For years, people have complained, and rightfully so, that the media only shows the public what they want it to know. We know that many times we don’t get an entire story and the information we do get may be inflammatory and used as a means to sell additional copies. In the age of social media, the voice of the public can be broadcast to many at the click of a mouse and we decide what is newsworthy. We are now able to relay information without being silenced as the media sometimes is. This has opened a door that can’t be closed and while freedom of speech is our right, we must remember that we are posting to the world and those words, photos, etc. cannot be taken back. It’s much easier to vent or post something negative on a social network than to say it out loud to someone. Just remember that the person you are posting about may see your comment. My parents told me never to put anything harsh in writing; this is the same concept. We are still in the early stages of social media, but remember that a “filter” should be in place when posting anything to the world.
Many people, particularly our youth, are fans of posting each thing they do, each place they go, and who they are with every second of every day without much thought as to the consequences. Keep in mind that by placing this information online, anyone with access to your profile is able see your every move. This can be dangerous, especially with the recent explosion of geo-location apps. Stalkers don’t have a hard time following people who leave a trail. Thieves watch social networks to find out when people are leaving on vacation and then break in while they are gone. If you post that you are going on vacation, don’t give dates. Post pictures when you get back so that no one knows exactly when you are gone. Simply be careful.
Though there are a few downsides to social media, there are many pros as well. We interact with our “friends” and family members whom we would otherwise not have much contact with. It’s much easier for people living in different areas of the world to stay connected with others via social networks. Grandparents who live out of state can see current photos and videos of their grandchildren in between visits. Friends who took jobs at opposite ends of the country can still remain connected. In addition, campaigns for causes allow us to spearhead a call to action right from the comfort of our couch. A mass post to all of your connections via a social network can attract volunteers, donors, etc. which can make a big difference in a campaign. Crowdsourcing, or empowering a community to do something specific on behalf of an organization, can also be a powerful tool.
The bottom line is, social networking is a great way to stay connected if you follow etiquette and practice common sense. There is an interesting infographic on one of our Pinterest boards that does a great job of explaining the different social networks and the types of posts you will find on several of the more popular sites. There are many reasons to participate in social networks, and though there are a few reasons to be cautious, the benefits far outweigh them.
By Rhys Kenworthy, www.r00tcomputing.com
For managers, hiring is one of the most difficult tasks they are faced with. Potential employees can send in impressive resumes, but when hired, they perform below expectations.
Remarkable employees are marked by several characteristics as noted in a recent article http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-8-qualities-of-remarkable-employees.html.
Ignoring job descriptions is at the top of this list. Everyone has worked with someone who has said, "I'm not taking care of that; it's not my job." A great employee sees a need and takes the initiative to complete the task, whether in their job description or not.
Another characteristic is that they publicly praise their peers, but privately complain. Everyone loves to be recognized for a job well done, but just as this praise works positively in the office, criticisms have the same effect but negatively. When respected employees complain to their peers, the issue may be made worse than the reality.
Remarkable employees have the desire to prove others wrong. This is in direct correlation to employee’s drive and self-motivation which can outweigh their previous education and experience.
Finally, they have a tendency to fiddle with processes. Instead following current procedures, they strive to find ways to improve upon them making them more efficient and effective. Remarkable employees display many similar key traits and looking for these characteristics when hiring will provide your company with more extraordinary staff.
Social media marketing is defined as directing more traffic to your web site via the use of social media tools. With more companies taking advantage of these networks, you need to be involved to remain competitive. Facebook is the obvious leader with over 640 million active users in 2011. Twitter claimed 175 million users last year and LinkedIn announced 100 million users globally. Recently, Facebook became the world's most visited site making it a great place to provide information about your company, its services, and promotions to generate consumer loyalty.
According to Facebook's best practices, there are 11 ways to engage your participants:
1. Ask Questions
2. Offer A Deal Or Promotion
3. Hold A Contest
4. Create A Game
5. Host A Live Chat
6. Use Photos and Videos
7. Have An Opinion (Even If It’s Not Popular)
8. Engage Your Most Passionate Fans
9. Create Stars
10. Host A Guest Post
11. Ask For Engagement
For more information, visit Facebook's best practices page at http://www.facebook.com/SMMBestPractices
Although your computer may be working fine, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need regular maintenance. There are several items to address on different schedules. Regular maintenance can be scheduled on your system to run at night, avoiding any interruption while you are performing your computerized tasks. The first items are temporary files and cookies. These files are stored on your system and can slow it down if they are not removed regularly. Most people are using the Internet, some of us more than others, and the web is the place where you will rack up the largest amounts of these files. They are not harmful to your computer, but they do need to be maintained. Programs that are no longer being used can be uninstalled and others that are not used frequently can be removed from your system startup to optimize your processing speed.
Another important item is to defragment your hard drive. When files are too large to store in one location, your computer will “fragment” it into segments, requiring your system to open all “fragments” which can slow your system down. A disk defragmenter can be scheduled to run at night as well. Registry maintenance is recommended as well, but only by a computer technician. Registry keys are necessary for you system to run and deleting one that is required can be disastrous.
Protection from viruses and malware has become increasingly important. Ensuring that your virus definitions are up-to-date can help you avoid the inherent headache when you realize that you’ve clicked through something or downloaded something that you shouldn’t have. The creators are making them more and more difficult to identify and have taken to cloning anti-virus software screens in an effort to convince the user that it is legitimate. Current anti-virus software will help protect your system.
Your computer not only needs to be maintained and protected, but it also needs to be updated. Operating systems will send updates with necessary patches, etc.
Other software such as Microsoft Office will send updates and some software will provide updates on their website, but they are not sent to the user. Many websites requires the latest version Java or Flash to view their site and enjoy full functionality. You want to ensure that your system is maintained, protected, and updated so that when you are ready to use it, everything will work correctly. There is nothing more frustrating that trying to complete a computerized task only to find that your computer isn’t capable, because maintenance has been performed. Take a few moments to set up some scheduled tasks and set reminders for those manual tasks; the return on your time investment will be priceless.
For more information, visit Rhys’s website at www.r00tcomputing.com
You’ve done everything right. You saved the company a boatload of money by cutting the travel budget and implementing conference calling. You’ve set up your online registration account, so you can begin marketing your exciting webinars with the latest polling and video technology and making a profit from them. These are indeed wonderful things, but maybe there is something you’re missing….SECURITY.
Even though you may not think of it this way, your conference codes are something that could potentially be abused if they fall into the wrong hands. With the freedom and anonymity of reservationless calling, there is no way for your conferencing service provider to know if the people using your codes belong to your company, or if they are scammers who have been prowling the internet to find posted codes to use and make themselves a tidy profit. While we do have antifraud procedures in place, it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure you don’t post your conference codes out there on the internet for all to see.
If you want codes for your events that you can post, we can set up one time use codes that open for your event and close after the event is over. There is no chance of some random web scammer finding the code and using it later, because it is deactivated. SECURE!
So the moral of this story is this: keep your conference codes private and don’t post them on your website, Facebook page or other internet site. Anyone could see them and take advantage of you. If you need a one-time use code, call the TelSpan Client Service Professionals at 1-800-937-7726 and we will be happy to get it set up for your SECURITY and PEACE OF MIND.
Meeting via audio conference is a way to save yourself or your organization lots of money, but if it becomes a frustrating experience, is it really worth it? The answer to this question is not yes and not no, because you are asking the wrong question! Let’s break it down. It is definitely going to save you money when you don’t have to fly your associates and clients to meetings and brainstorming sessions. You don’t have to pay for lodging and you don’t even have to buy them lunch! Audio conferencing is a simple, economical way to get everyone together without leaving the comfort of their homes or offices. Do you have a sales person who is on the road all the time? He or she doesn’t have to miss the meeting! Simply have them dial in from whatever city they are staying in that day.
The key though, is know that following a few simple rules can make your audio conference more productive and stress free!
1. Have everyone call into the conference from a land line if possible. Poor mobile phone coverage can cause frustration and interruption in service.
2. Remind everyone that if they put the call on hold they may be playing soft rock or elevator music into the call. No fun!
3. Let your participants know that by using TelSpan’s *1 feature, they can mute and unmute their line as many times as they need to so no matter what is going on around them. Background noise does not have to be heard on the call.
4. Last but not least! TelSpan has operators waiting to help, so if there is a problem or disturbance on the call, press *0 and a real live operator will help you!
The quality of your conferences is of utmost importance to us; let TelSpan exceed your expectations!
Effective communication is a complex and multi-faceted process. Even when an audience cannot detect visual cues, their presence can still subtly influence the tone and tempo of the speaker. A great way for a speaker to create a more engaging experience is to be aware of the potential benefits or pitfalls of the non-audio aspects of presenting, even if such things are not immediately apparent to an audience who can only hear the speaker.
Smile – Facial expressions have a huge impact on tone. A serious expression will make your words sound slower and harsher while something as simple as a smile will inject enthusiasm and warmth to your tone.
Gestures - Even though your audience may not be able to see them, gestures will add emotiveness to your tone and make you sound more energetic.
Posture – Standing helps a speaker audibly project and give bold emphasis, while sitting speakers tend to be more relaxed and fluid. Sitting up straight will cause the speaker to sound more alert while leaning back will cause the speaker to speak lower and slower. Walking while speaking will tend to speed up the tempo of one’s speech.
Environment – If you are aesthetically comfortable you will project less stress or anxiety for your audience to pick up on. A comfortable chair, an organized desk, a colorful plant, piece of art, or pictures of loved ones or humorous things within sight can really make a difference to your mood and thus your tone.
Self-Awareness – Be aware of what your body is doing while you are speaking. A mirror can make one more cognizant of facial expressions. Watch the clock to make sure your tempo is not too slow or fast for the allotted time. Try some breathing and vocal exercises to increase your audible effectiveness.
Next time you are on a phone call or audio conference, try a few of the suggestions above, and then tell us what you think!
Do you need to gather specific information from your participants such as address, phone number, and email addresses? Would you like to survey your registrants to be able to better market your future events? Do you charge for your events and/or sell products such as recordings? TelSpanVenue’s registration can do all of this and more!
TelSpanVenue is a web and video conferencing platform which offers live audio and video, document and screen sharing capabilities, interactive tools, and full branding. Included in this platform at no extra charge is a robust registration tool that gathers all of your required information, offers pre- and post-event survey capabilities, password protection, full reporting, and supports payment integration via PayPal.
Advertising links can be generated for use with email blasts, web sites, and social media sites, thus providing several avenues for registrant generation. Reports viewed prior to your event can ascertain if further marketing is required and if you are reaching your target demographic. Post-conference reports will provide you with the information on each participant who attended, allowing you to send them additional information. Payments can be taken via PayPal from participants with or without a PayPal account. In addition, reminders can be sent to participants, allowing them to be more prepared for your event.
A new world of opportunities can open up with the use of a tool as feature-rich as TelSpanVenue’s online registration platform. Talk with your TelSpan Inside Sales Representative today about how you can expand your marketing reach with online event registration today!
When it comes to marketing, most companies use the usual methods: mailings, websites, and telemarketing. In order to really stand out from the competition, successful organizations are adding online video to their sales and marketing mix.
Many professionals find themselves repeating the same content over and over. Whether to employees, clients, or prospects, videos can save hours every day in marketing your organization, product, or service. Similarly, in driving in new business, video effectively delivers your message about the benefits of your products and services. By offering an online video you create a virtual salesperson, increasing contacts and your product awareness exponentially. The prospect also has the opportunity to review the content at their leisure
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Want to find out how a virtual salesperson can work for you? Contact TelSpan for a free consultation and customized video project quote! 1-800-800-1729
The tablet phenomenon is still in its infancy, with the iPad making its debut in 2010. Along with the popularity of tablets and mobile devices, came interactive applications or “apps”. The benefit behind apps resides in their capability to be accessed without the need of a web connection. This is a phenomenal way to share your company videos!
Apps, combined with mobile technology, can work as an amazing team for your business. Represent video within your business and carry your company videos wherever you go!
Let’s imagine you are at a business lunch with a prospective client. You are able to demonstrate the power of video from your mobile device as you guide them through a tour of your company’s video library. You are able to conveniently and quickly access video presentations, commercials, training videos, promotional videos, product videos, you name it! The best part is you didn’t kill your message with another PowerPoint presentation. The attention is on an attractive, professional video.
Contact TelSpan for a free consultation and customized video project quote!
