Class #4 - Free Asheville Social Media School on Videos - May 27th

This event was originally planned for April 23rd, but the Presidential family was in town so it was postponed. The new date for this event is May 27, 2010 at Elaine's Piano at the Grove Park Inn. Video taking, making, editing, uploading and marketing.

In Asheville North Carolina in a few weeks, Social Media School takes a nice topic on.. when we talk about using video production and marketing to truly advance your business or person in this new media society. The class is going to be held at the Grove Park Inn 290 Macon Ave Asheville NC 28804 on May 27, 2010 from 5 pm - 7:30 pm with some music and an after party beginning around 8pm. RSVP on Facebook or email me.

Your words are worth something, but add a picture to those words and I heard it is worth 10,000. Add a video to the mix and WOW, you can really get your message across to a whole new audience. Videos are and important part of your social media package and strategy. Who doesn't like movies? And who does not like to watch a short movie about the topic they are interested in? Businesses who have not taken advantage of the YouTube and Vimeo scene are already behind in their efforts. Learn what to do to pick up your pace and get effectively involved.

G Social Media will be teaching along with Asheville Video Productions, Bourne Media, Rev Pictures, and PSAV. This is an important class that you do not want to miss. I know I will be there! Lol.

Social Media School Class #2 – Thank you Asheville

We had a great time the other evening at the Free Social Media School in Asheville North Carolina. First I took the group through setting up an email and a Twitter account. Then Justin from Social Village spoke on “Everyone has a story to tell” and how social media is the conduit for expression. Next up was social media and networking giant Trey Pennington from Greenville South Carolina to talk about relationships and how social media increases your effectiveness.


Special Thanks to the Garage at Biltmore for hosting the event and making sure everything was venue perfect. Jan and Chris, the owners, were more than accommodating and very hospitable to everyone. We had a little problem because Preferred Pump decided not to share their parking lot, but The Slosman Corporation in Asheville quickly responded and came to the rescue providing us with the use of their parking lot across the street.

Local Guys Moving in Asheville NC were there to make sure we had the chairs set up and were available to do anything that we needed completed. The chairs were lent to us by Cornerstone Church in downtown Asheville on South French Broad Avenue. Rev Pictures was there to take the video clips of this social media event and did a great job. PSAV provided the projector and screen for this event and assisted with getting everything hooked up right for a great presentation. AVL Custom Closet took care of the printing needs of the evening and was on-call to assist in any possible way. Man Cave Grilling came to the Asheville social media school and brought some great grilled food into the mix.

Sugar Momma's Cookies, Rolf Experience, and Man Cave Grilling all donated great prizes for this event. Thank you so so much!!

Awesome meeting! The next event is planned for April 23 from 5pm - 7:30pm at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville NC with a social time after. See the Facebook Event page or email me to RSVP. Try to plan to stay out with us until about 10pm if you are available. Free Social Media School in AVL! Thank you from G Social Media!

Asheville Social Media School - Questions and Answers Class #1

1. Is it okay to tweet about your business? It is definitely okay to tweet about your business as it is a part of your life. I tell my clients to do approximately 75% business and 25% personal if it is a business account, and approx. 40% business and 60% personal if it is a personal account. Be not afraid to sell and promote yourself. If you do not do this, who will?


2. How does someone write a tweet that references other tweets and/or other users? There are buttons that appear when you hover over them to the right of each tweet where you can retweet what that person has written. You write other users on Twitter by writing their name in the update box like “@GSocialMedia Hi Gary, we would love to talk to you about social media” and then hit the update button. This would be a public message. You can only send a private direct message to people who are following you. You can do this from the update box by using a “D” before the tweet like “D @GSocialMedia We need to talk” and hit the update button. Always make sure that you have a space after the name and a space before if there is any type of writing prior. You can also use a Twitter management platform like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to manage your Twitter account better.

3. How does someone answer a question on a tweet? There is a reply button that appears when you hover to the right side of the tweet that was sent to you.

4. What kind of commitment is needed to effectively tweet? If you prepare correctly, you can effectively tweet in 5 minutes a day. Do not make it a burden commitment. Learn the ropes, have fun, and make it a part of your daily life.

5. How can I get people to connect with me in person after they friend/follow me on Twitter? You have to build the relationship comfortably to bring people to that point. It takes planting the seed, watering it and helping it grow. It is not a “get rich quick” scheme where you meet people on Twitter and they run to you.

6. Is there a particular form of social media more effective than others? I promote a balance of social media platforms which connect with the many groups of media networkers. Each platform has its own specific purpose.

7. What about identity theft with social media? Identity theft is always an issue. Limit the ultra-personal information shared.

8. What phone do you have for social media? I use a Blackberry for my social media and networking. (and I love it)

9. Pros and Cons of different phones when doing social media? Most use Blackberry for business and IPhone for biz mixed with more apps and some fun.

10. Will future meetings be more focused on the nuts and bolts techniques for Facebook and Twitter? Yes, this next meeting on March 23rd will deal with Twitter and Facebook for beginners and some pro tips as well.

11. Benefits / Negatives of Blog vs. Newsletter? A blog is online permanently with your content always available and working for you constantly. Newsletters are great for establishing following and keeping fans via the email platform. Even if people send out a newsletter, I recommend that they take the articles and post them to a blog after.

12. Blog or Newsletter more beneficial for which type of business? Both are used for their specific purposes and niche. Blog takes the priority with me because it is online forever, visitors can see your other content and other sidebar info that you wish to keep in front of them.

13. What is the main difference in Facebook and Twitter? Facebook is used for a closer relationship with more personal information. Twitter is used to get straight to the point and make smaller comments. Twitter technically took the “Status Updates” model from Facebook and made a platform of “greener” communication.

14. Why should I do Twitter? Think of Twitter as a social club where there are millions of people who are members. If you want to make connections, get business exposure, reach out… Twitter is the hottest platform on the market today.

15. How does my business become a fan of other businesses on Facebook? Only people (or personal pages) can become fans of business fan pages on Facebook.

16. What percentage of “no shows” can you expect from Facebook event invitations that RSVP? This could vary. Some people just RSVP yes so they can get some picture and profile exposure. Of the serious people, it could be anywhere from 25-75%. A follow up a few days before the event could prove to be very helpful.

17. When I am on a site and it has a button for Facebook, is there a way to have it post to my group directly instead of profile? No, you have to copy the URL and paste it to your Facebook group page.

18. On Facebook, how do I control the stupid stuff that I have to read? (Example: Jerry is preparing dessert) You don’t control it. You are exposed to the people that you are connected with. There was a button that said “less of these” that will show you less of another users updates, but as of now all I see is just the “Hide” button.

19. Our company has employees in 7 States and the Caribbean. What is the best way to engage employees in all locations, destinations and departments in social media to reach company goals? Both train and assign one person in each State, or each facility to be in charge of the social media. When corporations handle the social media from out of State, it sometimes becomes very impersonal and unsociable. You want to have someone close to the action promoting these individual places. I can help. Please send me to the Caribbean first and I will get them started. Thanks!!

Social Village comes to Free Asheville Social Media School

Asheville's Justin Brackett from Social Village will be teaching a part of the Free Asheville Social Media School on March 23rd at the Garage at Biltmore with Trey Pennington and GSocialMedia.

“People are drawn to an epic story; they want to be a part of something that they feel is bigger than they are. Everyone is telling their epic story every day. Now with Social Media everyone has the opportunity to tell their story to the world and to invite them to join in."

Justin Brackett is an up and coming social media guru. He has emerged into the Social Media world, surprising his peers with his knowledge and understanding of how Social Media is the next tool to change the world.

Social Village, Justin's company: partners with passionate and driven people, tribes of dedicated individuals who lend their time, talent, and money to help improve the world we share. The goal is to help share their story: to clearly fascinate an audience with the needs, the passions, and the actions that can be used to do greatness on a local or global scale.

Justin is making his mark on a world that desires life change. His experiences with the business world, the non-profit sector, and witnessing life change interpersonally gives him a unique position in the Social Media landscape. If you would like to know more, ask him. He really likes to tell about the epic he finds himself experiencing.

Asheville... Let's Face It, Twittering Away Your Time Can Be Profitable

Everywhere you turn you hear stories about Facebook, Twitter, and something called "social media." If you've wondered what all the buzz was about, if it is all just a passing fad, or even wondering if social media might just be the silver bullet to solve your challenges, then there's a free school for you in Asheville NC.

On March 23, 2010 at Free Asheville Social Media School at The Garage at Biltmore from 5:00pm - 7:30pm, several social media enthusiasts will share what they're learning so you can confidently launch your own social media effort. One presenter, Trey Pennington, who has over 75,000 followers on Twitter and is at the Facebook friend limit, will outline a comprehensive model showing you how to use social media tools to meet friends, potential friends, and prospective clients and customers online. More importantly, he'll share a brief overview of the foundational principles necessary for making meaningful contacts through social media.

"Believe it or not," Pennington says, "social media is being used right now to breath new life into an industry on the 'endangered industries' list—textile manufacturing!" Trey will share this story, plus other real life examples of social media in action. When you leave, you'll have a solid framework for venturing into the new social media territory.

Trey Pennington is a marketing pro, business connector, and storyteller for business who’s passion is helping folks uncover their hidden treasures and put them to work. He uses social media to connect with audiences around the world. HubSpot ranks his Facebook profile as one of the most influential in the world and his Twitter profile in the top 0.01%. He's helped start ten Social Media Clubs in the US, UK, and Australia and routinely speaks to groups using social media to make connections and have conversations leading to commerce.

His book, Spitball Marketing: Using What You've Got to Get More of What You Want is due out in early 2010.

You can RSVP by sending an email to G Social Media (email on the site) or RSVP on Facebook. Thanks.