Triona's Tech Tips

Don’t miss my upcoming seminars on social networking:

Marketing Your Business Through Blogs And Facebook (Beginner)
GLMV Chamber Of Commerce Munch & Learn
Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 12:00pm-1:00pm
GLMV Chamber Office, 1123 S. Milwaukee Ave, Libertyville, Illinois

See below for the advanced session of this class at the GLMV Chamber Best Practices B2B EXPO & Conference on June 23rd.

Discover how to market your business online by leveraging the power of blogs and Facebook. Learn how to set up your Facebook profile or fan page, how to create and maintain a business blog, and how to integrate the two to offer a comprehensive online presence. Computers are not required but you may bring a laptop for hands-on instruction. To register, contact the GLMV Chamber at (847) 680-0750.

Marketing Your Business Through Blogs And Facebook (Advanced)
GLMV Chamber Best Practices B2B EXPO & Conference
Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 2:15pm-3:00pm
Doubletree Hotel, 510 East IL Route 83, Mundelein, Illinois

This is a more advanced session and followup to the previous Munch & Learn seminar on June 16th.

Discover how to market your business online by leveraging the power of blogs and Facebook. Learn how to set up your Facebook profile or fan page, how to create and maintain a business blog, and how to integrate the two to offer a comprehensive online presence. Computers are not required but you may bring a laptop for hands-on instruction. To register, contact the GLMV Chamber at (847) 680-0750.

Basic Social Networking
Crystal Lake Chamber Of Commerce Business Builder Breakfast
Friday, July 16, 2010, 8:30am-10:00am
Crystal Lake Chamber, 427 W. Virginia St, Crystal Lake, Illinois

See below for the advanced session of this class.

Have you been asked to get LinkedIn? Can you make contacts through Facebook? Should you Twitter your business? Learn how to use social networking to market your business. We’ll talk about which sites are right for you, how to establish your profile and how to integrate social networking into your marketing strategy. To register, contact the Crystal Lake Chamber at (815) 459-1300.

Advanced Social Networking
Crystal Lake Chamber Of Commerce Business Builder Breakfast
Friday, August 6, 2010, 8:30am-10:00am
Crystal Lake Chamber, 427 W. Virginia St, Crystal Lake, Illinois

See above for the beginner session of this class.

Now that you understand the basics of social networking, let’s delve deeper into how this new technology can help your business. We’ll talk about the advanced features of social networking and how you can use integration tools to save time. To register, contact the Crystal Lake Chamber at (815) 459-1300.

There’s still time to sign up for my seminar, Social Networking: Marketing Your Business Online, sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce. It will be held Thursday, September 24th, 2009, from 11:30am-1pm (registration includes box lunch) at the Fox River Grove, Illinois, Village Hall, 305 Illinois St. Click here for downloadable flyer (PDF).

Have you been asked to get LinkedIn? Can you make business contacts through Facebook or MySpace? Should you Twitter your business? Join us for this computer series workshop on using social networking to market your business. Registration is required. To register, contact the Cary Grove Chamber at (847) 639-2800.

For a full list of my computer classes for PC and Mac, please see my events calendar.

Subscribe FREE to the email version of Tech Tips between now and October 14, 2009 and I’ll send your special gift: a tip sheet on Computer Housekeeping for PC and Mac.

Finding a job can be difficult. Fortunately the Internet offers excellent tools to help you in your job search or career transition.

It’s important to think of the Internet as one of many tools in your job search arsenal. To that end, you’ll want to think of yourself as a brand, like Coca-Cola or CNN. What are your strengths? What are your skills? What sets you apart from other applicants? Write your mission statement on an index card (”I am a computer expert specializing in tech support, web design and training”) and tape it to the top of your monitor. This will help you stay focused as you visit various job sites.

Next, decide which technologies you want to incorporate into your search. Web 2.0 refers to collaborative web sites, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed if you try to be on LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, and FaceBook all at once. Some people choose to forgo a web site in favor of a blog, for example, or elect to participate in only one or two social networking sites.

Speaking of networking, it’s hard to succeed by computer alone. Meeting people face-to-face remains the best way to find employment. Create a business card for yourself with links to your online profiles. When you meet people, get their cards and send a follow-up email asking them to network with you online. And be sure to put your newly-honed Web 2.0 skills on your resume!

If you’re interested, I’ll be teaching a class on Web 2.0 For Job Search for the Cary (Illinois) Park District on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 from 9:30am-11:30am and again from 6pm-8pm. You can find registration details on my web site. I hope to see you there!

Don’t forget to subscribe to Tech Tips for the latest computer news. Next month, just in time for Hallowe’en, I’ll frighten you with Bride Of The Computer Zombies. If you have any computer questions, let me know.

Don’t miss my upcoming seminar, Social Networking: Marketing Your Business Online, sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce. It will be held Thursday, September 24th, 2009, from 11:30am-1pm (registration includes box lunch) at the Fox River Grove, Illinois, Village Hall, 305 Illinois St. Click here for downloadable flyer (PDF).

Have you been asked to get LinkedIn? Can you make business contacts through Facebook or MySpace? Should you Twitter your business? Join us for this computer series workshop on using social networking to market your business. To register, contact the Cary Grove Chamber at (847) 639-2800.

For a full list of my computer classes for PC and Mac, please see my events calendar. And be sure to sign up for FREE Tech Tips by email.

Hope to see you there!

Search engine optimization is the fine art of getting your web site or blog ranked highly on Internet search engines and directories. Keywords are your key to improving your online marketing.

What is the purpose of your web site or blog? Is it to advertise your business? Attract customers? Provide an online presence for your company? Make a list of what you are trying to accomplish, then another of the words people might use to find you. It’s important to think like your customers and avoid jargon. When I write about computers I do my best to keep the technobabble to a minimum. People won’t be searching for “restarting a Windows XP workstation,” they’ll look for “computer help”.

Keywords can be inserted into the code of your web site, where search engines will notice them. You should also include a brief description of your site’s purpose, or what I like to describe as your mission statement. Think of it as the electronic version of your 30-second elevator speech. This is what’s displayed when people see your site on Google or Yahoo. By using keywords common to your business, your rankings will improve.

The real secret to reaching number one on search engines is, of course, money. Google, Yahoo and other search engines have paid programs you can use to boost your ratings. As with any marketing, you have to watch your dollars wisely. You might want to experiment with paid rankings but be sure to compare effectiveness to cost.

Next month I’ll teach you about Troubleshooting Wireless Networks. Don’t forget to subscribe to Tech Tips for bonus tips and tricks plus the latest computer news.

How can blogs help you market your business? Every day I meet people who are finding innovative ways to get the most out of blogs, or regularly updated web sites that integrate articles and reader commentary.

Blogs can help you reach new customers while staying in touch with old ones. They say you have to contact someone seven times before he or she remembers you. Blogs make it easy to keep people informed about news and trends in your industry. My Tech Tips blog is an example of a small business blog. It helps me maintain a rapport with existing and potential customers by providing value-added information. You can also improve your customer service and cut down on staff time by using your blog to answer your company’s Frequently Asked Questions.

Your business blog is part of your online brand. When you think of Coca-Cola or Nike, those names instantly bring to mind familiar products. You want your customers to associate your name with good feelings about the products and services you sell. Remember, to get you have to give. By providing free and pertinent information, you’ll establish yourself as a leader in your field.

Marketing your blog isn’t as hard as you think. Send an announcement to your customers, put links in your email signature, and be sure to mention it when networking. This month’s Tech Tip will tell you how to optimize your web site or blog to be more findable on Internet search engines.

In July you’ll get a special preview of the new operating systems, Windows 7 And Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Don’t forget to subscribe to Tech Tips for bonus tips and tricks plus the latest computer news.

The next session of my Blogs For Business class is Thursday, May 21st, 2009 from 12:00pm-1:00pm at the Fox River Grove (Illinois) Village Hall, 305 Illinois St. The class is sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce and will include a box lunch.

Would you like to know more about how blogs can help your business succeed? Join me and we’ll learn:

• What are blogs?
• How blogs can benefit your business
• How to market using blogs

For more information and my upcoming computer class schedule, please visit www.guidryconsulting.com/news.

Thanks to all my attendees as well as the Cary Grove Chamber of Commerce for a terrific Blogs For Business seminar! If you missed the session or would like an extra copy of the handout, click here (PDF). In this class, we discussed what blogs are, how they can benefit your business, and how you can market using blogs.

If you’re interested in a talk like this for your business or organization, I’d be glad to help. Contact me at info-at-guidryconsulting-dot-com. And be sure to sign up for the email version of Triona’s Tech Tips for announcements about future events.

Don’t miss my Blogs For Business class this Tuesday, October 7th from 9:00am-10:30am at the Fox River Grove (Illinois) Village Hall, 305 Illinois St. The class is part of the Learn From The Experts Computer Series sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce.

Would you like to know more about how blogs can help your business succeed? Join me and we’ll learn:

• What are blogs?
• How blogs can benefit your business
• How to market using blogs

For more information, visit www.guidryconsulting.com/news.

Don’t miss this year’s Learn From The Experts Computer Series, sponsored by the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce. I’ll be teaching the second session, Blogs For Business.

Would you like to know more about how blogs can help your business succeed? Join me and we’ll learn:

• What are blogs?
• How blogs can benefit your business
• How to market using blogs

Blogs For Business will be held Tuesday, October 7, 2008, from 9:00am-10:30am at the Fox River Grove (Illinois) Village Hall, 305 Illinois St. Click here for more information, or contact the Chamber at 847-639-2800. Hope to see you there!