People have always loved to put a label on things and stick them in boxes

People also love to come up with cool NEW labels for new things, and stick those in boxes too.

It’s nice, it’s neat, it fits, and allows us to cope with uncomfortable or new ideas. Plus, if you’re the person who “coins” the label in the first place, and it well, sticks, you get the prestige of having named the next big thing. Cool, eh?

At the moment that’s what’s happening as people try to get their heads around the next evolution of online technologies. Whether you’re calling it Web 3.0, Web Squared, or The Semantic Web (See what I did there? Semantics, Semantic Web? Annnyway, moving along…) the idea is that a bunch of new technologies and standards are emerging that will, we hope, change the way we do things.

Again. Just like Web 2.0.

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When people think of Lancaster County, they generally think of farm stands, quilts, buggies, and the Amish.

When people visit Lancaster City, however, they’re often pleasantly surprised to find a collection of excellent galleries, an up-and-coming arts scene, great coffee houses, fine dining, strong greening and sustainability initiatives, and a community committed to the continued growth of Lancaster as a thriving and vibrant city.

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More and more these days, it’s becoming practice for SEO “professionals”  (imagine that I’m making the quotation marks with my fingers, just like Dr. Evil) to guarantee first page placement on Google.

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Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin…

Sound like greek to you? Here’s your chance to fix that! Social Media has helped people reconnect with long-lost friends, find employment, and promote their business. Join us as we explore the world of Social Media.
HACC Lancaster
9/14 @ 6:30pm to 8:30pm
10/12 @ 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Lancaster Campus, Room RE 202
Registration Required

Learn how you can build an online presence and reputation for your business in less than 60 minutes a week. Whether you’re currently running your own business, or looking to start a new one, the power of Web 2.0 is more than just hype to sell magazines. There are more free (or incredibly cheap) tools than ever before to help you to quickly and easily create an online presence that will generate publicity, referrals, and most importantly, sales, no matter what business you are in. In less time than it takes to watch and episode of House, you can harness the power of Web to drastically increase the visibility of your business, both locally, and nation-wide. CD of tools included.

Library System of Lancaster Count — Greenfield Office
10/1 – Time Not Yet Decided
For more information contact Rhonda Kleiman, Economic Development Manager, at 717-207-0500 x1225 or kleiman@lancasterlibraries.org.

Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin…

Sound like greek to you? Here’s your chance to fix that! Social Media has helped people reconnect with long-lost friends, find employment, and promote their business. Join us as we explore the world of Social Media.
HACC Lancaster
9/14 @ 6:30pm to 8:30pm
10/12 @ 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Lancaster Campus, Room RE 202
Registration Required

It’s always very rewarding teaching Internet Marketing and Social Media classes locally. We enjoy the chance to get to know people from the Lancaster area, and, so far (knock on wood) the atmosphere has been great, and the feedback very positive.

Here’s what we’re up to in the next couple of months:

To Tweet or not to Tweet

A chance to learn more about Social Media, focusing on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
HACC Lancaster
9/14 @ 6:30pm to 8:30pm
10/12 @ 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Lancaster Campus, Room RE 202
Registration Required

60 Minute Web Magic

Last time we taught this, it was packed. Learn how to better promote your website via the search engines. Improve usability and monitor your online reputation.

Library System of Lancaster Count — Greenfield Office
10/1 – Time Not Yet Decided
For more information contact Rhonda Kleiman, Economic Development Manager, at 717-207-0500 x1225 or kleiman@lancasterlibraries.org.

Beyond Blogging Basics

The more advanced version of “Blogging Basics”. We’ll cover things such as using WordPress to host your own blog, generating traffic, creating good content, and monetizing your blog. This course is designed for more advanced bloggers.

Library System of Lancaster Count — Greenfield Office
11/19- Time Not Yet Decided
For more information contact Rhonda Kleiman, Economic Development Manager, at 717-207-0500 x1225 or kleiman@lancasterlibraries.org.

We’re teaching a class at the Lancaster Library System tomorrow.

Who should come? Anyone interested in learning the basics of blogging: How to choose a topic, where to run it, how to set up a blog account, and more.

Blogging has become a great way to let off steam, get an audience for your work and even profoundly impact the lives of others. With all the free and simple tools available, there’s no better time to get started. We’ll cover the basics of blogging: where and how to set up a blog, how to choose a topic, how to write compelling content, and more. This course is best suited for those with little or no blogging experience. CD of tools included. Limit is 15 people.

It will be held at the Library System office in Greenfield Corporate Center at 1866 Colonial Village Lane, Suite 107. For more information contact Rhonda Kleiman, Economic Development Manager, at 717-207-0500 x1225 or kleiman@lancasterlibraries.org.

Dear Giant Evil Soulless Corporation,

It’s over. I’ve taken my Twitter account and my Facebook profile, and removed you from my followers and friends lists. I’ve even changed the locks, so don’t bother sending me another request.

You can have AOL and the blog. No one read that anyway because you kept talking about yourself. I’ll find another one.

I suppose you might be wondering why.

It’s not me, it’s you.

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How many channels of communication are available for a business to connect with its customers in the modern world? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Personally, I wouldn’t like to put a figure on it. Let’s just go with the highly technical term of “a lot”.

There are new channels emerging all the time. How you use these channels is up to you, but, before you start, you need a plan. And, you need to understand that the old rules no longer apply. Search Engine Marketing is not Direct Mail. Twitter is not Pay Per Click Advertising, without the ‘pay’ part. Each channel that you utilize, whether you’re just getting your feet wet or gearing up for a long-term campaign, needs to be approached, and used, in the right way.

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