Social Media Bootcamp - Orange County

What? Social Media Marketing Bootcamp workshop for small businesses, entrepreneurs, startups, owners and SMBs. Ogoing will help you become a social media expert, and share tools and best practices that will accelerate your sales. Ogoing, an exclusive small business social network, helps small businesses efficiently expand their local customer contacts through an easy to use social networking platform.

"I got solid answers to many of my social media questions and concerns. He truly is a master in his field. It was the best education I have ever received." - Christina Vendley, Affiliate Manager, Free Blog Factory

Why? While the social media market is exploding with dozens of websites, Ogoing remains focused on utilizing key tools that small businesses need in order to grow their social media presence. Business owners, entrepreneurs and startups do not always have the time, knowledge, resources and money to boost their brand and obtain new leads using social media. This is where Ogoing helps! Think of Ogoing as the business matchmaker.

Key Benefits why YOU should attend this boot camp:

• Learn the importance of social media today in building your social presence
• Create leverage to promote your brand, products and services, news and events
• Connect with many relevant businesses on Ogoing, and expand your social network
• Jumpstart your sales using the latest social media tools and best practices
• Manage, defend and grow your social media reputation to your advantage
• Boost your social presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, blogs & more

Learn more and register!

* Ogoing CEO has presented at many business associations including Asian Business Association, SABAN, Irvine Chamber of Commerce, Indian-American Business Federation, UC Irvine, Rotary Club, Indian Medical Association, and many businesses.

Best Product Innovation of 2011 - Vote now!

What was the most innovative product of 2011? Which product made the most difference in our daily lives in 2011? We invite you to vote for the best product innovation of 2011!

Vote for the Best Product Innovation of 2011

You Voted! We had the voting open for 15 days! And the winner with 32% of the vote is:

Apple iPad 2 

Apple iPhone 4S was in 2nd place with 24% of the vote, and Amazon Kindle Fire rounded out the 3rd place with 11% of the vote!

Why start-ups fail?

Tarang Shah has created an amazing first-hand resource book for technology entrepreneurs that addresses three critical questions:
1. Why do most start-ups fail, and what you can learn from these failures?
2. Why do few start-ups succeed, and what is their secret sauce?
3. What do start-ups need to get funded, and what are VCs looking from start-ups?

Rather than present anecdotal study or sharing grapevine stories, Tarang went straight to the source: interviewing best venture capitalists that evaluate, fund and mentor these start-ups (many of whom have been entrepreneurs themselves), and founders of today's hot technology start-ups who are leading in a highly competitive marketplace. This is what sets this book apart. It is real information presented in an easy to comprehend question - answer interview format.

I recommend this book for every technology entrepreneur or investor looking to build or fund a successful start-up. It is a must read for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Some answers from Venture Capitalists and Entrepreneurs on why most start-ups fail:
Mike Maples of Floodgate Fund: "The most obvious answer is they run out of money! But I think it’s a little deeper than that. I have a little bit of a different view on start-ups. I basically believe most start-ups are not meant to be successful and the hightech business is a business of “exceptionalism” and winner-take-all. What happens is, there are very disruptive technology shifts that occur from time to time and a small number of companies ride the wave created by these shifts. And through a combination of luck and skill and timing, produce huge outcomes that were just meant to be."

George Zachary of Charles River Ventures: "I would say if there is one main answer, it is the real failure on the part of the founders to find the right product-market fit. And there is usually missing a relentless, robust process to find it. It is as much a science as it is an art.While getting to product-market fit is really important, I think something that is more important from a personality perspective is that if you are not relentless as an entrepreneur, you are probably going to fail. You are exposing yourself way more to luck. The relentless drive of founders is what allows them to get opportunities and not just be subject to luck."

Sean Dalton of Highland Capital Partners: "In my experience, there are two ways in which start-ups fail. The first one is when the board, despite very clear evidence to the contrary, continues to fund a losing proposition. This is really a variant of the definition of insanity—doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. There is a second, less common but I think more honorable way that a startup company fails. That is when the VC and the CEO or management team sits down and basically says, “Look, we got into business to do X. It is not working. We have tried to make other things work and they too are just not working, so let’s call a spade a spade and figure out how to gracefully exit from this. Then we can find the next great opportunity to work on together.”"

Howard Morgan of Idealab: "two reasons why they fail … people do not buy their product, that’s number one. Number two is being undercapitalized. They do not have enough money to sell it after they have it built. I think much more rarely they cannot build it. In today’s world, that is less common, mainly because we usually do not see the product until they have built a pretty good prototype. Certainly in the software side of the world that is true. In the hardware side, it is a little tougher. Then of course, [there are] people issues."

Tim Draper of Draper, Fisher, Jurvetson: "The first one is that they run out of money and run out of energy. The great entrepreneurs, they go and go and go and run on fumes, and keep their company alive. So it really has to do with runway. The company has to be able to be in business long enough for people to start to notice them. So how you would fail, it would be that runway ends either sharply or too soon. The runway can end sharply like when a bank calls the loan, or an entrepreneur just gives up and quits, or a number of other ways. People don’t get along and don’t believe anymore. Those kinds of things can happen."

Michael Birch of Bebo:"It generally always comes down to execution. Most companies are not executing the business or product. I think the hardest thing to do is build great products. If you build great products, you generally do quite well."

Gus Tai of Trinity Ventures: "I believe the number-one reason start-ups fail is that the management team doesn’t take enough time to truly understand the customer. I will put this under “cherishing the customer. The number-two reason they fail is that they don’t put together the right team to do the right things. I will put this under “creating the right team to tackle the right problems.””

Ann Winblad of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners: "To me, most start-ups that get off track are usually due to leadership. You are looking at people with families and people that you may have worked with forever. You are saying to the CEO, “You are not it.” You have to be very strict to do this. Adherence to the strict success metrics is really one of the big reasons for success. You have to be very tough about following key metrics."

Roger Lee of Battery Ventures: "There are three different axes against which you evaluate a start-up in the rear view mirror. One is the team, two is the market, and three is timing. You really need all three of those things to come together in order for a company to succeed."

Mike Hodges of ATA Ventures: "Start-ups fail for the following key reasons: 1) poor product specifications, 2) poor project management, 3) a product no one wants—and hence poor gross margins, and 4) general chaos caused by an undisciplined CEO."

What you will learn from this book:
1. Many more reasons why startups fail
2. Common entrepreneurial mistakes you can avoid
3. How to build an “A” team and a culture of success
4. Successful relationship dynamics between entrepreneur and investors
5. When to slow down, ramp up, and scale companies
6. Knowing when to sell a business, keep growing, or shut it down
7. How venture capitalists identify promising markets, entrepreneurs, and companies
8. What venture capitalists are looking for in entrepreneurs and business plans

Most helpful customer review (from Amazon.com):
Invaluable look at technology entrepreneurship and venture capital
By ASG

Tarang Shah has provided an insightful and expansive look at technology venture investing. Drawing upon his tenure at global venture firm SoftBank Capital and world-class network of entrepreneurs and investors, Shah presents 35 in-depth interviews with well-known investors such as Roelof Botha at Sequoia Capital, Mike Maples at Floodgate Fund and George Zachary at Charles River Ventures.

When reading Shah's book, it feels as if you're in the same room with Shah and his interviewees. While Shah rightly asks identical questions of each investor, the answers are fascinatingly diverse and thoughtful.

If you're a new or experienced entrepreneur, the advice and insights in Shah's book are priceless.

References:

Venture Capitalists at Work: How VCs Identify and Build Billion-Dollar Successes

By Tarang Shah, Sheetal Shah

Is Social Media a Giant Bubble?

What happened to Friendster, Myspace and Orkut? These social networks dominated their original markets for years, and were undisputed leaders. Until Facebook came along, and disrupted their leadership roles. Now, Facebook is the leader.

Are social media users fickle, and always looking for a better place to network and connect?  Would they *switch* to a better social network in the future? Would users belong to multiple social networks?  Or would there be one gateway that connects users to multiple social networks? What would that social gateway look like? Who will challenge Facebook?

People today have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, Yelp, Picasa, Flickr, Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Would these users continue to use all of these social, community and professional networks in the future? Or would they consolidate?

Either social media will become so ingrained in our personal, community and work lives that it will become second nature; Or, newer modalities and innovations in social connectivity will emerge that will change the way we consume social media.

According to Liz Gannes of All Things D: "Where in the past, tech industry watchers derided new start-ups for launching “yet another social network,” ever more users seem to be constructing multiple online presences that utilize the strengths of various platforms and networks. And this splintered approach is only going to increase." Do you agree with Liz?

Currently, social media is predominantly centered around people sharing with people, professionals sharing with professionals, and communities sharing within communities. Newer trends in social networking are forming, wherein people are sharing with business, professionals are sharing with business, businesses are sharing with businesses, and businesses are sharing with communities. It is interesting that people don't take the time to say hello to their neighbors; however, they enjoy using social media to share. In the future, social networks could become event, news or activities driven; segmented around industries, interests or markets; localized around neighborhoods, communities and causes; connected around geographies, regions or ethnicity; privatized around schools, colleges or workplaces. Everything could be inter-connected using social networks on computers, mobile phones, tablets, televisions and new devices.

No one social network can appeal to all the user and behavior segments. Large social networks will try to add features and functionality to appeal to a majority of segments... however, networks that try to build everything for everybody will become generalists and complex, and will get disrupted by new specialists. Which social networks will be around in five years, and which ones will emerge? Only time will tell. However, if history is a judge, some of the well known social networks of today will not be around tomorrow, or get consolidated.

One social network that is emerging, specialized and exclusive for the small business community is Ogoing. If you are a small business or entrepreneur that wants a great business profile, a place to promote deals and products, attract new customers, make local connections, and boost social brand, take a look at Ogoing. Ogoing is the leading social network for small business. Sign up on Ogoing for free, and turbo charge your business social media. Go here to get started on Ogoing!

Social Networking for Business

If you own, manage or promote your business, have you joined a social network or two? What results have you seen from joining a social network for your business? Simply put, has it been worth your while? We are talking about social networks which are external for your business.

There are many social networks to consider today! What network works best for your company? What criteria would you use, as you evaluate social networking that helps you boost your business?

Here are the top three reasons why you should get started on a social network or two for your organization:

1. Get more prospects and customers - Ask yourself, why your business does any marketing at all? What is the primary reason for having a company website? Where do you find your prospects? How do you convert your prospects into real customers? A social network must ultimately result in driving more leads for your business. Although the lead funnel may not happen overnight, it must happen within weeks to months. There is a common misconception that when a business has more followers or fans, it will drive more sales. The quality of contacts matter the most! Your business may have thousands of followers, but very few may be interested in buying anything. How would you drive quality leads? Social Networking is not a get rich quick game. Rather, it takes time and patience to build a real following (unless you are an established brand or celebrity such as Coke or Lady Gaga). Be real on a social network! Share expert information and insights. Provide free stuff, discounts, coupons or loyalty points. Keep your readers intrigued with quality information. The more you stay true, the more prospects and customers you will garner, eventually!  

2. Increase customer loyalty - This by far has been the biggest claim to fame for business social networking. A social network brings you closer to your customers and gets them engaged. In some cases, your customers may get too close! On the one hand, your business can cleverly leverage social networks to provide better customer service, get proactive customer feedback, obtain recommendations, and even get customers to share great ideas. However, if you open yourself for customer service, get ready to hear an earful. Customers won't shy away from sharing their negative experiences over and over again publicly. Hear them out! Be a great listener. Apologize. And follow through by providing excellent customer service. Turn that negative customer experience into a positive one! An irate customer who gets great customer service can become a happy and loyal customer for life. Icing on the cake: Customers see that you care!

Now that your business has opened this new social network channel for providing transparent customer service, stage two will include asking these customers for feedback on everything... for instance, a new marketing campaign and asking them to vote for the one they really like, or a new product feature or enhancement and hearing their thoughts. The loyal customers would be more than happy to share favorable recommendations and testimonials. The unhappy customers will likewise share negative views. Be ready for both! The goal for your business is to get more positive reviews; at least four stars or better. Better the reviews and ratings, better the potential of attracting new prospects. Finally, receptive customers will likely share new ideas about your brand, current products, competition, and trends. Social Networks can act as great vehicles for increasing customer loyalty, and extracting maximum value from your customers.  

3. Become The brand - A social network is quite possibly the biggest brand equalizer. It sure is great to have the brand and following of a Nike or Starbucks; but, by the same token, a greater brand means even greater scrutiny. You are always under the microscope of corporate social responsibility, and what you think, say and do is analyzed 24/7 by the press, customers, competition and everyone at large. Say or do one bad thing, and your brand gets a huge hit! And in most cases, an irreparable one. On the other hand, if you are a small, niche brand, the social network can do wonders for your business! You can become the most relevant brand for your market by doing the things that matter most for your customers, partners, suppliers, and the community. How you become The Brand? By doing good business. By delivering quality service. By sharing profits. By helping good causes. By caring for your community. Each good action that you undertake adds to your brand value. These actions will transform your brand into the most powerful brand in the marketplace. It takes time to build that brand, and become the word-of-mouth brand that resonates with Kleenex, FedEx or WebEx. Sharing and Caring go hand in hand with Networking. Brand prominence can't happen without investing into planning, goal setting and executing, and staying the course. Hiccups will happen. However, if you follow the best practices of delighting your customers over and over again, you can establish a strong local brand presence, one that customers will remember and recommend.

What social network can do all of the above for your business? LinkedIn is great for professionals, Twitter works for celebrities and big brands, Facebook is amazing for consumers and friends, Yelp is superb for reviews and retailers, Google Plus is great for getting that jump start, YouTube is tops for business videos and stories, Foursquare is great for checking in, and the list goes on...

If you are a small business that wants it all, a great business profile, a place to promote your deals and products, find new customers, make new connections, and boost your brand, take a look at Ogoing. Ogoing is the leading social network for small business. Check out Ogoing, and turbo charge your social media.

Paris Autolib innovative electric car service unveiled

Breff driving the Autolib electric car in Paris. - YouTube

Autolib' electric car service will be launched in Paris next Monday. In Paris and Ile de France cities, users will be able to sign up for daily, weekly or annual memberships ranging from 10 euros to 144 euros, with users paying according to the length of time the car is used.

Paris, in its latest bid to be an innovator of the City of Tomorrow, is launching an electric car-sharing program to cut air and noise pollution on the city's medieval cobblestone streets and beyond. 250 vehicles hit the road on Monday, 2,000 are expected by next summer and 3,000 are planned within the next two years. More info

For the last six months, crews with jackhammers have been outfitting sidewalks with some of the 1,200 charging stations and marking off parking spaces that will be reserved exclusively for Autolib' users. Autolib will allow any Parisian or visitor to easily rent an electric car for few hours and drop it off at any of the locations citywide.

Bottomline:
Paris is leading by example, and walking the walk of going green. Paris transformed the biking habits of residents by launching the wildly successful Velib bicycle sharing program back in 2007. Today, the city and its suburbs have 1,800 docking stations holding more than 20,000 bikes. If Autolib' electric car program sees the same level of success, there will be many more cities worldwide who will follow Paris' innovative lead.