Friday, March 29, 2013

Strength Conference Coming in April!

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Strength, a new kind of conference on Social Media, is coming to Birmingham starting next week. On each of the five Monday nights in April, MJM Media is bringing together Social Media experts to lead and guide businesses through the complex and changing field of Social Media.

"The Strength conference has been designed specifically around the greatest online needs of small businesses owners and professionals: social networking, understanding website metrics, and online productivity,"  explains Mitzi Eaker, the conference's founder. "We have brought together experts in the Birmingham area to guide participants weekly, and I will spend a month walking with them and investing in them through the process."

"Strength isn't just a conference that people come to and leave not really knowing what to do when they get back home. I'm looking at this as a month long investment of teaching, guiding, coaching and helping small business owners and professionals build relationships of support with one another so they can take what they learn and implement it and have an online community that will amplify it." 

Mitzi has a big heart for seeing small businesses thrive by sharing their stories, values, and products through online marketing. Just as every business is different, every online marketing strategy should be personalized to reflect your unique brand and connect with your target customers. 

Conference topics will step through both the basic and advanced subjects of social media, including:
  • Basics of Social Media Tools
  • Creating a Social Media Strategy 
  • Creating Content Your Customers Want
  • SEO and ROI
  • Partnering with Social Media Experts
  • Maximizing your Online Productivity  

The speakers include Karla Archer of Archer Creative; Julie Brannon, President of TELP Media and Contributing Editor of The Social Media Monthly; Teri Lynne Underwood, Author, Speaker, and Social Media Coach;
Jerry Brown, Digital Strategist at Infomedia; Emily Lowrey, Founder and Owner of Magic City Post; and myself.

Tickets can be purchased for each night individually ($39.99) or for the entire conference ($129.99.)

The Strength Conference will be beneficial to small business owners, social media managers or marketing executives, and to bloggers who are thinking about starting or already have their own business.

Best Post of the Week: Week 195


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Giveaway: Day out with Thomas coming to Calera!

Day Out With Thomas

Thomas the Train has always had a special place in our family - my daughter loved him (and still does, despite her aging state), and my son adores him. I'm pretty sure we've single-handedly funded the continuation of the Thomas Legacy with our train purchases.

So naturally, we look forward to seeing Thomas in real life as often as possible, and A Day out with Thomas at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum offers that opportunity!

A Day Out with Thomas is a fantastic train-centered carnival for kids. They have rides, putt-putt, souvenirs, a petting zoo, Sir Topham Hatt ready to pose for photos...and of course, a 25 minute ride on Thomas the Train himself.

A Day Out with Thomas will be in Calera on April 12, 13, 14, 20, and 21.  It is recommended that you buy tickets in advance to get a spot on a train ride.

If you would rather win tickets, I am giving away a family pack of four tickets that includes a train ride and all of the activities! This pack of tickets is specifically for the 11:15 am train ride on April 13. We will be there too, and would love to meet you!

If you would like to win, enter in the Rafflecopter giveaway below.  The giveaway is open until midnight on April 3. Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was given a four-pack of tickets for my family, but was not compensated to run this giveaway. My opinions are my own.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Best Post of the Week: Week 194


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Friday, March 15, 2013

Blogger Meet-Up Networking List

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Thank you to everyone who joined us at Nabeel's Cafe today! Maria Gambino and John Krontiras hosted us and treated us with an extra dose of Greek/Italian hospitality. Carl won a gift certificate for dinner, Kathryn and Keith left with John's beautiful cookbook, and we all went home with a bottle of Nabeel's house dressing.

For those that came, here's a list of attendees so that you can all find each other:

Rachel Callahan - @ObjectivityRach; Grasping for Objectivity and Alabama Bloggers
Abby Hathorn - @Abbysauce_; Vintage Inspired Passionista
Chasidy Hathorn - @theLollyMolly; Sweet Sorghum Living
Mercedes Calcano
Courtney Lebedzinski - @HAttraction; Honest Attraction
Tom Brander - @dartdog; oswco and tombrander.com
Audrey Atkins - @audreymatkins; Folkways Nowadays
Edward T. Bowser - @etbowser; al.com and Soul in Stereo
Sherri Ross - @yougotrossed; You Got Rossed
Tanya Sylvan - @tlsylvan; All in Stride
Jennifer Howell - @ursulink; Soul Spark Seeker
Kathryn Lang - @kathrynclang; Kathryn C. Lang
Keith E. Lang - Living on Purpose
Richard Kirby - @DeluxeDelivers; Deluxe Delivers
Lucy Farmer - @lucysinspired; Lucy's Inspired
Gabriel Gadfly - @gabrielgadfly; Gabriel Gadfly
Carl Carter - @mediaguycarl; New Media Rules and Carl's Lost and Found

We discussed community, blogging relationships, and many other topics. If you blog about our conversations today, please link up in the comments so that we can all read your recap!

Also - if any of you haven't connected on our Facebook Page yet, please do so by clicking here and requesting to join - we have some great discussions there, and it is the easiest way to get information out about upcoming blogger events.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Best Post of the Week: Week 193


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Alabama Bloggers Meet-Up - March 15

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By Rachel

I've decided to take you guys to my home away from home this month, Nabeel's. I spend so much time there that if we pass by, my two-year-old starts screaming to eat - because he assumes that it is the location where all food comes from.

On March 15, we will be congregating in their upper room from 11:30 - 1:00. Owner John Krontiras and Manager Maria Gambino are treating us with their fantastic Greek/Italian Hospitality (the only thing in the world that's better than Southern Hospitality) and will be sending every attendee home with a bottle of their house Greek Dressing.


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Also, one person will be randomly chosen to receive a gift certificate for Dinner at Nabeel's!

To enter to win, follow NabeelsCafe on Twitter or like their page on Facebook, and tweet about the event, using the hashtag #AlaBlogMeet and @NabeelsCafe in your tweet.

If you'd like, you can use this tweet: 

Looking forward to #AlaBlogMeet at @NabeelsCafe on 3/15 - join us! Details here: http://www.alabamabloggers.com/2013/03/meet-up-on-march-15.html

RSVP on this post or on the Facebook Event Page by March 14 to attend - I look forward to seeing you there!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Best Post of the Week: Week 192


It's time to link in your best post of the week!

The purpose of this column is to make it easier to keep up with each other's blogs, so that even if we don't have time to read all of the Alabama Blogger blogs every day, at least we get the week's highlights.

So, link up, tell us why you linked that post, and let's start reading! And remember - the best way to get new blogging friends is to comment on other people's posts, so be sure to say "hi" to your neighbors when you visit!

p.s. - please feel free to interpret "this week" as loosely as you like!
If you haven't linked up and introduced yourself yet, be sure to go here to do so!