Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "facebook"

I Have a Website and a Facebook Page, Am I a "Social Business"?

2012-02-01T19:51:15Z

We’re all aware of social media and the impact it has had on how we market our service or product and value to customers. The ability to deliver real-time marketing messages, at low or no cost via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social platforms has enticed businesses to embrace social technology for a large percentage of their outreach endeavors, and has changed the entire marketing and advertising landscape.

Today, most businesses have done the work to embrace and brand themselves via social media. As a result of this shift, savvy companies are applying their social media technology and experience to streamline many of their internal programs and optimize organizational transparency. This evolution is what is known as Social Business. The Social Media Examiner reports “Social business is not a trend; it’s a forced evolution. A social business deals with the internal transformation of an organization and addresses key factors such as organizational dynamics, culture, internal communications, governance, training, employee activation and much more.”

“Organizations need to get smarter, acquire new technologies, intelligence, talent and motivation to become more open and transparent. They need to create processes and establish governance models that protect the organization, yet empower their employees.”

By investing in and applying social media to the business structure, internal and customer communications are eased, and equally important, visible by key departments within the organization. Employees are enabled to chat freely and quickly with each other, management, and key departments. Customer and product issues are responded to and resolved immediately before they become problematic. Marketing and Development teams gain valuable insight from internal teams and customers.

The ultimate result of adapting social business technology is cost savings. A social business sees impressive reductions in time to market, greater product development success, increased productivity, as well as improved customer and employee satisfaction.

How can your business streamline communications and processes utilizing social networking technology? What communities can you activate to become raving fans of your products or services? What do you need to know to become a social business?

C7group is proud to present the 2012 Business Thought Leadership Webcast Series featuring foremost experts with leading perspectives about the social tools, technology and changing workflow in business today. Registration is FREE.

2012 BUSINESS THOUGHT LEADERSHIP WEBCAST SERIES FEATURED PRESENTERS (AS OF FEB 1, 2012):

Jason Falls, Founder, Social Media Explorer
February 7, 2012 – 10:00 a.m. PST
Moving the Needle: Using Social Media to Advance Your Business
Jason Falls will discuss developing a strategic plan for social media, case studies of companies using social media for business purposes and tying the “conversation” with the “conversion”.

Euan Semple, Director, Voice and euansemple.com
Thursday, February 23 – 3:00 p.m. PST
The New “Business as Usual”
Euan Semple will talk about about driving business by leveraging social media to change culture, re-design workflow and grow profit.

Halelly Azulay, CEO, TalentGrow
Tuesday, March 6 – 9:00 a.m. PST
Social Learning and Employee Development
Halelly Azulay will discuss the realities of employee development, leveraging social networking and media for learner-driven, learner-generated learning

Jon Ferrara, CEO, Nimble
Wednesday, March 21 – 10:00 a.m. PST
Social Media and Sales Relationships
Jon Ferrara will offer tips about how to work as an effective team by tracking and managing contacts, prospects, and activities. Specifically, how to maximize marketing impact, make more revenue in less time and the benefits of unified communication.

You can Register at www.learnsocialbusiness.com.

Do you have thoughts or questions you’d like our featured presenters to answer? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter @C7group!

You can also email learn@c7group.com if you have a request or recommendation for thought leaders that should be a part of the 2012 Business Thought Leadership Webcast Series.

Disclosure: I am a marketing consultant for C7 Group.

Real Relationships: Social Media

2012-01-23T16:34:26Z

Maybe it is just me, but I am so thankful that Facebook was not around when I was in high school. The drama that it can cause is ridiculous. Even people in their late 20s and 30s succumb to the drama Facebook provides.

"You checked in at where with who? I thought you were home sick! You told me you don't even like that girl. Liar. We're through!"

"I get so mad at all those girls who comment of my boyfriend's wall. Don't they know we're together now?"

"Who is that guy who always ‘likes’ your photos and comments? Do I need to pay him a visit?"

"Why are you still friends with your ex? Now he can see everything we do!"

Please raise your hand if you have been a part of or heard of situations exactly like these. [hand raise]

Frankly, it annoys and saddens me to think that a website is capable of such holding such power over our lives and relationships.

However, Facebook only has as much power over our relationships as we give it. If you are in a relationship with someone, I would hope you know them better than the Facebook masses do. You are aware of who they hang out with and who they don't. You have a general idea of what they do in their day-to-day lives. Don't let comments from other people question the trust you have in each other.

Here is a concept: Talk to your significant other about their life. Don't read about it on Facebook.

Problem: There are always going to be those silly guys you went to high school with who like to stir things up by making an inappropriate comment about you on Facebook. There are always going to be those lonely, desperate girls who like to reminisce in a public forum about "all the fun” you two used to have. “You know, that night... ;-)”

Solution: If you have some real concerns about the activity on your significant other's Facebook, talk to them. Don't wage a war of words between you and the unseen stalker. That brings you down to their level. Consider, though, that most of the time it is a one-way admiration competition and your man/woman could care less. In fact, they are probably embarrassed by it and aren't quite sure how to stop it.

Facebook does break up relationships. This we know.

It also creates relationships, restores relationships and maintains relationships.

Facebook is not the devil. Its users are. Don't let it ruin (or run) your life, and make sure you are not one of those people ruining other's lives.

Next step: Responsible Facebook practices. Learn them. Live them. Love them. If you don't, maybe you should get off Facebook.

MidLife GridLife - Longtime Listener, Longtime Caller

2012-01-14T00:55:31Z

The truth is, I have trouble letting go of people I care about, and Facebook is like a little cyber-room where we can visit every day without time consuming phone calls or awkward letters.

My first online date is one of my Facebook friends. I invited him over the first time with virtually no thought because it was his birthday, and I hated the idea of him spending it alone. It was one of the rare times I behaved maturely and had my girlfriend there to chaperone, lest he turn out to be a psychopath.

She made biscuits, I think.

She is also my Facebook Friend and former HR Manager, now married to my second online boyfriend.

Seriously.

He is not my Facebook Friend.

There are a lot of radio guys on that list. When I worked in radio, I worked almost exclusively with guys. Some were just coworkers, some made what might have been a challenging time—being the girl at the radio station—a very cool thing, and taught me as much as I could absorb, and then some.

And then some.

Years later, during the end of my second marriage, my radio career in the rearview mirror, I used to get in my car and drive around and around the block so my coworkers wouldn’t see me fall apart at my desk. I would get in the car, pull out of the parking lot, start to sob, and then call my oldest friend to talk me down, so I could get back to work.

I don’t know how many times we did this, but he always picked up the phone.

It may seem like the sort of thing any good friend would do, but our history as friends—now Facebook friends—is anything but ordinary.

We met on the phone 32 years ago. He was the first DJ I began calling, if memory serves, at the start of my time as a dedicated radio groupie.

He has a great voice.

As it turns out, he wasn’t that much older than I was.

We never dated.

We cheated on his girlfriend once. A ridiculous event orchestrated by me, unfortunately typical of my behavior at the time. She is—30 years later--one of my best friends, I am fortunate to say.

I held the hair of his roommate’s girlfriend while she threw up in a trash can, because he didn’t feel it was appropriate for him to bring her home alone when she got wasted at a bar where we were drinking while the roommate was out of town.

We went through one of the most emotional experiences people can go through, and he didn’t handle it very well. Things were pretty strained (meaning, I didn’t speak to him for awhile).

At another point, he almost got a friend of mine in serious relationship trouble to impress a girl (or so I’m told). Our relationship again went dark.

But he has also, pretty much singlehandedly helped me secure three different jobs over the years (he’s a little more than a pretty voice to a Program Director, apparently).

I once published a story online, and notice of publication was automatically sent to a list of my friends and acquaintances. When he read the story, he (along with another friend, also male) called me right away, concerned that my marriage was in trouble, wondering if I was okay.

It’s fiction, I assured him, I wrote it years ago. (Truthfully, my marriage was mess, but our story wasn’t remotely similar to the one I had published, so that part was true.).

For 32 years he’s been on the other end of the request line.

He’s really that guy that I call—

If he doesn’t call me first.

MidLife GridLife - So Many Men

2011-12-30T18:45:12Z

I have 131 “friends” on Facebook.

Twelve of them are not people.

Sixty-five of them are not women.

Of those 65, I have not kissed 50 of them—sometime in the past thirty years, give or take.

I have acquired an eclectic and devoted group of friends over the years, and I have come to accept that, for whatever reason, most of them are male.

It might be that, being one of few women working in radio in the 1980’s, I naturally met, worked with, and befriended a greater percentage of men than women.

It might be that a lot of the women I did work with were bitchy and competitive and difficult to bond with.

The same could not be said of me; I was never competitive.

Many of the women I met in my younger days let female friends go when they married and had children, or even embarked on the latest serious relationship (Not all of them; I do have a few women whose friendships have spanned a decade or two).

The men in my life, some of whom I dated, some of whom were what we used to call “friends with benefits,” and some simply close confidants, have stuck around.

I lost my virginity to someone who is now my friend on Facebook.

Not in a random act of lust, but in a synchronized, well thought out event, calculated to take the edge off of any future spontaneous occurrences. Birth control in place, parents out of the way, and partner chosen because he cared about me an could be trusted.

I had it all figured out.

Things took an unexpected turn when my girlfriend (AKA my alibi for the night, as I was ---) began throwing up an evening of Sloe Gin fizzes in the room down the hall. Calling a quick time out, I swiped brow, swabbed the floor, and slipped back into place, in time to hear Ellen Burstyn deliver that classic line from Same Time Next Year,

“Ya wanna f***?”

The television was apparently still on across the room.

I’ve said it before: My God has a sense of humor, and I am frequently the punch line.

We dated a bit, this Friend, and I, but he is really the brother I became fortunate enough to acquire.

About fifteen years after that fateful night, he flew from far, far away to attend my first wedding.

Cool, right?

* * * * *

My first fiancé is also my Facebook Friend.

We met through work and became engaged, but things were rocky. He had two beautiful and loving daughters, but his divorce had been less than amicable. We would often arrive at his apartment to find message on the answering machine a la Betty Broderick, spewing hateful things about him, and me and the things she would do to keep the girls from being a part of it. Many times we could hear the girls in the background, and know that they had been forced to hear every word.

Eventually it became too much.

I was still in my early twenties, unprepared and unwilling to be the cause of such heartache and division in the lives of the children.

I bowed out.

It was painful, but we moved on.

He met a woman and became involved.

A couple of months later, I was cooking something—never a great idea, really—and sliced open my inner finger. Blood everywhere.

I completely freaked out.

I called him. I couldn’t think of anyone else.

He raced over, staunched my bleeding, and calmed me down.

Years later, I started thinking about him out of the blue, and called him at the place I knew he was working.
His mother had just died.

Until Facebook, we had not been in touch.

He is still with that girlfriend; she has been his wife for over twenty years.

Seeing their family on Facebook was like validation that I did the right thing all those years ago.

And that’s not a bad thing.

TO BE CONTINUED…

MidLife GridLife - The Facebook Chronicles

2011-12-17T21:47:55Z

I love Facebook.

I didn’t think I would, but I do.

Ironically, the person who dragged me kicking and screaming onto the site with promises of more frequent communication as the incentive is one of the people who appears there the least. But, no matter. Within a week of creating my page I found a friend from high school (I wasn’t interested in even looking for very many of them, actually) who had been living in Australia since graduation, and I was hooked!

Facebook is my Cheers and I want to go where everyone knows my name.

Facebook has become the place I can drop in throughout the week where someone is glad to see me, pretends to be amused by my every witty status update, and offers chin-up words of support on my down days. I can even show people pictures of my kid and my vacation and not see the boredom register on their faces.

If I could get a shot of tequila, it would be just about perfect.

Earlier this month, Sacramento Press was nice enough to put together a “Best of 2011” sort of page of my work, which I posted on Facebook. A lot of friends posted compliments, some of whom read my work regularly, some who were seeing it for the first time. Looking over the list, I realized what an interesting assortment of people I’ve collected.

“I should write about my Facebook friends,” I posted, “But no one panic, I won’t tell everything!”

“Don’t forget the little people!” came one response. Forget? That guy I could write chapters about!

Unlike some people, I actually know most of my hundred or so friends personally, and they span a lot of years and several life paths. Their roles in my life are varied, and in some cases, perhaps, unexpected.

Hopefully engaging.

My own homage to Armistead Maupin (with apologies):

The Facebook Chronicles.

If not for Cammie—and I do not hesitate to use her name, though I will likely not use others—I would not be here. Here, in Sacramento Press. It was Cammie who most frequently flung at me the phrase, “you should be writing about this!” until one day when I was at Temple Coffee, noodling around with poetry on my laptop, I finally checked the masthead of Sac Press, counted a couple of titles down from the top, and sent off a pitch.

I’m sure the fact that they wouldn’t have to pay me made me sound a lot more compelling; I know it made the concept a lot easier to sell.

I met Cammie during my stint at Mix 96 radio. I was either the News Director-slash-Morning News Host or still doing the evening shift; too long ago to remember. But Cammie became my nurse in shining armor when I got chicken pox—yes, chicken pox, at the ripe old age of twenty-something--and was quarantined in my apartment for a week! As luck would have it, Cammie’s son had just gotten over despicable spots, and she was able to deliver groceries and the comfort of occasional human contact during a long and irritable week.

Almost 25 years later, Cammie is still shoring up my spirits via Facebook.

Tag, You're It

2011-11-10T22:33:09Z

Tag! You’re It!

So, I’ve stepped in it again and this time what I mean by “it” is the ubiquitous package we call technology. Namely, the “technology” of which I speak is Facebook.

I possess just enough knowledge to be dangerous about a variety of things, social networking being one of these. While I’m not particularly knowledgeable about Facebook, generally, I am even less knowledgeable, specifically, about the related etiquette. Evidently.

Having said that, Facebook does make some things easier; like uploading photographs. You can upload pictures and tag them over to your friends in less time than it takes to mop the kitchen floor. While I do understand the concept that is the photographic equivalent of yelling, “You’re It!” when tagging pictures of people who are IN the images, I figured why couldn’t you expand upon that feature and transfer snapshots to interested third parties? (Don’t get ahead of me now.)

For instance, if I took a particularly stunning picture of a gal pal of mine, why wouldn’t her significant other not enjoy seeing that picture, let alone own this treasure by virtue of his Facebook account? Well, let me tell you why.

I’m sitting at my computer one morning, creating a new album and tagging away, as I slurp down my French blend cup of joe. Suddenly, my daughter materializes in my office demanding, “Did you post a picture of me on Facebook?” to which I replied, “I just did it. How in the world did you know?” as I simultaneously notice she has her cell phone in her hand.

(As an aside, another thing I learned is that you can set-up your Facebook account, so that when anyone does tag you, you will receive an immediate cell phone notification. That is some handy information to have.)

I did not sense danger and, in fact, proudly proclaimed my actions by burbling, “I did! I took these great pictures of your dad and I thought you’d get a kick out of them.” Her horrified look told the story, but it’s really only the beginning of the story because what I had entitled the album was, “Photos of My Hot Male Model.”

My daughter ran to her computer, in full damage control mode, as I struggled to keep the bile from rising as a result of what I now realized may not have been one of my swiftest moves. My offspring’s rhetorical scream of, “How could you do this to me?!” showed me the folly of my ways.

There, in glaring font, illustrated with posed pictures of her father, but appearing on her home page – and later the public newsfeed – was the album entitled, “Photos of My Hot Male Model.” Oh, no! Even I got the awkward factor on that one.

In case you don’t know this, when someone has tagged you in this way, there’s not much you can really do about it because goodness knows we tried. It’s worse than a typo in some obscure Internet posting that keeps popping up like an embarrassingly persistent former boyfriend. She posted a note of clarification on her wall, along with a public comment to me saying, “Really Mom?!” and I shamefacedly posted back that I would put myself in a corner.

The lesson on tagging someone who isn’t in the picture also applies to pointing and staring. Don’t do it, not only because it’s impolite, but these types of pursuits tend to invite the kind of attention you just can’t Face(book).

Disclosure: Diane Dean-Epps is an author & Marketing Coordinator for the law firm Mennemeier, Glassman & Stroud.Her essays appear regularly in a variety of publications, including THE UNION newspaper, NPR's This I Believe, Sacramento magazine, the SF Chronicle.

Sacramento Social Media Club to host 'Best Practices for Charities'

2011-11-04T15:29:28Z

Through their use of Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and other social media tools, many local charities have spread their message, raised funds and increased public awareness of their cause in order to promote social change. In the hopes of spreading their stories and inspiring other philanthropic organizations to do the same, four local charities will be conducting a panel discussion at the Sacramento Social Media Club’s “Social Media Best Practices for Charities” on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Urban Hive.

Moderated by Clay Nutting, director of Concepts 4 Charity and account executive for 3Fold Communications, the event will include panelists: Kate Towson, Americorps VISTA with Sacramento Steps Foward; Julie Bornhoeft, director of development and community relations for WEAVE, Inc.; Misty Avila, eAdvocacy coordinator for Aspiration Tech; and Chris Brune, director of creative services at Macer Media (Sacramento Press), for the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.

The event will stream live on Ustream starting at 7 p.m., and can be followed on Twitter by using the hashtag #SMCSAC. The event is free, but donations will be accepted on behalf of the Sacramento Food Bank and the River City Food Bank. Donations up to $500 will be matched by CGI as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility Program.

In addition to panel, the Sacramento Social Media Club will be hosting a social media tune-up workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 15 from 6-to-8 p.m. at the Urban Hive. At the tune up, charities will be matched up with marketing practitioners and agencies for one-on-one reviews of their social media platforms, with specific recommendations on improvements after the consultation. In order to participate, charities must RSVP in advance.

The Urban Hive is located at 1931 H St., Sacramento, 95811. Space is limited for both events. Click here to RSVP for the Social Media Best Practices for Charities panel. To RSVP for the social media tune up, email smcsacto@gmail.com.

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About the Social Media Club: The Sacramento Social Media Club was founded in March 2009 by local social media activists. Its monthly events bring together journalists, publishers, students, communicators and other interested collaborators to facilitate discussions about the key issues facing our society as technologies transform the way we connect, communicate, collaborate and relate. The Social Media Club’s primary mission is to promote media literacy and standard technologies, encourage ethical behavior and share best practices. To find out more, join their groups on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

About the author: Brittany Wesely is the Associate Community Benefit Health Specialist for Kaiser Permanente, and a member of the all-volunteer leadership team for the Sacramento Social Media Club. Follow her on Twitter @brittanywesely.

Marketing is Not Enough: Social Media 3.0

2011-11-01T22:23:31Z

It’s time for business to overcome the fractured, narrow view of social media as only a marketing channel or a public relations campaign. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and LinkedIn have taught us the value of social networking platforms on a global scale. Businesses fueled by the hype and the excitement to "get online" and drive sales have created a "tools-first, strategy later," environment. The result? Some success stories and just as many social media disasters.

In order to avoid this tool trap, businesses need to get latest information about how to maximize processes, analytics and tools available to get ready (systemic social business strategy), aim (integrated methodology), and to fire (take action) using social technology in productive and profitable ways. To that end, C7group is hosting a session at the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce on December 9, 2011 addressing this topic. This session will transform the vision for business leadership from using social media tools to understanding how social business will:

Reduce time in meetings and duplicated tasks
Increase sales, customer satisfaction and customer retention
Improve employee collaboration

Topics Covered and Questions Answered:

Does your business need social media or not? What is the difference between social business and social marketing?
Where do we invest? How do we measure?
What are internal and external communities?
Do we need them?
What is social media policy?
How do we implement guidance and governance for social business? How do we avoid a social media crisis?
Where does mobile technology fit?
How do we choose from the thousands of social technology tools and platforms available?
Change is constant. How do we decide what makes sense now?

In the era of social business, external marketing will always play a role, but it's the tip of the iceberg. Moving forward, the true opportunity is about scaling and operationalizing social technology as an integrated layer that's woven into the fabric of business.

Agenda:

8:00 am - Networking and Continental Breakfast
9:00 am - Program Begins
11:30 am - Networking Lunch
12:30 pm - Program Resumes
2:30 pm - Wrap up Q&A

Presenters and Speakers:
Jeff Marmins, Founder and Managing Partner of C7group. A management consulting firm specializing in social business strategy. Jeff works with companies to engage and communicate with customers and employees through the use of social software, community platforms, and other emerging web and mobile technologies. He is one of the original pioneers in helping to apply web technologies to solve business problems. He is a founding Director of the Social Media Club, Sacramento Chapter. Having applied social technologies in business since their invention, the news media seeks him out regularly for his insights. The Business Journal, Sacramento Bee, FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, trade magazines and newsletters have featured or quoted Jeff as a social networking and technology thought leader.

Additional speaker announcements pending confirmation.

Disclosure: I am the Vice President, Communications at C7group.

Ask The County Law Librarian - Digital Afterlife

2011-09-02T02:18:04Z

Q. My 32 year old brother died recently in a motorcycle accident. He doesn't have much in the way of assets but he does have a Facebook account with lots of photos and a Twitter account that reflects all of his musings. Is there a way for me to get access?

A. The companies that have created the most popular places and tools for online expression have specific policies usually buried in "Terms of Service Agreements" and often involve some effort, like providing a death certificate. Facebook offers to "memorialize" the profile when an individual dies. It deactivates certain features and resets various privacy controls, converting the account to a place where friends can leave remembrances. The process doesn't give much direct control to any heir or executor of the content.

Twitter offers a full archive of a deceased user's tweets to their survivors.

Gone are the days you inherit a physical scrapbook or a diary and this has inspired a variety of entrepreneurs to create startups that manage the details of your digital afterlife. These services store passwords and document your wishes for who gets access to what accounts into a kind of adjunct to a traditional will. The digital beyond lists such services.

There is even a book on this topic: Your Digital Afterlife: When Facebook, Flickr and Twitter Are Your Estate, What's Your Legacy by Evan Caroll and John Romano.

I am sorry for your loss and hope accessing these accounts preserves your brother's legacy.

Do you have a question for the County Law Librarian? Just email sacpress@saclaw.org. If your question is selected your answer will appear in next Thursday's column. Even if your question isn't selected, though, I will still respond within two weeks.

Coral Henning, Director
@coralh & @saclawlibrarian

www.saclaw.org

Restaurants Are Hungry for Your Business; Social Media is Their Platter

2011-08-14T23:19:56Z

Let’s face it; those of us that use social networking sites are pretty much addicted. Whether you are connected through Facebook or Twitter—or both—you have a pretty good idea of what’s going on around town. Businesses that have been paying attention for the past two plus years are aware of this phenomenon and have leveraged social media to broaden their reach to potential customers. Restaurateurs are no different.

On Tuesday, the Social Media Club, Sacramento (@SMCSac) hosted the “Dining Social: Restaurants & Social Media” at The Urban Hive in midtown to discuss how local restaurants are using social media and the impact it has had on their business. Ashlee Gadd (@AshleeGadd), PR Manager for The Citizen Hotel and Grange, moderated the panel which included local restaurateurs, social media managers, and a representative from Yelp,

The discussion got off to a speedy start exploring which platforms each panelist mostly used, and the consensus was without surprise, Twitter and Facebook. The major differences panelists found in using these two social networks is that with Facebook, most fans have actually been to the restaurant and show more of a true consumer following, while many Twitter followers have never been to the restaurant but may be interested in upcoming events or specials. Karyn Wong, owner of Chick-fil-A in Arden Fair (@cfaArdenFair) mentioned that they have had a positive reaction by using deals on Foursquare. Although not every restaurant uses the deals, many of the panelists agreed that Foursquare has had a positive impact on their business.

When the topic of half off/daily deals arose, Andrea Lepore, co-owner of Hot Italian (@HotItalianPizza) was quick to point out that they have never used a daily deal, and don’t plan to. Some feel it devalues the image of the restaurant while others feel it gets the word out about the business. When addressing how social media played a role in each company’s overall marketing strategy, Gina Funk Nelson, Social Media Manager for Selland Group, which includes Selland’s Market-Cafe, Ella Dining & Bar and The Kitchen Restaurant (@SellandFamily), said they have pulled back on radio advertisements and other traditional marketing strategies due to the long term outreach and engagement strategy of social media. Other panelists have done the same. While balance is still needed between multiple channels, social media may seem to have the upper hand.

While not everyone may use Yelp to rate and review their dining experience, there are many Sacramentans that use it on a regular basis. Mike Costello, owner of the recently closed Brew It Up (@brewitup_sacto) noted that reviews appeared to only be written by those who had an extreme positive or negative experience, but not those in between. Alex Lane, Sacramento Community Manager for Yelp (@yelpsacramento), said that 83% of reviews are positive and the negative reviews are a reflection of overselling and bad experiences. A way to combat those negative reviews is for the restaurants to respond and examine the situation to see if it can be resolved and maybe even turn out a new positive review. While it’s difficult to imagine a restaurant could only have one type of review, most of the panelists agreed that every review should be used as potentially constructive criticism, and not be taken personally. Whether that’s actually done, is up to the restaurant.

Mona Romero, Social Media Director of The Sacramento Press (@SacramentoPress) said that Facebook ads have proved beneficial for the restaurants she works with. She recommends paying the minimum ad fee in the beginning and see where it gets you adjusting, if needed. She suggested using Google Alerts and the Twitter search bar to see what consumers are saying about your restaurant.

There is no doubt that operating a restaurant in a down economy can be difficult—and quite frustrating. What these local Sacramento restaurateurs have taught us is that connecting with the community through social media can not only increase sales, but it can build relationships as well. Social media is not an exact science and it does take time and finesse to really leverage it, but it can be extremely beneficial nonetheless.

In the traditional Social Media Club Sacramento fashion, panelists and attendees continued the conversation after the moderated discussion ended, enjoying food and wine from local businesses. David Cole from James David Cellars (@jamesdavidwine) poured wine and Chick-Fil-A and Hot Italian supplied the appetizers.

The next Social Media Club event will be on September 13th discussing LinkedIn for Business held at Drexel University.

If you would like to learn more about social media and its impact on various topics and industries, visit the Sacramento Social Media Club on Facebook or Twitter.

Disclosure: Kelsey Jacoby is on the Leadership Team for Social Media Club Sacramento

Brands are listening to Mommy Bloggers, are you?

2011-07-07T23:26:47Z

What or whom are you influenced by when you are looking for a new product? It might be commercials, television shows, or maybe if you are like millions of other people around the world, you are influenced by bloggers. Gone are the days when you only read ads in the Sunday newspaper, or watch commercials on the television. Today many of us are being swayed commercially by social media, the internet, and other digital mediums.

In fact, according to Marketing Charts.com, nearly 50% of blog readers say they purchase products mentioned in the blogs they read on a daily basis. That is quite powerful when you put it in perspective. So what about here locally? What kind of power and influence do bloggers, in particular mommy bloggers--tech savvy, create your own opportunity, kind of moms--have over the Capital City?

Nichole, a mommy blogger with inthesesmallmoments.com says she’s had readers share with her that they bought items she mentioned on her blog and goes on to say, "When I write about a product on my blog, it is a product that I believe in and use myself.” It is safe to say, that in general, readers of blogs trust the author’s insight and opinion and therefore those authors can and DO influence the purchasing habits of like-minded consumers.

Dr. Melissa Arca, author of Confessions of a Dr. Mom, uses her blog to provide helpful parenting tips and children’s health advice to her readers. Nikki Medoro, reporter for KFBK and mom extraordinaire, uses her blog, Mama On The Mic, to talk about the trials and triumphs of mommyhood, as well as the balancing act she faces as a working mom. Marketing professionals consider these moms to be key influencers of consumer purchases. Companies that typically turn to mom bloggers for advertising include toy makers, makers of children’s apparel and accessories, packaged food companies, and even car makers. This circle of women can help shape what kinds of products other mothers are buying and because of that influence, corporations are seeking the power of the mommy blogger to promote their products.

Business owners and marketers, don’t count these ladies out, as they are an integral segment of social media and when approached properly, can offer better results than many other marketing techniques out there.

If you are interested in learning more about this phenomenon, Social Media Club Sacramento (SMCSac) is hosting a mommy blogger panel discussion on July 12 from 6:30-9:00 pm at The Urban Hive in Sacramento. The panel, moderated by Meghan Phillips, principle and marketing director for The Honey Agency, features the bloggers from these popular blogs: Confessions of a Dr. Mom, From Dates to Diapers, Momma On The Mic, Raising CEO Kids, and Read Between the Limes. “While this discussion will certainly appeal to moms and parents,” explained Laura Good, executive director of SMCSac, “it will also be an informative session for businesses who have not yet tapped into the marketing potential of mommy blogger influence.” For more information on this free event, visit the event registration page, Social Media and Motherhood in Sacramento

Disclosure: Erin Haight is a freelance journalist and a volunteer for Social Media Club Sacramento

Cast a Patriotic Vote for our Trees

2011-06-28T15:46:08Z

Imagine this: You’re driving down the highway in a new Sacramento Tree Foundation Truck. It’s your first full day on the job, it’s raining, you’re slowing down to look for your exit when… bam! Another truck sideswipes you at 70 MPH. Suddenly you’re tumbling, tail over hood, down the embankment, until finally you come to a stop – miraculously right side up and without a scratch on you. The roll bar saved your life, but the trees, the truck, and yes, your first day are completely wrecked.

Know what’s even worse? You don’t have to imagine it. It happened. On one rainy day in April the Sacramento Tree Foundation lost a truck that we had hoped would help us move trees and large supplies to our plantings in parks, at schools, in neighborhoods, and at habitat restoration sites. We were lucky because our driver walked away without a scratch on him, but we were sad because losing the truck would slow down our efforts to plant 5 million trees in the Sacramento region.

Enter Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good initiative – our chance to win a truck so that we can do more good for our community.

So how do you know we’re “doing good”? Well, check us out. Go to www.sactree.com to view the 2-minute video we made to explain why we need a Toyota truck. If that doesn’t convince you then consider this: for 29 years the Sacramento Tree Foundation has been helping people throughout the Sacramento region plant, care and learn about trees. Elm, maple, sycamore, pine…look outside right now and chances are you will be looking out upon a forest of trees. Our region reaps the benefits of an urban forest rich with a canopy of 7 million trees. From air quality, to shade, to health and well being, trees define the Sacramento landscape and make our community a wonderful place to live.

Trees have also become a way for people to give back to their community. From September 2010 through June 2011, the Sacramento Tree Foundation saw over 4,000 volunteers show up at our planting events. These 4,000 volunteers put over 18,000 trees in the ground. That’s equivalent to $5.3 million in energy saving benefits to the community, $14.5 million in air quality improvements, and an $8.5 million increase in property values. And that’s just in one year! Imagine the benefit to the community if we all continue to plant trees for another 30 years.

Of course, in order to plant the trees, we have to move trees, and to move the trees we need a new truck. But to get that new truck we need your help.

And I know you want to help. Of the 500 contestants that are entered in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good initiative, four are from the Sacramento area: Freedom Bound Center; Disabled Sports USA Far West; the American Red Cross Capital Region Chapter, and the Sacramento Tree Foundation. Of the four, two have already won vehicles. Freedom Bound Center took home the prize on May 17, and Disabled Sports USA Far West, in Citrus Heights, was the May 22 winner. The Sacramento Tree Foundation is up for its vote on July 4, 2011, and votes for the American Red Cross can be cast on August 13.

So, to close this out, I just want you to imagine one more thing. This Independence day while you’re outside barbequing under the shade of a giant elm, biking under a line of oaks along the American River Parkway, or relaxing in hammock between two maple trees, think of the organization that wants to help put more trees in the ground. Think of the Sacramento Tree Foundation and remember that you can improve your community just by voting on July 4. Visit sactree.com to watch the video and sign up for a reminder to vote.

Disclosure: Anne Fenkner is a Greenprint regional coordinator for the Sacramento Tree Foundation

Local businesses 'Like' Advanced Facebook for Business workshop

2011-06-21T07:29:15Z

93% of all American ~~adults~~ adult internet users are now on Facebook. While this is not a surprising statistic for anyone that has fielded a friend request from their mom, aunt or even grandpa, it does make it harder for small businesses to ignore Facebook as a platform to engage their target demographic. The argument that a business targets an older or less tech savvy demo than Facebook users just doesn’t hold water any longer.

Businesses without a Facebook presence are not just passing up a valuable opportunity to engage their customers, provide customer service, and gain new consumers; they're falling behind. But just being on Facebook and setting up a business page isn’t enough. A Facebook presence must be maintained and used strategically to add real value to your brand.

Enter Josh Unfried speaker at The Social Media Club of Sacramento's recent workshop, “Advanced Facebook for Business”. Unfried, the CEO of WindFarm Online Marketing, spent almost two hours teaching SMCSac members, many of whom run or work for local businesses, how to take their Facebook presence to the next level. In addition to the obvious benefits of improving customer connections, staying top of mind, driving sales through promotions and increasing visibility, Unfried asserts that Facebook is now allowing businesses to "transform customer service into marketing".

"Everyone is now able to watch how you handle a complaint, or answer a question," points out Unfried. "For those that give great customer service this is a tremendous opportunity. For those that don't, the consequences can be equally negative."

Once Unfried covered the benefits and FAQs of using Facebook, the advanced tips started to fly. Even those in the room who had seemed relatively smug about their Facebook skills were soon scrawling notes and asking in depth questions. Unfried walked through the steps of setting up a business page, not because most hadn't already done it, but because, he wagered, not all of them had done it as well as they could have. A few lesser known gems:

Facebook Business Account: Facebook generally requires users to have a personal profile in order to create a Facebook Business page. However, if you have no desire to ever have a personal Facebook profile and would like to manage a Facebook Business page only, it IS possible to create a Facebook Business Account, which does not require a personal Facebook profile.
'Tell Your Fans' feature: If you've created a new Facebook business page and are ready to start accruing 'likes' you can make sure all your current and loyal customers know about your page. Simply use the Tell Your Fans feature to upload a .csv file of your email database. From there you can do an email blast to your current contacts making them aware of your Facebook page and asking them to 'Like' your business.
Launch your page with a variety of content: before you 'Tell your fans' or share the page with your friends, make sure they don't see a blank or boring page when they get there. Videos and photos are the most engaging pieces of content a page can have. Make sure before you market the page you've already posted a mix of text, links, videos, and photos to make your page interesting when new users arrive.

Once the page is set up and ready to go, its time for the most important tool your Facebook page offers: engagement with your fans. Unfried spent a fair amount of time reiterating that engagement is key to successful Facebook marketing efforts. Increased engagement with your fans not only endears your brand to those you're engaging with, it keeps your posts higher in their news feed. The 'Top News' feed posts are ranked by which posts users are interacting with most. An engaged discussion with many comments and likes will keep your brand at the top of your 'fans' news feeds for much longer than it might otherwise.

"Does this inform? Does it inspire? Does it entertain? Does it connect?" he asks. "Ask yourself this before you post from your page."

And don't discount the "magic of randomness". Unfried shared an example of a client that is family dentist in Roseville. The most popular post shared on their wall was simply, "What color is your toothbrush?" Something about the question proved to be irresistible to the dentist's fans. The dentist was able to stay top of mind for each of their Facebook fans as they read and debated toothbrush colors. That single post allowed the dentist to remain at the top of the Top News feed for several days.

Tidbits such as these just scratch the surface of the (over) 90 minute presentation. Workshop attendees were so engaged, that as
Unfried noticed his time running low with some great content still to cover, the audience urged him to continue past his allotted time in order to glean more Facebook wisdom. When one member asked how to convert a personal profile to a business page, Unfried directed those interested to his detailed blog post on the subject, as it was more than time allowed.

Other topics covered in the workshop included growing your Facebook presence, Facebook ads, engaging other businesses, connecting Facebook to your website and more. To see Josh Unfried's Advanced Facebook for Business presentation in its entirety watch the archived UStream.

This 80 person event, which included food provided by Ten 22, beverages by Chic-fil-a, and prizes from the Sacramento Business Journal, was open to members of the SMCS and the general public. SMCSac simply requested a $10 donation to help the club continue to organize events and workshops about various social media topics. For more information about upcoming Social Media Club, Sacramento events, follow @SMCSac on Twitter. To attend the July 12th SMCSac event, register for Social Media & Motherhood on Eventbrite.com.

Disclosure: Megan Emmerling is a member of Social Media Club of Sacramento

Social media biz success: All a function of brute force

2011-06-03T14:40:02Z

98 percent of the people using social media do not know what they are doing, but the 2 percent who do know what they are doing are rapidly expanding their businesses and making money.

That’s the message from, Patrick Schwerdtfeger, an author and new media marketing guru, who spoke this week to a group of about 40 small business people at the Sacramento Speakers Network.

“Most people practice trial and error and fail their way to Success,” Schwerdtfeger says. The ground floor method is to attempt campaigns, and see what happens.”

Schwerdtfeger, 40, a native of Ottawa, Canada now based in the Bay Area, spoke to the group the very day his new book – titled “Marketing Shortcuts for the Self Employed: Leverage Resources, Establish Online Credibility & Crush your Competition – came off the presses.

Wearing a navy blue suit, light blue tie and an engaging ear-to-ear grin, he wowed the standing-room only crowd at the Doubletree Hotel with stories of companies or individuals who did something unique in the “raging river” of social media that went viral and drew thousands of eyeballs to their product or project.

Schwerdtfeger singled out campaigns where people did fairly simple things that earned attention. The first was a case study on the new Wizardly World of Harry Potter Theme Park. The vice president of media marketing of Universal Orlando Resorts invited seven bloggers, who all write for Harry Potter fans, to an exclusive on-line midnight preview of the theme park. The seven bloggers wrote about the park and lots of their followers re-posted their stories on their own blogs, Facebook pages or tweeted about it on Twitter. Within 24 hours the “exclusive” scoop for seven fan bloggers grew to over 350 million.

Bringing it home, he suggested that business owners build their online identity via a blog and connect that blog to Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sites. Nobody will be listening unless your content is shared. There are thousands of article directories to link your blog to. If blogging becomes too boring, record a podcast and post your idea to iTunes, then after that post several videos where you are demonstrating what you are remarkably good at and post the link to YouTube. Schwerdtfeger credits the numerous videos linked to his blog as the interface that brought About.com and then eventually Wiley to agree to publish his book.

“Learn to demonstrate your expertise in the midst of a raging river,” he says. The river being the infinite number of conversations going on in Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other popular social media networks.

He also pointed out other examples, Dave Carroll, a musician from Nebraska who got ticked off when United Airlines baggage handlers broke his beloved Taylor Guitar and then the company refused to accept responsibility. He wrote a song about it then posted it to YouTube “United Breaks Guitars” – which has been viewed 10, 467,000 times.

Another inexpensive way to increase awareness and build expertise is to provide a free pdf e-book on your site. He pointed to Dr. Helaine Smith’s blog. She provides a free eBook on her blog called “Healthy Mouth, Healthy Sex.” Providing something free gives an incentive for readers to come to your site. You can even place a limited time offer like a 10 percent discount for services if people provide comments on your Facebook.

Another example is Naked Pizza in New Orleans who gave 10 percent discount to customers ordered a pizza by tweeting Naked Pizza.

As for reverse marketing, Jet Blue he says has people doing searches on their competition finding people unhappy with their current airline service, and tweets a response providing a slightly better alternative in real time.

Overall, social media networking provides the ability for your product to expand the frame. For instance if you are selling wine jelly, it’s not just about selling wine jelly. It’s about selling the benefits and privileges that goes with buying that product. On Facebook, you can offer a tour of the winery where that wine jelly is made, provide pairings, options for other uses for the product, and then take photos of the participants who may agree to be tagged so they can share the product with their friends on Facebook. At that point, it’s not just wine jelly. It is an experience to be shared.

Robert P. Weaver, a Folsom CPA, was inspired by the lecture and plans to “provide useful content to his site.”

While members of the audience reacted enthusiastically to Schwerdtfeger’s presentation, some were not sure how his lessons would apply to their businesses.

“It’s a great idea but probably not for me,” Colleen Watters, a Roseville attorney who specializes in estate planning.

Others like, Susan Rueppel, already practice some of Schwerdtfeger’s tips and are eager to utilize more.
Rueppel, who describes herself as a “chief intuition officer” of her Midtown business devoted to helping people and firms “create a bigger vision and have a clear path forward.”

Sacramento Speaker Network regularly meets on the first Wednesday of the month with the next meeting is July 6 at 6:30pm at the Doubletree Hotel. The speaker will be Donna Hartley, a DC-10 plane crash survivor.

What is Social Networking Really Worth?

2011-05-28T00:47:29Z

Mark Bean, the managing director of C7, and Josh Hilliker, the director of social media at Intel-GE Care Innovations, sat on a panel moderated by 3Fold’s Gordon Fowler to discuss whether or not social media’s return on investment (ROI) is measurable. Turns out, it is.

As was revealed over the course of their discussion, there’s a plethora of tools out there for everyone to track just how effective their social media presence is. There are a lot of dated measurements (i.e. number of clicks or time on site), but they don’t quite carry over into social networking very well. Some of the newer tools include Hootsuite and Tweetdeck for the smaller businesses, or Radian 6 and Crimson Hexagon for the bigger brands and enterprises, and everybody who’s anybody uses Google Analytics. Regardless of whether your business is big or small, the fact of the matter is that different people will want to track different metrics based on what their overall goals are.

For example, let’s say you wanted to see if your social media presence was getting you more sales. You would have to track the amount of money and/or time you’re investing in your online networking, and simultaneously track the amount of sales your accruing, then compare the numbers to see if there is an increase in sales or not. If the increase in sales is unsubstantial or nonexistent, then maybe social media isn’t the right marketing tool for you!

If you find yourself in a lost-cause situation, the whole panel agreed that you should own up to your mistakes. Be open, transparent, and completely honest with the people who actually did invest time and effort in your endeavors. If you do that, you have the potential to mend what damage you’ve done, and maybe even come out on top.

But how do you measure whether or not you’ve come out on top? It’s true that not all of the benefits social media offers can be directly linked to financial gain. A lot of the benefits lie in the idea that you’re building a brand while simultaneously building a strong relationship with your customers. The goal in many cases is not necessarily higher sales, but greater interaction between you and your fans. Hilliker explained the 90:9:1 rule: 90% of your followers are just lurking about, 9% will pop in and contribute every now and again, and 1% are super-evangelist-advocates for your cause. Success can be found by moving some lurkers into that top 10%, and getting real conversations going.

Conversations are fantastic for helping out your brand, but at the end of the day marketing is about whether or not a dollar changed hands, says Fowler. Let’s face it; social media is not the end-all-be-all of marketing techniques. It certainly can play an integral role in connecting with your fans and broadening your base, but it should be part of a larger strategy. Just because social media offers a lot of promise doesn’t mean you should completely abandon the pursuit of more traditional techniques; there are probably some pretty good reasons why such successful brands still use them. But as Bean points out, "Twitter is like the new dial tone" - you're expected to be there.

Click here to watch the whole Sacramento Social Media Club panel discussion.

Take a look at "Miráme" at La Raza Galería Posada

2011-05-23T05:30:30Z

At La Raza Galería Posada, they’re always thinking about what issues or art that’s important to Latino Americans and interests that the community would like to see, according to curator Ella Diáz. Their exhibit “Miráme,” which opened Friday, did just that.

“Miráme”is about self-portraits of cultural representation. When Diáz set out to put together this exhibit, she was initially going to explore aesthetic mixtures as an allegory for racial and cultural mixture. But she said that seemed too serious of a topic — too serious for the lighthearted Diáz who brought in a DJ and a karaoke machine for the opening.

Diáz’s inspiration instead shifted toward the great Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who evolved the self-portrait and image of self.

“She modernizes art across cultural borders with the self-portrait, and I still think she’s so relevant in the way that she would constantly reconfigure herself and others on the canvas,” Diáz said.

In Diáz’s eyes, the self-portrait has further evolved with the proliferation of social networking. She said self-portraits in the 21st century can be meaningful or as meaningless as the blink of an eye or a Photoshop button, or through years of painting training. She said you can virtually be anything, and it’s there for the world to see.

“There’s all these conversations that are happening about the loss of the social sphere, and the public space,” Diáz said. “People have gone inward and have created these virtual images, but maybe we’re just in another Frida Kahlo moment, where how we picture ourselves is being re-envisioned.”

All the artists featured in “Miráme” have either re-envisioned themselves or the culture we live in through their art.

Artist Kelly Donahey took photographs of Native Americans from the 1900s from the Library of Congress and airbrushed them so that they look picture-perfect like portraits in popular entertainment magazines like Us Weekly.

Diáz said there is a deeper commentary about how we imagine people of the past, and how this repackaging of everyone occurs.

“Self-portraits have always been important to art,” Diáz said. “I think that’s because of the history of representing the other.” This is all responding back to the institution of representing people of color and Native Americans in dioramas and making a commentary on how people of color are represented in the American imagination, and the agency of representing yourself.”

Esteban Villa, 80, a mural artist, a retired professor at multiple universities in California, a nationally recognized artist and a well known figure in the Sacramento Chicano community, was at the opening to share his wisdom about the footprint of Latin art history with gallery-goers.

“Chicano art didn’t exist back when I was growing up,” Villa said. “In those days we were not allowed to paint Mexican culture. They wanted to Americanize us,” he said.

The “Americanization of culture” was a theme across the board for the artists featured in the exhibit, like Deborah Roberts, a 54-year-old artist who is famous for her portraits of African-Americans and the underlying issue of natural African-American beauty, something that is often addressed with the issue of black hair.

Her pieces complemented Dante Baylor’s piece “Good Hair,” a portrait of a black woman with an Afro and a portion of silky straight hair. The piece is positioned in front of an image of Christina Aguilera while a black Barbie doll does the hair of a white Barbie doll. This delves into the deeper issues that “Miráme” is trying to bring to the forefront.

Although artist Rio Yañez’s pieces seem playful with their Japanese photo-booth style and facetious imagery, when they are paired with loaded words like “decolonize me” and “sleeper cell.” There is more than what meets the eye.

“Rio is pretty important simply because he’s been playing with notions of mestizaje, which in Latin culture is the word for racial mixture,” Diáz said. “If you read the images, something else is going on here. He’s playing with these words that in other vocabulary and other media are very orange-alert words, but how he’s presenting these words to us is a play to create these American and Chicano political statements.”

Artist Kika Romero, 34, had one of the most striking images in the room— not just because it was the largest piece, but because if anything was saying “look at me” it was her painting of her sister, who she said inspired her because, to her, she is the archetype of a Mexican woman.

The focused eyes stare back at you, amid whimsical and colorful fuchsia brush strokes. It looks like the figure is tearing though the shrubbery of her cultural roots.

“As an artist, we tend to work from what’s inside us, our feelings and our moods, so having self-portraits is like putting ourselves up there and telling the world this is who I am in a more open way without having to represent something that is unfamiliar to us,” Romero said.

Villa said he liked the show for its imagination and originality, and as a continuation of a legacy that he and his “compadres” tried to create growing up, making art in a time of assimilation.

“These young artists show that they are continuing where we left off,” he said. “I hope they teach their children and continue with our life work,” Villa said. “Self-portraits are a good place to start. They teach you a lot about you as a person and identity, and you can see a part of yourself that you wouldn’t see.”

Diáz believes that the agency of the self-portrait and portraits like those featured in “Miráme” may have actually pushed us past borders, and thus we have transcended 20th century identity politics by finding ways to test the boundaries of identity and allow people to reimagine themselves, whether it be through art or through social mediums like Facebook.

Romero’s take on her art and the figure alludes to that notion as well.

“I think the figure is very important to not forget who we are,” she said. “We still have that relationship with other humans every day. To me the figure is my inspiration itself, and I use the figure to say, don’t forget that we are still human, and we cannot lose touch of that.”

The exhibit will run until July 2nd. Diáz will lead walk-throughs on May 27 and June 9 to discuss the importance of the pieces and the meaning of the exhibit. Other artists featured are Francisco Gomez, Karissa McHurd, Eric Andino, Flaco Seagulls, Alexander McDonald and Rye Purvis.

Local artist features Kings faithful in 'Be Heard' mural

2011-05-17T03:30:59Z

Hundreds of Sacramento locals gathered at the corner of J and 20th streets in Midtown Sacramento late Saturday afternoon as world-renowned performance painter David Garibaldi showed appreciation for Kings fans by featuring them in his “Be Heard” mural.

Garibaldi requested photos of fans via Facebook and Twitter last week, and he chose 10 of the photos to display on his massive mural.

“I’ve never done anything quite like this,” said the Sacramento artist. “I was honored to give something back to the Kings fans, who are the ones responsible for the team staying in Sacramento.”

DJ Joseph One’s music echoed off the buildings and through the streets as crowds of people watched in awe and gossiped amongst each other over Garibaldi’s newest piece.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about him and have seen a couple videos, but this is the first time I have had a chance to see him in person,” said Kings fan Greg Maurantonio. “It was truly amazing to watch his idea unfold from start to finish.”

One of the lucky fans chosen to be displayed was Jarrad Hicks, who posted photos of himself, his mother and his uncle on Facebook on Friday.

“It really looks like me,” Hicks raved. “David called me a few hours ago and left a voicemail asking if it would be okay with me if he used my photo. By the time I called him back it was already 4:00, so I was happy he put me up there.”

Duane Hicks, Jarrad’s uncle, was also chosen and appears just below his nephew on the mural.

As Garibaldi finished his tenth and final portrait, he got on the microphone and asked fans to gather close as he put the finishing touches on the mural. “Be Heard,” the phrase that has gained praise through Twitter over the last few months, was spray-painted over the center of the group of portraits. Fans cheered as Garibaldi signed his finished piece and greeted a group of media to talk about his latest work.

Maloof Sports and Entertainment employees and Sacramento Kings ticket representatives were also onsite giving away “Be Heard” paraphernalia. Fans had the chance to ask questions first-hand and were encouraged to put down $100 deposit for 2011-2012 season tickets.

Garibaldi has performed at numerous venues and events over the last five years. He was invited to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in July, 2006 where he painted a portrait of Mick Jagger. In September of 2008, he opened for the Blue Man Group’s tour in Canada and the United States. He also opened for Snoop Dogg during halftime at a Golden State Warriors game in November of 2007.

The Sacramento native and life-long Kings fan was honored to give something back to the community.

“I was contacted by the Kings and was asked if I would want to paint something, and of course I said yes.” Garibaldi said. “I wanted to paint something to show the diversity of the city, and I wanted each portrait to be distinctive.”

The last couple of weeks have given Kings supporters hope after fearing the loss of their beloved team since the closing weeks of the season. Starting on May 3 with Mayor Kevin Johnson’s announcement that the Kings would be staying in Sacramento, followed by the “Here We Rally” gathering last Tuesday in Cesar Chavez Park, Garibaldi’s performance capped off one of the happiest stretches in recent memory for Kings fans. No doubt the fans have been heard and will be reminded each time they pass the corner of J and 20th.

Is Social Media Making the World a Better Place?

2011-05-16T16:37:02Z

UC Davis law professor Anupam Chander spoke to a large crowd at the California Museum on Tuesday, April 19th about the role social media has played in the recent uprisings around the globe, and how it could be a key player in making the world better.

Just prior to the professor taking the stage, a wonderful meet-and-greet was held in the lobby of the museum. Politicos, business leaders, media experts, teachers and others chatted over mouth-watering hors’doeuvres provided by Blue Prynt and wine provided by Grace Patriot Wines. Professor Chander was there to discuss a new paper that he had recently published called Googling Freedom. His presentation came in three parts: (1) is social media even related to the uprisings or is it just hype; (2) the two possible futures of the internet; and (3) the responsibilities of internet-based companies moving as they expand.

A writer at Mother Jones once said, “Twitter bears about as much responsibility for the Egyptian uprising as George Soros, Mrs. O’leary’s cow, and the flying spaghetti monster.” However, Martin Luther was able to fully vet his concerns on a singular piece of parchment, subsequently creating an entire religion with the use of the printing press (an early communications technology). And when there have been rumors of rebellion, dictators have commonly flipped the internet “kill switch” in the hopes of quelling their peoples. Now there are a multitude of options undermining the efficacy of “kill switches,” and social media platforms can still reach the rest of the world despite these efforts. Just the idea that the internet is one of the first things targeted at the beginning of a rebellion should be indication enough that it plays a key role in removing a dictator from power.

As Professor Chander sees it, there are two potential ways this internet expansion can go: the perfection of a “surveillance state” or the perfection of a “global sphere of rational discourse.” The first option, while possible, is looking more and more unlikely. Social media is pushing the world toward option two, where everyone everywhere has access to real-time on-the-ground information from around the world. This has been the case in several instances in the recent past, and hopefully will continue and expand as we move forward.

As the companies who run these websites move forward, what should be the guiding principle of their business strategies? In the past, it has been the maximization of shareholder wealth. Companies are increasingly worried about their public image in an age of increased transparency, and so the at-all-costs method of increasing wealth may not work for much longer. Now companies are more likely to be moralistic in their decision-making, and make efforts to be seen as improving the communities in which they operate. Not to worry, shareholders – you’re still number one, but society will now come in at a much closer second place.

Professor Chander closed with some Q&A, and then, as is the tradition of the Sacramento Social Media Club, a door prize raffle was held. Door prizes are donated by local businesses and organizations and the prizes included free California Museum annual memberships and Jiffylube gift certificates.

The Social Media Club will be hosting their next event this Tuesday, May 17th at The Urban Hive beginning at 6:30 pm. "Social Media ROI: Is it Measurable?" will feature a panel of social media experts who will weigh in on best practices and new methods of measurement. For more information or to register for this event, click here.

About Sacramento Social Media Club
The Sacramento chapter of the Social Media Club is part of an international organization of more than 100 active chapters around the globe hosting conversations that explore key issues facing our society as technologies transform the way we connect, communicate, collaborate and relate to each other. Founded in April of 2009, Sacramento Social Media Club (SMCSac) has become the centerpiece for regional gatherings surrounding the subject of social media. SMCSac is devoted to expanding media literacy, sharing lessons among social media practitioners, encouraging adoption of industry standards and promoting ethical practices though discussion and actions. Additional information about the Sacramento Chapter and upcoming events is available at http://www.facebook.com/SMCSAC.

Tipping off Tipsy Tokens

2011-04-26T04:06:08Z

What do you get when you mix drink specials and poker chips? Tipsy Tokens, founded in Sacramento in 2011, is similar to the concept of Groupon, but focuses its promotions on local bars and nightclubs.

What sets Tipsy Tokens apart from the other coupon sites is its social focus, co-founder Robert Cima said.

“Though you’re purchasing something online, there’s a social aspect involved. There are reps on-site at the event checking people in and making sure everyone is having a good time. Also, you’re provided something physical: Tipsy Tokens. These tokens are colorful poker chips with the company logo on them used for buying drinks and playing games.”

According to Cima, the project began about six months ago when Kory Lanzel (another co-founder) was working for the Major League Soccer team Real Salt Lake in Utah.

The team was in the process of doing a deal with Groupon, which gave Lanzel the idea of applying that concept to his social life.

Lanzel called his friends Cima, Steve Gunsch and Nick Baldi, who all agreed that there was a great market for a social buying site that focused on nightlife.

Monkey Bar, at Capitol Ave. and 28th St., is the first bar to feature Tipsy Tokens regularly.

For $10, Tipsy Tokens’ users can get two Wiki Waki Woo's or four draft beers at Monkey Bar on Thursday nights.

Jamie Marcus, the general manager at Monkey Bar and Cafe Bernardo Midtown, noted the Tipsy Tokens program has had a positive impact on business.

“People who normally wouldn’t come here get an opportunity to see what it’s like at a discounted rate,” Marcus said.

“With Tipsy Tokens, Thursday nights weren’t just busy, but very busy, and eventually we started seeing people from Thursdays on the weekends,” added Marcus.

Sacramentan Cole Valadez, 26, works in sales for eye care insurance technology and heard about Tipsy Tokens through a friend who came across the viral campaign on Facebook.

He said he has used the Monkey Bar deal about three or four times.

“I like that they are selling a very specific product and that the deal is available every week,” Valadez said. “The reason I keep coming back is their consistency. And of course, it’s just fun. You can share your tokens, too, and it really brings people together.”

Another difference between the social buying or group buying sites (where companies offer a special deal on products or services if a minimum number of deals are sold) and Tipsy Tokens is that Tipsy Tokens must be used that same night.

Cima said this benefits the business because if the customers don’t use the token that night, the customers lose out on the purchase. It also benefits the buyer, Cima added, because you can see how many other people bought the deal and there is a good chance those people will be out at that particular bar or club that night.

Overall though, the niche nature of the company is a valued point reiterated by several users and potential buyers, as well as the creators themselves.

The consistency was part of the appeal to Blue Cue owner Dominic Vella. Vella came across Tipsy Tokens on Facebook and then noticed that they were doing something over at Monkey Bar.

“I try to be cognizant of what everyone else is doing, and after popping in and checking out the crowd for about five minutes during their Monkey Bar night, I contacted them about setting up a deal for Blue Cue.”

Blue Cue, located at 28th and J, will offer Tipsy Tokens specials on Pineapple Delights, Shocker Deuces and pint draft beers Friday night during the live-band karaoke.

Vella said he is looking forward to not only bringing in new faces, but hopefully turning those newbies into regular customers.

Baldi spoke about taking up the endeavor with his three friends.

“Right now, it’s on the side, just kind of something we thought up and decided it seemed like a great idea for us to all go out and have a great time,” he said.

“Honestly, there’s just us four handling everything from the website to social media to marketing, but our friends have been instrumental in supporting and promoting the idea.”

They said they are currently working on a smartphone application that can help users search for places to go in their area and purchase associated deals.

Lanzel, Cima, Baldi and Gunsch are not only partners, but longtime friends, as well as born-and-raised Sacramentans.

Now back in their hometown, they said they hope to turn this part-time startup into a full-time company.

“We don’t have any investors, but it’s our own thing, and every dollar earned is really exciting,” Baldi said.

For current deals or more information, check out their site.

Beta no more

2011-04-21T18:39:43Z

It’s been nearly two and half years since we launched The Sacramento Press, and today we released a few changes (more than just the temporary purple color), one of which is removing the beta stamp from our navigation.

What is a beta stamp, you ask? Well, since you can no longer see it on our site, I grabbed this screenshot of what it used to look like.

Beta generally indicates that a company is still working out the kinks in their core product. But we finally are happy to say we feel pretty happy with what we have, so no more beta!

Does this mean we stop working on new features? Absolutely not. We will in fact bring new and increasingly cool features to The Sacramento Press over the course of this year and beyond.

To that point our co-founder and VP of technology Joel Rosenberg has assembled this quick overview of what else will see changed on our site as of today.

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Highlighting the Comments of an Article's Author

An article author's comments will now stand out in the conversation. This allows readers to quickly know when the writer may be providing greater detail, correcting a mistake, or just jumping into the action.

No more "107 Weeks Ago"

We're changing how we show the age of comments and articles in search results and lists. Currently, we show how old an article is in terms of minutes, hours, days, and weeks. Now we'll be removing weeks, adding months and showing the year and month an article or comment was published if it's more than a year old.

Facebook and Twitter links

We now promote our official Facebook and Twitter account at the top of every page.

Curated front page RSS feeds

We're adding RSS feeds for all laid-out front pages (and tag pages). This allows us to have a feed that represents curated content that is changed daily. We can give these feeds to third parties knowing that spammy or offensive articles won't show up and surprise us.

Trimming down RSS entries when things change

When we have to fix a typo in an article or when a user updates his comment, some RSS readers will often add a new entry instead of updating the old one. This change will help RSS software see changes as updates to old entries, not new entries.

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So there you go, lots of new stuff to play with. In the coming weeks, look for even more changes such as video and audio on our homepage and even more exciting features.

Best of the West

2011-04-14T18:05:23Z

The Sacramento Kings Dance Team won NBA Best of the West due to social media. Check out my interview with Jennifer & Katie!

Check out my video -

Social Networking "In-Real-Life"

2011-02-21T02:19:12Z

Social media enthusiasts from around the city gathered Tuesday night at The Urban Hive for the Sacramento Social Media Club Relationships and Social Media presentation.

With Valentine's Day just behind us and the ever-increasing role of social networking in our day-to-day lives, relationships via the online frontier was a timely topic for discussion. Four speakers headlined the evening, and the audience was filled with some of Sacramento's most active facebookers and tweeps.

Up first at the podium was independent marketing consultant Paul Ardoin, who discussed facebook privacy settings and how to manage them. "facebook is a for-profit entity; every decision facebook makes on your privacy, they are thinking not about you, but about their revenue stream." Paul suggests checking your facebook privacy settings regularly to make sure they're still to your liking. He also recommends creating friends lists to take advantage of facebook privacy granules, especially if you have a boss who likes to critique your facebook activity.

Lanette Capellas, Staffing Director for The Agate Group, then discussed social media from an HR perspective. Layoffs are increasingly due to social networking negligence, and an overzealous willingness to share. One of her main points: think before you post. Is venting about a bad day at work worth losing your job over? Lanette thinks not, and most are likely to agree. If your fingertips get the better of you and you end up saying something you regret, thank goodness you took Paul's advice and already divvied up the permissions on your friends list.

Feel like your friends list isn't long enough to divvy up? Not to worry, "strangers are friendships waiting to happen," says Laura Good, executive director of Social Media Club Sacramento. Sacramento twitter use is ranked fourth in the nation. Utilize that to your advantage and engage people on social networks in order to realize the real-world potential of a virtual friendship. You can also use hashtags (e.g. #smcsac or #sacbeerweek) to find events going on around town. Laura also recommended MeetUp and Couchsurfing for connecting with like-minded people in town

If you just spent Valentines Day hopping from venue to venue and you still couldn't find your sweetheart, maybe an online dating site should be your next stop. MetroSpark.net is a locally based internet dating site that provides personally tailored classes to help your outward presentation match your inner self. Amar Dhariwal, founder and current CEO of the site, also discussed an array of other online dating sites and even the new generation of mobile dating apps that include geolocators for singles out on the town.

The night concluded with a raffle; the prizes included tickets to B Street Theater, Esquire IMAX, the Sacramento Zoo, California Lecture Series, de Vere's St. Patrick's Day in the Park, and the Sacramento Kings vs Clippers game. Food and beverages provided by Chick-Fil-A Arden Fair and The Sacramento Press made the after party all the better. You may watch the video of the presentation on the Sacramento Social Media Club's uSteam channel. “Like” their Facebook page to stay tuned in for information on future events. The club is also active on Twitter.

Rescue From the Bermuda Triangle

2011-02-01T06:48:44Z

I have had a very surprising past few days. I wanted to share it here because I think what I have experienced has happened to everyone at one point. The surprising part of what I'm about to share, the most shocking part of all came from the most unexpected place; the point of origin! The thing that caused me the most pain ended up surprising me the most and spun my head clean around.

Being a Mom of 3 extremely active boys so close in age, I have gotten my fair share of disapproving looks. Looks that speak volumes without any sound like the, "you must need a glass of wine before bed" look, the "what are you crazy?!?!" look and so on. When you add the extra twist of having a son...the oldest son...with special needs the looks turn into stares and elevate to "you must like to gamble" looks, and "how irresponsible" looks, especially when my boys were younger.

The looks and stares I can handle, it's when people forget to fix their mute button and add comments to those stares that I have a hard time remembering my mute button works just fine.

To add another level of pain to this soup and salad combo is when all of it comes from a totally unexpected source, a friend. When something painful like this comes from a friend it's worse than if it came from family in a way. Family is family, you're stuck with them whether you like them or not. A friend is a friend because you share a common respect for one another...at least that's the way I see it.

So when a friend says something so shockingly hurtful it knocks this chick-a-dee for a loop. That respect and trust you thought was there is gone and maybe it's just me but I feel like I'm swimming in the Bermuda Triangle without a life jacket. Between the seconds the comment is made and the moment something comes out of my mouth, thoughts are racing through my mind like "what the hell just happened?!?!"..."wait, where am I?!?!" Then something really profound squeaks out like "uhhhh...what???" Of course the moment I race out of there I snap out of my state of shock and my mind is flooded with witty, well said, intelligent come-backs. But it's too late. As far as I'm concerned my "friend" has no idea who I am nor will they ever.

After days of mourning and dodging...the "friend" takes me by complete surprise and offers one of the most heartfelt apologies I've ever heard. My "friend" was completely taken over by emotion delivering the apology...it was gut-wrenching. After I left they realized how what they had said could be so painful. They too had an "uhhhh..." moment. When in fact they were taken aback by the fact that we share a a huge common belief...having a child with special needs is one of the greatest gifts a person could ever receive. So few people receive this gift, so it is to be treasured.

It's not just our commonalities we share that I call this person my friend, it is because of the brutally raw apology I call this person my friend. It takes a lot of, well guts, guts and more guts to right a wrong such as what I just shared with you, and I can't even tell you how important that is to me. I could have easily marked this instance as another introduction to one more ignorant comment...but instead it introduced me to a truly unique individual.

The whole purpose of me sharing this particular experience with you is this...March 21, 2011 marks the annual return of World Down Syndrome Day. Thousands of people will join this celebratory movement worldwide in numerous ways by showing their support of people with Down syndrome; be it in the news, at their school, on the street corner, on their t-shirt, their Facebook status, etc...

My son, Ty and I have one simple request of you on World Down Syndrome Day...be aware that your language can effect those around you, be it intentional or not. Make a concentrated effort to make those around you with or without Down syndrome or another type of intellectual disability FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES. Our hope is that your one day of thoughtfulness will turn into two, then three, then who knows how many. The sky is the limit!

Find out more about World Down Syndrome Day on their website www.worlddownsyndromeday.org or join the Event on Facebook.

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

To read more curious thoughts by myself and Ty, visit our blog www.tysadventures.wordpress.com

Sacramento Facebookers racing to win $100,000 grant to fight hunger

2010-12-30T03:50:47Z

As part of its 2010 Holiday campaign focused on fighting hunger, Walmart launched a Facebook campaign that invites fans to select the communities that will receive $1.5 million in grants. By visiting the campaign website and "liking" a community via their Facebook account, people influence which communities will receive the funds. The community with the most "likes" will receive $1 million to fight hunger; the next 5 highest scoring communities will receive $100,000 each.

Why is this news? Because Sacramento is in now in 6th place which earns a $100,000 grant! With less than 48 hours remaining in the race, Sacramento's social media influencers are campaigning to keep Sacramento in 6th place or better.

Using social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, the word is spreading rapidly throughout the region. An event on Facebook has even been created to help people tell all of their Facebook friends about the campaign.

Unlike other social media campaigns that only focus on raising awareness about issues, this campaign awards grant money to the top 7 regions. Fresno, which has a significant lead over all the other regions, is likely to win the $1 million grant and Bakersfield and Sacramento are currently in 5th & 6th place which earns grant awards of $100,000 each. However, Sacramento, Grand Rapids and Charleston are running a very tight race, currently in 6th, 7th & 8th places respectively. Sacramento will need to increase its social media efforts to hold 6th place.

Sacramento Press readers can help the campaign by visiting the website and "liking" our region. Anyone who has a Facebook account can participate. There is no charge to "Like" or vote; just click on the community of your choice. You do not need to "Like" Walmart in order to participate The campaign ends on 12/31/2010 at midnight EST.

Facebook page shines light on Midtown bike thefts

2010-11-29T08:10:32Z

Midtown resident Sheila Wages treasured her brand-new bicycle – a seven-speed cruiser her boyfriend had put a lot of effort into picking out for her. She kept it in her back yard, from where it was stolen in August.

Wages started a Facebook page for stolen Midtown bicycles within the next couple of days.

“It started out as a joke,” she said, adding that the Facebook page has since taken on a life of its own, where users will post details of their stolen bikes and possible places to look out for them.

“When my bike was first stolen, I didn’t realize what an epidemic (bike theft) was,” Wages said. “You’ve got to lock them up and take them inside if you can.”

According to Wages, one of the posters on the Facebook page had locked a bike up to a tree, which thieves cut down to steal the bike.

“I didn’t know how serious it would be when I started it,” Wages said of the Facebook page. “At the time, I was just messing around and posting pics and info.”

Recently, the site, which currently has more than 230 friends, started seeing a lot more activity, and Wages said she is considering starting a Facebook Groups page as well as a photo gallery of stolen bicycles, and generally working as something of a virtual neighborhood watch program.

“It might take quite a bit of work,” she said. “I’m open to suggestions on what people would like to see.”

Midtown resident Caitlin Mee had a bicycle stolen several years ago, and she takes every precaution to keep her current bicycle from being stolen.

“I had a big, heavy beach cruiser I left locked up at a Midtown business when I was living in Natomas,” she said.

The shop was broken into, and her bike was stolen. She said it had been given to her by her dad, and it had sentimental value.

“I really would like to still have it,” she said.

Her current bicycle used to belong to her grandfather, and she said she rides it to Davis for exercise, but she is always afraid it will be stolen.

“I don’t take it anywhere unless I can keep it in my sight,” she said. “It’s the most frustrating thing. This is a lot of people’s mode of transportation. It’s like getting your car stolen.”

Mee said she likes the “whole neighborhood watch feel” of the Facebook page, and she thinks it’s a good way to spread awareness of the problem and help serve as a deterrent to would-be thieves.

“I still haven’t given up hope on finding my bike,” she said.

Wages and Mee both filed police reports when their bicycles were stolen, and Mee said she is frustrated with the lack of police investigation into the issue.

Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said Sacramento has high levels of crime, and other crimes such as murder, felony assault, auto theft and robberies take priority.

He added, however, that police do what they can to stop the crimes, and the department uses “bait” bikes to catch thieves as well as public outreach to help owners protect their property.

“We had thefts happening at sheds in East Sac, and we took a proactive approach,” Leong said. “We went out and showed people their bike’s serial number and did engravings for them.”

Leong said that filing a police report without knowing the bicycle’s serial number or being able to provide a description that makes a bicycle unique makes it very difficult for police to solve the crimes.

Serial numbers are typically located on the bottom of the bicycle’s frame and can be read when the bike is turned upside down, he said.

When cyclists are stopped by police, officers run the serial numbers through computers the same way license plates are during a vehicle stop. If the serial number shows it is stolen, police contact the rightful owner.

“We get a lot of people saying, ‘I know it’s my bike,’ but if they can’t prove it, there’s nothing we can do,” Leong said.

Check back next week with The Sacramento Press for an upcoming article on ways to protect your bicycle from theft and what to do if your bicycle is stolen.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

“Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” Kicks Off B Street Family Series

2010-11-26T18:55:23Z

The theater is filling up. The excitement is palpable. The audience is mostly grade schoolers or younger. Lots of the kids are dressed in their party going best. They can barely contain themselves waiting for the curtain to go up on “Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.”

“Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” is the kickoff show for B Street Theatre’s Family Series seventh season. The play is based on Barbara Park’s very popular Junie B. Jones children’s book series.

Veteran children's playwright Allison Gregory adapted the book for the stage. B Street Family Series also produced Gregory’s adaptation of “Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business” in 2007, as well as her adaptation of Dr. Seuess’ “Go Dog Go” in 2008-2009.

The kids pre-show excitement is justified. The kids (and adults) are richly rewarded with lots of humor and silliness, fun costumes and props, plotting and revenge and of course good old family values.

Just a few minutes into the play it is amazingly easy to suspend belief with 20 somethings portraying first graders. They act like first graders. They look like first graders!

Brittni Barger plays the title character. Barger is an acting intern for B Street’s 2009-2010 company. She has been on several of the Fantasy School Tours. The character is described in B Street’s press release as “precocious and persistent.” Barger does an excellent job at being a first grader and balancing Junie B.’s obnoxious and lovable sides.

Stephanie Altholz plays Junie B.’s arch nemesis, “the equally mischievous and willful Tattletale May.” Altholz has performed several adult and children's roles at B Street and other Sacramento stages. Her May is very much an equal to Brittni Barger’s Junie B.

John Lamb has been with B Street for 14 years and 36 productions. Many of these productions were with The B Street Theatre School Tours (formerly Fantasy Theatre). He has also directed at B Street. Lamb is amazing how believable he is as a first grader. He plays Sheldon and Philip Johnny Bob Junie B.’s stuffed elephant. Lamb is a hoot as Sheldon standing his ground with the PTO mother who’s third grader son stole Sheldon’s lunch money. He wants his money back and he isn’t taking no for an answer. He and Barger are great as Junie B tosses Philip Johnny Bob around on her giant bed.

John Lamb as Sheldon far right

Jerrel O’Neal is Junie B.’s best friend Herb and also her grandpa Miller. He is a new acting intern with B Street for 2010-2011. A graduate of the Alabama State University Theatre Arts Department, has performed in several roles before coming to Sacramento. He demonstrates his range from first grader to wise grandfather.

Jerrel O’Neal as Herb center

Megan O’Neil member of the 2008 B Street Intern Company plays Lucille the girl in class that loves to tell everyone how rich her family is and Elf Ellen. Elf Ellen is the PTO mother that has to stand up to Sheldon’s badgering.

The last classmate, Jose, is played by Andrew J. Perez who also plays Mr Toot the music teacher. A Sacramento native Perez won an Elly for best supporting actor (“Peter Pan”) when performing at Jesuit High School and St. Francis. He attended Seattle University graduating in 2009 with a BA in Drama and Creative Writing. He appeared in several shows in the Seattle area before returning to his home town. His music is also on facebook. Perez’s acting skill is a testament to the drama education still provided by many private schools. This show again is one that allows him to show his range from first grader to teacher.

Andrew J. Perez as Jose

Overseeing all this is Mr. Scary the teacher played by B Street Acting Company member Dave Perini. His Mr. Scary is the calm in the whirlwind that is his classroom. Many of the values in the play are spoken by Mr. Scary. For much more information on Dave Pierini and his role in “Junie B. Jones” see Barry Wisdom’s excellent SacPress article.

Michael Stevenson co-director of the B Street Conservatory and member of the B Street Acting Company. He has directed several plays at B Street including the recent well received “Becky’s New Car.” He also directs at Sacramento Theatre Company (including “Noises Off”) and Capitol Stage (this season’s opener “Mauritius”). He moves things right along to match the attention spans of much of the audience while balancing the action so things don’t blur. He also elicits performances from his actors that are believable to both the children and adults.

Ron Madonia (lighting design) and Catherine Frye (set design) do a great job of repurposing the set of the B3 production “Well.” Since this production also travels to several schools it is the props that are most important. Especially fun are the “boats” used in the school Columbus Day Pageant. Madonia’s lighting works well for highlighting a character at the front of the stage addressing the audience while major changes are taking place in relative darkness in the background.

Costumes are where children's productions can shine. Nancy Pipkin (75 productions in 18 years) is certainly up to the task. B Street Family Series: “Treasure Island,” “Box Car Children,” “Johnny Tremain”). “rightnexttome” an “Book of Liz” at B Street Mainstage. She has also worked at STC (“Art”, “Fully Committed” with Matt K. Miller) and Capitol stage including their latest “Mauritus.” Fun does not begin to describe the costumes in “Junie B. Jones. May gets a couple of great ones including her red and green christmas outfit and her stripped sweater that Junie B. stretches the sleeve across the stage. Not to forget Philip Johnny Bob the “stuffed elephant.”

Oops!

All of the school tour shows and many of the B Street Family Stage productions are sold out. There is a good reason. This production is extremely well done and tons of fun. Children’s theatre is an excellent introduction into theatre. A lot of life’s lessons are packed into the production without any preaching. As for the adults, don’t worry you will be entertained too and not just from the enjoyment of seeing your children so entertained. At Sunday afternoon’s show the adults were laughing just as hard as the kids.

For kids ages 4 and up. Through December 26, 2010.
1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
B Street Theatre Family Series Stage, 2727 B St., Sacramento
Approximately 90 minutes, including intermission
$22 adults, $15 Children
443-5300, www.bstreettheatre.org
Special added performances: Fri 11/26 @ 11am and 1pm Tues 12/21 @ 1pm and 4pm Wed 12/22 1pm and 4pm Thur 12/23 1pm and 4pm Fri12/24 @ 11am and 2pm

Family Series Background
The B Street Theatre’s Family Series is one of only three fully professional, resident theaters for children in the state of California. Operating under a Theatre for Young Audience agreement with Actors Equity Association, the Family Series’ mission is to introduce children to the wonder of professional theater through the production of original plays, and original adaptations of contemporary novels, and classic works of literature. Since its premiere season in 2003, the Family Series has presented 27 professional plays for approximately 240,000 children and families of the Sacramento region.

Photo credit: Barry Wisdom

Nirvana bassist talks politics, social networking

2010-09-25T00:42:53Z

Before he was a political activist and lecturer, Krist Novoselic was a founding member and bassist of Seattle-based Nirvana, one of the most influential bands in history.

After Nirvana ended when lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994, Novoselic became proactive in politics, using his celebrity to draw attention to his causes, which include promoting election reform and increasing voter turnout.

Thursday night he spoke to a group of roughly 150 in the University Union ballroom at Sacramento State. Free and open to the public, the chiefly student audience was a mix of the politically minded and curiosity-seeking.

“The last I heard about Krist Novoselic was that he was fighting censorship in music,” said David Martin, a criminal justice major at Sacramento State. “I’m also a Libertarian and thought we might have some common ground. I'm open to anything and interested to see what his views are."

Account manager Stephanie Stern was simply curious: “I’m 29, and Nirvana was huge to me growing up. To be able to see Krist is pretty cool.”

Over the course of two hours, Novoselic touched on several topics, one of which was his past experience with music censorship.

“It was up to the band and artists to challenge that,” he said. “You would have to go to court and say ‘No, (the Nirvana song) “Rape Me” wasn’t about being raped, it was about being violated. It’s open to interpretation.’ ”

A large part of his lecture was devoted to talking about the possibilities of social networks to shape the political future and how social networking fuels political association.

He cited some fundraising examples, like Howard Dean’s pioneer 2004 presidential campaign fundraising of around $50 million dollars from largely small donations over the Internet, and the most recent fundraising of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, which refined and built upon Dean’s campaign’s model and raised more than $650 million dollars, bypassing public campaign funds and raising all of its money privately from individual donors through channels like social networking.

When asked about his personal views on social networking, Novoselic said he likes that he’s able to connect with people who he thinks are compelling, but is frustrated by the lack of humanity – the anonymity, the hot-headed spammer. He does not have a Facebook page (“It’s too much work.”)

He also shared his idea of creating a new political party with social networking components, which he calls the Rock Party, because he likes rock music. The new party would have its feet firmly planted in the 21st century, he said, and members would participate in things like creating policy and platform by blogging and “liking” a resolution, as in the “like” button on Facebook. The Rock Party would also feature free music downloads, Novoselic said, but he did not elaborate.

After the lecture Novoselic took questions from the audience, and some Nirvana fans were ready with questions like “What was it like working with Kurt Cobain?”

The admiration of Cobain by Novoselic was apparent. “Kurt Cobain was a true artist, he was compelled to be an artist. His apartment was a mess," said Novoselic, explaining the type of unique person Cobain was by describing his living space. "He was not compelled to clean up, or to wash the dishes; he was compelled to write songs. He was a genuine artist, a true-blue artist.”

After the Q-and-A, Novoselic came off stage and stayed to sign autographs and pose for photos with the many people who crowded around to meet him, several of whom had brought bass guitars for him to sign. He was very friendly and accommodated everyone.

“(The lecture) was excellent,” said Max, a teaching student at Sacramento State who had brought his bass for Novoselic to sign. “The guy is a living legend, and it’s great that he is reaching out to the current generation.”

At the end of the night, those in attendance were treated to interesting discourse on the role that social networking plays in political association and political reform, as well as connect on a lighter note with a member of one of the most popular bands of all time.

Novoselic’s favorite Nirvana song? “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” he said, naming the band’s first and biggest hit, widely regarded as one of the greatest rock songs of all time. “It bought my first house.”

Photos: Steven Chea

You'll Laugh-A-Lot!

2010-07-12T05:30:20Z

Monty Python’s Spamalot opened the 60th season of the California Musical Theater Music Circus on Friday. This, the 500th show produced by Music Circus, makes it is easy to see why the theater has not only survived but thrived for 60 years.

The book and lyrics by Eric Idle take the best of the popular Monty Python movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail to another level. While much of Spamalot spoofs the Broadway Musical genre, Idle has created a great Broadway Musical. The Music by John Du Prez and Idle is classic Broadway Musical style and in this case it is a very good thing.

Everything in this Music Circus production shines, starting with Glenn Casale’s direction. Much is made in theater-production circles about the difficulty of directing shows on Music Circus’ round stage. But Casale uses what others see as a problem to his advantage. His staging, more than any I have seen at Music Circus, expands the action to the perimeter (you can’t say "back" in this house) of the theater. The audience misses none of the action because of Casale’s long experience directing under the “tent.”

The show boasts a top-notch cast of Broadway actors, many of whom are veterans of other Spamalot productions.

Music Circus and Broadway veteran Gary Beach is a warm and accessible King Arthur. He personifies the benevolent monarch and marches forward in the face of all insults.

Ron Bohmer (Sir Dennis Galahad), John Scherer (Sir Robin), Mika Duncan (Sir Lancelot) and Ron Wisniski (Sir Bedevere) are the Knights of the Round Table. Each plays two to four other characters and the audience usually can't tell they are the same actors. Duncan is particularly funny as the French Taunter and a reluctantly outed Lancelot.

Lesli Margherita is the Lady of the Lake. In addition to being a great actor, she is the vocal standout in the show. She sounds beautiful, even while singing some of the silliest lyrics in a Broadway musical. What Ever Happened to My Part is an good example. Idle and Du Prez's song sounds like the parodies of well known musical numbers sung in cabaret reviews. Margherita’s lamenting the lack of attention paid to her character makes the audience laugh.

The cast is rounded out by Steven Strafford, a male vocal standout as Prince Herbert, and Andy Taylor as the put upon Patsy, servant to King Arthur, and as the “coconut horse.” One look from Taylor in I’m All Alone conveys Patsy’s humiliation.

The ensemble actors are notable, too, including Kurt Domoney, Michael Dotson, Alexa Glover, Jeff Kurh and John B. Williford who also appear in minor roles. Many are Music Circus veterans and great singers and dancers. Nikki Della Penta is the dance captain.

This production is Billy Sprague Jr.’s debut as a choreographer. The show is a restaging of Casey Nicholaw’s Broadway choreography. Sprague previously was a performer in numerous musical productions. Choreography for theater in the round requires major changes, especially at Music Circus, where the whole theater is the stage. Music Circus' stage, with its’ multiple risers, allowed for a Busby Berkeley "wedding-cake" effect.

Musical director Dennis Castellano and orchestra interpreted the score admirably. Naturally, in a Monty Python production, the musical director is also a character and incidental music adds to the humor.

Scenic designer Richard Bay and Pamila Z. Gray, lighting designer, joined forces to create the fantastical world of Spamalot. Lighting, especially important because of the sparse but effective scenery, created a sense of place in the tent. The duo's experience working in this venue showed.

Music Circus pulled out all the stops on wardrobe and costume designer Leon Wiebers was up to the task. The Knights of the Round Table wore three to five costumes changes alone. Other eye-catchers were that of the Knight of Ni, Prince Herbert’s father’s fur robes and the royal formal wear of the ensemble. The audience gasped when the Lady of the Lake’s costume changed from lake blue to wedding white.

Those interested in seeing the show should get tickets now. When word of mouth starts circulating, it probably will sell out. Comments on Facebook indicated that some of those at Friday’s show plan to see it again.

California Musical Theatre has done such a great job with the restaging of this show, I would not be surprised if they get the opportunity to do it again.

Photos: 1. Gary Beach (left) as King Arthur and Andy Taylor as Patsy 2. Lesli Margherita as the Lady of the Lake and Gary Beach as King Arthur 3. Mika Duncan as the French Taunter 4. Mika Duncan as the Knight of Ni 5. Ron Bohmer as Sir Galahad and Lesli Margherita as the Lady of the Lake 6. Gary Beach as King Arthur, John Scherer as Sir Robin and Andy Taylor as Patsy (under the cow) 7. Mika Duncan (left) as Sir Lancelot, Steven Strafford as Not Dead Fred and John Scherer as Sir Robin 8. John Scherer (standing center) as Sir Robin and his minstrels (left to right), Kurt Domoney, John B. Willingford and Steven Strafford 9. Left to right: Ron Bohmer, Andy Taylor, Gary Beach, Ron Wisniski and John Scherer 10. John Scherer as Sir Robin (left), Andy Taylor (center) as Patsy and Gary Beach as King Arthur

All photos by Charr Crail, courtesy California Musical Theatre

River Cats Facebook account gets hacked

2010-07-09T03:27:37Z

Sacramento River Cats fans may have noticed something different about their favorite baseball team’s Facebook page.

On June 30, the River Cats minor league baseball team’s Facebook fan page and profile were hacked into and then deleted.

The River Cats were not aware the account was hacked until they received an e-mail from Facebook saying the account had been deactivated.

Although the Facebook profile was recovered, the River Cats relaunched a new fan page Tuesday night.

Nick Lozito, coordinator of media relations in interactive media for the River Cats, said he contacted Facebook to let them know of the issue last week and received a response that said they will "look into it." After a follow-up email from Lozito, Facebook has yet to respond with an update. Lozito said they did not want to wait for Facebook and took matters into their own hands by relaunching the page.

Lozito said there were around 6,000 fans that “liked” the River Cats on Facebook before it got deleted. As of press time, there were 435 fans.

“Now we’re just looking to restart the process of reaching out to our fans,” Lozito said. “We have a chance to start over.”

Media relations for the River Cats has no idea who may have hacked into their pages.

The River Cats plan to increase their security with this new page to the best of their ability.

“All you really have is your password — make sure that’s secure. With social media, it’s not your own entity,” Lozito said. "There are millions of other customers...you have to understand that going into it. You have to be on your toes and ready to adapt."

He hopes that fans will re-add the Facebook pages to their profile.

"We know that there are fans out there that want to join us,” he said. “We had thousands. The problem is the reconnecting process. It’s tough. A lot of people will say, ‘Hey,I’m already a friend of that. I don’t need to re-add that.’ ”

The fan page contains features that are not available elsewhere including post-home game highlights, team interviews and trivia. Promotions, such as half-off Gold Rush seats, have driven more traffic to the page in the past, Lozito said.

The River Cats have been using Facebook as a way to reach out to fans since the 2009 season and have not had any issues until last week’s incident.

To check out the new Facebook fan page, visit Facebook.com/sacramentorivercats.

The Job Search According to Facebook and Twitter

2010-05-25T20:08:57Z

It was testimony to the tenuous state of the Sacramento job market that a full house attended the Sacramento Social Media Club’s May event, “Putting Social Media to Work: leveraging social networking tools to find and fill jobs.” The panel discussion, held at the Urban Hive last week, featured four local professionals speaking of their experiences and expertise using social media to implement and accelerate job searches.

The overall message of the four speakers was that social media--Twitter, Facebook and the like--have the potential to vastly broaden the parameters of a job and/or employee search.

Speaking from one side of the hiring table was Curt Cetraro, CEO of ConnectPoint Search Group, a local recruiting firm that enables companies to establish an employment brand in social media, track applicants, and increase internal recruiting efficiencies. Curt uses his expertise in that regard by offering a free seminar series to help job seekers increase their job effectiveness, and he brought a number of elements of that series to the discussion Tuesday night. He spoke of the need to target one’s goal in the search as well as the ways social media can be used while you’re still employed to research what you want to do next.

On the other side of the hiring table was Natalie Paulsen, Director of Business Development for 3Fold Communications. Although she loved the job she had, Natalie saw a greater future in social media and wanted to work for a company that was effectively using it. So she quit her job and applied her well-honed face-to-face networking skills to social media in finding a new one. “I targeted the companies that I was interested in and then applied networking principles to Facebook and Twitter.” She friended the decisionmakers at those companies and over time established a connection with them. By the time Natalie interviewed with the prospective companies, she had established her identity and her persona with them. “They knew who I was and they were happy to see me,” she says.

Christina Rogers is a career counselor and owner of Angeles Career Consulting, LLC. One of the aspects of using social media to find work that she discussed came from the workbooks, guides, and curriculum that she has developed for schools throughout California. Specifically, Christina spoke to the issues inherent in presenting oneself online as a job seeker. “Your followers and friends are your network. Ask them for their opinion of your social media presence. What does your brand look like?”

The fourth member of the panel was Helen Scully, president of Scully Career Associates, a Nationally Certified Career Counselor and corporate trainer as well as the author of Elevations®, an online career assessment tool. Helen advised job seekers to not target the latest trend in employment, but to go for one’s passion. “To find your future, you are the most reliable element in your job search...and that requires analyzing your social media presence so that it is in sync with your job search.”

The panelists spoke of how best to come across while using social media. Helen Scully, who tweets from @careertests where she sharies tips regarding jobs, career changes and the workplace, talked of the importance of creating a consistent voice on all your social media forays. Natalie Paulsen echoed that, “You can create a personality in 140 characters. My personality on-line is pretty much who I am.”

As far as what not to do when using social media tools in the job search arena, Curt Cetraro had this to say: “Keep your social media presence current. When you don’t update your Facebook page, for example, that raises questions about you in the employers mind that you don’t want them to have.” And Helen Scully added, “Don’t sit on the side of the swimming pool. People don’t think they know enough to qualify for a particular job and that’s often a big mistake. Jump in.”

The monthly events that the Sacramento Social Media Club presents are part informational and part networking. To that end, in addition to socializing over light refreshments before and after the panel, there was a SMCSac Tweetup Afterparty at the Lounge ON20. Next month's topic will be Social Media and Music.

photo credits: April Irene Fredrikson

Chris Little’s Social Skills Will Beat Cohn

2010-05-20T15:12:05Z

I was truly fascinated by Stephen Gillis’ article “City Council Candidates Use Facebook to Connect With Community” today. In my view, as someone working with Social Media daily, I would say Steve Cohn is not using Social Media as an effective part of his campaign.

On the other hand, Chris Little has 716 fans on his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elect-Chris-Little/216446910449?ref=ts) to Cohn’s 214. Because Little has been so diligent in using his Facebook and Twitter accounts as a communications vehicle to voters, he has made up ground on a 16 year career politician in just 5 months. The result is nearly 1000 lawn signs being displayed on individual yards throughout District 3.

Ms. Ramirez of Cohn's campaign is quoted, “When you look at the City Council race, community is very important. Facebook helps strengthen those ties.” Cohn uses Facebook and just sparingly at that. It is the sign of someone out of touch with the new media.

Little uses Facebook as an effective strategy of connecting with voters. He has done an excellent job of connecting with and keeping them through his use of Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Little grasps the concept of Social Media in addition to traditional campaigning. He initiates conversations with and among voters whose link is the connection he provides. Now, that is "social" media.

City Council Candidates Use Facebook to Connect With Community

2010-05-19T01:22:24Z

On June 8, Sacramento residents will have the opportunity to cast their votes on a number of issues and elective offices, including party primaries for governor and attorney general as well as Sacramento City Council seats in districts 1, 3, 5 and 7.

Many candidates are using online social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to try to get their messages out and gain an edge over the other candidates. For example, in the race for the Republican primary for governor, candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner have Facebook and Twitter pages with followers in the thousands, and the primary fight is widely seen to be between the two.

However, even in the more local and community-driven campaigns of Sacramento City Council candidates, these social networking sites are being widely utilized to help raise support and knowledge for local candidates.

Angelique Ashby is running for the City Council’s District 1 seat against incumbent Ray Tretheway, and she has tried to use the Internet to her advantage.

Ashby said that when she and her campaign team started to plan her campaign, they thought that a strong online presence would be important.

“We knew that accessing people through the Internet would be critical,” Ashby said. “Social networking and the Internet is central to our campaign.”

Ashby said the online strategy of her campaign consists of a good webpage, Facebook and YouTube. As of Sunday, she has 1,050 friends on Facebook. Ashby said she uses Facebook as a way to connect with voters and as a good way to get out event information. Many people who come to her campaign events tell Ashby that they found out because of Facebook, she said.

She added that she has ads on Facebook as well as local blogs to help draw attention to her campaign.

Ashby said one challenge of being involved in social networking is the level of consistency required, both in effort and in message.

“It’s important to know what you’re like as a candidate because people can find information everywhere on the Internet,” she added. “You have to be clear and consistent.”

Although Ashby enjoys a strong online presence, she said she doesn’t use Twitter because she doesn’t think Twitter adds much to her campaign.

“One of the keys to success in an online campaign is to allow people to be a part of it,” she said. “Twitter is for observers, while Facebook is for participants.”

Tretheway, who has been on the City Council since 2001, uses both Twitter and Facebook in his campaign, although the sites are only updated about once a week.

“For us, it’s not the most crucial component,” said Tretheway’s campaign manager, Rebecca Apostol. “It’s more important to talk to folks one-on-one and to have those face-to-face conversations. That type of interaction is what we tend to gravitate more toward.”

Apostol said Tretheway’s Facebook and Twitter, which have a little over 30 followers as of Sunday, are used mostly to give campaign updates and to publicize community events.

“It’s a helpful component, undoubtedly,” she said. “It has its place, and it definitely adds to the campaign.”

Apostol added that in a smaller race like this, social networking does not make or break a campaign.

District 3 is also home to a competitive race. Councilman Steve Cohn, who has held the seat since 1994, is running for re-election against Realtor Chris Little and contractor Shawn Eldredge. Faviola Ramirez, the ground campaign manager for Cohn, said using Facebook is part of the campaign’s strategy.

“Facebook is really important to keep supporters informed,” she said.

“When you look at the City Council race, community is very important,” Ramirez added. “Facebook helps strengthen those ties.”

Ramirez said Cohn’s campaign Facebook page, which has 215 followers as of Sunday but is only updated once a week or so, is mostly used to give campaign updates and provide information about campaign events, as well as answer the occasional question from a voter.

Although Little and Eldredge have a stronger online presence, Ramirez said that it is not crucial to win a City Council election, and the main component of Cohn’s campaign relies in personal interaction.

“Facebook is just as important as call lists and any other way of getting ahold of people,” she said. “It just doesn’t replace face-to-face voter interaction, which is at the heart of any local campaign.”

Eldredge, however, said that for a candidate who does not have a lot of funds, having a strong online presence is vital.

“Social networking allows those who are interested to know a candidate better,” Eldredge said. “I don’t have money, so the only way I can reach people is through the social networking sites. It is the core of my campaign.”

Eldredge said he uses his Facebook for not only campaign updates but also to state his positions and point out the faults in opponent’s positions.

“I put it all out there,” he said. “I let the shit fly.”

Eldredge, who has raised thousands less than Little and Cohn according to a recent Sacramento Press article, said that while social networking gives him a platform, it does not always translate into votes.

“I’m much more interactive than the other candidates, but I’m probably not going to win,” he said, adding that this election will be a low-turnout election that will probably be decided by voters who are not hooked on social networking. He also said upcoming elections will have to make an online presence a priority.

“This November, this is going to be big,” Eldredge said. “The population and voter base is going to be very engaged through social media.”

Eldredge added that he believes we are one election cycle away from voters being able to donate $5 through their phones like people were able to for the Haiti earthquake relief, and that social networking will become a critical part of any campaign.

“The classic campaign is going to have to change their model,” Eldredge said. “Traditionally, it was all mail and door-to-door, but now social networking will have an equal part.”

For now, Eldredge was honest about his use of social networking in his campaign.

“It’s a lot of work,” he said. “Social media takes a lot of effort to pull it off well, and I haven’t done it as well as I’d like.”

When June 8 comes, Ashby, Tretheway, Cohn, Little and Eldredge will be able to see if their efforts with social networking results in being elected to the City Council.

Photo Captions:

1. Angelique Ashby. Photo by Kathleen Haley

2. Ray Tretheway. Photo by Anthony Bento

3. Chris Little. Photo by Kathleen Haley

4. Steve Cohn. Photo by Anthony Bento

KlickNation Helps Unite the Sacramento Gaming Community

2010-04-28T03:07:41Z

There was a different world inside “KlickNation’s Hosted Meetup of Awesomeness,” held on Thursday night at 1015 20th Street. Gaming enthusiasts amassed in groups to discuss things like frame rates, metrics, RPGs, MAUs, and DAUs. When one attendee brought his iPad out of hiding, a group of three or four others swarmed around him and the discussion quickly turned from the specs of the iPad to the battle between the Kindle and books. Equipped with tech talk and hours of gaming experience, they were there to prove that the Sacramento game culture is growing.

With about 30 people in attendance, the event featured talks by employees of KlickNation, a company that makes games for Facebook. Talks touched on everything from their history and future, to how to market and make games.

Attendees of the event included artists and programmers, both working and looking for work, as well as game studios, and people who were merely interested in making games themselves.

Mark Otero, KlickNation’s co-founder and CEO, said that while it’s still a small culture, the interest is there. “It’s a lot of hobbyists, a lot of small teams that are still working a full-time job, building games on the side,” he said.

Otero’s first venture into the business world was the Mochii yogurt shop located at 1530 16th Street after he grew tired of the daily nine-to-five grind of previous jobs. His interest in gaming and his degree in computer science from the California State University, Sacramento, led him to his dream job of designing games.

Otero and KlickNation are relatively new to the gaming world. Founded in 2007, KlickNation started out making gifting applications on Facebook, including one called Happy Pills, an application that allowed users to share virtual versions of prescription and illegal drugs with their friends on Facebook.

Superhero City, released on Facebook on June 16, 2009, after only three months of development, became the first game on Facebook to feature animated battles. It “was contrived through watching the TV show ‘Heroes,’ being a big fan of Marvel comics, and having seen ‘The Watchmen,’” he said.

Even though the game had a lot of problems on its initial release, Aaron Nemoyten, product manager for the game, said at the meetup that it still got a fairly receptive response. "Everything can suck except the gameplay," Nemoyten joked.

Devin Becker, 28, was one of the unemployed attendees. Looking for leads on jobs in programming or game design, Becker said he decided to attend the event after finding the meetup group through the web. "I Googled 'game design Sacramento,' and this was the only good result. I thought it was definitely worth a try," Becker said.

His curiosity with the Sacramento game community drew him to the event. "Sacramento is far enough out of the Bay Area that we need events like this," Becker said. "There's no good forum for game design in this area."

According to Otero, that forum is beginning to take shape. He said that organization would allow hobbyists, educators, and businesses to thrive in the gaming industry.

Otero added that it might be another three or four years before Sacramento makes it on the map in the gaming community.

“We’re very happy to be a part of the gaming culture of Sacramento,” Otero said. “We owe it to Sacramento to do what’s right for the city. I’m tired of seeing the creative people move away.”

Enter “Age of Champions.” KlickNation workers revealed a sneak peek of their newest game at the meetup on Thursday. "I think it’s going to be one of the best investments we’ve ever made," Otero said of the new game, set to debut on Facebook sometime this week. The game will have three integral features that will connect with gamers: a 3D avatar creator, a mass combat system, and an incredible story. "It’s about leadership," Otero said. "It’s about building and amassing an army and to compete with other players. That’s the emotional connection our game makes."

Local salon hosts model search on facebook

2010-04-13T23:00:51Z

Sacramento is full of beautiful people. Just stroll or ride your bike up and down J Street in Midtown any afternoon and you'll agree. Sacramento even has its fair share of famous models including such as Larry Scott (who I went to High School with - we dated cousins). You might not remember his name, but his face is one of the most recognized even 20 odd years after his work with Georgio Armani.

I can attest to the trials and tests many aspiring models goes through; travel expenses, the mental and competitive aspects, adhering to a strict diet only a monk would enjoy, dedication to the gym, flawless personal hygiene and keeping your wardrobe on par. Of course, there's a certain amount of pure natural beauty you must posses. But if you have all those things going for you and think that you have what it takes here's your shot to get a professional photo shoot, the most important part of any model's career.

A local salon and spa, located in the heart of Midtown, is hosting a model search for their “May Girl,” and the woman with the most “likes” and positive comments will win a free makeover, professional portfolio photo shoot with Juan Ayora and free services at the salon. The “face-off” model search is open to anyone 18 and over. To enter, simply post a photo of yourself on Luxe Salon & Spa's fan page and get the most “likes” and positive comments.

Once your picture is online, it will be voted on by Luxe's facebook fans. Public voting closes on April 19, then Miss May will be chosen by our semi-finalist judges (Juan Ayora, Thomas Dodson and Kevin Gerety. The winner will be announced on April 24 at 6 pm at Luxe Salon & Spa.

Luxe has built a name for itself amongst the downtown and midtown night life scene as one of the more ambitious and creative salons in Sacramento. Originators of the myface party, they have raised the bar for local salons by offering truly dazzling events at nightclubs and at their own salon, especially on Second Saturday.

If you are interested in pursuing work in the modeling industry as a professional, Cast Images is consistently regarded by many as the finest in town.

For more information: Luxe Salon & Spa (916) 443-1400

LINKS

http://www.luxe-midtown.com

http://castimages.blogspot.com/

http://www.jfayora.com/

Tough economy makes for some creative home living in Sacramento

2009-12-24T07:09:40Z

When Land Park resident Ken Parks was first strolling through the listing of available places he wanted to rent, he thought “wow, newly built, upscale neighborhood, pool, gym, great price, quiet home away from home living, what more could a guy ask”. However the listing that Parks was searching through wasn’t your typical rental listing in the apartment or home market, it was a room space being rented by a homeowner out of her Natomas condo complex. Parks, a 34 year-old state employee represents a growing number of people within Sacramento County and around the country that have taken to calling someone else’s home their home with room space renting or sub-leasing housing. It is not a totally new concept, nor will it send traditional landlords out of business, yet it is a trend that realtor analysts say is growing during these crunching economic times. For some people they are trying to find some creative ways to save money and rather than simply moving back home with parents, as many adults are doing in the boomerang generation, they are taking the route of renting space from other professionals and family-oriented homeowners with a room to rent. They are doing it in areas from downtown Sacramento to Natomas, from Roseville to Folsom, from Davis to Elk Grove and areas beyond.

Sacramento like most of the nation had been hit hard by slow home sales and increasing foreclosures in the sagging housing market over the past few years. Recognizing one side of that ineffectuality President Obama opened up the government’s checkbook in his first year in office by using the people’s money with his home buying stimulus package as our country was headed toward its worst annual number of homes sold in decades. According to the California Association of Realtors November home sales report, in Sacramento the area had the largest statewide decrease of prior year sales at -16.5 percent. Overall for the state the number of homes sold has been solid with a 4.5 percent increase for the month of November, still this has not offset the number of vacant rental properties in the region. Until then the carryover meant people had to make to some hard choices with limited options in their standard of living, and some took to renting rooms out of existing homes in order to raise some instant cash.

Despite some enticements to get people interested in buying homes or condo’s, the loss of homes due to foreclosures, financial windfalls, and an unstable job market has forced many into renting rooms from others as an economic savings alternative. This has led to a decrease in new apartment leasing where rental prices for the county have spiked over the last 5 years. Within Sacramento the average 1 bedroom goes for $741.00 while the average 2 bedroom goes for $881.00. In some areas, realtors and property managers are taking notice to where their potential new and existing residents are going and now joining the fray by offering occupancy packages of lease to own, gifts for first-time buyers, more flexible sub-lease options, split month and automated deduction payments, and other discounts and incentives to help fill spaces of vacant apartments and houses sitting in beautiful suburban cul-del-sac neighborhoods. “With the number of people losing jobs, and the foreclosure market, we try to balance our services to help both the renter and landlord meet their needs”, says Ted White of Sacramento Delta, a property management company which specializes in listing available apartments and homes for rent.

One frequent search point for many would be room dwellers is Craigslist, as the popular community friendly site has an entrée of apartment, home, shared room, condo, and other listings, and it’s a list that keeps growing. Roommates.com another popular site boasts being the largest roommate matching service in the nation. White thinks businesses like his that serve as the go between of the landlord and renter do add value,” In order to better service our clients we have to utilize these tools (Craigslist) and yet we can pre- screen applicants for landlords thus making the process that much easier”.

In settings where these types of new living situations are working they offer a host of new relationships. Relationships that get formed with the social media circuit becoming as an ever popular way of communicating, and its not just students that are taking up these offers. Twenty or thirty years ago in the pre-Internet age people would use local newspapers or supermarket bulletin boards to post or find a room or apartment for rent. Today, people can not only search for rooms online but search with many specifications that makes it easier to find someone with similar tastes and compatible interests. Social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and others have helped turn the cultural tide from the impersonal to personal. All of this buzz about room renting often makes it much easier for people to connect. It is common to find a bunch of college students of three, four, or five all living in a rented out house or condo. It makes for inexpensive luxury living on the cheap. A lot of what it takes to make such arrangements work is more than finding your next housemate simply because there is space available but connecting with people who you share other activities and interests with. This is why a lot of effort should go into any decision before making the plunge to rent from someone just because the price is a bargaining or you need someone to move in your apartment before you get evicted for lack of payment. While there is often less haggle over the normative of credit checks, criminal history, income verifications, move in deposits, or past rental history inquiries it seems the two most important things required are being respectful to each others space and pay your rental bill on time.

Unlike the rich and famous who often will rent out cottages in Martha’s Vineyard, the average Joe and Jane American are finding that renting room space can be a win-win for both parties. From college students to single professionals to church going families as long as there is a room available in a house or apartment going unused and some willingness to make some extra cash than expect this sub-leasing trend to continue. People are no longer embarrassed as they once were by the fact that they can rent room space from someone else. The layers of the taboo or stigma of being an inhabitant, house sitter, or transient is no more. Everyone is feeling the brunt of the economy and what better way to get some relief than rent that room out which was unused or was kept for storage or office space. Empty nesters, a term often referred to describe parents of grown children that have left home, will use what was once little Johnny’s or Sarah’s room as a new rental opportunity. Sometimes it even surprises the grown children that their parents are now renting out the room that they grew up in. For those that do move back home, they will sometimes find a rent bill attached to their room door as well, and makes for smart responsibility on the part of the elder parents. Most family advice counselors recommend that set boundaries when the children return and charging rent is a good way of ensuring the returning children that they won’t be able to freeload their way through these tough times. The idea is that it will make the children more accountable and understand that if they were staying somewhere else they would have to pay rent.

However the problems aren’t just older adult children returning home for free room and board, but many working adults have been out priced for housing and can’t afford to stay in a standard of living they were once accustomed to 5-10 years ago. All and all this seems like one creative housing trend that maybe here to stay until the economy gets back on its feet.

Intermediate Google workshop Dec. 15

2009-12-10T19:10:49Z

Thanks to all of you who came to the Media Panel at the Urban Hive Wednesday night!

We have another engaging event scheduled for next week. Jeff Marmins, who taught our last Facebook workshop, will be leading the Google event titled, "Get Google in your Social Media Mix." Jeff is the creator of Social Media Path and partnership director of Social Media Club Sacramento.

The event will be at the Sacramento Press office Dec. 15 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Jeff will discuss how to condense all of the social media sites you post to into one application on Google, successfully use RSS feeds and answer your specific questions.

This workshop is designed for intermediate Google users. If you'd like a beginner workshop, please email journalism@sacramentopress.com and if there are enough people, we can put together a separate beginner workshop.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks. If you are facing Starbucks, go around the building to the left and you'll see our Sac Press sign out front.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $1.50 per half hour and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

Please RSVP by emailing journalism@sacramentopress.com.

If you have any trouble finding our office, you can give us a call at (916) 443-5403.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there.

Ask the Readers... What do you want from local small businesses on social media?

2009-12-04T22:24:33Z

There have been recent reports online regarding the use of social media by small businesses. As fast as social media has gained in popularity, businesses have expanded their use of it. It appears as though most social media users are okay with this.

Many businesses have given it a try while others have found too difficult a platform. Some local perspective about Sacramento Press readers and thieir expectations on social media would be valuable to the local business community. Please, share your perspective with us.

What do you like from the small businesses you follow?

Who locally is doing a great job using social networking?

What advice do you have for those considering getting into the game?

Perhaps you dislike businesses butting into your social life. Tell us about that too.

Creating the social in social media - Social Media Weekend

2009-11-29T02:22:23Z

Twitterature, Twitterverse, Twibe, Tweetaholic and Twitterhea were some of the noteworthy word clusters mentioned by the New Oxford American Dictionary committee while choosing its 2009 Word of the Year. With this new dialect, it should come as no surprise that Sacramento TweetUps (social events that allow Twitter users to meet in real life) are drawing crowds of more than a hundred people.

Earlier this month, an entire weekend was dedicated to social media.

Alejandro Reyes created and organized Sacramento's first two-day Social Media Weekend at the University of Phoenix in Natomas, Nov. 6 and 7. Bloggers, financial strategists, real estate agents, non-profits, online business owners and librarians flocked to attend.

Reyes was inspired by the South by Southwest and BlogWorld expos but wanted to create a local and more affordable version.

"I just figured, why don't we create something like this in our backyard and give people an opportunity to save money and meet other locals, as well as learn from people on a local level that are using social media at a high level?" he said.

Some of the speakers included Jessica Smith, vice president of Fleishman-Hillard and creator of jessicaknows.com, Rachel and Sarah Campbell of TwinSoup, CJ Alvarado of Bayside Church, and Josh Unfried of momfaves.com.

Suzanne Phan from News10 was an attendee on Friday, and blogger Christine Young and Reyes did a live chat on News10's website.

Questions from the audience dominated the conversations for each panel and speaker. Many of the attendees had little experience with the social media tools discussed.

Real estate agent Stephanie Brinkworth, was eager to see what she could do to help her firm.

"It's all new to me," she said. "I really liked Josh (Unfried). I was motivated to start my own blog (after hearing him talk)," I went home yesterday and did research. I looked up Wordpress and the different designs and templates of blogs."

Representatives from the Ronald McDonald House, inmycommunity.com and the Sacramento Law Library came hoping to increase their online presence and get more involved with social media.

One of the speakers who got a great response was Gordon Fowler, president and CEO of 3Fold Communications. He spoke on generational use of social media.

More than just connecting online, Fowler emphasized the value of making connections period.

"I see people jumping on the social media bandwagon because they feel like they have to, and forgetting that, at its core, social media is about relationships built on effective communication," he said. "If new learners are ineffective in understanding how to communicate inter-generationally, they will not be effective communicating and building relationships through social media.

"People need to chill out and thoughtfully discover their 'social media personality.' Be authentic, be transparent and have some fun."

Reyes is already planning the next Social Media Weekend in March 2010.

Gary Pilapil, a creative director who has attended other social media events, said he liked this particular one because it was local, with no one from out of state.

"It's refreshing to meet like-minded people that want to help Sacramento grow," Pilapil said.

Interested in seeing the Twittersphere in action? A TweetUp in conjunction with Sacramento's branch of Social Media Club is scheduled for Dec. 17.

Here are some of the tweets that were sent out during Social Media Weekend (click links to visit an individual's Twitter page):

@thisaac If you realize you've screwed up, own up to it as quickly as possible… –@JessicaKnows #socialmediaweekend

@pdteam Don't use social media as a weapon. –@JessicaKnows #socialmediaweekend

@kennypratt #socialmediaweekend PR Panel: both PR professionls and Journalists still learning to use Twitter to find and place stories

@susancarraretto RT @successfool: "Social Media elevates word of mouth to a viral level" @JoshUnfried

@jeffmarmins want to extend reach online? give before you expect to receive. promote others via @sierrafriend #socialmediaweekend

@jeffmarmins we only advertise businesses we authentically use or would recommend #socialmediaweekend @YoungMommy @TwinSoup

@JackieDotson Really high quality stuff at #socialmediaweekend I'm impressed that everyone is emphasizing the importance of relationships in social media.

@meghanwood Per @TwinSoup: 'you will always have negative comments! So.. Just delete them.' LOVE IT!!! I so agree #socialmediaweekend

To see the complete schedule and list of speakers for Social Media Weekend, visit socialmediaweekend.com.

Social Media for the Social Good—Non-profits Explore New Methods of Outreach

2009-11-20T04:17:59Z

Three local non-profit organizations were featured in a Sacramento Social Media Club panel on Tuesday evening hosted by the Sacramento State College of Continuing Education. The panel included Celia Cortez, Projects and Event Manager for the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Jordan Blair, Board Member for River City Food Bank; and Jon Benorden, Program Coordinator for the Center for AIDS Research, Education and Service (CARES). Lesley Miller, Media Director for 3Fold Communication, also sat on the panel. Moderator Josh Morgan, principal at Morgan/Dorado and program director for the Sacramento Social Media Club, focused the discussion on how non-profits are using social media to educate, engage, and build lasting relationships with their communities.

Facebook was the unanimous point of entry into social media for all three organizations. Cortez said the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber selected Facebook because it was the most popular platform among their member organizations; Blair choose Facebook for River City Food Bank because it is the platform upon which he spends the most time. “Facebook provides an easy way for people to connect with causes and non-profits thanks to its one-click ‘become a fan’ feature, “commented Morgan. River City Food Bank, where many of their long-term contributors are past retirement age, is finding that Facebook helps them to engage with the next generation of donors. However some of their loyal supporters are stepping out into social media as well; an 85 year old volunteer joined Facebook just so he could “friend” the River city Food Bank. Benorden said that their “old school” supporters are beginning to mesh with the new people they’ve engaged through their group & page on Facebook but that CARES still has a long way to go.

Both the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and CARES are also using Twitter to promote their organizations and causes. Miller said 3Fold encourages their clients to cross post on multiple social media platforms to increase the traffic among all the sites. For example, use Twitter to remind people the organization is on Facebook or create an event on Yelp and ask people to write a review. I frequently use Twitter to drive traffic to SARTA.org’s website or LinkedIn group where more detailed membership and event information is available.

CARES created both a group page and a fan page for its campaign “Are You the Difference” which strives to eliminate new cases of HIV in the Sacramento region by 2015. Benorden plans to expand the campaign to include other platforms like Flickr and YouTube. On YouTube, CARES wants to personalize and promote their campaign by featuring user generated videos about how individuals can be or are the difference in eliminating new cases of HIV.

The biggest challenge for all of the organizations is finding the time to manage and maintain their social media accounts. Cortez shared that she uses cross posting tools to lessen the amount of time she spends managing each platform the Hispanic Chamber employs. Tweetdeck, Hootsuite and Seesmic were mentioned as free services for managing multiple accounts and platforms and Radian6 was recommended as a new professional service for this purpose. Benorden prefers to uniquely post to Facebook and Twitter to keep variety in the CARES messages, but he sticks to a common theme. Blair, who in addition to his responsibilities as a board member of the River City Food Bank works a full time job, schedules time on his weekly calendar to tend to his social media chores. When asked if a volunteer could handle the job, the general consensus among the panelists was that most volunteers and interns do not have enough depth or experience with the organization or its causes to determine social media platform content or to respond to questions and remarks received by followers and friends on the sites. For CARES, sensitivity to and experience with HIV/AIDS is a must for anyone representing the organization on its social media platforms.

The panel wrapped up with a discussion on event promotion using Facebook ads and other tools. All of the organizations are considering using Facebook ads and River City Food Bank has budgeted money for this purpose next year. Benorden pointed out that even if no one clicks through an “Are You the Difference” ad, if enough information is included about the campaign, there is value in people seeing the ad multiple times. Miller said 3Fold advises their clients to put nearly as much energy into post event promotion as they do pre event. Blair followed this advice after a recent River City Food Bank fundraiser, uploading event photos long into the night. The post event promotion is a valuable investment in the success of future events and helps those who attend feel more part of the organization—especially if they are featured in a photo!

After the panel ended, participants informally exchanged ideas on how they are using social media and also had a chance to meet the panelists and ask more questions. The event was live tweeted by volunteer Ira Cohen on behalf of @SMCSac using the hashtag #smcsac. The venue provided by Sacramento State College of Continuing Education is well equipped for meetings and seminars and the Senior Program Coordinator, Toni Ramirez shared that the college is considering offering courses on social media in the future.

Social Media Club, an international non-profit organization, brings together journalists, publishers, communications professionals, artists, amateur media creators, citizen journalists, teachers, students, tool makers, and other interested collaborators. The Sacramento chapter was founded in March of 2009 by local users of social media. Free events are normally held on the third Tuesday of each month, but in December, the group is planning a Holiday Party or “holitweetup” in partnership with SacTweetUp on December 10 at Hot Italian in midtown. In January, the normal schedule of monthly panels will resume. For information about the Sacramento Social Media Club and its events, join their groups on Facebook and LinkedIn and follow them on Twitter.

Photgraphs by Marie Young Photography. For more photos of this event visit her Facebook Page

Sacramento Social Media Club Leadership Team:

Julie Berge, Angela D'Arcy, Laura Good, Suzanne Hopkins, Ronnie Ledesma, Jeff Marmins, Josh Morgan

Facebook workshop tonight

2009-11-18T19:54:10Z

When: Wednesday, Nov. 18 2009 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Where: The Sacramento Press office, 431 I Street, Suite 107 Sacramento, CA 95814

What: Facebook workshop, taught by Jeff Marmins, creator of Social Media Path. He will go over privacy settings and how to keep your personal and work lives separate on Facebook. He will also be answering any questions you may have.

How: To RSVP for tonight, email journalism@sacramentopress.com. Space is limited, we only have a few spots left.

If you have any questions, you can call us at 916-443-5403.

Finding God on Facebook

2009-11-16T19:42:28Z

Some say God is everywhere but last month, we discovered that social media is everywhere too—even in our churches! On October 20, 2009, the Sacramento Social Media Club held a panel discussion on the use of social media by local churches. The event, “Pray for Social Media”, was hosted by The Sacramento Press, and was moderated by Jeff Marmins of Social Media Path and partnership director for the Sacramento Social Media Club. Panelists included Josh Trevino from the Parish Council of St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church in Roseville; Robert Mees, Director of Evangelism at Sierra Baptist Church in Pioneer in Amador County and CJ Alvarado, Director of Communications and Technology at Bayside Church in Granite Bay.

I was posting live tweets during the event, and was joined by several other tweeting guests in reaching over 50,000 followers on Twitter (Sacramento Social Media club uses the hashtag #smcsac to live tweet all of our events).

In what could have been subtitled “Finding God on Facebook,” panelists agreed that the most active use of social media in their churches is individual members connecting with each other on Facebook which allows them to share more about lives than they could from the pew. Members, they said, are using Facebook to build a stronger internal community.

While none of the churches represented reported having an official social media strategy yet, Bayside Church developed and implemented a campaign to introduce their staff of about 75 people to Web 2.0. Alvarado, their communications and technology director, is charged with the church’s presence online, which primarily centers on their website and “listening” to online dialogue to “improve the church experience.” Mees, from Sierra Baptist Church, said that “internal relationships are growing organically on Facebook”, and Trevino said that at St. Anna, "the church blog is the most effective social media tool being used."

Where the speakers differed most was on the issue of how to use social media for outreach and evangelism. Both Alvarado and Trevino said that face-to-face dialogue is essential. “The single best way to evangelize is through the example of a life lived,” said Trevino. Alvarado commented that there is not a big difference in how he approaches evangelism in person versus online--“It’s always permission based.” Mees articulated a vision for using social media to be present in more lives. “In a world where church members either have no significant relationships outside the church, or segregate their Christian and non-Christian friends,” he said, “all of their friends, churched and unchurched, wind up as their friends on Facebook, followers on Twitter, and contacts on LinkedIn.” All three panelists agreed that spiritual dialogue was important, but Mees was a strong proponent of using of social media to initiate that discussion. Mees said "social media is an effective tool in building relationships that enable spiritual discussions to take place both online and off."

Following the moderated panel discussion, the audience was invited to ask questions. Several wondered if any of the congregations have people tweeting in church. Alvarado answered that Bayside has experimented with tweeting and texting during conferences but not during church service. A question about how the churches monitor their congregation’s online activity led to a discussion about how church youth have embraced Web 2.0. Mees shared that the teens in his church bring their computers and use Google to check facts during youth bible study. The teens are also using Facebook groups to communicate events and to “go deeper” using the discussion features.

After the official program ended, many of the attendees stayed to engage the panelists in additional questions and discussions. There was a tremendous amount of passion around the topic of using social media to share the message of the churches. At my small church, Grace Fellowship Church of San Andreas, we recently created a Facebook Page. We are hoping this outreach tool helps us to better connect with our community. How is your church using social media?

Social Media Club brings together journalists, publishers, communications professionals, artists, amateur media creators, citizen journalists, teachers, students, tool makers, and other interested collaborators. The Sacramento chapter was founded in March of 2009 by local users of social media. Free events are held on the third Tuesday of each month. "Social Media for the Social Good" is the topic of the November 17 event hosted by Sacramento State College of Continuing Education from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Local non profits River City Food Bank, CARES and the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will share how they are using social media to educate, engage, and build lasting relationships with their communities. For information about the Sacramento Social Media Club, join their groups on Facebook and LinkedIn and follow them on Twitter.

About the author: Laura Good is a member of the all volunteer leadership team for Sacramento Social Media Club. Follow her on Twitter at @goodlaura. She is also director of programs and operations for SARTA.

Sacramento Social Media Club Hosts Crime Fighters for Online Safety Forum

2009-08-20T07:00:23Z

Police converged on a ballroom in a downtown hotel Tuesday night, but there wasn’t a crime in progress. “Social Crime” was the topic of Tuesday evening’s Sacramento Social Media Club event hosted by The Citizen Hotel in Downtown Sacramento. Representatives from local law enforcement shared how their organizations are using social media tools to prevent crime, improve community outreach, and even take down predators.

Josh Morgan of Morgan/Dorado Public Relations and programming director for the Sacramento Social Media Club presented a “101” on Facebook Privacy. He explained how Friends Lists on Facebook can be used to limit information connections can see on your profile. Josh, for example, uses a list called “Not People” for businesses he “friends” and excludes that list from seeing family photos and other personal information. More information about Facebook Privacy settings is available at Facebook’s Help Center and Josh's presentation is available on SlideShare.

Detective James Carden of the Fairfield Police Department introduced the “#1 Friend“ program which recommends that children, tweens and teens “friend” the Fairfield Police Department on MySpace and set them as their #1 Friend. Adding the Fairfield Police Department as #1 Friend lets visitors to the child's page know that parents are involved and monitoring their child's online activity and that this family has a direct link to the police department and will report any inappropriate or unwanted contact. Read more about the #1 Friend program on the Cops 2.0 blog site. Detective Carden also shared a “true crime” story about luring a predator to a fake MySpace account which resulted in an arrest.

Mike Belcher, Director of the University of the Pacific’s Public Safety Department, explained how his department uses social media tools, including Facebook and Twitter, to improve student safety and to enhance community outreach. Pacific is only one of two private universities in California with sworn police officers. Social networking and communication sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are used to monitor student events, share information on crime prevention, and stop inaccurate rumors on campus by providing timely accurate information. Recently, the department began using Nixle, a free service that allows subscribers to receive trusted, up-to-the-minute neighborhood information from local police departments, city and municipal governments, and their local agencies through SMS, web, and email distribution.

Social Media Club brings together journalists, publishers, communications professionals, artists, amateur media creators, citizen journalists, teachers, students, tool makers, and other interested collaborators. The Sacramento chapter was founded in March of 2009 by local users of social media. Events are held on the Third Tuesday of each month. Social Media in the Classroom is the topic for the September 15 event hosted by The Urban Hive in Midtown Sacramento from 6:30-8:30 p.m.. The keynote speaker is Steve Hargadon, Elluminate's Social Learning Consultant, the director of the K12 Open Technologies Initiative at the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), and the founder of the Classroom 2.0 social network. For information about the Sacramento Social Media Club, join their groups on Facebook or LinkedIn and follow them on Twitter.

About the author: Laura Good is a member of the all volunteer leadership team for Sacramento Social Media Club. Follow her on Twitter at @goodlaura.

Sacramento Opera going strong

2009-08-01T02:59:58Z

One local arts organization not in need of financial aid is The Sacramento Opera.

In the 2008-2009 season it not only ended the year in the black, but the organization eliminated all its debt, exceeded its budget goal and grew its ticket sales by nearly 38 percent.

After disappointing ticket sales in 2008, the opera was fortunate to have extra income contributed from private donors such as the Mildred Reis Estate and other corporate sponsors such as Raley's and Marriott. The organization also paid back a city loan incurred in 1992.

Attendance for the season's four feature shows totaled 17,414, while the community programs saw an all-time high in participation with 6,152 audience members. All shows were held at the Community Center Theater, which seats 2,398.

"We were just very fortunate," said Executive Director of the opera Rod Gideons. The success was based on two major things, he said: partly the popularity of the music performed, and also the strength of the social media marketing.

The two popular shows that sold the most tickets were The Marriage of Figaro and The Pirates of Penzance, Gideon said. He also noted that the Opera's Facebook and Twitter websites had more than 1,000 followers combined.

"After everything is said and done, you have to have control of your budget," Gideon added. "If there's anything we've accomplished, it's that we've tightly controlled our expenses."

Single tickets for the Sacramento Opera's 2009-2010 season are currently on sale. Prices range from $18 to $130.

The following is taken from a press release containing information about The Sacramento Opera's upcoming season:

The Elixir of Love is Gaetano Donizetti’s comic and wistful look at the foibles of young love and the misguided belief that true love can be bought in a bottle.

Show times are at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, 2009, 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009.

The Sacramento Opera will update this gem of the bel canto repertoire to post-World War II in a small town in Northern California’s wine country. The Elixir of Love is a timeless view of passion and longing, pathos and youthful exuberance. Be sure to listen for the famous aria, "Una Furtiva Lagrima."

La Traviata is Giuseppe Verdi's gripping melodrama based on the novel and play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, Jr. La Traviata is one of the 10 most popular operas in the repertoire.

Show times are at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, Sunday, 2 p.m. Feb. 28 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 2.

The story was immortalized in the classic movie Camille starring Greta Garbo and later given a popular update in Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts. Listen for the famous “Drinking Song” and "Sempre Libera" aria. The story revolves around the relationship between a stunningly beautiful but frail courtesan and her well-born lover. Don’t miss this romantic tale of love, passion and betrayal.

A Russian Affair: Highlights from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades is opera at its grandest in a Russian double-bill featuring concert stagings of two of Tchaikovsky’s greatest works, both based on the writings of one of Russia’s most acclaimed writers, Alexander Pushkin.

Show times are at 8 p.m. Friday, May 7 and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 9

This production features Tchaikovsky’s stunning music for the lyric stage performed by a cast of acclaimed singers. Eugene Onegin gives us a glimpse of life among St. Petersburg’s wealthy in the 1820s, capturing the essence of a unique world in all its glory and despair. The operatic masterpiece of obsessive love and greed, The Queen of Spades follows an army officer who deviously learns the "secret of the three cards," which costs him his possessions, lover and ultimately his own life. Featured artists include Emily Pulley, Dana Beth Miller, Richard Crawley, Malcolm MacKenzie and Andrei Codrescu (narrator).

Season subscriptions are still available through the Sacramento Opera office, 737-1000. Season subscribers save up to 26 percent off single-ticket prices and receive priority seating, among other benefits.

*Photographs credit: Sacramento Opera/Eleakis Photography

In solidarity for Iran's distressed

2009-06-21T04:43:47Z

Clad in green clothing and ribbons, hundreds gathered at the west steps of the Capitol Friday, to bring awareness to the current unrest in Iran. Their signs called for freedom, nonviolent resistance and a plea, “Obama Please Help Us.”

Speakers detailed the series of events over the past week in Iran, highlighting violence and the concern of Iranian voters. An enthusiastic speaker read a numbered manifesto in Farsi, listing desires for the future of Iran.

Included in this list was the wish for a leader elected by the people. Many people voiced their concerns over the alleged unfair election. Others began a series of chants that called for “Freedom from Dictatorship,” that soon evolved into reciting death wishes for political leaders in Iran.

In the midst of this, a man with long black hair, draped in an American flag, ran through the crowd and to the top of the capital steps. He opened his arms in the air, and pleaded to the crowd in Farsi to leave politics outside of the dialogue.

This majestic image was of Babak Parham, a local electrician. “This issue is about basic human rights,” he commented. “We need to look to the future and focus on civil society in Iran. This is a great event to bring our voices together.”

Ali Mackani, one of the organizers of the event, and local entrepreneur and businessperson, said, “You know over the last week and a half, as part of just looking at my friends’ Facebook, and what we heard through the internet, I just felt like we have to do something.” The event was organized to pay respect to the efforts of people “risking their lives, because they feel they’re doing something for freedom,” Mackani said.

It is evident that the internet has become a central medium of disseminating information from Iran to the outside world. Mackani, and many of the organizers interviewed, referenced Facebook and Twitter as sites of gathering knowledge about what is happening in Iran.

“Without it I don’t think the youth of our community would actually know what’s happening,” he said.

Amidst the crowd of supporters were Iranian American youth of all ages holding signs and chanting with their relatives. “Facebook,” said one teen, “is not just for chatting.”

Many others commented on the power of Twitter to allow them to stay connected to friends and bloggers in Iran out of concern for their families. “If it weren’t for Twitter right now, we would not have the video and information that we have,” remarked an anonymous organizer.

Most of the interviews, in fact, were conducted under anonymity. “People have a reasonable concern over safety, not necessarily for themselves in the U.S., but for potentially their families in Iran, said an anonymous activist. She continued, “There’s obvious concern over people being hurt and the Islamic Republic going after people. We want to ensure our own safety if we choose to travel there, and our families’ there.”

Fortunately, some have been able to reach relatives through phone and Skype, an online communication program, successfully.

The gravity of events in Iran has a great impact on the Iranian American community in Sacramento. For some of Mackani’s relatives, current events in Iran echo images of the Iranian revolution in the 1980s. “What I’m hearing from family and friends is that it has the same feeling: underground movement, rooftop chanting.”

Ali Mackani hoped to reach out to influential leaders through the rally. “We want the international community to look at this in a very serious light,” he said.

He anticipates the international community to negotiate and discuss Iran’s future based on vocal activism from communities like Sacramento. “It’s not just an Iranian movement; it’s an American Iranian movement, it’s an American movement. Everyone that cares about humanity is getting involved in this,” said an anonymous rally participant.

These globally conscious citizens were able to raise awareness, horns honking in concert with the chanting by the streets. The organizers wanted to “spread the news that this is happening," said a woman anonymously, “so the people see what we’re doing here and that we care.”

She has also received feedback from Iran in messages that state, “Thank you for keeping us in your hearts and minds and we hear you.”

Sacramento Iranian Americans are having an impact overseas. They are in contact with activists, translating their messages to their local communities, and furiously re-tweeting pictures and eye-witness accounts. Micro-blogging macro issues, Sacramento area Iranian Americans are actively seeking peace for their homeland.

The Sacramento Press gives away two ipod shuffles this week

2009-06-06T21:38:15Z

The Sacramento Press is giving away two ipod shuffles.

Here are the rules of the game.

1. Read the article on the Crocker Art Museum's new wing by Suzanne Hurt posted here on sacramentopress.com 06/05/09.

2. Join the conversation by posting a comment on the article.

3. Invite your friends who are not yet community contributers to sign up for sacramentopress.com [free]. You can use email, phone calls, twitter, facebook or any other social network to ask people to sign up and to vote for you. The votes can be from any community contributer new or old but recruiting helps. One vote per community contributer.

4. Now ask them post a comment in the same article and use your sacramentopress.com screen name at the end of the comment.
Example: I have taken my kids to the Crocker Art Museum for years and I feel it is an important part of there cultural development. [Matt Kennedy]
Matt Kennedy just got a vote.

5. The person who gets the most votes wins two ipod shuffles. One for you and one for a very happy friend.

6. Contest begins 06/06/09 and ends 06/12/09 @ noon. The winner will be announced on sacramentopress.com

Talk to Strangers

2009-05-22T17:37:17Z

I see you all the time at Tupelo Coffee House, but you don’t know me. We both like it that way. Neither of us will exchange a word, but I have created your brief back-story for my own entertainment. It is fiction, but this is the nature of our relationship. I have 900 Facebook friends, and I frequent all the same spots, but I do not know anyone.

We work here, meet here, and play here. When home is where the couch is, we spend most of our waking hours out and about; returning home only to crash for the night. Time is calculated in semesters, leases, and rental agreements instead of years or friendships.

Neighbors have come to represent mysteries rather than faces or lives. Forgotten are the times of a quick chat on the lawn or a longer conversation on the porch. We no longer live in neighborhoods; we exist in networks.

Once I became a ‘regular’, I began recognizing other regulars. This is where I first recognized you. When I saw you at Second Saturday, I wanted to walk up excitedly and ask what you were doing there. I wanted to catch up. Then I faced the disappointment in knowing…

I don’t know you.

People are more and more ‘connected’ while becoming more and more lonely. When the neighborhood is quickly forgotten, my goal is to engage in my networks. If we are always here, there is no reason we should not know each other.

What if there we were no strangers?

Introduce yourself to someone you see all the time but still have not met. If you see me at Tupelo or my bar, restaurant, or club, you may soon be startled by my endeavor to meet you.

What if you and I started a revolution where people were less lonely?

Don’t be a stranger!

How old id Too Old?

2009-03-31T00:06:41Z

A while back I saw a ‘man in the street’ interview on TV, and they were asking people what they thought of social networking. One twenty-something thought it was great, but that he didn’t think a fifty year old should have an active Facebook profile. Now, the bone through his nose was one indication that this young man’s judgment was not to be trusted, but still, it made an impact. Am I really too old for Facebook? Is fifty the age when you are officially ‘too old’?

Now, I’m by no means a Facebook fanatic; I’m not constantly updating my status, or commenting on the status of others. But I do enjoy checking in with people now and then, and see what they are up to. But now that I know that I’m too old, I can’t seem to look at pictures of my friends kids with the same unabashed joy. Now that I know that I’m too old, it just feels…dirty.

I never really wanted to be on Facebook in the first place. It was HIM; my other half-the love of my life! He did this to me, with all his ‘interneting’ and ‘world wide webbing’, and his boasting of how many “friends” he had. And when I looked at his friend list, I saw that most of those friends were mine! At least I had them first. They may like him better now, but they liked me first. That’s why fifty year olds have Facebook profiles-revenge; pure and simple!

I’ve never been shy of new technology; in fact, I’ve always considered myself quite “hip”. Would it surprise anyone who knows me that I was the ONLY one in my graduating class to wear a mint green leisure suit to our graduation ceremony? I think not! When something new comes my way, I don’t run screaming from the room, yelling “Witchcraft!” like some extra in a Monty Python movie. I embrace it; become one with it.

One of the best things I've found about Facebook is getting re-acquainted with old friends. I recently met up with an old college chum through Facebook. We invited her to brunch during one of our weekend getaways near where she lives, and thouroughly enjoyed our time together. We laughed, we cried, we regaled each other with tales of the Boer Wars, and went our separate ways, confident in the knowledge that at one time-one point in history-we were not too old for anything.

So I’ll stay on Facebook, and let the youngster’s text and tweet, and search for the next big thing. I’ll enjoy my small circle of friends, and try to make room for all those ‘li’l green plants’ that everyone keeps sending me. I mean, they never actually arrive, but I know my friends. They probably just got lost in the mail…

Social Media Club Sacramento holds its first meeting

2009-03-06T07:43:30Z

"Twitterpated" took on a new meaning as the Social Media Club Sacramento convened for their first meeting on Thursday night.

Around 35 people gathered from all different backgrounds to discuss social media and meet the original founders, Kristie Wells and Chris Heuer.

According to their Facebook group, Social Media Club strives to "bring together journalists, publishers, communications professionals, artists, amateur media creators, citizen journalists, teachers, students, tool makers, and other interested collaborators. Essentially the people who create and consume media who have an interest in seeing the ‘media industry’ evolve for everyone’s benefit."

After beverages and snacks were served, Heuer gave a presentation and fielded questions from the audience on barriers people had faced when trying to introduce social media like Twitter and Facebook into the workplace.

Participants also discussed branding oneself through their online presence and what was and was not appropriate conduct online.

Heuer and Wells are from San Francisco, but travel to cities around the country to help launch new Social Media Clubs.

Jeff Marmins, Ronnie Ledesma, Sallie Boorman and Josh Morgan are the proponents behind the Sacramento chapter of Social Media Club.

The group plans to hold monthly Social Media Club gatherings and have participants walk away with something new after each meetup, whether it be related to media or networking.

For more information on Social Media Club Sacramento and to learn when the next meeting will be, visit their Facebook page or see the original Social Media Club's page.

Notification Overload

2009-02-09T03:22:29Z

Image: My Facebook Notifications.

As long as I'm on a pop culture ranting binge - maybe somebody can explain what some of this means. I'd settle for a brief indication of whether or not it's all complimentary or if there's anything in the list I should be offended by!

And how exactly do I work this into my daily routine?

"Hi, how are you today?"

"Fine thanks - the thrill from my Sea Garden Request more than makes up for the slight misgivings associated with an Elven Blood Invitation!"

However, unlike the author of a recent editorial (in another publication) regarding Facebook, I have to express my appreciation of the FB environment. In just the last couple of days, I've coordinated a date with festival colleagues, seen new baby pictures from the other coast, secured a venue for an event via IM, promoted screenings through a group list, chatted with a half dozen close friends, and left snarky comments for a half dozen others, all from my recliner. And how can I fault a medium that allows me to know immediately when a friend has the misfortune to see Twilight at the theater?

On the downside, I think Blagojevich: The Musical! may finally be dead - I had only posted the lyrics for four songs before he was impeached and the thrill was lost. So, onto the next cyber-project ... well, after I determine the difference beween a Superpoke! Request and a Superpoke! Invitation.

Chime Overload

2009-02-07T10:49:41Z

OK, so I’m a bit of an online junkie. If I’m at home, I’m either at my computer or I’ve reluctantly given in to the need to sleep or take care of other bodily needs. I used to be like this with TV: Ten years ago I had 3 VCR’s wired in series and never quite understood the question “What did you watch last night?” just as whoever asked it didn’t really understand when I responded with “Errr…everything.”

So now I’m online at almost all hours and that means that I typically have 12-15 browser windows open and probably have 7-8 incoming avenues for communication available at any time. Or 9-10 if you include my phone, which generally gets forgotten when I’m at home and fixated on the 22” cantilevered monitor on that swings out over my giant buttoned-back recliner (think Matrix meets an old school gents club, with the cleaning skills of a frat house membership).

At any given time (and that includes when I’m not here, much to the consternation of friends) I’ll be logged into AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, office email, Yahoo! email, Facebook and Facebook IM, myspace and myspace IM (which only one person I know uses, but he uses it a lot), and a couple of dating sites (let’s not go there this time – that’s a whole different story, for a different day and a different ratings standard). This of course results in assorted problems like arranging the real estate on the screen so that messages don’t interrupt the latest bathroom cover track playing on youtube, remembering bizarrely phrased and vowel-free screennames of somebody I chatted with once several weeks earlier while the Ambien was kicking in, and avoiding replying to the wrong person (damn you pop-up windows!) or while inadvertently still in caps lock (no, I was working on something else, I’m not mad – and it’s not always about you).

But it also means that I’m inundated by a ridiculous assortment of chimes and beeps. Everything has its own sound and there’s no apparent logic to any of it. And not just the direct sounds, like an incoming message on myspace IM, but also the secondary alerts like Yahoo! Messenger making sure that I know that I have an incoming email in my Yahoo! inbox pointing out that somebody (probably the vaguely remembered at best, Ambien fueled chat participant) just left a new and inscrutable comment on my myspace profile.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining – I wouldn’t want to miss these incoming nuggets of personal updatery, it’s just that I’m chime-illiterate or web-tone deaf or something. My monitor squeals at me (I’m not really the separate speakers type) and I have to visually scan the screen, in the absence of a (damn!) pop-up, for a tab or a minimized window on a toolbar somewhere might be flashing. Hoping that it isn’t just some tiny message in the corner that’s going to disappear again before I can even refocus my attention from the latest insights from the worlds of inhabitat.com or Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia or the urban dictionary (seriously, how did I survive before the interwebs?). Indeed, a friend just sent me three lines of text (via one of the undisclosed dating sites) and I was so deep in my sweet and sour pork Panda Feast revelry that for a moment I thought my tire pressure must be low or perhaps my microwave was irritated by more than a minute of inactivity. (Thank you flashing tab for saving me yet again.)

This tonal disorientation extends to other settings. I am not, for the most part, a competent user of specifically designated ringtones. Even before “my cell” was my phone and not just a night’s accommodation after an evening of too-drunken revelry (or when wireless was a classier way to refer to a radio), I was confused by ringtones. In grad school at Clemson, “The Harvard of the South!” (which always made me wonder if you could buy “The Clemson of the North!” shirts in Cambridge), I never figured out the difference between off-campus calls and on-campus calls. This was, apparently, an innate skill for everybody around me but persistently eluded me for three years.

I now miss text messages completely because I have the even more confusing array of sounds on my Storm (The World’s First Touchscreen Blackberry! – I think it’s in my contract that I have to type that) disabled. And don’t get me started about the significance of differently shaped envelope icons!

And none of this is made any better by how directionally challenged I am by some sounds. Not only will I turn the wrong way, against the rotation of the swiveling heads in a crowded room, but I expect a speeding ticket when a fire truck runs a light on a nearby cross street (which may of course have as much to do with the likelihood that I’m speeding as my aural deficiencies). And, yes, I’m the guy who attempts to answer my phone when yours rings, even though mine doesn’t play Single Ladies and you’re riding in the fire truck.

Note: Not only have I been barraged by assorted sounds while I type this, even at 2am, but I just encountered my first AIM avatar that actually laughs creepily when the user types “lol” – LOL.

All of which leads me to the next obvious questions: Why would I want Twitter, what does it sound like, and will it annoy me while I’m eating the rest of my Panda Feast?

Jerry Brown goes Facebook

2009-02-06T21:00:17Z

If you're not Facebook friends with Attorney General Jerry Brown - and actually, you can't be, the AG does't have friends, he has "supporters" - you probably haven't seen his foray into the pasttime many of us have been burning up hours with in the last few weeks: Posting "25 Random Things About Me."

So, as a public service, we'll save you the surfing and post the link, as well as the text of the list right here. Brown is, after all, local.

25 Random Things About Me
Yesterday at 4:43pm
I’ve seen lists of “25 Random Things About Me” that people are sending around Facebook. I thought I would share my own list with you.

1. I got my first dog 13 years ago, a black Lab named Dharma.

2. At Yale, I took “Psychiatry and the Law” from Anna Freud, Sigmund’s daughter. I also studied Roman law.

3. In 1958, I took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Later, Pope John XXIII dispensed me from these obligations.

4. I took marriage vows for the first time 3 years ago.

5. I practiced Zen meditation under Yamada Roshi and Father Enomiya-Lassalle in Japan.

6. My official portrait as Governor was quite controversial and the legislature refused to hang it. My Father said if I didn’t get a new one, I could never run again. It is now hanging and I am still running.

7. I am not fond of Mediterranean fruit flies, or of Malathion. Both are bad.

8. I dislike shopping.

9. I started 2 charter schools in Oakland, the Oakland school for the Arts and the Oakland Military Institute.

10. When governor, I decided not to have an Inaugural ball and my inaugural speech was 7 ½ minutes. For the inaugural dinner, we went to Man Fook Lo, a Chinese restaurant in the produce district of Los Angeles. It was once a favorite of Mae West.

11. I am a part owner of a ranch in Colusa County. It belonged to my Great-grandfather.

12. I worked with Mother Theresa in India at the Home for the Dying.

13. I’ve been duck hunting with Chief Justice Warren, but not with Vice President Cheney.

14. I sued Richard Nixon’s lawyer for helping the President cheat on his income tax.

15. I like arugula and broccoli.

16. On my honeymoon, my wife and I canoed down the Russian river.

17. I was a cheerleader at St. Ignatius High School.

18. I knocked my opponent to the canvas in a 3 round boxing match at Senior Fight Night.

19. My favorite cereal is Flax Plus Multibran.

20. My first car was a 1941 green Plymouth. My most famous car was a 1974 blue Plymouth.

21. I own a colt 38, given to me by my father.

22. I went to Bangladesh as a CARE ambassador.

23. I hiked to the top of half dome. My first trip to Yosemite was when I was 4.

24. The first time I became Governor, I followed an Actor (Ronald Reagan).

25. My maternal grandfather was a San Francisco Police Captain. My paternal grandfather ran a poker club in the Tenderloin.

Editorial: Facebook and community

2009-02-03T03:00:44Z

Jill Duman's column "My View: We need more than Facebook 'friendship'" in The Sacramento Bee today is scary. However, the online comments below the story are encouraging. Link here.

I am having trouble actually putting together a proper response, but I will try.

The thrust of the column is that Facebook cannot replace real friendships and community. That could have made for a fine column. Unfortunately, she uses most of her column to demean those who participate in social networks while dismissing the community these networks foster. Hint: facebook does not replace friendship, it supplements. Facebook is a tool.

Here are a few choice cuts with some of my responses:

"[Facebook] apparently is the grown-up equivalent of asking everyone you know to sign your yearbook. It's Facebook, and it gives people with too little to do (or a lot of work to avoid) a way of creating a personal billboard in cyberspace."

Nice way to start the discussion, demean the people who use online social networking services. Oh, by the way, Jill has a profile on linkedin.com.

The notion that a service like facebook is the equivalent of yearbook signing makes me a little sick. Hundreds of software engineers toil to build something special just so that she can spit on their work. I guess newspapers are just like toilet paper that you can read?

"I suppose there are advantages to using Facebook. It's certainly a good networking tool for the thousands of us who are unemployed or underemployed. It's a way to keep track of family bloodlines and avoid inadvertent intermarrying."

More of the same demeaning. Thanks for the solid insights. She goes on:

"It allows us all to quickly check in and skim headlines from the lives of people wanting to maintain us as friends – here a great job; there a wonderful apartment in the big city; across the country, a new baby."

This is where I find the column takes a turn for the scary. She clearly realizes, through her sarcasm, that Facebook is delivering important news people care about. This is the kind of thing newspapers should stand up and notice! This is the kind of thing newspapers ought to emulate! Instead of celebrating personal and local news, Jill dismisses it. I honestly fear that this kind of thinking is rattling around inside The Bee.

I want our local newspaper to survive and thrive. This is my plea to stop this kind of madness. Facebook is a tool. It is not a community, it is a tool for community building. It is a way to deliver news and information. It is a way to allow for responsiveness and multi-dimensional conversation. Facebook is not your enemy, it is a tool.

Please use it to drive readership and inform young people about local news. Please use it to get feedback from your readers and create rich conversations. Do not print things that demean 95% of young people who graduated college in the last few years. Please stop putting down the readers and writers of the next century. Make an honest effort at this and fight back. Do not fade into the sunset and then blame fantastic services like facebook while you willingly disconnect with the future contributors who want to make Sacramento better.

"I guess what is troubling about all this cybercontact is that it creates the illusion of community without the commitment. Facebook will allow two dozen former friends to reconnect, but will they really do more than exchange e-mail addresses? Will they watch each other's children grow up? Could you really call a long-lost Facebook friend with a dissolving marriage, a positive biopsy or an imploding mortgage?"

I have to say, the answer to all those questions is: YES! I do not want to get into personal details, but reconnecting with someone from high school on MySapce led me to a wonderful and fulfilling relationship with my girlfriend. When someone gets sick or is getting divorced, Facebook can bring so much love from friends. Then those people can go meet up in person.

I suppose if by using Facebook I abdicated my right to actually go see people in person then the column would make some sense, but that is hogwash. Facebook friending is not about relieving you of your duties as a friend, family member, or community member. All it does is allow for a richer relationship with more communication. It is a supplement, not a substitute. People love real community. Online social networking is built on the idea that people love community.

"In a real community, you meet over common ground – the bike path, the dog park, the PTA meeting. You share interests and concerns. And most important, you respond. You're the back-up baby-sitter or kid pick-up. You have the needed hammer, wrench or phone number.

"You'll pick up your neighbor's newspaper when they're on vacation. You'll buy Girl Scout cookies or Boy Scout popcorn. And when someone dies, you'll bring a casserole, go to the funeral and hug the bereaved."

Real communities can benefit using tools like Facebook:

create support for the bike path and organize an event on Facebook to keep it clean once a month.
create a dog park group to pressure local government to add the second gate that is so sorely needed
take the PTA online so that parents who cannot attend can watch a video uploaded to facebook of the meeting and respond with comments below
ask your friends for a recommendation of a baby sitter or see who has time to help watch the little ones (same with pick-up, hammer, or wrench)
The Girl Scouts would make a killing selling their cookies using a facebook application
these days when someone young dies many times their MySpace page becomes a living memorial to that person

Whew! You all get the idea.

One final time: Facebook is a tool. Real communities and real friends communicate and interact in absolutely vital, engaging ways using social networks. You don't have to use them or like them, but please do not attack those of us who do. And if you work for The Bee please ask your editor to respond and distance yourselves from this kind of mentality.

By the way, I have a feeling the column will make it onto The Sacramento Press facebook page.