Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Working From Home & Instant Noodles

Thai Curry Noodle Soup @ Noodles And Co Herndon

Working from home is a topic that has been in the news.  Top benefits of working from home.
For companies :
  • Using the time normally allotted to commute to get work done
  • Starting early and working late into the night 
  • More focus and less interruptions during the work day 
For Employees :
  • No commute
  • Being home to send-off kids, receive them
  • Working when the kids go to sleep
  • Easier for calls across multiple time zones
Disadvantages:
  • Being on the phone is not always the same as being in the room and you cannot understand the nuances of the conversation
  • You eat a lot more instant noodles as you realize that the time has gone so fast and your colleagues could not stop by your cube and invite you to lunch
  • You keep working till your spouse tells you to stop and it's already dinnertime
  • You miss the water cooler conversations
  • Unless you install a web cam and have people stop and tell you things you miss out on the "corridor conversations"
  • Out of the loop on gossip
What are your views on working from home?

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Small Business Breakfast Bethesda , Feb 27th With Jill Schlesinger


Jill Schlesinger, WNEW’s morning drive business expert and editor-at-large for CBS Moneywatch is hosting the Small Business Breakfast on Feb 27th at the Bethesda the topic "How to use #SocialMedia to Grow Your Business". I am thrilled to be a panelist and look forward to the event. Look forward to seeing you there.
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
Place: Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Md.
Registration and networking starts at 7:30 a.m.
Panelists:
Katherine Kennedy - Principal at Availor Partners social impact fund
Zachary Claudio - Director, Digital Sales Development, CBS Local
Kurt Roberts - Director of Creative Technology
Shashi Bellamkonda - Sr. Director, Social Media of Web.com
First published in my Examiner Column

Friday, February 22, 2013

See you at the TechCocktail DC Mixer on Feb 28th 2013

TechCocktail Baltimore March 2011

If I am in town I have never missed a TechCocktail event in DC and for that matter Baltimore(Where the picture above was taken). There could be many reasons to attend TechCocktail and I will give you three.

  1. To meet entrepreneurs and exchange notes , ask questions, get advice and even check out your competition
  2. To meet VCs - You know why you want to meet VCs!
  3. To pitch to customers, prospects and of course journalists/bloggers who will be at the event
The secret is that "Cocktail" in TechCocktail actually means what is says and so there you are one more reason to go to TechCocktail.

When: Feb 28, 2013 6:30 pm
Where : 1776, 1133 15th Street Northwest ,Washington, DC, United States, 20005
Map: Google Map
Get your Tickets now : http://techcocktaildcfeb.eventbrite.com/

First published in my Examiner Column


A Salute and Journey Forward



More than a decade ago I arrived at a new job at Network Solutions that involved talking to customers and reported to a wonderful supervisor who was so young that we could not invite him to Happy Hours. Since that day my journey at Network Solutions (Now part of Web.com) has been filled with exciting conversations with customers, so many great communities and colleagues. I always got an adrenaline rush and it has been a superb learning experience. As many of you know, I really enjoy talking to people and have tried to make every role I held about people and perspectives. That experience included working closely with four different and diverse management teams. My journey went from Customer Service, Product Marketing, Product Management to my current role as Sr. Director (Social Media). In fact, here is a cool way to show some of the key items I worked on over that time period in a visual timeline (courtesy of a cool new DC-based startup Infusd).



I simply could not have done that without the strong encouragement of people who I worked for along the way, those who took their precious time to mentor me and the guidance of my friends and colleagues. It has been a wonderful journey and I appreciate the opportunity that Network Solutions and now Web.com offered me through these years.

Today, I want to share the news that a new chapter begins in a few weeks when I start a new course in my career by joining the Greenbelt, MD based Bozzuto Group (@TheBozzutoGroup) as VP, Digital Marketing. I will be working closely with Jamie Gorski, Sr. Vice President, Marketing for The Bozzuto Group and all of the five Bozzuto companies – Management, Home Building, Construction, Development, and Land. I have known Jamie for a few years and I believe like a lot of good things that have happened to me serendipitously, this is one of them. The Bozzuto Group for many years has been in the Washington Business Journal’s list of “Best Places to Work “ and is on the Washington Post’s “Post 200 companies, law firms, nonprofits and other organizations that power our local economy.“ a list of top DC area companies. In fact the Bozzuto Group just celebrated it's 25th anniversary this month.

I wish to thank all my colleagues past and present at Network Solutions and the wonderful people at Web.com who made me feel welcome. I also owe my success to the encouragement and support of both the online and offline community, especially in the DC area, who helped me in every initiative. A great amount of thanks to communities like SOBCon, SmallBizTechnology, SmallBizTrends, SCORE, TechCocktail, NMX, Social Fresh, MultiFamilyPro, Social Media Week and others my old memory may be forgetting for their support.  I hope to continue to be part of your community.  Thank you as well Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies for the opportunity to teach such wonderful students who make me proud of their numerous successes. I look forward to continuing my role as an Adjunct Professor next semester. To my new colleagues at Bozzuto, I am very excited to join the team and look forward to being part of your continued success.

Links to posts about my announcement:

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I Need a Room and Two Bananas

Banana art at the Starbucks Rio Gaithersburg

I am so happy that commercial companies have gone bananas. This favorite fruit of mine is so welcoming when seen at Starbucks like the picture above. Well if you are a banana fan there is no horrible feeling greater than arriving at the hotel and then remembering that you forgot the bananas. never mind that the nearest grocery store is miles away.

Anyway I think business who can cover for customers specially when they go bananas , I mean need bananas,need a shout out. Just like the Courtyard Marriott on Old Augustine Rd  Jacksonville FL. They raided the kitchen for me and they did not have to. I love the touch of going to the extra effort and not saying "Come back tomorrow and there will be bananas on the buffet. Marriott I salute you and the way to this guests heart is through the bananas.

Have you had any awesome experiences with business who went out of their way to make you happy?

OOps! Before I forget I am a very minor shareholder of Marriott and bought them for the same reason that i like using them.

XPotomac For Digital Media & Communicators Feb 25th 2013



xPotomac, a new conference featuring leading voices in the field of digital media & communication, is coming up on  +February 25, at the Source Theatre, at 1835 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009. Limited to just eight speakers and 120 registrants, this groundbreaking conference features the media technologies most likely to impact business and marketers in the immediate future, and will give attendees an opportunity to get up close and personal with those leading the space. 

Geoff Livingston and team have done a great job before.The event is the right size for learning, networking and making new friends like I have done in the past.

Speakers include: TechCocktail co-founder and DC's own Jen Consalvo; Founder & CEO of Triberr, Dino Dogan; the creator of Google's Webmaster Central and author of Marketing in the age of GoogleVanessa Fox (keynote); Audiocafe.com founder, host of TechCrunch's "Keen On," author and CNN columnist, Andrew Keen (keynote); author ofmicroMARKETINGGreg Verdino; and author and founder of the full-service mobile agency, savvy apps, Ken Yarmosh. You'll also hear from DC's own Geoff Livingston, author, marketing strategist and co-founder of xPotomac; the Beekeeper Group's Shana Glickfield, who will serve as MC; and Shonali Burke, principal of Shonali Burke Consulting, Inc., who's been active in the DC PR & digital media community for some years now.

Tickets are limited, so register for the event soon; using the GeoffBlog for 15% off all rates (except logo/tabletop sponsor).  (regular $95 - $295), Register soon.

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

"10 Steps to Social Media Success". MENGDC Meeting Thu. Feb 21st 2013


(Video credit Washington Business Journal - Minority Business Leaders Award 2012)

Mark Feldman Co-Chair of MENGDC is a well connected person and I am honored that we have known each other for a  longtime. MENG is the Marketing Executives Networking Group, www.mengonline.com.

I am looking forward to speaking at the MENG DC's Thursday, February 21st meeting that will focus on "10 Steps to Social Media Success". 

From my experience at Network Solutions (Web.com) and my teaching at Georgetown I will touch on
  • How businesses should set up a social media program -- Tools and techniques you need to be successful
  • Critical elements of creating a "social brand"
  • Avoid corporate and internal headaches - how to establish social media policies and procedures and ways to manage social media in an organization 
  • Integrating social media into existing marketing channels
Location & Time This meeting is at the downtown DC offices of National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), 2001 Pennsylvania Ave, NW - the James Monroe Bldg (on the corner of 20th and the merge with "I" St, NW), Suite 500, Washington, DC 20006 

Guests welcome but  ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED (including for security admission) for all attendees at: https://www.123signup.com/register?id=bmxnx (Registration fee covers snacks and beverages)

Seating is limited; registrations will be cut off at 30. Hope to see you there. if you cannot make it please forward this to your favorite marketing executive.

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