I like the way this helps you to connect your friends and contacts with your on-line presence. For instance

After we receive the cards, we turn them into contacts you can import into your email application, you can view your contacts online and export the contacts in a variety of formats. For instance there is “where possible, one-click connect to your contacts on business social networks including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter”

Post from: EveryJoe

Cloud Contact – New Business Card Scanner

However, the amazing part of the Job Description is found under the skills and qualifications that they are looking for

Basic Qualifications:

· Bachelors degree Liberal Arts, Marketing, Interactive Marketing, New Media, Business Administration or related

· 2 plus years of mobile or social media marketing experience at an Agency director level, strategist level, or brand interactive director level

· 4 plus years People or resource leadership experience

· 1 plus years of active blogging experience

Preferred Qualifications:

· Graduate degree
· 250 plus followers on Twitter

Although this is one advert it shows that how your social media connections are becoming a currency in the job world. Businesses recognise the worth of social media activity. Best Buy are recognising that old business techniques are coming into play…namely that a larger community is important…it makes me think is this the new style of business acquisition??

Post from: EveryJoe

How Twitter Can Help Find a Job

“a global business center that connects your company to its business relations, promoting your products and services as well as helping you find what you need to succeed”

It is a really interesting concept as business has often worked through relationships between people – I remember doing many deals on the golf course!So why not a social networking site for companies.

The site allows you to promote, to find potential partners and of course to find customers. Will it work? It will be interesting to see…I think it could as long as people see it as connecting with individuals. It is less of a social network for companies and more for individuals in a business capacity.

At least at any rate may be worth getting your business on there for any future potential revenue.

Post from: EveryJoe

Social Networking for Business

“I sit down, look at the screen, ready to join the blogosphere…and I draw a blank. What in the world do I have to say?”

And therein lies the biggest challenge in wrapping your head around social media as a business tool. If you don’t just want to do the “SEO Thing.” If you want to engage an audience and start a conversation…where do you begin?

The first thing you have to do is identify the…let’s call it the core-truth…that separates you from your competition. I’m not talking products or services here. What is something you believe is a problem in your industry or market…and what do you think will fix it. Or, what area are you an expert in that gives you an edge.

Are you a “man-of-the-streets” who’s made it in a MBA-dominated industry? Or an MBA who’s taking on a field that has been dominated by more colloquial, folksy companies? Take an edge an claim it as your own.

Then write about life and business from this point of view. You business blog gives you an opportunity to put a unique face on your brand…to humanize it in a market where customers are increasingly looking to believe in the items they spend their money on. They’re going to be looking you up online anyway. Give them more than a price list and a spec sheet.

What do “you” mean. And why should they care?

PHOTO CREDIT: Source – sxc.hu

Post from: EveryJoe

What do “you” mean?

This blog is a site dedicated to her journey to support RaDene Hatfield,  Bramble’s Democratic opponent for re-election.

It seems that Hatfield read Anna the Pizza Delivery Girl’s blog and heard about her unfortunate encounter with Bramble.

She sought out Anna and made her acquaintance. After getting to know each other a bit, Hatfield requested Anna to work on her campaign.

Although never politically motivated in the past, Anna agreed.  She started a new blog, Vote for Radene, in which she chronicles her journey working as a pollster and supporter of Hatfield for Utah District 16 state senate.

Nicolitalia Pizzeria continues to support Anna’s right to blog her own opinions on her own time, even though each of her posts bring more publicity (good or bad) to their establishment.

What do you think? Is Nicolitalia right in supporting Anna? Or are they being naive and should request that she shut it down or at the least remove any reference to their establishment? What would you do in a similar circumstance?

photo credit: the pizza review

Post from: EveryJoe

Real-life Blogging: The Senator and the Pizza Delivery Girl (Part 2)

Since she works with Epson, she was quick to remind me that today’s high quality printers also do a professional job of printing, and would give business owners more control over the finished product.  I took a look at some of the printer websites and have to admit that they do appear to be fast and high quality, especially the all-in-one models that are designed for small business. 

So, she could be right that printing materials yourself is an idea worth exploring if you are going to be doing it on a regular basis.  However, a friend of mine with a lot of experience in advertising cautioned me that printing items with a lot of color could result in smudging and “bleeding”. 

I’m not an expert in these areas so it occurred to me that it would be great to be able to ask these types of questions on a blog…..so I took a look to see if any companies who sell printers, also blog.

I started with the Epson site and while I didn’t find a blog I found a series of podcasts on topics such as photography.  I also found a “feature story” section with human interest stories sequenced by date.  In reality if they would just turn comments on – it would be a blog. They also offer eight (that’s right, eight!!) different newsletters on various topics ranging from hobbies to tech support to contests.  Again, this would all be great topics for blog posts – and would open up two way communication.

I also checked out Hewlett-Packard but couldn’t find a blog.  They do offer several e-newsletters and magazines – so they have enough material for a blog. But no way for a reader to initiate the conversation.

Laura has already  reviewed Dell’s blog.  When I checked, it was being updated regularly and an effort was being made to respond to the comments.  There doesn’t appear to be any censoring going on either, as there are quite a few comments concerning challenges with customer service, etc.  Dell at least appears to be confronting any issues head on.

Canon – no blog and if they have a newsletter, I couldn’t find it.

IBM – has at least 67 blogs (I lost count) but they are all employee blogs with a disclaimer that they may not reflect the views of the company.  While it’s great that they are supporting their employees in blogging, it also means that there is still no way to contact IBM directly to voice questions or concerns. 

Recently, Business and blogging readers have told us that they are more likely to do business with a business that blogs. 

  So tell me what you think – Do you only look for blogs among small businesses and sole proprietors, or do you prefer to do business with big companies who blog as well?

Would whether or not a company has a blog influence your purchasing decision?
photo credit: unleashingmephotography

Post from: EveryJoe

Do Printer Manufacturers Blog?

(www.businessandblogging.com) Well the rain held off long enough for us to see the Macy’s fireworks display last night. As the world’s largest fireworks display – it more than lived up to our expectations – over 35,000 fireworks in a 30 minute show- that’s more than 1000 fireworks a minute!  

After the show I began to wonder about Macy’s department store – the force behind the fireworks and the NY Thanksgiving Day parade.  With all the money and effort they put into their marketing and public relations – I was sure they’d have a blog.

But – no dice.

Nor did Bloomingdales, also owned by Macy’s Inc.

And neither did Lord&Taylor, Barney’s, Ann Taylor, Neiman-Marcus, Saks-Fifth Avenue  or Bergdorf Goodman’s.

Nordstrom’s however has a blog -   From the Floor.  Four Nordstrom employees (Kim, Lisa, Jorge and Debbi) take turns blogging about Beauty, Designer, Events, Men’s, Shoes and Trends.  The blog has been in existence for about 8 months and seems to be updated regularly with engaging posts that appeal to their target market – shoppers – as well as some personal reflections such as one blogger’s reaction to Sex and the City.

As much as I enjoy the Macy’s annual fireworks and parade (and don’t want them to stop!!), I’m not sure they’re going to  motivate me to go shopping any time soon.  

Wouldn’t a blog that describes new items in the store be more enticing to recession-wary shoppers???

photo credit: Peter Duhon

Post from: EveryJoe

Business Blogging: Do Fashion Stores Blog?

So, inspired by Laura’s post from yesterday to search for “every day blogs” I thought I would check out Delta’s corporate blog.  I found that Delta does indeed have a blog, Under the Wing. I also found that it has already been very ably reviewed for the F500 Wiki by Richard Young of The Whole Nine Yards who gave it a 60 out of a possible 80 points, using the rating format we devised on business and blogging.

I also found that last month Marketing Nirvana rated Delta’s blog within the top 15 corporate blogs based on technorati ranks.

So what was left for me to do with the Delta blog?

Really, nothing – except enjoy it.

I started off reading about Delta’s test of truly paperless check in and boarding - that lets you use your blackberry as your ticket!!  It’s being tested out of NY’s LaGuardia airport – making me regret the fact that I’m flying out of JFK!!

Then I started reading the customer service stories - and got a little teary-eyed hearing about the airline personnel who went above and beyond for passengers in distress, offering their time, compassion, money and food.  Definitely not the customer service stories you usually hear.

And lastly I skimmed some of the other stories ranging from behind the scenes glimpses of corporate policies, first hand reports from Jeff Francouer of the Atlanta Braves, and reviews of international travel destinations.

In sum, I thought the Delta blog was a nice mix of interesting and entertaining articles that made me feel more positive about an airline than I have in quite a while.   It will be interesting to see if that warm feeling lasts throughout the 5 hour flight.

 (I just checked the airline that I usually fly. Not only do they not have a blog – they have also just announced that they have quit serving free peanuts or pretzels,  will start charging a fee for the first checked bag – and for soda, juice and water!!

It’s a shame they don’t have a blog - it looks like they would have a lot to blog about!!!) 

Post from: EveryJoe

Delta – Blogging Under the Wing

Writing today’s post will leave me just enough time to run out to the grocery store and buy a few last minute items for this afternoon’s picnic by the lake.  But instead of a grocery list, I thought I’d make a quick list of the number of blogs currently supported by Whole Foods Market.

The most well-known blog is run by the CEO himself, John Mackey. 

In case you haven’t heard, Mackey’s blogging privileges were suspended last July by his company’s board and the SEC.  There were accusations that Mackey tried to drive down the stock prices of Wild Oats in order to take over the company.  He wasn’t accused of doing this through his actual blog, but rather by posting comments on Yahoo! Finance forums using the anonymous user name Rahodeb. 

The SEC has since decided not to pursue the matter and Mackey’s blogging privileges were returned last week.  His first post is an interesting article explaining why he considers what he did a “lapse in judgement, but not a lapse in ethics”.  As a business blogging case study – it’s worth some debate over the potato salad.

Whole Foods has several other blogs besides the CEO’s:  

Whole Foods Market Video Blog
This blog is comprised solely of podcasts that are about current issues relevant to Whole Foods, such as Compassionate Farming.  The videos are generally presentations, interviews and panel discussions by John Mackey and other corporate executives. 

Secret Ingredient Video Blog
This is a truly fun blog comprised of cooking videos - especially if you are like me and spend more time fantasizing about cooking than actually doing it! Check out one of my favorite videos Sopa de Jitomates y Rajas with Chef Rick Bayless (Roasted Tomato soup with Pobalnos, Oregano and Fresh Cheese).  The posts also include recipes if you are inspired enough to try it at home!!

Whole Green Blog
Another blog with fodder to promote lively discussions at your picnic table: this blog aims to share innovative ways to promote sustainability and help us all reduce our carbon footprints.  The topic might sound dry but I found a variety of interesting posts on topics such as downshifting, the concept of slowing down your pace and greening up your world – perfect goals for this coming Summer!

Be Good To Your Whole Body Podcast Blog
Speaking of slowing down, this weekly blog has posts about nurturing yourself using natural products to recreate spa treatments, aromatherapy and reduce allergies. 

Farm to Market Slide Show Blog
This fascinating blog uses slide shows to depict the stories.  According to Whole Foods they “hit the back roads and discover the stories of the people and places behind local and regional foods found in our stores. They travel the farm-to-market roads of the rural South and interview farmers and producers whose passion it is to produce the highest-quality, best-tasting product available.” 

Slide shows are an easier alternative to podcasts that allows you to merge photos with audio and share experiences with your readers. A not to miss summertime video is Miles Berry Farm in Baxley, Georgia, growing organic strawberries.

That completes the Whole Foods Whole List of a Whole Bunch of blog ideas that you can leverage in your own business blog:

•  a CEO blog
•  a media archive
•  short educational videos (viral!)
•  a blog promoting alternative uses of your products 
• a slide show of suppliers, partners and behind-the-scenes experiences

Which ideas are you going to try??

photo credit: Lamerie

Post from: EveryJoe

Whole Foods Market: A Whole Lot of Blogging Going On

Who would you trust more to tell you the truth? The CEO of a major corporation or one of its employees? Corporate advertising or a blog?  A story on TV or a story from a friend?

If you are like the respondents to the latest Trust Barometer  survey conducted by Edelman PR firm, it would be the employee rather than the CEO, a blog rather than advertising, and a story from a friend rather than one on TV news.

This means that a lot of the effort most companies put into their communication and strategies is focused in the wrong places.  In fact, 55% of the US respondents aged 25-34 cited Wikipedia as the most credible source of information about an corporation – I wonder how many corporate PR groups know what wikipedia is, let alone what is written there about their company.

The solution? According to the report:

Share your content with your employees, passionate consumers, and bloggers, allowing them to co-create, repurpose, and improve their knowledge through dialogue. Change your tone from one that pronounces to one that invites participation, ceding some control in return for credibility.

Click here to  read the full report.  I’d love to hear your opinion on whether you think corporations are going to be willing to give up some control in order to gain credibility?  

photo credit: Joe Nangle

Post from: EveryJoe

Business Blogging: Who Can You Trust?