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Hey everybody, we're thrilled to announce that we've added search back to the forums. And it's super fast, too. To search all the forums across all topics, search from the Biz Talk index page. To limit your search to a particular forum, open the forum you want to search, and enter your search there: your results will be limited to that forum.
As some of you know, Biznik is sponsoring Andras Jones' radio show, Radio8Ball, which airs this afternoon at 2pm on 1150 AM progressive talk radio. It's really fun format, in which you ask the "oracle" a question, and receive an answer. I'm going to be the call-in guest on today's show, and from 2:30 - 3:00pm, we're inviting YOU to call in, briefly introduce yourself and your biz, and then ask the oracle a question. Any question, but why not ask a biz-related question? It'll be fun, and a great way to get some visibility for your business. Tune in to get the call-in number. Be prepared to briefly describe what you do and then ask a question. Talk to you soon!
I'm working with member John Martin, who wants to host a workshop on how to talk about your business in public. We're looking for someone whose got an office conference room that will hold about 25 people to host this event in Seattle. I've already asked Jessica Hale for her space a few times, so I'd like to ask someone else... anyone out there want to help us out with some space for this event?
Biznik has relied entirely on word-of-mouth to attract new members since we started in 2005, and that's taken us a long way, thanks to you telling your friends. But with the launch of Biznik 2.0 on July 1, this community is ready for much faster growth, and we want to spread the word more quickly. How to do it? Wouldn't it be cool if there were a Biznik member who had a smart, entertaining radio show, who we could sponsor? Wouldn't it be cool if that show was already sponsored by other organizations dedicated to sustainable business like Conscious Choice Magazine? And wouldn't it be even cooler if that show was willing to have Biznik members come on the show so that we could not only spread the word about Biznik, but also give members who are running sustainable businesses an opportunity to spread the word about their businesses?
Well, we're in luck. Long-time member Andras Jones has a show, Radio8Ball, that's not only on the radio, but also features live events. So we've decided to jump in with both feet and make a foray into the world of advertising We're really excited to be sponsoring this show: it's fun, it's hip, it's progressive and it thinks outside of the box, just like our members do. And Andras himself is an entrepreneur, just like all of us are.
From Andras: "Radio8Ball is calisthenics for the part of our mind that recognizes synchronicity," he says. "The Radio8Ball Show is a live musical divination event where questions are answered by picking songs at random and interpreting them as the answers, like picking musical tarot cards."
Radio8Ball has two separate broadcasts; one on Tuesdays from 6 to 8pm on KAOS 89.3 FM in Olympia, and one on 1150 AM - KKNW in Seattle on Thursdays from 2 to 3pm. The show in Olympia is non-commercial and the Seattle broadcast has commercials (if you would like to join Biznik and advertise on Radio8Ball please contact Andras directly.)
The Radio8Ball Show live events are hosted monthly at The Capitol Hill Art Center in Seattle. These events feature live musicians who perform the musical answers to the audience members' questions. Guests have included Jon Auer, Mirah, Jim Page and more. There are currently productions in the works for Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York City.
The next live show is coming up on August 9, at Capitol Hill Arts Center, at 7pm. Tickets are available at brownpapertickets.com (a ticketing company started by member Steve Butcher - who you'll be hearing more about soon too - he's going to be hosting some events soon about how to build a successful not-just-for-profit business).
So, how do we decide from among the amazing Biznik members in this community who gets invited to appear on the show? We'll, we're going to have a little contest. The rules are very simple: 1. Write three paragraphs describing how your business is sustainable (yes, that means you have to be operating a sustainable business). 2. You must be a supporting member or upgrade your account before submitting your entry, and able to appear in person in Seattle. 3. Visit Andras' profile and send him your entry. Andras will review the entries and select a winner.
OK, I'll close this post with Andras's "what I need" field from his Biznik profile (this is, after all, a networking community): "Radio8Ball is always looking for music acts to appear on the show. We are also looking for an intern for the AM radio broadcast, and for businesses who are interested in advertising on the show."
A Biznik member in Toronto is hosting the first Biznik event in Canada in Toronto in early August, and today I was poking around for places to send press releases in Toronto. While doing so, I found something that members who are struggling with writing a business plan will find interesting, no matter where you live: A very cool little web application created by Scotia Bank, that helps you write a business plan. It walks you through the entire process, showing you examples and giving you advice at every step. It's awesome. Here's the link:
My friend Jordan Schwartz has been working on a beta of a SMS group (similar to the one we used at BizJam in early June) that I think would be almost perfect for this use (perfect would be if it would interface with this website). It's really simple: You're at a coffee shop, and instead of missing people because they don't check this forum, you just send an SMS text message with your location to a central number, which sends a copy of your message to everyone else who has subscribed to the group. I've created a group called biznik. To join the group, send me a your cell phone number, and I'll SMS you an invite.
For those of you who haven't discovered it yet, I'd like to introduce you to Noonhat.com, a website that Biznik member Brian Dorsey created. The premise is really simple, and relevant for indie business owners looking to make connections: The site matches you up with other people who want to have lunch in your area.
Here's how it works: visit the site, choose the date and the general area where you'd like to have lunch and enter an email address. Early morning on date you chose, you'll get an email grouping you with other people who signed up in the same area. The groups are usually two to four people, with a preference for three or four. Then you decide where to meet and you're off. Also, it's always OK to bring a friend along with you to lunch.
http://www.noonhat.com
Brian attended BizJam, where he introduced the idea behind Noonhat in this brief video: http://blog.noonhat.com/2007/06/29/five-minute-video-introducing-noonhat/
Use this thread to post bugs you find. You find 'em, we'll fix 'em...
Now that the new site's up, what are you thoughts? What do you like about it? What's missing? What could be improved?
Thanks for your patience while we brought the old site down and migrated all the data over to the new site. It's great to finally have it up and running!
Guess what? We're launching the new Biznik website this afternoon. The site will be down for a few hours, while we run the final data migration, and bring all the data from the old site up on the new one. See you on the new site soon!
I've posted the first photos taken by official event photographer Malcolm Smith on ShareMyAlbums.com, which is the official photo sharing site for BizJam. Here's the link:
http://www.sharemyalbums.com/ViewPublicAlbum.php?pid=443
You can also join the Biznik group on ShareMyAlbums.com, and upload your own photos. We'd love to see them! You can join from the BizJam event page by hitting events.sharemyalbums.com and using event number 2247144826.
Today at 3pm, Ron Sukenick will be holding a teleconference that anyone who’s considering attending his session at BizJam can join to learn more about the author’s approach to business networking. Relationships, according to Ron, are an independent business person’s most valuable asset. But how do you go from making contact to making connection? Ron will share his 6-step process on how every participant will make the most of every encounter, and reveal what attendees to his session can expect to learn at the upcoming BizJam.
The call begins at 3pm, and will last approx 20 minutes.
To join the conference, call 712-432-3000. The access code is 445-930.
Check it out, John Cook wrote a really nice story that was in the PI this morning, in which he mentions Biznik and in particular, the upcoming BizJam conference. Here's a link:
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/venture/archives/115751.asp
Here's a question for the group: if we start shooting digital video of selected Biznik workshops, would you watch it? We're going to experiment with several upcoming events. Video will be posted shortly after the event, on the event page. The video will be available for supporting members only, as an additional added value to paying members. Thoughts?
Thanks to some great feedback from Karrie Kohlhaas, I've added to the Biznik home page the pictures of 21 Biznik members who will be speaking at BizJam on June 9th. Anyone you know there?
And I'd like to add that time is running out if you'd like to promote your business at BizJam - here are three things you can you do to get your business noticed at BizJam: sponsor the event (3 levels available), advertise in the program, reserve a trade table, or give a 5-minute talk about your business.
Hey everyone, you may have noticed that a bunch of BizTalk posts and comments are suddenly missing from here. We had a hard drive fail late this afternoon, and the most recent backup we were able to restore from was made about 48 hours ago, which means 48 hours of data is unrecoverable. I'll be implementing a much more aggressive backup strategy tomorrow, in which we maintain hourly backups to prevent this situation from happening again. Meanwhile, I'm really sorry for the inconvenience.
Guess what? We've been working for a long time on a rockin' event that we just publicly announced earlier today. It's called BizJam: a business-building marathon of ideas, inspiration and innovation. It's an all-day, and all-evening event, on June 9th, here in Seattle at two locations. We put a lot of thought into creating this as a radically different kind of business conference, a hybrid between an unconference like Seattle Mind Camp, and a traditional conference. About half the the speakers will be invited, and about half will be - you guessed it - you! Sounds pretty Biznik, hey? Here's the official announcement:
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Are you ready for a business conference that speaks the language of innovation? One that invites you to create the learning experience you want, yet provides a structure that ensures you'll get your money's worth? One that's serious about business, yet seriously fun? Biznik is thrilled to present BizJam: a business-building marathon of ideas, inspiration and innovation.
Website: http://www.seattlebizjam.com When: June 9, 2007 Where: Seattle, Washington (two locations)
BizJam is designed to help bootstrapping entrepreneurs develop the skills and make the connections they need to succeed. Scott Berkun, author of forthcoming O'Reilly book "The Myths of Innovation," will deliver the conference keynote talk on the topic of innovation. More than 20 "JamSessions" and panel discussions will follow throughout the day. Confirmed speakers include DL Byron, Shelly Farnham, Ron Sukenick, Madeline Bailey and Internet broadcasting pioneer Scott Bourne.
And that's just the beginning. The evening portion of the event will kick off at 7pm with a fast-paced Ask Later slide jam organized by Brady Forrest, co-founder of Ignite Seattle. Next up: an awards presention spotlighting the most innovative Seattle indie business people, followed by a fashion show presenting the work of Seattle indie fashion designers. The climax of the evening will be a party featuring the talents of Seattle indie DJs. It's going to rock.
But what's really cool about BizJam? You. About half the JamSessions and panel discussions - and all of the evening presentations - will be created by you, the conference attendees. Here⊃s three ways to get involved:
To learn more and get started, visit http://www.seattlebizjam.com/you/
Secure online registration begins today at http://www.seattlebizjam.com/registration/ Register before March 31 and save up to $50.
BizJam needs volunteers to make this a smooth-running event. Send an email to volunteers@seattlebizjam.com to learn more.
I'm thinking about hosting a Business Book Club event on "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future" by Daniel Pink. I read the book recently and it's a fantastic read for anyone involved with an indie business. Anybody interested in that?
OK, we’ve had some nibbles on sponsorship of the Seattle Indie Biz Buzz, but no takers so far. So I figured, maybe that’s because members are afraid to ask how much it costs. I mean, we don’t really know what sponsorship is worth to you, so we really don’t know what to ask. So I’ve hit on a solution: I’ve created an online auction that will allow YOU to set the price. That’s right, you can now place a bid to sponsor next Sunday’s edition of the Seattle Indie Biz Buzz, which is emailed to more than a thousand independent business owners in the Seattle area. It’s a great way to get your message out there, and bidding starts at just $25.
Check it out at http://biznik.com/buzz/bid
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