Category Archives: Community

The Essence of Online Engagement

These days, it’s not enough for people and organizations to simply establish an online presence such as on social networking sites. Other than creating an account and adding personal and company information, engaging with your fans and followers is a must.

It should be noted that engagement is key to achieving the results you want such as gaining more followers or customers and greater exposure of your personal campaigns, products or services. It is all about interacting with people, sharing your knowledge and exchanging views and ideas.

social-media-engagement

On the internet, there are various channels where you can engage with your target audience. Apart from your website or blog, you can join discussion forums related to your niche and get in touch with people on the different social media platforms. Continue reading

Originally posted on August 26, 2015 @ 8:41 am

Japanese Venture Capitalist Firm Pivoting to South East Asian Startups

Innovation Weekend Winner

Japanese venture capitalist firm, Sunbridge Global Ventures, is aggressively moving into the South East Asian startup scene, which has exponential growth over the last couple of years.

Like many savvy incubator investors, Sunbridge Global has recognized the scene is to hot to miss out on. What is more, and unlike Japan in many sectors- it remains relatively unsaturated, as this excellent “opportunity map” from TechinAsia shows:

SE Asian opportunity map

Sunbridge Global is partnered by some of the biggest corporations in Japan, such as NTT, Kao, VEC and in the US with the likes of Amazon. Last week at the Innovation Weekend at Singapore, hosted by Sunbridge Global Ventures. The winner, StudyPact, and the runner-up Haystakt– both taking the new crowdfunding fad to new and unique levels. Both projects qualified for attendance, and a chance to pitch, at a Tokyo-based pitch contest in December of this year. Joining them will be the winners and runners-up from pitch contests in Boston, London and Osaka this year.

Sunbridge Global, along with many other established and up and coming venture capital firms in Japan- are evolving from being traditional VC types, to “incubators” who provide platforms and guidance to startup ventures. With their Jannovation Week in Silicon Valley, they are investing in companies all over the world, such as the US platform AnyRoad. It is surely a sign of the times that the new way of approaching investment in South East Asia, with many collaborations between Japanese and Chinese VCs and technology firms (such as LanguageCloud, which Sunbridge Global also invested in)- will not be overly influenced by the older generations still harboring grudges over events which happened over 75 years ago, such as the nanking massacre. The younger generations are not only tech savvy and forward looking, along with awareness that previous generations didn’t have (e.g: the environment, health, etc)- but they also recognize that socially aware entrepreneurship and staying connected to their fellow men and women around world, without censorship, is the best chance the world has for peace and prosperity for all.

    Originally posted on May 14, 2014 @ 2:39 am

    6 Things to Cover In an Event Review

    Getting the opportunity to cover an event can be the first big break for a blogger. While you are certain to be overwhelmed with excitement about the prospect of covering the event, it is also a lot of pressure. Putting out a polished review can reflect well on the event as well as give your blog valuable press-time; but it can be a complicated endeavor. Included here are a few things to incorporate and cover when you complete your first event review blog.

    Be Punctual

    Make sure you are on-time, or early, to the event so you can photograph guests coming and going at the venue as well as any featured items the event may be peddling. After the event, it is critical you write your review while the experience is fresh in your mind. This often means writing within the first 48 hours following the soiree, although some coordinators may want the article up even sooner.

    networking-event

    Include Important Statistics

    This means you will have to be well-informed and able to go around shaking some hands. Find out who supported the event, who attended and for what cause. Include statistics like money raised, students supported, and how many celebrities were in attendance. Consider infographics, if applicable, as they are a surefire way to bring more traffic to your site. Continue reading

    Originally posted on August 9, 2015 @ 5:45 am

    Small Support Communities

    One of the major advantages of networking with other bloggers is the tips that they will hand out. Some of the best things I have ever done to my blogs and advertising has been thanks to a small blogging community that I have joined. We help each other out with content ideas, promotion, best ad placement, niche analysis, and many other things.

    Finding these little exclusive clubs can sometimes be difficult, but when you do get a V.I.P. pass, the projects you work on will see a great boost.

    One such community that I am involved with that is just getting started is EasySmith. EasySmith is being organized by David Krug. David has helped broker the sale of many sites, and built up many of his own. His expertise and connections will be of great help to anyone that applies. He has helped me out in many situations, and I continue to learn a lot from him.

    Here are some details about EasySmith:

    EasySmith is all about sharing. Ideas, dreams, visions, and goals. It’s a community of bloggers united to help one another achieve dreams. We achieve this by developing an open pattern of sharing. Whether that’s our daily bitching about how horrible and boring web development can be, or how we didn’t make enough money to cover rent this month. That’s what we are here for.

    If you know of any other such small, focused support communities within the blogosphere, please let me know. I am always looking for new resources, and avenues, as well as new ways to help out other struggling bloggers.

    Originally posted on February 8, 2010 @ 10:18 pm

    Blog Action Day!

    We ask all blog publishers to help bring awareness to the world today on the dire situation with climate change and the need for action!

    Why Climate Change?

    Climate change affects us all and it threatens more than the environment. It threatens to cause famine, flooding, war, and millions of refugees.

    Given the urgency of the issue of climate change and the upcoming international climate negotiations in Copenhagen this December, we think the blogosphere has the unique opportunity to mobilize millions of people around expressing support for finding a sustainable solution to the climate crisis.

    Suggested Posts

    We encourage you to write about climate change in the context of how it relates to the topic of your blog. To help you start thinking, here are a few ideas about how you might connect climate change to things that you might already write about:

    * A Technology or Business blog might write about emerging clean tech and how innovative companies might be able to help address the problem of climate change.

    * A Health or Lifestyle blog might write about how climate change will affect our children’s health and daily living.

    * A Nonprofit or Political blog might write about how climate change is deeply connected to many other issues – such as poverty and conflict.

    * A Design blog might write about new trends in eco-friendly or sustainable design.

    * A Travel blog might write about the places you want to see now before climate change makes them difficult to access or, well, under the sea.

    Please join the 7,037 blogs in 135 countries and 11,211,921 readers in uniting over this urgent issue!

    Originally posted on October 14, 2009 @ 1:11 pm