THANKS for helping with Asheville Social Media School - Class #1

First of all we would like to thank the Downtown Market in Asheville North Carolina for giving us the space to hold this 1st event. Josiah Hyatt, Pepper Parris, and the many vendors allowed us to make this class possible. Oh... and thanks for the raffle items!

Local Guys Movers of Asheville were also on the scene helping out in any way possible, make sure we had the chairs set up properly, and they were very helpful to everyone there. Their whole crew was wonderful. Thank you.

David Bonyun of Asheville Video Productions did a great job taking video of the event and we are going to have some clips for you really soon. Thank you for your video production work in Asheville NC!

Rev. Jeffrey A. Hober of Cornerstone Church gave us the 125 chairs for the social media event last night and we want to thank him and his congregation for helping us out.

Thanks to Maria Aponte of Hi Tech Systems in AVL let us use that wonderful Panasonic projector to show our presentations and was helpful throughout the night in so many other ways.

Jay Kirk of PSAV Presentation Services in AVL helped us out with the speaker system to go with the projector and a few other gadgets. Also thanks for helping us get back online when we had a glitch in the system!

Thx to Amanda Ballew of More Space Place Custom Closets and Murphy Beds in Asheville NC for providing the literature and paper needs, and also for helping moderate this whole event.

Bill Nixdorf of PaleoSun Web Design showed us a great presentation of how the search engines meter people, human behavior, and index websites. Thank you

Christopher Smith of Asheville Discount Card was very helpful from the moment he showed up on the scene. From helping move chairs, to getting things in order while we had to run and get some copies and more. Thx!

Thanks to Asheville Maid Katie Crisp for helping us with the registration, raffle tickets and making sure everyone had everything they needed.

Thank you to Polly McDaniel from the Asheville Citizen Times for coming to this event and talking about the newspaper, social media, and the local WNCLINC efforts!

Thanks to Jose Ibarra of Applied Solutions for presenting the push for Google to come to Asheville North Carolina. You can find more info about it on Google AVL.

Ryan Izon of Mother and Son Bistro in North Asheville / Woodfin donated gift certificate for a special occasion cake to the raffle items and also spoke about his business etc. Thank you.

Sandy Eha of Rolf Experience in AVL spoke about her business and also donated a gift certificate for a free Rolf session during the raffle.

Thank you to George Zhouf of Jump Wedding Photography in Asheville for dropping in and taking a photo shoot of the Asheville Social Media School event.

Al Lorenzo assisted the event by getting the cloth up to shoot the projections onto. Al is a General Contractor in the Asheville area 828-201-6581.

It took all of us working together to make this event a great success. Thank you so much to everyone; the people who helped and the people who attended the free Asheville Social Media School.

Notes from Asheville Social Media School - Class #1 - Feb 25, 2010

Here are the recap notes for the Asheville Social Media School – Class #1 by G Social Media that was held at the Downtown Market. Please review these before the next class we will be moving onto setting up a Twitter and Facebook account and also a Facebook Fan Page. We are going to learn the do's and dont's and some great tips to help you grow your network! We are also going to hear from some great guest networkers.


1. Class Rules –

a. Meet a minimum of 5 new people or businesses each time you come. Document these people in one way or another. Maybe make a list of “New people I have met in 2010” etc. This will show you how to network. Also, reach out and meet someone totally opposite of your niche, someone you can never imagine working with, and someone who you may have thought “I will never need that service or person.”

b. Ask Questions! Some cards are available and you can ask any questions you may have about social media and networking. You can also ask them via my email. We will either answer them in class, online or both.

c. Try to take notes. Even if you never look at them again, notes provide more retention.

d. Try to be sociable – This is the beginning of social media.


2. Little Intro about me – I set up and train people and businesses on social media and networking. I run a company called AskAsheville.com which is actively involved in the social media scene, and I network with everyone – Open and Closed Networkers – Community – We do this together, nobody owns it anymore.


3. Social Media has been around forever - But the methods have changed some. (Mail, Telephone, Art, Television, Cell Phones, Internet, Email, Instant Message, Websites, Texting, Social Networking, Social Media)


4. What is Social Media –

a. Being sociable, open, and accessible. A sense of humor or event attempt is great too.

b. How many of you watch Deal or No Deal? You cannot being the banker, live up in your tinted glass room, and be sociable.

c. The old way of making connections was that you connected with those who were applicable to what you were trying to accomplish.

d. Today, we connect with everyone knowing that everyone is a potential client, knows a potential client, or has a voice somewhere.

e. Before we just connected with those that “applied” but now we connect with everyone and take the “better” relationships deeper. Also know that every one person has at least 5-10 close connects.


5. Who created Social Media?

a. I want you to write “G Social Media” here…. And then after that write “did not invent social media.”

b. Al Gore didn’t, and not talking politics, but Obama’s campaign made the whole world more aware than ever about it. People started paying attention. From hobby to essential.


6. Why is Social Media Important –

a. The term “friend” has changed. You are my friend if we only met on Facebook. You are my friend if you are connected to me on Twitter. I think of my friends first when making choices, gathering information and making buying decisions.

b. This is the current way to maximize your communication and mass communicate. Versus Instant Messenger, Email, One on One,

c. It levels the playing field with the “Big Boys” – Everyone is somewhat equal, has a voice, and is accountable to each other. Great for handicapped people… or businesses that may have a handicap as far as certain limitations.

d. People listen more to people in their networks, not search engines or blatant advertising.

e. Crowd sourcing is awesome. Ask the multitudes! Get answers and opinions.

f. Without it, both you and your business are mute. We cannot hear you.


7. How can I be sociable? - Start simple – (Being Sociable & Taking it Online)

a. Respect others for who they are, their niche, their mission

b. Respect humanity – Know that people are different. In race, religion, employment, activities, lifestyle, etc. You need to be open to everyone to maximize the effectiveness of your communication. Understand that social media has no room for exclusion and prejudice.

c. Be transparent – Using social media allows others to come into your world. Make sure you have clarity and direction when they enter. This is where you need to show yourself sociable. Be real, be friendly, and be positive. Then process them kindly.

d. Be personable – First name basis is great!

e. Learn how to open the conversation. About you… who, what, when, where, how. Then listen to them when they speak the same information. Document it!

f. Be cool. Folks will be quick to call you out and label you (@%*^!+) if you do not have the common respect expected. Not telling you to walk on eggshells, but “Just being Yourself” sometimes does not work for everyone. Learn to be flexible, get on our level, and be cool.

2010 Schedule for Asheville Social Media School

Okay, so for a brief itinerary on the Free Asheville Social Media School; we are going to layout some plans for the next several months. It is more than just making a blog, or meeting new people. All of these things are somewhat important, but without connecting it all together and creating a balance; it will not prosper effectively. We are going to take Western North Carolina and AVL on a journey of what social media is all about.


Class #1 – February 25, 2010 from 5pm-7pm – Our first class in Asheville NC is going to be at the Downtown Market on 45 South French Broad Avenue 28801. We are expecting about 200 people to attend this first social media class. We are going to start with an introduction and some basic info. Some questions that will be answered will be… “What is Social Media?” – “Why is Social Media Important?” – “Who created Social Media?”

We are going to discuss the simple importance of creating and maintaining an email. Learn the difference between emails options and why one may be better than the other. We are going to talk about being sociable in Asheville North Carolina and beyond. How can you express your media if your social skills are limited? We are going to show you some easy integration to meet more people and learn more about them. This is not just necessary for business, but for your whole life in general. We are going to learn some of the “unspoken” rules of social media and how to learn them online and then improve your daily living using them also. We are going to learn about the many different social media platforms that are available, how they reach different crowds and how you can use them all to circulate your message to millions of people.

We are going to have 1 minute intros at the beginning of every class from several people. If you would like to say something about you and your business, please let us know. But only one minute to show you the importance of making your initial message short and sweet for this new media society. At this first class… PaleoSun will be joining us to talk about some basic information about websites, and the Asheville Citizen Times will discuss some of their moves into the social media world.

*Since we are doing this right after work, food and drinks will be available from the vendors at the Downtown Market for about $4 per plate. Simple and good!

Class #2 – March 23, 2010 from 5:00pm-7:30pm at the Garage At Biltmore 101 Fairview Rd Asheville NC 28803 – Learn Social Networking using Twitter and Facebook. Besides G Social Media, we are going to have some guest speakers including Trey Pennington from Greenville South Carolina and Social Village from Asheville discussing some very important social media information. We will also show you how to set up a Twitter and Facebook account and some great tips for you and your business. Drinks will be available during the meeting and a music and social time will follow our class at 7pm. RSVP on Facebook or by Email (Email is on my blog website)

Class #3 – April 23, 2010 from 5pm-7:30pm at Elaine's Piano at the Grove Park Inn 290 Macon Ave Asheville NC 28804 – Learn Social Media Marketing using Video platforms from G Social Media, Asheville Video Productions and Bourne Media. Video communications are very important in today’s society. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a short video is worth at least 10 thousand to the targeted viewer. We will also show you how to set up a YouTube account and some lessons when uploading videos.

Class #4 – May 10, 2010 from 5:30pm-7:30pm – Learn Blogging as a personal journal project, a community awareness platform and business blogging from AskAsheville, Ashvegas and BlogAsheville in Asheville North Carolina. You will learn how to set a blog up, a few tricks to get it presentable and optimized, and how to fill it with the proper content and wording for your specific niche. Creating a blog for your business (and doing it right) is a very important part of your social media circle.

***More classes are planned for the rest of the 2010 year, with shorter spans during the warmer months. We have a few outdoor activities and social media retreats planned as well. This is going to be too much fun!!

***If you have a venue or place that you would like us to consider for hosting a Free Asheville Social Media School event or if you have something that you would like to donate as a raffle item at our events; please contact us. If you think that you know someone or are someone that would fit in good with one of these school sessions; please let us know. Thank you.

Asheville Social Media - Free School Coming Soon!

I have initiated a social media school in Asheville North Carolina beginning on February 25, 2010 and it is going to continue indefinitely in the months to come. Each class will provide important information to help you understand, initiate, and use social media effectively. Some people are simply coming to the classes for information. Some are coming to learn how to aggressively use it for their businesses and promotions. While some want to learn how to get started, others may want to make sure their marketing company is up to par. Many businesses are led into a weak form of social media because the media companies that are leading them do not completely understand it themselves. But all of us like to say "we know it all and have it covered." This is many times not the case. We are going to try to help everyone from the common social media and social networking user, to companies that are trying to assist their clients with new media.

The Asheville social media class dates for the next few months will be February 25th, March 23rd, April 23rd, and May 10th from 5pm-7pm, with social hours after on some of these days. We have a nice curriculum planned for all of these dates with great information and guest speakers coming in. We are going to answer any and every question you have concerning Social Media, Websites, Marketing, and Social Networking. You are going to be trained on how to start social media for fun, for your business, and keep it simple. More maintenance means more of your time, or more of your money if you are hiring someone to do your social media. We show you how to eliminate a lot of this time or expense by connecting your social media together properly.

These Asheville classes are going to be fun fun for everyone. We are planning several outdoor activities and even a social media retreat for the Summer of 2010. We are going to be meeting several businesses in the Western North Carolina area and learning how they connected with their audience before, and how they are currently connecting. You will learn effective change. We are going to learn how to make connections with businesses ourselves and how to extract the important information we need from anyone. We are going to learn some simple lessons that we should have learned in the playground as children... to big corporate business strategy. All of your social media needs will be covered in this free school in Asheville NC.

The 1st Class on February 25th will be at the Downtown Market at 45 South French Broad Ave Asheville NC 28801 from 5pm - 7pm and there will be some great food and drinks available for a small cost ($4 - $5) from the vendors. It is located right down the street from the Asheville Federal Building, across from United Way.

You can email me to reserve a free spot by clicking HERE or you can visit the Facebook event page.

Social Media Backwards

Sometimes, in this day and age, social skills start online and then could be integrated into your person to person instances. Many people possess great communication and networking power online, but when it comes to face to face; some introversion can take hold. Being able to break open a conversation with a complete stranger in public can be difficult sometimes. Even making a "cold call' on the telephone can be hard. Making that "cold call" on the many social media platforms makes it so much easier for all of us. There have been several times in the past where someone friended me on Facebook and I accepted them because I simply wanted more friends and connections. Recently, many people have sent me a friend request with something like "Hi, I see we have 47 friends in common and wanted to connect." Great! I usually make the connection if it seems sincere. There have also been times where I have friended someone and they sternly shot back at me and said "I don't know you!" No problemo. If you know anything about me, you know I love to reach out to people that I don't know. Maybe it is the sales experience I have brought to the social media table that allows common rejection to disappear pretty quickly. I don't have to "know" you to request a business connection, social connect, or possible friendship. In sociable media, we are able and permitted to reach out and ask for an online handshake back.

Social media is not something new, but taking it online kinda is. Remember when we were scared about anyone that we met online? If we got an email from someone we even thought we did not know, we used to freak out a little. We felt invaded; like someone was attempting to enter "our" world. Times have changed and we have now become used to someone asking for a connection. Many times it is a flattery of sorts if a "stranger" asks to enter our online world. And sometimes, if we meet those people in person after getting to know them online, we are like old friends that have not seen each other in years. Social media has changed our society.

After we have learned to initiate and make the proper advances online, we may be ready to take these skills to the streets. I am talking about learning some social skills and connection practices online, and then practicing them in public, when you go to the store, and while you are working - eye to eye, personal, in-person conversation. Some people have claimed that all of these online connections are deteriorating our outward society. Ha; take a look at the how much it is and can evolve our networking world if used properly. In the time it used to take us to make a few connections, we can now make hundreds. We can meet dozens of people in days with common interests, goals, employment, and missions. How many people have walked up to you in public and said "Hello, I want to be your friend." Probably none, but many have done so to me every day online through social media and networking platforms such as Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Blogs, YouTube and others. I believe this new media age is going to greatly improve community if we start thinking of "Social Media Backwards" and make a conscious effort to use it in public. Social media and networking builds community and allows us to take those relations deeper, and in much less time. It can and will improve your social skills and grow your whole life in general.

Now everyone... say "thank you" to social media!