Civic Engagement System™ – We Need Your Feedback!

Civic Engagement System™My client, the Maui Economic Development Board, needs your help with securing a major grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Island Innovation Fund.

The process is now in the “Collaboration” phase and we need feedback to strengthen our proposal before the final submission.

More information on the Focus Maui Nui website ->

Live Tweeting An Event: #Focus2010

We’re in the middle of election season and I led a small team of live tweeters during a gubernatorial debate between candidates Lt. Governor James “Duke” Aiona and U.S. Congressman Neil Abercrombie last night, hosted by the Maui Economic Development Board in connection with their Focus Maui Nui program.

Who's who of Maui, McCoy TheaterWe were seated in a designated “tweetbox” in the back row of the McCoy Theater at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, where we could see everything. The event was invitation-only, and it was a veritable who’s who of Maui. Kayla Rosenfeld (@radiogal777) did a wonderful job moderating the event.

The purpose of live tweeting is to give your Twitter followers a window into the event and give them an opportunity to participate and be a part of it even though they can’t attend. The event was aired on local radio and television stations as well, but sometimes, the social media channel can the most convenient.
TwMediaNet tweeting about #Focus2010

@raatz and @AMauiBlog live tweeting the #Focus2010 event.

@raatz and @AMauiBlog live tweeting the #Focus2010 event.

I only had @raatz and @AMauiBlog with me in our little “tweetbox” section, but the beauty of doing something like this with an existing social graph is others start joining in after a while with retweets.

I took a little time out and posted the link to the blog post where everyone could find the live channels to tune into on Facebook and Twitter, and pretty soon, others were listening in and live tweeting as well, so our little team of three grew by several virtual members. This is one of those instances where old and new media can work well together.

For a blow by blow of the evening, here’s a collection of the tweets with our #focus2010 hashtag, via Tweetdoc.

How To Use RSS For Your Business

Here are the slides I’m using at the RSS workshop today…



Upcoming RSS Workshop At High Tech Maui

RSS iconSome of the surveys that came back from our ongoing social media workshop series at High Tech Maui revealed a demand for a class about RSS.

We have scheduled an in-depth session on RSS July 29, 2010 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Malcolm Center, 1305 Holopono St., Suite 1, Kihei.

If the modern Web had a secret sauce, it would be RSS. It stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is the way content is carried from one website to another, as well as to applications on various platforms, including your phone.

Sign up quickly. Seating is limited to 20. Cost: $25.

Upcoming LinkedIn Workshop at High Tech Maui

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the LinkedIn Workshop scheduled for this Wednesday, July 14 has been cancelled.  This will be rescheduled at a later date.

LinkedIn logoMany of the surveys that came back from our ongoing social media workshop series at High Tech Maui revealed a demand for a LinkedIn class. Ask and ye shall receive!

We have scheduled an in-depth LinkedIn session July 14, 2010 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Malcolm Center, 1305 Holopono St., Suite 1, Kihei.

LinkedIn is a business networking site with more than 70 million users and growing rapidly. It allows you to leverage your trusted business contacts and share knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with professionals in your area of expertise.

Sign up quickly. Seating is limited to 20. Cost: $25.

How To Use Social Media To Improve Your Business

Kathy Becklin with Kaiscapes Internet ConsultingBack in February, Peter gave his first “Social Media 101″ workshop with High Tech Maui, a program of the Maui Economic Development Board. Due to popular demand, this was followed up by in-depth workshops on Facebook, blogging and Twitter over the following months.

We are now repeating the series, starting from the beginning with How to Use Social Media to Improve Your Business for those who missed it (or just want to experience it all over again), only this time, I will be teaching the workshop. Peter will be there too, but it’s time I took the stage and presented my take on things.

This class is on Wednesday, June  30, 2010, 9:00–11:00 a.m. at Malcolm Center (MEDB), 1305 Holopono St., Suite 1 in Kihei.

The agenda will be similar to the last time, but incorporates some of the changes that have happened in the social media world over the last few months.  Just like last time, I’ll be giving you some straight scoop, dispelling some myths and providing as much guidance as I can to help you decide whether social media should be a part of your business strategies going forward, and how to proceed.

Registration is $25, and limited to 20 people. Sign up quickly before the class fills up!

Over the next few months, we’ll be repeating the rest of the workshop series, including blogging, Facebook and Twitter, plus adding a few new workshops in response to demand for hot topics such as RSS feeds and LinkedIn.

Social Media 101 Workshop

High Tech MauiI’m starting the cycle of social media training over again by offering my How To Use Social Media For Your Business workshop at High Tech Maui on Wednesday, June 30, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Malcolm Center, 1305 Holopono St., Suite 1 in Kihei.

I’ll be giving a broad overview of social media and the elements of building the right strategy for your business to improve engagement and extend the reach of your brand with the tools available on today’s Web.

The cost is $25, and seating is limited to 20.

Sign up now! Hope to see you there.

New Twitter Workshop Now Open For Registration

High Tech MauiBy popular demand, I’m giving a workshop on Twitter for High Tech Maui on Thursday, May 27 at the Malcolm Center, 1305 Holopono St., Suite 1 in Kihei.

There are two times available, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The cost is $35, and seating is limited to 20.

Sign up now! Hope to see you there.

How To Blog For Your Business

Here are the slides I’m using for my workshops on blogging for business…



New Blogging Workshop Now Open For Registration

High Tech MauiThe next in-depth social media workshop in the High Tech Maui series is How To Blog For Your Business, scheduled for April 29, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. As this workshop is full, a second one has been scheduled for April 30, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

A good blog is the “voice” of your business or brand, and a linchpin for your online presence. Learning how to maximize the effectiveness of your blog can be crucial to your success in using social media for your business.

Register here and bring your computers! Looking forward to seeing you there!