Florida is host to some 300 regional and hemispheric headquarters of companies from all over the world, making it a pillar of international business and trade. Many international firms base other facilities, such as those for warehousing, distribution and manufacturing, in Florida to take advantage of its easy access to global markets.
In Tampa Bay itself, there are 79 international businesses, and for the first time, in collaboration with 8 international Chambers, The International Business Summit 2008 is taking place tomorrow May 1 at the Tampa Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. promoting its theme: "Collaboration and Growth through Diversity."
Don't miss the opportunity to learn about what lies ahead for Tampa Bay in the international arena. For more details, please listen to my interview with two of the officers of IB, Ivette Mayo, President of The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay and Solange Benoit, Secretary of the American-Caribbean Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay.
Podcast also available in iTunes.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
International Business Summit 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
When it comes to social media, your message is not longer in your hands
The web has changed the way people communicate, and it is changing the way companies communicate with current and future customers. Your “message” is no longer in your hands - and truth be told, it never really was. There are millions of blogs being created every week, each one searchable by search engines. Anyone - and everyone - can now be a self-published critic of anything – and everything. And of course it’s not just blogs anymore. It’s social forums like MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Linkin and a thousand others.
Blogging for blogging sake, while fun, isn't being read by anyone if it isn't backed by sound strategies designed to give your corporate blog greater readership and respectability. Though a relatively new trend, blogging has moved far beyond the fad stage and is now a legitimate and acceptable means for online presence management. Corporate blogging is a relatively inexpensive and simple online strategy your company can benefit from, if you know how to effectively manage the practice.
One of the most difficult things about podcasting is keeping your shows fresh and relevant. If you actually have something to say, then by all means you should let it be heard. But if you are podcasting for the sake of podcasting and simply talking about how great your company is, it’s a pointless exercise that will ring hollow with your listeners.
People appreciate and respect candor, humor, honesty (maybe even a little irreverence) and real efforts aimed at engaging consumers and addressing issues they may have. If your podcast is merely another company mouthpiece, your listenership will suffer, as will your brand’s reputation.
The following points are suggestions for making your social media site an enjoyable experience for your visitors - and a success for your online presence management.
Stay Honest-
Your readers will appreciate a blog that does more than just cheer on the company. Blogs can be glimpses into the lives behind the corporate frontage.
Keep it Moving –
Post Frequently Fresh content keeps readers coming back. If your blog remains idle for a week or more, people will stop returning to it. One post a day is not too much.
Share-
If you find something newsworthy in your industry, share a link to that story or article with your readers. Linking improves your chances of being seen by others.
Tag It -
“Tags” or “categories” are the words at the bottom of your blog post that tell the various aggregators what is important about this post. For instance, writing about a new technique in laser surgery might be tagged with “laser surgery.”
Put Information in Your Titles –
Or Be Intriguing The title of each post is sometimes the only thing some readers will pay attention to. Like a newspaper headline, it should “grab” or otherwise intrigue a reader to keep reading.
People Like Pictures-
A picture in your post is always helpful in conveying your main idea. It can be funny or informative.
Check Spelling-
Like it or not, people judge us by our use and misuse of the English language. Misspellings can hurt you.
Moderate Comments-
Comment moderation allows you the control of deleting abusive comments before they appear on your blog. Unless it becomes a nuisance and people are abusing this privilege, allow anonymous comments.
Controlling -
Comment Spam Sadly, the spammers have figured out ways to post comments on blogs. Make sure your commenters are required to type in a word verification.
Avoid Fights-
Sometimes people will challenge claims you make in a blog post. They might even call you unkind things in the comments section. Address their concerns without resorting to mudslinging. Keep the discussion civil.
Promote -
Your blog is your blog. It is perfectly acceptable to promote upcoming events, specials, appearances, speeches and anything else about your company.
Visit and Comment at Other Social Media Sites-
A great way to drive traffic to your own site is to visit other blogs and offer relevant comments about a particular post. Just showing up to offer relevant comments without promoting your business directly is in fact, promoting your business.
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Busting the Myths of Personal Branding
The most radical approach you can learn to stand out from the crowd is to listen to "Your 2 Cents Matter" show at BlogTalkRadio (BTR). I have chosen the topic of personal branding to launch our first segment because I recently participated in a diverse panel that covered Successful Strategies for Obtaining a Job at the University of Tampa, Florida. At the end of the session on April 5th, I was touched by the candid stories that the participants in the event shared with me. And my purpose tonight is to continue the conversation. I hope you can join us now with your questions or later online on our blog of course.
Under any circumstances, losing a job or unplanned transition careers are pleasant, but it doesn't have to spell financial disaster despite the economic challeges. Periods of unemployment are commonplace for many people these days and is not longer an indication of poor performance. Unless you deal with unethical issues that might caused you to loose your job, there is not reason to feel unworthy of finding greater and better opportunities, you just need to make adjustments as you go through a job transition.
Now because the number of job losses have been significant in numbers last month, I wanted to dedicate this segment to those of you who are hitting wall and wish you are inspired to take a more productive approach to finding a job in a competitive environment. Yes, the market is competitive and challenging because with globalization we are not only competing with remarkable talent in our country but also foreign talent. It is O.K. tought. We need a reality check. Once you accept reality as it is, it is not as bad as it looks.
That being said, given the fact that what I am about to share with you applies also to those who are stuck on a job that they hate or feel they don’t have enough to give to their professional and personal lives. Frequently people easily think that age, lack of skills in-demand or looks put them in disadvantage. Trust me, you’re not alone. And these days, there are thousands and thousands of people in the same shoes feeling intimidated by competition.
But why let external conditions get on the way of your own survival? Now it's your turn! Take this step-by-step podcast and use my tips to take charge of your life and career’s future.
Everything I will share with you tonight is the results of years of market research and helping hundreds of individual developed a personal brand successful enough to apply in their job search, starting their own businesses or to improve their current careers.
1) Where do you stand at now?
Be ready to restore the passion in your life? Do me a favor, please explore what may have steered you off track. Find out how to pin down what invigorates you—and holds you back—at work.
2) Identify top 5 strengths that make awesome?
But be totally practical on this excersice. The key here is to find what makes totally unique. Find within yourself the areas you are good at it. Better yet, the areas you are fabulous at. Maybe you are good listener. Maybe you love to volunteer in your neighborhood blog, maybe you organize great family events. Remember you need to identify skills that resonate within you. I am not talking about skills you learned at school. They come later. What I want you to do is to start maximizing your strengths first to build self confidence and understand the great person you indeed are.
3) Bust the Myths-
Many of the beliefs we have influence how we behave—and affect the way we work and live. Are these three common beliefs undermining your happiness? Age, physical appearance, race, hair, voice, disability. I will not denied that good looking people are easily accepted and liked in our society but if you manage to develop a great personal brand you can compensate any physical imperfection. If you watch American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, you will find these forums a perfect demonstration for my point. In these shows I have seen 60 year old men and women challenge their bodies to intense physical routines, a woman with an artificial leg and a deaf lady unable to hear the music. There are thounsands of remarkable individuals that have surpass adversity and become great athethes, successful business owners, models, dancers, and billionaires. They made it and so can you.
4) Internalize the process-
Once you internalize your strengths, eat, breath, sweet your inner strengths. Truly live them up by using them all day long. Start asking what would you do with your listening skills, for example. How that make you feel?
When you start living the truths of your own personal brand creation process, your strengths will have a chance to shine.
5) Create your Strengths Inventory
If you've done your homework, you should know where your strengths lie. Now it's time to amplify and truly embrace them.
6) Create your Weaknesses Inventory
You also need to identified your weaknesses and how they hold you back. Then, admit your weaknesses from a different perspective. Think of them as areas of improvements to eliminate average performances by minimizing your weaknesses and how they impact your day.
7) Design an action plan daily-
What strategies you need to apply to get closer to your job?, what actions do you need to take today?, who do you need to talk to? How do you want to ask for a job? How do you need to meet? Follow your own plan day by day, week after week and you will see what doors will open for you!
8) Network:
If you are comfortable following a traditional plan, and keep looking for a job in a conventional way. Go for it. It will take you longer and you will have to spend a lot of time begging for an interview. But if you want to achieve rapid results, combine your traditional network with social network on the Internet.
It is imperative that you need to create your own blog and position yourself as an expert. Buy your own name domain and build your resume online. Video tape yourself and explain your personal brand. Send it to three reputable recruiters and hiring authorities. Join professional groups in your area of expertise by creating a profile in most popular social networks such as Link-in, Facebook, YouTube. Volunteer in a local professional organization. Network smart. Do your research first and pick 3 people you want to connect with and build the relationship. Networking to be effective requires time and frequent action.
I hope you strart putting in practice these tips and you begin to achieve better results with your unique personal brand, which ultimately is the most important tool to differentiate yourself from others.
Please contact me with any questions, comments or concerns about this podcast transcript. Good night!
“Your 2 Cents Matter ”is an outlet for you, your clients and their interests.
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Monday, April 21, 2008
What happened to creativity?
If truly great ideas do come from anyone and anywhere, isn't it time we walked our talk and proved the power of listening, learning and collaborating accordingly?
Branding is just way too important to be left to a single person, a dynamic duo or a department anymore. Social Media Marketing is growing bigger that our own professional power.
Think about your organization and how it comes up with ideas; how much time is wasted by slowing down the process; how little time is actually spent collaborating with insiders and outsiders; how difficult it is to change course midstream or how much credence and influence are given to the public (consumers, customers, bloggers, etc.); how many different platforms or approaches were taken into account and to what extent every possibility was factored into the equation and the true potential of the ideas was realized.
The new creativity is a brilliantly blank canvas that demands complete immersion and representation by all parties, platforms, technologies and approaches. It's ours for the taking as long as we interact under the best practices of business and social media networking.
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BlogTalk Radio with Carmen
Welcome to “Your 2 Cents Matter,” LargerNet Broadcasting Show. “Your 2 Cents Matter” launched in April 2008 with a simple mission: To present an interactive forum in which mainstream intersects high net worth while at the same time, you will have the chance to “tweak the status quo” (if you wish); or to call it like you see it, and if that means ruffling a few tail feathers along the way, so be it. My goal as your host is to foster a culture of integrity, truthfulness and conviction that will naturally spillover to YOU, the individual and integral part of this World. “Your 2 Cents Matter” is your everyday source for news and ideas that affect you, your family, your money and your business.
Every show —whether it's a cautionary celebrity tale, a rags-to-riches story, politics, fashion or just plain fun— will have a primary focus on improving your life, career, finances and relationships through the magical power of branding. Updated weekly, “Your 2 Cents Matter” delivers national and international news that impacts your life decisions, your pocketbooks, and your future while all that is being shaped by your own point of view.
We bridge gaps. You don’t need to be a celebrity to have it all in your life. You don’t need to fear the power and risk of social media. You just need to know… To know how to tie the dots. As your host and branding coach, I will share strategies that teach you how to differentiate yourself, to win, to get to the future, first and confident, being yourself and not just a mere copy of somebody else.
The world has changed. The consumer has changed. To help you make sense of this change, please join me at BlogTalk Radio Show every Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. (EST). Our shows are discussed, dissected, and digested by community members, who want to learn from the news of what's happening in our world, and from the experts who can and will “walk the talk” for YOU. Why? Because “Your 2 Cents Matter” and collectively make things happen.
Please note we have move and have a brand new website. Take a look now at LargerNet
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Social Media Marketing
The web has changed the way people communicate, and it is changing the way companies communicate with existent and prospect customers. The key of working and interacting in the social media arena is honesty. It's simple and seemingly obvious approach that many companies have avoided to their peril. To engage the customer these days, it is important you don't enrage the customer, which posts a tricky balance if you don't take the time to learn and understand about Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. However, it is achievable if you work with reputable professionals who are out there blogging and making their mark in social networks.
Stumble It!