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Chris Brogan, Social Media's Real Deal

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:39:07 -0700

Chris Brogan, (Reader-Proclaimed) King of Social Media

Chris Brogan is a ten year veteran of using social media and both web and mobile technologies to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals. Chris speaks, blogs, writes articles, and makes media of all kinds at chrisbrogan.com, a blog in the top 10 of the Advertising Age Power150, and in the top 100 on Technorati. He is co-author of the recently published, New York Times best-selling book Trust Agents .

Chris is the President of New Marketing Labs, a new media marketing agency, and home of the Inbound Marketing Summit conferences and Inbound Marketing Bootcamp educational events. He works with large and mid-sized companies to improve online business communications like marketing and PR through the use of social software, community platforms, and other emerging web and mobile technologies.

He is also one of the nicest, most generous and approachable guys around.

Using FriendFeed in your Social Media Strategy&|&Geek Girl Camp

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:47:38 -0700

Some people swear by Twitter; that it is the only place for them when using social media to interact with others.

Still others will only use Facebook or LinkedIn for interacting and connecting.

And quite a few more folks are proponents of their blogs, RSS feeds, Flickr, social bookmarks and many other social networking sites.

But how about using a service that aggregates all of these in real-time in one easy-to-use stream that provides a more comprehensive interaction with your followers and community? And provide a lot more content and search capability?

This is what FriendFeed does.

FriendFeed is what we call a "real-time feed aggregator", meaning it consolidates all your updates from all your social media accounts and displays them in one stream. These include all social networking websites (Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn), social bookmarking websites (StumbleUpon, Delicious,) video (YouTube, Vimeo, 12 seconds) blogs (Tumblr, Blogger), micro-blogging/status sites (Twitter, Plurk, BrightKite), news sites (Digg, Reddit, Google Reader) as well as RSS feeds.

From there you can share your feeds with others, and each feed can generate discussions and commenting with your friends.

The best attributes of FriendFeed are that there is one place to suck in all your sites you are connected on, and in one stream, people can see all these updates from your recent Twitter updates, to new pictures posted on Flickr to your most current YouTube video you mark as a favorite.

How to make frosty paws...&|&Geek Girl Camp

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:17:21 -0700

From the page: "How to make frosty paws"

Okay, I realize this is a tech blog and this appears to be a non-tech post, but since just as many people know me as as the Frosty Paws Lady as they know me as the Geek Girl and since both these audiences are combined in some circumstances, I am combining these two.

I always get asked for the recipe usually right after I am asked what Twitter client I use or what smartphone is the best (iPhone, btw ;-0). I figured I would just get this recipe out of the way �" in a form of a blog post so everyone can make frosty paws for their favorite canine or pet of choice.

I made the recipe both text-based and visually (Oooh-Ah) by using digital photography from iPhoto and typing on my iMac and using Preview to resize. See, so this is a technical post. Sort of.

Make this and make this often - your dogs will LOVE you for it!
"

Hot Site - Geek Girl Camp | Design by Firgs

Wed, 27 May 2009 07:15:52 -0700

From the page: "This week's Hot Site is more of a Hot Idea. At least, it's one I can really get behind. Geek Girl Camp is an organization that is driven toward the idea of making women more comfortable with technology. Now I know that the fellow female geeks I run with aren't going to let a few programs intimidate them. But through all of my years of teaching one thing always seemed to set my female students apart from my male students, and that was fear. For some reason the running thought the women had was that because a computer was a machine, they were somehow going to break it. This thought, however, never crossed the minds of the men. So while the men would move quickly through the lessons, the women would often need encouragement to get started.

Geek Girl's mission is to break apart these all too common fears and bring about a sense of being "Tech-Empowered" in women of all ages. They are the encouragement that all of my female students needed.

Quote Geek Girl: "We wanted something for the "average wannabe geek girl". In an environment where no one ever has to feel silly about asking the wrong question and getting laughed at... Nope. This is for the average gal, the beginner, the intermediate and even the advanced who wants to be involved. It's for paying it forward, helping out, having fun and feeling empowered."

They also realize that there is strength in numbers. Women like to know they are not alone, so being in a room filled with others who are going through the same thing you are brings about a sense of comfort. That's why you will find that the Geek Girl Camps are group events. Classes on computer programs, information sharing, social networking, and systems management go on throughout their events. But, because it is a gathering of like-minds, the fear fades, the education begins, and by the time it's over you find yourself with a network of friends who understand you.

Geek Girl Camp is a wonderful concept and I applaud the lovely ladies behind it. So click the pic and see about attending an event in your area. And to tech savvy women everywhere I say - YOU GO GIRL!" :D

8 Tips To Help Companies Avoid Image Fiascoes On Twitter - Share YOUR tips! | Blog of Mr. Tweet

Mon, 18 May 2009 15:25:25 -0700

8 Tips To Help Companies Avoid Image Fiascoes On Twitter - Share YOUR tips!

This is a guest posting by Leslie Fishlock (@Genevangelist). Leslie is an Internet Marketing Evangelist and Marketing Diva. She's also the Co-Founder of Geek Girl Camp, providing technology unconferences for women across the US.

The other day on Twitter, I was following a friend who tweeted about a new contest service a web applications company made for a well known hotel chain. Because my day job involves running a web applications company that creates successful web apps based on the Twitter API, I was intrigued on how the service would work as well as supporting other developers. So, I signed up. As was the protocol the contest company agreed to when I signed up, no more than 1 retweet would be made.

Needless to say, they screwed up big time. Because of the programmers not testing the application well enough before unleashing it, the application, unbeknown to me, retweeted and subsequently spammed my Twitter account to the point when others complained. The only thing I could do was change my password on my Twitter account to stop the service. Not only had a I trusted these programmers, I also trusted the large well-branded hotel chain with my information.

What happened next? Well, let's just say the programmers took little or no responsibility (tsk tsk) but the large well-branded hotel chain did. They contacted me personally after I made it quite clear to stop spamming me. Was it effective? It was effective to me because the person managing the Twitter account got a hold of me immediately and apologized profusely. They also explained the problem as best they could and offered solutions. I also believed this person and knew her to be genuine. It wasn't about her company telling her to do so. You can tell in her emails she was born with the innate ability to do the right thing genuinely.

Pink Heels&8482;: Spotlight On: Leslie Fishlock

Mon, 18 May 2009 09:26:46 -0700

Spotlight On: Leslie Fishlock
Name of Business: Geek Girl / Geek Girl Camp
Type of Business: Computer technology education and empowerment for girls/women of all ages. With fun!
Web Site: http://www.geekgirlcamp.com
Email: leslie@geekgirlcamp.com
Twitter: @GeekGirlCamp

Tell us more about your woman-owned business.

Geek Girl and Geek Girl Camps are all about computer technology education and empowerment for girls/women of all ages, all skill levels, and all income levels. We hold tech boot camp "unconferences" on everything from Photoshop, PC, Mac, Social Media, QuickBooks, Websites, blogging, video, Twitter and so much more. We also conduct our own in-house training for companies and organizations as well as present at events. These are truly for the women "left behind" by computer technology, those who are out of the loop and a lot who just do not have the opportunity and want to learn. We also empower women speakers buy having them teach the classes or present.

Why did you decide to start this type of business?

I started Geek Girl Camp a year ago as a result of being very frustrated that there were so many women who were "left behind" by computer technology. While there were many opportunities for those with advanced computer skills to expand their knowledge, there was a huge void for the beginners. So I decided that I wanted to be able to offer basic computer skills.

What makes your business unique?

There are plenty of computer technology conferences out there for more advanced people but none for "beginners". We also want to help the lowest common denominator and keep it at a price point that everyone can afford.

We chose to develop these programs specifically for women as we felt that it was important to provide a nurturing environment that encouraged participants to speak up and ask questions.

Cape Business Publishing: Q&A with Leslie Fishlock

Mon, 04 May 2009 08:16:09 -0700

From the page: "Q&A with Leslie Fishlock
by Leslie Fishlock

What is Geek Girl Camp?
Geek Girl Camp is on a mission to educate every woman on technology and learn not to be afraid of it! We do this through a series of events, Web presence, and recently, full-day Tech Boot Camps on the South Shore and Cape Cod. The Boot Camps are technology �oeunconferences” for women of all ages and knowledge levels where they can go and immerse themselves in workshops on computers, the Internet, marketing, consumer electronics, hardware, software, social media, Photoshop, blogging, podcasting, digital photography, video and more. It�s a taste of the technology world, providing attendees an idea of what�s out there, what�s hot and what they need to know, and get them excited to take the initiative to do it.

Why did you create it?
I was getting frustrated that so many women were not as Web and computer savvy as they should be, especially in a world right now where if you are not online, you are soon out of business. I soon realized there was nothing out there that could help women become more aware of all these things, so a year ago I held the first Geek Girl Camp �" a 3-hour event with 6 workshops that attracted more than 120 women and sold out in 3 weeks. It was a huge success and we had our �oeaha” moment.

How do you market the events?
This was a real learning curve. Because I am �oein the business” with my web company, we went full out with viral videos, blogging, Web, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, online event sites, you name it. We had social media covered. However, we needed a low-tech and even no-tech approach as well, because that is where some of the audience was. We reverted back to oldfashioned networking. We attended luncheons, drove around from Provincetown to Boston to put flyers up, and passed out postcards to everyone. It was interesting, in the end we got an article in the Boston Globe due to our social media contacts, and we got a Channel 5 television interview through Facebook contacts. We used a little bit of both worlds, which shows that tenacity and hard work, whether in new or old media, does pay off.

What�s the No. 1 takeaway you want attendees to have?
Do not be afraid of technology! Embrace it, learn it, buy it, play with it. Never stop learning. Keep attending events, presentations, workshops, etc. Don�t take everything as gospel, listen to the source and see what fits for you. Take what you need and leave the rest. Even people at the top of their fields in tech still learn new things everyday. It�s definitely a never-ending journey, because technology changes every day.

What�s your current tech obsession?
For the Internet, I have been a Twitter freak for almost two years. That is definitely the hottest Web application, and there are great Twitter derivatives such as StockTwits.com, which is a real-time community for investors and traders. Everyone should seriously consider getting a Twitter account. For hardware, Mac is always hot and is definitely gaining more market share with great new MacBook Pros and iMacs �" and I�m never without my iPhone. I�m also addicted to StumbleUpon, and cannot live without my Dropbox, Basecamp, Skype and IM every day for work. �-�"

Workshops help women get in touch with their inner geek - The Boston Globe

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:06:17 -0700

Eyes glued to her iPhone, Leslie Fishlock at first doesn't notice a visitor approaching her at the Panera Bread in Hanover.

"Sorry, I was too busy following the Dalai Lama on Twitter," says Fishlock, who immediately shifts to the thought: "I wonder if Johnny Depp is on Twitter?"

While Fishlock, the chief executive officer of the Cataumet-based web-development firm Genevate Corp., easily traverses the World Wide Web, she knows many women have barely entered the digital age. So for the past two years, she and several other self-described "geek girls" have been trying to bring more women aboard.

"The frustration was mostly based on a fear of technology, always waiting for someone else to do something for them, or paying someone to do it, or just not doing it," Fishlock says.

To help remedy the problem, Fishlock created the Geek Girl Boot Camp, which tries to provide the skills that busy, multitasking women are demanding in order to keep up with their kids. The camp was launched last year with a three-hour event in Hyannis that attracted 120 women and sold out in three weeks.

"With the help of some of my techie girlfriends, we made technology available on a level most women had never been exposed to previously," Fishlock recalls. "It was a huge success, and we had our 'Aha!' moment."

She adds, "There are many conferences marketing to people, but none that are geared for beginners."

Last month, Fishlock organized two all--day Geek Girl Boot Camps in Hyannis and Randolph, both based on the concept of women supporting other women. Volunteer speakers, female-led companies, and foundations came together with the shared dream of empowering women through education.

Happy Birthday, Ada Lovelace!&|&Geek Girl Camp

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:41:20 -0700

Today is the birthday of Ada Lovelace, widely recognized as one of the first computer programmers. Her claim to fame was that she wrote programs for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, along with the very first description of a computer and software. Why is this of major importance? She was born in 1815, surely a time when women were not even considered to be a major force in science and technology. And in so far as successful women programmers or even women in tech, there are no Ada Lovelaces around in 2009 either.

Women in IT are a rarity in most cases; but instead of complaining about it, let's be all intelligent women and think of ideas on how to pop the bubble of ignorance and how we can change the future of women in IT.

What we try to do with Geek Girl Camp is not just throw fun boot camps and events; we have an underlying commitment to education, scholarships for women and never leaving ANY woman behind who wants to learn more about technology. Some of the components of what we do (mostly anonymously) are here as follows:

1.) Though we are a volunteer organization, we provided quite a few women to go to the Boot Camps who were unemployed, in transition, and out of work.
2.) We work with local women's groups whose main objective is to provide scholarships for women; mostly for women going back to school or who need computer training if they are unemployed.
3.) We work with the local schools, and tech schools, on advisory committees and through the guidance counselors to identify girls who want to have a career in IT; such as programming, design, computer networking, etc., and offer them scholarships to Geek Girl events and assistance.
4.) We raise money for scholarships for women and hope to keep making this a priority in our mission.
5.) We give back, pay it forward, pass on the legacy of knowledge, support, assist and mentor any woman who needs assistance, but they have to want it.

The people behind Geek Girl Camp are all professionals in one form of technology or another. As the founder, I own my own programming and web application company. Janel is a designer. Reiko's company produces video for clients. Paula and Sue are web developers. And so it goes. We are all "in the biz" so of course it is no surprise to any of us that getting others into the biz is our mission.

Unlike an inordinate amount of snooty Internet celubutards, Geek Girl Camp is comprised of real, compassionate people. We answer your emails, follow you on Twitter, connect with you on LinkedIn and friend you on Facebook. We are real. And we want to help.

And we want to make sure that every girl, woman and lady, has the option to be a part of this great social experiment and learn more about technology. And succeed.
So please pass on the concept of Geek Girl Camp to other women you know and let us all work together to see more women in tech succeed, whether it is your daughter, your sister, your mother, your aunt or your grandmother.

Are we succeeding? You bet. Even if our efforts are small, you need to start somewhere.

We have a long way to go, baby....but with more passionate women who want to be a part of the future of women in tech, we will succeed.

Find out more about Ada Lovelace Day.

Your comments are very welcome here, and in leaving a comment, mention a woman in tech who turned you on to technology....your very own "Ada Lovelace"....

Cape Medical Supply Inc. :: The Home Healthcare Specialists Since 1977

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:57:02 -0700

Cape Medical Supply is the premiere provider of respiratory care and durable medical equipment in Southeastern MA. We continuously strive to offer our patients/clients the most complete line of products and services, in addition to providing assistance and support to our referral sources to help ease their concern for their patients' welfare.

At our headquarters we have over 10,000 square feet of warehouse space stocked with equipment to address your needs, and we maintain an extensive database of special order items which we will happily purchase for you on short notice. The specific products are too numerous to mention, but most fall into the following categories; Home Oxygen Products, Sleep Apnea Products (CPAP/Bi-PAP), Bathroom Safety Equipment, Hospital Beds, Orthopedic Goods (Splints and Braces), Mobility Aids, Seat-Lift Chairs, Aids-to-Daily-Living, Specialty Pillows, and much more. All of our products are of the highest quality and we stand by everything we sell. But more than the products, we take great pride in the people who will work with you to address your needs, it is these people, their skill, compassion, dedication and experience, that have made Cape Medical Supply the widely recognized leader in the communities we serve.

Family owned and operated since 1977, our owners and employees are very active in community affairs and we take great pride in our civic involvement.