The 140 Characters Conference: New York City (#140conf) was taking place April 20-21, 2010 at the 92nd Street Y. This event was shaping up to being the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of the real-time Internet on both business and “we” the people.  I was there for this 2-day conference.  As a blogger, I have brought you some of the most exciting moments from this conference.  The following clips feature Gary Vaynerchuk, Donny Deutch, Ivanka Trump & Jeffrey Hayzlett.

1. Gary Vaynerchuk

2. Donny Deutsch

3. Jeffrey Hayzlett’s Interview with Ivanka Trump

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There is no questions that Facebook is the largest social media site worldwide.  No matter for social or professional purposes, Facebook offers a vast network for making the right connections.  As the founder of NY Entrepreneurs Business Network, I always ask myself this question – “How could small business owners leverage Facebook in terms of finding correct prospects and establishing long-lasting relationships?“  Well, now there is a Facebook app called FavRav that can get the job done hassle-free for everybody.

 

Here is how it works.  FavRav lets friends refer each other to their favorite local businesses. The application simultaneously creates an opportunity for small businesses to boost their own word-of-mouth advertising. Now dentists, realtors, mechanics, travel agents, hair stylists and thousands of other local vendors finally have an easy and affordable way to let their customers promote them, and maintain a presence in online conversations between Facebook friends.

“In order for any small business to effectively market on social networks they must have credibility and reach.” says FavRav Co-Founder, Bill Manos. “A referral is worth 100,000 ads, and FavRav gives conventional word-of-mouth referrals a place to live online, so friends can easily share the local businesses and professionals they themselves trust most.”

For local businesses, all that’s required is a FavRav profile. They would then ask current customers, clients, or patients to create a referral using the free FavRav app. The end result is an organic, customer generated referral that’s posted to that person’s Wall and instantly seen within a circle of Facebook friends. The post also contains a link to the company profile which lists contact details and additional company information.

Bill Manos, the co-founder, is currently an active member at NY Entrepreneurs Business Network.  We hope to spread the word about FavRav to help our group members find more clients by using social media.  After all, the rapid expansion of our network during its 1st year has proven the prowess and effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool.  If you’re interested in checking out more details about this app, go to favrav.com or facebook.com/FavRav.

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This is scheduled for immediate press release. On April 1, NY Entrepreneurs Business Network (NYEBN) announced that it is giving away a free iPad to a lucky NYEBN member by the end of April.  NY Entrepreneurs Business Network is based in NYC and currently the group has grown to 4,300+ members in less than 11 months.  NYEBN started to implement monthly contests since the beginning of 2010.  The goal is to encourage its members to spread the word about the group and reward them based on their performance.

 

Why an iPad?

iPad is the most recent and popular electronic device announced by Steve Jobs. Since its announcement, we have read many positive iPad reviews from TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Mashable, Cnet, etc. The iPad was so popular that they were sold out during the 1st week in its launch period. Watch the excitement (video) when Steve Jobs announced this device.

Why spread the word?

In my announcement that goes out to the group yesterday, I emphasized 4 pointers why joining NYEBN is a no-brainer for any business owners living in the tri-state region:

1).  NYEBN is the only networking group that runs consistent free networking event in New York City with usually 300+ people attending

2). NYEBN is one of the fastest growing networking groups. The NYEBN community offers support for all its members

3). Anyone who joins the group will be immediately qualified for its incentive programs. For example, if John Doe joins the group on April 2, he will qualify to participate in the free iPad giveaway contest

4). We stand for the combination of entrepreneurship and technology, which happens to be the perfect recipe to create a unique competitive edge for any business in the modern world

How to get the iPad?

NYEBN will run this contest on a “first-come first-served” basis. The duration of the contest is the entire April. The first person who refers 30 people to NYEBN will get the free iPad.  All participants need to be NYEBN members.

All new members will be asked the following question when they join the group:

Who introduced you to the group? (List the person’s full name)

This question needs to be answered in full in order for the current members to get credit.

How to track the progress?

NYEBN  will be uploading a spreadsheet every few days (click here) that documents the program. On the spreadsheet, information will be made available in terms of the names of the people who are actively involved with the program. Everything is uploaded on the NYEBN site for full disclosure.

If you’d like to become a participant for this program, you can sign up for it at NYEBN.com.

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Recently I came across an article called “Share Well with Others: How to Get Social Content to Go Viral” on Search Engine Land. The article talks about the 7 motives why people share online content via social media.  The 7 motives are: self-expression, affinity, validation, prurience, status achievement, altruism, and self-serving interest.  It makes me think the reasons why I use social media and the examples how I am using my own blog to share information.  Here I listed the top 4 reasons why I chose to become a blogger.

1. Share how-to articles

How-to materials are what tends to go viral fast on the Internet because of its educational connotation. How-to articles on WebStudio13 include the following:

How to Grow Your Twitter Followers – 5 Ways That Work for Me

How To Create The Tipping Point With Social Media

6 Tips On How Small Business Owners Can Use Social Media

2. Help others by providing motivational content

Self-development is a crucial element for everybody’s success. It’s important to identify what motivates us in our daily activities so we can achieve our highest productivity by adding those crucial elements. Here are a few posts I’ve written to motivate my readers:

13 Most Inspiring YouTube Videos of All-Time

5 Ways You Can Motivate Others Via Social Media

3 Great Motivatonal Videos You Must See!

3. Filter useful information so my readers won’t feel overwhelmed

According to Clay Shirky, “it’s not information overload, it’s filter failure.” Information is easy to find nowadays. It means if you don’t filter out the irrelevant noises, you will get overwhelmed and frustrated.   Part of my job as a blogger is to sort through the cluster and find relevant and organized information for our readers.  Examples include the following:

Top 30 LinkedIn Groups for Media & Marketing Professionals

40 Best Social Media Bloggers to Add to Your Twitter List

13 Greatest Twitter Apps You Should Be Using

4. Provide first hand reviews for trendy products, services, etc…

I am a staunch fan of Amazon.com. I think most reviews written on Amazon.com are relevant and accurate.  The same applies to IMDB.com.  I never went to theater to watch a movie without having checked them out first on IMDB.com.  The user-generated content on these sites particularly help me make a decision on whether or not to buy a book, or go rent a DVD.  I apply the same concepts to my blog, meaning I usually write up reviews for any popular products and services I’ve used or even movies I’ve seen. Examples include:

Avatar: Raising the Bar for the Film Industry

7 Reasons Why I Switched to Google Chrome from Firefox

7 Reasons Why Google Wave Is Going To Be Awesome

If you are a blogger but haven’t found your passion, hope this post helps you identify what’s important in your life so you can take your blogging career to the next level.

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At NY Entrepreneurs Business Network, we are excited to promote a series of educational seminars where business people have the opportunity to learn about technology and social media.  If you haven’t checked out our past events, here is your chance to do so (click here).  If you live near us, please come join us for tomorrow’s seminar which features Gabriel Shaoolian, the founder of Blue Fountain Media, and Ellen DePasquale, The Software Revitalist.  You can RSVP here.

Meeting agenda

6:00 – 6:30 PM: Registration and informal networking
6:30 – 7:00 PM: Getting the most value out of your website (Gabriel Shaoolian)

Details:

~ Features that create better usability – visitors can find what they are looking for
~ Easy navigation
~ Increase conversions
~ Strategies to increase new and returning visitors
~ Create brand royalty

7:00 – 7:30 PM: How to market efficiently online (Gabriel Shaoolian)

Details:

~ Forms of online marketing
~ Search engine marketing
~ Social media marketing
~ Bringing qualified traffic to your site at low cost per visitor
~ How to measure the results

7:30 – 7:45 PM: Q&A for Gabriel Shaoolian
7:45 – 8:45 PM: Prospecting in the Digital Age (Ellen DePasquale)

Details:

Social media websites and blogs hold a wealth of information that can be harvested to turn cold calls into warm calls, or supply details that help close the deal. These sites can be searched in multiple ways to group
people, companies and general data together in ways that support your sales efforts.

~ Learn new ways to search using Google and Bing
~ Learn how to search social media sites
~ Learn about vertical search engines to obtain market research and industry information

8:45 – 9:00 PM: Q & A for Ellen DePasquale

Gabriel Shaoolian Bio

Gabriel Shaoolian, the founder of Blue Fountain Media, is a classic entrepreneur that has grown the company from a three-person operation working out of a cramped corner of his apartment into a thriving 70-person company serving clients that range from start-ups to the Fortune 500. Some of his clients include: The NFL, Nike, Procter & Gamble and Elizabeth Arden.

Blue Fountain Media is a website design, development and online marketing firm in Union Square, New York City. It’s a full-service shop in building, designing and marketing websites. The company has achieved some particularly impressive results with its SEO work (simply Google “website design company“) and received a 5 Star Dun & Bradstreet rating for outstanding service and work quality. Blue Fountain Media has also been featured in this month’s Wall Street Journal and Smart Money.

In February, Shaoolian is named Expert Columnist for YoungEntrepreneur.com, Self-Made Magazine and National Law Review. This is his first of many articles to come: “Online Reputation Management: 6 Steps to a Rock Solid Online Reputation“. Gabriel Shaoolian is also featured in the March 2010 issue of Crain’s New York Business (click here) and featured as a search marketing expert on Crain’s Business to Business (click here). Furthermore, Gabriel has been profiled by O’Reilly Media (Web 2.0 Expo).

Ellen DePasquale Bio

Ellen DePasquale, The Software Revitalist and founder of Efficient Office Computing, is a well-known software expert. She brings more than 20 years of software experience to her consulting, training, writing, and public speaking. Ellen’s approach to software is personalized and goal-based, focusing on features that produce the desired results.

Ellen is a passionate speaker and has been invited to talk about software nation-wide by a host of organizations including the Financial Women’s Association, NYSSCPA, Executive Women’s Golf Association, and Inc. Magazine. She has participated as both a speaker and a moderator for two international events; Insights (2006 & 2007), Sage Software, Inc.’s annual reseller conference and the American International Toy Fair (2001 & 2002), where she also served on their Honorary Conference Advisory Board. Ellen will be speaking in March at the Small Business Summit 2010 in NYC.

Author of It’s About Time: Time Management Tips From The Software Revitalist, Ellen has also been published in many top business and technology magazines including Crain’s New York Business, The New York Enterprise Report, Small Business Computing & Communications, Success, Worth, Accounting Technology, The CPA Journal, Working Woman, Inc. Technology, and PC Magazine.

If you live in the tri-state region, feel free to stop by our seminar tomorrow. It’ll be a valuable experience for all attendees.  RSVP here.

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We are continuing our coverage about the essential success recipes for all Internet entrepreneurs.  In a blog post written yesterday, we shared three videos from the Web 2.0 Expo NY.  In this article, I want to leave you with 10 questions to ponder.  But before you hear my questions, please go through the following list of the 10 greatest Internet entrepreneurs of all time and find out what they have in common:

• Jeff Bezos – Amazon.com

• Craig Newmark – Craigslist

• Kevin Rose – Digg

• Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook

• Michael Arrington – TechCrunch

• Evan Williams – Twitter

• Jimmy Wales- Wikipedia

• Jason Calacanis – Mahalo.com

• Sergey Brin & Larry Page – Google

Here are my 10 questions for you:

1. Do you have a good concept that you think 9 out of 10 people will like?

2. Do you feel the necessity of creating a community where everybody has a sense of belonging?

3. Are you willing to work your butt off for the first 1 – 3 years after your company’s launched?

4. Are you capable of offering good customer service and answering every email from your customers?

5. Does long term relationship matter more than short term profit for you?

6. Do you have the skills to innovate in your niche?

7. Are you consistent in doing what will grow your business in the long run?

8. Have you incorporated a mechanism in your business which produces user-generated content?

9. Do you have the marketing skills to create online materials that tend to go “viral”?

10. Are you willing to offer something free as “freemium” has been coined as 21st century online buzz word?

 
If you answer “YES” to all these 10 questions, I believe you should keep doing what you are passionate about to grow business.  I start each day by asking myself these same questions.  So far, they have provided me with the fuel that’s necessary to move my online businesses forward.  Just in case you wonder, blogging and building an online community are the two main things I am working on right now.  Please let us know your insights in the comment area below.

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“New York Isn’t Silicon Valley. That’s Why They Like It.” That is the headline of an article recently published in New York Times. According to the article, although New York still ranks third behind Silicon Valley and Boston in the number of deals and overall investment rates, the tech community in New York appears to be growing at a faster rate than any other areas in the United States.  New York City has nurtured great Internet entrepreneurs such as Jason Calacanis, Josh Harris, Gary Vaynerchuk, Nick Denton, etc.  Today, I happened to watch a few YouTube vids from 2008’s Web 2.0 Expo NY.  3 of them that really caught my attention feature NYC-based tech entrepreneurs – Gary Vaynerchuk, Clay Shirky, and Fred Wilson.  I thought it would be great to share them here.  Hope you will enjoy!

 

1.  Gary Vaynerchuk (Wine Library), Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape – Web 2.0 Expo NY

2. Clay Shirky (shirky.com) It’s Not Information Overload. It’s Filter Failure - Web 2.0 Expo NY

3. Fred Wilson (Union Square Ventures), New York’s Web Industry From 1995 to 2008: From Nascent to Ascendent - Web 2.0 Expo NY

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Previously, we have shared a variety of motivational videos (click here).  Today, I got to explore more great videos.  The 3 videos I am about to share here all have something to do with failure.  Indeed, “if you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived,” as stated in one video.  In this uncertain time, it’s important to gather courage and get out of your comfort zone.  Just go try something new and take risks!  As an entrepreneur, I have first hand experience with this, and I can totally relate to the message delivered in these videos.  If you’ve never seen them, I strongly encourage you to spend the next 10 minutes watching them.  You will be glad you did after you are done.

 

1.  Michael Jordan “Failure” Nike Commercial

2. If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived…

This video features historically well-known characters, including Lucille Ball, The Beatles, Ulysses S. Grant, Michael Jordan, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Abraham Lincoln.

3. “Are you going to finish strong?”

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Yesterday we covered the first 5 reasons why social media can benefit entrepreneurs.  Click here to check it out. For most entrepreneurs, social media can provide emotional support, create an interactive environment, help foster meaningful relationships, facilitate the community building process, and provide more monetization options. Without further ado, let’s wrap up this series by introducing the last 5 reasons in this post.

6. Social media eliminates the “middlemen” once and for all for entrepreneurs

In the old media world, small businesses must have an “agency” to do almost everything.  To publish a book, you needed a book publishing firm.  To do PR, you needed a PR firm.  You got the idea.  With social media, you can now reach your users directly. Entrepreneurs can self publish their books using sites like Lulu. With sites like Twitter and Facebook, businesses can do their own PR and marketing.  David Meerman Scott calls this shift as the New Rules of PR and Marketing.

7. Social media helps entrepreneurs become more efficient and productive

Social media brings productivity and efficiency to entrepreneurs.  With the right time management skills, tools like Gmail, Twitter, and blogs let businesses accomplish more in short amount of time. To master the productivity skills, here is an article you must read – “30 Tips: The Productivity Guide of Social Media.”

8. Social media lets entrepreneurs find and pursue their passion

Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It is probably one of the greatest books ever written about social media.  The book persuades you to pursue your dreams and find your passion.  For entrepreneurs, there should be no more excuses for not doing something they are passionate about in the 21st century.  To learn more on how to cash in on your passion with social media, read this article.

9. Social media creates more “linchpin” opportunities for entrepreneurs

In Seth Godin’s latest book “Linchpin,” the sound of becoming indispensable rings clear and loud. For entrepreneurs, being defined as “indispensable” by their customers means “standing out.” Correct implementation of social media tools makes you stand out even more. Would you like to become an indispensable blogger, Twitterer, or wine guy? In every field, entrepreneurs have a chance now to become the “linchpin” via social media.

10. Social media helps entrepreneurs develop their personal brands

Personal branding is a hot topic in the new digital age.  Entrepreneurs need to have a brand that’s recognizable, preferable, and indispensable deemed by their customers.  There are different ways you can achieve this goal with the assist of social media.  Please read this article (“5 Ways You Can Make Your Brand Indispensable Via Social Media”) to get more tips.

 
To sum it up, social media and entrepreneurship should be combined to create more efficiency, more brand equity, more linchpin opportunities, and more relationships with your customers.  You can leave your comments below if you want to.

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Today, I got to brainstorm for more strategies about how social media can benefit entrepreneurs. Over the past year, social media has played a significant role in the businesses I am involved with, such as blogging and networking.  So what’s the fuzz about social media that really makes it indispensable for modern entrepreneurs? I understand there is a lot of hype surrounding social media nowadays.  In this post, I’d like to list the first 5 logical reasons why I consider social media as an essential tool for most businesses, no matter you’re in B2C or B2B sector.  Let’s get right to the points.

1. Social media provides emotional support for entrepreneurs

There were times I got frustrated with my business not moving forward.  But I refused to be defeated by emotions.  These are the 13 most inspiring video clips from YouTube that I put together a while ago. I’ve seen them over and over again in the past.  They really helped me turn my frustration into courage and strength.  (I highly recommend you to check out the above link)

2. Social media is the interactive tool that connects entrepreneurs

I like to use the LinkedIn group example here.  Similar to Meetup groups, LinkedIn lets business people plug in corresponding groups based on their interests.  For example, if you are an entrepreneur, a must-join group is Dharmesh Shah’s On Startups – The Community For Entrepreneurs.  Entrepreneurs in that same group can share articles and post discussions that provide valuable information about entrepreneurship, business development, etc.  Here is the recommended reading if you are interested in learning more about LinkedIn groups: 30 Top LinkedIn Groups for Entrepreneurs, eMarketers, and Social Media Enthusiasts.

3. Social media offers a channel to for entrepreneurs build relationships

Tools like Twitter can help business owners establish relationships with their suppliers, customers, and prospects.  I’ve written an article about how to use Twitter to build relationships, check it out – “15 Tips to Help You Build Relationships on Twitter”.

4. Social media helps entrepreneurs build communities

If you’ve read the book “Tribes” by Seth Godin, chances are you already understand the importance of having and leading a community. Social media tools like Facebook help you accomplish that. You can start a Facebook page for your business today and start counting your fans tomorrow.  The more fans you have, the more social proof your business gets.  Check out the NY Entrepreneurs Business Network fan page here.

5. Social media creates monetization opportunities for entrepreneurs

We all know that starting a business is hard. For beginning entrepreneurs, correctly using social media to position themselves means more options to monetize.  On my blog, I currently integrate Google Adsense, Amazon Associates, Chitika eMiniMalls and sell affiliate products.  Of course my ultimate goal is to have and sell my own product, something that truly belongs to me.  But at the beginning, every bit of other income sources helps.  This philosophy should apply to entrepreneurship in any other endeavor.

Please stay put and wait for our 2nd post in a series that will detail the last 5 reasons why social media can benefit entrepreneurs. Make sure you subscribe to our RSS so you get updated once it gets published. (Update: Part II is now available here.)

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