Internet Learning Curve for Business 101

Change or die? Old dogs can't learn new tricks? Fear of the unknown?

How many people have never seen, used, or even heard of the internet... I have no statistics here. All I know is that if my Mom ever bought herself a laptop, she would junk her remote and browse QVC's website all day and night long. As it is, the UPS driver already knows her address by heart.

But if you're in any kind of business and still fumbling with getting information... how to improve your website, gain traffic, acquire basic geek skills, or just learn anything, pretty much, I bet you can find all of that in whatever skill level and language you will understand. Heck, you can even take online classes at M.I.T. if you want. FOR FREE!! (No, you don't earn a degree. But the courses are the same as if you enrolled. For some of us who value knowledge over mere paper, that's freaking awesome. Thanks, M.I.T!!)

I did a three-part blog post recently about the internet being a "series of tubes" - you know, the joke that's actually true, wink, wink?? So this time, I'm going to rattle off some cool stuff for beginners. The thing with the internet is that once you start looking and finding answers, you can't help increasing your knowledge. First, you will find answers, challenging as it may be to discriminate facts if you're a casual user (or gullible). But one must acclimate oneself. Think of it as hazing for a college fraternity, haha. Then, once you figure out the difference between snake-oil and useful information, you will develop a keen method of tracking down specific information through blogs, forums, and specific communities related to what you do.

I personally feel that this routine is as important (more so) than plain networking on Facebook or whatever. If you only pay attention to output (yackity-yacking online) but seldom find input (investigating how people actually DO THINGS in your industry) then "joining the conversation" will be nothing more than being in a high school clique. If that impresses you, go for it.

I'm not knocking socializing with inter- and intra- corporate collegues, your co-alumini, and connections surrounding your field. Heavens no... But if you can't bring fresh stuff to the table or understand the lingo of your peers, you ain't adding much to the conversation.

Okay, Blogs... I have this one on my blog feeds which is pretty direct and intelligent information. You can dig through this blog to learn a little about SEO and social networking, etc, etc… Useful for brushing up on guerilla marketing.

http://www.conversationmarketing.com/

The blogger above has a particular article on Google Analytics that might help those who haven't taken advantage of that application's power to reorganize their sites. It's not just for checking how many hits a page gets. You can use the information to figure out what direction to go and make adjustments whenever necessary. Follow the links to his "cheat sheet" from this article:
http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2010/01/google-analytics-cheatsheet.htm.

What I do with blogs, simply, if I feel like following them… is add it to my blog feed, which is similar to adding favorites on your browser. This way you don’t have to deal with the person’s blog page… you just browse through their headlines and click on whatever article you might like to read.

Learn how to do stuff… Tons of sites that explain stuff!! It’s nice to have the internet. I don't care if you think the following are lame. I've been an IT guy with a couple major corporations, and I still use these:

Ehow.com
Yotube.com (for the reading challenged or time challenged)
Howcast.com (video how-to's)
Ask.com
Howtodothings.com
Howstuffworks.com

Also, search your field or industry by typing in the word "forums" along with the kind of work you do. I myself belong to several related to videography. Some forums are hosted by the manufacturers of the products I use. Those are absolutley great! Some are independent of the manufacturer. But their users/members have a huge cross-section of knowledge outside the product lines. They talk about techniques and solve problems amongst themselves which can be invaluable. Join forums like that... just stay away from the trolls. And don't be one. (Trolls are those idiots who have nothing better to do than picking fights with other members over stupid things. Or they're just interested in spamming the forum with their BS websites while never adding anything useful to the thread.)

Asking questions is always fine. Be sure to state that you're a noobie 'cos the other members will figure that out and you might get yourself embarassed. Usually, there's a noobie section in a forum. Also, you will find a section called a "sticky," which is kind of a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) thing along with general rules of engagement for using the forum. If you break the rules, you might get kicked off.

So, there ya go. Educate yourself and pass it along. Practice safe cyber-surfing. Be sure to use an anti-virus.
Have fun!!

NewVa Demo Day and Tech Expo 2009

On Friday, September 18th, the NewVA Corridor Technology Council held a Demo Day and Tech Expo at the Roanoke Civic Center. All visitors were welcome to come and join NCTC in the event, which Mary Miller, President of NCTC, aptly described as “a ‘show and tell’ for tech companies in the NewVA region.”

“Think of it as a science fair for regional innovation and cooperation,” she stated further in NCTC’s Attendee Packet.

It was exactly that! I had pre-registered on their website to be a visitor, and at the last moment requested that I bring the Star City FAME video camera. I knew it was going to be a treat. I’m so glad they said yes to me, because this video will be both educational and fun to watch. I ran across many eye-catching hi-tech wares from businesses in the area. But most special were exhibitions set up by students and their organizations. I have never felt more optimistic since attending the Tech Expo, particularly after talking to high school students and their mentors on the different projects they are working on together.

Let me give you the day’s highlights, although I’m sure I missed out on quite a few things. (I am only one guy with one camera, after all.) First, I headed over to the Welcoming Presentation, given by Mary Miller and Founding Dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Cynda Johnson. Ms Johnson spoke about the developments of the new teaching hospital, its importance to our healthcare excellence, and the positive future economic impact of having the VT-Carilion program here in Roanoke.

Afterwards, I ran off to speak with some of the day’s exhibitors. I thought I would video several people, but as it turned out, I spoke with ten different organizations about their products, services, and most importantly, about their innovations.

What turned out most impressive at the Expo were the student-oriented tables. By this I mean not only college students, but high school and younger. I was pleased to see Junior Achievement represented at the event, and I had spoken at length with its President, Katherin Elam, about the organization that I remember very well having a presence in my high school over thirty years ago. Also, I had spoken with several reps and high school students from the US First organization, which mentors and coaches children, and has several age group competitions in science and technology, such as robotics. Lastly I encountered Virginia Western Community College, whose representative and Administrative Officer, Leah Coffman, spoke to me on projects they sponsor for youngsters in teaching technical skills.

Of course, there were the fun things for motor heads like me. I interviewed two Virginia Tech SAE teams (Baja and Formula) who are part of the Mechanical Engineering program at VT. They brought their vehicles with them to show and describe to visitors. (I think I could have asked to get in one of them, but I’m afraid I would not have been able to climb out very easily at my age.)

I also spoke with businesses and local organizations on camera, so there will be a nice blend of professional-level and up-and-coming young new technology stars to look forward to in near future. It was a pleasure meeting them all. I know you will enjoy seeing and learning more about them too when I post the video interviews.

I hope to present the video on the Star City FAME YouTube Channel as soon as I coordinate final edits with NCTC’s cooperation. (Maybe it’ll even make it on their website!) So look out for that. The Roanoke region and the New River Valley are our great hotspots for technology bringing us a host of bright, talented minds.

If you stopped by the NTCT Demo Day and Tech Expo, let me know what you thought about it. I welcome your comments.

See you around Downtown!!