Happenings, advice and other technology thoughts !

Great to be featured in the Capitol Communicator

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:08:00 PST

Good news! I was featured in a news item in the Capitol Communicator Feb 21st 2012.

Shashi Bellamkonda of Network Solutions is one of the 2012 honorees in the Washington Business Journal’s 5th Annual Minority Business Leader Awards. Presentation of the awards, which honor the entrepreneurial drive, creativity and success of the honorees, will take place Friday, March 16, at The Capital Hilton

Continue reading the article at Capitol Communicator

#FredNMT @cariegrls Carie Lewis presenting "Why I Don't Like You:Measuring success in Social Media"

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:15:57 PST

#FredNMT @cariegrls Carie Lewis presenting "Why I Don't Like You: Measuring success in Social Media".

#FredNMT Amanda Changuris session: Sticky Situations: How to plan for difficult social media situations

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:00:15 PST

#FredNMT Amanda Changuris, a photo by ShashiBellamkonda on Flickr.

#FredNMT Amanda Changuris

Details of the conference : Frederick Chamber Website

Top Takeaways:

Always respond to both positive and negative feedback
Offer a solution immediately
Take the conversation offline if necessary
Great point - Assume positive intent when getting feedback on social media
Have a good comment policy on your Facebook Page "info" page. Set limits if warranted.

In my opinion Frederick Memorial Hospital is a great example of proper use of social media tools for communication. Check the Frederick Memorial Hospital Facebook page.

The Seventh Annual Small Business Summit NYC March 6th 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:26:58 PST

If you have not watched Ramon Ray in action at the Small Business Summit you are missing on a great experience. On March 6th around 500 small business will gather in NYC and learn from experts, sharing stories and gaining new ideas to help grow their business. Ramon Ray and Marian Banker.

March 6th - 8:00 - 5:00 p.m., Metropolitan Pavilion,
125 West 18th St., New York City.

The conference early bird rate is $149 and ends on Feb 25th 2012. Register here http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2584339830

For more details go to the SmallBizTech Summit website for updates and the latest agenda. See the conversation on Twitter: #smallbizsummit and the Summit Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/smallbizsummit

DC Chapter of the Internet Society Events - Feb 22 &March 1, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:27:11 PST

The Internet Society is a global organization that seeks to maintain a free and open internet - www.isoc.org and is having two interesting events.

I. Social Media and Freedom, Promoting Democracy in the Middle East

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM (ET)

Discussion Leaders:

Davin Hutchins – Managing Editor, Middle East Voices at Voice of America
Sherif Mansour - Senior Program Officer, Freedom House
Sirwan Kajjo – Syrian human rights activist and journalist

Where:

Busboys and Poets
2021 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC

II. Connecting Everyone! Mesh Networks, Public Internet and the Drive Towards Universal Access

Thursday, March 1, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM (ET)

Panelists:

Bob Frankston – Frankston.com

Bob Frankston is the co-creator with Dan Bricklin of the VisiCalc spreadsheet program and the co-founder of Software Arts, the company that developed it.

Brough Turner – Founder, netBlazr, Inc.

Brough Turner is a well established communications industry engineer and entrepreneur. He founded netBlazr to dramatically change the landscape for broadband Internet access in the US. Previously Brough was founder and CTO of Natural MicroSystems (IPO 1994) and NMS Communications, building several successful businesses in fixed and mobile communications equipment.

Preston Rhea – Open Technology Initiative, New America Foundation

Preston Rhea is a Program Associate for the Open Technology Initiative at the New America Foundation. He supports OTI's mission of digital justice for its Broadband Technology Opportunities Program work with research, analysis, writing and program assistance. Preston also researches and writes on community-based communications and technology activism. Before joining the New America Foundation, Preston spent a year in Beijing, China working for an internet content delivery network

Where:

SRI International
1100 Wilson Blvd.
Suite 2800
Arlington, VA

Fun Valentine's Day Campaign from The Motley Fool

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:26:36 PST

I just had to tell you about this fun website from Motley Fool for Valentine's Day. On http://www.foolvalentines.com/ you can check out the "investing pickup line generator", and "investing valentines" and share them with your friends.

The campaign is by one of my students who is the Social Media Maven at The Motley Fool Katrina Chan. Check it out and let me know what you think ?

Fun Valentine’s Day Campaign From The Motley Fool

View more presentations from Shashi Bellamkonda

On the Deborah Shane Show Tomorrow : Tune in at noon EST

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:04:38 PST

I will be on Deborah Shane's Radio show tomorrow at noon. We will discuss Social Media and small Business. Hope you can tune in
Show Information
Guest: Shashi Bellamkonda
Date: 2/13, Noon est
Show Call In Number: 347-215-9599,
Show URL: www.blogtalkradio.com/deborahshane

Learn ore about Deborah from these sites :

What is Linguistics? My daughter is studying it

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:46:00 PST

So you know a linguist

View more presentations from Jodie Martin

Super Bowl XLVI : Facts and Figures : Who is the winner?

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:46:11 PST

First time the Super Bowl has been played in Indiana.
Indianapolis is the northernmost city in the United States to host the Super Bowl since Detroit hosted Super Bowl XL in 2006.

	Super Bowl XLVI: Giants vs. Patriots
	Giants : New York City	New England Patriots :Boston	Indianapolis
Population ( List of Most Populous Cities)	Rank 1. The population of New York in 2010 was 8,175,133.	Rank 22. The population of Boston in 2010 was 617,594. The Patriots actually play in suburban Foxborough, Mass., which had a 2010 Census population of 16,865.	Rank 12. The population of Indianapolis in 2010 was 820,445.
Commute Time	38.7 minutes	28.4 minutes	22.2 minutes
Population holding bachelor's degree or higher	33.4%	44.3%	26.7%
Residents who spoke a language other than English at home	49.2%	35.5%	12.7%
Median household income	$48,743	$49,893	$38,502
Median home value	$504,500	$369,600	$118,100

Source: Census.gov

#wholeheart2012 Nice Theme by Newseum

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:34:23 PST

#wholeheart2012 another place to go to, a photo by ShashiBellamkonda on Flickr.

Sign up for Startup America with Techcocktail

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:02:45 PST

Announcement from Frank Gruber of Techcocktail

DC based Tech Cocktail is currently in a friendly but fierce battle vs. Seattle-based Startup Weekend to see who can get the most startups to sign up as Startup America members. If you are an entrepreneur or run a startup, or know other entrepreneurs starting a company please have them become Startup America members using this link - http://ar.gy/techcocktail
You can keep tabs on the TC vs. SW leaderboard here (TC is currently up 58 to 40 but that could change so we need your help spreading the word) - http://www.startupamericapartnership.org/master-challenge/cocktail-stars
We appreciate your support and in doing so you help startups get access to the free resources provided by Startup America. - with Jen Consalvo and Glen Hellman at Tech Cocktail.

Toyota Superbowl Ad: Silly but Catchy

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:17:00 PST

Small Business Evangelist & Editor SmallBizTechnology.com Ramon Ray interviews the President

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:33:43 PST

it is so cool to post this as the event is happening. organized by Google Plus . This is my friend Ramon Ray, Editor of SmallBizTechnology.com in a Google Plus Hangout with President Obama. You can watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=artg9gfOwL4

Source: Uploaded by user via Shashi on Pinterest

Finnair Crew Pay Tribute to India's Republic Day on Flight to Delhi

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:23:22 PST

January 26th was India's 63rd Republic Day. The passengers of Finnair Flight AY201 from Helsinki to New Delhi on Jan. 17 got a very cool and pleasant surprise when the crew started dancing to a Bollywood tune. Congrats! Finnair and crew for coming up with a different idea to show your passengers you follow the FACT principle : Fun, Attention getting, Collaborative and using Technology to spread it.

Smithsonian Television Channel : Pleasure to Watch and Learn

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:20:49 PST

One of my favorite institutions in the US is the Smithsonian. I have been a subscriber/member for over 14 years and love going to the museums on the National Mall in Washington DC.
I recently discovered the Smithsonian HD Channel on TV Channel 565 on DirecTV. I love this channel and would highly recommend it.

The programs I specially love:

Mighty Ships: Loved the episode where they show Stena Britannica the super ferry ship between Hoek in Holland and Harwich in England. The episode on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise was thrilling to watch.
Aerial America : saw a great episode on New Mexico with mention of UFOs.
America Wild and Whacky

Other ways to watch this channel:

See where you can find the Smithsonian Channel on TV

How to @mention on Pinterest

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:07:02 PST

Source: flickr.com via Shashi on Pinterest

This morning I got an email from Pinterest that my friend Geoff Livingston added me to his following list. I posted this photo from my Flickr feed and wondered about how to attract his attention to this picture.

Here are the steps to @mention someone on Pinterest.

You should be following at least one board belonging to the user
Then in the description or in a comment type @ and the Pinterest user name and you will see their names in suggested potential matches

Here is a link to the Pinterest Help page that has other neat tricks http://pinterest.com/about/help/

I can be found on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/shashib/ and you may like my board on food called 'CarryonCurry" http://pinterest.com/shashib/carryoncurry/

[VIDEO] Celebrating life - Flash Mob at Mumbai's CST Railway Station

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:11:53 PST

I want to thank my friend Rozeanne Weissman for sending me the link to the video below and the background of this happy-to-watch-and-celebrate-video.

I visited India and Mumbai this July and definitely saw the energy of a country that has a promising future. Young folks willing to try hings new and celebrate freedom. So happy to see this flash mob was successful specially in a place that was so seriously affected by terrorism three years ago.

I wish I was there in the flash mob too ;)

Free Virtual Conference :Digital Marketing World: Social Media Marketing from @Marketingprofs

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 06:00:10 PST

Register for FREE admission to Digital Marketing World: Social Media Marketing taking place on Dec 9th organized by Marketing Profs.

Among the speakers are Natalie Petouhoff, Matthew T. Grant, Kathy Herrmann and Jennifer Cisney

Sessions include:

Why Aren’t You Podcasting?—learn the business case for podcasting, why it belongs in your social media plans, and how to get started
Blast Through 3 Social ROI Myths That Can Hold You Back—learn what facets you can (and can’t) measure, and the real return you can expect from your social media program
MarketingProfs Classic: Seven Keys to a Successful Blog—learn how to build a blogging strategy, tie it in with other social media interactions, and measure results

More details and registration at Marketing Profs Event Page

Note: I am on the Program Advisory Committee for the forthcoming conference SocialTech 2012 - B2B Social Media Marketing Distilled that is taking place March 29th to 30th in Seattle WA.

Samsung Galaxy S2 is a really neat phone

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:30:00 PST

A few days ago I saw this video on Mashable from a article Samsung Lampoons Apple Mania in Galaxy S II Ad by Todd Wasserman. Great play by Samsung by this video and of course having seen the line for the iPad2 outside the Apple store in Austin during SXSW . Great video and as a user of the Samsung Galaxy S2 I love it.

Please read and comment on my review of the Samsung Galaxy S2 on Techcocktail

This Thanksgiving Week Participate in Small Business Saturday #ShopSmallBiz

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:26:13 PST

This Saturday Nov 26th is Small Business Saturday put together by American Express to help Small Business across the country. The campaign has some great resources on their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday and encouraging folks to visit their local business on Nov 26th is Small Business Saturday.

My list for Nov 26th Small Business Saturday around Rockville/Gaithersburg and Potomac are:

Shady Grove Eye and Vision I have been a patient for over 10 years.
Bombay Bistro Rockville Very nice Indian restaurant that I have been associated with for over 14 years including working there initially.
Spice Xing in Rockville Excellent Indian food in the Rockville town center
Sushi Oishii Love the Sushi and at lunch time the Bento Box.
Traville Barber shop been going there ever since they opened in the Traville shopping center

Special mention to my neighborhood Indian Grocery store Guru Groceries and Chaat House

Also check out the special offers at http://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday

Special offer from American Express: American Express wants to help you make a difference. Get a one-time $25 statement credit when you register an eligible American Express® Card and use that Card for a purchase of $25 or more at a small business on November 26th. Registration is limited. Terms and Conditions apply. https://sync.americanexpress.com/sbs2011

Klout Perk: I also got a $25 Gift card from American Express and Klout by virtue of being a Klout Influencer. I was not obligated to do anything in return. I am small business evangelist and love helping small business and this post is a result of that.

Send Real Flowers to Friends and Family using Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 07:18:32 PST

Real Flowers: Send flowers to your friends easily using Facebook during the Holidays

This Facebook app is very timely for Thanksgiving Day and also for the upcoming holiday season. Within a few clicks instead of sending a virtual piece of code that looks like a flower you can now send "RealFlowers" - the name in itself is a nice marketing play. As soon as I added the app to my Facebook page https://apps.facebook.com/realflower i got a list of friends who have birthdays this week . Choosing one of the friends would allow me to send flowers. You would need to know their physical address as well and if you do not know their address you are probably a cheapskate and have not sent them any flowers before.If you want this to be a surprise there is an option for that as well

I found a good use for this as I suddenly remembered my wife's birthday is this week and I had not thought of a gift for her.

The credit card process was seamless, I wish they would recognize the number and automatically slelct the card type ( Visa, Mastercard etc). The other surprise was the $12.95 service fee which I hoped would have been mentioned upfront. Bottomline if you are like the person in the TV ads who has forgotten the anniversary or birthday like me, here is a easy way to send flowers while pretending to be on Facebook so your near and dear do not know. It's probably one of convenience as well as rumor is that half the Facebook population of 800 Million is on Facebook everyday, so it is another convenient way for them to order gifts socially for their online and real friends with Real Flowers.

Continue reading on my column at Examiner.com Timely Facebook App to send Real Flowers to friends and family using Facebook .

Tablet ! Tablet ! Everywhere - Blackberry Playbook may be discounted this week

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:19:27 PST

This is a good season to be a Tablet buyer. The good news is that you have a lot of choice, and the bad news is that you have a lot of choice !

Amazon has shipped the Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet which sells for $199. I have only seen it in stores and read reviews. One that I read yesterday is from eWeek "Amazon’s Kindle Fire is the world’s smallest vending machine disguised as a tablet ". Generally a good device for doing what you need when you are away from your computer and before bedtime.

Now comes the news that Best Buy is selling the
BlackBerry - PlayBook Tablet with 16GB Memory for $199. I have some experience with the BlackBerry Playbook ever since RIM sent me one to use and try. As soon as I unpacked it my college going daughter ( Yes! I have a college going kid) snatched it from me and off it went to classes and lectures. It is a wifi only device and was a perfect light tablet (14 oz.) for carrying on long walks going between classes. The 7" screen was good enough to hold in your hand and it had all the document software you needed and connect with your computer to transfer notes.

Of course I have now retrieved it back after a game of tag when the Family got a new iPad2 in a sweepstakes held at the Shady Grove Eye and Vision Patient Appreciation Day. Now I have the Blackberry Playbook , My wife gets the new and shiny iPad2 ( Wants it more for the Facetime than anything else) and my daughter gets the iPad1.

What I am loving about the Blackberry Playbook

Very easy to type and write notes.
Easy browsing with multiple tabs
If you are a Blackberry Phone owner the sync between the device and the Blackberry phone is seamless ( I have not tested this)
The navigation is a different from the iPad and once you figured it out it is very nice
You can record good quality video and also use the front facing camera to video chat

What the Blackberry Playbook could do more:

For non-Blackberry users the browser seems to be the only way to check email. Blackberry is probably going to remedy this in an update early 2012.
There are fewer apps and even fewer free apps. In the upcoming OS update Blackberry has hinted that they will enable a Android App Player which is a huge development and opens these devices to the entire Android market
Social Sharing : I could not find an easy way to share links from my browser which is very important for me.

Bottom-line : If you are a Blackberry phone user and want a easy device to handle when you are not near a computer and the phone keyboard is too small, this is a good tablet to have specially if the price is $199. Do you have a Blackberry Playbook? What do you think of the Tablet wars?

DC Men Style Store : Lost Boys Expands to A Black Room

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:35:15 PST

As you know this blog does not usually write about Men's Fashion usually. This is different. I met Kelly Muccio when she was still working on starting Lost Boys DC and we met at a Small Business Event organized by Network Solutions in 2008. I am so happy to see Kelly's success with Lost Boys and she announced that she is expanding her store and opening a Black Room.

Kelly also participated in a small business video cast in 2009 with Network Solutions. See clip below:

I have not been to Lost Boys even though I know I should ( I need the advice) See what people are saying on Yelp:

The owner, Kelly, is an incredible fashionista herself and knows how to make you dazzle in the clothing she sells. You'll need a heavy wallet when shopping here but when you see yourself or your man in these clothes, you'll know that it's worth every penny...and you'll be back for more. Just ask Marc H or LOST BOY, Kevin L! The owner, Kelly, is an incredible fashionista herself and knows how to make you dazzle in the clothing she sells. You'll need a heavy wallet when shopping here but when you see yourself or your man in these clothes, you'll know that it's worth every penny...and you'll be back for more. Just ask Marc H or LOST BOY, Kevin L

Watch live streaming video from networksolutions at livestream.com

How I troubleshoot my internet connection?

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:13:31 PST

Your internet connection depends on several players.

ISP (Internet Service Provider) could be your phone company, cable company
Modem, sometimes rented to you by your ISP but best to buy one on your own and connect to your ISP's line.
Router either WiFi or Ethernet that is connected to the modem and provides connectivity to your various devices inside the house
Your computer or laptop that is connected using WiFi or a Ethernet cable to your router.

My house configuration:

Comcast is my cable and internet provider
Modem is a Linksys modem
Router is a Belkin
Lenovo, Asus, iPad, Blackberry Playbook, Samsung Android Phone.

When the internet goes out here are the steps I take:

Step 1: Power down the Belkin router and then power down the Linksys modem . Wait for a minute and power it back and see if you can connect to the internet. If not go to Step 2

Step 2: Remove the Ethernet cable connecting the modem to the router and connect it to the Ethernet port on my laptop. Check if I am able to surf the internet. If I can surf the internet then this tells me that the cable company's connection is fine and go to step 3. If I cannot surf the internet, I call Comcast. Usually the automatic voice prompt will send a signal to my modem or will let me know if there is a system wide issue n my area.

Step 3: Go to my modem dashboard accessed by going to http://192.168.2.1 and see if the router shows the internet is connected. Restart the modem. in many cases use the option of " Clone your MAC address". This usually fixes the issue.

I wish there was a automatic way for all the companies involved in giving me my internet connection figuring out that my connectivity is down and fixing it even before I notice. I guess that technology is far away or maybe too expensive to provide.

This process I outlined above will usually take me 10 to 15 minutes. The frequency is usually 2 to 3 times a year for me. Hope you are having great connectivity. Please comment and let me know if this post has been useful to you.

DC area marketers interested in learning about video marketing check out this Nov 10th event

noreply@blogger.com (Shashi Bellamkonda) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 06:36:27 PDT

Register at bit.ly/videodcnov10
Explore industry best practices in online video marketing hosted by Poptent. Learn how brands are leveraging online video to increase engagement and drive ROI. Hear from industry experts Ronan Keane from XO Communications and Neil Perry, President of Poptent. Cocktails: 5-6pm Dinner/presentation: 6-8pm