As a proud Winston-Salem native committed to ensuring progress and equality in my own hometown, I jumped at the opportunity to donate my time and services, the cost of the domain name and to provide donated hosting services for Equality Winston-Salem.

Equality Winston-Salem is a community organization that, according to their mission, aims to “promote the well-being of LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning/Queer) individuals and strengthen the LGBTQ community in Winston-Salem and surrounding communities.”

Working with members of Equality Winston-Salem’s volunteer leadership, I created a custom WordPress theme that allows the community organization to advertise its Gay Bingo events, collect ticket purchases and publish recent news, community resources and more.

The site isn’t yet live, though it will be soon. Stay tuned for more!

See more portfolio items…

When most folks think “press release” they think “traditional media.” The two kind of go hand-in-hand, right? But, in this new world of social media and networking, you should also pay attention to local bloggers, online-only news organizations or other important internet-based information services, and you should utilize social media and networking to gain more exposure for the information you’re sending out via press.

Here are three simple ways to integrate your own social media and networking into your media-press relations:

Publish your press release online

If you’re sending out press materials, be sure to publish them online. Provide a link to the release in the body of the email you’re sending to local media organizations and bloggers. The online version will be of particular importance to bloggers, who’ll appreciate having another source to link to when writing about your business or organization. When they do write their story and link to your press release, your company or organization’s website will benefit from their readers clicking over to see more about your latest product, service or initiative.

Customize the release for online reading

When you publish your release online, and especially if you plan on it getting attention from non-media folks, customize the text so it reads more like a news story and less like a release or advisory. Strip out the “For Immediate Release” and other press-related jargon. Doing so will make it more friendly to non-media readers but the release and its basic information will remain the same.

Post your release to social networking sites

You’re never guaranteed coverage, either in local traditional media or in your local blogosphere. That’s a given. So what can you do to create your own buzz? Publish links to your press release to your various social networking accounts and share it with friends. You’ll not only benefit from any exposure you get elsewhere, but you’ll also be taking a proactive approach on your very own. Send the link out on Twitter, with a quick but interesting teaser describing what your release is about. When posting to Facebook, be sure there is some sort of captivating image on your site. Facebook will grab it and post it along with your short description. Once again, your blog or website will benefit from increased readership. (Bonus: If you have a video some how related to the new product or service, post that link on Facebook and let the site embed it in your status updates and news feeds.)

Quoting from her…

1. WordPress can do anything you need it to do, and for a small business, that’s a gift usually reserved for expensive sites.
2. Plug-ins for WordPress are the business-to-business version of apps for the iPhone.
3. WordPress is easier to use than you think.
4. WordPress was founded by an idealist, Matt Mullenweg, as a kid who believed it belonged to the community. It’s open source, can’t be sold and lets you retain control.
5. WordPress has critical mass. It’s now a dominant platform.
6. WordPress no longer looks like a blog. It’s now a content management system.

Head over to her post for her elaborations.

Overall, I think Hardaway hits the nail right on the head. I’d add just a couple more points:

7. WordPress is highly flexible and customizable. Hardaway addresses this slightly in her “WordPress no longer looks like a blog” point, but elaborating further: WordPress allows for an almost immeasurable amount of customization from layout to basic site uses. Best of all, the customization is rather simple and easy.

8. WordPress has a huge, worldwide community of users and developers. Ever have a problem, question or need? Expert, or at least near-expert, answers can be found with a few clicks of a mouse.

9. WordPress’ large community also means plenty of choice, particularly when it comes to themes. If you don’t have the money to hire a designer or the knowledge to build a site yourself, you can choose from thousands upon thousands of quality themes.

P.S. — And all this happy love over WordPress doesn’t have to be reserved for businesses. It’s great for non-profits, too!

Having a website is a great first step to any online strategy. But, without any tools to bring people to your site it will sit unnoticed, lonely, ineffective. Social media and email marketing takes your business or organization to the people who need and want it. Instead of relying on chance, hoping people visit your site, you can be proactive and take your brand and message directly to the audience you seek to serve. (Be sure to read, “What is social media, and how can it grow my brand?”)

Choosing the best method

Some folks often compile email addresses and simply send out bulk emails from their email account. It works, but only briefly. Eventually, your email address could be branded a spammer. Before you know it, you’re emails are being lost into the abyss of spam and junk folders. There are smarter ways to manage and build your email list, and plenty of companies offering email marketing services for relatively affordable pricing structures.

Building your email list

You can build your database of email addresses in many ways. Obviously, you want to promote the list on your website and in your other social media outlets. You can also collect email addresses when you receive donations or a customer buys a product. Do you go to fairs or festivals? You can collect email addresses there, too. Just make sure you’re clear with supporters and customers when they are making a donation, buying a product or completing an email list sign-up form: let them know they’re address will be added to your list and give them the opportunity to opt out.

Utilizing your list

When operating an email list the one thing you most need to be aware of is the needs of your customers or supporters. Chiefly, be mindful that many folks often receive lots of emails in one day; you don’t want to crowd up your supporter’s inbox. You can avoid alienating customers by making sure your emails are timely, contain interesting or useful information and, most importantly, contain new information. The biggest mistake an email list operator can make is including the same information in multiple emails over a period of time: customers and supporters will quickly learn your messages aren’t important and don’t contain anything useful to them. In short order, they’ll either quit reading your messages, or worse, they’ll unsubscribe.

To make best use of your email list, decide on how often you want to send it out and try your best to stick to it. Ask yourself: Should this be sent out weekly, bi-weekly, only when something urgent or important happens? If you decide to send something weekly or bi-weekly, don’t be afraid to skip a week if nothing new or important can be included in the message.

Lastly, be sure to connect your email message back into your online presence. Don’t leave your customers or supporters with a dead end: leave links to your website and social media outlets.

A must watch…

As the internet has grown, so has the ability of everyday users to create original, dynamic and creative websites. Key to that growth: the content management system (CMS).

Blogs — originally “web logs” — started the trend. With just clicks of the mouse, folks could quickly publish their thoughts, news stories and other articles. The publishing was made simpler and easier. In the past decade or so, the growth of the “blogosphere” has taken traditional media on a run for its money and readership.

But, you might think of a blog as little more than a place where someone shares their thoughts or uninteresting life details. Who really wants to know what movies I’ve seen or what I think about my neighbor’s barking dog, you ask. A blog, however, can be so much more.

WordPress, an open source CMS originally created as a blogging platform, is powerful enough to manage all your website’s operations, including a blog. If you have a business or a non-profit, having an area on your site (you don’t necessarily have to call it a “blog”) where you can easily post and maintain important news and updates about your activities can be an integral part of your online strategy. New content, updated regularly, often results in increased readership and keeps people coming back for more. WordPress also allows you to easily maintain and update static pages on your website, such as “About us,” “Contact us” or other standard, must-have pages.

What is WordPress?

Started in 2003, WordPress has grown to become one of the largest self-hosted blogging platforms in the world. Its functionality and easily customizable options have also made it a CMS of choice. Businesses, non-profits, newspapers and magazines — all sorts of organizations use WordPress for their online content management. A whole host of plugins and other tools can extend the functionality of WordPress, turning it into a fully-functional social media community. (CLT Blog is a phenomenal example.)

How much does it cost?

The internet… it’s amazing. WordPress is free. More appropriately, WordPress is “open source” software. Hundreds (if not thousands or more) of people are working around the world to make WordPress better each and every day. As an “open source” project, you are free to use the platform, as WordPress.org says, “for anything from your cat’s home page to a Fortune 500 web site without paying anyone a license fee and a number of other important freedoms.”

Who uses WordPress?

Fortune 500 companies are using “free” software? Yup. Pepsi, Best Buy, OnStar, Nikon and UPS are just among a few. WordPress.org has a showcase of those and others.

What about some non-profits? WordPress can be found there too.

More locally, I’ve used WordPress to create sites for QNotes and the Charlotte Rainbow Action Network for Equality. I also use it for my own websites. See my portfolio.

What can I use a ‘blog’ for?

If you own a business, a blog can be perfect for posting occasional articles about new or featured products, along with chit-chat about cool happenings in your industry. Non-profits can use blogs to post media alerts and news and information about upcoming events, issues and causes.

How do I get WordPress?

WordPress can be hosted on your own server (downloaded from WordPress.org) or you can use a hosted version of it at WordPress.com. I recommend hosting the site yourself so you retain 100 percent control over branding, design and other elements. WordPress has some requirements, including a server with PHP and having access to a MySQL database.

Need help setting-up a new site using WordPress, or integrating WordPress into an existing website? Check out my services or contact me today.

Some of the most well-known examples of social media, or social networking, are sites like Facebook and MySpace. Others include LinkedIn, Hi5, Connexion, Gay.com and others. Experiencing fast growth in popularity is Twitter. In fact, many would argue that Twitter has become an integral part of online outreach and social networking.

In the early days of the internet, websites and online companies operated much like traditional, print, radio and television media. Information flow was one-way. The company — be it a newspaper, television, clothing store or mechanic — imparted information to the reader/customer, but the reader/customer had no way of communicating back. Blogs and social media have changed that landscape, allowing online media to become a two-way street: Website operators dole out information to readers, who in turn create feedback for the operators. Taken up a notch, social media allows that information to be shared with friends, or distributed via other social networks.

So, how can social media grow my brand, you ask? It’s simple, really.

First, you need an online presence. (Learn why a website is important here.) But, having a website is just merely the beginning. Without adding in a healthy dose of social media, you’ve thrown your online outreach back to the days of one-way communication. If you allow commenting on your site, readers discuss articles and conversations among readers can increase site traffic. Or, you can allow readers to share information on your website with social media sites like Digg, Reddit, Del.icio.us, Facebook, Twitter and a host of others. Allowing readers to distribute your content for you (read: free advertising) opens your business or organization up to exposure to more potential clients and supporters.

Once unleashed on social media and networking sites, your website can be shared over and over again. Person A posts to his profile. Person B reads Person A’s profile and reposts to her profile. Persons C and D read Person B’s profile and both repost to theirs. From here on out, it’s exponential growth… viral marketing at it’s best: so cheap it might as well be free.

Did you know: Google processes over one billion search requests each day? The World Wide Web has over 1.67 billion users and over 500 million of them speak English? Facebook says it has more than 300 million users worldwide and Twitter sees 65 million “tweets” in one day (or nearly 2 billion in a month’s time)… with each social networking site having the potential to send people your way, if you have something for them to visit? (P.S. — See my tips on social media here.)

In today’s instant and mobile communication-driven world, having an online presence can mean the difference between having a good idea, company or non-profit and having a great idea, company or non-profit.

Take a moment to think back 20, 25 or 30 years ago. When most folks needed a service, where did they turn? The phone book. If your business or non-profit didn’t have a listing in the phone book or, better yet, the yellow pages, you were cut off from potential customers, clients and supporters. The same is true of the online world and websites today. When folks want information, they turn to search engines like Google. Having information about your product, activities and causes on a website you can control, maintain and update means you’ll have vital information about your company or organization available to potential customers and clients 24/7 and 365 days a year.

Without a website, you’re dead in the water.

But, maybe you knew all that. Or maybe you’re new to all this web stuff. Whether you just don’t have the time or the knowledge, I can help. Check out my services, leave the tech work to me and focus on your passions — the work that has already made your company or non-profit successful — and be assured: together, we’ll take your dreams to the next level.

The list just keeps on growing. Signing up for all the sites is easy. Getting them to work together, like they should, with your already-existing online presence and brand is the trick.

Integrated social media and networking is the key.

When someone visits you on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or any other social media or networking site, they should be able to access either your website and/or blog or your other social media sites. Your personal, business or organization “network” should talk among and with each other, allowing readers, supporters and potential clients, supporters or customers to connect to you and for you to connect to them.

When working with a client, Matt stresses the importance of the interconnectivity of social media. When you post a new story on your website, that should automatically be fed to your RSS feeds and Twitter. In return, Twitter should update your Facebook. With just one click of the mouse, your news updates can reach multiple audiences at the same time.

“Are you living up to Christ’s two great commandments?” (March 4, 2010)

opinion

“The more things change…” (Editor’s Note, QNotes, April 3, 2010)
“Enough is Enough. James must go.” (Editor’s Note, QNotes, March 20, 2010)
“Charlotte is asking and telling.” (Editor’s Note, QNotes, March 6, 2010)
“Christian Panhandling League.” (Editor’s Note, QNotes, Feb. 19, 2010)

news

“AIDS funding cuts protested.” (QNotes, March 6, 2010)
“Capital Pride?” (QNotes, Feb. 19, 2010)
“North Carolina’s ‘pleasure’ industry.” (QNotes, Feb. 6, 2010)

news-media

“13,500 Toy Soldiers Fight a War Against ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’.” (PoliticsDaily.com, April 2, 2010)