Talking Turkey About Start Ups

Posted on November 21, 2008 by Sue

Personal Chef to Go

There is no denying the sudden halt of internet sales during these tough economic times. It’s particularly hard on start ups.

I have been working with a new client, Personal Chef to Go, whose future growth depends on internet sales. We’re using AdWords, optimizing the site and tapping into social networks, but it’s tough to break through and gain traction right now.

I really believe in their concept, how they’re building their team and their food is fantastic. Trust me, I eat as much as I can get my tastebuds on!!

I need your help to make things happen for them. Specifically, please check out their site, consider working with them as an affiliate if its a good fit for your audience, let me know what you think about their service, and consider telling others about it as well. They need to sell lots of turkey!

Photo by Chris Brogan via Flickr

Posted in Friends, Sites of Note | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

WordPress Webinar

Posted on October 1, 2008 by Sue

Wordpress logo - stylized W in a blue circle I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be delivering WordPress to Get Your Words Out as an NTEN webinar on Tuesday, October 21st from 2:00 – 3:30 pm. Registration is open to the general public as well.

This is a great, low cost way to learn everything you need to know to set up and run your own WordPress blog.

Please join us!

Posted in Lessons, NPTech | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Help the Most, Win A Lot

Posted on September 23, 2008 by Sue

As part of their 10th anniversary celebration, Google has just announced its Project 10 to the 100th, a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible. They’re backing this up with $10m in funding, resources and support to the top five ideas that will help the most number of people.

They’re looking for big, audacious ideas to back in the following categories:

  • Community: How can we help connect people, build communities and protect unique cultures?
  • Opportunity: How can we help people better provide for themselves and their families?
  • Energy: How can we help move the world toward safe, clean, inexpensive energy?
  • Environment: How can we help promote a cleaner and more sustainable global ecosystem?
  • Health: How can we help individuals lead longer, healthier lives?
  • Education: How can we help more people get more access to better education?
  • Shelter: How can we help ensure that everyone has a safe place to live?
  • Everything else: Sometimes the best ideas don’t fit into any category at all.

The deadline for initial entries is October 20th, 2008, so get moving!

via the always awesome Philipp Lenssen at Google Blogoscoped

Posted in Business Incubation, Communities, Grants, NPTech | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Fall Office Hours

Posted on September 22, 2008 by Sue

My Office

I had such a great time this summer that I’m volunteering for NTEN’s office hours program again this fall. Of course, it’s only fun if you show up, so bring your printing, WordPress, blogging, twitter and general communications issues on over every Tuesday from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm. You can also find other experts by browsing the new sidebar widget.

Not an NTEN member? That’s ok – office hours are now open to the general public! This is a great way to get expert advice and help for your organization.

Posted in NPTech, Recommended Resources | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Online Store Manager

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Sue

One of my favorite online sites, Photojojo, is looking for the perfect applicant to manage their online store. Details:

This is a full-time job in San Francisco, CA.

Photojojo is looking for a lovable, creative, and hard-working person to join our team of photography lovers in San Francisco. Your job will be to manage and help grow our online store — a job that requires sleuthing skills to unearth unique and interesting products to sell (via the internet and occasional trade show visits), analytical abilities to project sales and manage inventory levels, and negotiating kung-fu to work with vendors to obtain the best possible pricing.

You’ll also have a hand in writing appealing product copy, planning and executing photo and video shoots, and planning and measuring promotions and advertising.

Superhuman organizational skills and a self-starter attitude are a MUST.

Preference given to those who are also excellent writers, understand social media, have excellent people skills, and an innate sense of marketing and promotions. It sure doesn’t hurt if you happen to be a great photographer or have experience in online retail, forecasting, or a deep love of metrics and data driven decision-making! (Not knowing things is okay, but you must be a good learner.)

Now, go over and apply! If this isn’t a good fit for you, consider forwarding it to a friend.

Posted in Employment | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Hurricane Ike

Posted on September 12, 2008 by Sue

As with Gustav, the online community has come together to provide timely news, information, resources, site widgets and support as Ike blows into Texas via the Hurricane Information Center.

If you want to be able to pitch in and help as needed, please consider joining us there!

Posted in Communities, Hurricanes | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Hurricane Gustav Resources

Posted on August 31, 2008 by Sue

Please scroll down for the latest updates.

The online community has sprung into action on Gustav; here are some helpful resources:

Andy Carvin has launched a Gustav information/aggregation center on Ning you can join for updates.

If you are using Twitter, please use the gustav hashtag (#gustav) so we can find your updates and aggregate them into the information center.

The Red Cross has a blog up and is updating Gustav news and information

The Gustav wiki is up and running here.

FEMA has launched The National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System to help evacuees reconnect. You can register via the web if you still have access or dial 1-800-588-9822 to register.

Twitter has many Gustav tweeters and real time updates. The best channels for hurricane specific information are:

http://www.twitter.com/redcross
http://www.twitter.com/dfwgustav
http://www.twitter.com/gustavreporter
http://www.twitter.com/gustavalerts
http://www.twitter.com/gustav08
http://www.twitter.com/hurricanealerts
http://www.twitter.com/hurricanes2008

Some of the NPTech folk following Gustav via Twitter include:

Andy Carvin
Beth Kanter
Mark Mayhew
Deborah Elizabeth Finn
Wayne Sutton

Tom Watson has a good look back and forward glance at the online communities disaster response (via Beth).

Jeftek has a great roundup of live feeds and resources to monitor Gustav.

I’ll update this post as more information becomes available – feel free to leave links in the comments section.

Update

Beth has a new post up outlining how you can volunteer to help in the wake of Gustav. Most urgent, I think, is checking the links and resources in the Gustav wiki.

Cerando has also created a Gustav widget available for iPhones & mobiles that is full of Gustav updates, resource links and contact information.

Doc Searls has a post up with radio & streaming information along with photos and additional resources.

Sarah Perez at Read Write Web has collected additional Gustav resources and tracking sites – check comments for new additions.

The American Red Cross has requested that people register at their website if they are safe & well.

Maddie Grant is tracking social media efforts and has some Gustav video up.

Duncan Riley at the Inquisitr has links to live video from Gustav’s path.

Nola.com has updated local coverage.

Folks that participated in the Katrina Peoplefinder project are needed to work on the PeopleFinder Interchange Format to help people locate each other.

MSNBC has an updated Gustav hurricane tracker.

Totally unrelated – I really miss Ashley’s voice. Glad to hear everyone got out safely!

Hannah Sassaman has a list of ways to help with Gustav.

If you want to donate funds to help in the recovery effort, Charity Navigator has some suggestions to help you ensure you’re helping a legitimate organization. Beware disaster fundraising scams – they’re already popping up like mushrooms.

Craigslist’s New Orleans and Baton Rouge pages are hopping. If you’ve got shelter or want to help these are great places to post. There is now also a newsfeed of safe shelter and support.

Nola.com is using Twitter for updates.

Jeff Masters from the Weather Underground is liveblogging Gustav.

New Orleans Metblogs are still up & running with updates.

The Blog of New Orleans is also being updated with local citizen coverage.

Damon Cortesi set up an SMS tool to update people if you’re safe or need assistance.

Outside.in has the latest updates from bloggers in and around the gulf states.

DHS has a nifty blog widget (you can see it in action on the sidebar) with hurricane response links for you to add to your blog, Facebook or MySpace page.

Posted in Gulf Recovery, Gustav | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Changing the World via Technology

Posted on August 5, 2008 by Sue

There was a lot of discussion about how technology isn’t being used to solve large problems surrounding this year’s Supernova conference. As someone using technology to further social change, I couldn’t agree more.

Accordingly, I was delighted to read the announcement out of the FORTUNE: Brainstorm TECH Conference about the first-ever Legatum FORTUNE Technology Prize of $1,000,000 for technology that offers practical and sustainable innovations that accelerate prosperity:

The first-ever Legatum FORTUNE Technology Prize was announced today by FORTUNE managing editor Andy Serwer during the FORTUNE: Brainstorm TECH Conference. The Prize fund of $1,000,000 will be awarded annually to for-profit organizations, or individuals, whose application of technology solutions has demonstrably improved the quality of life amongst impoverished populations in developing countries.

“This new Prize will help us seek out, recognize, and honor individuals and organizations that demonstrate the impact of technology on intractable development issues, establishing these visionaries as role models for a world ready for new solutions,” said Serwer.

Legatum is a privately owned international investment organisation, whose primary focus is commercial investment and which also applies its investor’s expertise in tackling long-standing development challenges around the globe. The partnership between Legatum and FORTUNE highlights a shared belief in business as a powerful force in development and the need for greater engagement in emerging markets.

“History has taught us that technology is a key driver of increased economic prosperity and has the real potential to improve lives in developing countries,” said Mark Stoleson, President of Legatum. “The Legatum FORTUNE Technology Prize is designed to identify the very best technology companies that are bringing innovation to frontier markets around the globe. Our goal is to highlight new model for effective development, and stimulate an escalating cycle of innovation and new investment.”

Competitors for the Legatum FORTUNE Technology Prize will be nominated by a network of technology experts and evaluated by a panel of eminent judges from the worlds of technology, business and development. Under the leadership of Iqbal Z. Quadir, Director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT, the judges’ experience will encompass grassroots development programs, private equity investment, academia, and policy-making.

The program will culminate in the presentation of the first $1,000,000 Legatum FORTUNE Technology Prize at the FORTUNE 500 Forum in Washington, DC in December 2008. For more information, please visit: www.fortunebrainstorm.com/tech.

If you’re applying, let us know in the comment section!

Posted in Business Incubation, Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Pre-Press Internship, Fall 2008

Posted on August 4, 2008 by Sue

I’m delighted to pass along an internship opportunity here in the Richmond, VA market. This looks like an excellent opportunity to learn some leading edge technology, too:

ColorTree Inc. of VA is a leader in the custom envelope industry. For over 20 years our commitment to deliver outstanding service and quality to our customers keeps us a step ahead. Our investment in training and technology insures that our interns enjoy a meaningful work environment that is engaging, rewarding and fun.

Intern Activities:

  • Organizing work flow and supporting the transition to a Prinergy Workflow System
  • Providing support to account executives using Synchrono and other tools
  • Proofing tasks; supporting the integration of Canon C1 Proofer
  • Trapping and color issues
  • Plating
  • Monitoring performance data
  • Special projects such as developing media for in-house skills training programs and other business initiatives

Requirements:

  • Attention to detail in a production environment
  • Ability to work quickly and accurately
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Preference given to those with a relevant internship in a fast-paced environment
  • Be available to start by mid-August.
  • 8:00AM to 5:00PM work schedule preferred

To apply, contact Rick Carr, Director of Human Resources or fax your resume and cover letter to the Colortree Human Resources Department at 804-545-9873.

Posted in Richmond, Virginia | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Facebook Blog Network

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Sue

Oh, look – new and shiny stuff for Facebook -

Join my blog network
on Facebook
Blog Networks

Ok, it’s new to me, but if you’re on Facebook, why not add me?

Posted in Lessons | 1 Comment