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Join a Local Business Networking organization focused on Grassroots America.

November 7, 2012 By

ComeOnInside.com is getting ready to launch new Local Business Networking Organizations in 1st quarter of 2013.

263 local business organizations that function much like a Regional Chamber of Commerce. These are all focused on the United States.

We believe that any real economic recovery will start at the grassroots level – right here inside the 828 area code where you live and work.

Join us and refer those you know around the country here – they will simply click on their State (on the map) and then click on the area code where they live.

An example of a Local Business Networking Organization (Inside919.com) can be found here - check it out and see how these local small business owners and solo-professionals are helping each other gain visibility, enhance their reputations and grow their individual business networks with referral and strategic partners.

We will be conducting local searches for a Chamber Director (someone living and working in each specific area we serve) to lead each business community. These are income earning opportunities and if you are interested or you know a dynamic local leader who might be interested direct them to this page.

Everyone’s Blog Posts – 828 Local Business Networking

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Small Business Ideas and Articles eZine

November 3, 2012 By

I want to encourage you to go to InZineArticles.com so you can read what other local small business owners and professionals from around the United States are sharing.

We re-post the article contributions of our members (join Inside828 today) to one of the following categories of our Online Magazine InZineArticles.com.

Arts & Entertainment
Automotive
Beauty & Spas
Business Services
Education
Employment & Careers
Event Planning & Services
Financial Services
Health & Medical
Home Owner Services
Lodging & Travel
Mass Media
Nightlife
Non-Profit
Pets & Animals
Professional Services
Real Estate
Recreation
Restaurants
Shopping
Speakers & Writers
Technology

Our members are able to leverage this network and InZineArticles to expand your reach inside the 828 area code as well as regionally and nationally.

Embed links in your contributions to the pages on your own external website to connect with more visitors and potential prospects.

 

Go here to see how we will expand your visibility by distributing the expertise you share here.

Everyone’s Blog Posts – 828 Local Business Networking

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NC Massage Therapists Invited to Join New Networks

January 7, 2012 By



North Carolina massage therapists now have both a network dedicated to their profession in the state, and the ability to join the inSide AreaCode network where they live and work.

Inspired by these inSider communities (hosted on Ning.com) a new community for the licensed massage therapists in North Carolina was created. As there was no online community (or otherwise) for ALL NC massage therapists, it seemed like the right thing to do.
Started in September, but not promoted until November, the North Carolina Massage Therapists Network now has 55 members from all over the state, from Mountains to Shore, from Virginia to South Carolina!

Not only do the massage therapists get the benefit of being able to network across cities and towns, and without regard to which association they are members of, they also get a taste of what great networking is possible on these ning.com communities.

The inSider networks, like this one inSide828.com, are a terrific complement to the statewide network for massage therapists. Here on inSide828, as the community grows and establishes itself, it is a great opportunity to meet new people, find ways to collaborate and support each other, and to do joint events.

As I’ve met massage therapists on inSide919.com I invite them to join the North Carolina Massage Therpists network, and vice versa.

The other inSide AreaCode networks in North Carolina are listed here:

252 has 27 members to date! Know anyone in that areacode? Invite them to join. We’re only allowed to join the network in the area code where we live and work… unless you become an Ambassador, and help support the growth of another community, which is what I’m doing.

336 has 44 members as of today. Have your friends in that areacode learned about it?

704 / 980 The region centered around Charlotte has 9 members so far. Word hasn’t travelled there yet. Anyone you know in areacode 704?

828 We’ve got 5 members as of today. Who will be our 6th, 10th, 16th and 25th? And what will it bring to those of us who get this going?

910 The Fayetteville and other 910 areacode regions currently have 18 members! Let’s see how each of these regions grows! I’ll be watching it. You?

919 The Triangle region, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill… this is where it all started… this is where the momentum built, and now there are so many people on it, it’ll take years to get to know them all! Thank goodness we can search these sites! To date there are over 1,100 members!
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Hello Asheville!

January 7, 2012 By

I first heard about Asheville as one of the neatest places in the country. Mountains. Creative people. A cool downtown. University. Arts. Biltmore. More Mountains. Massage. Black Mountain nearby. Coffee shops.

When I made my first trip down, crossing through Tennessee through the mountains and coming into Asheville, it was like being in another world. Gorgeous mountains.

Asheville charmed me with its crafts and art; restaurants; and variety. Many different worlds in Asheville, little nooks, special places, forgotten places, rediscovered places.

I’ve been several times now. Went hiking with the Sierra Club in the Pisgah National Forest. Visited the Biltmore the day before I got married in Maggie’s Valley. Stopped by the Grove Park Inn. Couldn’t pull myself out of the art stores – the photos, the jewelry, the sculptures, the quilts, the furniture…

Asheville holds a really special place in my heart. I hope we’ll get a chance to meet on inSide828.
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Are Companies Missing Out by Focusing Social Media Efforts Only on LinkedIn, FaceBook and MySpace and not Ning.com?

January 7, 2012 By

The more business people I meet the more I’m learning that companies are being dazzled by the large numbers of people on LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace and narrowing their sights as they focus their Social Media efforts; they are overlooking the power of Ning.com social networks. Ning.com is one of those social media that was NOT mentioned in any of the 8 sessions that I attended at the Internet Summit in Chapel Hill last Fall 2008. Some people might say that was because ning.com isn’t significant enough. I say differently.

Even if LinkedIn has 26 million members, and Facebook is growing by 600,000 people a day. That doesn’t mean that these two networking sites do everything that will be valuable for your business. They don’t.

The Ning.com communities might look like the GROUP functions on Facebook or LinkedIn. But they aren’t. Whatever the group is defined as – within Ning.com you have full access to all the people in the group. It really is more like being at a cocktail party than LinkedIn or Facebook, to coin the phrase publicized by Jim Tobin. It’s different – and you shouldn’t overlook this FREE community building resource. Don’t overlook it.

I’m not arguing for a second to be off of LinkedIn or Facebook, or MySpace… not for a second. What I am arguing for is the necessity of understanding the brilliant “point by point” networking that builds a web of connections within a community. Ning.com communities facilitate that. They facilitate a distributed network. It’s hard to put into words what the difference is exactly, but having been in all four of these networks, there is a difference.

For any business that has a geographic component to it, a local presence, you’re going to want local networking capabilities – ones that are contained in the rich way that ning.com contains them.

I’ve created the North Carolina Massage Therapists ning.com network. No where in the state of North Carolina is there ONE forum for licensed massage therapists. For, by and about this profession. When you join, you have access to a page for each member in the network. You can engage in conversation without first asking to be a friend. If you ask to be a friend, you can send private emails. You can create groups. Events. Add photos. Discussions. It really feels like being in a wonderful cocktail party where you can look around and see everyone else who is part of it and decide who you want to meet, and go do it.

Pat Howlett has created the inSide AreaCodes networks, ning.com communities for each area code in the country – having the vision of seeing that the areacode as a group defining concept is an important level for networking – beyond town and city, beyond zip code, all within the same area code. The inSide919.com group in the Triangle is the first example of what is possible. It’s different than LinkedIn or Facebook. It’s local. It’s not a group within a giant platform. It’s its own group, it’s own party.

It’s hard to really see and “get” the differences between these social media sites. Each one has different qualities and attributes. Each one facilitates networking slightly differently. Each one has a different place in a company’s social networking policy.

One thing’s for sure, you don’t want to be missing out on a social networking capability that offers uniquely competent networking sites.
Everyone’s Blog Posts – 828 Local Business Networking

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Networking – What’s your networking strategy? or How do you meet new people?

January 7, 2012 By

Some people are naturally friendly. They talk with others everywhere they go. Exchange email addresses, business cards. Invite new friends to coffee shops to talk. Others are not quite so outgoing. Maybe shy. Maybe reserved. Maybe just different.

Networking on the internet can even the playing field, because people who are more reserved in person, might feel more comfortable emailing people – if the question of safety is resolved. Because so many people are now networking on the internet, it is considered to be now just a normal part of being in community for many. As long as we’re careful about meeting people in public places and taking our time to get to know people, good common sense, there’s the chance to spread our wings and establish connections of all different kinds.

Going to camp, or to a new school was like that. A whole new group of people to do things with and learn with. This is kind of like that.

The wonderful things about ning.com networks, and the inSide AreaCode networks are hosted on ning.com, is that they really give us a multi-dimensional space in which to interact. We can see what people write and put on their profiles, what conversations we share, what discussions are started, so we really get to learn a lot about each other.

As with any networking, usually a sense of personal connection – common values, or sense of humor, or something we admire in the other person, or can learn from – is what draws us to making friends. Add to that the chance to possibly do business together, and there’s a lot of possibilities here.
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Complementary Circles of Networking: Inviting Chambers of Commerce to inSider Networks

January 7, 2012 By

Traditionally chambers of commerce have focused on towns. Makes sense. Proximity counts. Town identity is supported and developed. Chambers of Commerce in North Carolina are well-established all over the state. There are town or city based chambers, and also county chambers. County chambers of commerce sometimes over lap with towns that also have their own chambers, and sometimes they are a collaborative effort, combining resources so that one chamber can do the work on behalf of a wider region – making it more economical with a broader base.

Chambers of Commerce, like all entities used to have listings in phone books, and put out their own directories of members in paper. Then they got websites, and published their member lists in online databases or lists on their sites.

Now, with LinkedIn connecting global professionals, and Facebook connecting in a less formal way, there are additional resources. Some Chambers of Commerce have created groups in both online social media. It’s a great way to get more exposure, to gather and increase networking among existing members, and to connect with potential members!

So where does inSide AreaCodes fit in? inSide AreaCodes is a ning.com network. Ning.com is the host and has a certain style and design. Ning specializes in community – the community is at the forefront. Individuals are part of a community. This is a distinction from Facebook and LinkedIn, where the individual is the center, and individuals add friends/contacts and groups, but the focus is still the individual.

Why does it matter that inSide AreaCode networks are focused first on the community? It’s not that one is better than the other, just that they offer different and complementary value.

inSide AreaCode networks say this: we have town based networks, we have global networks, there’s a vital space for intra-town networks, which can be defined by areacodes.

One of the most vital aspects of inSide AreaCodes is that for the most part, people within an areacode can actually arrange to meet, at a social event, or one on one in a public setting to network. The AreaCode arena creates a region that may or may not be defined as an area – it crosses town lines usually; it might cross county lines; it might not be an otherwise named region, like the Triad, or the Triangle. Yet it is an area that for the most part deserves recognition as a community.

Whether or not Chambers of Commerce have discovered Ning.com communities doesn’t so much matter, because what the AreaCodes network does is allow the Chambers of Commerce individuals to form a group within that AreaCode to promote their local Chamber, gather existing chamber members and educate potential members. So whatever else a chamber of commerce is doing, the staff of the chambers and the members, can only benefit from their experience on inSide Area Codes.

Should Chambers of Commerce also form their own individual ning.com group? For some this will work very well; for others it will be a struggle, for the more groups there are to join, the more some people will close down and say enough. One doesn’t really know until one tries it. The really good part about having your group on a ning.com network is that it is one of the best ways for people to interact on equal ground – everyone has a page, their own MY PAGE, and communication is easy between all members. It allows for building a web like network, with links between many points.

But even if Chambers do have their own networking groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, and even, Ning.com, there is still an important value to individual staff members and chamber members ALSO being on inSide AreaCodes. The well-developed community culture sets an incredibly good example for community building – a culture of networking for mutual benefit; and well-honed norms and educational assets that is excellent training for network builders. Further, these networks can be like ports – important centers where people from all over the areacode join, so it’s a place they are going to want to be.

What do you think? Leave a comment, or write me a note.
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Did you know your content on inSide828 is visible to search engines?

January 7, 2012 By

Did you know that the words you use on your profile, in your blog, on the photos you add and in your discussions can help you get more visibility in search engines? Did you know that open social media sites like the inSide Areacode networks like inSide828 attract the attention of search engines like Google?

Not sure about it? Just use my name as an example in Google “Anora McGaha”. My inSide919 page shows up first before LinkedIn or Facebook.

So take advantage of your presence on inSide828 and use the words that people would use when searching for your products and services on your “My Page” and in your “Blog” posts and discussions, and help people notice you.

Also, drag the photo element on your “My Page” up to the top of your page, and post pictures related to your business, so that people can easily see what business you’re in and get a sense of familiarity.
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The Golden (Platinum) Rule = The Social Networking Rule

January 7, 2012 By

We speak of it and we try to live by it – “treat others as you would like to be treated.”

To me it’s the main rule one needs to follow within Social Networking.

The Golden Rule was a common principle in ancient Greek philosophy.

A few examples:

“Do not to your neighbor what you would take ill from him.” (Pittacus)

“Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing.” (Thales)

“What you wish your neighbors to be to you, such be also to them.” (Sextus the Pythagorean)

“Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others.” (Isocrates)

“What thou avoidest suffering thyself seek not to impose on others.” (Epictetus)

A couple snippets from different world views…

Christianity:

Matthew 7:12
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Luke 6:31
“Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.”

Judaism:

“That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.”

Buddhism:

“One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other
beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter.”

Confucius:

“Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.”

Hinduism:

“That man who regards all creatures as his own self, and behaves towards them as towards his own self, laying aside the rod of chastisement and completely subjugating his wrath, succeeds in attaining to happiness.”

Islam:

“Woe to those . . . who, when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure, but when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due”

Taoism:

“Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.”

The “The Platinum Rule” adds a nice addition to the “Golden Rule”…

“The golden rule is a good standard which is further improved by doing unto others, wherever possible, as they want to be done by.”

You’ll see lot’s of “Top 10 Rules of Social Networking” – pick any of the above and I think you’ll have it covered.
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Don’t make a “Goal” instead make a “Promise”

January 7, 2012 By

This is the time of year that many of us start to think about ‘setting goals’.

I try to pull out my “Goal Plan” (a sheet of paper I wrote them on) to see where I am on their achievement on a regular basis.

I end up ‘hitting’ some and not others.

I started to give this more thought and study this month in anticipation of the New Year (Resolution). I came across a Bill Bateman video on iLG where he was talking about his “10 Step Goal Setting” process. It was all really good information – much that I had already learned, but it was good to revisit. He said ‘one thing’ that completely changed the way I’m looking at my personal and business ‘goal setting’.

He said to replace the word ‘Goal‘ with the word ‘Promise‘ when we go about this task. He offered up a study by Harvard that indicated that people “miss their Goals” 76% of the time – but “achieve their Promises” 98% – and that got me thinking about how my own mind interprets the difference between the two words.

First off, I am rare to make ‘Promises’ – I completely understand on a very “Conscious‘ level what that means and I always remember both Mom and Dad teaching ‘how you never make Promises you can’t keep’. Which explains on my subconscious level how I feel about this same word… It is to be taken very seriously!!!

As to ‘Goals’ – for some reason I seem to have an entirely different internal perspective about that word. I’ve made them most my life and if I did not achieve them I would refine either the goal or the time frame and simply forgive myself – or hit a mulligan (do it over).

This year I intend to do this one simply thing; I intend to create my ‘Promise Plan’ for 2009 and in it I intend to make some real ‘Promises’ on what I ‘will do’ both Personally and Business wise this coming year. So far the list is already much shorter as it forces me to ‘filter’ things better and interestingly it also ended up covering the ‘most’ important things.

Maybe this will help you as well. Best to you and yours in 2009 – I ‘Promise’ :)
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