers. I look for postings about customers we serve or the industries that they are in.

2. subject area- through an application called TweetDeck I have set up searches that track subjects in which we are specialists. For example, I have a search set up for "Excel." Any tweet that mentions Excel goes into a column in TweetDeck and I can respond to it if I would like. I do this for three reasons: One, to establish myself as a sme (subject matter expert) on Twitter, two to hopefully secure new business from someone who can use my help, and three to track trends/issues with various applications so I can devise a solution. For example, if I see that a lot of people are struggling with how to apply a background in PowerPoint 2007 I will incorporate that into my classes or possibly create a webinar to address that topic.

Is it working? Here is a tweet I received Friday: "@techietami I just made a killer excel file data base thing... THANKS!!"

How do you use Twitter? If you haven't yet, how can I help you?

Redefine Your Marketing Strategy and Budget

2009-04-15T12:11:00.003-04:00

I had the opportunity this morning to conduct a webinar on getting started with Twitter. During the discussion a great question came up on how one keeps updating all these social networking tools. With Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo, MySpace, LinkedIn etc it is easy to become overwhelmed with social media. For some they choose to ignore it, probably because they are overwhelmed. Others probably dive too deeply into it trying to maintain a presence on every site. So what should you do as a business looking to establish a social networking presence?

What is your target market? To oversimplify things: if your target market is 18-25 year olds MySpace is better than LinkedIn. Make sure you know your target market then research the different social media tools to learn about their demographic base.
Who is going to maintain this? If someone is not given the responsibility of updating your site it will probably fall through the cracks. Establish who and how often.
How much time/money are you going to spend on this? You budget for direct mail, cold calls, attending meetings right? Your social media presence is a part of the overall plan. Budget time and money to spend on it.
Promotion. Somehow you have to drive traffic to your social media site. Be deliberate in how you will do this. Add to the signature line of your email, ask for a cross link on other's blogs, follow other's posts. You may want to even offer an incentive (i.e., "follow us on Facebook and receive a free sample of product x.")
If you are going to work with multiple sites, is there a way to post an update in a centralized location? For example, when I post an update to Twitter I can also direct that to be my status update on Facebook.
Start as a lurker. Is there a competitor or vendor who already has an online presence? Check it out. Is it popular? What do you like/dislike about it?

I also read a great blog this morning on content marketing. I view social media as a part of this strategy. David Meerman Scott defines content marketing as "the creation of valuable and relevant content yourself (instead of using traditional means)." Seth Godin went on to say that "teaching your customers and giving your customers the resources to believe you is new marketing. They become a fan of yours because you teach them something that makes them feel better about the world." Social media is a method by which to make this happen. I suggest reading this blog entry for more information Seth Godin: "Content Marketing is the Only Marketing Left" and 10 New Marketing Lessons

How has content marketing or social media impacted the way you do marketing? Have you budgeted for it? How do you measure success?

Freedom of Speech in Jeopardy?

2009-04-06T10:43:00.004-04:00

The FTC is currently reviewing guidelines to hold companies liable for statements made on social networking and blogging outlets. This "would hold companies liable for untruthful statements made by bloggers and users of social networking sites who receive samples of their products. The guidelines would also hold bloggers liable for the statements they make about products."

"The main target of the new guidelines appears to be the widespread practice of viral marketing in which companies recruit non-employees to talk up products in exchange for samples or promotions." With the economy being what it is and the generational use of social media, advertisers are turning to blogs and social media as an inexpensive method for direct contact with the consumer.

For the full article click here. For comments from WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) click here. For comments from IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) click here. Comments from Association of National Advertisers are here.

Will the changes to this Guide protect consumers or hurt advertisers? Post your thoughts here!

CTS eLearning

2009-04-04T22:38:00.001-04:00

Experimenting with Slideshare which can take your PowerPoints and connect them to LinkedIn, Blogger, delicious and more. www.slideshare.net

CTS eLearning

View more presentations from techietami.

Social Media Breakfast

2009-04-04T09:39:00.002-04:00

Friday morning I attended the area's first Social Media Breakfast. For those of you in Northwest Ohio, you may have seen this on the news or read about it on Twitter (#smbtol). At the Toledo event 72 people attended in person and another 67attended virtually via ustream.tv.

The purpose of this event was to bring together people who are currently engaged in social media or who are interested in learning more about this method of communication. Friday's conversation centered on using social media to attract and retain customers. Before and after the presentation there was time for business networking to occur and I was pleased to meet in person two women whom I had only talked to via Twitter to date. The panel consisted of Damian Rintelmann, Director of Interactive Business Development at Hart Associates; Dave Rigotti, student & online marketer; Allen Mireles, social media marketing strategist; and Victoria Kamm, teacher and personal branding expert and was facilitated by Michael Temple an author on Internet Marketing.

I wanted to share with you a couple blogging tips I picked up:

Don't just shamelessly promote yourself and your business. Share information as an industry expert, case studies on how your product helped someone or discussion on industry trends. Make your blog a destination.
You should update at least once a week, more often is preferable.
To see what is being discussed in the world visit www.socialmention.com. "Social Mention is a social media search engine that searches user-generated content such as blogs, comments, bookmarks, events, news, videos, and microblogging services."

Social Media Breakfast is actually an international movement that is just now coming to Northwest Ohio. From Singapore to San Diego SMB events have been happening. For more information on the effort visit www.socialmediabreakfast.com . Locally, the next breakfast will be May 1 at the Elk's Lodge on Holland-Sylvania in Toledo. You can keep up to date on the local effort by joining their Ning site at http://smbtoledo.ning.com/ .

Questions:

Did you attend the breakfast? What did you get out of it? Do you think Social Media marketing is a fad or here to stay?

Don't forget we offer a webinar series designed to help you get started with social media tools. Download a brochure at http://www.trainwithcts.com/uploads/Files/106/106_1.pdf

Time to Say Goodbye to Landlines?

2009-04-02T23:02:00.004-04:00

Saw a Tweet tonight from BlogTalk Radio and he has given up their landline in favor of other options. With cell phones, text messaging and VOIP options like Skype is there still a need for a separate landline? In a time of re-examining financial priorities does it make sense to have phone service you pay for?

Want to get your thoughts on this. Have you gone without a land line? Do you have a Skype or VOIP number? How do you explain this to your customers? Look forward to hearing what you have decided to do.

CN Program to Count Toward BNI Educational Requirements

2009-03-26T14:52:00.001-04:00

During the last two fall terms, we have offered the Certified Networker program on the campus of Northwest State Community College. We hope to offer it again this fall. It is a wonderful program that will help you reduce your cold sales calls through learning how to do business networking.

I saw today on the CN site the following announcement:

"CN Grads, John Meyer and Kevin Carmony, Co-Executive Directors of BNI Ohio, have announced a way for a stronger link to exist between BNI and CN. Starting October 1, all BNI members in Ohio and Northern Kentucky will be able to contribute to their chapter's Continuing Education goals by attending a Certified Networker class. Each session will give the member 5 points. CN Grads will be able to earn those points by sitting through a module for review."

For more information on CN visit http://www.cnpofohio.com/. If you are a CN grad, please post here the most valuable take away you got from the program.

IE8 is Here

2009-03-25T13:10:00.003-04:00

Last week I downloaded the latest version of Internet Explorer (IE8). Just want to share with you a few observations on the product.

I am learning to like the accelerator feature. Let's say you have an address: 22600 State Route 34, Archbold, OH 43502. You would highlight that address and an icon would appear on the screen click the icon and you will get a shortcut menu. One of the options is "Map With Live Search" and when you point at that option you will get a pop out with a map. No more clicking a link to a new web page.

Another interesting new feature is web slices. To me it looks like a hybrid between RSS & Favorites. It allows the user to mark a part of a page that updates frequently and be notified of the updates to that area.

Also available is an Add-ons Gallery. This contains tools to be used with digg, wikipedia, trip advisor and more.

Share your experiences here after you install IE8.

@techietami U R Gr8

2009-02-20T11:19:00.004-05:00

Huh?

If you have not been on Twitter or sent an IM, the title of this article might look like a typo. Read on...

The following is a link to a silly article on Twitter: http://blogs.computerworld.com/twitter_university_the_lecture_series. While the article was meant to be humorous, it does bring to light something for teachers and potential employers alike. Twitter alerts are limited to 140 characters. Combined with emoticons and abbreviations already present for those who IM or text message we are entering into a new way of communication. These abbreviations are becoming so mainstream that you might find them sneaking into more traditional forms of writing. I spoke to a friend who teaches communication and she has seen students use "2" instead of "to." This presents an interesting challenge for teachers and employers alike, how to interpret this "language" and secondly, how to handle it.

In case you are new to Twitter, here are what a few of the abbreviations mean:

RT - Retweet ex: RT @nametagscott and then I would repeat his message
DM - Direct Message ex: DM Techietami, only goes to me
@ - Reply ex: @techietami a response back to me, that others will see
# - flags a subject so those who are searching for it/are associated with it will find you. #tcot is for Top Conservatives on Twitter

and yes, I am techietami, feel free to follow me on Twitter.

So You Want to be a Social Media Guru

2009-02-20T11:04:00.003-05:00

I found a great article in Business Week online entitled "Debunking Six Social Media Myths."

The essence of the article is that while social networking is free and readily available, a company who wants to enter into this realm must still have a strategy and someone to implement that strategy. Also, like any other marketing campagn you would launch you will want to measure the impact of this strategy. Tools available to help you measure your online presence include: Google Trends, Twitter search, Google Analytics, BackType, and Compete.

As the author noted in a follow up post to his article "social media platforms are nothing but tools, and what matters is how they are used."

What to Say?

2009-02-05T17:30:00.004-05:00

Small talk has not really been my "thing" in the past, but now that I am trying to improve my networking skills I find that it is a necessity. As Scott Ginsberg says at some point in a conversation you must move beyond "how are you?" and talk about something else. And as hard as it is for me to believe, not everyone is a NASCAR fan. So what can I say to get the conversation going?

In the book "The Power of Approachability" Scott Ginsberg has a section called "Let Me Ask Ya This...55 Great Questions to Ask Someone You Just Met." I want to share with you a few to try out at your next networking function.

Who is the most famous person you've ever met?
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
What is your favorite part of your job?
What is your favorite restaurant?
If you could be any cartoon character, who would you be?
If you could hear anyone in history give a speech, whom would you hear?
If you could hire any actor to portray you in a movie, who would you chose?

These are not first question out of your mouth, but something that you can use to find out more about the person with whom you are speaking. Obviously, you have to pick and choose based on the situation and your comfort level, but when it is time to move beyond "boy it is cold out" or "so how is your business doing" these may do the trick!

What is your favorite question to ask when talking to a new contact?

Why Join your Local Chamber of Commerce?

2009-01-26T08:59:00.004-05:00

In the early 90's I joined the local Jaycee chapter (Junior Chamber of Commerce). While the Jaycees are not always directly affiliated with their local chambers, membership in this organization laid the foundation for the groups I belong to today. I refined my skills of networking, leadership (yes I was a state level VP in the day), community involvement and more. It taught me that connection to a community was important to furthering one's business and to getting things done.

Fast forward to last Thursday. My husband (who I met through the Jaycees) and I attended the Holland Springfield Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting. Before we left, he came out with a request for an insurance quote and I was asked if I was interested to speak to a local Rotary group. In addition to making valuable business contacts, we also heard an update from the Mayor of Holland and from the Administrator from Springfield Township.

In addition to business and government connections, membership in your local chamber often will offer your business a variety of benefits including group health care insurance access, advertising opportunities, discounts from local merchants, reduced BWC premiums and more!

If you are looking for an affordable way to help your business grow, consider your local chamber.
There is a poll to the right regarding chamber membership. Please vote there and leave your comments here to share your good/bad chamber stories.

Will Blogging Really Help my Business?

2009-01-22T20:19:00.002-05:00

I received an invitation to BlogWell the other day, and while I will not be able to attend, I did check out their website and found some good information. BlogWell is "about how big businesses use social media." This is the second year for the event and on their website http://gaspedal.com/blogwell/ I found case studies and other useful information for companies considering the use of social media. Companies like: Graco, Intel, UPS, and The Home Depot share their experiences with social media. There is even a blog that appears to be updated pretty regularly (http://blogcouncil.org/blog/) If you are not sure how or if social media fits your business plan, this might be a good place to do some research.

An Important Aspect of Networking...Getting Involved

2009-01-20T18:32:00.003-05:00

Business networking is more than just showing up, it is getting involved.

Some people do their networking through membership in a networking organization like BNI, WEN, CN. These groups promote the need for one-to-one meetings and referral sharing. Your just showing up isn't going to get you a handful of referrals, you need to pass them, and you need to schedule one-on-one with the other members.

Some people do their networking at business groups such as ASTD, chambers of commerce, Jaycees, etc. Again involvement is key. If this is your preferred method of networking get involved, join a committee, chair a project. Just showing up is nice, but it won't earn you anyone's business.

Another avenue might be volunteer or board service. There are probably many organizations in your area who need volunteers or possibly even board of director members. If you are interested in learning more, start with your local United Way, they often have a board connection program. Remember, active membership is crucial.

You have many avenues for getting involved in your community in an effort to meet others and do business networking. Remember, some groups like Rotary may have members do business with each other but tend to frown on blatant networking during meetings (in fact, it may even cost you!) Be selective, you can only do so much, and then jump in with both feet!

What has been a good networking organization for you?

My Salute to the Small Business Person

2009-01-15T08:06:00.008-05:00

I want to begin by saying, I am very appreciative of our large customers. They are great to work with and I value their business.

Today, however, I wanted to give a shout out to my networking associates that are small business owners or who work for a larger firm but are directly responsible for business generation. I've notice that when gathered together rather than talk of bailouts and bemoaning the state of the economy, these people continue to persevere. They talk of making contacts, networking, new products and business strategies.

This week I attended the WEN (Women Entrepreneurial Network) AM Coffee group. WEN is a networking group that offers a variety of monthly meetings in the greater Toledo area. During their meetings there is designated time for networking and 30-second introductions by all present. What makes the AM Coffee unique is that we also take time for business problem solving. A member is give time to present a problem. Following their presentation those present are given time to discuss suggestions. They can ask the original person for clarification, but that person is not allowed to debate the answers. They may or may not implement any of the suggestions, but the idea is for a free flow of information from all.

At this week's meeting, three questions were presented and it was great to watch/participate in the process. It was also interesting to watch a solution unfold. The first question started out in one direction, but through the suggestions of those present the recommendation ultimately was for her to head in an entirely different direction. How amazing to see this group of businesspeople come together with the express purpose of helping not only their own business, but each others' businesses. Kudos to the spirit of the American Entrepreneur!

Is Your Congressperson on You Tube?

2009-01-13T21:52:00.006-05:00

Well, the one who represents my home district is not, but the one who represents where the college is located is on.

With the 111th Congressional session underway you can now get updates from Washington on You Tube. Start at The Hill's Blog Briefing Room (http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/01/12/youtube-launches-house-senate-channels/) and you can click on House or Senate. From there you will be taken to an interactive map. Click on your state and you will get a list of congresspeople from the state who are participating in this project. If you have a You Tube profile you will be able to subscribe to his/her channel. I personally commend those who are participating as using this tool to reach another segment of their constituents.

The congressman that represents the college's district is even mentioned in this blog "Subscribers to members' Twitter feeds have already gotten a taste of the content, as Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) tweeted a link to the House site this morning." Great job Bob!

Windows 7 Beta NOW Available

2009-01-11T20:45:00.002-05:00

The blogosphere is hot this weekend with the botched attempt by Microsoft to have a limited release of their newest operating system currently known as Windows 7. Seems that the high demand on their servers Friday overloaded their system. So according to Computerworld and several other blogs, the system was back up Saturday and Microsoft is making the beta available for two weeks. Downloading a beta operating system is not for the faint of heart so please read through all the requirements and preferably install it on your back up computer. For more information from Computerworld http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9125660&intsrc=hm_ts_head. Or visit the download site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx.

I've Been A Bad Blogger

2009-01-08T10:17:00.005-05:00

Yes, it has been too long and I have violated my rules on blogging. It is a new year, however, and I am back on task....

For those of you who get my e-newsletter you will have read some of the following article (if you don't get it and would like to, please email me tnorris@northweststate.edu)

Last week I had the opportunity to introduce my State Senator to one of my Township Trustees. Yes, they do already “know” each other, but what they didn’t know was that they each have a Facebook profile. As they are both friends of mine on Facebook, I suggested that they become friends with each other. Why? Since the communities they respectively represent overlap each other, it would stand to reason that they would like to make contact with some of the same people. They also happen to belong to the same political party so again, they each might have contacts that the other would like to get to know. Now that they have connected to each other, they are able to network with each other’s contacts (Trustee currently has 56 friends, the Senator, 387). Basically, this tool gives each of them an additional way to communicate with their constituents. Also, as they each update their status information, they will be kept apprised of what the other is doing.

Another tool being used by public officials is Twitter. Yesterday I got the following tweet from Ohio's 5th District Congressman: "We had a great Tele Town Hall last night- my constituents made it clear that the economy is our number one issue to tackle right now." He currently has over 1,400 followers so every time he tweets, he is connected to that many concerned parties.

In that spirit CTS will be hosting a program “Social Networking for Public Officials.” The program will cover the basics of social networking, including demographics and the variety of tools available. We will also step through creating a Facebook and a Twitter account. The program will be offered both in person and via webinar or can be customized for your group. For more information visit http://www.trainwithcts.com/ or call 419-267-1304.

Zoho..What's That?!

2008-11-21T15:46:00.006-05:00

Several posts back I relayed information on alternative software applications. I would like to start focusing on them in a little more detail over the next few posts.

Today's focus is on Zoho. This is a suite of products which includes email, word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, document management, online note taker, wiki, file sharing, organizer, chat, CRM, project management, database, invoice generator and web conferencing. Did I mention it is free? If a business wanted to run multi users on it their pricing starts at $25 for 5 users. "Zoho is a division of AdventNet, in business since 1996."

Recently I used Zoho's Wiki tool at our We Are IT day. We are IT is a statewide initiative in Ohio to introduce girls in grades 7-10 to careers in technology. At our campus we had 200 girls in attendance and I conducted a session on Web 2.0 focusing on wiki's. It was fun to watch the girls work on Wikipedia and then see them learn how easy it is to create their own wiki. I presented 5 sessions that day and in each session I had the girls copy recipes into our cookbook wiki. By the end of the day we had a full book.

Overall I have found Zoho to be easy to work with. It is a cloud application meaning the application and your files reside on the Internet. You don't have to worry about down loading a program or copying your files to a portable media. As long as you have Internet access you have your program and your files. Also, I'm still setting it up, but Zoho can interface with your Facebook account!

Have you tried Zoho? What did you think?

Watch Those Urban Legends

2008-11-13T08:48:00.003-05:00

Did you know that the outcome of Washington Redskins home football games has correctly predicted the winner of every U.S. presidential election since 1936?

If you have an email address, you probably have received an email similar to the one above or how about this one:

Panda Express (or Wendy's or some other restaurant) will be celebrating its 15th anniversary by offering discounted and free food on November 19, 2008.

Before you vote based on a football game or rush to your nearest Panda Express next Wednesday, there is a place to check out such claims: www.snopes.com. Snopes is operated by David and Barbara Mikkelson. Snopes investigates the validity of urban legends, old wives tales, misinformation and more. You can search for an item or just browse through the many entries. I will say that when I get an email about a free food, dying children and more, Snopes is the first place I check.

According to the website they pay for the operation of it themselves with income from advertising revenue generated by the site and by donations. The name Snopes was pulled from a family of characters in the works of William Faulkner.

By the way:

Washington Redskins - not true anymore http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/redskins.asp
Panda Express - False http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/pandaexpress.asp

Have you heard a good urban legend lately?

New Features on LinkedIn

2008-11-10T07:19:00.003-05:00

As LinkedIn gains in popularity it continues to expand its services to members of the site. LinkedIn is a social networking site with the emphasis on business networking. Since its inception the site has continued to expand its services by adding a questions are for people to participate in idea sharing and to show themselves as experts in their fields. The site, written in English is now also experimenting with a Spanish version.

Recently the site has added applications. Similar to what you find on Facebook and MySpace, applications are applets that allow you to expand the functionality of your profile. I have added a blog feed and filesharing to my profile. On the file sharing area I have uploaded our most recent e-newsletter. Other applications include: Reading List by Amazon, Google Presentation, and Company Buzz (Twitter feeds).

If you are interested in learning how to set up a LinkedIn account, I will be hosting a webinar on November 19, 9 am. Cost is $35 but mention this blog and you will receive $10 off the registration cost.

Should Techies Be Worred in the Current Economy?

2008-10-29T00:22:00.003-04:00

Found a insightful blog posting on George F. Colony's blog regarding his take on the effects of the current economy (recession for some) on tech. The article is a great read, but with my focus in this blog on Web 2.0/social networking importance, I found this quote to be worth consideration: "In a recession, the use of Facebook, Linked In, eCommerce, blogs will increase, not decrease, as people look for jobs, companies stay closer to their customers, and easier-to-ROI Internet advertising accelerates. Companies will have to stay focused on their web sites, social strategies, and eCommerce this time around -- or risk losing their next generation of customers." With the current generation already being comfortable with these technologies and businesses needing to operate lean, the movement toward web 2.0/social networking seems intuitive.

Please comment on why you do or do not intend to use sites such as Facebook.

Two New eLearning Offerings

2008-10-16T14:02:00.003-04:00

We have two new eLearning offerings and I couldn't wait to tell you about them. One is a synchronous option and the other is asynchronous.

Social Networking @ Your Desk is a series of synchronous online sessions focusing on various social networking tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Click here for more information.

Command Spanish® is a group of classes designed to help participants learn conversational Spanish for use in the workplace or community. Classes include: "Spanish for the Workplace" and "Spanish for Hospital Nurses" among others. Click here to find out more.

Even though gas prices are low, we are still feeling an economic pinch. Please let us know what other ways we can provide the training you need in the current economy.

Your GPS is not Free From Attack

2008-10-07T20:07:00.004-04:00

You have probably heard many warnings regarding your computer being hacked, but did you stop to think that your GPS is a computer too? or to think how many major systems are controlled by GPS systems. GPS systems control cars, ships, trains, and even power grids. Imagine the dangers if they were to be hacked. "Spoofing, could cause havoc in the wrong hands, warn researchers. In spoofing, a spoofer creates a false GPS signal that passes as a real GPS signal, sending an incorrect time and location to a certain receiver." A recent article on MSNBC discusses the dangers of this (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26992456/)

According to the article, "in 2001, the U.S. Department of Transportation released a report on GPS that laid out six countermeasures to deter spoofing, such as adding additional, non-GPS instrumentation, or keeping humans in charge of decision instead of leaving them up to computers. But such measures can be expensive, and they don't necessarily solve the problem. "

Have you considered safety measures for your GPS? What other computer systems are important to your life that may be subject to attack?

You Back Up Your Computer...What About Your Cell Phone?

2008-10-05T10:42:00.002-04:00

I enjoy my daily e-newsletter from Kim Kommando. She certainly has a number of great tips. This one, very common sense, may be one you don't think of...back up your cell phone.

Think about it, how many pictures, contacts, podcasts, etc. are stored on your phone? Would you want to have to re-enter those? What about the pictures? Could you get them again? Kim's newsletter lists three services for people who don't already sync their phone to their computer .(even if you do, are you backing up everything on your phone?)

Microsoft Phone Data Manager - specials.msn.co.in
Yahoo! Mobile - mobile.yahoo.com
BitPim - www.bitpim.org
You can also get information on these at www.komando.com/downloads.

To read the full article and get Kim's take on each of the products listed visit: http://www.komando.com/downloads/category.aspx?id=5533&page=1

Use of Cell Phone Evolves

2008-10-02T10:34:00.005-04:00

In today's Columbus Dispatch online I found an interesting article "Cell-phone Users Text More Than Place Calls."

The article discusses research done by Nielson Mobile which indicated that "During the second quarter of 2008, the typical cell-phone user sent or received 357 text messages per month, while placing or receiving 204 calls." This makes sense though, you can often send and receive text messages when it would be inappropriate to talk on the phone. Also, it can be used to cut down on "chatty" people as the messages are usually short and to the point.

I can personally testify that I am making this transition. I find that my teenage son is more inclined to respond to a text from me than to answer a call. We also have great fun sending pictures back and forth. I went by the Longaberger company headquarters in the spring and took a picture of it. He got a kick out of it and forwarded it on to his friends. Just a little electronic mother/son time.

Another use for me is Twitter and I receive and send updates through that via my phone. I am subscribed to Nascar_blog and BobLatta.

Let's see if you are up on your text lingo. Can you decipher the following:

LOL

OMG

BFF

TMI

ZUP

GR8

W/E

Do you have any abbreviations you use?

Watch What You Say Online

2008-10-01T09:06:00.003-04:00

In many posts here we have talked about the benefits of social networking online. If you are beginning to experiment with this means of networking, now is a good time to really think about what you are posting.

A recent survey by CareerBuilder.com found that of those surveyed "22 percent of them screened potential staff via social networking profiles." This percent has doubled since their survey in 2006. "The survey found that 34 percent of the managers who do screen candidates on the Internet found content that made them drop the candidate from any short list." The information they found that caused them to second think these candidates? Alcohol/drug usage, inappropriate photos, racial or gender slurs and even poor grammar were cited as reasons. However, in the same survey found good information in their searches with "24 percent of these managers saying they found content to help them solidify their decision to hire that candidate."

A few tips from Yahoo to keep your online profile from getting you in hot water:

1. Make use of privacy settings.
2. Use search engines to keep track of what is posted online about you. Beyond your typical search engines try Pipl.com.
3. Don't "friend" anyone unless you're absolutely confident that it won't have any negative repercussions. Keep your personal and professional social networks separate.
4. Keep tabs of what people are posting about you. For instance, Facebook has a phototagging feature so if I post a photo and you are in it I can "tag" you and it ties back to your profile.

For more information read the story on Yahoo or YahooTech.

Do you know someone who lost a potential job or roommate due to their social networking profile?

Got Any Good Ideas Lately?

2008-09-25T16:33:00.003-04:00

This headline caught my eye today "Google to pay $10 million for good ideas." Supposedly this does not even have to be a technology-related brainstorm. "Google says it will pay as much as $10 million for a fresh idea to help the world." The name of the project is "Project 10^100" and is part of the celebration of Google's 10th anniversary.

Ideas should be submitted to http://www.project10tothe100.com/index.html by October 20. Good luck if you choose to enter.

Get it Together

2008-09-23T10:46:00.002-04:00

As you may imagine, I spend time reading blogs, posting on blogs, maintaining my social networking sites, posting pictures, etc. Over the past few months I am noticing how some of these separate entities are beginning to work together. For example, on my Facebook page you can see updates from this blog and from my Twitter account. Today I wanted to update you on a couple of sites to help you pull together online content.

Technorati is a site that allows you to flag your favorite blogs and read new content from them from a centralized location. It also allows you to look at other blogs by topic or popularity.

A new site I found today is FriendFeed. It allows you to identify "friends" and share links, content and discussions with them. Some of this is automated for you and, once again, it is centralized. It too can connect with Facebook, Twitter, RSS feeds, and more.

So in this age of connectedness what is one to do? Ask someone. "What do you use?" "Have you ever heard of?" If you are trying to connect with potential business partners, clients, etc. you probably want to identify what they are using. Although it can be a good deal of fun being the one who is out front, trying these technologies first!

Get Those Difficult Employees/Customers on Your Side

2008-09-17T07:38:00.005-04:00

My favorite business networker, Scott Ginsberg, has his own internet short show called Nametag TV. Today's episode is "Exploration, not Accusation." Check it out

Video not working? Click here for Adobe Flash 9!

What is your best tip for dealing with difficult people?

Social Networking for Toddlers

2008-09-11T14:30:00.003-04:00

No, I am not kidding. Totspot (http://totspot.com) is billed as "online scrapbook and website for babies, kids, and their parents." A New York Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/fashion/11Tots.html?_r=3&ref=technology&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin) talks about this and other similar sites including http://kidmondo.com and http://Littlegrams.com. The purpose behind these sites? They "offer parents a chance to forgo the e-mail blasts of, say, their newborn’s first trip home and instead invite friends and family to join and contribute to a network geared to connecting them to the baby in their lives. " It allows the interested parties to choose to go see an update rather than being inundated by email blasts. The sites offer security and allow the parents to choose who has access to their pages. A caution however, John Palfrey, Harvard Law School "warns that parents posting the intimate details of their children’s lives need to ask not only who has access to this content, but also who owns it. 'Whether or not they realize it as such,' he said, 'parents are contributing to their child’s digital dossier. And, who sees that dossier later on may be of concern.' "

Would you post information about your children online? What about photo sharing sites like snapfish and flickr?

Mapping Websites...A Blessing or Curse

2008-09-11T09:53:00.004-04:00

I happened upon this article today "Blurred Out: 51 Things You Aren't Allowed to See on Google Maps." This got me to thinking...online mapping programs have been around for awhile. Mapquest, Microsoft Live Earth, Google Maps. Have you seen an improvement in these applications? Which one is your favorite? Do you have a success or horror story about one of them. Share your comments here!

Have You Made Angie's List Yet?

2008-09-05T11:07:00.003-04:00

What is Angie's List? They are a "consumer-driven organization that collects customer satisfaction ratings on local service companies in more than 250 categories." The contractors do not pay to be listed on here, but the consumer pays a membership fee to be able to comment on and search contractors. There is a free tip area that list some do's and dont's as well as a penalty box area where you can read information on select disputes ( a full archive is maintained, but you have to be a paid member to access it). I site them as an example of the need for companies to pay attention to the web. A consumer with a gripe can make a lot of noise on the Internet. Sites like Angie's List or Rip Off Report make it easy for a local consumer to complain at a national level. Of course your local BBB is also a great resource. For Northwest Ohio visit: http://toledo.bbb.org

As a consumer you may want to check out these sites prior to doing business with a unfamiliar company. As a business, you may want to monitor what is being said about you.

Have you had any experiences with consumer complaint websites?