If, like most Alberta business owners and marketing managers, you’re on the wiser side of 30 years old, you probably remember Bob from Sesame Street singing about the people in your neighborhood. From the policeman to the dentist, his songs introduced you to everyone you could expect to see in the real world around you, and the list was always growing.

I think back to those songs at times, especially when I’m explaining the Internet, social media, and online marketing. In fact, I like to bring up Bob in my speeches and presentations. I have two good reasons for doing this. For one thing, whether I’m speaking to authorities in the Alberta provincial government or a group of entrepreneurs in Edmonton, almost everyone seems to remember Bob and what it’s like to meet “a person in your neighborhood.” And on the other hand, it’s a great analogy for the way the Internet has grown.

In its earliest days, the World Wide Web was mostly populated with a handful of young geeks who understood the basics of HTML code. In a relatively short amount of time, however, programmers started to appear as well, and then web designers who made pages more visually appealing, followed by coders who came up with custom apps and languages. The Internet just kept growing and growing – more and more people moved into the neighborhood – until we reach the point where we have search engine optimization specialists, social media advisers, online marketing gurus, community managers, and a lot more.

As the neighborhood has gotten bigger it has become more important than ever for the owners and managers of Canadian companies to know how these different types of professionals can help them grow their organizations and compete online. Just as we have reached a point where we realize the value that comes with having the right accountant, lawyer, or IT professional, having the right online marketing team on your side isn’t a luxury… it’s just good business.

The Internet has grown in complexity to the point where it’s difficult for any business owner, manager, or executive to know everything they need to master the subject. Luckily, you don’t have to – you just have to know who the right people in your neighborhood are.

Want to learn more about Internet marketing professionals, or have David come speak to your group? Get in touch with us today to talk about your event or business situation.

Minglejet Inc. is pleased to announce the beta launch of Minglejet.com, the newest global social networking experience.

Minglejet.com is the only website that seamlessly combines travel with social networking. Mingle and connect with friends as well as plan, organize and share upcoming events/trips with an advanced calendar system complete with drag-to-select events and a robust invite system. Users can book cheap flights, hotels, car rentals, buy concert/event tickets and so much more.

More Information

Minglejet.com features easy to set up user profiles. Users can upload photos to their profile page and add or invite friends by using the “Find a Friend” tab. Minglejet.com users can send friends messages, write on their profile page wall or make comments on the community chat. By using the “update your status” feature at the top of the user’s profile page, users can let their friends know how they are feeling or what they are doing. Users can view the status updates and profiles of their friends on the home page or by clicking on “My Network” while logged in.

Minglejet.com has numerous features to facilitate travel and entertainment. The “My Calendar” allows users to add vacation, concert and event details into their Calendar. Users can easily invite friends to trips/events using an invite feature or simply notify them of an upcoming trip/event. Users can make upcoming events public on their profile page and share these dates and details with friends. Other features include finding and booking flights, rental cars and hotels/resorts, which are accompanied by hotel reviews from Trip Advisor, making it easier to find the best hotels.

Minglejet.com also features a full concert and event database through Ticketmaster.

Minglejet.com’s home page features a forum with Community Posts, Travel Stories, Travel News & Reviews and Upcoming World Events. Users also have access to an extensive Restaurant database to find restaurants and share reviews of restaurants they have visited. Minglejet.com also provides users with current weather forecasts to help plan for the weather at your designated travel destination.

Minglejet.com is the next global social networking experience connecting friends, family and business colleagues worldwide.

About Minglejet:

Minglejet.com is the only website that seamlessly combines travel with social networking. Mingle and connect with friends as well as plan, organize and share upcoming events/trips with an advanced calendar system complete with drag-to-select events and a robust invite system. Users can book cheap flights, book hotels online, car rentals, buy concert tickets and so much more.

- – source

It is about “when” you deliver your knowledge.

Have you ever met with a business person, and before you have a chance to get to know them, they take pause to “offer you some insight”. For example, a quick critique of your business card. They may offer,  “it is the most important part of your marketing, your card is too cluttered and the double sided gloss finish… (inject sigh) …I like to write on peoples cards and I can’t write on your gloss finish”

Well, my cards are full of information so you don’t have to write on them. Design is subjective. One persons perception of excellent design is outright rejected by another.

By freely offering insight, professionals devalue their knowledge.

If they are not a trusted adviser, they are simply giving an opinion. You know what they say about opinions, don’t you?  Business advisers need to be careful how and when they deliver their knowledge or it will not hold the value that they think it does.

Cheers,

David West

If the difference between a web designer and a web developer eludes you or if the terms SEO or search engine optimization doesn’t mean anything to you… you should attend this session. David West will introduce you to 10 things every business owner can do to acheive better lead generation online. During this session David will share 10 proven concepts that you can start to employ the next day. Increased traffic to your website is great – but the right traffic will generate new leads!

One person recently commented after hearing David speak, she said,

“I thought I would send you a quick e-mail to tell you how much I enjoyed your presentation today. It was very interesting and extremely informative despite scaring the hell out of me because I know how much work we need to do on our website. Again, great job! I also really appreciated the “no B.S.” way that you speak in layman’s terms that we non I.T. people can understand.”

Cost is $30.00 for this luncheon event. Buffet Lunch included.

Register here - http://www.meetup.com/calgaryentrepreneurs/calendar/11164788/

FREE! BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENING FREE!
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
Halo Steak, Seafood & Wine Bar, 13226 Macleod Trail SE

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Hosted by The Progressive Group for Independent Business (PGIB)
In Co-operation with the South Calgary Merchants Association

In co-operation with the South Calgary Merchants Association PGIB are hosting a FREE networking evening for all of Calgary and area entrepreneurs. We just wanted to drop you a quick line and encourage you to register. PGIB’s paid evening attracted over 190 last meeting and we expect because this one is FREE that it will be completely packed and we may be forced to turn people away if they are not registered. Register now by emailing the address below.

This is a great opportunity to meet many new faces from the business community in South Calgary and many from Okotoks area that are driving up for this event.

This will be a great opportunity to make new contacts and re-connect with old ones.

We hope to see you out next week. We also encourage you to send this email out to all you know as we are sure they would appreciate this FREE event.

Date: Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
When: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Halo Steak, Seafood & Wine Bar, 13226 Macleod Trail SE (In Canyon Meadows Theatre Parking Lot)
Cost: FREE (includes finger foods and a cash bar)

Please confirm your attendance by calling 403-720-2143 or e-mailing marketing@pgib.ca so we can order the appropriate amount of food from the establishment.

This Thursday a very special networking event is happening in Calgary.  Every month a group of Calgary Entrepreneurs link up to share business stories, ideas, concepts, relationships, build new friendships, network with each other, build strong alliances and learn from other entrepreneurs in the City of Calgary.

This month is no different!

On Thursday, April 9th, 2009 join Calgary Entrepreneurs for another wonderful and fulfilling evening of business to business networking, relationship building and learning.

Phil DaSilva of Investors Group will be sharing some great insight on areas of our businesses that many entrepreneurs overlook.  This one included.  The importance of protecting your assets, your business and your family.  As entrepreneurs we are so wrapped up in the day to day business activities that we often overlook those things that are important.

• What are you going to do later in your life?
• What is your succession planning?
• What happens if you become sick?
• What happens if you die?

Some soul searching questions and Phil will have some answers on where you can turn.

Cost to attend is only $5.00 and you can register at our Calgary Entrepreneur Networking Group site.

Event Date: Thursday April 9, 2009
Time: 18:30 to 20:30
Cost – $5.00
Location – Calgary Coast Plaza Hotel, Horizon’s Restaurant in the big room

I first met Stuart Crawford several years ago at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.  Like many networking events that I attend, we exchanged business cards and continued to meet others that day.  I didn’t think anything more of this meeting.  Boy, did I not see the freight train of a relationship that was coming my way.

Lost in LIMBO

At that time, Stuart was with a Microsoft computer support firm that was making some great strides forward in helping smaller businesses to avoid being lost in LIMBO (Lost in Microsoft’s Big Organization).  Stuart has a very unique passion that many IT guy’s simply do not have or if they do, don’t demonstrate it in the community.  This guys is passionate about serving the Calgary business community.

New Kids on the Block?

In the past few years, my friend has evolved and most recently joined up with 3 other wonderful leaders in the Alberta technology community to form Bulletproof InfoTech.  Bulletproof is much more than the typical computer repair or network services company, they understand how business works.

Bulletproof Info Tech is the new kid on the block. Not to be confused with “young and inexperienced”, this is a company formed by two major stable networking companies and a team of professionals who have brought together their strengths to make something that truly is bullet proof!

Does it Take Technicians or Business People to Make IT Happen?

The model that I have observed Stuart, Rene Sloos, Jeff Anderson and Sean Tindall provide to business in Calgary and Red Deer wraps technology with a very deep understanding of business.  Want to know more about Web 2.0?  Need to figure out what small business telephone system you need?  How about just getting your in-house mail server to work?  Bulletproof  has so far demonstrated professionalism, caring for business in Calgary and Red Deer and a deep understanding of how technology works. That is how technology works in alignment with your business needs.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

I felt that Stuart’s friendship over the years, his commitment to business in Calgary and now Red Deer, and my new friendship with Rene, Jeff and Sean have warranted a post about them. It’s hard not to enjoy working with peers who all get excited about the evolution that technology and the internet have had on our lives.

Computer Support companies in Calgary are abundant. There are a lot of very talented and knowledgeable people in this industry.  If you need a solution that works, a company who cares and a group of guys you can have a business conversation with then Bulletproof InfoTech must be your trusted business partner.

When it comes to managing your information technology infrastructure, one size does not fit all… Vist the Bulletproof website here.

Tell me your thoughts on this… I would love to see your comment added below.

On another note, where do you network for your business? Visit the Calgary Entrepreneur site today.

Cheers -
David A. West

10 years ago it was a tough sell to convince a small business that they should get a website. Today, most business owners and entrepreneurs turn to online marketing, and a website is usually first on the list.

There is more to online marketing today than just your business website. Are you missing the boat?

Read the recent post at my article on Web 2.0 & Missing the Boat here where we write about Calgary website design, marketing and other business related topics.

Web 2.0 & Missing the Boat

eKzact is sponsoring a new Calgary networking opportunity for Entrepreneurs who are blogging for business. This is not just another “bloggers” group…  Our focus is very much on business.

Who is this Calgary networking opportunity for?

If you are a Calgary business blogger or if you think you would like to better understand the power of blogging, then this group is for you.

Blogging for Business is a powerful way to generate valid traffic to your marketing efforts. By brining together a large group of Calgary bloggers we plan to work together by sharing ideas and by blogging about common topics. Furthermore, by blogging about each other we and help our members to leverage the power and ease of cross-optimization for each others blogs and marketing efforts.

Come and share writing ideas, tips and tricks. Build relationships and start cross-optimization of your blogs and business websites by writing about common topics!

This meetup is being co-hosted by me, David West a Calgary website design company owner and Stuart Crawford of Bulletproof Info Tech, a Calgary IT computer support company.

All people who Blog around a “business topic” or are interested in becoming a “Business Blogger” are welcome!

To learn more and join this group – click here and start blogging today!

We presented the first Blogging for Business seminar in Calgary on February 19^th and received excellent feedback from the attendees. In fact one of the participants was so pleased by the value and quality of the training that she insisted on sponsoring another session for her networking group.

So, on March 19^th, 2009, we are re-running our Blogging for Business seminar and are proud be be presented by Ronda Bertram and Carman LeFrance, both Publishers of WOMANITION in Alberta.

Here is what Ronda Bertram wrote;

“Do you know what google alerts, keywords and adwords are? I attended Dave’s course on February 18, 2009. It was hands down the best business course I have attended on the most up-to-date information available about blogging. This one course alone can increase your business ten fold if you follow the easy steps that Dave gives you to create your own blogs, and how to cross market yourself on the internet, search engine optimization for the lay person and how to increase your ranking on google….”

If you are not blogging for business, you really should consider joining me and the group from Womanition on March 19^th at 10:30 am.

To learn more about me and the seminar, please visit the “Blogging for Business” seminar page.

Apparently with no skin in the game, ie: no paid membership fee and no paid executive, the Calgary Entrepreneur Meetup is doomed to fail. Free membership in a Calgary networking group is a route to disaster.

Does voluntary leadership really mean that there is no skin in the game.

Take a closer look at why we do it.

Why do business owners network? Why do they volunteer to co-ordinate and host networking opportunities. Why do legitimate business owners volunteer to be Presidents, VP’s and Treasurers for their weekly referral networking clubs? Quite simply, we volunteer because it helps our business. It is a way to give back to the community while expanding our social networks beyond the world of “not so personal” Tweets and “Friend lists” in our virtual worlds.

The choices and decisions made around when and where a business networks is totally open to a huge number of factors. If you are a new business owner looking for leads, then you join a networking referral club. If you are a more established business looking to build relationships, then a larger monthly forum may be a better match. It may be a matter of time, or no time. Perhaps you are available at lunch time, or only in the evening. In anycase, relationships are built (and in some cases un-built).  Who and where you choose to dine, or network with, is not a slight against the other opportunies to network in Calgary - it really is just a personal choice. At the end of the day though, no matter how you shake it up – meeting good people is good for business.

Back to the question that started this little article… do volunteer run networking groups fail to deliver?

NO. In fact, participating in the Calgary Entrepreneur Meetup (established in Nov. 2002)  is very rewarding. Just over 6 years of open networking as a volunteer run club – I’d say there is no pending disaster.  Just good old fashioned hand shaking.

Where do you network for your business? Visit the Calgary Entrepreneur site today.

Tell me your thoughts on this… I would love to see your (your constructive) comment added below.

Cheers -
David A. West