Advancing the understanding and utilization of technology in Sonoma Valley.

March 2009 Blog Posts (20)

How do you stand out in a sea of sameness?

I was talking with a friend of mine yesterday, who happens to be a brilliant speaker and trainer (Debbie Maier). We were talking about how companies can stand out in a sea of sameness.

Location, service, personality, product(s): all are ways to stand out and differentiate your company. However, before you try to differentiate yourself, don't you need to know how you are perceived by… Continue

Added by Margie Tosch on March 27, 2009 at 8:36am — No Comments

In the Future, there will be no secrets, part 1a

Getting a little closer every day.

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-281560.html

Added by Blaine Transue on March 26, 2009 at 9:24am — 3 Comments

What is ALL Mine?

Origin

My idea for the ALL MINE Intelligent Animal Feeding Apparatus is the result of years of fighting and regularly losing the battle to keep my dog from eating my cat’s food. As anyone with both cats and dogs can attest, dogs possess an inherent desire to eat cat food whenever it’s available, and sometimes, even vice versa. Cat food is in essence, addictive to dogs. And since my dog is already on the “big boned” side, the last thing he needs are the extra calories found in… Continue

Added by Jennifer Clarke on March 22, 2009 at 2:59pm — No Comments

Shop Sonoma

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth at Shop Sonoma! We had a great time, and it was nice to see so many familiar faces. We made some new contacts and saw many of our customers. A big thanks to the Chamber for putting this event on!

Added by Blaine Transue on March 20, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

Tech Board Member for La Luz needed

As you probably know, La Luz supports the Latino immigrant community here in Sonoma Valley. I serve on the advisory board and I'm impressed with how much they are able to accomplish on a limited budget.

This request was originated by Kimberly Blattner, La Luz nominating committee head for the Board, and I thought I'd list it here, given their need for a techie on the Board.

La Luz is seeking to add two dedicated and energetic board members. The nominating committee has… Continue

Added by Donna Halow on March 19, 2009 at 3:11pm — No Comments

Please take this online survey about social network use- and send the link to your friends/kids/family/coworkers

Social Network Survey

Click Here to take survey

Added by Christine Mason McCaull on March 18, 2009 at 9:16am — No Comments

Make it a Zero Waste Wednesday- sign the pledge- your small changes can make a difference

Every Wednesday, we pledge to generate ZERO WASTE- to bring our water bottles, coffee cups, etc along with us- and not to buy or use anything that can't be composted or recycled. We even try not to waste food.

We're bringing real world action to a myriad of environmental problems- climate change, energy waste and water waste, pollution- just by reducing our garbage. When we throw something out, we're also throwing away all the energy, raw… Continue

Added by Christine Mason McCaull on March 18, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

Pew Releases State of US Journalism Study/ Puts the 2 papers question into perspective

With ad rates plummeting, new media sucking up customers and technology changing the way people eat their news, the viability of the third estate is in real jeopardy. What happens to professional investigative journalism as the industry shifts? What will it mean for our society?

You can read the whole thing here.

Added by Christine Mason McCaull on March 16, 2009 at 4:36pm — No Comments

Putting your Online Life in its Rightful Place

People who are on the fence about the role of social networks in their lives, and confused about how and why to jump in, are right about one thing: we need to put the Social Web is put in its rightful place, and stop it from becoming something that controls us or is a big time sink.

So, the social web has a rightful place, and it (IMHO) comes AFTER the following:

1. After real life interactions with people you care about

2. After deep, thoughtful consideration and… Continue

Added by Christine Mason McCaull on March 15, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Social Networks 101: Presentation Attached

It was great to see all of you who attended our online marketing 101 discussion this week- focusing on social networks. Thanks for making the time. I'm attaching the powerpoint, without narration, so if you have any comments or questions, please let me know.

Online Marketing Unit 2.ppt

Here are a few additional… Continue

Added by Christine Mason McCaull on March 15, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Sonoma Valley's Newspaper War Make the News

The main article on the business page of today's Santa Rosa Press Democrat is about our community's local newspaper competition. For you PD print subscribers, check out page B6 "Head to head in Sonoma."

Do you think the PD caught on from the discussion on Wired Sonoma or Twitter? The PD raises the same question we've discussed about whether the Sonoma Valley can support two newspapers. In any case,… Continue

Added by Gina Cuclis on March 13, 2009 at 10:27am — 1 Comment

The Social Web is Changing our Minds- Literally- and our Culture

If you're a digital native- that is, generally speaking, 25 or younger- you already take this social web/social network stuff for granted. The social web can be the hard drive of humanity- recording the thoughts and actions of all. But in the process, it's forcing the acceptance of transparency, and changing how we, or at least the younger "we", think about our role in society.

There's a lot of noise about privacy and safety on the web, but we see it in a slightly different way. The… Continue

Added by Christine Mason McCaull on March 12, 2009 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Eco-Friendly Sanitizing: Greening Up Your Spring Cleaning

Green Cleaning: Why We Care

There are a lot of toxins and pollutants in the home that are designed to make it easier to care for our surroundings, and have pretty things. Unfortunately, many of these chemicals were never designed for or tested for their impact on humans over the long haul, and we've been running a collective experiment on ourselves. We're just starting to see the connection between environmental chemicals, allergies, diseases, and even genetic impact.… Continue

Added by Christine Mason McCaull on March 12, 2009 at 5:22pm — No Comments

How the Social Web Transforms Information Flow

If you had a brilliant idea in 2005, say, when social networks were just getting going, RSS (real simple syndication) was still something people were figuring out, search optimization was a puzzle- you had to depend a lot on bringing traffic to your own website, or building an email list, to make sure that idea got exposure. And that was expensive.

But things are drastically different now. An idea from this morning can get out to the world and find its natural global market… Continue

Added by Christine Mason McCaull on March 12, 2009 at 5:14pm — No Comments

In the Future, there will be no secrets.

Ok, so I've been talking about this for years now, running on, formulating often unpopular theories, dubbed a conspiracy theorist by my own son and more than 1 friend, but if you use the internet, you need to read this.

Facts that will frighten, enlighten, and ultimately help you:

* There is nothing random about the internet, it is without question one of the most logical achievements of mankind. Every bit, bite and detail initiated, transferred, received and… Continue

Added by Blaine Transue on March 12, 2009 at 1:30pm — 3 Comments

Does the Sonoma Valley Need Two Newspapers on Fridays?

I was disappointed to read in the Sonoma Sun's March 6 editorial that when it returns to one-day-a-week publishing this week, the day will be Friday. By continuing to go head-to-head with the Sonoma Index-Tribune, the Sun is not addressing a different segment of the market.

The Sun's strength had been its focus on lifestyle, community and entertainment. It used to publish on Thursdays. A good day for checking… Continue

Added by Gina Cuclis on March 10, 2009 at 1:14pm — 1 Comment

Can Two Newspapers Survive Update: Sonoma Sun Returning to One Day a Week

I heard today from a knowledgeable source that the Sonoma Sun is returning to publishing one day a week. Apparently this news was announced this morning to the Sun's staff. Whether the Sun will resume publishing on Thursdays, as it had before going to Tuesdays and Fridays, my source wasn't sure.

I think the Sun's publisher has made a very smart decision. This will better serve our community and I hope ensure the future of both Sonoma Valley newspapers. Two… Continue

Added by Gina Cuclis on March 5, 2009 at 1:53pm — No Comments

School deficit less than projected

The projected deficit for the Sonoma Valley Unified School District probably isn't going to be as big as anticipated, but over the next three years could grow to a cumulative $800,000.

Justin Frese, the district's assistant superintendent for business services, told the school board Tuesday night that the deficit this year should be about $300,000, followed by a projected $450,000 deficit in the 2009-10 fiscal year, and a projected $50,000 deficit in the 2010-11 fiscal year. The… Continue

Added by Blaine Transue on March 5, 2009 at 12:30pm — No Comments

The Online Community Business Forum

Online Community Business Forum: March 19-20, MacArthur Place / Saddles

The Online Community Business Forum is an invitation-based event bringing together business leaders who drive active online communities. Based on the industry-leading Online Community Summit, the Business Forum focuses… Continue

Added by Chip Roberson on March 4, 2009 at 7:02pm — No Comments

A Business Owner’s Web Property Rights v1.0

The following was inspired by a conversation with Larry Barnett of Epiphanet. I would like to see what other members think of this set of "rights". Please post your comments below.

A Business Owner’s Web Property Rights v1.0

As a business owner (i.e. “the owner”) you have certain rights with respect to your web properties (e.g. domain name, website design and hosting accounts). Before you enter into a relationship with a web… Continue

Added by Chip Roberson on March 1, 2009 at 4:26pm — No Comments

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