Even if Facebook and Twitter are not sending shudders down your spine, the thought of dealing with yet another social network may have you running for the hills. That is, our friend, simply fear talking. You might be missing the most essential reason why Google+ is the most powerful and most gratifying social network yet.

If you find Facebook,Twitter and LinkedIn have yet to earn their keep, this presentation will show you how Google+ will ease your fears and how you can easily use it to spark conversation about your business and discover the synergies between being social and being discovered on internet searches.

Learn why you should embrace Google+.  Come to this Social Media Club of Southwest Florida meeting on Thursday, January 24.  Check in and networking begin at 6:00 p.m., with the program from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Terry and Kelly O’Hanlon are our gracious hosts at the Reliabilityweb.com facilities at 8991 Daniels Center Drive in South Fort Myers.  Thanks to our hosts, there is no cost to attend the meeting.

Birgit Pauli-Haack

RSVP here on our Eventbrite registration page!Our presenter will be Birgit Pauli-Haack, co-founder of Relevanza, Inc. and owner of Pauli Systems, LC - both based in Naples.  Birgit has more than 16 years of web development and web community expertise and is active in providing pro bono technology products and services through Naples Free-Net.  She is a frequent presenter on internet topics at conferences worldwide.

If you have questions about Social Media Club or the meeting, contact Gail Lamarche, President at gail.lamarche@henlaw.com or 239-344-1186.

Event details:
Joe’s Crab Shack
2024 West First Street
Fort Myers, FL 33901

Time: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Mark A. Neidig, Sr., executive director of the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation will lead the presentation and discussion. The Foundation’s mission is to raise awareness and funds for noninvasive radiowave cancer treatment research.

Neidig has had considerable success using social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogging to raise funds and increase national awareness of the Foundation’s mission. Some of those successes include the 2012 Lester Smith Pink Well Challenge award of more than $325,000, an Ellen DeGeneres Pink Well Challenge award of $25,000, and a Pepsi Refresh Project grant of $250,000. Neidig also uses his personal social networking accounts to enhance the Foundation’s online messaging.

The Foundation rounds out their marketing program with traditional communications tools including printed and electronic newsletters, press releases, and opinion-editorial articles. A mixed-media marketing specialist has been added to the Foundation’s staff to assist Neidig with the integration of social networking and traditional marketing.

Neidig will also discuss some of the challenges of being transparent in the social media era, having recently dealt with public controversy over the Foundation’s selection of Glenn Beck as keynote speaker for a conference.

All users of social media can benefit from Neidig’s experience. There is no charge to attend the meeting, but registration is required due to limited seating. Attendees may opt to order food and beverages at their own expense. To register, visit http://smcswfl2012nov.eventbrite.com.

John Miller, litigation lawyer with the regional law firm of Henderson Franklin will provide an overview of the uses of social media in litigation, including its impact on whether you are named a party in a lawsuit or serving on a jury; employer and employee concerns about social media; and discoverability in litigation.  John Miller also serves as co-chair of the Social Networking Committee of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association.

Thanks to the generosity of event sponsor Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Company, P.A., this program is being offered at no cost and is open to the public. Reservations are requested.  http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4467879548

The purpose of the Social Media Club of Southwest Florida is to bring together professionals from across a variety of disciplines to share information and educate each other about the benefits of social media throughout their personal, business, and charitable endeavors.  The Southwest Florida chapter is affiliated with the national Social Media Club, a rapidly growing, global professional association with more than 300 chapters throughout six continents.

This event is free to attend and is open to the public. Reservations are requested. To register for the event or for more information about the Social Media Club of Southwest Florida, visit the web site: http://www.smcswfl.org.

The purpose of the Social Media Club of Southwest Florida is to bring together professionals from across a variety of disciplines to share information and educate each other about the benefits of social media throughout their personal, business, and charitable endeavors. The Southwest Florida chapter is affiliated with the national Social Media Club, a rapidly growing, global professional association with more than 300 chapters throughout six continents.

Joins us for a Hands-on Business Social on Social Media

Featuring Bernie Borges, Author of Marketing 2.0: Bridging the Gap between Seller and Buyer through Social Media Marketing.

Including hands-on interactive sessions that will get you and your business into social media in minutes!

Get Social at our Business Social on Social Media!

When: Tuesday, April 12, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Where: Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Grand Lobby

What: Meet author Bernie Borges and get hands on training in popular social media programs and learn more about how you can use social media to promote your business. You will also learn how you can help use social media to bring valuable jobs to Lee County.

Register today and get a free copy of Marketing 2.0: Bridging the Gap between Seller and Buyer through Social Media Marketing.

Available to the first 200 registrants!

Hosted by Blase Ciabaton of Naples Print Source and Michelle Salater of Sūmèr, LLC.

This is a FREE event, but seating is limited so you must register soon!

Thursday, September 16, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Everbank (Community Room)
1185 Immokalee Road
Naples, FL 34110

For event information, and to register, please click here

Kids and computers often go hand in hand. Online skills are invaluable in modern education but this boon to the learning experience can be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s impossible to watch your child’s every online move, so how can you keep them safe?

The next event of the Social Media Club of Southwest Florida, offered just ahead of the back to school hustle and bustle, will provide this essential information. Sergeant Stephanie Eller, of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, will offer an important presentation created by the Florida Attorney General. She will also discuss her personal experience as a detective dealing with Southwest Florida crimes involving online predators, sexting and cyberbullying.

Also presenting will be Chrissie Scelsi, a steering committee member and entertainment lawyer in Port Charlotte. Chrissie will broach virtual worlds for children and the privacy issues they present. Parents will learn about the mechanisms that online services employ to protect users and the laws that govern online privacy. She will also discuss issues that have arisen as a result of the exchange of goods online, treated as gambling in some states.

Although the event is free, advance registration is required.

Sponsor opportunities are available starting at $250 or be title sponsor for $500. Perfect for companies who provide products or services to parents, families and kids.

Sponsor: Elemental Stone and Waterworks, Inc.

For the next Social Media Club of Southwest Florida event, learn the nuts and bolts of online networking. If you don’t know a tweet from a blog – or if you’re looking to fine tune skills you already have – you’re sure to learn many helpful tips and tricks.

The format is going to be a little different. Instead of the usual lecture and panel Q&A, expect to engage in lively interactive “speed learning” roundtable sessions, each facilitated by a different SMCSWFL steering committee member. You may bring a laptop if you wish, and feel free to roam from session to session to get the most out of this dynamic educational event. Be ready to ask plenty of questions. It’s all about you and your specific needs.

Each 20 – 30 min session will focus on a particular online platform. Each is listed below, along with its facilitator:

LinkedIn – Gail Lamarche, Director of Marketing at Henderson Franklin Starnes & Holt, P.A.
Twitter – Michelle Hudson, Social Media Editor at the News Press
Foursquare – Chris Silk, Social Media Editor and Theater Critic at Naples Daily News
Facebook (advanced) – Michele Lorito Chase, Owner of Ghost Executive Group
Facebook (basic) – Susanna Wohlpart, Creative Director at WGCU Media
Posterous (microblogging) – Dean Piccirillo, Principal and Senior Financial Advisor at HBK Sorce Financial LLC
Hootsuite/Seesmic/Tweetdeck – Kerri Goldsmith, Administrative Assistant at HBK Sorce Financial LLC
WordPress (blogging) – Sara Fitzpatrick Comito, Communications Director at Elemental Stone and Waterworks, Inc.
Online branding – Brian Yerkes, Owner & Creative Director of Brian Joseph Studios.
Email Marketing – Brad Dohack, Realtor at the Dohack Group of Absync Realty

To further our mission to advance media literacy and because of the generosity of our sponsor, it’s all offered free of charge. However, space is limited and we expect a high demand for this informative event, so please register early.

The sessions will be held in the restaurant lounge area of the hotel and appetizers will be served, including Oasis wings, crispy calamari, chips and dips, and pretzel dough sticks. Happy hour drink specials will also be offered throughout the event.

Now what?

You probably would like some visitors, comments – activity in general. Your blog doesn’t live in a vacuum, right? Or, at least, it won’t for very long unless you just like to hear yourself type. One important step is to register with blog directories, such as the one hosted by Technorati. Simply sign up for an account there, create a profile just like you would at any social networking site then file a “blog claim.” You’ll see this option as you set up your account. You will be able to furnish a description of your blog along with keywords and categories that will help readers find you.

Technorati will tell you it will take “some time” to investigate your blog claim (and it will! It took them a month to verify the Hot Tub belonged to me) – don’t worry, they won’t send a claims adjuster to your office or anything like that. You will, however, receive an email with your Secret Squirrel instructions. You’ll be given a “token code,” which you will put into a blog post. Then hit “publish.” When you tell it to go ahead, Technorati will crawl your site, find the code, and verify you are a human blogger who actually owns that blog. That’s it.

Yes, you will have a weird bit of code in your post. Mine is: 7E3NX6A3VE53  You can get rid of it when you get confirmation. Or just write about your experience and help other people with this handy household tip.

Don’t you love learning together?

What is your blog, and what is it all about? When did you start it and why? Tell us in the comments for this post.