Open mic night on sbbuzz. Our participants asked their own small business questions.
- We’re on every Tuesday from 8-9 pm EST. The next chat will be held on September 21, 2010.
- You can read the instructions on how to participate here: http://sbbuzz.biz/instructions
- Invite others to join in, help them get started. We started this chat to facilitate conversation between small biz owners.
| sbbuzz: | Welcome to #sbbuzz, a Tweetchat for the next hour of small biz talking technology on Twitter. Join us! http://sbbuzz.biz/instructions |
| sbbuzz: | Rules: 1)NO pitching till end 2)Be nice 3)Stay ON TOPIC! 4)Send ?s for group to me w/o hashtag 5)Use #sbbuzz in all messages 6)Have fun! |
| sbbuzz: | Start off w/an INTRO: 1 message about you and your business and whatever else we need to know. #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | Hi. I?m a web designr/developr @chaostoclarity. I show small biz & freelancers how 2 take advantage of the web. #chaostoclarity #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @sbbuzz Hi – I’m Scott and I work on the @batchblue Customer Experience Team. I also blog about tech and music at various places. #sbbuzz |
| stellel: | Hi, I’m Christelle… Another @batchblue staffer. Looking forward to the open mic format this evening! #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | Hi folks. It’s the same me it is every week. Intimate crowd tonight. Will make the karaoke portion more fun.  #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | Tonight is open mic night at #sbbuzz, so anyone can ask a question of the crowd. |
| sbbuzz: | I’ll start us off with one from the archives – QUESTION: Where do you typically hear about new tech services and solutions? #sbbuzz |
| My_WebEvent: | This is Steph with @My_WebEvent! Sorry I’m late! #sbbuzz |
| mentormarketing: | I consume Mashable for new SM tools, it is my goto source. #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | A1: mainly blogs. mashable.com is a great one. #sbbuzz |
| stellel: | I often hear about new things on the twitters…  #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | @mentormarketing Great minds think alike. I also like lifehacker.com #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @sbbuzz Q1) Twitter, PR folks, and of course @webworkerdaily  #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | Q1: I hear about the latest tech from the folks in my offuice. But I work with mostly geeks. #sbbuzz |
| stellel: | Oh, and @scoblitz, of course… #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | For blogs – @webworkerdaily, @techcrunch and @thesmallbusinessweb #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | What she said RT @stellel: Oh, and @scoblitz, of course… #sbbuzz |
| My_WebEvent: | @mentormarketing Good Evening! Nice to see you here! #sbbuzz |
| mentormarketing: | @My_WebEvent Evening Steph how has the summer and the rebranding gone? #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | Since no one is stepping up to the #sbbuzz mic, I am handing it over to @scoblitz Scott, any questions/thoughts for the crowd? |
| Zimana_: | @smallbiztrends and @RamonRay are my first two sources, followed by @Mashable for social media #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @sbbuzz thanks so much for that #sbbuzz |
| stellel: | @scoblitz Well, you are our go-to guy… #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @sbbuzz One of my challenges right now is sheer volume of incoming messages. Even with gmail filtering I spend too much time there. #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | RT @scoblitz: @sbbuzz One of my challenges right now is sheer volume of incoming messages. Even with gmail filtering I spend too much time there. #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @sbbuzz So my question is how do you manage incoming information overload? #sbbuzz |
| mentormarketing: | I don’t I drown, sink to the bottom, and them push up for a breathe RT @scoblitz: Info Overload #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | A2: I’ve started using gmail’s priority inbox. It helps some. #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @TraceyHolinka me too – I think it will help a lot but I need to trust it first to know that I’m not missing important items. #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | #sbbuzz I recently got to inbox 50 & now won’t go to bed at night unless below that. I’m 2 days into this policy, so we’ll see if it lasts. |
| pmohara: | @scoblitz @tracyholinka yes, I’m scared to try it. That’s what motivated me to do it manually, though #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @pmohara 2 days is good – they say it takes either 21, 23 or 30 days to make a habit (you know, depending on who you ask) #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | Another problem is multiple email accounts & multiple people monitoring them. I need a Hootsuite for email. #sbbuzz |
| Zimana_: | @scoblitz @sbbuzz I use email to help confirm conversations — following threads reinforces follow up with people #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | Anyone else with a topic they’d like discussed? If not, I’m going RIcky Lake again and pulling someone out of their seat. #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | @scoblitz Well at least we can switch back to a regular inbox. #sbbuzz |
| stellel: | Pick me! Pick me! #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | Yeah, pick @stellel #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @TraceyHolinka For shared email something like Mailroom might be a good option – http://www.sproutit.com/ #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | @stellel Microphone flying through the air into your talented hands – hit it Lady C! #sbbuzz |
| stellel: | I was reading this http://bit.ly/buk5Oi and I wonder how people handle being virtual or working outside of the office? Tips? #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | @scoblitz Thanks. Mailroom looks promising. #sbbuzz |
| Zimana_: | @sbbuzz A question I have is to what degree data security impacted your sales or client relationships #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | RT @stellel: I was reading this http://bit.ly/buk5Oi and I wonder how people handle being virtual or working outside of the office? Tips? #sbbuzz |
| My_WebEvent: | @stellel Our service was built for people to be able to meet virtually, collaborate, interact & not pay a fortune! We use us! #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | I’m one of those that prefer my home office w/ my Mac Pro. Until I get an iPad (I really need one @JoGolden) that’s where I’ll be. #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @sbbuzz It’s a challenge – I’m going to start going in to the office a few days a week I think. #sbbuzz |
| My_WebEvent: | @TraceyHolinka MacBook Pro anywhere is perfect! LOL #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | I found working entirely virtually too hard. Flexible time is a necessity, but I need the non-verbal communication, too. #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @sbbuzz Q3) We use Skype a lot which helps. So much happens in those spare moments you aren’t privy too though. #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | Great question, though. Maybe more video would help? Or more people tweeting from the water cooler? #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | Have to check out @my_webevent, too! #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | Final question – RT @Zimana_: @sbbuzz A question I have is to what degree data security impacted your sales or client relationships #sbbuzz |
| My_WebEvent: | @pmohara Thanks! #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @TraceyHolinka I usually work from the home office but sometimes I can’t get myself there and just stay at home on the couch. #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @sbbuzz Q4(or 5…) Data security is important. I think being clear and honest with your policy is key. #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | @scoblitz I do some of my best thinking on the couch. I have a PC laptop that I’m not so found of but I use it. #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | Q5 I agree w/scoblitz that data security is important & esp if you’re working with client data. Check your vendor’s policies! #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | Thanks for trying out the new format tonight, folks. It is now Pitch Time. Please tell us a little about your business. #sbbuzz |
| TraceyHolinka: | @chaostoclarity helps small biz & freelancers use social networking/media & the Web to grow their biz #chaostoclarity #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | If you’d like a once-a-week e-mail reminder of #sbbuzz (including the topic) sign up at http://sbbuzz.net #sbbuzz |
| My_WebEvent: | We provide Audio/Video Broadcasting, Desktop Share, Webinar, Affiliate Program, more! Check us out! www.MyWebEvent.com #sbbuzz |
| pmohara: | Thanks all! Pamela here from @batchblue @traceyholinka – sorry we ran out of time for your solo! #sbbuzz |
| sbbuzz: | #sbbuzz is a small business Twitter chat hosted each Tuesday night 8-9 PM ET by the folks from @batchblue Come again soon! |
| My_WebEvent: | Nice chatting with you all! #sbbuzz |
| scoblitz: | @sbbuzz Thanks everyone – nice chat tonight! #sbbuzz |
Thanks for the links. For the one man band kind of business it is often invigorating just to see that many other people are going through the same kinds of things and how they deal with it.