presented by Network Solutions

Marketers, Business Owners, Entrepreneurs & Web Site Designers - this workshop is for you!

You can learn how to:

- Increase traffic to your site

- Best way to get customers searching for your products & services

- Understand the factors that affect your search engine rankings

- Impact of search engine technology on your bottom link

There are also a number of 30 minute time slots where you can get free web design evaluation by an expert from Network Solutions.

The workshops are being held around the United States at various sites. So choose the site that is the most convenient for you.

Portland - September 9, 2008

Doubletree Hotel Portland - Lloyd Center
1000 NE Multnomah
Portland, Oregon 97232

Minneapolis - September 11, 2008

Millennium Hotel Minneapolis
1313 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403, USA

Salt Lake - September 11, 2008

Salt Lake City Marriott Downtown
75 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101

NYC - September 16, 2008

Lighthouse Executive Conference Center
111 East 59th Street
New York, New York 10022

Tampa - September 16, 2008

USF Downtown Center
1101 Channel Side Drive
Tampa, FL 33602

Austin - September 23, 2008

The Mansion at Judges’ Hill
1900 Rio Grande
Austin, Texas 78705
1800.311.1619

Cincinnati - October 1, 2008

Bankers Club Cincinnati
511 Walnut St
#3000
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Pittsburgh - October 8, 2008

Doubletree Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh City Center
One Bigelow Square
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219

Charlotte - October 9, 2008

Hilton Charlotte City Center
222 East Third Street
Charlotte, NC 28202

Las Vegas - October 23, 2008

Green Valley Ranch Casino, Resort & Spa
2300 Paseo Verde Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89052

The theme is: Sharing your Writing & Selling Your Work in Cyberspace

Our very own Shashi Bellamkonda will be presenting a session on social networking & using it for your marketing efforts.

And every registered attendee will get a 15 minute free consulting session with Andrew Bates from Network Solutions. Andrew is a senior website and search engine marketing consultant for Network Solutions.

So if writing is your passion & you’re wondering how to take it online then you should attend this workshop. More information can be found here.

Facebook offers incredible networking opportunities. It’s more than just a place to share photos & information with friends. The first thing to relax about is the idea that your personal friends will mix with your professional contacts. It’s ok. (The inappropriate photos & commentary are best to not be online anyway).

1. Create a profile

Make sure to include your photo because that personalizes it so much. (Don’t include your year of birth to protect against identity theft)

2. Use your email to search for people you know. Search by people’s names also works well. You’ll be amazed at how many people are there.

3. When you add people as friends put a note in stating why you’d like to connect with them.

4. You can also send a message to someone without adding them as a friend

5. Groups on Facebook are hugely diverse. They’re not as effective as traditional forums, but they serve a purpose of connecting likeminded people. There is a wall where you can introduce yourself. And there are discussion threads to exchange ideas with other members. Some groups are extremely active & others are quiet.

Tip - When you see people making comments in groups that resonate with you reach out & connect with them. You will find that you’ll meet a number of amazing people! Facebook connected me with people from Microsoft because they’re making their business to be there too.

More reading: articles on My Solution Spot, SCORE Chicago, Chris Brogan, Small Biz Trends

Do you use Facebook? What are your tips?

In Part 1 of this two part interview, we focus on they are using Web 2.0 to sell to customers and lessons they have learned.

Steve: How long have you been selling real estate?

BC: Just over 3 years

JR: I’ve been helping people buy and sell homes in Northern Virginia since 1994.

Steve: When did you start leveraging the web to market your business?

BC: Day one, I have always been a tech junky. Domain names and websites were set up within weeks of my license date.

JR: I’ve used the web in my business since the mid 90s, but that took on a whole new meaning two years ago. At that time I started to realize that there were a large number of web-based tools available to me that would allow me to communicate to customers and potential customers in a whole new way.

Steve: With the evolution of Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 we have seen tools become more about two-way communications and personal interaction. What Web 2.0 tools (e.g. blogs, podcasts, social networks) are you leveraging for your respective businesses?

BC: I author multiple blogs for various audiences. I use twitter to broadcast my blogs, meet local tech junkies, communicate with other real estate professionals across the states. That’s how I know Jeff. I have not ventured into Podcasting and Video networks yet (emphasize YET,) but you can find me on Facebook, MySpace, Plaxo, LinkedIn, Flickr, Skype, Oovoo, ActiveRain, Plinko (I just made that one up.) Just google “gotbob” and you will find me somewhere. Not that I am active on all of them, I do have a presence there. I look at it this way; whatever social network someone is comfortable using, they have the ability to find me.

JR: I base much of my output in my blog at ourfairfax.com. But obviously very few people are familiar with my little blog. So I use various social networks to add my knowledge and presence to these networks that are more commonly visited by your average person. My goal is to be where my customers will seek out information when they are looking to buy or sell a home. So I interact with people on Twitter, Facebook , Flickr, and LinkedIn. There are also real estate specific sites, such as Zillow and Trulia. My role in these sites is to bring information that would be helpful to a specific person, and to leave information about my area that would otherwise not be available. For instance if someone was moving to Fairfax and wanted information on a neighborhood, I’d want to have pictures of that neighborhood on Flickr, have answered a question about that neighborhood on Trulia, and have written a profile of that neighborhood at ourfairfax.com. Of course, I can only do all of this for neighborhoods I know well. Having that kind of information available to consumers will assist many people as they purchase homes in a neighborhood and show my familiarity of that particular neighborhood to those consumers who are looking for an agent to assist them.

Steve: Have these tools increased your opportunities or have things stayed the same?

BC: Most definitely. Google loves my blog. I get questions via email or phone all the time. Some turn out to be nothing, but it’s an opportunity I didn’t have before.

JR: These tools have increased my opportunities. They also put me in a better position to take advantage of the opportunities in front of me.

Steve: For those small businesses out there, what would you recommend to someone thinking about using these Web 2.0 tools to market their business?

BC: Yes most definitely. The more you can separate yourself from you competition and make yourself more available to people that have questions or needs the better your chance at capture their business. Today is about now and what can you do for me.

JR: In the end you need to know your customers. The main question to ask is: “Can I use Web 2.0 tools to give my customers a better experience when they do business with me?”

Next Time…

Next time in Part 2 we the other side of Web 2.0, how customers are using the tools to educate themselves.

Today Clay’s new venture, Remarkd.com is launching! I’m really excited because I remember the early days of brainstorming with him. I was brought into the conversation because Clay was curious about the details of how I sold my iPhone on Twitter in 5 minutes.

Here’s my interview with Clay about Remarkd - The Social Web’s Marketplace™

Connie: I recall brainstorming with you in the early stages. How has your vision changed since then?

Clay: The idea behind Remarkd has always been about buying and selling, the thing that is so great about where we are at now is that buying and selling is actually a means to an end: our focus is on helping people support Causes they care about. We do this by using technology and social media to build social good. Here’s our “about” page

Connie: Explain how your service works & what makes it unique. It looks like a Twitter experience & is it interfacing with Twitter too? and others?

Clay: Yes, clearly Twitter is an inspiration, and we’ve definitely built upon the conventions used in presence systems like it. We have looked at social networking systems more broadly as a way for individuals and for Causes to get their message out.

We’ve built an interface with Twitter and a Facebook app which people can use to easily bridge their comments and items to these other networks. As an example, if 1,000 people buy, sell or comment on Remarkd, it’s fully reasonable to expect it to reach upwards of 100,000 people. Social networking is an incredibly compelling way for us to build our organization and our Cause community.

Connie: What was the most challenging aspect of getting to the point of launching Remarkd.com?

Clay: Honestly, the most challenging aspect has been navigating through the complex Federal and State charitable giving and commercial co-venturing laws. We’ve had great assistance in this from our Adler & Colvin, a nationally renowned non-profit legal practice.

Secondly, launching an app of this scale and complexity using Google App Engine is something that has never been done. With the assistance of the Google App Engine team, we’ve been able to make an even more compelling offering than we had initially dreamed. Coupled with the integration of technology from multiple partners we’ve launched with a really rockin’ application!

Connie: What were the most enjoyable aspects?

Clay: Waking up every day and thinking about Remarkd’s potential to have an incredibly positive impact on the world. On a personal note: seeing my iPod sold to support the Sierra Club … it still makes me smile!

One other interesting thing about Remarkd is that we have been certified as a B Corporation. B Corporations™ are a new type of corporation that are purpose-driven and create benefit for all stakeholders by focusing on social and environmental goals in addition to business goals.

Connie: What advice do you give to others interested in starting their own online business?

Clay The two things that any entrepreneur must do: 1) know their market; 2) know their customers.

Balance is also important. Stay focused on your vision while still being open and receptive to new data; as you learn new things, it’s foolhardy not to adjust course.

Connie: What else do you want to add?

Clay A big part of our growth plan is to work with non-profits to co-develop campaigns where they endorse Remarkd to their supporters and we facilitate communication and supporter donations. As an example, we are working with a few organizations to have a Fall Yard Sale. These organizations will create campaigns on Remarkd and plug them in their regular communications with their supporters. This will help them strengthen their relationships with their existing community, and broaden their reach to include the extended Remarkd community.

We’ve quietly launched, we’ll be letting everyone know soon. We’d love for you to come buy, sell and be good!

—————–

We wish Clay & his company the best of luck as they launch their new venture. It’s certainly an exciting time & a great way to support your favorite causes.

You can read more at the Remarkd.com blog & also Clay’s personal blog.

It’s a place to:

- share ideas

- find out about upcoming events, RSVP & receive reminders

- connect with us on the community team

What would you like to have there? What would you find helpful? Let us know here or on the Facebook page.

In charge of the program is Mariam Burmwalla, Director of Business Intelligence and Reporting. Recently, I was able to spend some time with her and discuss VOC and its impact on Network Solutions. Here is a transcript of our interview:

Steve: What is the “Voice of the Customer” (VOC) program?
Mariam: VOC is a program designed to collect and collate feedback from customers and employees regarding their experience in using our products and services and interacting with us through various channels, be it via the website, phone or e-mail communications.

Steve: What is the process after you receive something from a customer?
Mariam: All feedback submitted by customer or employees is reviewed by the key stakeholders who not only respond back to the customers directly (if necessary); but also take action against it. This has tremendously helped us in a very short period to improve our product quality; improve customer experience and also make changes within our call center.

Steve: How do you let people know they are being listened to?
Mariam: There will be a regular e-mail communication coming out to those who have submitted feedback so people will be up to date on their issue but also the general status of everything else.

Steve: What is your philosophy on building customer loyalty?
Mariam: I don’t directly communicate with the customers but since I am a data driven person I look at the details. It is very important to listen to the customer and gather data that comes in through the VOC.  It is also critical to report to management and to communicate with those individuals that need to resolve an issue and be accountable.

Steve: What was the motivation to create the VOC?
Mariam: One day during a product meeting it was discussed that we needed to get better feedback from customers. Management thought we were collecting customer feedback but most product groups got very limited views if any timely feedback so it was decided to put a program in place to close this loop and have the product team get feedback so they could improve service.

Steve: Where do you see the VOC 12 months from now?
Mariam: When we started off we wanted to get customer complaints to service and reduce issues. We want to move to gathering ideas so that Network Solutions can integrate customers feedback and ideas into our product development lifecycle.

Steve: How can someone engage with Network Solutions and participate in “Voice of the Customer”?
Mariam: Customers can click on the link below from our storefront or from other Network Solution properties to submit their feedback.
http://bpmforms.networksolutions.com/customer-feedback.html

Wiki needed for Information

Andy Carvin of NPR had set up Gustav Info Center. Someone had set up a pbwiki. But each user would need to be validated in advance which wasn’t practical. A suggestion was made to use the Katrina wiki, My concern was that that should be archived & saved for historical purposes. It was decided that the same software be used for the Gustav Wiki so that the structure & info be ported over. MediaWiki is the same opensource solution that Wikipedia runs on.

Network Solutions offers Hosting

It was easy to connect Shashi Bellamkonda to Andy because they already knew each other! They’re both into the social media scene in the DC area. Shashi set up www.GustavWiki.com with a VPS (virtual private server) hosting package that would be used for businesses.

Growth of a Resource Wiki

Deanna Zandt is the person with the tech capabilities & organized the efforts to rework the information that had been previously created after Hurricane Katrina & update it with current information. She periodically notified us that the wiki was growing so quickly that it was needing more resources. In less than 48 hours the wiki was created & had over 17,000 visitors.

Here is a quick overview of the resources that we provided it with:

- Initial VPS hosting (Pro plan)

- A link on an article on Slashdot spiked traffic

- Resources were multiplied by 10 & fine tuned settings to allow for more connections and visitors to the site.

- On Sunday evening the server resources were increased by 8 times. (Andy asked if the wiki was getting a lot of traffic. I saw people twittering links to it. And many had 3-4000 followers so that probably contributed.)

- More Power! At 1 am Monday morning the wiki was migrated to new hardware. The wiki now has plenty of power to keep it running thru every storm! The team has decided to use it for the impending hurricanes & through the season.

GustavWiki will serve many purposes: As a resource for those affected by the hurricanes; An example of a group of volunteers coming together to help out those in need; And finally to serve as an example to learn from for future disaster relief efforts. *update* The site will continue to grow as the hurricane season progresses. If you would like to volunteer with those efforts there is information here on how to so.

These are the volunteers that have helped build the hurricane resource site. Thank you to all of you for your generous donation of time & energy!

We at Network Solutions are proud to have been able to provide our services & resources on this scale & in a timely fashion. We hope that the wiki will provide people with information & support as they begin to put their lives back together after the storms.

Join us for

Trademark 101

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 from 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM (ET)

with Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP

Your trademark is what makes your business unique. Your business will depend on your protecting that identifying factor from competitors. Once you build up your brand then your customers will want that specific one. You need to make sure that your investment is protected.

You will have the opportunity to meet CEO, Roy Dunbar, and talk to intellectual property experts from Ballard Spahr about tips and best practices for names, brands and trademarks for your products and services.

Refreshments will be served - Admission is FREE.

Location: Network Solutions Offices
13861 Sunrise Valley Dr
Herndon VA 20171

Register here for Trademark 101

Presented by LinkTogether™

To be notified of future events please add your information here

Steve: Your personal blog, Best Engaging Communities, is about social networking and building communities. How did this come to be as your passion and focus?
Mukund: I really enjoy being with an interacting with intelligent folks. With social networking I found that it was a lot easier to keep in touch with groups of people I interacted on a fairly infrequent basis. These were folks who were innovative in their field and highly entrepreneurial, hence busy. It became a passion when I found the social networking application to be a huge productivity tool as opposed to a time sink.

Steve: What is BuzzGain and why did you create it?
Mukund: BuzzGain empowers companies and individuals to “Do it yourself PR”. One of the things that is challenging for small to medium size companies is that PR firms in general are expensive. Many charge $5-10K per month and their results are not easily accountable. Another challenge is that companies are looking for traction of all types and getting an article in a magazine is at times not as actionable as getting a direct link from a blog. Leveraging social media to reach not only the A-list bloggers but the B and C listers when grouped together can produce tremendous traction or “Buzz” for you company and can reach the audiences you are looking to reach.

Steve: Did you raise any capital for this particular venture?
Mukund: Yes. We are privately held and raised one round of funding.

Steve: What would you like to see happen over the next 18 months for BuzzGain?
Mukund: Since 25% of our profits go towards children’s education causes, we’d like our company to support 100 kids in 18 months. From a corporate perspective, we are focused on the market acceptance of our solution. Customers using our offering on a daily basis and lowering their cost of awareness or “buzz” and lowering their cost of new customer acquisition are two other metrics we are tracking.

Steve: What kind of things should an entrepreneur do to keep excited and engaged in their venture during the inevitable tough times?
Mukund: The best thing you can do is to get a cofounder or two. That’s the best way we have seen people take the ups and downs in their stride. You can always pull the other person up when one person is not having a good day or week or month.

Steve: Finally, what do you think are the top five characteristics of a successful entrepreneur?
Mukund: I tend to focus on 3 things.
1) Drive (or passion): There has to be a reason you are going to get up at 5 am on days to do a demo for the 12th time to a client. Something has to motivate you to keep working on your product to make it better – after the first time its not usually money any more.
2) Discipline: The ability to set goals and put a plan in place to achieve them on a consistent basis is how I define discipline. My experiences have taught me that over 50% of the success with a startup in the first 12 months is due to preparation & showing up.
3) Humility: If you are going to start a company your ego will get bruised at least a hundred times in the first year. I define humility as the virtue that keeps your ego in check and does not hurt you.