Day 1: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009

I. Who We Are:

II. Why Are We Here

:

• We want to do more than learn. We want to act. To do. This "workshop" will be casual, collaborative, and definitely hands on.
• Like "Web 2.0," we don't want to lecture, we don't want to be one-to-many. We want a conversation.  So we ask you to ask questions, offer your own answers, and even disagree with us.
• We want to help you understand the tools that are out there to help you create, maintain, and grow your online presence.
• But we also want you to use them, right here, and become comfortable with them so you leave us as an active "netizen," a bonafide citizen of the web.
• We want to help you not only get your message out, but to hear the messages you need to hear to grow your business.  We want you to see the Internet as more than a soapbox and a bullhorn, but a conference room, a living room, a lobby.
• Most conventional strategies for marketing and business development are complex and expensive.  We want to prove that the Internet gives you most of what you need, for almost no cost.
• In short, by the time we're done, you and your business or organization are going to be online, active, and interactive.  You'll be blogging, Twittering, making media and connecting with people on social networks.

III. The Way Things Were

:

• We all know the Internet has revolutionized everything. But let's take a moment to examine, at a fundamental level, how much things have changed.
• Mainstream media, one to many, gatekeepers, moderators. Centralized information, credible information, but limited space, limited access.
• As a business, just ten years ago, how would you get word out about your company? About a sale, or a new product or service?
• Shotgun Approach: One or two venues, great cost, great reach. A $10,000 full page ad to reach 500,000 people. Or TV. Or radio.

IV. The New World Order

• Many to many, unmoderated, often unverified. Unlimited space, unlimited reach.
• Long Tail: Smaller audience size, but more focused. More relevant. A better approach?
• "On the internet, nobody knows if you're a dog."
• You can spend thousands, millions to market online. But you don't have to.
• Most of the tools we'll cover are free.

V. The Online Office

• Before we get to "Web 2.0," let's start with "Business 1.5." Tools you may already use, but that you should be aware of, that can help you do what you're already doing better, faster, and from anywhere.
• E-Mail: Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail
• Document Sharing & Collaboration: Google Apps/Docs, Zoho
• Wikis

VI. Social Networks

• MySpace
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Specialized networks.
• "Social Features" on other websites.

VII. Blogging

• Overview of blogging. In the beginning... how many blogs today?
• Who blogs? Mainstream examples.
• Blogs as sources: Google Blog Search.
• Blogging as a business.
• Case Studies: Blogging successes and train wrecks.
• Blog Tools: Blogger, WordPress, TypePad
• Let's start a blog (WordPress). Setup. Settings. Templates. Linkrolls.  Plugins.
• How should you blog (choosing a "voice")?
• What should you blog? Adding photos.
• How often should you blog?
• How to grow your readership?

VIII. Homework

• Post three blog posts. Extra credit for images!
• Find three other blogs about your own business area or passion. Extra credit for posting a comment!

Day 2: Saturday, February 28, 2009

• Microblogging (Twitter)
• Photos (Flickr)
• Videos (YouTube)
• Communities (Ning)
• Social Bookmarking (Delicious, Digg)
• Domain Names/Webhosting