Survival In The Digital Jungle

How To Broadcast Live From Facebook

Social networking tools occasionally open up whole new areas for relationship building. Today I am really excited about Vpype Live Broadcaster, a free streaming video application, which was released in Beta last January, and will become available to all during the week of March 17,2010. 

Vpype is a social video company based in Milpitas, California. Founded in 2009, they have extensive knowledge of video technology, consumer and enterprise software development as well as broadcasting and entertainment in general.

How does Vpype work? A Facebook user needs to first add the application. Once added, it's time for the user to invite Facebook friends or use other social media sites like Twitter to let people know about it their impending broadcast. That's it! You are then ready to broadcast in the interactive environment. Broadcasts can be especially useful as video conferences. You can even add your broadcast (both live as well as past broadcasts) to your Facebook Fan Page or profile.

Yesterday I caught the following tweet about an upcoming broadcast scheduled to take place "on the Facebook Fan Page" of a Technology Speaker and the host of GettinGeeky.com.  

             I clicked the link in the tweet which took me to the Facebook Fan Page.  It looked very cool, so I immediately joined as a fan.  I saw the following post and decided to join the broadcast and voila, there she was in live video, the dynamic and very kowledgeable Gina Schreck!

She's still there, since the broadcast remains posted on her Fan Page, allowing anyone who couldn't attend the live session to view it at their leisure. The application also allows viewers to chat in real-time.  Not only were we able to chat with Gina, but could also view and chat with others attending the live session. Since attendees were from Facebook, you were able to see their profile picture and if you wanted, quickly look up their profile and learn more information about them as well.

The installation process is simple, there is nothing to download and no special equipment is needed. All you need is a computer and a connected webcam, both of which are already common fixtures in many people's homes. In fact, on Vpype's website, there is a place to click and add the application (it will take you to the Facebook application page) or you can just search for Vpype on Facebook and it will take you directly to their Fan Page.  The best part of all of this...It's FREE! Their Vpype Facebook application will show up on your profile or Fan Page in a new tab called "Shows". 

Joining the GetGeeky Fan Page and participating in the broadcast immediately allowed me to get some great advice, ask questions and, since this is always about relationship building, find other people that were very helpful and interesting in their own right.  Just like at a physical conference session, we immediately exchanged twitter id's and I even found a woman who manages a group called LinkedIn for Women, which is something I am definitely going to check out. While we were on the broadcast the product manager for Vpype Gary Klein joined us and before we knew it were were being shown live at the Social Media World Forum in London on a 65" HD Screen at the show!

Vpype was co-founded by Shoieb Yunus and Jawad Qureshi, and is also using its own application for a live screenplay pitch contest. Contestants will have up to five minutes to present their screenplays. Qureshi was the executive producer for the film "The Streets of Karachi" and will be producing another film called "Two Mothers". The screenplay contest is accepting submissions through April 15 and the winners will be announced May 3.

The company also created vGreeting in February for Valentine's Day. Users were able to create a video greeting card offering a personalized greeting. This helped users to deviate from the usual Hallmark-style greeting cards found on internet greeting card sites.

Like its competitor Ustream, which was launched in 2006, Vpype can be used to connect members of the military and their families as well as to provide a totally new communication capability for families who are spread around the globe for whatever reason. The possibilities are endless. Vpype is not set up as its own page and is meant specifically for integration with social media networks.

Social media continues to change the way people do business and an application like Vpype just extends the capabilities. Built in viral marketing tools also allow users to easily promote their broadcasts on Twitter, Facebook and even their own blogs as well. This kind of viral marketing on social networks will continue to grow brand awareness, which is a major benefit for any business.

The application also offers an embeddable video player. This means that anyone using it for social media marketing can simply place the player in their marketing materials eliminating any download requirement on the part of their customers.

In the age of the internet, especially when it comes to social media, everyone has continued concerns about security and internet abuse. Vpype maintains continual monitoring on its secure platform.

Today's connected society also is no longer bound by geography and instead relies on the internet's wide-reaching scope. People can easily create and maintain relationships with others around the globe...without ever leaving home. Vpype and services like it only add additional reality to your connection with others around the globe.

The Top 5 Tips on Why a Photographer Needs a Facebook Account

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Photographers need customers plain and simple. Getting the word out on your photography services can be made easier with the help of social media marketing, twitter, Facebook and by running online contests. Facebook is free and easy to set up. It is no longer an option if you want a Facebook fan page: if you want to be a success, you need one!

The Top 5 Tips on Why a Photographer Needs a Facebook Account

1. To spread the word. The beauty of Facebook lies in the fact that most, if not all, of your high school, college and other business and social contacts most likely have one. Reach out to these people without purely marketing to them. Subtly reminding them that photography is what you do for a living may be enough to open up new business. These old high school buddies will have need of a photographer someday, or know someone who does and the simple reminder that you are a professional, may be enough to spark a job. Request friends of friends and build a network quickly. 

2. To make new contacts. First and foremost, you will want to keep it friendly. Facebook posts and updates should not all be about getting new business or self-promoting, rather, allow your contacts to see both your work life and a glimpse at your daily life. People who feel comfortable with you as a person, will be much more likely to recommend you to their friends and family who need photography services.

3. To direct people to your blog or website. Facebook has a great function that lets people see whenever you update your blog. You could also update your status letting people know that there is a new post. This serves two functions: updating brings traffic to your blog and keeps your Facebook current. A current, active Facebook keeps people engaged with you and your name at the forefront of their minds. Link your regular blog traffic to your Facebook with a Facebook button or small screen shot and vice versa.

4. To network with other photographers. Join photography groups on Facebook. Use the search function to network with local and global groups that cater to photographers. Find a professional photo lab or discover contest ideas and successful photography marketing ideas from other professional photographers who market on Facebook.
  

5. To make a name for yourself. Having a Facebook and Facebook fan page is a great way to brand yourself. The personal photo shot you post and the information you give all add up to a particular image. If you are careful about the information you share and how you share it, the rewards will be enormous. Build your brand by customizing your Facebook fan page and displaying the best photos you have to offer. Social media marketing is a matter of strategy and if done properly can turn into viral marketing, meaning that the people you reach would never have heard of you without the use of the web.

Georgia McCabe spent 30 years as a Sr. Executive in the computer and photo industry. As a driving force in conceiving and executing breakthrough approaches to the photo printing, sharing and delivery market place, she literally “changed the rules” for a category undergoing massive technological change and re-invention. She is a certified social media strategist, and is a market and branding consultant helping businesses utilize the tools and power of social networking. For more information email Georgia@wecouldoit.com.

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Online Marketing Hints For Photographers

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This is a guest contribution by Stacey Cavanagh. Stacey is from the UK and works in online marketing with Tecmark: SEO Birmingham.

As we all know, simply being good at something isn’t necessarily enough to make a living from it. With any talent comes a need for marketing it (or hiring someone to do it for you)! You have to be seen. The internet has made it possible for individuals and businesses of any size to gain international exposure without a massive budget! But how can this be applied to photographers seeking to get their work seen?

Twitter and Twitpic

Micro-blogging site, Twitter is phenomenally popular and its user base is continually growing. Within Twitter are literally thousands of networks across hundreds of niches. Photography is one. Particularly with Twitpic, a photo integration site designed to make sharing photography through Twitter much easier, photographers can access potentially millions of people.

It’s not as easy as just signing up and posting pictures, however. You have to find followers in order for anyone to realistically see your stuff. The best way to do this is simply to start searching for related terms, such as ‘photographer,’ or ‘photography’ to find others interested. Follow them and check out the people they are following. It’s a great means of networking within a group of other photographers of varying levels and the enthusiasts too.

Facebook

When we say ‘everyone is on Facebook,’ we’re not far from the truth! The social networking site has achieved amazing things when you think about it. It has now progressed beyond a means of keeping in touch with old school friends too. Thanks to groups and fan pages, you can easily identify groups and networks with similar interests and particularly where photography is concerned, this can be of great benefit. The photo uploading feature and the various applications that allow you to make use of photos you have uploaded, means that you can show off your work to a huge audience quickly and without cost.

Blogging

Even if you already have a website, adding a blog to it is a smart move. And if you don’t have a site, then a blog is a simple way of getting some online presence. Keep people up to date with your work, what you’re doing and what is happening industry wide. If you can make the blog a useful source of information for people, they will have a reason to keep coming back!

A key thing to remember is that even on posts purely for showing off a new picture, you really need some text around it to make it easier for search engines to find your post. Write about the image itself, the inspiration for it or just some general background information. And ensure that you have the image named correctly too for the benefit of search engines.

Aside from blogging on your own site, finding guest posting opportunities is a means of exposing your work to another audience. This is essentially another form of online networking and can prove invaluable when it comes to building up an online presence for yourself and your work.

Flickr

Flickr, as I am sure many of you are already aware of, is a photo sharing community site run by Yahoo! The great thing about it is the social element to it. There are groups and plenty of active discussion. There are already a whole host of extremely talented photographers displaying their work on Flickr and it’s very much worth getting on board at flickr.com.

My Shutter Space

Another community site designed specifically for photographers, myshutterspace.com allows amateur and professional photographers alike to share their pictures. The site is particularly active with a lot of discussion taking place around many of the pictures and again could be a great means of making valuable contacts.

These online marketing techniques, like so many others, depend more on time than money and come down fundamentally to virtual networking. As with offline networking, the key will be to show some personality. Many of the most successful Twitter users are those who use their name, as opposed to a company name and will add a picture instead of hiding behind a logo. You’re trying to get the attention of people when all is said and done and that requires being personable. Virtual networking doesn’t happen in a day, a week or even in a month. But over time you will see the benefits with a relatively small input on a near daily basis!

Good luck!

 

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Cloud Storage Cheap Insurance For Peace Of Mind

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Cloud storage is the latest thing...without a doubt.  There are offerings from lots of vendors like Mozy, Carbonite, Sugarsync, Backblaze and tons of others.  Take a look at them and decide which one you like.

You will find two different camps when it comes to pricing.  The "all you can eat" model charges a fixed price and backs up whatever you have.  The "pay for space" model charges you a price based on the space you buy.  One big difference is that the "all you can eat" vendors generally immediately delete a file when you delete it on your machine, while the fixed space people move the file to an archive and don't delete it.  Of course, that is because you have paid for space and they don't care how you use it.

If a vendor is trying to keep a fixed price, they will do everything they can to minimize what you are using! If you need a Terra byte (1,024 Giga Bytes), today's price for fixed storage is probably too high for you, so you will probably go for the all you can eat model!

Use external drives? Make sure your vendor supports them (BackBlaze does, Sugarsync does not today.)  Once you opt in to a service, you download a little sync app that runs in the background, decide what to sync and that's it!  It may take days for the system to get everything you have out to the cloud, but you can just forget it and it will happen.

If you have a failure, just replace the bad drive (or machine) download the sync app on the new machine and tell the system to bring everything back.  Again, this can take a long time, but it will happen without any intervention from you and will put everything back where it was, including folders and subfolders.  If you need something quickly, most services let you go to a website and specifically download the files you want.

Virtually all vendors provide excellent security for your files with DES encryption or something like it.  All operations are numerically lossless regardless of file type or extension.  So even if they send you zips your original files are never modified.

Most support PCs and MACs..and most offer a free trial...so you can check a few of them out to see if they fit your individual needs.  As far as user interface is concerned, I like what I use, but that's pretty much a personal preference. If you use multiple computers, you may find that the "pay for space" model gets better if all machines can fit into a common cloud space. There are lots of other features like auto synced shared directories and the like. I have been on Sugarsync for years and don't worry about my hardware at all!  It's liberating! As usual, the prices will continue to tumble and the features will continue to grow!

Georgia McCabe spent 30 years as a Sr. Executive in the computer and photo industry. As a driving force in conceiving and executing breakthrough approaches to the photo printing, sharing and delivery market place, she literally “changed the rules” for a category undergoing massive technological change and re-invention. She is a certified social media strategist, and is a market and branding consultant helping businesses utilize the tools and power of social networking. For more information email Georgia@wecouldoit.com.

Social Media And Your Client Relationships…It’s a Whole New Ballgame!

Seems like all we hear today is about social media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and LikedIn have become household words; even network news commentators are talking about Tweets about this or that. We just got used to email and now this.  Social media is creating an unprecedented expansion in the size of the consumer’s personal network, resulting in an explosion of everyday “one to many” two way conversations. More then knowing what your friends are doing at this very moment, this technology will forever change the nature and scope of your business’s client relationships. Sort of like the reality TV version of the Better Business Bureau!

Marketing Sherpa recently published an interesting study that sheds some light on these new relationships and the real power of social media in the business world see full report . Their study was based on a detailed survey of use trends in consumer social media. Perhaps the most interesting finding is the growth of a consumer group they call "Max Connectors." These are people who maintain more than 500 social connections, and if they represent a growing group of social media active consumers, they will become an especially valuable target segment for goods and services marketing since they spread brand and product experience both rapidly and extremely broadly.
 
It is an accepted fact the consumers often track brands or companies with social media. However, this evolving group appears to exhibit traits that are exceptions to the norm. Rather than being susceptible to email campaigns or catalogs, Max Connectors are more motivated by getting a first or early look at new products and features and this motivation seems to outweigh their attraction to special pricing programs.

Sherpa notes that social connectedness with companies often results from a consumer’s desire to "get to know" the real story about a company. Although the benefits of corporate web sites and sponsored search links are well known, social media adds an entirely new dimension to web marketing since it provides consumers with a personalized venue for monitoring, communicating and commenting on real personal experiences with business. >

However, you must recognize that this capability is truly a “double edged” sword. Many business owners immediately worry about the power of social media to spread bad news about their company or services.  What they overlook is that an extremely responsive and very public correction of a less than stellar consumer experience can be even more valuable than just a simple positive review.  In short, consumers give grades for effort as well as for accomplishment and they want to do business with people who care about their views and opinions. Clearly, broadly adopted social media should result in a renewed quest for customer satisfaction at successful businesses everywhere!

Georgia McCabe spent 30 years as a Sr. Executive in the computer and photo industry. As a driving force in conceiving and executing breakthrough approaches to the photo printing, sharing and delivery market place, she literally “changed the rules” for a category undergoing massive technological change and re-invention. She is a certified social media strategist, and is a market and branding consultant helping businesses utilize the tools and power of social networking. For more information email Georgia@wecouldoit.com.

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Top Five Tips For Building A Social Media Listening Channel

Image by Ludwig Gatzke via Flickr

One of the best ways to see what people are saying about you and or your company is to build you own custom social media listening channel.  I happen to love NetVibes.  It allows me to automatically reach out to a variety of sources and track what's being said about me.  Better yet, you should also use it to monitor the competition as well! 

I have included quick Top Five Tips on How to Create Your Own Listening Channel.

1) Check out Netvibes and Pageflakes.  These are the applications that allow you to build your own personal dashboard, which allows users to load their own content into small draggable boxes.  I personally use Netvibes because I found it extremely easy.  The site is free so the first thing to do is sign up and your ready to get started.

2) For example, let's walk through the process for NetVibes.  Create a new page by giving it a name. Start by either deleting the defaults on the page or by adding a new tab.  This way you can add custom feeds to the page and it won't be all cluttered with other information regarding sports, fun & games, etc.

3) The next step is to add content.  Go to search.twitter.com and search for your twitter company name, your own name or your competitors name.  You could also search for #hashtags.  For instance, #hiretogs is a hashtag that connects clients with photographers via paid gigs. Once you have your search results, click the feed for this query button and copy the displayed URL. Go back to your Netvibes page and click "Add a feed."  Paste the URL in the box and click "Add feed."  The feed will appear below it and all you have to do now is click the "add" button to add it to the current page.

4) Follow the same process and use sites like Blogsearch.google.com, Omgili, BoardReader.com, or Technorati.  An effective way to check out your competion is to do the same process for their names and create tabs for each of them.  Now you can easily compare how you are doing vs them.   

5) Monitor your Netvibes daily, get creative and add more feeds. With this invaluable information, you can more easily decide on the next steps that you need to take to stay on top of your social media game!

Georgia McCabe spent 30 years as a Sr. Executive in the computer and photo industry. As a driving force in conceiving and executing breakthrough approaches to the photo printing, sharing and delivery market place, she literally “changed the rules” for a category undergoing massive technological change and re-invention. She is a certified social media strategist, and is a market and branding consultant helping businesses utilize the tools and power of social networking. For more information email Georgia@wecouldoit.com.

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5 Tips for using Twitter to Plan a Vacation or Business Trip

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Social media has many benefits, but if you want help with your next vacation or even your next business trip, try using these Twitter tips.  Twitter is a tool that can help you plan, prepare and get instant insight into the place you will be visiting.  Not only can you find travel deals, you can also use these tools and tips to get you almost all of the information you need.

Tip #1 – Some airlines like JetBlue and United airlines have started to use twitter to offer very cheap discounted fares.  JetBlue refers to them as Cheeps and United calls them Twares.  JetBlue posted its first "Cheep" on July 6, a $9 one-way trip from JFK to Nantucket.  United uses Twares to surprise customers.  The prices are extremely low and there are very few of them so you have to act fast.  You can find an article that discusses this at  Airlines and Social Media.

Tip #2 -  Check out Twisitorcenter.  Many destinations are already represented and you can get some location specific twitter id’s and hashtags.  Use these hashtags and ids to get local advice either before you leave or even while you are traveling and want to get some unique local knowledge.

 Tip #3 – Twaller is a another helpful service.  It connects visitors with information from local people who already know the area well.  This can be invaluable if you want to find information about restaurants, events or other "local knowledge."  Twaller organizes information into specific categories for each location.

Tip #4 – Post a question on Twitter to get responses from travel agents.  A lot of them continually monitor via keywords.  Be specific and make sure to include  where you want to go and the dates and times you can travel.  You will be surprised how many responses you get.

Tip #5 -  Check out NileGuidance; they always have great information and are a terrific resource for many travel topics.  I also like 151TravelTips and  although it is focused towards seniors, there are some great pre-travel tips in his tweets.

Georgia McCabe spent 30 years as a Sr. Executive in the computer and photo industry.   She was a driving force in conceiving and executing breakthrough approaches to the photo printing, sharing and delivery  market place that literally “changed the rules” for a category undergoing massive change and re-invention.   She is a certified social media strategist, and is a market and branding consultant helping businesses utilize the tools and power of social networking.  For more information email Georgia@wecouldoit.com.

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Creative Photo Gifts For All Occasions

Top 5 Tips for Creative Photo Gifts 

It’s not too late to create that perfect holiday gift for someone special using your digital photos. There are a number of exciting applications out there that make the process simple and inexpensive, and don’t worry; there is still time to get them for Christmas. Follow these 5 simple tips and you will be on your way to creating a unique gift that will put smiles on everyone’s face and be cherished forever.

Tip #1 –Personalize Your Gift: There are a large number of photo sharing sites where you can create   mugs, aprons, and even jewelry, personalized with your own family photos. Or you can just upload some of your favorite photos for the year and put them in a “mini themed” bound book. Don’t forget to order one for yourself, as it is as great way to keep this year’s important photos together (you will look so organized) and it makes a great “brag book” that you can carry with you to show friends the year in review. A simple theme would be 2009 memories, but you can also build one to tell the story of a special event like a reunion, wedding, or just the best photos of that new baby. The ideas are limitless, the books are easy to make and cost little more than the equivalent number of regular prints. Check out Shutterfly.com or Snapfish.com, many retailers like Walmart, Walgreens, or Ritz Camera Stores even allow you to order and then pick them up in the store.

Tip #2 – Document Your Favorite Recipes: Food and family just go together, so what could be better than a personalized family recipe book. You don’t need cookbook style photos of finished dishes, special pictures of the family member or just even just a photo from a family event where you may have served it make the book much more personal. Upload your photos, type in the recipes, and even add personal messages like why this is a favorite or times you remember it being served. Just about every photo site offers a way to make personalized books. Tastebook.com is a site entirely dedicated to this purpose and in addition, allows you to easily get and share recipes with others as well as incorporate them in printed books. It also allows you to order and add new pages as old recipes are recovered or new ones become family favorites. Blurb even allows you to try your hand at publishing by creating and offering your book for sale.

Tip #3 – Record A DVD: Select a few photos, pick some music, add a little simple text and as easy as that you can author a personalized DVD. This is incredibly easy to do with sites that step you through the entire process. Play them for the family and you won’t find a dry eye in the house. You can even personalize a DVD that starts with professional content by adding photos of your child. Check out IamProudtoBeMe, Cutiephotos.com, Photoshow and Animoto.

Tip #4 – Give Them A Gift So Their Photo’s Are Always Safe Most people don’t take the time to safeguard their photos. Someday, like me, your computer will crash and your memories will be lost forever. Luckily I had purchased a subscription for automatic, online data back up. These services automatically back up photos as well as other personal documents from your computer whenever it is connected to the web. They are inexpensive (around $50 per year) and easy to install. If your family shares pictures with you, you can sleep easy; knowing all your family photos and personal content is always safe. Popular sites are SugarSync, Mozey, and Carbonite. Some also allow you to share saved content directly with other family members. What a great gift for the entire extended family.

Tip #5 – Be An Author And Create A Book: Have a big creative urge? Create a book that looks and feels like it came straight from the shelf at Barnes and Noble. A close friend recently combined quotations about friendship, beautiful seascapes she had taken and personalized the cover with photos of six very special friends. It is a gift that I will always treasure, but you could make one as simple as a photograph on the cover and then fill the pages with your thoughts. I made one for my family called “tips and tricks.” It was filled with ideas for my grown children about cleaning, cooking, personal finance, laundry, etc. If this appeals to you, Blurb and Lulu are two sites you definitely should visit.

Georgia McCabe spent 30 years as a Sr. Executive in the computer and photo industry. As a driving force in conceiving and executing breakthrough approaches to the photo printing, sharing and delivery market place, she literally “changed the rules” for a category undergoing massive technological change and re-invention. She is a certified social media strategist, and is a market and branding consultant helping businesses utilize the tools and power of social networking. For more information email Georgia@wecouldoit.com.

Top 10 Do's and Don'ts When Connecting With Your Kids On Facebook

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Facebook can deliver value in many ways, some of them very indirect. For the older generation, the real value is not what they post or might post about themselves; it’s the incredible value of allowing them to stay involved and connected to the everyday lives of their children and grandchildren!

Warning to parents and grandparents:   Be careful what you say and where you say it!
Warning to children and grandchildren: Be careful what you post!

Have you ever noticed that if you call someone almost every day there is always much to talk about. Things like what was made for dinner, or what movie was seen last night. The conversation is easier and although the subjects may seem more trivial, in fact, the communication is actually much more personal. Simply stated, the other person is part of your everyday life.

I need not worry that I am putting trivial information in my profile, since if others don’t choose to have a “kitchen table” relationship, they shouldn’t seek out my profile or read my updates. The choice is theirs!

Parents live through their children and grandchildren. Today’s technology allows the framed pictures on the mantel or piano to come alive as a facebook reality show. No more waiting for the mail to be delivered, or hope that the phone will ring. If your family doesn't pick up the phone often enough, or can't drive and visit you…get connected to them using social media. Follow these simple rules and your visits will be positive for everyone.

Remember, your view is a cross generational privilege:

Top 10 Do's and Don'ts When Connecting With Your Kids On Facebook

Don’t snoop or become a detective, but if you can’t resist, be careful what you comment on or admit you admit you saw!

Remember if you post back, everyone else may see what you said, so be careful what and where you post and understand how this works before you post.

Never post guilt messages, subliminal or not!

Don’t post an embarrassing picture, even if you figure out how to post it!

Develop connections with other friends and family…don’t perseverate on your kids

Find stuff that your children don’t know about, maybe an old article about the family or better yet, older family photos of your parents and relatives.

Don’t bombard their feed, roles have changed, you are here to listen and watch

Don’t complain that they don’t post often enough

Become a photo archeologist; dig through old family photos, have them scanned and CONTRIBUTE…but always with taste!

Georgia McCabe spent 30 years as a Sr. Executive in the computer and photo industry. As a driving force in conceiving and executing breakthrough approaches to the photo printing, sharing and delivery market place, she literally “changed the rules” for a category undergoing massive technological change and re-invention. She is a certified social media strategist, and is a market and branding consultant helping businesses utilize the tools and power of social networking. For more information email Georgia@wecouldoit.com.

Begin to add a little about your day to day activities so they also know you are OK and happy

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