Happenings, advice and other technology thoughts !

See my Interview in Bob London's Drivetime Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 11 May 2013 06:51:50 PDT

If you are not already subscribed to Bob London's Drivetime Marketing you should. He video blogs very interesting thoughts and trends in marketing. In this epissode of DriveTime Marketing I was interviewed by Bob London. We spoke about my transition to Bozzuto as VP, Digital Marketing. Enjoy the Show !

Coming to our neighborhood Chris Brogan's ImpactNEXT Tuesday, May 21st, The McKinley Theater

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Thu, 09 May 2013 03:30:07 PDT

I have had the honor of knowing Chris Brogan, CEO&President of Human Business Works for a few years.In many ways Chris Brogan pioneered the art of human connections through offline and online relationships. He co-Founded the Podcamp movement where I spoke for the first time in public in the US.
I am excited that he is bringing his ImpactNEXT conference to Washington DC with 3 hour sessions on these two important topics..

Mastering the Digital Channel and
Creating Content that matters

There are several reasons to attend ImpactNEXT and one of them being the ability to learn by example. Chris Brogan has succeed in making an Impact. Chris Brogan's company Human Works helps companies develop a vision plan for growth Chris Brogan has authored several books ( rumor has it that both Chris and Julien decided that I was a good example of a Trust Agent when they met me at SOBcon) and has been part of the online and digital community for a long time helping others grow.I look forward to being there.

Check out the ImpactNEXT DC event page, it is different. Hope to see you there.
I recently attended SOBCon 2013 in Chicago where I had the opportunity to hear Chris Brogan speak. We were all inspired by the talk and here are some reactions from other attendees.

WHCD: A Festival of the Media, By the Media

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:08:09 PDT

The 2013 White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD) was held on April 27th at the Washington Hilton. I was invited to a pre-dinner party by Thomson Reuters and got a chance to experience the spirit of the White House Correspondents Dinner. The venue is very convenient, a few blocks from the Dupont Circle Metro (I expect not many attendees would use the Metro) and about 2 miles from the White House

The lobby of the Washington Hilton has a section cordoned off for photographers and when any celebrity enters you can see the flash bulbs go off and the celebrities stop and pose for the photos. Nothing of this kind happened as I walked in ;). The main event is a "back tie" affair. The receptions (Yes- There are many of them) also specify black tie yet it didn't seem to matter as long as you dressed well.The 2013 White House Correspondents Dinner is a celebration of the media and a chance to mingle with the subject of their reports in a causal atmosphere. The Thomson Reuters party had a Photo Wall where they showcased the best pictures from Reuters which were amazing and memorable. Any organization sponsoring events would like to reinforce their brand and Thomson Reuters did a great job. There were many celebrities at the Thomson Reuters party including Kathleen Turner and actors from Downtown Abbey.

Celebrity Spotting was fun. Ariana Huffington very gracefully responded to my greeting.

Other celebrities I recognized - Aasif Mandvi, Julia Dreyfuss, Nicole Kidman (My photo is blurry), Gerard Butler, Newt Gingrich (See photo below), Juju Chang - 'Good Morning America',

I was at the party with author and speaker on B2B Marketing Paul Gillin, Giovanni Rodriguez- CEO of SocialxDesign and a contributor to Forbes, Jen McClure - Senior Director, Digital & Social Media of Thomson Reuters and was awesome to meet Lauren Young- wealth editor at Thomson Reuters and host of Money Clip - in person.

My Commute Has Gone North with My New Job

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 04:00:09 PDT

As I enter the 4th week of my new job at The Bozzuto Group I wanted to share my commute experience. For the first time my commute is in a northern direction from the Rockville/Gaithersburg area on I495. This also means I am entirely in the State of Maryland and there is no crossing the American Legion bridge. Best of all it's a shorter commute.

5 things to learn on a new commute :

Gas stations : Looking for the cheapest gas, I think Greenbelt has cheaper rates than Rockville/Gaithersburg but since the Bozzuto offices are right near the interstate exit going for gas is a detour.
Banks : No change here as Capital One banks are everywhere
Alternate routes and traffic backups : As you spend a lot of time on a particular commuter route you get used to which lane is the best. I do not like changing lanes much so I choose one lane and stick to it. In this new route , I have not chosen a route yet that I can stick to from end to end. The Metro is not a viable option since the Washing ton DC Metro does not have a circular line so there is nor interchange between the green line and red line other than going to downtown DC. The ICC is more than 8 miles added to my commute and also $4 more expensive.
Restaurants : There are a lot more to discover and I have been to the TGIF, Chefs Scret, Osaka and of course also took a colleague for lunch to the IKEA restaurant. I am looking forward to try the restaurants around the Bozzuto Apartment Community The Palette Apartments not far from Greenbelt in Hyattsville specially the BusBoys and Poets.Of course restaurants in downtown DC are only 10 miles away
Beer Run : I want to try the http://fenwickbeerandwine.com/ which was voted one of the best places to buy beer in the DC area. I will however miss my detours to Total Beer and Wine in McLean and the nearest Total warehouse to Greenbelt is in Laurel again about 10 miles in the wrong direction.

On the whole my office in Greenbelt is kind of centrally located Close to DC, Baltimore, Montgomery County and not too far from Arlington.

I am sure there is a lot to discover on this new commute route. Do you have any suggestions?

Train in Begumpet Hyderabad India

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:50:34 PDT

Train in Begumpet Hyderabad India a video by ShashiBellamkonda on Flickr.

The 25th Anniversary is a Great Time to Start at the Bozzuto Group

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:20:45 PDT

On April 4th The Bozzuto Group (I am proud to let you know I work there as VP, Digital Marketing) celebrated it's 25th Anniversary. The story the founders of the company and other employees narrate in a video is very interesting. I would recommend a visit to Boozuto25,com to check out the video and the timeline of the past 25 years.

The celebration was held in downtown Baltimore at the American Visionary Art Museum. I love my infrequent visits to Baltimore. This museum was really fantastic. I took the time to see some of the exhibits of the American Museum of Visionary Arts and want to go there again with my son. included in the celebrations was a superb Bozzuto museum with a collection of some great memorable pieces collected from over the years.

As I settle in my new job and share my excitement of learning a lot about the real estate world, the community of my friends has been very supportive and encouraging. Mark Alves posted this awesome update a few days and many of you have sent inspiring messages and updates.

@shashib I'm not in the market, but I like your property posts. Congrats on the new gig.
— Mark Alves (@markalves) April 3, 2013

Thank to all those who shared and congratulated The Bozzuto Group on the 25th Anniversary.

Learning From My Colleagues - Including Ultimate Frisbee - Week Two

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:20:19 PDT

It has been two weeks have since the start of my new job as VP, Digital Marketing at The Bozzuto Group and I can't believe how time flies. I met this enterprising young man John Moffitt who took the time to educate me on Ultimate Frisbee. Along with working at The Bozzuto Group, John is also going to college. many of my colleagues are doing this - working and also making sure they educate themselves. I love the energy and positivity that my colleagues bring to work and I am enjoying being part of the team.

Starting at the Bozzuto Group I could get familiar my work, interacting with colleagues and the company pretty quickly. Not as tough as starting at a Indo-Russian joint venture restaurant in Moscow in the early 90's. See the picture below that was in the Moscow Magazine

.

Back to the present day. The IT team at The Bozzuto Group has been fantastic, my colleagues in the marketing department have so much positive energy and I am hoping that can transfer to me as well. I have a nice place to work and is a vantage point and a lot of interaction with folks passing by which I love. I will need some advice from you all on my wardrobe which has been depleted since I left the hotel business several years ago. I need advice on trends and "what not to wear" lol ;)

.

Thoughts of the First 7 Days at the Bozzuto Group

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:22:27 PDT

I began a new journey this Monday (March 17, 2013) in a new job as the VP, Digital Marketing of The Bozzuto Group. These seven days have been fascinating. Here are some of my observations from the first week. Please note these are my personal views and not the views of the company or its executives.

People : Three words to describe my first week are Happy, Human and Humor and the people I met had a lot to do with this feeling. Even though the work is fast paced, people have been going out of their way to make the new employees feel welcome. In meetings there is also a culture of giving others credit and praise.

There are several initiatives for veterans at the Bozzuto Group, including military discounts for buying Bozzuto Homes and an effort to employ those who have served our country and their spouses. Tom Bozzuto the Chairman & CEO of The Bozzuto Group is a Vietnam veteran, as is John Slidell, partner and co-founder. In the office we have a Gratitude wall with pictures of family members of employees who serve the country in the armed forces.

Philosophy : Starting from the CEO Tom Bozzuto, the focus of everyone in the company seems to be on making the 'Customer/Guest" experience better. I feel like I am back in the Hotel/Hospitality business. The Bozzuto Group aspires to measure up to the best-known companies in customer service. How can we provide the best experience to the people who stay in the apartments or buy a home from us? The company has projects and managed apartments spread across the Mid-Atlantic region, very consciously within easy reach of Bozzuto headquarters.

During orientation, which was a great experience, all the new employees were given a chance to create ideas around the four core values.

CONCERN for the communities we touch.
CREATIVITY in everything we do.
PASSION in our approach to business.
PERFECTION as a goal worth pursuing.

Being a Green Company: The Bozzuto Group is very focused on the sustainable use of Earth’s resources. I was fascinated to learn - even before I joined - of some of the company’s accomplishments and projects:

Bozzuto Headquarters powered on 100% wind energy
Built Maryland's first public electric charging stations in a residential community
Company-wide partnership with car-sharing services

As you can see, there is so much of information to absorb and I hope my enthusiasm is coming through. Stay tuned for more updates.

SXSW 2013 : Chris Pirillo Announces a New Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:40:43 PDT

After very successfully holding the Gnomedex conference, Chris Pirillo talks about Lockergnome and his new conference VloggerFair.

SXSW : Saturday 9th March 2013 - Swami Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 08:17:25 PST

Posted from the Samsung Techset Blogger Lounge

1) C.C. Chapman's Amazing Things Party (sponsored by Vocus) at 11 Iron Cactus - 606 Trinity St, Austin, TX 78701

2) Community Manager High-Five FlashMob at SXSW #CMAD 12 On Intersection of Trinity and Fourth -

3) SXSW Small Business Meetup - First Official SXSW Meetup Proof Annex - 711 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

4) DC Tech Meetup @ SXSW 3 to 4 The Stage on Sixth - 508 East 6th Street, Austin, TX

5) Original Kings Of Technology Hilton Garden Inn 3.30

5) Open Future Private Reception with Tim Berners-Lee & Open Future Speakers Driskill Hotel Mezzanine - 604 Brazos Street, Austin, TX 78701 5 to 7

6) Tech Cocktail 7 The Stage on Sixth - 508 East 6th Street, Austin, TX

Visit the GoodWill Pop-Up Shop at SXSW -315 Congress

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 06:00:00 PST

Yesterday I saw the preview of the first ever SXSW Goodwill pop-up store at 315, Congress Ave. Austin. It looks very much like any other store and shopping here gives the opportunity for GoodWill to train people with employable skills. I lost my shades so I snagged one and many of my friends who visited the store with me also bought some great stuff.

The shop itself will operate from March 9-11, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. at 315 Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701. All the merchandise featured in the shop was donated at Goodwill locations in the Austin area, and especially selected for the sale. More details here http://www.goodwill.org/press-releases/pop-goodwill%C2%AE-debuts-first-ever-pop-up-shop-at-sxsw/

Meet Tim Berners Lee at #SXSW With IEEE

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:12:11 PST

One of the highlights of atteding SXSW last year was meeting Dean Kamen and Bob Metcalf at events organized by IEEE. In this picture I am with Bob Metcalf who I first met in Camden, Maine at Poptech. This year I am excited by the tech brainpower IEEE is bringing to SXSW.

Here are some that definitely caught my eye and I have added them to my schedule

Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web is talking about the : "Open Web Platform: Hopes and Fears"
Digital Telepathy: When Every Thing Connects will be talking about Convergence and interconnection of devices
Heather Knight "Charismatic Machines & Robot Comedy"

Many of these events are sold out but the organizers say that if you arrive early you still have a chance of getting in First Come First Served.

Check out all the events from IEEE at SXSW here. Must do for all geeks and other citizens of the world.

Learning Social Media with a difference, Social learning boot camp March 7-8,2013

noreply@blogger.com (Roshni Singh) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:17:50 PST

Social Media has become a synonym for communication,Its two way nature has made information accessible, exchangeable and useful through social interactions. All businesses today expect one to use social media most effectively yielding incredible results .

Are you in the same boat ? Do you belong to the area of Learning & Development, Talent Management, Technology-Enabled Learning, Leadership Development, Corporate University, Human Resources, Communications or IT? Are you a small to medium size business owner or someone who is really curious and wants to learn about social media?

Then I'd suggest the Social learning boot camp is the place for you to be.They provide Practical learning, Concepts and tools that can be applied in real life scenarios. Case oriented teaching and clearing myths about social learning. Also I heard an early registration gets you an iPAD Mini. That's quiet an incentive !!!!This boot camp looks promising as it has a wide range of speakers and an interesting two day schedule.

The event will be conducted by Future Workplace and held this March 7-8, 2013 at the George Town University, Conference Center. For more details you can find them at http://www.sociallearningbootcamp.com

Social Madness is here again, Entries Open March 1st

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:22:43 PST

I hope you found this video funny. Roger Hughlett, Executive producer of the Washington Business Journal announced today (March 1st 2013) Social Madness returns: Are you ready? that the contest Social Madness is back for 2013. if you do Social Media for a company or an agency doing social media for a client you should read Roger Hughlett's post.

Social Madness is a competition for companies of all sizes who can continue to engage and grow their social media activities and is tracked over a period of time to determine the winner.

Some details from Roger's post :

Social Madness offers the opportunity to showcase your company on social media. It will also help you gain exposure as you compete for bragging rights against companies in your own size category. Additionally, there is a $10,000 charitable donation that will be made on the behalf of each of the three national winners.
The nominations phase ends May 15, and the first round of local competition begins June 3. The winners advance to a national competition in 43 American City Business Journal cities, including Washington.
This year, categories will be based on the social following at the start of the contest, rather than on the number of employees. Scoring will be based on social engagement, not growth

Working From Home & Instant Noodles

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:03:16 PST

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?

Small Business Breakfast Bethesda , Feb 27th With Jill Schlesinger

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:33:35 PST

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

Register now

First published in my Examiner Column

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

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:23:41 PST

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.

To meet entrepreneurs and exchange notes , ask questions, get advice and even check out your competition
To meet VCs - You know why you want to meet VCs!
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

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:33:36 PDT

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:

Thank you Washington Business Journal for featuring this news "Shashi Bellamkonda takes new job with Bozzuto"
I was reminded of a similar post I did in 2007 when I moved from Product Management to Social Media http://www.shashi.co/2007/12/exciting-news.html
Washington Business Journal: Q&A: Shashi Bellamkonda, incoming Bozzuto Group executive
My Friend and colleague Tinu Abayomi-Paul wrote : The Secret Office Lair of Shashi Bellamkonda (@shashib) and let out all my secrets
Mayra Ruiz in SocialMediaJobsdc.com : Personal Recollections (and Warm Congratulations) to Our Area’s Social Media Swami
Washington Post Capital Buzz Column : Tom Heath : Social media maven moves on
Jeremiah Owyang's Web-strategist.com People on the Move in the Social Business Industry, March 5, 2012

I Need a Room and Two Bananas

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:16:04 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 04:53:50 PST

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 Google, Vanessa Fox (keynote); Audiocafe.com founder, host of TechCrunch's "Keen On," author and CNN columnist, Andrew Keen (keynote); author ofmicroMARKETING, Greg 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.

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

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:56:00 PST

(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.

Thoughts on Facebook Graph Search

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:12:43 PST

In the interest of supporting innovation here are some of my thoughts on Facebook's Graph Search :
1) Unlike the complicated query you need for search using + - " * ... that non-geeks may not be familiar with you can use natural language processing for your Graph Search. ( Luckily I have a college going Linguistics student. But then she likes Tumblr more than Facebook)
2) Today even if you have just the Dunbar number of friends (150) sorting is difficult. Graph Search makes that easy. You can look for friends who ski, eat and work with your favorite company. Maybe even who have already been to the Big Bend National Park like we did over the holidays.

Give it a chance and sign up at the link below for getting the Graph Search before they introduce it globally.For the people who live in the same city sample search that I did Jim Long,Jennifer Abernethy and Mark Drapeau came up first ......

( First posted on the DC Facebook Social Media Group page)

Advisory: Spend a few minutes to disable JAVA in your browsers NOW

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 09:01:57 PST

There is a serious advisory of a potential issue with Java that may affect computer users. The advisory is issued by the The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT).

At a minimum you should spend a few minutesto take these steps: (sourced from http://java.com/en/download/help/disable_browser.xml)

Chrome

Click on the Chrome menu, and then select Settings.
At the bottom of Settings window, click Show advanced settings
Scroll down to the Privacy section and click on Content Settings.
In the Content Settings panel, scroll down to the Plug-ins section.
Under the Plug-ins section, click Disable individual plug-ins.
In the Plugins panel, scroll to the Java section. Click Disable to disable the Java Plug-in.
Close and restart the browser to enable the changes.

Note: Alternatively, you can access the Plug-ins settings by typing about:plugins in the browser address bar.

Firefox

Click on the Firefox tab and then select Add-ons
In the Add-ons Manager window, select Plugins
Click Java (TM) Platform plugin to select it
Click Disable (if the button displays Enable then Java is already disabled)

Safari

Choose Safari Preferences
Choose the Security option
Deselect Enable Java
Close Safari Preferences window

There are steps for Internet Explorer on the same JAVA page using the JAva Control panel. Advanced users can also check these instructions http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/how-to-disable-java-internet-explorer/

Hope this is helpful.

Google Winter cleaning affects mostly unused sync features

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:40:00 PST

This article was first published in my Examiner column:

Google announced their Winter Cleaning on their blog. This is part of their periodic announcements where they shut down products or features that are not popular. In this announcement.

Google Calendar will lose some features like Appointment slots and Google recommends "Find a time view or Suggested times as alternatives."
Google Sync will not be open to new devices starting January 30th 2013. Google recommends using CardDAV specially for syncing Google contacts on your iOS device.
I had not used the app Punchd and that is going away. Here is what Google says :

Punchd is an app that keeps loyalty punch cards on your smartphone. On June 7, 2013, we will discontinue the Punchd Android and iOS apps, and merchants will no longer honor Punchd loyalty cards.

This was a small winter cleaning and maybe Google has completed their product housekeeping. Have you heard anything else?

Trends in Coupon Marketing and Small Business

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:47:00 PST

I wrote a trends post on Coupon Marketing for 2013 for SmallBizTrends. I talk about how companies like Groupon are evolving their business model with resources to help merchants like GrouponWorks and what I think the evolution of coupon marketing will look like in 2013. Take a look and comment there on the article at SmallBizTrends.
On another note hope you saw my post on SheerID talking about Couponless Marketing published by Techcocktail.
Of course if you want another way to send a treat read my post on Treater.