Category — 101

People often ask me whether they should be involved with LinkedIn or Facebook.  And my answer is…It depends.

For business, I suggest LinkedIn.

Make sure you review whatever you have written to make sure it is upbeat and positive - you do not want to sound in any way like Eeyore.  Picture yourself pitching a new client when writing and put your best marketing face on for LinkedIn.

DO ADD:

• Professional events
• Articles you have written
• Updates about what you are doing that would pique people’s interest in your product/services
  Weekly interesting, factual professional updates

DO NOT ADD:

• Family or hobbies etc.
• Frivolous information

Get Started with LinkedIn

How to set up your profile:

(video) http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-set-up-a-profile-on-linkedin.html

(text) http://learn.linkedin.com/new-users/

(pictures from Guy Kawasaki) http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/linkedin_profil.html

How to improve your profile:

(text) http://www.yourjobstop.com/blog/linkedin/simple-ways-improve-your-linkedin-profile

(test) http://www.lindseypollak.com/archives/how-to-have-a-fantastic-linkedin-profile

(text) http://www.bnet.com/2403-13070_23-219860.html

So you’ve heard about Facebook, Twitter, and other online social networking sites. You know your organization should use social media, but you’re not sure where to start. If this sounds familiar, you won’t want to miss TechSoup’s free online event and webinar: Basics for Beginners: Getting Started with Social Media Tools: http://www.techsoup.org/go/web2basics

Join hosts, John Haydon, social media coach for nonprofits, and blogger and internet marketing consultant, Chris Garrett, as they demonstrate how to get started with social media and the value this can bring your organization. They’ll explain the best first steps for getting started and help beginners understand how these emerging technologies can help libraries and nonprofits conduct outreach, raise funds, create community, and share ideas.

Register for the live webinar, Wednesday, April 15th, 9 AM Pacific Standard Time https://cc.readytalk.com/r/1uxpt1ab9babc

Following the webinar, TechSoup will host a free, day-long online event, where you can post additional questions to the expert event hosts in the TechSoup Community forums:

http://www.techsoup.org/go/web2basics. The forums event is asynchronous (not live) and no registration is required, just show up and post!

Dive into the discussion in the TechSoup online forums where we’ll discuss such topics as:

* How can you make the most of social media with very little resources (time, money, staff)?
* Smart ways to use social media to engage new and existing supporters
* How much time should you devote to social media each day?
* What is the best way to fundraise with social media?

This free event is ideal for beginners who are looking for simple steps they can take to effectively use social media to enhance their missions. Whether you’re brand new to Web 2.0 tools or looking to share your social media successes and lessons learned, please stop by and add your voice to the conversation: http://www.techsoup.org/go/web2basics

Follow the action on Twitter with the #ts-basics hashtag.

Have any questions? Please email: community@techsoup.org.

Do you have trouble finding the perfect color combination.  I know what I like when I see it, but I love color so much, I cannot always weed out the bad combinations.  There are lots of color generators out there, but these sites will inspire you:

colorcombos.com - skip all the ads and scroll down

Kuler- this is too much fun!

Daily Color Scheme

Web Design Resources - again - skip the adds and scroll down.  A nice long list of combinations.

My son got Vonage a couple of years ago and liked it.  When I moved my office out of the house, I decided to try it. I pay around $23.00 for 500 Minutes a month.  $14.99 for service and about $10 in taxes.  Glad I looked, I only have 43 minutes left for the next 3 days.

I also have the visual voice mail for .25 a message.  If I am not in the office, I get and email with the translation of callers message with a .wav file attached of the voicemail. I am not sure who is translating these, but here is one example. This was from a guy who was picking up a tent I was donating to the Scouts.

“Hi. This is (Tom Jeff?) calling. I’m just calling about the couple of plunge. I will be headed to town tomorrow afternoon at respectable time bigger on the whole 4:00. Maybe we could get hooked up on that and get that hand off to keep on plan to forward. give me a call tonight  if you want  and see you tomorrow. Thank you.Bye-bye.”

Translation: Hi, this is Tom Chapman calling.  We’ve spoke about that REI tent a couple of times. I will be headed through town tomorrow afternoon at respectable time.  I can be there before 4:00. Maybe we can get hooked up on that and get that tent handed off and see if I can find a home for it.  You can give me a holler later tonight if you want.

So as you can see, it’s good that I can listen to it!

Set up – It was incredibly easy to install.  It came with a modem that I plugged into to our router and then I plugged in my regular phone and boom — I had a new phone.

At first I had a phone number that was long distance from Kansas City, so I had to have it changed so it was a “metro number”.

Support – I’ve only had to call them a couple of times.  One time the service was really good, and the other time it was pretty bad.

Speed Problem - My biggest ongoing issue is my broadband provider’s speed.  People say I’m breaking up sometimes. I suspect that my upload speed which runs in the 120’s according to Speakeasy is not enough.  My broadband company says to reboot their modem and that seems to help. Vonage also allows you to choose how much bandwidth you give to them – which I have maxed out.

Overall – I love it.  I’d give it thumbs up.  I can also take it with me if I go somewhere – but that seems a little extreme.

Want to try it? Contact me and I’ll give you my vonage number.  cheryl @ cherylh.com

I just got back from the NTEN conference. If you don’t know about NTEN - please check it out. It is chock full of ideas, information, blogs, newsletters, lists and more that can help you come into the 21st century whether you are a nonprofit or a consultant.

Three of my clients were there - but more about that later.  For now, just check out NTEN!