Mt Vernon, AL Community

Dan McComb

Member since: May 21, 2005
Last activity: 6 hours ago

  • Speedier Events and Biz Talk pages

    You may have noticed that Biznik was down most of the morning. The outage was caused when a spike in traffic caused our servers to be overwhelmed. But now that it's back up again, have you noticed how much faster things are running? John spent the morning optimizing the way pages are served. The result is that not only are we able to handle the spikes in traffic better, but two of the sections of the website are running much faster now: Events and Biz Talk. Check it out - they are really snappy now.

    Posted Sep 26, 2007, in Website discussion and bug reports | 5 replies
  • New Biz Tips column

    Has anyone noticed anything different on the home page today? If you look in the right column, under the "meet this member" box, you'll notice that there's a new content block, called "Indie biz tips from Marketing Mix." I'll be sending out a more complete announcement about this via email soon, but for now, I just want to send a quick announcement that this addition to the site is the result of a collaboration with Biznik member Ilise Benun. Since 1988, she has been teaching people to promote themselves and their services, has written 6 books, spoken at numerous conferences and consulted with hundreds of designers, copywriters and other solopreneurs.

    The posts that we're picking up are from Marketing Mix, a blog Ilise contributes to regularly, which is packed with tips devoted to helping small business owners, freelancers and independent professionals grow their businesses into thriving enterprises. So if you see a post that catches your eye, check it out - we think you'll find some really good stuff there.

    Posted Sep 26, 2007, in Community-wide general discussion | 6 replies
  • New Supporting-Member-Only feature

    Late yesterday we added a new Supporting-Member-Only feature: you can now set a signature line that will link to your website from all of your posts in Biznik.

    At first glance it may seem like a minor improvement, but in reality this one packs serious promotional punch: Not only will all members reading discussion posts see your URL, but equally important to those of you promoting your own sites, so will Google. Now, the more you post in Biz Talk and comment on events, the more often Google will see links to your site, which translates into increased findability for your site on Google.

    Full instructions on how to activate this feature are here: http://blog.biznik.com/2007/09/24/new-supporting-member-only-feature-promotes-biznik-member-websites/

    Posted Sep 25, 2007, in Website discussion and bug reports | 8 replies
  • Biz Talk enhancements are now live

    The Biz Talk enhancements that many of you have been asking for are now live... you can now follow discussions via email, share them on digg and other popular social sites, forward a page to a friend, and bookmark your favorite discussion. Enjoy!

    Posted Sep 24, 2007, in Website discussion and bug reports | 2 replies
  • www.businessnetworkingadvice.com

    If you search on the term "business networking" in Google, result #7 is currently www.businessnetworkingadvice.com, a blog that's run by Biznik member Josh Hinds. He recently interviewed me, asking me questions like "how do you define business networking?" and I'd like to share a link to that post here as a way of kicking off a discussion about business networking in this forum: Dan McComb on business networking.

    So, how do you define business networking? And how do you approach it? What strategies work best for you? Any big successes or blunders you care to share?

    Posted Sep 16, 2007, in Business networking tips and resources | 4 replies
  • What this forum is all about

    So, you want to start a Biznik community in your city ... where to start? This forum is the place for those of you who are leading rather than following in the effort to build community. Share your experiences here, let us know what's working and what's not for you. And, let us know what features are missing from the website so that we can better support your efforts.

    Posted Sep 14, 2007, in Biznik community-builders forum | 8 replies
  • Biz Talk is now searchable

    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.

    Posted Sep 13, 2007, in Website discussion and bug reports | 4 replies
  • Attention Seattle Bizniks: Want to talk about your biz this afternoon on the radio?

    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!

    Posted Aug 09, 2007, in Community-wide general discussion | 5 replies
  • Anyone want to offer conference room space for a public speaking event?

    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?

    Posted Aug 02, 2007, in Community-wide general discussion | 3 replies
  • Biznik sponsors Andras Jones' show, Radio8Ball

    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 <a href="http://biznik.com/members/andras-jones"&gt;Andras Jones</a> has a show, <a href="http://www.radio8ball.com"&gt;Radio8Ball&lt;/a&gt;, 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 <a href="http://biznik.com/members/andras-jones"&gt;Andras&lt;/a&gt; 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 <a href="http://brownpapertickets.com"&gt;brownpapertickets.com&lt;/a&gt; (a ticketing company started by member <a href="http://biznik.com/members/steve-butcher"&gt;Steve Butcher</a> - who you'll be hearing more about soon too - he's going to be hosting some events soon about how to build a successful <a href="http://www.notjustforprofit.org"&gt;not-just-for-profit&lt;/a&gt; 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 <a href="http://biznik.com/help/upgrade"&gt;upgrade your account</a> before submitting your entry, and able to appear in person in Seattle. 3. Visit <a href="http://biznik.com/members/andras-jones"&gt;Andras' profile</a> 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 <a href="http://biznik.com/members/andras-jones"&gt;his Biznik profile</a> (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."
    
    Posted Jul 31, 2007, in Community-wide general discussion | 5 replies
  • Online tool helps with writing a business plan

    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:

    http://cgi.scotiabank.com/planwriter/scotia_sb.html

    Posted Jul 24, 2007, in Community-wide general discussion | 9 replies
  • SMS group created for this

    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.

    Posted Jul 24, 2007, in "Where you at right now?" | 2 replies
  • Introducing Noonhat.com

    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/

    Posted Jul 24, 2007, in Community-wide general discussion | 8 replies
  • Post bug reports here

    Use this thread to post bugs you find. You find 'em, we'll fix 'em...

    Posted Jul 02, 2007, in Website discussion and bug reports | 126 replies
  • The new site's up... tell us what you think of it

    Now that the new site's up, what are you thoughts? What do you like about it? What's missing? What could be improved?

    Posted Jul 02, 2007, in Website discussion and bug reports | 72 replies
  • As of 1:20am this morning the new site is up and running...

    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!

    Posted Jul 02, 2007, in About Biznik | 2 replies
  • Biznik.com will be offline for a few hours this afternoon... for the new site launch!

    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!

    Posted Jul 01, 2007, in About Biznik | 4 replies
  • BizJam photo sharing site now has pictures from the event - and you can upload yours!

    <img src="http://www.seattlebizjam.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/picture-28.png" alt="picture-28.png" width="250" />

    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.

    Posted Jun 14, 2007, in Community-wide general discussion
  • Business networking authority Ron Sukenick is holding a brief teleconference today that you can check out if you're thinking about attending his event at BizJam

    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.

    Posted Jun 05, 2007, in Community-wide general discussion | 1 reply
  • Biznik in the Seattle PI this morning

    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

    Posted May 25, 2007, in Community-wide general discussion | 9 replies