Frank Kenny

Upgraded My Blog

2009-12-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

I have moved this blog to FrankJKenny.com hosted on the Wordpress platform.

I will continue to focus on entrepreneurs, providing information on using modern business techniques and today's tech tools, including Internet social networking and social media.

We have doubled our Chamber's membership using these tools and I am eager to share what I have learned with business owners, other individuals and groups.

Thank you for your interest and friendship.

Frank

Reach through social networking and social media

2009-12-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

A volunteer trustee recently brought up at a Chamber Board of Trustees meeting that the Chamber has become a media company.

By that, she meant that with all of the Internet social networking, sponsorship and marketing opportunities available to the members, our chamber now has, as known in the marketing world, REACH.

We use that REACH to promote the community, advocate for our members, pump up our networking activities, and contribute to the local economy.

Our Chamber and the President/CEO has 2250 followers on Twitter, 1400 folks on the eBiz email blast list, hundreds of friends on Chamber’s Facebook fan page, a Youtube channel, an active blog, hundreds of members using “Myno”, and more….

We have REACH. Another way to think about it is to call it VISIBILITY in the community. By being a member, you immediately have access to this VISIBILITY from your media company.

A Shop Local Challenge

2009-11-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

Would you please do all of us a favor? Shop Local first. Browse through local merchants and you will find everything you need for the Holidays. The money will recycle throughout the community, supporting the jobs and services we depend upon. Plus, it builds the local economy which completes the circle. Will you committ yourself to this?

Internet social networking for organizations

2009-11-23T08:41:00.001-08:00

Frank Kenny, President/CEO

Taking a leadership role in championing Internet social networking for organizations.

Keynoting, teaching classes and workshops.

Frank Kenny at a presentation - fun and informative.

Our organization had a 100% increase in membership in 18 months

Why such great results?

WE INTRODUCED INTERNET SOCIAL NETWORKING
TO OUR MEMBERS

You can too! We will help.

Classes and training presented at a fun, informative, and quick pace.

Following up on my presentations to the Washington State Chamber of Commerce Executives (WCCE) at the technology summit in June and the annual WCCE conference in October, I have scheduled a series of training sessions for organizations that want to take the next step in Internet social networking.

The schedule is being filled. Get up to speed quickly on these important new tools. Your Board and your members will thank you.

Frank Kenny is the President/CEO of the North Mason Chamber of Commerce. His chamber is among the leaders in the nation in utilizing Internet Social Networking (ISN). He has a presence of more than a dozen social networking sites and is at the 99.5% Twitter ranking according to Twitter.Grader.com. He has taught at the WCCE technology conference and annual conference and is scheduled to teach Internet social networking at the Western Association Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) National Conference in 2010.

Workshops

Contact frank@northmasonchamber.com
or call 360-275-4267 to claim your place in the training schedule:

Executive Director Internet Social Networking Workshop - I will share with the exec and staff what our organization has tried that has worked and what has failed to work. I have spent many hundreds of hours testing and using various ISN sites with a focus on usability and Return on Investment for chambers of commerce and members. Learn from our success. Your board, tech committee, and members are invited to participate. - 2 hours

$750 value
only $500 (plus travel expenses if applicable)

Member Internet Social Networking Workshop - Two hours of hands on member training on Twitter, LinkedIn, FaceBook, and others....All focused on return on investment and business. Your organization doesn't need to be 100% up to speed for you to facilitate this training. You will be offering real value that your members are looking for! - 2 hours

$750 value
only $500 (plus travel expenses if applicable)
i.e. - 20 members at $25/each

Complete Internet Social Networking Workshop - Up to 2 hours with the executive and staff with the remainder of time in workshop with your members. Get you and your organization up to speed quickly and gain all the benefits of being a leading chamber. This will jump start your involvement in ISN while saving you countless hours of frustration and learning from mistakes. - 4 hours

$1000 value
only $750 (plus travel expenses if applicable)
i.e. - 30 members at $25/each

Regional Internet Social Networking Conference - Are you a leading organization? Are you capable of organizing a regional ISN conference that would brand you and your group as visionary and effective? Can you bring together your surrounding groups and take on the role as the lead organizer? This is your chance to lead! Conferences such as these are selling out nationwide. We will help you to organize the event including multiple professional speakers and trainers. Lead your community into the next big thing.

Fee dependent on number of attendees

Other - What do you have in mind. Frank is available for ISN training or speaking on various topics. Let's talk about your ideas.

Visit MyNorthMasonChamber.com for our members-only networking site
and visit Twitter/frankkenny for Frank's Twitter timeline.

"Frank Kenny is a real 21st century communication trend setter. He gave a superb seminar this afternoon at the Chamber. If you have a chance to attend one of his presentations you really must."

Professor John Angus Campbell
Member - North Mason Chamber

Chamber of Commerce Member Marketing Packages that Include Social Media

2009-11-15T23:27:00.000-08:00

I have been really working the social media angle for my Chamber. I have recently created a package of marketing opportunities that includes Internet social networking and geo-targeting. I can't role it out yet publicly but I think it might be a big deal for associations.

Stay tuned.

The videos I have been shooting have also been a big hit. Here is one I posted recently. That is representative Fred Finn of Washington's 35th district being interviewed.

Fun new tools to promote what we are up to

2009-10-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

I have been busy lately creating videos from still shots. It really is amazing what a lay person can do with some good software and quality photos.

Your organization may have the best networking events around but if only a relatively small amount people know about it then you have a problem. Same with a beautiful area that tourists would love but nobody knows about it.

Some months ago we hired a professional photographer to attend all of our luncheons, after hours events, grand openings, etc....Steve Zugschwerdt is that photographer. We also hired him to take tourism photos.

This first video is of Mason County tourism sites and our urban growth areas (UGAs). We sent him up in a helicopter to capture these shots. With these video tools and Internet social networking, we can get the word out far and wide.

The second video is of our networking opportunities. As I keep saying, people love to do business with friends. Attending Chamber sponsored networking events is the best way to meet new business minded friends and get those relationships started.

I feel so fortunate to have these tools that allow us to tell our story. Organizations that aren't using these tools are missing the boat, imho.

Frank

Chairman of the Chamber Council of AWB

2009-09-28T00:21:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed to be nominated to Chair the Chamber Council of the Association of Washington Business (AWB), our state's Chamber of Commerce. This is a big honor for me as I have only been in Chamber work for three years.

It is a testament to several things.

First, my heavy and early adoption of Internet social networking has allowed me to brand myself as a leader. I am highly visible on many sites, teach association management and ISN widely, and love to share what works. It has contributed to our 92% membership growth in the past 18 months.

Second, I have a first rate board of directors. They are total pros. My Chairman of the Board is an especially talented leader.

Third, my chamber has invested in my success through association training. I recently graduated from my 3rd year of W.A.C.E Academy.

Forth, I have amazing staff.

Finally, I have a loving and supportive family that allows me the freedom to dream. Thank you Margi.

In this quick video, my Chairman of the Board, Mike Boyle, reads the nomination letter from the AWB. Thank you Mike and all the membership.

How we grew our membership by 85% in 18 months

2009-09-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked about our membership growth and our Internet social networking strategy. Seems many organizations still haven't jumped in for various reasons. This is how I answered that question.

Concerning launching Internet social networking (ISN) for our Chamber, what we did first was to decide that this is where the puck is going (reference to the Wayne Gretzky quote). Clearly this is a big idea that is only getting bigger. It is not a question of "if" your organization will be using these tools, it is "when".

Once I knew that we would be doing this eventually, I kindly informed our chairman of the board that we were doing this. It wasn't a question so much as a statement. He said OK.

The strategy was just to do more of what we were already doing, but with ISN we could promote more effectively, organize more effectively, build better relationships, etc...

First thing I did was create the Chamber's Blog. I originally used the Blogger platform but our technology guy on the board thought Wordpress would be much better. It is much more powerful but also more complicated to set up. Get help with setting it up. He was also concerned about our branding strategy and how that would be diminished by having two websites. I stood my ground, asked the chairman to trust me, and created the Wordpress blog.

Then I created my personal blog for thoughts that I didn't want to put on the official Chamber Blog. This is also where I could build my personal brand and express my personal thoughts and interests. I never take off my chamber hat though. In this job if you say it, even personally, it appears to be the chamber position.

Soon after, I launched the North Mason Chamber member-only site at MyNorthMasonChamber.com on the Ning platform. Here came our tech guy again saying we were dividing our branding three ways now and really put some pressure on the chair to slow me down. My chair stuck with me because I earnestly believe in the power of Internet social networking for our organization and because I hadn't stubbed my toe when blogging. I fought to keep up the momentum and to make this happen.

A leader causes a ruckus and no one kicks a dead dog.

I believe those three basic tools are the absolute foundation of a chamber ISN strategy. Quickly adding Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube, and your eMail blasts rounds out the program. They are all RSS'd back and forth. They are posted to daily. The member-only site on the Ning platform will be the anchor with 25 to 35 percent of your members joining in the first few months. They will post dozens of times to your one time, keeping the site active. You must also nurture the sites by seeding them, reinviting members to join, engaging them, friending them, coaxing them along until they have a habit of contributing. This is all new to them too.

You will need to teach classes on all of this to get your members up to speed. Remember to teach them about being "One of us". We hold free monthly ISN classes for our members.

Our membership has grown from 210 members in April of 2008 to 395 September 2009. I attribute more than half of that growth and retention to using the sites to create and build relationships, promote events, spread the word about members and programs, etc....You will get very favorable press and your organization will look modern and effective. If you don't do this soon, you will look outdated and slow.

I tell organization executives to just do it. If you feel you have to crawl on your knees to ask permission they are going to sense that you see too many risks and dangers. That you don't understand the technology. Or that you aren't 100% convinced. Don't be like that. Announce at your next board meeting that your are launching ISN for your group. Period. Or, announce that the sites are up and running and you would appreciate them contributing (chances are few of them will right off).

And, if you just aren't going to do it, that it fine. Somebody in your town will launch "Internet social networking for your town's businesses" or for your organizations target market. You will have lost one of your niches, creating networking opportunities, at least online networking. Business owners don't need multiple ISN sites for your town. Organization members don't either. If you aren't first you may not even be necessary.

All that being said, you know your organization best. In my chamber I was able to just do it. Your situation may be different. Then again, it may not be. Maybe you just need to lead.

The world rewards boldness.

"One of Us"

2009-09-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hat tip to Chris Brogan and Julien Smith for their book "Trust Agents" for this one.

Our Chamber of Commerce has a member-only Internet social networking site at MyNorthMasonChamber.com. More than 25% of our members have signed up to use it. Not a bad adoption rate, in my humble opinion.

One of the things I have noticed is that members need to become "One of Us" before they reap the benefits of belonging to the group. I think this is exactly what Chris and Julien were talking about in one of their chapters.

For example, some of the new users jump right in with 50 friend requests, photos of themselves, quick invites to purchase from them, etc.....And their response rate is about zero.

On the other hand, some members just offer friend requests to fellow members that they have already met at luncheons or after hour events. Or, if they do say hello to a stranger, they introduce themselves and earnestly try to learn about their fellow new acquaintances. These people are much more successful on developing new budding relationships. And eventually end up being one the group.

People can sense when a person is just too self-focused. It is a huge mistake to try to get before you have given.

If you want to explore this more deeply, buy Trust Agents. It is a good read and offers a lot of value.

Frank

Measuring yours and your association's effectiveness in a web 2.0 world

2009-08-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I came across a chamber of commerce that still highlighted in their newsletter how many phone calls they handled and how many referrals they made to members in the last month (from those phone calls). It got me to thinking about how will chambers be measured in the web 2.0 age.

It occurred to me that this chamber was setting itself up for an inevitable fall. With the Internet, and especially the Google search engine, people just don't have to call the chamber as much anymore. If the exec has board members, or the media, asking why the call volume is down, and partially judging your performance by that, that just can't be a good discussion. Why even have it? It is inevitably going to go down over the long term. Phone calls for info is so 1980's.

At membership luncheons and board meeting our chamber talks about our 123 members using our members-only networking site. The tens of thousands of page in the last few month. The # of videos posted. How many members are using Twitter, on the Chambers Facebook fan page, using Linkedin, etc....to promote themselves and fellow members.These are going to be the new metrics that we are judged upon, I think. And if my bets on social networking are correct, they are going to grow substantially for the foreseeable future.

As a side note, when we are having to call past-due chamber members, we are not having to call members that are actively participating in the member-only networking site. We all know that members who participate at luncheons and After Hours are less likely to drop. I am finding the same thing with participation in the online networking groups. It is a retention tool.

What do you think?

Internet social networking multiplied by Chamber of Commerce membership - simple yet powerful

2009-08-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

Want to hear about a powerful combination that is making a difference in the lives of entrepreneurs and executives? I call it Word of Mouth on Steroids. And it is attracting large audiences.

As a Chamber President/CEO, I have been traveling widely, making presentations to Chambers of Commerce on this concept.

Here is how it works (don't be fooled by how simple this looks. It is very powerful): Take the Internet social networking phenomenon and simply multiply it by Chamber of Commerce membership. The result is Word of Mouth on Steroids.

Check out the one-hour presentation (below) I gave this past week to the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce. It was their largest ever attended business breakfast.

(The first group of slides show a recent news article on our Internet social networking efforts being Tweeted out by new contacts over 20 times to over 106,000 of their followers)

To confirm that I am coming at this from experience and success, I include how Internet social networking has helped to increase our Chamber membership by more than 80% in about 18 months.

Our powerful member-only social networking site, http://mynorthmasonchamber.com, on the Ning platform, plus our Facebook Fan Page, Chamber Blog, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, Constant Contact, etc....has become a powerful force for our members.

And, it is included in the investment in membership.

No extra cost to the members for these powerful new tools.

I am able to share with Chamber members, most of which are small business owners and managers, that they must embrace Internet social networking for a variety of reasons. I provide:

Direct examples of success
The concept of "being where the puck is going to be"
The fact that your customers crave a relationship with you
Statistics and figures to support my statements
How to's and what not to's
Time tested and proven ISN strategies
Examples of Word of Mouth on Steroids - The good, bad and ugly
Call to Action

I show how fellow Chamber members can support each other by helping to spread the word about member events, sales, news, fundraisers, etc....I even discuss the value of following each other just to make sure negative word of mouth isn't going unanswered and what do when, not if but when, negative word of mouth occurs.

You can imagine seeing the light bulbs go on when I remind members that fellow members want them to be successful. They have your back. They will work towards and celebrate your success and vice-versa.

Members have hundreds of fellow members working for them....for free...if they choose to embrace my concepts.

What a beautiful thing.

Of course, this was all true before the Internet but now, with the ability to help fellow members basically for free with social networking, members have the tools to dramatically be of service.

And gain the benefits for themselves!

If you would be interested in having me come to your Chamber or association (this works for all associations that want the best for their members) and explain these powerful concepts ( and a few more that I go into detail on in my presentations) and other positive effects of Internet social networking and association membership, please contact me at frank@northmasonchamber.com.

My speaking topics are available at http://frankkennysblog.blogspot.com/. I am constantly adding new business, Chamber, ISN, and association related topics. Contact me with your ideas and we can probably work something out.

Now go out there and join your local chamber, or mine, and be part of the excitement.

Frank Kenny
President/CEO
North Mason Chamber of Commerce

Recent Testimonials

Silvia Klatman, Executive Director, Bremerton Area Chamber of Commerce

And what a top-notch job you did, Mr. Kenny! The rave reviews are overwhelming!

Mega kudos to Frank Kenny with the North Mason Chamber. He did an amazing business seminar today on using social networking sites for your business. WOW! He packed our brains and jazzed us up. Woo hoo!

Ted Christensen - The Insurance Office of Ted Christensen

Hi Frank; Congratulations on making the July 24 issue of the Puget Sound Business Journal in an article that started on the front page regarding social networks. And to have you featured in a two column center page spread with picture was a coup for you! Great exposure. Keep it up.

Annetta Knight - Bremerton Chamber of Commerce member - Pacific Northwest Costume

Frank, You rock! Wonderful presentation this am. Thanks!

Gary Chaney - Bremerton Chamber member

It worked for me and I got in some networking with really nice people.

Suzy O'Brien - Aflac - North Mason Chamber and Bremerton Chamber

Frank, I so enjoyed your workshop today on Facebook, Twitter, etc. It's taking me a while, but I'm ready, and the information you gave today seemed to solidify me moving forward.

You're a great speaker, kept everybody's interest, get the point across, and have a sense of humor. Looking forward to learning more and more, Suzy :) Thanks again!!!!

Fay Marley-Clarke - Photographer and North Mason Chamber member

Thanks for the great presentation on Social Networking yesterday. Really glad I got in on the ground floor with this. And, yes I did have a breakthrough. Good stuff!

Professor John Campbell - North Mason Chamber member

Frank Kenny is a real 21st century communication trend setter. He gave a superb seminar this afternoon at the Chamber. If you have a chance to attend one of his presentations you really must.

More comments....

Sucess Story

2009-08-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

A big thank you goes out to the Kitsap Business Journal and writer Rodika Tollefson for writing a great article on what our Chamber is doing to introduce Internet social networking to our members. We have proactively taking on a leadership role because we think it is a huge opportunity for our members to grow and improve their organizations through relationships and promotion.

Here is the story http://www.kpbj.com/technology/2009-08-03_social_networking_the_north_mason_chamber_of_commerce_success_story

This story has been picked up by dozens of sources nationwide. Check out the timeline http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%22North+Mason+Chamber%22

In the story, they reference our networking site at http://www.mynorthmasonchamber.com but they point it to the wrong site. Please use this link to our networking site.

North Mason Chamber goes regional

2009-07-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Our quarterly newsletter will be going out tomorrow. 377 members will receive this by mail and 123 (500 less mailed issues) will be hand delivered to businesses. Our chamber has grown 79% since April 2008 and now has a regional membership base.

The newsletter is designed and written by Pam Merrill of Outlook Writing and Design.

Please view the video. If you would like a copy of the newsletter by pdf please visit NorthMasonChamber.com

Internet social networking benefits chamber members

2009-07-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the press we have been getting for our efforts to bring the benefits of Internet social networking to our members?

As regular readers might know, our Chamber has taken on a leadership role in introducing and championing Internet social networking for Chambers of Commerce and their members. These efforts are part of the reason our Chamber membership has increased 79% since April 2008.

In my opinion, ISN is either the greatest boon for Chambers in years or perhaps the biggest risk.

This early adoption and focus on ISN has gathered us some great press and has allowed me to be invited to speak at several large chamber conventions.

If you are interested in our efforts and results, you may want to read these recent articles that cover our progress.

http://www.kpbj.com/technology/2009-08-03_social_networking_the_north_mason_chamber_of_commerce_success_story

http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/07/27/story4.html (full story here)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/mar/29/is-belfair-ready-for-twitter/

In June, I was fortunate enough to present our work to the Washington State Chamber of Commerce Executives Technology (WCCE) conference in Yakima. I will be presenting ISN at the WCCE statewide conference this fall in Thurston County.

I will be speaking on the topic at the Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE) conference in San Francisco in February, 2010 and at the Northwest Chamber Leaders conference in Coeur d'Alene in March, 2010.

In August I am teaching a one hour course to the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce in Washington State. Other one, two, and four hour courses are in the works for Chambers and other organizations..

ISN is a big deal to Chambers, other non-profit associations, small, medium and large businesses. In other words, it is a big deal to all organizations. If you would care for me to share with your group what has worked and what hasn't, please contact me at frank@northmasonchamber.com.

WACE Academy

2009-07-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

My 3rd and final year of Academy, run by the Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE), gets started August 2nd. Academy is a 3 year program for Chamber of Commerce executives who want to be certified as Accredited Chamber Executives.

All types of continuing educational training in your field are important. Academy has been dramatically important to my learning, providing years of hard-knocks education and wisdom in just a few short years.

Thank you WACE for doing such a fine job of elevating the profession!

If your local Chamber of Commerce Executive is ACE certified, congratulate them on their professionalism and dedication to their field. We do this for our members, the vast majority of which are small business.

2009-07-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

North Mason Chamber of Commerce on Facebook

Internet Social Networking Training for Chamber Members

2009-07-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have a class coming up in the West Sound area for the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce. Contact information is below if you would like to attend. Open to the public. RSVP required.

8/13/2009	Building Your Business Seminar
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Using Social Networking Sites to Promote Your Business Guest Speaker = Frank Kenny - North Mason Chamber of Commerce Ambrosia's Catering 4954 State Highway 303, Bremerton RSVP by August 12 $10 for Chamber members $15 for non-members Call the Chamber at 479-3579 or Chamber

View all our class offerings here.

Internet Social Networking Training

2009-06-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

North Mason Chamber of Commerce

Taking a leadership role in Internet social networking
for Chamber of Commerce members

The Results?

75% increase in membership over last year - Over 160 new members (net)

Increased our member investment (dues) line item from $26,000 to more than $75,000

Multiple positive articles in printed and online media

Why such a great year for our chamber?

WE INTRODUCED INTERNET SOCIAL NETWORKING
TO OUR MEMBERS

You can too! We will help.

Classes and training presented at a fun, informative, and quick pace.

Find more videos like this on My North Mason Chamber Network

Following up on my presentation to the Washington State Chamber of Commerce Executives (WCCE) at the technology summit in June, I am scheduling a series of training sessions for Chambers of Commerce that want to take the next step in bringing Internet social networking to their chamber.

At the technology conference, I urged my fellow execs to join me in championing ISN statewide. They agreed. The first step is training.

The schedule is being filled. Get up to speed quickly on these important new tools. Grow your chamber. Offer more value. Your Board and your members will thank you.

Frank Kenny is the President/CEO of the North Mason Chamber of Commerce. His chamber is among the leaders in the nation in utilizing Internet Social Networking (ISN). He has a presence of more than a dozen social networking sites and is at the 99.3% Twitter ranking according to Twitter.Grader.com. He has taught at the WCCE technology conference and is scheduled to teach Internet social networking at the State conference and Western Association Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) National Conference in 2010.

Workshops

Schedule one of these fun and valuable workshops.
Take the next step.

Contact frank@northmasonchamber.com
or call 360-275-4267 to claim your place in the training schedule:

Executive Director Internet Social Networking Workshop - I will share with the exec and staff what our chamber has tried that has worked and what has failed to work. I have spent many hundreds of hours testing and using various ISN sites with a focus on usability and Return on Investment for chambers of commerce and members. Learn from our success. Your board, tech committee, and members are invited to participate. - 2 hours

$750 value
only $500 (plus travel expenses if applicable)

Member Internet Social Networking Workshop - Two hours of hands on member training on Twitter, LinkedIn, FaceBook, and others....All focused on return on investment and business. Your chamber doesn't need to be 100% up to speed for you to facilitate this training. You will be offering real value that your members are looking for! - 2 hours

$750 value
only $500 (plus travel expenses if applicable)
i.e. - 20 members at $25/each

Complete Internet Social Networking Workshop - Up to 2 hours with the executive and staff with the remainder of time in workshop with your members. Get you and your chamber up to speed quickly and gain all the benefits of being a leading chamber. This will jump start your involvement in ISN while saving you countless hours of frustration and learning from mistakes. - 4 hours

$1000 value
only $750 (plus travel expenses if applicable)
i.e. - 30 members at $25/each

Regional Internet Social Networking Conference - Are you a leading chamber? Are you capable of organizing a regional ISN conference that would brand you and your chamber as visionery and effective business leader? Can you bring together your surrounding chambers and take on the role as the lead organizer? This is your chance to lead! Conferences such as these are selling out nationwide. The conference will be focused on your members and prospective members. We will help you to organize the event including multiple professional speakers and trainers. Lead your community into the next big thing.

Fee dependent on number of attendees

Other - What do you have in mind. Frank is available for ISN training or speaking on various topics of concern to chambers of commerce. Let's talk about your ideas.

Visit MyNorthMasonChamber.com for our members-only networking site
and visit Twitter/frankkenny for Frank's Twitter timeline.

"Frank Kenny is a real 21st century communication trend setter. He gave a superb seminar this afternoon at the Chamber. If you have a chance to attend one of his presentations you really must."

Professor John Angus Campbell
Member - North Mason Chamber

Internet social networking training for Chambers of Commerce and their members

2009-06-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Press Release

Immediate Release

6-19-2009 – Belfair, WA – Frank Kenny, North Mason Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, was a featured speaker on Friday, June 12th at the first annual Washington Chamber of Commerce Association (WCCE) Internet Social Networking summit in Yakima, WA. Mr. Kenny gave an overview of what the North Mason Chamber is doing to lead the nation, among chambers of commerce, in introducing and championing Internet social networking for chambers of commerce and their members. More than 30 chamber executives attended the sold-out event.

At the event, Mr. Kenny challenged the chamber executives in the room to join him in leading the nation saying, “Chambers of Commerce are the natural communications bridge between business and the community. Our chamber is at the bleeding edge here and we want to share what we are doing with the rest of the state because it is working so well. Let’s lead!” The challenge was accepted and endorsed by the Board of Directors of WCCE. Mr. Kenny is offering training to any chamber in the state that wishes to get up to speed on Internet social networking for chambers of commerce. He has also set up a networking site exclusively for Washington chamber of commerce staff to share best practices. A series of region training conferences is in the works with details to be announced soon. The first regional conference will most likely be held in the West Sound – Kitsap Peninsula area.

Mr. Kenny has also been booked to be a presenter at the annual state chamber of commerce convention in Thurston County this fall. Additionally, he will be a featured presenter in February 2010 at the West Association of Chamber Executives (WACE) annual convention in Burlingame, California on Internet social networking for chambers and how to utilize the Internet to increase attendance at in-person networking events. The annual convention attracts more than 450 chamber executives from the western United States and Canada.

Mr. Kenny can be reached through the North Mason Chamber of Commerce at 360-275-4267 or frank@northmasonchamber.com. His blog is at http://www.frankkenny.net.

Internet Social Networking for Chambers of Commerce

2009-06-15T08:10:00.001-07:00

This past Friday, June 12th 2009, I was one of the teachers in a state wide technology conference for chamber of commerce executives. My part was teaching Internet social networking and showing what our chamber is doing for its members by utilizing ISN. The class was sold-out and the feedback was very positive.

During my presentation I threw a "Gauntlet" to my peers to join me in leading the nation in championing Internet social networking for Chambers of commerce. They voted to accept the challenge!

Washington state chambers are officially taking a leadership role in introducing and educating members on the value and techniques of ISN. If you would like to know more please contact Frank@northmasonchamber.com

Here is the post on the ChamberPeople that talks more about the event:

On June 12th, 2009 the Washington Chamber of Commerce Executive association held a tech conference in Yakima, WA. A sold-out crowd of about 30 of us gathered to discuss all things techy that chambers should be considering.

Dave Warkentin of the Walla Walla Chamber showed how WordPress can be used to easily create very powerful websites that you control (no more middle people or IT between you and the chamber's website). He was able to create a "policy portal" for the Yakima chamber in less than 2 hours. You can too. Call Dave for for info.

The folks at 180Networks discussed all sorts of things dealing with the back-end tech of running a first class chamber. Contact them for info.

I covered what our chamber is doing for its members by championing Internet social networking for chambers of commerce. Here is my PP ISN for WCCE final.pptx. I hope to have the video to post soon. We have 92 members using MyNorthMasonChamber.com, our members-only networking site. With 30,000 views in just 3 months, it is more active and offers significantly more value to our members than our website which we have had for many years. Contact me if you want to discuss how this could work for your chamber. I also covered how Twitter is being introduced to our community by the chamber.

Kyle Sexton anchored the meeting with a great overview of what ISN means for chambers. He did a terrific job of pulling it all together in a very understandable and persuasive way. If you have a chance to have Kyle present to your group you should grab it. Kyle is absolutely a leader in his efforts to make chambers modern and exceptional. Do yourself a favor and call him.

"Nice work" goes out to Bob Green of WCCE for organizing the event. Hat tip to Mike Morrisette from the Yakima Chamber for hosting and the great lunch.

One of the things to come out of the meeting is that the Chambers in the State of Washington are excited to be taking on a leadership role in bringing Internet social networking to chamber members and chambers of commerce across the county. Our motto: Let's Lead. Please contact Frank at the North Mason Chamber if you have questions, ideas, etc...

If you attended the event, please post your thoughts below.

Internet Social Networking for Chambers of Commerce

2009-06-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of segment of a class I teach to Chambers of Commerce on how they can offer tremendous value to the membership by having their own Internet social networking site and then adding Twitter to the mix. It really does put "Word of the Mouth on Steroids".

I am available to teach this class to Chambers and other non-profits. Contact me frank@northmasonchamber.com for info.

Frank Kenny's Internet Social Networking for Chamber's of Commerce from Frank Kenny on Vimeo.

And here is the PP that I work from. http://tinyurl.com/ozjv2u

The North Mason Chamber is a nation wide leader in championing internet social networking for its members and the community.

Internet Social Networking Class Friday June 5th at Noon.

2009-06-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

I am giving a class today at noon to about 16 of my members (class sold out). It is going to be a monthly presentation on beginner social networking for chamber members. Kyle Sexton and I am also giving something similar to WCCE on June 12th. It is also sold out.

I will add an intermediate and advanced course as the year goes on.

I believe chambers are in a sweet spot between the business community and public concerning social networking. With the active participation of members, we (and they) can reach all 200,000 people in our area for free through these services. Everyone of the 200,000 people in my area has a relationship with at least one member, if not several. We, the chambers, are the natural bridge and conduit. And, if don't own it, someone else will.

Vision this: A member, who is a non-profit, sets up a webpage to take online donations. That member Tweets (Twitter) out about a fund raiser with a compelling reason to donate. First, that members followers, all 200 of whom she has built a relationship with over time and all of whom follow her out of free will, have a chance to donate say $5. Now, I am a follower of course and I donate $5 plus I ReTweet her compelling message to my 2100 followers, most of whom are local. I was not the only one to ReTweet the first message though. Suppose 6 of the 200 did. Now about 6,000 local people have the opportunity to donate and ReTweet again. It is exponential. Free. Personal.

Anthony Robbins, the public speaker has 500,000 followers. They LOVE him. Would they give $5 bucks to feel closer to Tony. In a minute. Well, with small local businesses, thier customers also love the owners and individual staff. With a compelling ask, non-profits are going to be able to raise substantial funds, smaller amounts on average, but from a much larger and new population.

I really see this as potentially one of the most powerful, and FREE, ways to quickly spread the word LOCALLY.

I am focused on getting local members to encourage their local customers to follow them and then each member can all follow all the local people. Theoretically, we should be following thousands of local people within a few months.

I will keep you informed.

Inspirational

2009-05-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

When ever you begin to feel sorry for yourself you may want to watch this video. Then, count your blessings. Then, be of service.

I guarantee you your period of melancholy will pass. The sooner you become "of service" the sooner the good times return. And, in my experience, they always return.

Frank

Funny Thing Just Happened To Me

2009-05-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

This is just too funny. I am working late (almost 7:00 pm when the day started at 5:45 am). Anyway, I am returning phone messages left during the day when I was in meetings. I returned the call of a lady who was looking for a business near us. I looked up the number for her and she basically said, "Never mind. If I had to wait for you I would be dead already." and hung up.

The funny thing isn't that she was entirely rude and ungrateful for the free Chamber service. Or even that it was well after working hours. It was that the number was for a singles group organizer (I Googled her). Single? I can't believe it.

Too funny.

Big Goals for Our Chamber

2009-05-09T23:12:00.001-07:00

We are implementing a plan to make our Chamber the leader in utilizing Internet Social Networking. Wish us luck.

Stay tuned.