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Claire Green joined the Board staff in October 2012 as the Deputy Staff Director and was named the Staff Director in September 2013. Before that Ms. Green spent two and a half years on Capitol Hill as a Congressional Fellow through Georgetown University's Government Affairs Institute. Ms. Green worked for the Senate Finance Committee Majority on the Social Security/Budget Team on issues involving oversight of SSA, trust fund solvency, budget, debt limit and deficit reduction issues and a comparison of public and private sector group disability policies (covered under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act). Ms. Green worked in the disability component for SSA for 18 years earning over a dozen performance and team awards. She started as a decision writer and worked in progressively more responsible positions, most recently as Attorney Advisor to the Chief Judge where she worked on complex policy issues, the electronic business process, bias and misconduct complaints against Administrative Law Judges, and employee and labor relation issues. Ms. Green has a Juris Doctorate from Western State University College of Law; she completed the coursework for a Masters of Fine Arts in Professional Writing and Publishing from Emerson College; and graduated with honors from Assumption College with a double major in English and Sociology.
David Warner joined the Board staff in 1998 as a Policy Analyst, and currently serves as the Management Chief/Executive Officer. Mr. Warner began his career with the Federal Government in 1988 as a budget and program analyst for the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. He worked principally on the administrative budget for the Medicare program and the program and administrative budgets for the Medicaid program and SSA. Mr. Warner transferred to SSA in 1995. Until 1998, he served as a senior social insurance specialist for the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Legislation and Congressional Affairs. In 1998, Mr. Warner completed a developmental assignment as professional staff to the Social Security Subcommittee of the House Committee on Ways and Means. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin and a Master's Degree in public sector and non-profit financial management from the University of Maryland.
Joel Feinleib joined the Board staff in 2005 as the Staff Economist focusing on trust fund financing, OASDI reform proposals, empirical research and managing the quadrennial Technical Panel on Assumptions and Methods. He previously worked as a research consultant and policy analyst in Washington D.C. and Chicago specializing in the economic, demographic and statistical analysis of social policy issues. Mr. Feinleib holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago.
Jackie Chapin joined the Board staff in September 2011 as a Policy Analyst, and currently serves as the Policy Chief. She began her career with the Federal Government in 2004 as a Presidential Management Fellow with SSA's Office of Disability Policy in Baltimore, Maryland. She transferred to field office operations in the San Francisco region in 2005 and worked in field office management, specializing in Supplemental Security Income. During her time in the field, Dr. Chapin spent a year detailed to Baltimore working on disability policy. Prior to working for the Federal Government, she taught Sociology at colleges and universities in both Portland, Oregon and Riverside, California. Dr. Chapin worked as a registered nurse prior to studying sociology. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology at Cal State Los Angeles, and both her Master's and Doctoral Degrees in Sociology at the University of California at Riverside. While working for SSA, Dr. Chapin earned several agency awards including an Associate Commissioner's Citation and a Commissioner's Team Award for her work in disability policy.
Anita Grant joined the Board staff in 2016 and serves as Communications Director. Anita began her career with SSA in 1992, when she was hired as Teleservice Representative. Anita spent 23 years in SSA Operations, working in the Dallas Region, the Seattle Region, and SSA Headquarters in Baltimore. She rose through the ranks as a Service Representative; Claims Representative (specializing in Title II); Budget Analyst; Security Analyst; Management Analyst; Team Leader; Deputy Division Director; Executive Officer; and Division Director. She also worked with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at the Department of Education. She was selected as the Lead Project Manager for the Ready Retirement Team, where she oversaw and coordinated the rollout of SSA's online benefits application, iClaim, in 2009, and all subsequent releases of iClaim, which included the Medicare Only application in 2010. She was instrumental in creating policy changes that simplified the process for filing for benefits that resulted in significant savings to both the agency and the public. Anita was selected for the Seattle Regional Leadership and Management Development Program 2006 and was a graduate of SSA's National Advanced Leadership Program (ALP) in 2008. In 2012, Anita was selected for the Asian American Government Executive Network's inaugural Senior Executive Service Career Develop Program. Anita has received numerous Deputy Commissioner and Associate Commissioner Citation awards and was honored with a Commissioner's Team Award Citation. She was also the recipient of the Nextgov Award in 2010 for her work on the Ready Retirement Initiative. Anita has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington and a M.S. in Management from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.
In a 25-year career in Washington, DC, Jenn Rigger has built an expertise in the area of employment for people with disabilities, particularly social security beneficiaries' return-to-work efforts. She came to the board as a Social Security Administration (SSA) detailee in March, 2015, but her career began on Capitol Hill and in presidential primary campaigns. She spent eight years at the U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration, managing a broad portfolio of policy issues. Her 9-year tenure at SSA began as staff to the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel in 2006 and transitioned to SSA's employment support component after that. At the board, Ms. Rigger focuses on disability policy and administrative issues.
Caitlyn Tateishi joined the Board staff in April 2015 as a Director Assistant and currently serves as a Management Analyst. Prior to joining the Board, Ms. Tateishi was an English teacher in Fukuoka, Japan with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. She also completed a 27 month Peace Corps service in Zambia as a Rural Education Development volunteer. In Washington, D.C., Ms. Tateishi worked briefly at the Embassy of Japan processing application for the JET Program and as a Program Assistant for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program. She earned a B.A. in History from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.
Matthew Graves joined the Advisory Board as a Research Analyst in January 2016. Prior to joining the Board Staff he interned at the American Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation working to improve U.S.-Russian relations. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in history at the George Washington University.
Matt Comey joined the Social Security Advisory Board in August 2016 as a staff policy analyst. He graduated from the University of Virginia in May 2016 with a Master of Public Policy and earned his undergraduate degree from U.Va. as well, graduating with highest distinction and double majoring in Government and Economics. At U.Va., he worked as a graduate teaching assistant for two public policy-focused statistics courses and worked as a research assistant in the Economics Department. Matt previously interned with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' Housing Division and in two Capitol Hill Congressional offices. His research interests include income assistance policy, affordable housing, and zoning laws..


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Megan Fox is on the cover of two Modern Luxury magazines' March issues: Miami and Angeleno. In the accompanying interview, Fox talks about her childhood, personality and ideal superhero power.
Despite Fox's reputation as a sex symbol, she admitted that growing up, "I was never the pretty girl." She attributes her "loner" youth to her "obnoxious" and "abrasive" personality.
The actress also revealed that if given the opportunity to be a superhero, her secret power would be invisibility. "It's how you gain the most advantage, at least in practical situations," she added. "I would also need super strength, but that's a given."
Check out more photos of Megan Fox in Angeleno and Miami below, and read her full interview here.

subset: commoncrawl


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Take CableTV.com's Advice and Make DIRECTV Your Next TV Service Provider
Are you looking for the best TV service provider of all the satellite TV and cable companies in Howard, CO? Finding cable companies and other television services available in your area and comparing what they offer is easier with information from independent consumer surveys. And according to the research, DIRECTV is the most highly rated company in Howard.
Do you love watching crime dramas, witty comedies, or and Denver Broncos games? When you choose between TV packages in Howard, channel availability is just as important as price—paying a low monthly fee for a package that doesn't include access to playoff games or your favorite shows won't do you much good. We have compiled all the information you need to analyze your options and find the best cable company in Howard, CO. You can count on getting major channels with almost any package, but the availability of smaller channels is much less certain. While a TV provider may offer certain channels in one region, that same provider may not offer those channels in another city. Find the highest rated providers available in Howard, and look for the channels you want, with the information that we've gathered to help you with your search. This research makes it easy to find a package that includes the channels you care about at an affordable price.
CableTV.com is a great jumping-off point for finding a cable company in Howard, CO. When compiling our TV provider ratings, customer service and reliability are just two of the factors we use. So, by following our recommendations, you can be sure that you're getting a provider that offers both great programming and high-level customer service.


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What is in this article?:
- Business Intelligence Gets Smart and Goes Mobile
- The New BI Model
- Going Mobile
- The Future of BI
The Future of BI
It is clear that the trend has been and will continue to be toward ever more mobile solutions. This isn't to say that it's already standard, however. "We have customers that are absolutely still in the old environment, as amazing as that is," says Bernardo. "These are very large, very sustainable businesses."
Even with the weight of their past success, however, these companies will have to make the transition if they want to maintain their edge in coming years.
"Is it still possible to do business without mobility? Absolutely," he says. "Is it still possible to remain competitive [without it]? The answer would be no."


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The nature of the world inevitably means that people are worried about scams and bogus callers, especially the elderly or vulnerable. You should always check any company out who are asking for details, even if only for your piece of mind. We here at Genealogy Worldwide want to assure you that we are a legitimate company and have therefore put links to various pages to make it easier for you to verify our identity.
Please click here to view our profile on Companies House.
We are members of two Chambers of Commerce:
Please click here to view our profile on our local chamber – The West Lothian Chamber of Commerce. After being nominated for two 'Business Excellence Awards' in the categories 'Shona Sibbald Woman in Business Award' and 'Entrepreneur & Business Start-up' in 2013, and then being presented with the Highly Commended certificate in the same 'Women in Business' in 2014, We are pleased to announce that this year (pictured below) we placed Runner-Up in two categories; "Excellence in Staff Training and Development" and once again our MD Linda succeded in the 'Women in Business' category.
Please click here to view our profile on The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.
Please also be aware of the other 'heir hunters' charging a fee plus uncapped expenses.


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More importantly, though, it's a delight to climb. Naturally there's an achievement for reaching its peak in under thirty seconds, and scaling it at speed reveals a new, more dynamic method of traversal. "I was looking for something that upgraded navigation," says Amacio, "because I felt that navigation remained very static since Assassin's Creed 2 - whereas between Assassin's Creed 1 and 2 there was a big difference."
That something's a hookblade, a small attachment to Ezio's hidden weapon that has a profound effect on the game. Clambering up facades is that little bit quicker, the hookblade lending extra reach, while leaping from roof to roof is now that little bit more dramatic - Ezio will stretch out when flying towards a ledge before athletically pulling himself up in platforming that's got a touch of the Nathan Drakes to it. More explicitly, the hookblade works in tandem with zip-lines that course across the city lending Assassin's Creed: Revelations an effortless and efficient form of traversal.
It's also felt in the combat too, helping smooth some of the series' stilted swordplay as Ezio reaches out to sweep enemies from their feet and hooks his way from combatant to combatant. Flee from the fight and the hookblade can be used to snag nearby scaffolding, sending it tumbling down into the path of pursuers. "Our mantra was that everything we added to the game had to not only bring something new but it needed to consolidate or merge two of the major gameplay pillars," says Amacio, "That way we really reinforce the core experience."
There's added dynamism too in the storytelling, which is now less forced, more fluid and more in tune with the game world. It's a move that's been spearheaded by Amacio, a man whose last project was, interestingly, the arrestingly bold Far Cry 2. "First of all, I'm a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed series," he says, "But there was a couple of elements that I thought could not so much be improved but rather be evolved. I have a very specific view on narrative, and how we should be telling stories in games. In my opinion we should never be telling a story, we should be playing a story."
Amacio's approach sees a subtle but perceptible shift - cuts between gameplay and cinematics are now less violent, and often there's a seamless blend between the two. Sometimes it's through the West Wing walking and talking approach, Ezio walking under the player's command while a character guides him, doling out information and pointing towards the next mission at hand.
Other times the transition is slight but just as effective - Ezio's missions are now more in tune with the story, his purpose and the scope of play being brought closer together. "I feel that open world games as they become bigger and more complex are very big on the horizontal," Amacio states, "which is very good for depth but it sort of dilutes the core element, the core feeling and what exactly the meaning is of playing a specific game. The way that we're setting up the missions, making them more narrative and less systemic missions - we're trying to avoid that."
All of which may sound like anathema to those who revelled in the diversity of Brotherhood, a game that offered a wealth of diversions across its city. Revelations is no different - it even goes as far as to introduce a tower defence mini-game at one point, with Ezio commanding fellow Assassins to protect an outpost from onrushing Templars - but it's in keeping with the tone of an more mature and more responsible Ezio, a man who's now shouldering the burden of the secret war between the rival factions.
He's fronting a game that's more mature and certainly a little wiser than its forebears too. Assassin's Creed may well be reaching saturation point with its recent annual releases, but when they're as smart and polished as this we'll be sad when they're gone.


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Location is everything, and this home has it! This Humbolt Island Main Channel home features a seldom available private 100' boat dock and 109' water frontage. The dock accommodates either a 100′ yacht or perhaps two yachts one 74′ to travel to Catalina and a 24′ to do local boating. Its excellent location boasts sparkling water and stunning sunset views from nearly every room!
A charming and gated front entry welcomes you to this five bedroom, four bathroom, 4,000 square foot home which has been updated with new flooring, new paint, crown molding, and new interior doors throughout. Cozy up to the fireplace located in the living room which opens to a formal dining room and an entrance to the spacious deck. The renovated kitchen and attached breakfast area is a perfect place for your morning coffee- look right outside to the gorgeous harbor views! A spacious family room adjoining the kitchen and a main floor bedroom with ¾ bathroom complete the entry level.
Continue upstairs to the huge bonus room with fireplace and full seated bar, a perfect space for entertaining. The Master suite with deck access is the ideal retreat with an incredible view, walk-in closet and updated master bathroom. Three additional bedrooms, one with a private bathroom and deck and one other bathroom are also located on the second story.
Outdoors, the expansive tiled deck boasts a fire pit, spa and unbelievable view. In addition, the huge balcony extends the full width of the home with access from the bonus room, secondary bedroom and master suite. The ideal spot to enjoy the Christmas Boat Parade this winter! Offered at $2,300,000. For more information or to schedule a private showing of this wonderful home, call Prudential's Shariee Dunn at 714.396.1617 or visit www.itsadunndeal.com.


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Gordon Murray can design a Batmobile, but he can't teach the Dark Knight how to drive it. Murray's latest automobile was created for the new Batman Live show, a stage production that tells the story of how Batman and Robin came to team up. Murray's take on Bruce Wayne's iconic ride plays a major role... during an early live rehearsal, that role included crashing into a Bank of Gotham set piece.
Batman Live
1 / 1
Gordon Murray's Batmobile crashes during show rehearsal [w/video]
- Jeff Glucker
- Jul 22, 2011
1 / 1
- 2018 Mustang GT does 0-60 in under 4 seconds
- How dealers are price-gouging Dodge Demon
- New Car Buying Guides
- 2018 Honda Accord is sleeker, more efficient
- Mercedes X-Class pickup truck revealed
- Find and compare 2017 Models
Batman Live Questions
There are no questions about this topic.Be the first to ask!


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All of the hoopla about gun and marriage rights, religious freedom, austerity, abortion and the deficit, among others, are just smokescreens and distractions from the real problems and the real solutions that never seem to be addressed.
The biggest problem: Our politicians are completely bought and paid for by Wall Street, big business and the ultra-wealthy. Politicians do their bidding because they give them lots of money.
Big business paid our politicians lots of money to change the rules in their favor, send our jobs overseas and bring Third World individuals here, paying them much less than an American expects: a living wage with benefits.
Wall Street and the wealthy investment class (who don't work and never have) destroyed our economy, destroyed our manufacturing base and were rewarded handsomely for that by our government with our tax money.
Currently, Wall Street pays no taxes or fees for any stock transactions. It's time it started paying for some things and stopped leeching off of us.
A minuscule tax applied to each stock transaction would generate billions for health care, education and jobs things that really matter.
Daniel Fjeld


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Lucas Electric
People liked this fall's Lucas Torpedo story so much, I thought this was a good follow-up.
I got this from a friend who owns two English cars, which are famous for their Lucas-made electrical systems. Rather than jokes, he says, "these are true."
- - -
The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."
Lucas denies having invented darkness. But they do still have a claim to "sudden, unexpected darkness."
Lucas -- inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
Lucas -- inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.
The three-position Lucas switch -- DIM, FLICKER and OFF.
The other three switch settings -- SMOKE, SMOLDER and IGNITE.
The original anti-theft devices -- Lucas Electric products.
"I've had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have never experienced any prob...."
If Lucas made guns, wars would not start either.
Did you hear about the Lucas-powered torpedo? It sank.
It's not true that Lucas, in 1947, tried to get Parliament to repeal Ohm's Law. They withdrew their efforts when they met too much resistance.
Did you hear the one about the guy that peeked into a Land Rover and asked the owner, "How can you tell one switch from another at night, since they all look the same?" He replied, "It doesn't matter which one you use, nothing happens anyway!"
Back in the '70s Lucas decided to diversify its product line and began manufacturing vacuum cleaners. It was the only product they offered which didn't suck.
Quality Assurance phoned and advised the Engineering guy that they had trouble with his design shorting out. So he made the wires longer.
Why do the English drink warm beer? Lucas makes refrigerators, too.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Joseph Lucas invented the short circuit.
Recommended procedure before taking on a repair of Lucas equipment: check the position of the stars, kill a chicken and walk three times sunwise around your car chanting: "Oh mighty Prince of Darkness protect your unworthy servant."
Lucas systems actually uses AC current; it just has a random frequency.
Posted January 28, 2013
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Category: Driving -- Prev: A Serious Auto Accident | Next: Safety Last: A Little Off the Top


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Sunday, July 11, 2010
Those Funny Influences
6 comments:
- Lady Scylla said...
Nope. Didn't use the cowing of the sun, on it's high day for a damn thing.
I didn't blood down some candles, pin a toad to a board with hawthorn needles, or any such thing.
- July 11, 2010 at 8:34 PM
- Jhonn Barghest said...
Yeah, well...ugh.
I forgot.
So, I've been looking at doing the Stele of Jeu pretty soon. And then it didn't even dawn on me that yesterday would've been prime.
- July 12, 2010 at 1:29 AM
- Gordon said...
Nah... But I certainly felt its astrological smack down.
Two eclipses in my sun sign in the one year. Who needs heroin??
Also, not to alarm you, but my word verification for this comment is "evillydr".
That's right.... Evil. Leader.
It might just be my new pet name for you. :)
- July 12, 2010 at 1:30 PM
- Jack Faust said...
@Gordon: Oh, dear lord. I thought Golden Boy was bad enough...
- July 13, 2010 at 3:54 PM
- Jack Faust said...
@Scylla: Have I mentioned that I heart you? LMAO.
- July 13, 2010 at 3:55 PM
- Jack Faust said...
@Jhonn: No worries, dude. There's always more time for the Stele.
- July 13, 2010 at 3:56 PM


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"I'm going to do you the respect of being straight with you."
I cannot count all the times Greta Christina and I have said that to each other (mostly her saying it to me). It's become an inside joke, every time we're about to tell the other we think they're off base. The phrase's existence and constant re-use have taken our very close, caring friendship and made it more so.
It has always befuddled me to for a Christian to hear a critique of their religion and to respond with a demand that I respect them or their faith. Respect, at least in my eyes, does not mean placating somebody as though they lack the fortitude to withstand criticism. It does not mean treating somebody as though they'd rather be unaware of an error than hear about it. Those things are condescension and nobody should want that.
Greta Christina realizes this, and I am thankful. Now, any time I hear her say "I'm going to do you the respect of being straight with you," I'm aware I may soon realize something I previously hadn't and that I may change my mind, and I get excited for the forthcoming opportunity to become a better person. Whenever she says that phrase, it's an invitation for me to become a better human being.
Jen McCreight is the same way. We had a conversation the other day that pretty much ran…
"You're being an asshole!"
"No I'm not. You're being a sucker!"
"Yes, you are! …by the way, great job getting linked by Andrew Sullivan!"
"Awww, thanks! :)"
Disagreement does not mean a lack of, or the end of friendship. In fact, if you care about someone, you should tell them when you think they're wrong. It occurs to me that I can only be thankful for Greta and Jen's honesty because so many people want to treat friendship or respect as though it means never telling someone you think they're wrong. I think most people would be resentful, rather than thankful, for that type of honesty. Not me. In fact, that Jen knows she can voice that opinion makes us closer, in my estimation.
I'm also thankful for my friend Floyd, who spoke his mind yesterday honestly. I think he was wrong (and he came around to that eventually on the point in question), but next time I may be the one in error (stranger things have happened) and he would have rescued me from it. That's what a friend should do. Because we're so pressured to agree with those close to us all the time for fear of 'disrespecting' those we care about, criticizing those close to us is seldom easy. Then again, if doing the right thing were easy, the world would be full of good people. I respect, and feel grateful for my friends who will do what isn't easy. It tells me how highly they think of me.
So today I'm thankful for all the regular stuff, family, friends, enough turkey to kill a horse, etc. But I woke up this morning thankful for friends who respect me and who demonstrate that conviction every time they tell me "I'm going to do you the respect of being straight with you."
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!


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Best Buy
Where to start with Best Buy (NYSE:BBY)?
A total mess, that's where.
Boardroom scandal and embarrassment. Corporate mismanagement. Intense, brutal competition from Wal-Mart and Target (NYSE:TGT) on the ground, and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) online. Founder Richard Schulze made a pitch in August to take his old company private. After some back and forth, Schulze got his wish to open the books and make an offer. The discussed price? Between $24-$26 per share, a hefty 45% premium from its recent price.
Strategy: This part's a bit in reverse. Before any real changes can be discussed, BBY must decide whether to eventually sell out to Schulze. Once that happens, it's a race to remake Best Buy's stores. But to what? Well, at least something more than a showroom.
Reality: So far, all that's happened is BBY hired a buyout guru named Hubert Joly, and the company is directing its store employees to be more friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Now that is a strategy. Nothing else seems to be in play.
Result: The stock is languishing — down 23% YTD — investors no longer have any dividend to fall back on, the outstanding purchase price appears hard to either justify or finance, and again, a change in the stores seems unlikely until a final decision is made.
What's Next? Truthfully, I think investors are just hoping to see a realization of the original offer price, even if it's on the low ($24) side, just to end the limbo before BBY circles the Circuit City drain.
Outlook: Bleak.
The grandaddy of all turnaround attempts for right now is Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) — a tech company that we've pulled no punches on over the past year.
I'm trying to limit myself to an hour on this piece, so let's just leave it at this: Meg Whitman is the latest in a line of failed CEOs trying to turn this stinker around.
Strategy: Cut, cut and cut to prosperity, apparently. That starts with the work force. The most recent cut of 2,000 employees will go toward meeting a target of a 29,000-person reduction in payroll by 2014. HP merged two dying units — printers and PCs — earlier this year to, well, cut costs of course.
Reality: Well, expectedly, you've got more people entering unemployment lines, and of course the resulting "operating efficiencies" promised by management. In the meantime, the most recent quarter's earnings sure weren't pretty. No sign yet of how that cutting transforms into profitability, as the company wrote off $8 billion last quarter on its EDS investment, so time will tell.
Results: The stock is down 30% year-to-date, 26% in the past six months and 16% in the past three months. Frankly, not a lot of people have Whitman's faith.
What's Next? The PC business isn't getting better, so I don't know. What's left to cut?
Outlook: Comatose. If it weren't for HPQ's good cash situation, it might be worse.
Marc Bastow is an Assistant Editor at InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing, he was long AAPL.


text:
Contact Name:
Rachel Andrew
Email Address: firstname.lastname@example.com
When: Tuesdays - 10.30-11.30am
Where: Tommy Clucas Hall, Peel
Walking Netball is a slowed down version of the game. Great for anyone wanting to get back into netball after injury or if haven't played ever or for a while!!
Really good fun way to get a bit fitter in a sociable environment.
Price: £3 per session
Venue: Peel
Start Date: 25-04-2017 @ 10:30
Duration: 1:0 (Hours:Minutes)


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Local Social Media Marketing Provider Says Yellow Pages Are 'Passé'
By Tiffany Rider - Senior Writer
November 6, 2012 - Businesses large and small are being talked about through social media, whether or not they have an online presence.
With nearly 900 million Facebook users and about half a billion Twitter users across the globe today, consumers are using these platforms and others to discuss products, services and brands. No matter what a company does, what used to be private conversations about them are now being made public by these social media users, according to Dina Mayzlin, associate professor of marketing at the University of Southern California.
"Even if a company isn't doing anything, they are being discussed in social media," Mayzlin said. "In that sense, everyone is on social media."
Mayzlin studies how firms can manage social interactions, and that includes social media. In these social interactions, people talk to each other about products. Companies should consider how involved they want to be in these conversations, she said, as there are different levels of involvement.
With the advent of the Internet and social media, companies now have the opportunity to listen to what were previously private conversations, plus the opportunity to respond. "Everybody should be listening," Mayzlin said.
To listen, companies can do a simple Internet search for the name of its product or service to see what comes up. Other tools available to business are notification mechanisms like Google Alerts, which report online discussions of a particular brand or product name via e-mail daily or weekly.
Beyond listening, companies can use social media platforms to create buzz, or excitement about the company and what it offers. Nowadays people explore businesses on the Internet, similar to conducting a background check on an employee. However, almost half of all small businesses in the United States don't have a website.
Having a social media presence can be useful to those companies that are tight on time and money, according to the Facebook spokesperson who preferred not to use her name. Facebook Pages and Twitter accounts are free to use and have built-in audiences to promote content. "There is no right or wrong way to utilizing a businesses' Facebook presence; every business is different and has different needs for their customers, so we encourage each small business to see what works for them," she wrote in an e-mail.
Mayzlin offers this example: a coffee shop may want to have a Facebook page for posting messages and other content to promote specials, offer coupons or provide some sort of "status update." These posts are directed to fans of the Facebook page, or those who "like" the company, and are then able to respond to the content.
Twitter is a social media platform through which users – in this case, businesses – can provide short status updates of up to 140 characters with links back to the user's website or attachments with relevant photos or video content. Other users can repost "tweets" or reply to them, similar to the way a user can repost or comment on a Facebook page status update.
When a business user starts engaging in conversations with a customer, it needs to be done in a strategic fashion, Mayzlin said. "Once you have a social media presence, there are expectations that you will put effort into it," she added. "The trickier part is making that content be interactive or being interactive."
When a business decides to use social media to interact with its customers and potential customers, a strategic plan should be in place, just as a company puts together a strategic plan for other forms of marketing, according to John Zahn, co-founder of Omnibeat.
Zahn has been a small business owner for 20 years. He established Omnibeat with California State University, Long Beach engineering graduate Nate Trimmer to help businesses tell their story online. Through Omnibeat, Zahn has helped businesses small and large understand the importance of social media and why it works.
In the past, the small businesses with which Zahn worked didn't have a business plan or a mission statement, which he said should be prerequisites for launching a social media presence. "Social media is not a Band-Aid for developing a brand," he said. "In reality, I think every business needs social media in some way because it is the future. The Yellow Pages are passé. You want to have a story and a message, and you want it online."
There are three main steps to develop a social media strategy: review, implementation and maintenance, according to Zahn. "Though initially we would teach small business owners how to do it, it's been too overwhelming. You're better off outsourcing social media until you get to 1,000 employees."
Different social media channels work better for different businesses, Zahn said. For instance, service providers like dry cleaners and restaurants tend to benefit from Yelp, a site that allows registered users to rate an establishment on a scale of 1 to 5 and provide commentary on their overall experience. "We do believe, though, that whatever channels you use, all information should be correct and accurate and has a uniform brand feel," Zahn said. "A lot of people are scared of Yelp, but if you have all of your information correctly on there and someone does write a bad review, it's about how you react to it."
Evan Lamont, CEO of TLG Marketing Consultants in Long Beach, said his company looks at social media from two perspectives: its search engine optimization benefits; and its ability to increase brand approachability.
"Having new, fresh content out there and being able to generate new visitors to your website from a referral source like Facebook or Twitter serves as a good advantage for search engine optimization," Lamont said. "It also gives you the ability to engage with your customer base. We found that it is a less threatening approach. People may be more willing to submit something through Facebook as opposed to giving your business a call."
Ultimately, businesses want to tie social media marketing to sales, Mayzlin said. "If you have a lot of followers and you're not getting more sales, it's not helping you," she said. "I think there are clever things you can do to try to tie social media efforts to actual sales. You can give people coupons. You can ask people how they heard about you. You can encourage clients to like you on Facebook. [But] it's not obvious to say that Facebook yielded X amount of money a month."
For many small businesses, social media is an opportunity to fill in the gap between branding and direct response advertising, according to Lamont. "When you're thinking about sales, you think about direct response where you're pushing them to the advertisement and hoping they make a purchase," he said. "You can also have branding, where you're trying to generate awareness about your company and hope that people, when they need that service or that product, choose you. Social media blends the two because you can brand and at the same time have a direct connection with the customer, client, student or patient; whoever it may be."
In addition to her professorial work for USC, Mayzlin has helped some nonprofits grow their social media presence. In her experience with nonprofits, the goal was to increase the number of Facebook followers to increase awareness of the organization's mission. For a business trying to increase revenue, Mayzlin suggests surveying clients to see if they have interacted with the business on its Facebook page or Twitter account. "Even getting one customer through Facebook can justify using Facebook," Mayzlin said.
There are currently 12.8 million local businesses that already have a Facebook page, according to the Facebook spokesperson. "In the past few months we've rolled out new tools specifically focused on helping small businesses," she said. "We know their time, resources and budgets are limited, and we've recently made it easier for a business owner to get on Facebook, find new customers, interact with them, and generate more awareness and sales."
Custom audiences, offers and Facebook ads called "Promoted Posts" are three recently announced products and metrics that can help businesses promote their brand content and gain a return on investment. According to the Facebook spokesperson, more than 300,000 Facebook users have utilized Promoted Posts, more than 25 percent of which are new advertisers on Facebook. One such example is Sam's Chowder House, a restaurant in Half Moon Bay. The restaurant attributes a 19 percent increase in both its monthly number of guests and monthly gross revenue to Promoted Posts, she said.
Lamont said he recommends small business owners' social media strategy should focus on them being themselves online. "The biggest hurdle to overcome is to be able to get the platform set up and get proper images and graphics up that really reflect your brand," he said. "Be yourself. Say what got you interested in the company in the first place, and be the local champion for your brand on social media."