Pauli Systems, LC

SBDC Social Media Bootcamp Open for Registration

2011-12-21T02:12:01Z

Social Media Bootcamp: How to use Social Media to Increast Traffic to your Website?

Presented & Hosted by Small Business Development Center & Relevanza, Inc

It’s time to go social! Are you taking advantage of Social Media? Is your website ready for Social Media? Will it help you reach and grow your audience? The power of Social Media allows users the opportunity to create/communicate with an online community to work for you, to increase traffic to your site. Although each social network has it’s own ways to display information and rules to engage with your audience, once you are past the mechanics and past setting up the space,you will be able to streamline publishing and interact with your followers.

This three part course will teach you how to set-up your profiles to maximize search engine visibility and connect the profiles to your website. After this course, you will know how to make your website ready for the 21st century and increase search engine ranking. You will also learn how to publish and broadcast to the networks and how to listen to the influencers in your field and grow your network and interaction with the audience. A large part of the course will be hands-on and discussing case studies for various industries of successful ongoing blend of social networks with lead generation. The networks covered will be: Facebook, Google+, LinkedIN, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

When: Fridays - Jan 13 + 20+ 27, 2012 (Time: 3pm to 6pm)

Where: FGCU Renaissance Academy, Naples

Register here

Happy Holidays: Play for Charity For Change

2011-12-21T01:12:14Z

Since Charity for Change started in Spring 2008, Pauli Systems has been involved on various levels with the organization and the team around its Executive Director, Karen Conley.
This year, Charity for Change created a fun Holiday Giver Game to be played by community members and it helps introduce the program to a broader audience! The Second Chance Foundation pledged $30 for each player that answers three MathQuiz questions correctly between December 14 and January 1, 2012.
Start Playing the Holiday Giver Game here
No worries the questions are on fifth grade level! It'll take only about 3 minutes and is great fun. You'll also meet Giver and as he always says:

It's a great day to give!

SBDC Workshop: Using Social Media to Increase Your Website Traffic

2011-11-02T11:11:50Z

We had very lively and interesting discussions throughout the 90 minutes presentation. Participating business owners contributed good questions and conclusions. As promised, the slide deck is published on slideshare.net for your self-study and for following up on all links mentioned during this event. Harry Looknanan and I also discussed some more ideas regarding an upcoming Social Networks Bootcamp for Business Owners. If you have particular topics or questions that you would like included, please post them in our comment section below. Also if you are interested in attending the Social Networks Bootcamp session, let us know and we will make sure that you will be notified.

View more presentations from Birgit Pauli-Haack

Wednesday, November 2, 2011 11:30 am - 1:00 pm in Bonita Springs.

Crexent Business Center

27499 Riverview Center Boulevard, Bonita Springs, FL 34134

Register Now: http://goo.gl/8yeJ8

You will learn how to streamline your workload and how quality content can assist you with Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing, Facebook, Twitter and others. After the workshop you will know how to make your website the central hub for your online activities.

Google Plus (+): Why You should bother?

2011-10-28T10:10:07Z

What’s that you say?

Yet ANOTHER social network? But I can’t keep track now, with all the Facebooking, Tweeting, Linking IN; not to mention my full-time production studio for YouTube videos and podcasts...and, wait...what? A Google social network?

Whoa...we might be on to something here!

The new “kid” on the social media block is, of course, Google Plus (Google+...or, “GooPlus, if you prefer) and with it come the same questions asked by million of social media users the world over: will my friends follow me to the new network? How will I find new friends? How will I get noticed (Social media is, after all, all about “me.”)

With social media, it’s always the chicken and scrambled egg problem: “I won’t join a new network when my friends are not there, but my friends won’t come when I am not there.”

Google+ has the same problem. Only a few die hard geeks and close friends are there! And none of my other friends will leave Facebook, because that’s where their friends are.

Put all that aside because there is good news. Google+ can be beneficial even if your friends are not there yet. Hello? Google.

Among other important aspects of social interaction on the InnerTubes, Google+ can boost your visibility with the additional links back to your website. Your posts are part of the public Internet. You can build your network slowly and deliberately.

I recently was invited to answer questions about Google+ at a monthly meeting of the Entrepreneur Society of Naples (Florida). Here is a summary of what we discussed in the meeting. It was only a 15 minute talk, and the slides are available below this article.

So why bother?

Google is the fastest growing Social network right now.

Google+ has reached an estimated 50 million users within the first 90 days, a milestone that took Twitter 3 years and Facebook over 3.5 years. LinkedIn reached those user numbers only after 2354 days, about 6.5 years.

Google is ubiquitous

Google has the advantage that a lot of people use a lot of their free services around the net,

Gmail,
Calendar
Document
Photos
Google Analytics, and more.

With the overall available toolbar, as entrance into the social network, a user doesn't have to switch screens or browser tabs to look at Google+ notifications and review comments on posts.

However, some enterprise level services, like GoogleApps for Business are not yet intergrated, to the dismay of a growing number of business who feel left out, taking advantage of the new network. It's only a matter of time when companies are able to create brand accounts and use it within their GoogleApps environment, or so we hear.

Google is Search

We do Google. Right, who are we kidding?

Comscore & Highwire, market analysts, put Google market share on Search at 65%, Bing at 15% and Yahoo at 14%.

Nearly all purchasing decisions - a staggering 92% - start with an online search. There is a whole black hat industry out there doing nothing but Search Engine Optimization. And Google employs about 100 people in the Spam fighting department. Social Network add a very important component to the quality of a search.

Fig 1.Conventional Search: Keywords: Immokalee Business.

Once I am logged into my Google Account, the search results page changes for me. Now Google becomes Superman and gives me more power through increased relevance with the selection of search results. Now Avatars of my friends/followers from other social network show up next to various links, signaling that a person I know has shared a particular link. It also adds those links, that I have plussed One before, and marked it as standing out . My search resulted in a much more focused and richer collection of links.

Fig 2. Google Social Search: Keywords: Immokalee Business

Google adds what's called social signals. It has it from Twitter, from Google+, not yet from Facebook as most sharing is done behind the Facebook login wall. And for Facebook, having access to the data is a business model so they are careful making it public. The Google crawlers are not yet going to Facebook.

ComScore calls this “Blended Search and the New Rules of Engagement” and writes: ...Page 1, Position 1 is no longer the gold standard for successful SEO strategies.

The syngergies between search index and social networking are very powerful. Even if you are not able to create brand profiles yet, you can still use Google+ to create additional links back to your website, but sharing publically on your profile, by using the +1 button on other business website or on your own website.

+1 is for Google, what “Like” is for Facebook. In contrast to Facebook, however the +1 for a site is another signal for the Google Search Index, and with the Internet User now being able to recommend pages but clicking +1 they also are part of a giant crowdsourcing experiment for Google. Any +1 done by an Internet user is a very, very strong human relevance signal and will benefit the particular page on your website.

Slides: Presentation Entrepreneur Society of Naples - October Meeting

http://www.slideshare.net/bph/google-why-bother

Facebook Open Graph & Facebook Timeline

2011-10-27T10:10:31Z

Ever since #f8 the Facebook Developer conference, Mark Zuckerberg used to announce major changes to the Facebook OpenGraph and the Facebook Timeline. I followed the event and also collected a few stories especially on Facebook Privacy on a new curation tool called Scoop.it.

A couple of weeks ago, AAUW CA Online Branch Program director, Sandy Kirkpatrick, and we discussed a few scenarios and disected who will see what posting, comment or tag, for the various privacy settings in your account. As a part of the program, I was also asked if I could explain Facebook Timeline and how it will change how our profile appears for our friends. To answer that question, I took a deep dive in my own Facebook Timeline and published my experience on the non-profit technical support site of the Naples Free-Net. You can read all about it here:

Traveling Down The Facebook Timeline

Google Analytics - Tool to Track and Analyze the Performance of Your Inbound Marketing Activities

2011-10-02T01:10:46Z

Just published our slide deck from the Entrepreneurs Workshop: Turning Your Passion To Profit 2011 at Florida Gulf Coast University on slideshare.net

Here is also a list of more resources:

Google Analytics Blog

This is the offical blog of Google’s Analytics team. Read up about special features, update and take a deep dive into the heart of your Google Analytics data http://analytics.blogspot.com

Smashing Magazine is the leading online magazine about web development and web design. They published a comprehensive Guide to Google Analytics and Useful Tools http://bit.ly/GASmashing

Mashable:

Excellent online news site on all things internet, social networks and tools, with special tracks you can follow to make it easier to stay on top of the news. http://www.mashable.com

PewInternet

publishing statistics on Internet behavior. Very interesting to find out what people, your target audience do on the Internet. The site is tracking behaviour for over a decade and makes for great Sunday afternoon read.
http://www.pewinternet.org

SEOmoz

Learn more about search engine optimization, what it can do and what it can do for your site. We love their graphic on Inbound marketing. The video series: Whiteboard Friday is an excellent weekly 15 minute video in which Randy Fish tackles some overall concepts and tackles one SEO Myth at a time.
http://www.seomoz.org

Google Analytics Help Page
Start out with the Glossary page as it lists all common terms and their definitions and usage context for Google Analytics. Quite a few seem to be self-explanatory,. Considering the narrow context of website tracking, you can also use it as a reference to double check your assumptions when interpreting the results and numbers.
http://bit.ly/GAsGlossary

WordPress Plugin: Ultimate Google Analytics
Install the tracking codes after successfully setting up the account is an important hurdle to take. Most dynamic website building tools come with Google Analytics builts in.   For Wordpress there are quite a few plugins available.
And I published a How-To post for NFN4Good.org.
You can follow it in six steps and probably half the minutes.
How to install WPlugin: Ultimate Google Analytics
http://bit.ly/How2WP-GA

Mailchimp - a rockstar among the Email marketing Systems and providers, also have a very helpful feature Analytics360. It allows you to bring the stats all into one dashboard: your email marketing campaign, your twitter account and and your WordPress Blog. Then you can analyze the direct correlation of traffic changes with the main Inbound Marketing activities: Blogging, Emailing and Tweeting.
Learn more here:   http://goo.gl/dIoR0

Even if you won’t use the Analytics360, Mailchimp integrates very nicely with your Google Analytics account. Here is more information:   http://goo.gl/eZoaB

http://www.slideshare.net/bph/google-analytics-as-tool-to-measure-your-inbound-marketing-activities

A Successful Entrepreneurs Seminar: Turning Your Passion to Profit 2011

2011-10-02T06:10:28Z

A wonderful inspiring event for any aspiring entrepreneur with great presentations as well as great discussions during breaks.

The first pictures were online directly uploaded through WordPress Android application from the floor of the Mini-Tradeshow and posted on Twitter.

More pictures where shot by the designated event photographers, SWFL-Online Video, who also provided video coverage. We are looking forward to this year's highlights on YouTube!

The company with the most retweets, apart from Pauli Systems was Dax Enterprises. President Kena Yoke also share information about the event on Facebook and Sue Haberkorn took on LinkedIn and created the Event on Facebook.

Over the course of the following weeks we will publish session material and more pictures. and a comprehensive look at what all goes into an online event marketing strategy and implementation. For now bookmark the site: "Turning Your Passion to Profit" - 3rd Annual Entrepreneurs Seminar & Mini Tradeshow and sign-up for updates via e-mail notification so you don't miss any announcement.

And here, all in character, the thank you tweet, using Embedly's API for rich snippets.

http://twitter.com/#!/TurnP2P/status/120155454662918145

http://twitpic.com/6th0rb

Presentations: On Blogging, RSS Feed, Email Marketing, Social Media

2011-06-30T01:06:11Z

Upon several requests to republish our presentations, we share them now here on our company blog. All slideshows cover the topics: Web2.0, Bloggging vs. Website, email marketing, online publishing and the measuring outcome of initiatives and campaigns.

All presentation are available on Google Documents and should work with all browsers. Please let us know if you have difficulties.

Note: Keep in mind that I used them during live events and they were meant to support the information I provided talking and discussing with the audience. They are not the whole experience.

All material is published under Creative Commons license. Feel free to use them with attribution and link back to Pauli Systems site: www.paulisystems.net

Google+ (Plus) Previews & Chatter: Get Ready!

2011-06-29T09:06:52Z

The Techworld is abuzz about Google+, many techreporter and Net Strategist have been invited by Google to field test Google+, called Google Plus. There is a lot of chatter, and yesterday I saw a good use case to great a collection of comments and the essentials on Storify.

If you are in a hurry, start on Google's own page about Google+ and watch intro-clips about six main features. If you want to see what other people do with Google+, especially the "Hangout" feature, watch the recording of today's "This Week on Google" TV Show hosted by Leo Laports, Jeff Jarvis and Gina Trapani.

Haven't been that excited about a new site and it's possibilities for a long time.

Test Report: Online Tools for Flipbook Display

2011-04-27T08:04:55Z

Don't you love how some website display PDFs stored on their website like books the flip pages right there in the screen and you can actually see two pages at a time just like in a magazine? We tested a few online tools, that have free versions. We find they all are very easy to use and thought out. And we thought we can as examples display our eBooks the same way. What features were we looking for:

Allow an easy upload PDF, Doc, PPT or other formats,
Provide HTML code to embedd the uploaded document in basic FlipBook for on a webpage, and
Allow for long term storage.

ISSUU - How to Use Facebook To Spread Ideas

Open publication - Free publishing - More facebook

YuDu -

Click to launch the full edition in a new window
Digital Publishing with YUDU

Get control of your non-profit with Salesforce.com

2011-04-07T11:04:30Z

(or, how to tame an 800 pound gorilla)

If you manage a non-profit organization, you are, without a doubt, juggling multiple tasks on a daily (if not hourly) basis. Staffing, managing a volunteer base, seeking out and soliciting donors and donations, planning fund raisers, maintaining an online presence (i.e., website, blog, e-newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), planning and executing mailings, all compete for a spot on your agenda. So, who has time to track all of this activity, and, better yet, how is it going to get tracked? And, if I find a system that will allow me to reign all of this in, how much will it cost to implement, (as if resources aren’t already stretched to the breaking point)? No time and too much money, right? No need to despair, the 800 pound gorilla just got a little easier to tame.

Salesforce.com is probably the most widely used Customer Relationship Management (CRM) on the market today, and includes a package specific to non-profits, who, by completing a very simple application process, can qualify for 10 free Enterprise Edition user licences. Through Salesforce.com Foundation, eligible organizations receive not only the initial 10 licenses free, but steep discounts on all future licenses, to ensure non-profits can stay in the game and focus their efforts where they count the most –- fundraising and community outreach! Salesforce offers almost unlimited customization possibilities, along with scalability; as your organization grows, Salesforce will keep up with your evolving contact and donation management activities and requirements. In fact, according to their website, more than 10,000 non-profits and higher education institutions of all sizes are using Salesforce.com to improve their organizations’ impact and further their mission and vision goals.

In the "Cloud"

You’ve probably heard the term “cloud computing”, but, what is it? One of the most attractive aspects of Salesforce.com to a burgeoning or fund-challenged non-profit is that the Salesforce application “runs in the cloud”, so users can access it anywhere via an internet connected computer or mobile device. This eliminates the need for your organization to purchase and maintain costly hardware and software --Salesforce.com deals with those headaches for you through its secure technology infrastructure, (including scheduled upgrade releases throughout the year). This also means you can be up and running in a shorter period of time, depending on your customization needs, etc. Bottom line, you’re free to give undivided attention to your non-profit’s mission. What a concept, right?

Manage Your Mission

Speaking of mission, perhaps over time you’ve found that your non-profit has had to take on a broader range of responsibilities, and provide a wider scope of services for the constituency it serves. Certainly, in these tough economic times, many businesses and organizations can relate to that scenario. And, in the case of non-profits, it means doing more with fewer donations and government funds and subsidies. Salesforce.com can be the mission-critical piece you need to make it easier to build and maintain valuable relationships with donors, and keep the lines of communication open. And, more regular and consistent communication with your constituents means more funds in the coffers. You and your organization will have the ability to work smarter (not harder):

create and update donor, board member and volunteer profile and contact information – everything you need to know about them, so you can keep them in the know about you
manage each phase of the donation process from monetary to in-kind pledges to actual collection and posting, (including recurring donations)
target and track campaigns, programs and events
configure and send customized and automated e-mail communication and reminders to your constituents from within Salesforce.com itself
create automated follow up reminders and tasks to volunteers and staff tracks all opportunity-related data including milestones, decision makers

To make the jump to a technology solution even simpler, (for those non-profits with more fundamental needs, and who just want to get up and running), Salesforce.com’s “Nonprofit Starter Pack” allows for an even easier implementation with a pre-built data structure, but with loads of customization options.

If your curiosity has been piqued, see if Salesforce may be right for your non-profit.

Next time, I'll explain how non-profits can use Salesforce.com to manage and track workflow, donations and communications.

Gorilla image courtesy of uganda.safarisgorillas.com.

Facebook Business Pages: A Primer

2011-02-15T09:02:00Z

If I build it, they will come -- maybe?

So, you’ve jumped into (or, are thinking about jumping into), the social media fray to expand your business’ or organization’s online marketing horizons, by creating a Facebook business page. Good for you! You’re on the right track, so congratulate yourself. A lot of small business owners or organizations don’t even bother to create a page -- they’re simply not “on” Facebook, (or online, for that matter).

Formerly known as a “fan” page, a Facebook business page can provide greater visibility and interaction amongst your community of users, members, customers, fans, etc., and expose your organization to an even broader audience. But, just because it’s there, doesn’t necessarily guarantee your page will garner the attention it needs to thrive. With that in mind, rather than detailing the mechanics of creating a Facebook business page, this post will talk about some of the expectations you should set for the launch of your page, and building the momentum. (In case you are interested in the mechanics of creating a business page, you can check them out here.)

It’s a process.

Getting people to “like” (or, become a fan) of your page, isn’t as easy as it may seem. Just because you’ve created a business page doesn’t mean people are going to automatically flock towards it in droves and “like” it, as soon as it hits the airwaves. In fact, quite the contrary may be the case. Disappointing, right? Think about it another way. Hopefully, in your other business-building efforts, whether they be developing a website, e-mail marketing, blogging, using other social media outlets, etc., you’ve had a plan to launch and grow each one of those efforts.

Your Facebook business page is no different. In order to flourish and become the hub of activity you want it to be, you need a plan, you need to work that plan, and incorporate it into your ongoing marketing processes. Make sure your core audience knows about your Facebook page, and invite them to it, encourage them to “like’ it, and start spreading the word. People need to be lured to your page.

Assuming you have an opt-in e-mail list, definitely send out an invitation to your subscribers via e-mail (do this several times, over time) letting them know about your business page and encouraging them to join or "like". Ideally, provide them with a description of the page and an incentive to join. Be sure to have the Facebook logo/badge appear in your e-newsletters. And, don’t forget to include a link to your business page in every e-mail you send out.

Invite visitors to post their comments, links and photos. Remember, users have to “like” your page in order to interact with your page in this way. Pay attention to the folks who are visiting your page on a regular basis, posting comments, and tagging you on other pages. These are the folks who will get the word out.

Appeal to your core audience -- those who know you.

When embarking on the launch of your Facebook page, remember that you already have a cheering section, or a core audience -- every group (hopefully!) does! These are the people who are or may eagerly become active in the quest for change, for leading related efforts and initiatives, and for getting others excited and spreading your organization’s message. Reach out to these folks first, and get them involved in talking about your business page. And, build your promotional army by hand selecting the major players, (i.e., sponsors, endorsers, major donors, advertisers, etc.), sending them messages thanking them for their support, and then telling them that you need their help. Make them feel important and like they’re a vital force behind whatever you’re doing. Get them talking about you and tagging you in other places on Facebook. These types of actions increase trust in your "brand" and build your credibility, (in other words, it gives you "street cred").

Keep in mind that these folks are usually the ones with very large social networks on sites like Twitter or Facebook. Ask them to use Facebook’s Suggest feature to “suggest” that their friends "like" your page. BUT -- don't forget to reciprocate; it's not all take and no give. Help your organization by showing a willingness to help your fellow warriors who are on a similar quest.

Make your business page a forum.

Bottom line, no one wants to join a group where they don't have a voice. They want to interact with others who have a similar passion -- and, feel like they’re being listened to. One of the best ways to get people to "like"your page is to use it as a forum where you ask and listen to your audience's advice. Let your customer, donors, volunteers, etc., lead by turning your business page into a place where users can express themselves -- talk about what they don’t like, and things like they’d like to see you do in the future. If you have an upcoming campaign, initiative or product you’re working on, encourages people to offer their input. If word gets out that your Facebook page is where you go to get ideas, suggestions, feedback and opinions, people are going to want to be a part of that. Make your page the place where your audience can go to get heard. Remember, the more "eyeballs" seeing your page, the better!

Image courtesy of smallbiztrends.com.

How A Google Search Works - in Theory

2011-02-13T04:02:50Z

New York Times article: 'Search Engine Optimization and Its Dirty Little Secrets' exposed how JC Penny and their contracted Search Engine Optimization company games the system to have JC Penny show up on page one of google search pages all the time for almost any items that can be purchased, quite a few businesses have gotten confirmation of what they actually suspected a long time now. There is a whole Black Hat industry making a lot of money and getting you banned from the search engine giant or our rank the competition and help increase the necessity to resort to Search Engine Marketing. And of course the conspiracy theorist are at it again. And can you blame them?

Today we publish a resource list of articles that spun off the article of New York Times and hopefully provide more insight, more levelheaded view and more explanation. (Updated: 2/14 - Read also: "Online Community Could Help Google" on Relevanza's Blog.

How A Google Search Works

First up a Video by Matt Cutt's the Google employee mentioned in the article and responsible for the anti-page-spam squat at Google.

This weekend's list of articles:

New York Times: The Dirty Little Secrets of Search

How Black Hat Link Building got Google stump for four months
The Data and Details Behind “The Dirty Little Secrets of Search”
Dough Pierce worked with New York Times uncovering the JC Penny dealings
Search Engine Land: Danny Sullivan
Explains more on how search engine optimization the right way works and what happens when you get caught teaming up with Black Hat agents.

And for a little chuckle, the sequence in "NPR's Wait Wait don't tell me" (Found on Search Engine Land)

The show, which aired on February 5, had host Peter Sagal stumping panelist Roxanne Roberts, at first, with a question about the news:

    Sagal: It’s tough to break through the monopoly on search that Google has, but Bing has done it. How, does it turn out, does Bing find things on the internet?

    Roberts: I never use Bing. This is a problem. I know it’s shorter.

    Sagal: Well, it makes sense because, well, what do you do when you want to find something on the internet?

    Roberts: I search Google.

    Sagal: So does Bing. The audience is then heard erupting into laughter. Sagal goes on to explain the story, ending with this zinger:

    Once caught, Bing did not deny it, but they said stealing Google’s searches is only one of their many proprietary search methods. They also steal Yahoo’s searches, and in a real pinch, they ask Jeeves.

eBook: How To Use Facebook to Spread Ideas - Sharing 101

2011-02-12T07:02:37Z

This eBook: contains four articles on central sharing features and tagging on Facebook. Articles we posted over a period of time, on Above The Noise newsletter and blog. Many people are still very fond of printing and ready on paper in magazines, and books, we provide a compilation of our work in eBook format and you are able to print them on your own printer.

It's also the content of my part of the "Interactive Workshop: Social Media in Less Time Than You Think" I partnered with Sandy Lender, fantasy author, publisher and friend on February 10, 2010

Please click here for download.

Online Round Table: How To Set-up and Maintain A WordPress Site

2011-01-26T10:01:09Z

Tomorrow's ORBIT we will discuss what you as a business owner would need to know about WordPress as your website platform. What decision you need to make and what options you have. What you need to do yourself and how to delegate specific tasks. How to produce content and how to prepare it for the web. Delegate posting or writing.

WordPress is a powerful website platform, with a unique way to support your needs from the vary basis online presence to a full blown social media ready content hub. The site grows with your companies skill levels.

Join us to morrow for a unique way to look at web site hosting, content management and continuation of a great communication tool to reach your audience.