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Small Business Saturday is November 26

David — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:31:08 +0000

Small Business Saturday was launched last year to help small businesses get a leg up during the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Held the day after Black Friday, the program was created by American Express to raise awareness of the important role small business plays in our economy.

This year Facebook, Google, Twitter and and a long list of others are joining in to provide a free toolkit to help businesses get started. Visit the Facebook Page and you’ll find free in-store signage, website graphics, email templates and even free ads from Facebook. On November 1st, FedEx will be giving away $1 million in $25 Shop Small American Express gift cards and American Express card members incentives can receive a $25 statement credit when they register their card and spend $25 or more on Small Business Saturday at a qualifying small business that accepts American Express.

Click here to visit the Facebook Page and get your toolkit. Get started today. Thanksgiving will be here before you know it.

Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive

David — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:28:33 +0000

I was on my way back from a meeting and got stopped in traffic waiting for a train. A guy from Smoketown USA was walking around handing out menus to everyone waiting. They’re just around the corner from the intersection at the railroad tracks so I’m guessing that whenever traffic is stopped for the train, he grabs a stack of menus and heads out.

Pretty clever, if you ask me. I’ve been wanting to try them, but haven’t made it over there yet. You can bet I’ll remember them now.

Marketing doesn’t always have to be expensive, but it should always be smart.

Where’s your favorite place to hang out?

David — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:36:17 +0000

Currently, it’s Highland Coffee.

Ask me anything

Wishery manages your email lists in Gmail

David — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:16:53 +0000

Just discovered this cool Google Apps add-on today. It’s called Wishery and it allows to manage subscriptions in Gmail for services like MailChimp or Constant Contact and others. Check out the video.

This is not me

David — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 01:30:46 +0000

Untitled by the Other David Sharpe

There is an exhibit at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft by some guy calling himself “David Sharpe.” This is not me. He is an impostor. Here’s an excerpt from the museum website.

The imagination of Kentucky native David Sharpe’s palette of landscapes and figurative forms knows no boundary lines. His intuitive senses are uncanny, as if he were working purely from an instinctive, compulsive-obsessive tradition. Yet Sharpe remains in control throughout utilizing a display of dynamic interaction with ideas and subjects, all drawn from daily experiences while also addressing the traditions of painting both academic and outsider.

For more information about the “Other David Sharpe” visit KMAC’s website.

New portfolio items added

David — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:05:34 +0000

I added several items to my portfolio this weekend. Take a look and let me know what you think.

I don’t know about you, but time flies by and forget how much work I’ve actually completed until I start adding items to the portfolio.

It’s good to be busy!

Visit my portfolio

Have you cried during a movie?

David — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:27:28 +0000

Maybe I have, but I’m not saying which movie.

Ask me anything

Facebook Profiles are now live

David — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:34:31 +0000

Introducing the New Profile http://fb.me/HMe0RpcD

December 5, 2010 3:42 pm via Facebook ReplyRetweetFavorite

@facebook

Facebook

Only a few hours before Mark Zuckerberg appears on 60 Minutes, Facebook rolled out their new Profile page. Follow the link to info page to get started.

At first glance, it seems much easier to segment relationships into family, friends, etc. and find common interests among your friends.

As with most changes at Facebook, I’m sure there will be a flap about privacy. Do yourself a favor and read the Help Page for the new Profile. It’s a good idea to review your privacy settings periodically anyway. I’m guilty of installing apps and allowing sites to publish to my my page without giving a second thought to the kind of access they’re allowed.

QR code use seems to be picking up

David — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:00:17 +0000

I noticed in the Target catalog I received on Black Friday that QR codes were featured prominently. The code for the fashion spread gives you a video of Nina Garcia choosing outfits for Gabby, a newcomer to New York. The presentation all very clever and smart—just what you’d expect from Target.

MailChimp, my e-mail newsletter delivery service of choice, announced a new iPhone called Pyow! The app lets store owners send QR code coupons to customers and when the customer redeems the coupon, you can scan the code to track redemption, etc. Brilliant. Here’s the full blog post that explains in detail how the app works.

Google Places has been providing users of the service with QR codes that link to their Places page and bit.ly, the popular url shortening service, provides a QR code with every link.

It’s been a slow process, but QR codes finally seem to be getting some attention here in the U.S. They’ve been popular in Europe and Asia for some time now. There’s even a building in Japan with a QR code for a façade. It’s an amazing use of the technology.

Defriend businesses on Facebook

David — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:34:40 +0000

Last night I attended a Seed 2020 networking event and the presentation part was about social media tools like Twitter and Facebook. A very good question about privacy and Facebook Pages came up. Some expressed concern about becoming fans of businesses on Facebook, fearing too much profile information would be revealed. It’s actually the exact opposite.

I assume Facebook created Pages to address security concerns. Before Pages, the only options available to businesses that wanted a presence on Facebook were groups and individual profiles. If you befriend a business that is using a personal profile, depending on your privacy settings, anyone that’s a friend of that business will have access to everything in your profile.

With Pages, that’s not the case. If you view a profile of a mutual Page fan, what you see is only the information they’ve made available to non-friends. So you and a complete stranger can both be fans of a Page, but neither of you can to see any more than what your privacy settings allow.

Now would be a good time to review Facebook’s privacy information. Go through the privacy settings on your own profile and make adjustments according to your own comfort level. Then you should go through your list of friends and defriend all the businesses that are in the list. If it’s a business that you really want to stay engaged with, send them a note explaining why you’re defriending and ask that they create a Page or Group. Most businesses are moving towards this, but there are still a few lagging behind.

When to Defriend and Defollow (business.ezinemark.com)
The Tricky Art Of Defriending On Facebook [Facebooked] (jezebel.com)
Does “defriending” mean that your relationship is over? [Cultural Studies] (io9.com)