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The Professional
Education Center in the
College of Business at
Eastern Michigan University
Presents
"Social Media's
Compelling Pull"
Thursday, August 12, 2010
8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Register at 734-487-3566 or pec@emich.edu
Learn how to:
- Measure results
- Improve customer communication
- Increase exposure
- Reach your target audience
- Strengthen company brand
- Learn from successful examples
Speakers include:
Larry Eiler, Mitch Lipon, Charlie Kondek, Nathan Bomey & Wendy Williams |
About Eiler
Eiler Communications is a public relations and marketing communications firm in Ann Arbor, MI. We specialize in new and traditional media marketing, serving established and emerging companies in the communications
technology, financial services, biotechnology and healthcare industries. |
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Michigan - The Helping Hand State.
Find out how your business can apply for recovery money!
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 Michigan's Backyard Economic Gardening
It is a well-known fact in business that it is far more cost-effective to retain existing customers than to recruit new customers. However, the state of Michigan has been
trying to recruit "new customers" for decades by showering big incentives on
companies from other states or countries to invest here. Instead, Michigan should take up
"economic gardening" in their own backyard as suggested by the Small Business
Association of Michigan (SBAM).
Economic gardening is the cultivating of existing small to
mid-size businesses and growing them into much larger organizations. The Michigan Economic
Development Corporation has been focusing its efforts on searching for outside
investment, not helping small, local Michigan businesses grow.
It is for this reason that the SBAM is a strong advocate for
economic gardening. At SBAM's
recent annual meeting, the group educated its members and the candidates
running for governor on the reasons why the state should be pursuing this
strategy. They shared the success
stories of the various pilot programs they are running with 24 companies across
the state. SBAM plans to follow up
with a white paper and a plan for fully implementing economic gardening by
September.
Between the years 1995 to 2007, almost all of Michigan's new
jobs came from small firms with less than 100 employees. While at the same time, employment at
companies with 500 or more employees declined by 15%, or 230,000 jobs.
According to these results from the Edward Lowe Foundation and SBAM, it
makes far more sense for Michigan to expand from within by focusing on the
small, homegrown businesses.
Emily Rozanski
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Seeking Help for Military Benefit
Operation Never Forgotten, a nonprofit organization, is seeking assistance as they prepare for "Operation Sports, Afield & Stream" (Operation SAS). Operation SAS introduces military men and women
recovering from visible or invisible wounds to participate in Montana adventures, free of cost.
Big Sky Resort in Bozeman, Montana has graciously donated its location for the event, which kicks off January 7, 2011 with a reception, auction and speakers. The warrior guests will then spend the next three days with
professionals learning new skills. Opportunities will be available for warriors
of all abilities. Events include mountain/ice climbing, kite-skiing,
snowboarding, archery, simulated golf, kayaking, paragliding, sporting clays,
horseback riding, mountain biking and fly-fishing. Prolite Gear and High
Caliber Gear is kindly contributing gear for many of these activities.
Needless to say, in order for Operation SAS to be special
for our military men and women, time money and in-kind donations are necessary.
Operation Never Forgotten is looking for celebrities and politicians to
volunteer their time to participate. In-kind donations of
food, gear, flight arrangements and prizes are also needed. Anyone
interested in helping should contact Linda Kelly at 406-581-8358.
Jaclyn Klein
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Zynga And Google Social Media - The Next Big Thing?
If you are like me, there is a good chance you have never heard of Zynga. Well get used to the name, because it will be all over soon enough. Think Facebook Farmville. All of a sudden, "everyone" was talking about their "farm." Zynga is the creator of Farmville and has their own website full of games. Soon enough, your children, co-workers or even yourself will be spending hours playing games on this website.
Founded in 2007, Zynga Game Nework is the hottest start-up emerging from Silicon Valley since Twitter and Facebook, and look at their popularity. Zynga has reached 100 million users in a little more than half the time it took Facebook to reach the same number. Although the games are free to play, additional game options are available at small costs. User purchases have built Zynga into a multi-billion dollar company that Google now has a stake in.
In fact, Google is in talks with top website game developers, including Zynga to have their games be included on Google's new service. These games would be part of the Google's developing social networking site that would rival Facebook.
A successful Google social network would definitely quiet the claims that Facebook is hurting Google. Technology experts and venture capitalists have claimed Google's popularity has decreased as Facebook uses turn to their friends, also on the site, to discover content and products.
For those of you looking for the next big thing, look no farther, Zynga has arrived and Google social media could be next.
Jaclyn Klein
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