Tag Archives: Facebook

Social Media

Find Us on Facebook Badge

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How can you create a custom Facebook Badge for your Facebook profile, Facebook photos, Facebook “likes” or Facebook Page? Let Facebook help you.

Membership in Facebook grows every day. Your customers are out there and they want to connect with you. Make it easy for them to find you on Facebook and connect with you there.

Follow the directions on Facebook badge page to create the custom design of your choosing. Your badge can include your name, picture, recent status updates, number of friends and more. You can even customize the shape of your badge – taller or wider based on your preferences and where you plan to place the badge.

Why add the Facebook badge to your website or blog? To make it easy for others to find your Facebook page, find out more about you. They may even add you as a friend.

When they click on the badge, they go directly to your Facebook page.

CyberLife Tutors | Click here to Like our Facebook page!

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Starting an Alumni Group

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Most of us change jobs every 2-3 years. Have you wished you had a way to keep in touch with your former co-workers?

I started an online alumni group during the recession in January 2002 to help find new jobs for recently laid off co-workers. The group currently has over 400 members and is still a resource for sharing job leads. Most of us are still in the Chicago area at other companies. We provide the group with unadvertised job leads, pre-interview company intelligence and internal contacts.

Thai Festival 2010 - 17
Creative Commons License photo credit: garryknight

Is now the time to set up a group for your former co-workers? It’s easy to do with online groups. They work as a broadcast system to distribute emails to those who have “opted in” to the group. Check out the free group tools at Linkedin, Facebook, Yahoo groups or Google groups and start your own group today. Either site walks you through selecting the options to set up your group. From personal experience, I select “restrict membership” to maintain the groups focus. I also recommend requiring membership in the group before you can post messages. This reduces the chance of getting spam.

The amount of time required to maintain your group depends on the options you choose during set up, the number of new members and member activity level. The group owner can change these options to better suit the needs of the group and time available to administer membership. Additional moderators can be appointed to help with group maintenance.

Social Media

Chicago Blackhawks Tweet

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According to a Daily Herald report this week, Chicago’s Blackhawks pro hockey team are tweeting to their fan base. Over 30,000 followers to the @NHLblackhawks use the site to keep up with the latest news. The Blackhawks team is owned by the Wirtz family which turned to Twitter and Facebook as a way of connecting with their younger fans. Their current Facebook fans number over 200,000 and continue to grow.

Rocky Wirtz heads up the organization, infusing new techniques his father William shied away from. The Blackhawks social networking presence connects them with new fans and increases interest in the club.

The Hawks could learn a few things from other Chicago Sports teams. Ozzie Guillen, White Sox manager uses Twitter to communicate. Recent posts include updates on his trip to Six Flags and a remembrance of a good friend who passed away. He tweets to followers in both English and Spanish.

Social Media

Social Networking Classes for Business

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Student feedback for the recent social networking classes in McHenry has been fabulous. We have a whole new set of LinkedIn users, Facebook friends, Twitter Tweeters and bloggers out there.


This four class series ran three times in McHenry at the Shah Illinois Small Business Development (ISBDC) Center.

After the class, students were invited to join our LinkedIn group to share learnings and best practices with each other. If you attended one of my social networking classes and would like to join this group, send me an email and let me know the class you attended.

If you missed on the session in McHenry, you still have time to register for classes in Elgin. Check our events page for the upcoming events.

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Autumn Social Networking Class Elgin ECC

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The Autumn Social Networking schedule at Elgin Community College is here. This series called “Small Business Evenings” will be in Streamwood, Illinois. The classes are a joint partnership between Elgin Community College, Illinois Small Business Development Center and Village of Streamwood.

Limited seating available for these session. The last series of classes sold out. If you are interested in attending, do not wait to register.

CSS 310 Tweet for Profit
People are looking for your business on Twitter. Are you there to talk with them? Learn how to make the most of this micro-blogging tool. Create a free Twitter account before the class starts.
300 67693   7-9PM    9/1/10   $69.00

CSS 313 Facebook for Small Business
Learn how to leverage connections to build relationships for business. Learn about group and fan pages and more. Create a free Facebook account before the class.
300 67692    7-9PM   9/8/10   $69.00

CSS 311 Blogging Basics Small Business
Curious about blogging but you do not know where to start? In this session you will create your own blog and post your first online message. NOTE: To participate in the session, you’ll need access to a web based email account such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.
300 67690    7-9PM    9/15/10     $69.00

CSS 312 I Am Linkedin, Now What?
In this session learn how to build effective connections, get recommendations, get introduced to others, find customers and partners, use groups and stay in touch with other potential contacts. Create a free LinkedIn account before the class starts.
300 67691    7-9PM   9/22/10      $69.00

Registration

For more information and registration, contact Elgin Community College.

  • Online – Small Business Development category
  • In Person at the Main Campus
  • By Phone Call 847-622-3036
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Last Minute Social Networking Class Openings at Shah Center

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Are you a McHenry County business interested in social networking? Are you hearing all the buzz from your fellow business owners who have attended these sessions at the Shah Center and are now using social networking to attract new business?

We have a couple of open spots for the social networking classes at the Shah Center in McHenry. These new sessions on Facebook, Twitter and blogs were just added to the schedule as the previous sessions sold out in record time.

Designed with a business focus, these classes focus on attracting prospects, increasing Google search results, building relationships and making your business top of mind for local consumers.

facebook
Creative Commons License photo credit: rafeejewell

If you are interested in these sessions, do not wait to sign up. Seating is very limited. Each student is assigned their own workstation in this new computer lab.

  • May 5
  • May 10
  • May 17

For additional information and registration for these classes, contact the Shah Center directly by phone at (815) 455-6098.

Other class titles are available later this summer. Sign up for my newsletter so you do not miss out.
See our events page for a full calendar.

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Social Networking Classes Shah Center McHenry May

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During April and May I am teaching hands on social networking classes at the Shah Center in McHenry. These session will focus on the business use of social networking. Classes include two hour hands-on learning sessions on each of the following tools: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

facebook
Creative Commons License photo credit: rafeejewell
Create a free LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter profile before the class. We will create our blog profiles and post our first blog posting together during the class. You will need access to your web email account (Yahoo, Gmail, etc.) during the class.

Due to overwhelming demand, the Shah Center is opening up new social networking classes during May.

Dates for these new classes are:
May 5
May 10
May 17

For additional information and registration for these classes, contact the Shah Center directly by phone at (815) 455-6098 or email at sbdc@mchenry.edu.

The Shah Center, located in McHenry, Illinois, is a part of the Illinois Small Business Development Center and McHenry Community College.

Information on social networking sessions at the Fox Valley Business Center in Elgin will be posted in our newsletters. Sign up here so you do not miss an edition.

See our events page for a full calendar.

business

Who is THAT?

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Last week I met with Ross Anderson, Regional General Manager for Duke’s Waikiki Restaurants. During our talk, he called over his marketing team to introduce them to me. As he started the introductions, they interrupted him to say “We know April. She is one of our Twitter friends.”‘

April M. Williams
Here is one of April M. Williams profile photos

This instant recognition happened because they viewed my picture within Twitter messages over many months. Through multiple interactions, they felt they knew me.

Why is this so valuable? Because people buy from those they know, like and trust. “Buy” can mean purchasing products, services, referrals or hiring you as an employee.

I can share many similar stories like this where people commented on how easily they recognized me based on my online profile photos. Including a picture in your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other online networking sites helps others develop a bond with you before you meet in person.

I can also share stories of people who are surprised when they meet someone in person who looks very different from their online photo. Sometimes the pictures are several years old, several pounds ago or from back when they had a full head of hair.

A red flag seems to go up when the real person does not match their photo. Take a look at your online photos. If they are more than a year old, consider giving your online look an update.