Biz Talk - Business Blog Roanoke and Beyond

Ninety people attended and another 12 joined in the live streaming video of the Recession Proof Social Marketing forum Wednesday at the Salem Civic Center.  Many thanks to those who attended, our panel of experts, Videographer Don Thorne and the Salem Civic Center. 

Forum participants were surprisingly impressed by the display of social media tools that are available to businesses today for marketing and recruiting.  Ira Kaufman opened up the event with challenges business people face and revealed why social media is a powerful and cost effective marketing medium.  Stuart Mease enlightened us with success stories of how businesses can use Facebook as low cost advertising and a tool for target marketing.  Beth Deel and Wendy Schuyler introduced "The World of Twitter" as they beamed their presentation across the web "Twitter Style".  Eric Melniczek shared real life examples and of how LinkedIn can be used to market and recruit for your company.  Patsy Stewart explained Blogs in Plain English and 8 ways companies can benefit from blogging.

For those of you who weren't able to attend the event and for those who just want a re-cap, you can visit the Roanoke Biz2Biz Streaming Video Archive where we keep videos of our past shows.

Twitter users are invited to follow us on twitter

Roanoke, VA – While he has remained committed to open and accessible government since his arrival on Roanoke City Council two years ago and routinely attends meetings throughout the city and answers citizen emails daily, Vice-Mayor David Trinkle has learned that communication on issues in a timely fashion with citizens and the media is vital to keeping Roanoke moving forward. 

Through his City Council blog— www.davetrinkle.com, which will go live on June 19, 2008, the Vice-Mayor will post new blogs at least weekly and respond to blog comments at least every other day. His blogs will allow open postings so that positive and negative comments and responses are there for all to see. He will also encourage the media to interview him or ask questions through the media blog so that his full answers are there for all.  

Vice-Mayor Trinkle has taken a lot of time to learn blogging, management of the site, and how to interplay with other social media sites and opportunities. Despite this, he asks bloggers to be patient as he continues to learn the process! 

His main goal for the blog is to be able to fully state an issue, state his viewpoint on that issue, receive feedback on the issue, and be able to change and adapt to this feedback as appears appropriate—ultimately leading him to be able to make the most informed decision on issues that he can. The Vice-Mayor also hopes to post issues as early as possible—as soon as he is aware of them and well before coming to council, to allow healthy debate on these issues and to minimize opportunities for false perceptions to cloud the issues.  

Vice-Mayor Trinkle has taken an enormous amount of time to learn all sides to an issue and be prepared for council meetings.  He will add to that time with this blog and the opportunities it brings. As he has said, "it's all about the flow of information in both directions." He is hopeful that other Council members will also initiate similar blogs or use his to gain information. He is also planning to have guest hosts, including Council members and others, to help with the site.

If you have questions about the blog, please post them under the individual blog posts or go to the media post and ask the question. As always, Vice-Mayor Trinkle can be reached at 540-314-8875 or david.trinkle@roanokeva.gov

If you can't make the Biz2Biz Forum, Recession Proof Social Marketing, no problem.  You can watch it via live streaming video on Wednesday morning around 8:20am.  http://roanokebiz2biz.com/streamingvideo.php

Social Media experts will show you how to unlock the potential of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogs and more.

• Ira Kaufman - Turn on the power of Social Media Marketing
• Stuart Mease - Facebook
• Beth Deel and Wendy Schuyler - Twitter
• Eric Melniczek - LinkedIn
• Patsy Stewart - Blogs

Follow Us On Twitter

Become Our Fan on Facebook

To learn about all of these social media tools watch our live streaming video or if you missed the live show we will have it backed up in our archives.  http://roanokebiz2biz.com/streamingvideo.php

           

Location: Salem Civic Center

Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Time: 8:00am - 10:00am

Targeting: CEOs, Managers, Marketing and HR Managers, Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

Click here to Register NOW!

Unfortunately, most businesses are not capitalizing on social media to provide quality connections with business consumers. According to a recent study, more than 71 % of consumers who use social media are more influenced by user-generated content than traditional advertising.

Join the conversation!

Small and mid size businesses can leverage the power of social media to achieve their goals. Some marketers have been experimenting with social media to reach target audiences for recruitment, event planning, branding, lead generation, product introduction and networking.
We invite you to discover, learn, contribute and ask questions.

The session will include an overview of Social Media Marketing and how your business can benefit.  A qualified panel of successful social media users will enlighten you and answer your questions.  This is your opportunity to join in the conversation.

Be proactive, learn how to use a recession proof social marketing strategy and be ahead of your competition. 

For more information and to register: Call 540 563 2249 or Click here to Register by Email!

Visit http://www.RoanokeBiz2Biz.com/special_events.php to learn more about this event.

Everyone in the valley is aware of the heat wave that our area is experiencing.  I just received an email from Jeremy Holmes, Program Director, Ride Solutions.  He stated that this weekend there is a code orange issued for ozone pollution by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.  The current Air Quality Index can be found at www.ridesolutions.org/airquality/aqi.shtml. 

Elevated ground level ozone is unhealthy for sensitive groups, so please take care to avoid prolonged periods outdoors.  Please honor your commitments to the Regional Ozone Early Action Plan and implement clean air strategies.

  Who is sensitive to ozone?

Children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing lung problems, such as asthma, are sensitive to the health effects of ozone.  Even healthy adults involved in moderate or strenuous outdoor activities can experience the unhealthy effects of ozone.

  How does ozone affect human health?

Ozone is a major element of urban smog.  Ozone can limit the ability to take a deep breath, and it can cause coughing, throat irritation, and breathing discomfort.  There is also evidence that ozone can lower resistance to respiratory disease, such as pneumonia; damage lung tissue, and aggravate chronic lung disease, such as asthma or bronchitis.

  What can I do?

Spread the word! Encourage friends, family and neighbors to sign up at www.ridesolutions.org/airquality to receive these Air Quality Action Day Alerts, and forward this email to others whose health may be susceptible to high ozone levels.  Improve air quality and reduce traffic by registering with www.ridesolutions.org and sign up for our free carpool matching service, and encourage neighbors and coworkers to do the same.  Implement the following ten air quality strategies:

Ten Simple Steps to Improving Air Quality

1. Take mass transit, share a ride, or car pool.  Visit www.ridesolutions.org for our free carpool matching service.

2. Combine trips.

3. Ride your bike.

4. Walk wherever you can.

5. Care for your car and don’t idle.

6. Get fuel when it's cool.

7. Don't top off the tank.

8. Telecommute.

9. Research routes and traffic before you go.

10. Spread the word!  Forward this email, post it to a message board or your blog.  Let others know what they can do.

Stay cool and drink plenty of water!