Listen to Podcast of Interview with Founders of Copinionation

Kimberly Bradford-Brown and William Bradford Jr., co-founders of the new social media web site, Copinionation, were guests on the June 20 edition of Economic Perspectives.  Copinionation allows its visitors to create and participate in interactive polls and surveys. To listen to the interview click here: Copinionation Interview.

Listen to Interview: Funding Opportunities For Entrepreneurs & Innovative Digital News Ideas

On the November 1 edition of Economic Perspectives, a wealth of information was provided on sources of funding for entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers in digital news media.  Guest Irene Mwathi discussed the agenda of the National Black MBA Association Annual Entrepreneurial Conference which will feature venture capitalists and community development financial institutions on November 12, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the UT Austin AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center.  Mwathi, who is chairman of the Entrepreneurial Conference, also discussed how she was able to successfully raise equity for her technology firm.

The show also featured John Bracken discussing Knight News Challenge, an initiative which awards competitive grants from the Knight Foundation for innovative ideas for using digital media to deliver news and information to geographically defined communities.  Bracken is Director of Digital Media for the Knight Foundation.

To listen to the interview click here: Irene Mwathi & John Bracken Interview.

Book Review – Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business by Amber Mac

By Tim Chamberlain

If you think that your business can’t benefit from using tools like Facebook, Twitter or a plethora of other emerging social media tools, Amber Mac is out to prove you wrong with her new book, Power Friending.

Power Friending is aimed at businesspeople that may have considered joining the growing numbers of professional social media users but didn’t think they had the time, resources or knowledge to do so. Mac does an excellent job of covering the basics of this new way of interacting with customers, and in this way demystifies not only how this new technology works, but how it can be a huge benefit. While this book is a great primer for those new to social media, the number of tools, strategies and examples presented by Mac would benefit even relatively savvy users.

The most important section in Power Friending is Mac’s chapter on the ABCs of social media engagement: authenticity, bravery and consistency. You must have authentic interactions with your customers, be brave with both criticism and innovation, and have consistent engagement with your audience. The rest of Power Friending provides excellent support for these rules, mainly through the real-world stories of companies that have succeeded and failed in their social media forays.

However, Mac does get beyond the basics. As she demonstrates throughout, the strategy and execution of any social media campaign needs to be handled with care and forethought. Poorly planned and executed campaigns can seriously damage customer relationships. Also, whether your business is a large company or a one-person operation, Mac provides practical examples of what can be implemented on any budget or manpower level.

Mac is a new media journalist, speaker and consultant, and her obvious passion for this arena is evident throughout the book—her many examples and anecdotes come mainly from her own online experiences. Though she is an expert in this field, she never comes off as condescending or overly technical. Quite the opposite: Mac is able to describe the important concepts of social media engagement for a business in a very accessible way.

Amber Mac will be a guest on the August 2 Economic Perspectives, 5:50 p.m. – 6 p.m. on KAZI 88.7 FM.  Listen live at kazifm.org.

Managing Your Business Cash Flow and Social Media Focus of August 2 Economic Perspectives

Certified Public Accountant Philip Campbell will discuss 10 cash flow rules entrepreneurs can’t afford to ignore on the August 2 edition of Economic Perspectives on KAZI 88.7 FM, 5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. The second guest on Economic Perspectives will be Amber Mac, author of Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business.  Listen live online at kazifm.org.

Campbell has 27 years experience in business and is the author of Never Run Out of Cash: The 10 Cash Flow Rules You Can’t Afford to Ignore. He has served as an officer in a number of growing companies with revenues ranging from $5 million up to $900 million. He has been involved in the acquisition or sale of 33 companies, and an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.

Amber MacArthur is a new media host/producer, strategist, and speaker. Most recently Amber worked at Citytv as its New Media Specialist in 2006, reporting on new media and interactive news and trends on a national news program and hosting/producing Webnation, a half-hour current affairs program about internet culture. Prior to Citytv, Amber spent two years working as a TV host/producer with tech guru Leo Laporte at G4techTV, a national television channel entirely devoted to technology.