There is no doubt that businesses in general have suffered through our ever-changing economy. Businesses on multiple levels have had to make sacrifices; downsizing, cutting salaries, furloughing, laying off, and certainly cutting expenses.Small business, especially in Sacramento, is no exception. One expense that seems to be a commonality, is the Company Holiday Party. Historically, no matter how large or small an office or business is, company's have celebrated the holidays and their accomplishments with their partners, employees, and sometimes, vendors and customers. It is a time when people put work aside, and come together over food, drinks, entertainment and memories that often survi

Have you been to a TweetUp? They come in every size and shape and there is nearly one for every interest! A TweetUp is a social event that is promoted and organized on Twitter. “It's basically a place to meet and network with people in the Sacramento area who use Twitter,” said Alejandro Reyes, co-organizer of #SacTweetUp, a monthly networking mixer that regularly attracts over 100 attendees. “We wanted to create an atmosphere where people using Twitter could connect on a much deeper level, build new relationships, and have a lot of fun.” #SacTweetUps usually occur in the evening at a downtown or midtown hot spot; but what if big crowds or night life venues aren’t your thing? For those w

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 educ

Sacramento county has been one of our state’s hardest hit areas for job loss in recent years, and for job seekers that can mean streaming through newspaper want ads, scouring the internet, or going business to business dropping off a resume or application to get a career back on track. Following that type of job search formula can often lead to more headache and frustration than satisfaction when local unemployment is at a blistering 12.3 percent in this shrinking job market. However, for many area professionals they are turning to other methods such as attending job clubs or network groups for help and those dividends seem to pay off. Job clubs are nothing new when it comes to the circle

Today, 30% of the US job market, about 42 million workers, are independent contractors, temporary staffers, or self employed, according to the July 2009 issue of Money Magazine. No longer just the realm of creative professionals like writers and artists, freelancing is spreading to accounting, engineering, health care, law and sales. “Now’s the time to think and act entrepreneurially when it comes to your career.” (Money 59) And in Sacramento, as teachers, state workers, and others, face layoffs and furloughs, they have both the time and the inclination to turn towards this professional avenue. Perhaps you have started researching freelance or self-employment options? Maybe you saw the

The Sacramento Clean Tech Showcase keynote speaker Daniel Sperling is an internationally-renowned expert on transportation, energy and sustainability issues. In December he co-authored the book Two Billion Cars which projects that within 20 years the number of motor vehicles on the planet will double from its current total of one billion due primarily to growth in India and China. Sperling is a Professor of Engineering and Environmental Science & Policy at the University of California, Davis, and Founding Director of the university's Institute of Transportation Studies. He also serves on the California Air Resources Board, chairs the Future of Mobility Council of the Davos World Economic

Have you heard of the concept that we are separated by only 6 degrees? It refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is at most six steps away from any other person on Earth; A believable concept when contemplating how small the world really is. It is particularly evident these days with all the social media avenues being utilized by young and old alike. There’s Twitter, Facebook, My Space, and a world of other social networking sites for connecting with others. And so was born Only2degrees.com. Only2degrees.com is an innovative talk radio show created by Da

The Sterling Hotel on 13th and H Street was filled with enthusiasm, entrepreneurial energy and estrogen, Tuesday, March 10. A group from the Sacramento Press was fortunate enough to attend the monthly Accelerated Networking Dinner for eWomenNetwork. It was the first networking dinner any of us had attended. Upon checking in, participants received their name tags and were encouraged to mingle among the other business professionals. Two ballet dancers from the Sacramento Ballet performed while the attendees were getting set up and mingling. Ron Cunningham, artistic director of the ballet, gave a speech about the upcoming events the ballet has planned (30 more for the rest of the season)

Social connections are more important than ever in business, especially in todays fast paced environment with increasingly large social networking options. That's exactly why on Tuesday, March 10, eWomenNetwork will be hosting an Accelerated Networking dinner. eWomenNetwork recently held an event called Real Woman, Real Fashion on Feb. 26, where approximately 200 businesswomen and men (including Mayor Johnson) viewed the works of local fashion designers and raised money through a silent auction for nonprofits in town. "We had [local businesswomen displaying] 20 custom looks - 10 were professional and 10 were evening, and it was just a really good time", said Suzi Sherman, Managing Directo

 Shared Office Space Equals Greater Networking Potential As the definition of work has changed, so has the destination. Entrepreneurs not content to serve a sentence isolated at home or ready to take on the overhead of an office staff are joining forces in new coworking spaces where they can network with other creative types while sharing resources. The growing trend is visible at 3rdward in New York City where desk space starts at $300 per month with access to a digital media lab, wood shop and dance studio. It also pops it’s well-groomed head up at Conjunctured in Austin, Texas, where a team of four technologists share space and ideas with creative entrepreneurs in a remodeled old house

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] apparent