The Midas Center

140 Character Conference Talks About Character, Social Media and Small Towns

2011-09-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Somewhere Over The Rainbow,
A Message from Heaven Kicks of the Morning of
2011 #140 Character Conference in Hutchinson, Kansas
photo taken by Andrea Cook, 9/20/11

As I travel back from the day-long #140 Conference Small Towns held in Hutchinson, Kansas, I am reminded of the plethora of "characters" I had the pleasure meeting.

Starting with the number one character and founder, Jeff Pulver, I am inspired by his generosity and intrigued by his unique attributes. He has a genuine willingness to invest his time and welcome people from all walks of life to gather to break bread. He rolled out his generosity like a red carpet to the mash-up of presenters and volunteers the night before the event as the VIP reception guests enjoyed steak dinners and conversation.

The next morning, at the historical restored art deco Fox Theater, Jeff shared the stage with Becky McCray. This down-to-earth duo seemed to work in tangent with one another as if they communicated telepathically. Both Jeff and Becky casually would welcome the individual speakers to the stage with meaningful hugs, hugs that appeared to be as intimate and genuine as the presentations.

Although Jeff credited "serendipity" as what brought the speakers and attendees together, and from the calm cool demeanor of Jeff and Becky, one may be persuaded to believe it. However, anyone who has ever organized any event understands the dedication that is needed to bring droves of people from over 18 states and three countries together in the center point of the United States understands that it takes much more than hugs and serendipity to deliver a successful conference.

Jeff Pulver and Becky McCray

The 2011 Small Town #140 Character conference is in its second year with plans to do it again in 2012, as Becky announced at the closing of Tuesday's event. In addition to the #140 Conference in Hutchinson, Kansas, Jeff has held conferences throughout the world and to a handful of vertical markets. Discussions are taking place to hold a #140 conference for foodies. One that will certainly flood the live stream with interested viewers eager to hear people talk about food.

As a small town resident of Culver, Indiana and a lover of social media, I expected that the main theme or flavor of the event would be similar to my walk of life. However, the presenters were each unique and there was a wide world range of topics that were shared during each 10 minute segment. Yet, they all seemed to flow well and compliment one another. There were some presenters that shared their success stories on how social media has helped them professionally. For example, Leslie McLellan from Lake Arrowhead who generated economic growth for her community from a minute marketing budget that she invested entirely into social media and discovered much reward for her efforts. Other community developers who shared similar success stories and case studies were Kurt Mantonya, Allen R. Gibson and Tomi Ann Foust.

Rockstar Kevin Honeycutt,
Keynote Speaker and Change Agent Extraordinaire

There were several presenters who inspired us to change our mindset and reconsider how social media can be used to impact education and the younger generations. Rockstar Kevin Honeycutt presented a fiery message that fascinated the crowd to innovate and activate the future generation. A similar message shared by Bill Genereux, offered tips on how to raise digital media kids. He suggested that we open the STEM movement into STEAM through adding "ARTS" and teaching new subjects like netiquette, online safety, digital legacy, video literacy and basic programming logic in the classroom and in our own homes.

Cody Heitschmidt echoed this need by reminding us that we teach driver education so our children will be safe and have opportunity to drive anywhere their future takes them. How are we developing technology in the souls of our future generation? One of the best lines of the entire conference was made by Kevin Honeycutt, "Technology brings us a buffet of opportunity and we're eating the napkins."

Ed tech and entrepreneurial spirit were not the only powers moving people to action throughout the day. There were also heartfelt stories of personal transformation and triumph. People like Shellie Couch and Joe Cheray shared personal points of their journey demonstrating that they are making an impact and transforming not only themselves, but the world around them through their social networks and communities.

These are just a handful of heroes who presented. For the full layout of the presenters click here >>

A tip for those who value integrity and want to follow people with character, I encourage you to follow these "Characters" and get to know them from their future tweets. You can easily find the twitter handles of each person on the list show below or throughout the 140 Conference Small Town website.

You may also find a takeaway from each 10 segment talk from the live coverage by the Event Correspondent Facebook page >>

Also, you may view the video clips of the conference by clicking here >>

Lastly, I want to share some of the most memorable and thought-provoking phrases of the day shared during the full day. Rich and worthy mentions:

"Unicorns cry when you doublespace." - Tomi Ann Foust as she shares catch phrases she heard when she started to take her first steps in learning about social media.

"How can realtime web change the marketplace for small towns?" - Mark Linder asks realizing the limited dollars in a small town and encourages community growth with cooperative competition.

"Sometimes people are uncomfortable talking to farmers and asking questions about agriculture, but they don't mind talking to a cow." - Val Wagner shares while explaining why she allowed her cow, Betsy to start a twitter account.

"We aren't here to get, were here to give!" - Gigi Belmonico

“Have you taken a stand? If not, make the decision to do it. Take a stand. Stand for something." - Douglas E Stewart

"The single most cause of depression in NY is lack of social contact... Don't just click "like" or "retweet", support and embrace one another.“ - Ron J. Williams now living in Brooklyn, a town of 2.25 million people. But like many metropolitan residents, he was born in a small town and still visits on holidays.

“What brings people to your town? The attractions? No, the people and the culture draws the businesses and people to your town.” - Jay Ehret talks about “soul attraction” and shares how officials in Waco Texas gave $1 million to attract a diaper factory in exchange for jobs. However, the town saw little return on the investment.

“100% job creation comes from entrepreneurs and startups and adds flavor, character and culture to a community.” - Jay Ehret recommends that more emphasis needs to be placed to recruit, embrace and invest in entrepreneurs.

“I'm smart, but my network is brilliant.” - Kevin Honeycutt

“Technology brings a buffet to us and were eating napkins.” - Kevin Honeycutt

“Every civilization has turned their tools into toys so they can develop their future.” - Kevin Honeycutt

“We’re all the same size on twitter, and have just as much of an opportunity to make an impact as we do in more populated areas.” – Dorthory Barnett

“The most social way to engage with community is by breaking bread with them.” - Dennis Deery

“It doesn’t matter if you’re from rural or metropolitan areas, we all are concerned for safety, education and the quality of life.” - Kurt Mantonya

“If you can't engage kids in the classroom, they will power off.” – Tammy Thorn

“My small town is where my hashtag is that I follow.” - Fernando Fonseca

“The person I am online, is the person I am in real life.” - Fernando Fonseca

“Find the real people who influence regardless of their Klout score.” - Fernando Fonseca

“When you live in a city, you still are living in a small village.” - Fernando Fonseca

“We all succeed when we put our differences aside and we focus on what needs to be addressed. When you follow a hashtag, you focus on something that fascinates you, and you aren’t dissecting the person and your differences first.” - Fernando Fonseca

"If you lead a business or community and find yourself in the midst of a disaster, be sure you have a single person assigned to social media. This allows the person in charge to speak to media and verify all facts." – Kirstie Smith, Director of Crisis Communications for Joplin Chamber shares advice on how to manage a crisis using social media.

“Key to share stories online: get information out from credible sources and web sites. Verify. Verify. Verify.” – Kirstie Smith

Gigi Belmonico

Twitter: @GigiBelmonico

www.gigibelmonico.com

Becky McCray

Twitter: @BeckyMcCray

www.beckymccray.com

Patsy Terrell

Twitter: @patsyterrell

www.patsyterrell.com

Jeff Keni Pulver

Twitter: @jeffpulver

jeffpulver.com

Cody Heitschmidt

Twitter: @codyks

www.codytalks.com

Kevin Honeycutt

Twitter: @kevinhoneycutt

kevinhoneycutt.org

Janice Person

Twitter: @JPlovesCOTTON

JPlovesCOTTON.com

Douglas E Stewart

Twitter: @dscweb

www.PowerToFightTheBigBoys.com

Kurt Mantonya

Twitter: @HappyTrailsKurt

www.heartlandcenter.info

Cheryl Lawson

Twitter: @Partyaficionado

partyaficionado.com

Shellie Couch

Twitter: @Taegus

Greg Falken

Twitter: @GregF

www.webdancers.com

debworks

Twitter: @debworks

debworks.com

Joe Cheray

Twitter: @wildheart4vr

wildheartsweb20.com

Gloria Bell

Twitter: @gloriabell

Sheila Scarborough

Twitter: @SheilaS

www.sheilasguide.com

Jon Swanson

Twitter: @jnswanson

300wordsaday.com/about-the-writer

Ron J Williams

Twitter: @ronjdub

www.snapgoods.com

Jay Ehret

Twitter: @JayEhret

www.TheMarketingSpot.com

T-Rave

Twitter: @t_rave

t-rave.com

TakeCharge!Challenge

Twitter: @takechargeks

www.takechargekansas.org

Leslie McLellan

Twitter: @LeslieMcLellan

www.justasmalltowngirl.us/blog

Laura Girty

Twitter: @LauraGirty

Joplin Area Chamber

Twitter: @joplinchamber

www.joplincc.com

Naomi Shapiro

Twitter: @superdumb

www.superdumbsupervillain.com/

Jennifer Lynn Keller

Twitter: @JenniferLKeller

www.redcrossblood.org/centralplains

guavalicious

Twitter: @guavalicious

www.theguavaliciouslife.com

Ryan E. Cole

Twitter: @ryanecole

www.jugglemedia.com

MilliGFunk

Twitter: @MilliGFunk

www.smalltowngirlsguide.com

Shane Helton

Twitter: @nwoweather

Allen R. Gibson

Twitter: @starmediaguy

www.uberskookum.com/blog

Jennifer White

Twitter: @JenWPortraits

www.jenniferwhiteportraits.com

Linda Gregory

Twitter: @lgphotography

www.lindagregory.com

Dennis Deery

Twitter: @DDeery

dennisdeery.com

J.D. Patton

Twitter: @jdpatton

jdpatton.wordpress.com

Fernando Fonseca

Twitter: @fjfonseca

about.me/fjfonseca

tammy

Twitter: @threegypsies

www.legacyk8.org

ICT S.O.S.

Twitter: @ICTSOS

www.ictsos.org

MB Linder

Twitter: @mbl

www.marklinder.com

Bill Genereux

Twitter: @billgx

billgx.edublogs.org

jiggyjaguar

Twitter: @jiggyjaguar

www.jiggyjaguar.com

Mark Vierthaler

Twitter: @AgHipster

servitechinc.blogspot.com

Jen Lee Reeves

Twitter: @jenleereeves

www.jenleereeves.com

Michelle Barry

Twitter: @MichelleBVM

www.bridgeviewmarketing.com

Val Wagner

Twitter: @wagfarms

wagfarms.wordpress.com

Mary Klaebel

Twitter: @mklaebel

www.divorcelawyersfriend.com

Todd Randall Jordan

Twitter: @Tojosan

toddrjordan.com/thebroadbrush

mskonfa1990

Twitter: @mskonfa1990

www.cruisinaltitude.com

Scott Wendling

Twitter: @CommercialScott

penguinspark.com

Tomi Ann Foust

Twitter: @BBBSRenoCounty

www.kansasbigs.org

Katie Lukens Pinke

Twitter: @katpinke

pinkepost.blogspot.com

What I Want From 140 Conference

2011-09-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

I am in transit, flying the friendLy skies out west to the center of the United States, in Kansas to attend the #140 conference. The #140 conferenceis a one day conference located ia variety of cities throughout the globe where droves of characters and change agents present on their latest use of social media as a tool to improve the quality of life. The conference usually takes place in larger cities, like Ontario, San Francisco, New York City, Tel Aviv and Barcelona. This week, the #140 conference takes place in Hutchinson, Kansas, population 30,000. Conference founder, Jeff Pulver started this endeavor in 1998. The brandname of the conference has been shared with other conference managers who lead all the efforts worldwide, but Jeff still holds the heart strings for the #140 conference Small Towns and attends it every year. Jeff resides in Long Island and drove across the midwestern half of the country to attend this year's conference.
In 2010, there were over 30 speakers and over 230 attendees representing 12 states. The conference was available online and has been viewed 1375 times in one year. Planners for this year's event predict to have twice as many online views. Becky McCray, is responsible for bringing the conference to Kansas. She along with her efforts in the 140 conference Small Town in Hutchinson, Kansas has been recognized by Kansas Magazine as one of the top 20 reasons to love Kansas. The event will take place in the historic downtown theater on Main Street. Presenters slated to share will address a variety of topics ranging from mom-bloggers to philanthropists and educators to entrepreneurs.

I arrived this afternoon, after a two hour drive to Chicago, a two hour flight to Wichita and another one hour drive to Huchinson. I have no idea what to expect from this conference but here are a few things I'd like to experience:

- inspiration from like minded professionals who are experiencing the rigorous rates of change in technology and media and still finding opportunity to make aimpact.
- real connections with real social media professionals who share stories from their hearts and exemplify living a life with purpose.
- hope for small town America, because, like John Cougar and countless others, "I was born in a small town." I then went to live as a yuppy in the city and now, I am back, living in a small town. I know that there are others with a similar story.
- statistics on economic development of small towns and how the use of social media and technology in general is making an impact on rural living and working. I want to learn more about coworking, historical downtowns, rural sourcing, virtual services, telecommuting, etc.

My number one goal I am aiming for during this conference is to promote goodness through live event correspondent services, both live and later.

To cover this fastpaced conference, I plan to share one main tweet takeaway from each speaker. The conference will be available to watch however, I do not have the link to share yet. You may find more information on each presenter by following them on twitter. Here is the list of speakers:. http://smalltown2011.140conf.com/speakers .

I plan on live tweeting from this event from my new Twitter account, EventCorrespond >

I've talked about what I want, now, what is it you'd like to gain from tomorrow's updates?

Toast Notes

2011-09-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today's Toastmaster meeting theme was "Music From Our Youth."

Ages of the members span from late 20s to people in their 50s. Here is today's takeaways.

Sharon shared the word of the day: Respect.

Our first speaker was our past President and a Distinguished Toastmaster, Marcy Eckoff-Wagner. Her introduction posed the question, "Have you ever been faced with a situation or challenge that you feel is unsurmountable?" She then shared about laughter. Laughter has been used as a healer for years and she shared some eye-opening examples on the medicinal effects. Did you know that laughter increases endorphins and provides balance for our bodys' emotional and mental state. It also can improve physical health from expanding our capillaries that allows us to breathe better.

Marcy, a cancer survivor and recent stroke victim "personifies improved health." Her evaluator, John shared his observation watching her recovery from her recent health issues.

Here were some additional tidbits of the truth on laughter: - As soon as a baby is born, he smiles.- At three months or so, a baby starts to laugh.- An average five year old laughs 400 times a day.- An average adult laughs 15 times a day.

Marcy also shared a couple of jokes with us to get us laughing. This was one: "Why did the elephant have red nails?... He was trying to hide in a strawberry bush."

The next speaker was invited to speak without any preparation. Charlie approached the lectern proudly, without hesitation and shared with us about his life as a farmer. He graduated from Purdue 10 years ago and has been learning more about the changing marketplace of the agriculture industry. The global market, including the fluctuations in other countries' economies, the competition and significant weather changes have had a serious impact on the elevation of prices on beans, corn and eggs.

Charlie's evaluator, Greg spoke for the entire club when he said that he would be interested in learning much more about the agriculture industry and is fascinated by documentaries like King Corn and more. Greg also said he enjoys Charlie's approach to his presentations as he seems to always have a coffee mug in hand, "its very folksy."

Table topics were led by Marianne Peters and she lightened the room with laughter as she selected a song and invited an audience member to share. Here were the songs:

Tom Petty's Waiting is Hardest Part
KC and the Sunshine Band's I'm the Boogie Man, Boogie Man, Turn Me On
Gonna Take a Sentimental Journey

Do you know what you would speak about for two to three minutes if you had been put on the spot? Table Topics are a great way to help you be agile as a speaker.

Teressa was the meeting's general evaluator and she reminded the members to sign up for roles ahead of time.

Also, she encouraged each speaker evaluator to include feedback and not to just share the positive parts of a speech. This allows for improvement and we all want to grow and improve.

Officer Meeting Recap

Following the meeting, the officers met for their monthly meeting. Here is a quick snapshot that took place during that meeting.

We shared our takeaways from our experience from training that took place a couple of weeks ago. Here were some of the comments:

- Our club had a strong core and representation compared to other clubs in the area.

- Some ideas to help membership grow were discussed including, (1.) Assigned Hosts and (2.) Personal Notes. Planning is underway on these ideas and is being led by Jan and Lisa! More details will be shared soon!

Lastly, we shared about our own roles as officers and how we can apply our responsibilities towards our theme: PROFESSIONALISM. More on this later.

Reminders:

Dues are due no later than September 30th.

Please make a payment, checks may be written to Wythougan Toastmasters and may be given to our treasurer, Teressa.

Registration for Fall Conference is due Monday.

Please send your individual registration including the payment for your meal selection. Registration form may be printed and is available here >>>

About Toast Notes
Toast Notes is an ongoing review of the Wythougan Toastmaster's weekly meetings located in Plymouth, Indiana on Friday mornings. The purpose of the Toast Notes is to help readers better understand the many benefits Toastmaster clubs can offer, including entertainment, networking, community and professional development opportunities.

About Wythougan Toastmasters Club
The Wythougan Toastmasters Club meets weekly at 6:45 a.m. on Friday at Christo's Family Restaurant in Plymouth, Indiana. Club members represent a variety of professional backgrounds and personal interests and share one common goal: To speak well.

Weekly meetings provide members and guests a supportive forum to share speeches and receive constructive feedback. The club support and the Toastmaster resources help individuals refine individuals with a focus on public speaking, leadership qualities and overall professional development skills. Guests are welcome to visit and experience the many benefits Toastmasters provides each Friday at Christo’s Family Dining, 2227 North Michigan Street in Plymouth from 6:45 – 7:45 a.m.

About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization has more than 270,000 members in over 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. To learn more about Toastmasters International, click here >

Toastmaster Update

2011-09-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

TOASTMASTER INTERNATIONAL 2011 Fall Conference is Oct. 21-22 at beautiful Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, IN. The conference is hosted by District 11 and planning is in the works!

Everyone is welcome to attend. Here is a list of benefits you will receive:

- Get Tips Improve Presentation and Leadership Skills

- Professional Development

- Inspiration and Motivation

- Networking Opportunity

- And More!

Want to learn more? Here is a link to the registration form >

Toast Notes

2011-09-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

As the local chapter's President for Toastmasters, I would like to introduce a new post idea that I will be sharing on a weekly basis. Toast Notes will be an ongoing review of the weekly meetings for the Wythougan Toastmasters, located in Plymouth, Indiana. I hope you will better understand the many benefits Toastmaster clubs can offer including entertainment, networking, community and professional development opportunities. Each week there is a variety of topics shared by the members.

Today's Toastmaster meeting theme was "Moments of Significance."

New members Lisa and Vickie were pinned during an official new member ceremony. Both ladies agreed to the Toastmaster mission and publicly vowed the toastmaster promise.

Charlie was our gracious toastmaster who eagerly accepted to fill the leading role of the meeting with the help of a mug of coffee in hand.

Vickie enthusiastically volunteered to play the joke role. As a director of HR, she shared a collection of actual quotes of applicants and job seekers. I was somewhat befuddled and wondered if any of the statements were actual quotes I may have shared in my career track but laughed in spite of it all.

Lisa shared the word of the day, "faith." And, each time the word "faith" was spoken throughout the meeting, it was acknowledged by a clap. Charlie exuded faith throughout the meeting.

Our first speaker, Eric, shared his recent experience of skydiving. He shared photos that brought smiles and even a little LOL moments from the crowd. He was enthusiastic as he shared the play by play of dropping from a moving plane that was traveling 125 miles per hour to the ground at life altering speeds of 8,000 feet a minute! He closed his jovial speech by taking off his jacket to proudly reveal his new tee shirt that read, "I've been pushed off a perfectly fine flying plane at Plymouth Sky Sports."

He also invited members to check out the video of his experience >

The second speaker of the meeting was Lisa. Lisa shared about the five steps of grief, a deep topic for a new member! Way to go Lisa! This was Lisa's third speech and she just got pinned today as a new member. Lisa is passionate about learning how to be a poised presenter and it shows in her enthusiasm and desire to learn.

Theresa evaluated using the POP theory: positive, opportunity, positive. This is a good practice to use when offering feedback to others. She also encouraged Lisa to never apologize. Fake it til you make it.

Dennis shared a fun twist on table topics, including a prompt for Jan to act as Marianne (since she was not at the meeting) and how she may have responded once the Blueberry Festival was over. Dennis also gave a prompt to John, owner of the local Ford dealership on how he would respond to a person seeking to buy a non-Ford car, a Volvo. Both Jan and John arose to the occasion and shared for two to three minutes.

It was enjoyable and interactive as usual! A special toast of thanks to all of those who participated!

The New World of Communication from Print to Online

2011-08-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

Today's explosion of technology services have allowed businesses of all sizes, industries and budgets to have more options to grow their mindshare and sales. By increasing brand awareness or lead generation, social media tools offer new opportunity and a blank slate of strategies for businesses seeking to grow their share of the market. These online opportunities can seem overwhelming to professionals who have relied on the traditional formats of media and publicity and are challenged to stay abreast of the latest technologies available and suitable for business development.

Are there manageable means to bring the two worlds of new media and the traditional printed world of marketing together? In searching for tips on how to merge these two worlds, I found a helpful resource from Facebook LIVE that I'd like to share.

Facebook LIVE is one of Facebook's latest resources to offer business support with video broadcasts. A recent Marketing Talks video titled, "Connecting Your Online Community to Your Offline World" offers three tips during an interview with two social marketing savvy representatives from hospitality and retail industries. To view the video, click here >

This webinar included advice by Director of Social Media & Digital Content for Applebee's, Scott Gulbransen and Cathy Choi, Director of Social Media for Sephora who shared examples that they use with their million plus user communities on Facebook. The topic and content was intriguing however the information was tailored to an exclusive group of marketers with corporate pedigree advantages like
1. big budgets

2. well known big brands and

3. industries (like hospitality and retail) that are already highly social in nature.

Most businesses and marketers aren't lucky enough to play in a market of that magnitude and genre. Yet, despite the clear advantages these marketers had, there are still some key best practices that can be applied to the real world of B2B and professional service sectors. Here are the top level takeaways gained from this video accompanied by specific recommendations, from my viewpoint taken from my baggage of experience in the small to medium sized business sector. I hope you will find this list to be comprehensive and be encouraged to apply these best practices to your own real world:

1. Keep message consistent from real world to online presence.

Remember your brand and long term goals with each point of interaction.

Don't over-promote. Use the 80/20 rule. 80% of your interaction should be light and social, 20% of your messages can be promotional.

Don't get lost in the medium that you forget the message.

Stay steady with your communication plan and only take on what you can manage, either in-house or with the support of a social marketing professional.

2. Create social experiences for engagement.

Tell the face-to-face stories, share photos from the real moments on-line. And vice-versa. Personally invite people, verbally and with printed signage and cards to the online community.

Host and sponsor events and invite the public directly through your social media tools.

Create profiles and check-in rewards with localization mobile media applications.

3. Engage and mobilize.

Be available. Don't hide behind a web site.

Communicate well when and where you are. Some examples: respond to comments online, answer your telephone, return your phone calls, say thank you, give eye contact and firm handshakes.

Offer a variety of communication channels that meet the comfort zone of the individuals in your market.

Encourage feedback and honesty from your audience.

Turn the feedback into action. Don't be afraid of negative messages. This can be an example to show strong customer service.

Use the feedback as research and helpful data for future product development or campaign offers.

Finally, when in doubt, do what works. If your marketing practice is becoming outdated and you are called to update your approach, don't get lost in a world in between. Have a plan, get support and remember that there is no silver bullet to success, no matter what planet you are from.

Top 10 Benefits an Event Correspondent Provides

2011-08-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

An event correspondent is a professional who provides live coverage of a presentation or event, capturing and sharing a third party perspective through a variety of online social media channels. Providing online reporting with live updates to the public at-large offers value.

Check out the review on Webtrends Facebook Sessions,
Chicago captured and posted by Andrea Cook

10 Benefits an Event Correspondent Provides

There are a variety of benefits a professional experienced event correspondent can offer to grow value for businesses.

Here are the top ten benefits an event correspondent can do for you:

1. Builds professional credibility.

A third party perspective adds authenticity. Much like a journalist covering an important event or new product, an event correspondent isn't a paid affiliate. Whether the live updates are posted under your business brand or the event correspondent's media brands, your taken more seriously when someone validates your value.

2. Positions your brand with industry expertise.

Just being a speaker isn't enough. Just being a blogger isn't enough. Don't get lost in the noise. An experienced correspondent can cut through the noise and deliver your message clearly.

3. Enlarges your audience to a critical mass.

Why limit your voice to the individuals sitting within the four walls? This is the new frontier of market outreach and an event correspondent can push the physical boundaries of the conference venue, geographically speaking.

4. Grows your fan base.

People follow the leader. Be today's social media leader in your communities. Digitally and socially on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and within your own industry and network, a professional correspondent can point others to your leadership.

5. Preserves the information as online content.

When you speak, words go in one ear and out the other. An event correspondent can archive your moment, online.

6. Generates immediate traffic.

While you are delivering your presentation, the professional correspondent is getting the buzz on for you. You can track the interest in real time, immediately after you present. You can access the audience, their feedback, questions, re-tweets and more.

7. Optimizes ongoing search results.

Live content updates are captured and recapped for future search results allowing your content to be found on a variety of your own channels.

8. Provides more opportunity for speaking engagements.

Get the traction and reputation as a speaker so that you can grow your business through future events in your industry.

9. Optimizes your investment resources.

Are you getting a return on your efforts you put in as a speaker? An experienced event correspondent can help you recognize the opportunities and optimize your resources for your next speaking engagement.

10. Increases ongoing exposure.

Just how long can your wisdom and great sage advice go on after an event has ended? An event correspondent can give your words wings through tweets and re-tweets and so much more.

Live Blogging: Reshaping the Marketplace

2011-08-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

Reporting live, on location...

These are words that once were spoken exclusively through traditional forms of media, typically by a news reporter covering an event as it was broadcasted live to the public at large. The audience tuned in by droves either hearing the message from their AM/FM radios or by gazing at large antiquated boxes stationed in living rooms also known as "television sets." “Reporting live from events” is not limited to the major broadcasting stations any longer. Businesses can now reap the benefits from this type of coverage without the reliance of a PR agency to convince and woo editors to cover specific subject matter expertise.

Although traditional forms of media continue to provide newsworthy information that captivate our attention and impact our lives, new technology has opened the doors to a world of options. Popular social media "channels" like Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Facebook are being tuned in to and businesses can benefit from the professional service of live reporting on trade shows and other industry events.

Live reporting from conferences is one of the many emerging trends reshaping the world of professional development as social media evolves and the PR industry searches for new service offerings that provide value to their clients. Now, when business leaders hop on the speaker circuit to promote their industry leading subject matter, they aren't confined to the individuals located in the four corners of the conference room. When businesses hire a professional event correspondent to report live from their keynote address or panel discussion, the real-time service can have a major impact on exposure and brand awareness that results in a significant return on investment.

See what people are saying about
The Midas Center's Event Correspondent services >

Benefits of TMC Cowork Space

2011-08-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

Cowork Space provides flexible and affordable options for
businesses looking to conduct meetings and other office related
professional activities.

TMC Cowork Space is available in north central Indiana,
in historical Plymouth, Indiana, located centrally to Chicago and Indianapolis,
approximately 30 minutes from South Bend, Warsaw, Valparaiso
and 15 minutes from Culver, Indiana.

Daily and monthly passes are available for TMC Cowork members.
Follow us on Facebook, or email us for more information.

Benefits of a TMC Co Work Space...

Networking

Socialization

Creative collaboration, springboard ideas, etc.

Synergy from like minded professionals

Professional, yet laid back environment

High creative energy

Save money on food and drink (no more having to buy a latte every hour or two just to be able to continue using the “free” wifi at the coffee shops)

None of the background nonsense to distract you (again, that you get if you worked at a coffee shop or at home). Get constructive distractions instead!

Work along side fellow determined empire builders

Incubator environment

Green, eco-friendly space with shared conservation of materials and energy including lighting and more

Several different industries and several different businesses all under one roof

Growing, supportive community of cool people to hang out with/partner up with/ work beside

Being a part of something innovative

Focus on your business without a commitment, or burden of a commercial lease

Agent Farewell: Nancy Tyree

2011-08-16T06:53:00.001-07:00

Special agents (left to right) Nancy Tyree and Amanda Doty.

As many trade in their beach bags for book bags, seasons of life turn from summer to fall for all.

It seems like only yesterday we couldn't wait for summer time. At The Midas Center, we were especially excited for the opportunity to host young talent in our special agent program. Three agents were selected for special missions, if they chose to accept the internship mission. The special agents are Nancy Tyree, Amanda Doty and Justin Shenenberger. This week, we will be sharing a series titled, Agent Farewell to honor each of these special talented young professionals. Today's post will highlight our first intern to join our agency.

Our first special agent, Nancy Tyree started working for The Midas Center last December during her Christmas break from her studies at Indiana University in Bloomington. During her holiday break while staying at home, Nancy accepted the mission filled with research on the history of social media and its impact on modern society. She returned to finish her junior year at IU and shared with us that her internship experience encouraged her to start her own blog once back at school. She then came home for the summer and accepted another mission at The Midas Center: Community Manager of iHEARTplymouth.

Nancy accepted the mission and bravely stepped out from her comfort zone while interfacing with people making a positive difference throughout the community. She captured stories and photos to share on www.iHEARTplymouth.com. She shared on her summer experience at The Midas Center as a special agent intern, "It gave me the opportunity to talk to business owners that I may have never reached out to." Her favorite interaction she told us was when she covered the new sky diving business in town. Check out her review on this local business, Free Falling Soars in Plymouth >>

Other noteworthy highlights of her mission include:

- Playful iSPYplymouth games

Can you spot some of these photos taken in and around Plymouth? >>

- iHEART on the Spot

Nancy traveled throughout town to share some iHEART swag and interact with businesses. Check out some of the places where she may have been spotted >>

- Meet the people of Plymouth

Another special task of her mission included meeting and greeting special people in the community who are making a difference. Some of the people she highlighted included Jennifer Maddox, Barbara Winters, Mindy and Bill Langdon, and more. Also, she shared stories on a new downtown business owner Lisa Miller, Second Friday fun and Culver Lakefest.

We encourage you to do a search for Nancy Tyree in the search bar of iHEARTplymouth and share your comments on her stories.

We are proud of Agent Nancy Tyree and we wish her the best as she continues on her professional development as a senior studying telecommunications as well as life's lessons she will experience along the way.

Thank you agent on another mission accomplished.

If you or someone you know would be interested in joining The Midas Center as a special agent intern, please check out the details >

Say Thanks and Sleep More

2011-08-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

Today's monthly WAG meeting will focus on a couple of quick TEDtalks. Just like the previous monthly meet ups of the Women Advisory Group's brown bag discussions that inspire, encourage and support like-minded business women from watching a TED talk, this month's video watching will cover two short segments. We could give it a title like, "Sleeping Our Way to the Top and Saying Thank You" but people may talk so we will be more clear on the two titles and share the actual clips from TED's web site below.

Arianna Huffington presents a short talk on a small idea that can awaken much bigger ones all in the name of a good night's sleep. Check out what she says about world transformation, leadership, ideas and discovery in Arianna Huffinton: How to succeed? Get more sleep

Next, we can't call it quits without the second video clip that we will be covering today. This presentation by Dr. Laura Trice just begins to tells us more about the power of "Thank you." Check out the clip below.

More than watching the inspiring words presented by some of nationally recognized female leaders, the monthly brown bag lunch meetings are opportunities to share, connect, support and inspire one another. We hope you will attend today or next month's meeting!

Woman Business Leader Inspired Professionals

2011-07-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Young Professionals Network in St. Joseph County presented Karen Barnett, President and CEO of the local area business Valley Screen Process as part of the Executive Conversation series of roundtable discussions.

A successful mix of information combined with inspiration was shared with 15 professionals during a Q & A session. Karen shared an overview of her 30-year career path starting from her job at McDonalds to working for her father at the family owned printing business. Her steps continued in her father's company as she proceeded to the lead role as a stakeholder and CEO, responsible to growing the family's company to over a business that attracts over $2 million annually.

The candid conversation continued as she shared her biggest challenge that she was faced with during 2009 when her company went from a thriving staff of 50 to a slender seven. She is happy to announce she has rehired most of her workforce back and now has factors in place that will help her to see the risks so she is better prepared for any future decline in the revenue.

How did this business owner turn the company from failing- into thriving mode in the midst of a declining economy where the RV industry is hit the hardest? By tightening up her shoestrings (by the way, this woman is a remarkable dresser too!), Karen led her company through the recent time of a dying economy by diversifying into new markets. As a second generation owner of a company that had provided decorative graphics for recreational vehicles for decades, Karen worked with her team to brainstorm on new ways to use the existing equipment and bravely launched two new divisions within her organization including vehicle wraps and residential decor graphics.

Fascinating questions were posed to Karen by the audience members during the afternoon's session such as:

Q: Do you have tips in how to succeed in a male-dominated industry?
Karen recommends that you assert yourself by serving on boards. There are so many opportunities for networking and growing your confidence by serving on boards. She recommended women to get involved on the Women Business Owners of Michiana. WBOM is a monthly networking group that meets over lunch while leaders share and present on topics of interest to women business owners.

Q: How is online social media changing face to face sales?
Karen relies on each of the brands to provide the proper marketing and sales for the diverse product line. She shared an example on how she marketed her children's decor through the use of mommy bloggers. Most likely, she wouldn't reach out to mommy bloggers to sell vehicle graphics however.

Q: How do you manage your time?
She admits that she's still working on the juggle act of the volunteer work with her personal and professional time and tells the group that she's tried using the iPhone, iCal, iGoogle, etc. to manage her schedule and to-do lists but still relies on the good ol piece of paper.

Q: Of all the roles in your career, which one helped prepare you for a CEO role?
Karen has worn multiple hats from working in the plant, to managing traffic in the plant, to processing and admin, she claims the most helpful position was the training and experience in sales. Sales taught her that "no never means no. No means, not now." For sales, she recommends to maintain contact, top of mind and make the calls by playing the number game.

There were more suggestions shared that enlightened the up and coming leaders in the audience. The most remarkable were words that Karen no doubt lives by, "Take the initiative and network. Be genuine."

Thank you for walking the talk and exemplifying success along the way Karen! Keep up the hard work and pure heart.

Event Correspondent Services: What Industry Leaders Are Saying

2011-07-18T17:35:00.000-07:00

To take the next step as a thought leader and hire an experienced, reputable correspondent to cover your next event, contact Andrea Cook at The Midas Center.

Event Correspondent Andrea Cook
provides turn key services to help
build your brand online as an
industry thought leader.

See what other industry leaders are saying about this hot-off-the-press style of media management services provided by Andrea Cook and The Midas Center:

"Excellent coverage of Blogworld Expo NY has been posted by Andrea Cook."
by Neil Glassman WhizBangPowWow and Social Times on live tweeting coverage for Social Fresh

"Andrea has a real knack for knowing what social media tools and strategies will work best for which clients in a constantly evolving new media landscape. She has a good grasp of best practices and keeps up-to-date on her knowledge of tech."
by Angela Rupchock-Schafer, Social Media/Tech at Church World Service

"We were thrilled with the series of posts Andrea captured on our Facebook Marketing presentation in Chicago."
by Michele Warther, Webtrends Community Director on live blogging from Facebook Sessions, Chicago

Are you ready to take the speaker circuit express to success?
Schedule a live event correspondent today for your next event. Contact Andrea Cook at The Midas Center, (574) 936-7058.

Event Correspondent Services Now Available

2011-07-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

You have cutting edge industry knowledge to share and you want to increase your position as a thought leader in your industry. As you ride the speaker circuit, are you making the most of your investment?

Typical Presenter Scenario
You are slated to be one of the speakers at the next big event. You prepare a mind-altering, world changing presentation that will show your super-hero powers to the world. You take time off from your billable hours, travel afar, see your name ~~in big lights~~, your bio, logo in conference collateral. You get an hour to show off your brain and flair to the number of colleagues in the room. You rub elbows and network over a drink, hop back on the plane, get to the office and add another notch to your LinkedIn profile under speaking engagements. You rinse and repeat. Sound familiar?

You've made a lot of investment to build your brand in the speaker circuit. Are you relying on chance and slim grass root efforts to grow your reputation as a thought leader?

An event correspondent can help.

What is an Event Correspondent?
A professional who provides live coverage of your presentation or event, capturing and sharing a third party perspective through a variety of online social media channels. Providing online reporting with live updates to the public at-large offers value.

Check out the review on Webtrends Facebook Sessions, Chicago captured and posted by Andrea Cook

10 Benefits an Event Correspondent Provides

There are a variety of benefits a professional experienced event correspondent can offer to grow value for your business.

Here are the top ten benefits an event correspondent can do for you:

1. Builds professional credibility.A third party perspective adds authenticity. Much like a journalist covering an important event or new product, an event correspondent isn't a paid affiliate. Whether the live updates are posted under your business brand or the event correspondent's media brands, your taken more seriously when someone validates your value.
2. Positions your brand with industry expertise.Just being a speaker isn't enough. Just being a blogger isn't enough. Don't get lost in the noise. An experienced correspondent can cut through the noise and deliver your message clearly.
3. Enlarges your audience to a critical mass.Why limit your voice to the individuals sitting within the four walls? This is the new frontier of market outreach and an event correspondent can push the physical boundaries of the conference venue, geographically speaking.
4. Grows your fan base.People follow the leader. Be today's social media leader in your communities. Digitally and socially on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and within your own industry and network, a professional correspondent can point others to your leadership.
5. Preserves the information as online content.When you speak, words go in one ear and out the other. An event correspondent can archive your moment, online.
6. Generates immediate traffic.While you are delivering your presentation, the professional correspondent is getting the buzz on for you. You can track the interest in real time, immediately after you present. You can access the audience, their feedback, questions, re-tweets and more.
7. Optimizes ongoing search results.Live content updates are captured and recapped for future search results allowing your content to be found on a variety of your own channels.
8. Provides more opportunity for speaking engagements.Get the traction and reputation as a speaker so that you can grow your business through future events in your industry.
9. Optimizes your investment resources.Are you getting a return on your efforts you put in as a speaker? An experienced event correspondent can help you recognize the opportunities and optimize your resources for your next speaking engagement.
10. Increases ongoing exposure.Just how long can your wisdom and great sage go on after an event has ended? An event correspondent can give your words wings through tweets and re-tweets and so much more.

Is an Event Correspondent Right For Me?
If you are seeking added-value to your next event and you are with a small or large company, a conference planner, an event sponsor, a publicist, an individual speaker - or anyone seeking to leverage the next event to grow your brand value in your industry, then yes! It is time for you to schedule an event correspondent for your next event.

What Others Are Saying
To take the next step as a thought leader and hire an experienced, reputable correspondent to cover your next event, contact Andrea Cook at The Midas Center. See what other industry leaders are saying about this hot-off-the-press style of media management services provided by Andrea Cook and The Midas Center:

"Excellent coverage of Blogworld Expo NY has been posted by Andrea Cook."
by Neil Glassman WhizBangPowWow and Social Times on live tweeting coverage for Social Fresh

"Andrea has a real knack for knowing what social media tools and strategies will work best for which clients in a constantly evolving new media landscape. She has a good grasp of best practices and keeps up-to-date on her knowledge of tech."
by Angela Rupchock-Schafer, Social Media/Tech at Church World Service

"We were thrilled with the series of posts Andrea captured on our Facebook Marketing presentation in Chicago."
by Michele Warther, Webtrends Community Director on live blogging from Facebook Sessions, Chicago

Are you ready to take the speaker circuit express to success?
Schedule a live event correspondent today for your next event. Contact Andrea Cook at The Midas Center, (574) 936-7058.

Event Correspondent Andrea Cook
provides turn key services to help
build your brand online as an
industry thought leader.

A New Blogger Club This Friday

2011-07-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Blogger Club Meet up:
Friday, July 8th
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

People of all ages, levels of interest and skill are invited to join us for our first blog club of the year. Join us to network with other bloggers, learn how to get more traffic to your blog and get your creative juices blogging! If you are new to the world of blogging and social media, get tips on how to launch your own blog and keep it going.

Information will be available on how to join the Buzz Patrol, apply for social media internships, build your brand and promote your business through blogging - and more.

Light refreshments will be available. Network with colleagues, friends and family members and join us downtown during Plymouth's Second Friday family fun event. The family friendly festivities will take place immediately following the Blogger Club on the same block and will include a Kiddie Parade, Balloon Guy, a Bouncy House, Face Painting and more. Feel free to forward the invitation to others you know who may be interested in this blogger call out!

RSVP today >

Upcoming Events

2011-07-06T09:34:00.001-07:00

Upcoming Events

Event Marketing by Constant Contact

Event Correspondent Services Available for Thought Leaders

2011-06-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce the latest social media management service now available in this short presentation titled, "Take the Speaker Circuit Express to Success."

By reviewing this clip you will learn about a new service we are extending to our clients as an Event Correspondent. We welcome you to review the presentation to learn:
- What exactly is an Event Correspondent?
- 10 ways an Event Correspondent can help you become the thought leader you want to be
- Is hiring an Event Correspondent right for you?

We also provide some client quotes from some of our latest work as a live Event Correspondent from leading industry events throughout the country.

Please take a moment to check it out and share your opinion with me on whether you see this as an option for you or a viable service for others, like your competitors in your industry. As we embark on this social media frontier, we strive to provide solutions for clients and transform opportunity into gold for them!

http://youtu.be/xb3RdJikt-E

Social Media and Its Economic Impact as Recently Televised

2011-06-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, WNIT's "Economic Outlook" hosted by Phil D'Amico broadcasted a panel discussion on Social Media.

Andrea Cook participated in the panel with other local social media leaders including Chas Grundy, Notre Dame, Andy Fuller, Villing & Company and Elizabeth Cecconi, South Bend Airport.

To view this 30 minute episode, click below. We welcome your feedback on some of the questions raised and details we may have missed! Please share.

Webtrends Facebook Sessions, Live from Chicago Today

2011-06-14T08:16:00.001-07:00

Today's Review from Webtrends

I will be live blogging from a Webtrends conference titled Facebook Sessions today, June 14th at the W City Center in Chicago. Facebook Sessions is a seminar series showcasing what's new in Digital.

"What's new in Digital" may seem like a broad topic however the slated presenters are industry leaders proven in the field of marketing and analytics and I'm confident they will not disappoint. Although there are many self-proclaimed social media experts, these professionals have the backing of working for cutting-edge companies like Yahoo, American Airlines, AOL, Rosetta Stone to name a few.

Justin Kistner, Senior Manager of Product Marketing of Social at Webtrends has a reputation that precedes him. I had the privilege to participate in a session by Justin on creating Facebook tabs and i-frames during a recent conference at BlogWorld in New York. Justin's session was chocked full of health and wealth for audience members during the most well attended session I witnessed throughout the week long conference. Between the clickety-clacks of each person ravenously taking notes and following the step-by-step instruction of Justin's Facebook tips, the room resounded with frequent ooos and ahhhs with occasional claps and woots. The response of the crowd proved to be a thirst quencher to the pack of parched professionals seeking solutions to the everyday obstacles of the new world of digital marketing. This pack of professionals traveled from coast to coast and midwestern points in between to absorb the latest trends and best practices of the blogosphere.

The digital frontier, lacking in strong leadership yet green with opportunity is awaiting for clear direction, tips and tools for efficiency and effectiveness. Webtrends meets these needs of the marketplace and is offering the droves of agency mavens and in-house marketers the hands-on tips-of-the-trade through a traveling crew of guru-level presenters slated for the multi-site road show. With early June presentations in Atlanta and New York and an upcoming session scheduled in San Francisco, Webtrends plans to provide the community of today's digital frontier with solutions to the latest needs. Today's presenters slated to present from 2:00 to 5:00 this afternoon include Justin Kistner, Dennis Yu and Eric Ludwig.

Registration for this event begins at noon. Overall, the half-day program is designed to provide the answers to help:

• Drive value with fans, including social commerce and fan nurture campaigns

• Integrate a strategy for Facebook management, including online and offline channels

• Increase conversion rates

• Lower the cost of fan acquisition and sales

• Manage and measure marketing channels across your organization

The afternoon will provide participants opportunities for education and networking with the following agenda:

1:30 - 2:00 Registration

2:00 - 5:00 Seminars

5:00 - 6:00 Reception

A no-nonsense crew of presenters will deliver an afternoon packed with takeaways for all levels of professional marketer. I hope to provide the diamonds of each session live through Twitter. Please follow the live tweets of the event at @WebtrendsEvents. A more thorough account of the day's sessions will be published tomorrow on Webtrends blog >

If you have any specific questions on today's topics, please let me know and I will pass them along to the speakers. Also, if you would be interested in attending the future session slated for San Francisco please register here >

Want to get connected to the speakers or me? We'd love to have you join us by following us on Twitter!

Justin Kistner, @justinkistner

Dennis Yu, @dennisyu

Eric Ludwig, @thesemninja

Andrea Cook @andreacook

June's WAG Brown Bag in Review

2011-06-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

This month's Women Advisory Group's Brown Bag presentation was a five minute TEDtalk by Jessi Arrington titled, "Wearing Nothing New." Several professional women, a mix of business owners and entrepreneurial attended this monthly lunch meeting to learn, share and engage with like-minded business leaders. After watching the insightful and inspring presentation, there was a round table discussion on the main "take aways."

Here were a list of lessons learned that were shared during the noon hour:

- It's OK to let go.
- Confidence is key.
- There is a difference between judgement and discernment.
- Each woman has her own definite and personal style.
- A smile is the best accessory.
- Don't be afraid to be yourself.
- "When am I going to grow up and not care what others think about me?"
- Be yourself. Be confident. Accept your flaws.
- Own our own fears, inadequacies that hinder us.
- Be your own person. Be free to be confident.
- Let go and don't be afraid.

If you would be interested in viewing the short segment of the TEDtalk, check out the link below. Were there any other ideas or dreams, thoughts or goals that were presented in this clip and made an impact on you that we missed in the list above? Feel free to add a comment. And, if you would be interested in joining us for our future roundtable discussions-slash-networking lunch breaks, bring your own lunch and plan on coming at noon, on the second Monday each month at The Midas Center, 200 N. Michigan Street in downtown Plymouth. Feel free to email or call the office with any questions. Pass it forward.

Inspiration Found in 40 Under 40 Program

2011-06-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today a room overflowing with over 400 professional leaders hailing from Valparaiso, Plymouth, Elkhart, South Bend and beyond joined to honor the Class of 2011 Michiana's Forty Under 40 at South Bend's Gillespie Conference Center. The event, led by the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County recognized forty outstanding local professionals under age forty for their business success and community contributions.

The Midas Center owner, Andrea Cook was one of the honorees. She shares, "It is a pure honor to be recognized with such a group of dynamic thought leaders. Although diverse in backgrounds, professions and interests, there is still one thread that brings us all together. Leadership. I'm looking forward to the opportunities to grow along side of these up and coming game changers."

Cook acknowledges this experience as a milestone in her professional career and claims that the most rewarding part was sitting among the group of peers while listening to the remarks made by Tracy Graham, Managing Principal at Graham Allen Partners. Graham, a Michiana Forty Under 40, Class of 2007, shared sage and insight with these powerful words:

"There will always be naysayers, cynics and obstacles. They are placed in our ways to weed out the weak."

In the company of mayors, chairpersons, business owners, non profit directors and chief executives, former Michana Forty Under 40 honorees, as well as the supportive colleagues, friends and family members of this year's class, Graham continued to acknowledge the need for strong and purposeful leadership in our community and businesses and as he gazed upon the future leaders in the room, he remarked that we are "unified in purpose and passion."

"Truly inspiring," Cook remarks as she holds steadfast to those encouraging words. Immediately following was the 2011 Class Recognition where each professional was announced and congratulated with a special award and hand shakes by Presidents and CEOs Jeff Rea, Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County and Phil Penn, Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce.

Review: Blog World Expo Day 3 From the Live Blog Report

2011-05-31T09:24:00.001-07:00

(PART II: DAY 3)
While attending the Blog World Expo last week at the Javits Convention Center in New York, we were able to capture industry-notable quotes on emerging technologies impacting business and leading the trends in technology, marketing, journalism and publishing as we know it.

If you are interested in learning more about any of these topics, please visit the actual live blog report from Social Fresh by clicking here >>>

Live blog sessions from final day included coverage on topics such as:

How to Build an Enterprise

Books to Blogs

Copyright or Copywrong?

Rules to Crosslinking, Reposting and Media Sharing

New Forms of Media Monetizing Content

Steps to Creating Customized Tabs on Facebook

Tips and Metrics on Facebook

Fortune 100 Social Media Case Studies

PR Agency Uses Digital Driven Data

How the Oscar Meier @WeinerMobile Uses Social Media

And More!

This post provides industry shaping quotes leaked directly from live presentations from dynamic leaders making impact in the social media realm such as:

Justin Kistner (WebTrends)

Jonathan Field (Career Renegade)

Jess Kantor (Art Battles)

Bob Knorpp (Bean Cast)

Adam Keats (Weber Shadwick)

If you or your business would be interested in live blogging services, contact Andrea Cook to learn more about how you can provide your readers with hot updates, live from your next event.

The Midas Center is an innovative communication service that transforms touchpoints to gold. Go for the gold >

In Review Blog World NYC Live Blog Day 2

2011-05-31T09:00:00.001-07:00

While attending the Blog World Expo last week at the Javits Convention Center in New York, we were able to capture industry-notable quotes on emerging technologies impacting business and leading the trends in technology, marketing, journalism and publishing as we know it.

If you are interested in learning more about any of these topics, please visit the actual live blog report from Social Fresh by clicking here >

Live blog sessions coverage on topics such as:

Gamification Creating Obsession and Addiction for Marketing Success

FourSquare, Angry Birds, Triva Games and More

Why ToyotaFailed, Behind the Scenes

In-House or Outsource PR?

How to Build Lead and Sales

How to Use Humor and More!

This post provides industry shaping quotes leaked directly from live presentations from dynamic leaders making impact in the social media realm such as:

Jason Keath (Social Fresh)

Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot)

Shelly Kramer (V3 Marketing)

Lucretia Pruitt (Geek Mommy)

Mike Schneider (Location Based Marketing for Dummies)

Chris Pirillo (Lockergnomie)

Jordan Cooper (Notaproblog)

If you or your business would be interested in live blogging services, contact Andrea Cook to learn more about how you can provide your readers with hot updates, live from your next event.

The Midas Center is an innovative communication service that transforms touchpoints to gold. Go for the gold >

Bloggers Arrive

2011-05-25T03:55:00.000-07:00

Interesting that the 2011 Blog World Expo in New York is co-sharing the convention center with the Book Expo America at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Interestingly ironic and somewhat contradicting as digital media is increasingly competing with traditional print.

As I was making small talk with the lucky fella (or unlucky considering we both flew out of South Bend, Indiana and survived three cancelled flights and one half day late of a successful work day in New York) sitting next to me on the plane, I was telling him about this conference I was on my way to. He admitted that he was clueless about social media. iPod owner was the highest level he could mark on his digital development growth chart, in fact.

He shared that he was talking to his daughters, both tweens, about how the Gutenberg press changed the face of history. They laughed and told him the printing press is nothin' compared to the internet.

Digital bloggers + Book authors. United or divided?
A new twitter friend, @coffeewithjulie also known as Julie Harrison was tweeting about her *heavenly* experience at the Book Expo. When I asked her if she agreed that the digital and print realms were A contradiction, she tweeted, "that the biggest names in social media are those with best selling books."
Many bloggers yearn to be in print to prove that they have arrived. Someday we hope that won't be necessary. The brand equity found through social media channels is more valuable than anything found on pulp, in my opinion that is. Both the digital and printed medias have a purpose in our lives.

As keynote speaker of the opening night of the expo and author of The Mirror Test, Jeffrey Hayzlett boldly phrased it, "I want a book online and in print so I can read it in the air, on the toilet, wherever the hell I want to."

It is fascinating to engage in this topic at a conference as these two worlds of storytelling and journalism collide, compete, coexist and continue to impact our communication and cultures.

Digital media has certainly impacted me. It has opened doors to opportunities that I would have never had with a telephone, pen and paper. Through twitter, I have met some dynamic individuals who educate me and inspire me. Heck, the last two gigs I've been fortunate to secure have come from twitter, including this assignment that I'm on as I report for Social Fresh on Blog World. I've been able to have my voice heard and have made real connections from small rural Indiana.

And, here I am. At New York attending the Blog Expo. After three cancelled flights, as I walked into the Javits Convention Center to the VIP registration to pick up my press pass, I think to myself *I have arrived.* (finally.)

Your Possible Mission: Office Management Agent

2011-05-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

MISSION # 004007052012 www.TheMidasCenter.com

AGENT REQUIREMENTS:

An interest to learn about how a marketing and creative communications agency works. Multi-tasking and time management of a variety of office management tasks will include organizing, placing orders, answering phone, making appointments, light accounting, etc.

Agents must posses a friendly attitude, self-confidence and proven attention to quality and detail. An understanding of office management using digital resources like Google Docs is also required.

OBECTIVE:

Assist President of a rapidly growing marketing agency.

REWARD:

Upon completion of this mission, agent will receive referral status along with possible employment.

This mission, if you so choose to accept it can be yours by applying to The Midas Center / iHEART Green Media agency. Use your talents, creativity and technological social media savviness today to show us you are agent-material.

Email us, tag us, link us, send us a special delivery that shows us what you enjoy doing and what you would like to do in our creative mission field. Be mindful, we are very busy so walk-ins are not acceptable.

About The Midas Center LLC:

The Midas Center LLC is a full service communications agency that thrives on creativity, new technologies and impact. The Midas Center started up in Chicago in 1999 and has helped clients meet their goals in the marketplace through integrated marketing, branding, public relations and advertising. Currently located in a restored historical building in downtown Plymouth, Indiana, The Midas Center is a rapidly growing agency seeking talent to help with its growing demands in today’s digital age.

The Midas Center is open for the sake of creating opportunities and transforming them into gold. In other words, The Midas Center builds brands, generates buzz, develops media and makes success.

The Midas Center LLC brand builders I buzz generators I media developers I success makers

200 N Michigan Street, PO Box 1264, Plymouth, IN 46563

phone: 574-936-7058

facebook

twitter

This is How We Roll

2011-05-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

Recent design project:
From concept to delivery
completed in less than ten days.

May 3rd: Reconnected with a colleague through Twitter. Learned of a design need. The Midas Center sent a proposal for creative services. Project initiated.

May 6th: Concepts presented to client. Included event logo, light copy, invitation and package design.

May 12th: Presented round two of preferred concept to client. Feedback on the presentation was that we "Nailed it." Good to go...

May 13th: Printer did not have capabilities to produce design. AND. Legal department had issues with some copywriting and logo needed to be redesigned. The Midas Center quickly redesigned logo, reworked the copywriting and typesetting, found a new printer, at 4:59 p.m. on a Friday.

May 16th: New printer scheduled project to run for 11 a.m. Files with new logo design and updated copy were approved by client and sent to printer. Materials for special tubes for packaging were ordered for next day delivery.

May 17th: Awesome printer hand rolled the invitations and shipped each invitation to guest, overnight shipping. While tubes were being delivered to special guests all over the world, The Midas Center applied the event design to a web site for guests to rsvp for the event.

May 18th: This was delivered to me by Fed Ex. DONE. Loved. Every. Second of it.

Good design is a sport. We've got that it takes to run, roll, transform, create, make it happen.

The Midas Center. Brand Builders. Buzz Generators. Media Developers. Success Makers.
That is how we roll.

Your Possible Mission: Social Media and Blogging

2011-05-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

MISSION # 002007052012 www.TheMidasCenter.com

AGENT REQUIREMENTS:

An eye for photography, mystery and exploration. Interest in social media, blogging and being creative. Must possess camera and have a strong grasp of technology platforms, specifically MS Word, Facebook. Basic understanding of search engine optimization, organization and time management is critical.

OBECTIVE:

Empower local communities, its businesses and personal stories through a social media platform.

REWARD:

Upon completion of this mission, agent will receive referral status along with financial compensation.

About The Midas Center LLC:

The Midas Center is open for the sake of creating opportunities and transforming them into gold. In other words, The Midas Center builds brands, generates buzz, develops media and makes success.

The Midas Center LLC brand builders I buzz generators I media developers I success makers

200 N Michigan Street, PO Box 1264, Plymouth, IN 46563

phone: 574-936-7058

facebook

twitter

Your Possible Mission: Social Media Tech Specialist

2011-05-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

MISSION # 003007052012 www.TheMidasCenter.com

AGENT REQUIREMENTS:

Technical skills that include basic HTML code to format widget-type elements like blog posts, banners, ads, badges, etc. Ability and willingness to learn solutions through online groups for developers. Basic understanding of Google, SEO, Wordpress, Facebook and the importance of linking, tagging, commenting and posting. Mac and Apple haters need not apply.

OBECTIVE:

Improve media platforms and help develop client web sites.

REWARD:

Upon completion of this mission, agent will receive referral status and possible future employment.

About The Midas Center LLC:

The Midas Center is open for the sake of creating opportunities and transforming them into gold. In other words, The Midas Center builds brands, generates buzz, develops media and makes success.

The Midas Center LLC brand builders I buzz generators I media developers I success makers

200 N Michigan Street, PO Box 1264, Plymouth, IN 46563

phone: 574-936-7058

facebook

twitter

Today's WAG Brown Bag Lunch Program

2011-05-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the second Monday of the month and we are opening up our regular monthly meeting time to invite all professional women to lunch for a casual hour of networking. If you would like to join us, please come on over, bring your own lunch and beverage and meet other business-minded women. Small group discussions will take place after a pre-recorded TED presentation. Here is the presentation we will be watching together. It has been selected to encourage and inspire one another. We hope to see you soon!

Calling All Bloggers and Blogger Wannabes: Join Our Club!

2011-05-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Blogger Club Meet up: Friday, May 13, 5 - 6 p.m.

People of all ages, levels of interest and skill are invited to join us for our first blog club of the year. Join us to network with other bloggers, learn how to get more traffic to your blog and get your creative juices blogging! If you are new to the world of blogging and social media, get tips on how to launch your own blog and keep it going.

Information will be available on how to join the Buzz Patrol, apply for social media internships, build your brand and promote your business through blogging - and more.

Light refreshments will be available. Network with colleagues, friends and family members and join us downtown during Plymouth's Second Friday. Live festivities will take place on the same block! Feel free to forward the invitation to others you know who may be interested in this blogger call out!

RSVP today by clicking here >

How to Schedule a Presentation on Social Media for You

2011-04-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Andrea Cook presents
on Social Media.

We are pleased to present on Social Media this weekend at the Century Center and the South Bend Museum of Art during the Artist Sampler Workshop, sponsored by the St. Joseph Watercolor Society.

Andrea Cook, owner of The Midas Center will be presenting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 during this event. The material that will be presented is designed to help artists boost their careers through social media. The presentation, titled "The Social Media Renaissance" will cover three areas:

- Encouragement and Inspiration
- Strategy and Tools
- Tips and Resources

This presentation is designed for artists seeking to grow online. All levels of technology and social media usage are welcome.

If you would be interested in a presentation to your organization or business on the topic of social media, contact Andrea Cook at The Midas Center (574) 936-7058 to discuss your specific goals and needs.

Presentations, workshops, training and coaching sessions can be customized to meet your objectives. In addition to educational resources, The Midas Center also provides social media marketing, with the design and development of strategy and overall management of messages to the public.

New Client Intake Form

2011-04-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Spring-Greetings.html?soid=1103999629154&aid=ApwF1om1KZs

2011-04-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Spring-Greetings.html?soid=1103999629154&aid=ApwF1om1KZs

Upcoming Event: BLOGGERS UNITE

2011-04-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

Save the date for the second Friday of May.

BLOGGERS UNITE.

We are calling all bloggers and blogger wannabees to join us in a meet and greet networking event.

Open to all. All ages. All subject interests. All level of blogging experience. If you have a blog or would like to get started blogging, we'd like you to join us for a new Buzz Club meeting.

Friday, May 13th
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
at The Midas Center,
200 N. Michigan Street; Downtown Plymouth

Bring your business card, your lap top, your curiosity, your questions.

We will have light refreshments and some resources available for you. Feel free to bring friends and family members downtown to enjoy Plymouth's Second Friday activities that will be going on right across the street!

Identity Defined. That was then. This is now.

2011-04-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

Like a mechanic who needs to take his car to the shop for some repairs, we understand our own need for our own professional services!

The Midas Center has gone through a lot since its birth in 1999. At a glance, here is the timeline of how our identity and brand has evolved.

1999
acdesign studio, inc. (200 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL)
visual integrity for the legal community
Clients served: Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, Arthur Andersen, Schiff Hardin, Linder Legal Staffing, Alder Murphy & McQuillen, Rapoport Law, Moran Consulting and more.

2002
The Midas Center, Inc. (809 N. Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL)
Transforming Touchpoints into Gold Through Visual Integrity(TM)
Additional clients: Dennemeyer, Patent Cafe / ipFRONTLINE.com, Cassiday Schade and more.

2010
The Midas Center LLC (200 N. Michigan Street, Plymouth, IN)
When we describe our offering, in the past, we would respond:
We provide marketing, public relations, advertising and branding services.
(zzz...snore...old...boring...irrelevant terms, right?)

That was then: We offer award winning marketing, advertising, public relations and branding services to businesses who want to achieve success.

This is now: We are brand builders, buzz generators, media developers, success makers. In other words, when people ask us, "So, what do you do?"
We will respond with, "We transform opportunity into gold. We are like a think tank that is fueled by creativity, technology and impact!"

Yeah. That sums it up, don't you think? These terms include our community site development through our subsidiary, iHEART Green Media as well as allowing us to offer social media management, execute campaigns and craft collateral for clients. . .

What do you think?

MISSION: SOCIAL MEDIA INTERSHIP

2011-04-15T06:40:00.001-07:00

MISSION # 002007052012

AGENT REQUIREMENTS:
An eye for photography, mystery and exploration. Interest in social media, blogging and being creative. Must possess camera and have a strong grasp of technology platforms, specifically MS Word, Facebook.

OBECTIVE:
Empower local community through social media platform.

REWARD:
Upon completion of this mission, agent will receive referral status along with financial compensation.

This mission, if you so choose to accept it can be yours by applying to The Midas Center / iHEART Green Media agency. Use your talents, creativity and technological social media savviness today to show us you are agent-material.Email us, tag us, link us, send us a special delivery that shows us what you enjoy doing and what you would like to do in our creative mission field. Be mindful, we are very busy so walk-ins are not acceptable.

X5000

Latest Client: That was Then. This is Now. . .

2011-04-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

We are glowing with golden appreciation towards one of our most recent clients, Marshall County Community Foundation and their upcoming annual report for 2010. We can't show you the official report at this time, we'll leave that for our client to share. What we can tell you is this:

1. The Marshall County Community Foundation supports many "quality of life" endeavors that promote growth and sustainability for our local community, and well, we love that about them...

2. The MCCF staff, including their current interns Mandy Chalk and Jennifer Coffman and the VP of Development, Joseph Goepfrich, are professional, courteous and have been a sincere pleasure to work with every step along the way.

3. A team of local service providers, including our agency, has been hired by MCCF to deliver the upcoming new brand, including a new report, web site and ad campaign. Supporting local businesses is a great way to improve the economic landscape of our community!

Stay tuned on the treasures that MCCF has been working on throughout Marshall County. We'll be showcasing some of the work we've helped with once it all goes public. In the meantime, take a historic glance of annual reports that were all part of the past...

That was Then:

Stay tuned for the new and improved branding elements. And, a big golden thank you to MCCF!

Another Fascinating Free Resource

2011-04-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Linked In and Craigslist, watch out!

There is a new player in the social media round up and this free resource is about to up the game.

Three reasons why Thumbtack will Rule:

1. The idea is brilliantly bright.
Brilliant. I wish I had come up with the idea. The embedded viral tools are well done too. This is going to soar like a rocket ship.

2. The design is simply gorgeous both in visual and content.
Not only at a glance is this site drop dead gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. It also has mastered a clean navigation. Great use of image and content, the quality in design and visual integrity puts Craigslist on the back of the dinosaurs with the newspaper blahs.

3. The turnkey marketing service for independents is in great demand.
Together, independent professionals are the largest employer of any company in the nation. Without a marketing department and the advertising resources, it can be challenging to get the traction necessary to gain a strong client list. Linked In is helpful, but let's face it, it's merely a paperless rolodex. Thumbtack really sticks the services, simply put online on a variety of resources that are freely available. Also, it asks smart questions that any independent should be asked prior to marketing its services.

I'm glad to learn of this service! Here is my profile if you want to take a peek at this rockin new resource.
Social Media Coach

Creative Social Media Tips at the St. Joe Valley Watercolor Society’s “Artist Sampler” Workshop

2011-04-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Are you an artist with talents to share?

Do you have limited time and money for effective marketing?

Have you considered the benefits of social media?

Andrea Cook, President of The Midas Center and a professional in the field of marketing, advertising and branding, will present Use Social Media to Get the Word Out at the St. Joe Valley Watercolor Society’s The Artist Sampler event to be held 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., April 29-30, 2011 at the South Bend Museum of Art in South Bend.

The unique format for The Artist Sampler will provide hands-on workshops, art demonstrations, and instructional lectures from a variety of experts to help artists in many different disciplines enhance their skills and careers. Andrea Cook’s presentation on social media, 9 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. on Saturday, April 30, will focus on helping artists use tools such as Facebook and Twitter to connect with the people who enjoy and support their art.

For more information and to register for “The Artist Sampler,” please visit www.stjoevalleywatercolor.com.

From 200 South Michigan Avenue Chicago to 200 North Michigan Street Plymouth

2011-03-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

My first job out of college was in the city. Location: 200 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

I put up with a lot of abusive situations, worked way too many hours each week and in the end, they "let me go" laying off the entire in house graphic design group, just before Christmas with no warning and no time to print portfolio pieces.

From that moment, I decided that working for a company had little to nothing to do with loyalty and decided to freelance. I landed freelance gigs at many of the award winning agencies, some not-so award winning. In those earlier career years, the best freelance opportunities were the ones where I was "subbing" in while someone was on maternity leave. Those were the jobs that had some staying power to last the remainder of my lease to my apartment on the north side of the city.

The morning walks to the el train of four city blocks combined with the crammed train ride would then follow by a possible transfer to another train, several more city blocks of briskly walking to the building I was for hire for the day. After meeting and/or working in more than 30 agencies through the course of my Chicago career, I slowly realized the value of a quick elevator. Some elevators, for example the ones at the Prudential Building would add another 10 minutes to the morning commute. Yes, 10 minutes to go 40 stories. This is terribly slow when you consider the Sears Tower, where I worked on the 74th floor for a few years had an elevator shaft that lifted us in a jiffy, without putting a dint into the commuting time.

From the trot before the el, the waiting on the train, then the ride on the train, to the walk in the loop, plus the elevator trip totaled to an hour, plus or minus some change. In fact, anywhere you lived and worked in the city, it was about an hour commute. For those who lived in the burbs, add 15 minutes to the commute with every $50K saved in home mortgages. The longer the commute, the more affordable the homes were. Best case scenario is an hour morning commute, with another hour on the commute home.

That is two hours of a rat race. Nothing like my commute today. Since relocating my company to rural Indiana, I now can boast of handfuls of improvements in my quality of life for my family and me. For starters, I have my own stunning office space that I couldn't have dreamed working out of, let alone owning in Chicago or nearby. It is hard to believe that my first job was at 200 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago and now, I am the owner of a creative agency and online media publishing business at 200 North Michigan Street in Plymouth, Indiana.

I have more to share on this topic in blog posts to follow.

In the mean time, I must share a post from Small Business Trends that inspired me to finally get this blog topic down and out...
It is about rural-sourcing and it is a topic that has been on my mind a lot. To read it come from someone else other than just my own vision and rants is very inspiring to me. I would love to hear more from others on your thoughts on this topic!

Photo credits: Amanda Nicolé Doty

Today's Picture Play

2011-03-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a few words we think of when we see this picture...
Green.
Gold.
Peeps.
Twitter.
Tweets.
Sweet.
Forward.
March on.
Happy St. Patty's Day!
Service.
Golden.
Luck.
Delish.
Eye candy.
Branding.
Strategy.
Goodness.
Sassy.
Curiosity.
Spontaneous.
Smiles.
Fresh.
Attractive.
Gimmee.
Ready.
Play?
Add words.
Comment.
Let's Go.

From the Studio Today

2011-03-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

Today was SO much fun!

The Midas Center was on air, live on WTCA 1050 AM Radio this morning to promote the Treats Bridal Suite with our Premier Partner, Treats Bridal Shoppe's owner Gary Treat. We heart Gary and the local radio station is a great group of community minded folks who also promote the people, places and events that we love about Plymouth and Marshall County. That was a fun filled "studio" morning.

Then, we headed up to St. Joseph County for a recording of this week's program on WNIT's Economic Outlook. The studio is located in downtown South Bend. Here is a photo of the stellar entrance.

We arrived to meet the production manager, Brenda B. She was so hospitable and friendly as she led us to the... GREEN ROOM! Ok, so I know we weren't on the David Letterman Show or anything, but still... We got to hang out in the GREEN ROOM. Here is a photo.

And, here was the best part... THE MAKE UP ROOM fully stocked with CLINIQUE products. So what if there wasn't a make-up artist on site. There were cotton balls, so I assumed it was a self-service station, right?

As if the entrance to the studios, Brenda B., the GREEN ROOM, and the make-up wasn't enough... The day just got better! The next chapter in today's studio adventure was this:

Phil D'Amico is the host of the show and we consider him like a local business rockstar. He led the fast paced panel discussion with rapid firing questions! We all had to be on our game, but, you know us, we are like, "Bring it" and we loved every second of it!

Guests on the panel included this roster:

Chas Grundy
AgencyND, Notre Dame

(ME!)
Andrea Cook, President
The Midas Center
Owner of iHEART Green Media

Elizabeth (Liz) Cecconi
South Bend Regional Airport

Andy Fuller
Villing & Company

About Economic Outlook
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK is a stimulating 30-minute program that reaches out to the business and educational decision-makers who explore the risks and opportunities at work in today’s markets. ECONOMIC OUTLOOK discusses issues around economic growth, the impact of education on economic development, key industry sectors, the impact of trade on employment, and a host of related issues.

Tune in friends!
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK airs on Fridays at 8:30pm and reairs the following Sunday at 12:30pm.

If you miss it, the show will be available, hopefully via web cast and we will make sure we share it with you here!

Agents on a Mission

2011-03-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

The Midas Center has several opportunities for individuals interested in learning more about creative communications, branding, social media and more!

If you are on a mission to learn, grow and develop your creative skills so that you can help businesses, communities and organizations succeed in the marketplace, you may qualify to become one of our special agents.

Special agents of The Midas Center will be assigned a specific mission based on areas of interest, talents of each intern and the current needs of The Midas Center and its clients. Get hands-on training, resume building experience, fun and more. Some missions for special agents are accompanied by financial reward, others offer valuable work training.

Make your summer meaningful, make an impact and develop your professional skills! Please be creative and get our attention if you are interested in becoming one of our future Special Agents of The Midas Center.

This new internship program announcement comes on the heals of statewide recognition from the Indiana Chamber and Indiana InternNET who recently selected The Midas Center as a finalist in Employer of the Year based on the internship program we offered to our Agent Extraordinaire, Cam Robertson, 2010. Perhaps you will be our next golden agent.

Use your talents, creativity and technological social media savviness today to show us you are agent-material. Email us, tag us, link us, send us a special delivery that shows us what you enjoy doing and what you would like to do in our creative mission field. Be mindful, we are very busy so walk-ins are not acceptable.

We will be contacting the selected special agents when specific missions are available. Make sure you leave your contact information. You may hear the words: Your Mission, If You Choose To Accept It...

What Have You Been Up To?

2011-03-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

When people ask us, "What have you been up to?" We answer, "Just keeping busy, building buzz and loving every second of it!"

That is the short answer... We thought we'd share a little more detail with you for the long answer... It is a golden era for us at The Midas Center! Here is some more information about "What we have been up to."

Today's headline in the South Bend Tribune was "Small storefront holds big ideas inside." Here is a link to the full article > We want to thank Virginia Ransbottom for writing an articulate article about our agency and the many entrepreneurial wheels we are grinding for business development!

This morning owner Andrea Cook was on the air with owner Gary Treat to promote the upcoming launch of www.TreatsBridalSuite.com. In fact, this Friday night we are hosting a Launch Party for the online expo and magazine dedicated to the local bridal market.

Friday night, March 11th, at 6:00 to 8:00, The Midas Center and iHEART Green Media will be opening its doors to invite the community for a Grand Opening party in conjunction with the Launch Party.

There is a lot to celebrate, including some new accounts, iHEART sponsorships and advertisement placements. We'll be sharing details with you on these new relationships soon.

Later today Cook will be in South Bend at the public broadcasting studio recording a show with Phil D'Amico, Director of Business Growth at The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County and host of WNIT's Economic Outlook program. The show will focus on Social Media and its impact on economic development. Details on the show, its panel members and airing times, click here >

What's New at The Midas Center

2011-03-02T04:57:00.001-08:00

We are working on creating a new community resource with a twist! Much like iHEARTplymouth and iHEARTculver that are targeted to improve the quality of life and grow economic opportunity for small cities and towns by providing an online community filled with stories on local events and businesses in the communities that members can read, write, share and love at no cost, we are currently developing a new product for a specific industry.

The Midas Center is passionate about helping businesses succeed and we harnessed this passion with our love for the local community, unconventional practices based on cutting edge technology and the power of networking to create our newest online resource, Treats Bridal Suite.

Realizing the numerous wedding vendors that each provide classic products and services throughout Plymouth and surrounding Marshall County, we invited businesses to participate in this online resource. Gary Treat, owner of Treat's Squire Shoppe and Bridal Shoppe partnered with our agency to grow its bridal market. Gary has been spearheading live bridal expos for many years and has not been able to get the traction that he was seeking in the recent years. He transitioned his vision from that one day expo to The Midas Center's out-of-the-box approach to develop a suite of bridal vendors in the area and promote them together as a premier bridal destination for wedding planning, shopping and celebrating. We pitched an online expo with added features of a magazine-like web site that will include a directory, articles written by local bloggers on the wedding world and stellar photos. This resource will provide the modern bride with a feast of information and images in hopes to inspire and serve as online support as she plans the wedding of her dreams. The directory includes categories that impact the full life cycle of any wedding planner, from the dress to the gifts -to give and -to receive, venues, florists and music!

To celebrate the upcoming launch of Treats Bridal Suite, we will be hosting a live Community Expo on the second Friday, March 11th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The public is invited to come. Although it will have a wedding theme, it is not exclusive to brides and grooms. The event will showcase a number of exhibitors who are featured in this debut edition of the online bridal resource, from bridal fashions and accessories showcased by Treat's Bridal Shoppe, live harp music by Beth Paré, fully decorated pop-up tent and dance floor from Grand Rental Station, divine sweets designed and made by Alexis Davis at Cakewalk, elegant floral designs and gifts by Elizabeths Garden, a live fun photo booth for the newly engaged to the entire family by Photography by Jayme and many many many more!

The event is free to attend. Registered guests will be eligible to win door prizes from the special exhibitor gift table. To find out some of the gift items that will be given away, you can see our latest updates as soon as we can get to them on the Treat's Bridal Suite's facebook page >

The Midas Center's new office location at 200 N. Michigan Street in downtown Plymouth, Indiana is pleased to present the recent window design by I DO VENUES, one of the Treat's Suite members.

Co-Workspace Now Available

2011-02-20T13:46:00.001-08:00

The Midas Center is pleased to announce its latest offering to help businesses and organizations succeed. With shared co-working space, independent professionals have an opportunity to work in a professional office environment with like-minded business men and women.

The following passes are available:

Virtual Pass: Add value to your business by increasing the credibility of your professional identity. Announce the location of your business by using a 200 N. Michigan Street, downtown Plymouth address on any of your marketing materials, from your web site to your business cards for a low monthly fee of $65. Get all your mail delivered and we'll hold it for you or forward it on to your home based location. This way, potential clients won’t think you work from a basement or P.O. box. And, if you want to schedule a meeting with a client, you can reserve a desk space or the conference room with a daily pass.

Daily Pass: First visit is on us (try before you buy, sweet!). Subsequent visits: $25, access during normal business hours, use desk space as and where available. Buy days in bulk, use them whenever you want, and save (example: you buy 20 days worth of access, you can use the facility today, skip a few days, come back for a day, skip a few days, etc, or you can use them all in a row, whatever works for you will work for us).

Monthly Pass: Access office during regular business hours for 30 days in a row for $250. Desk space as and where available. (Coming soon: 24/7 access via keycard option for monthly pass members.)

Monthly Private Desk Pass: Same as monthly pass option but with a dedicated desk instead, $500.

Daily and Monthly Passes Include these amenities:

- Option to list your name and company name on The Midas Center online directory
- Super fast business class internet connection (secured wifi)
- Lots of power outlets
- Free coffee bar
- Kitchenette (microwave, mini-fridge)
- Digital projector (coming soon)
- Business VOIP (slated for summer 2011)
- Lots of whiteboards
- On-Demand conference room
- Convenient street parking
- Nearby cafes and eateries (you name it and it is within a couple of blocks walking distance)
- Commercial address usage
- Mail forwarding (postage and handling fees apply)
- Month-to-month payment options
- Online payment and scheduling available
- Office supplies corner
- Paper shredder
- Shared resources, including possible hiring opportunities
- Recycling program (in process)
- Gig board for trading projects, collaborating, ideas
- Professional appearance
- Space to host modest events
- Utilities included
- Other amenities as we think of them or they are suggested (if its not on the list, just ask)

Potential users include, but aren’t limited to: writers, web developers, pod casters, journalists, students, independent thinkers, designers, realtors, investors, entrepreneurs, artists, software developers, researchers, academics, retirees, consultants, creatives, freelancers, independent contractors, lawyers, bloggers, marketers, graphic designers, start ups, home based businesses that want to take it to the next level or to simply get out of the house, self employed, small businesses, and overall open minded, nice, hard-working people who are making a difference in our community.

What are the intangible benefits of using our space?
• Networking
• Socialization
• Creative collaboration, springboard ideas, etc.
• Like minded professionals
• Professional, yet laid back environment
• High creative energy
• Save money on food and drink (no more having to buy a latte every hour or two just to be able to continue using the “free” wifi at the coffee shops)
• None of the background nonsense to distract you (again, that you get if you worked at a coffee shop or at home). Get constructive distractions instead!
• Work along side fellow determined empire builders
• Incubator environment
• Green, eco-friendly space with shared conservation of materials and energy including lighting and more
• Several different industries and several different businesses all under one roof
• Growing, supportive community of cool people to hang out with/partner up with/ work beside
• Being a part of something innovative
• Focus on your business without a commitment, or burden of a commercial lease

Are you interested in sharing an office with us and other like-minded businesses? Have questions? Contact us! We’d love to hear from you and to hear your ideas and feedback! Email us >

Reserve your space now; you’ll have first dibs!

Exact Target Receives Award

2011-02-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

The Midas Center would like to applaud the employment and innovative efforts of Exact Target. We are encouraged by your "exact" programs with an emphasis on empowerment and "orange culture" and well, we like you and want to be like you someday!

Indiana Chamber Recognizes The Midas Center For Internship Program: Indiana INTERNnet, Inc., a statewide internship resource provided by the Indiana Chamber, has named The Midas Center as a finalist for the Employer of the Year in recognition of its 2010 student internship program. The awards program took place in Indianapolis on February 10, 2011 at the Indiana Chamber Conference Center. The Indiana Chamber is the largest business advocacy organization in the state.

The finalist selected for this category was Exact Target. The Midas Center is honored to be selected as a finalist in the same category as Exact Target. Exact Target is a growing media agency located in Indianapolis and has been recognized for a number of years in a number of highly prestigious competitions in the industry.

The Agency of the Printed World VS. The Digital World

2011-02-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, we had a meeting with a prospect to discuss our Search Engine Optimization services. Although we don't have a commodity based pre-packaged service for this, it got us thinking about the wide range of solutions for businesses in today's digital era.

With the explosion of technology tools in the recent years, very few communications agencies are capable of providing full services to clients. The Midas Center started offering creative services to clients in 1999. At that time, print was still king and digital solutions like web sites, Powerpoint and pdf files were beginning to join the knighthood.

The number one King? The leader in the printed front? There was no such thing. It was a collection of tangible collateral like letterhead, brick and mortar office facades, business cards, printed new items annual reports, brochures, large display and trade show graphics and direct mailings, etc.

Since then, the print and digital solutions are equal components to businesses. Some businesses need to rely on the tangible and paper more, some businesses need to rely on the digital items for their marketing position, message and outreach. The marketing nirvana is reached when a perfect balance of printed and digital items are used.

Bottom line is this: You want your business to succeed. You have goals and resources. We ask you: Do you have a strategy, road map or blue print to lead you to success? Until you do, you may be seeking the wrong tool to reach that goal. Many of us might have a house that needs some updates, or a dream home we'd like to build. It isn't recommended to just waltz into Lowes and buy tools at random and just start building. Realize your goals, develop a strategy and execute it based on the resources like time and money you have. Perhaps you need a professional to help you with your marketing strategy, your branding platform, the campaign development to drive your message to your select audience. The communications agency you decide to work with should lead your communications plan along with you and not just tell you that you should hire their type of service exclusive to the overall objective your business seeks.

What are some of the areas of services a communications agency can provide to you?

In the printed, tangible world, you may need signage, annual reports, brochures, letterhead, business cards, advertising in newspapers or directories and any other items that may build your brand and naming recognition or generate leads and sales.

Digital solutions should serve the same purpose; that is to build a strong brand platform or generate leads and sales. In addition to reaching the same goals based on your budget, digital solutions can offer more, like be more cost effective, provide more tracking and offer more efficiency in your overall business administrative activities. Not only can digital marketing services help build a more robust web presence for your business' brand, it also includes so much more bells and whistles so that you can improve your techniques and see the ROI of your marketing activities.

What exactly are the digital marketing services that The Midas Center recommends? Is it in the area of social media or SEO? Sure. But we maintain the four cornerstones of our services stem from integrating Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations and Branding. The techniques, the tools, the best practices of growing your business will always change. The Midas Center continues to recognize the need to offer visual integrity (TM), effective communication in words and images and maintain the latest knowledge of technical know-how for our clients. We want to help clients succeed and we will provide as much as we can based on their budgets. We also provide training and coaching for clients so that they may manage their own online presence.

Sometimes, it isn't the message, it's the medium. We help clients with both the message AND the medium to get them where they want to be.

Special acknowledgement of photography to Amanda Nicolé Doty.

Indiana Chamber Recognizes The Midas Center As Finalist in Employer of the Year

2011-02-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

Indiana INTERNnet, Inc., a statewide internship resource provided by the Indiana Chamber, has named The Midas Center as a finalist for the Employer of the Year in recognition of its 2010 student internship program. The awards program will take place in Indianapolis on February 10, 2011 at the Indiana Chamber Conference Center beginning at 11:30 a.m. People interested in attending the event may register at www.indianaintern.net or call IndianaINTERNnet, Inc. at 317-264-7536. The Indiana Chamber is the largest business advocacy organization in the state.

The Midas Center’s program caught the Chamber’s attention because of the leadership opportunities it offered in local business development and new technology. Owner Andrea Cook comments, “One of the most rewarding parts of my career has been obtaining projects that provide jobs and empower other creative professionals. Working with younger individuals challenges me to keep learning all the evolving technology solutions.”

Intern Camden Robertson, a 2010 graduate of Plymouth High School, was given an opportunity to learn and practice business development skills with the launch of iHEARTplymouth.com. This social media resource was created to improve the quality of life and economic development for local communities and was rolled out during his summer internship program. "The internship has really proved to be beneficial to me in so many aspects,” said Robertson. “My time management has gotten a lot better. My experience at The Midas Center has not only improved my communication skills with some important customers, but the fact that I have experience in sales and marketing via an Internet platform puts me above many of my coworkers that are my age. I’m grateful for my experience there." Robertson is now a student at DePaul University in Chicago.

The Midas Center is a full-service creative communications agency located in downtown Plymouth that provides professional marketing, advertising, public relations and branding services to businesses and organizations. For information about internships at The Midas Center, please contact Andrea Cook, President, by phone at 574-936-7058 or by e-mail >

Today's Real Estate Value

2011-02-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

Ask any real estate agent, what are the three most important attributes one should consider when purchasing a home. He or she may reply, (all together now...) Location, Location, Location...

Now, ask us what is the most important attribute one should consider when building an online presence? We will tell you: LINKS. LINKS. LINKS.

Outbound and inbound links, the more you have, the more valuable your online presence will be.

Just having a web site is your ticket of admission. How you grow your online presence to be found is the secret to success.

If you are interested in learning how The Midas Center can help build your online presence so that your touchpoints turn to gold, contact us today >

Twitter Tips From the True Twitter Makers

2011-02-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

The Midas Center would like to share an email we recently received from the co-founders of Twitter. We hope you will find this resourceful as they share a comprehensive list of tips on how to get the most from the Twitterverse.

After you've read the list, feel free to share your thoughts from your twitter account and include @midascenter to your tweet so we can hear your comments too! Tweet on tweeps!

* * *

Our resolution is to help you get the most of out of Twitter this year. To start, we thought we'd send this note with four simple suggestions. Come on by our web site to try these out anytime!

1) Follow your interests.
We've found that the people who enjoy Twitter most tend to follow a variety of accounts: friends, family, people in their profession, local shops and events, and most importantly, people who share their passions.

2) Get specific.
Like sports? Follow your favorite leagues, teams, players, coaches, commentators, writers and fellow fans. Love food? Follow chefs, restaurants, critics, bloggers, specialty shops and respected foodies.

3) Don't panic.
People turn to Twitter during emergencies. Snowstorms, power outages and fires are just a few emergencies where Twitter may be helpful. Search for #hashtags and follow local civic accounts to stay informed.

4) Return to Twitter.
There are about 200 million accounts on Twitter now - that means new interests, new voices, and new ideas every day. We offer services in seven languages, apps for most devices, and SMS worldwide.

Thanks for being part of Twitter,

@Biz, @Ev, & @Jack
Co-founders, Twitter

* * *

P.S. Stay connected to The Midas Center via our Linked In Group, The Midas Center Social Media Club, our Facebook page, or our Twitter account to get more information on the upcoming workshop we will be offering on Twitter. The Midas Center provides monthly workshops on a variety of business development topics. Feel free to stop by The Midas Center, anywhere you can get a connection to our online presence to learn more about the details of our workshops!

Pardon the Dust

2011-02-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

The new office location for The Midas Center and iHEART Green Media is now located at 200 N. Michigan Street, downtown Plymouth, Indiana. The site is currently under renovation, getting its ceiling tiles restored, the original arch replaced as well as other improvements.

Fellow and future clients and coworking tenants will be ensured to enjoy the improvements however we are thankful for your patience as we embrace the renovation-n-blizzard and what-not...

Stay tuned for our future photos when they become available!

TMC Workshop: Branding, It's Not Just For Cows

2011-02-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

Want to Learn More About Branding?
Branding is not just for cows. Your brand is the reputation and presence you and your business project in the community and the marketplace. Learn how you can impact your personal and professional brand to increase results that lead to success. Get tips on how to develop a strong brand strategy and separate yourself from the competition.

Course includes information on what branding is, pitfalls to avoid and suggested tools to help build and grow your brand equity. For more details including course fee, available discounts and on line registration, click here >

Intangible Pioneers Pave the Way to Success

2011-02-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

Do you want to improve your social media activities? Is it overwhelming? Too many tools, not enough time? Are you tempted to just discount the social media arena because you think it is a fad, or a trend that won't impact your career path?

How are you defining success in your career? We all know that success is not a destination, but is fulfilled along the journey. Are you ready for a journey and an intangible adventure? Are you embracing technology as part of your future planning of your career path?

A true pioneer knows that success is not about a destination. A one time achievement that can be acquired just because you've received a diploma or a retirement package. Pioneers, the successful ones are always learning, hypothesizing, experimenting, improving, changing themselves and the world around them for the better despite their circumstances. Overcoming fear and adversity along the way, successful stories of pioneers include a foundation of character and integrity and fueled by passion and hunger. This combination is key in making true progress, innovation and success in pioneers of the past and present. These are first and foremost the necessary tools in developing a social media program for your business or career development. Before you can proceed into the next era, you must be willing to have the character and passion to keep up with the rapid pace of technology.

Align your career path with this component, then the unknown landscape of new technologies, difficult people and ever changing stressors may detour your path but will not destroy you and your mission.

Go onward fellow pioneers. Continue to strive, move forward, toward more, better, faster, smarter solutions. We're in this together.

Pioneers who "first" found the western world continued to move onward, building the railroad tracks and digging those wooden telephone polls along the way. What are you finding, developing, creating in today's world? And, are you a true pioneer or a settler?

The Midas Center Workshop Update

2011-01-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's workshop entitled "Social Media 101" presented 101 tips and tidbits on Social Media, from its evolution to its current tools, suggested strategies and first steps to get participants started. Twelve guests attended and received handout materials that included a glossary of latest terms and more tips to take back to the office or home computers. Course material was developed for users to become smarter and more efficient with their social media practices.

If you were unable to attend this workshop but would be interested in an encore presentation at The Midas Center for your business or organization, please contact us.

The next workshop is scheduled for the last Friday in February and is entitled "Branding: It's Not Just For Cows." This session is scheduled for noon, February 25th at The Midas Center. Registration is required. Details will be posted soon!

A Deal To Motivate You In Today's Digital Era

2011-01-26T05:02:00.000-08:00

In honor of today's workshop, we want to invite our readers to sign up for one of the super star tools we use and recommend, Constant Contact. Sign up for a 60 day free trial and then receive $30 credit on your first month by following the steps in this link >

It is time you harness the tools available in this digital era. Stop blaming the economy for the lack of growth in your business. Work smarter, faster, better on reaching your buyers and building your reputation. Try electronic newsletters, electronic invitations and save money, be green, and see results in a click!

To earn the $30 credit, you must enter the site through the link provided above. As a full disclaimer, The Midas Center will also receive a discount. However, we would not recommend a product or service just for the money, we do it because we like to promote everything that is awesome.

Today's Pioneers and the New Frontier

2011-01-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

Evolution of social media can be traced back before Paul Revere and his horse, Brown Betty. True pioneers discovered, invented and made a difference that impacted the world.

What does it take to be a true pioneer? From the tangible land of the free to today's intangible landscape of technology and communication, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Today's frontier is a new world, an intangible landscape of technology and communication but it takes a true pioneer to lead and innovate.

When I think of a pioneer, one of my favorite movies "Far Far and Away" comes to my mind. This film, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman was a big hit back when the superstar couple were still married and seemed "normal." The movie was about two young people living in Ireland, both seeking a new world. From entirely two different upbringings, one a farmer, oppressed and who lost his father and his own farm due to the tyrant of his land at the time. The other, a young woman with a spirit for adventure who yearned for any thing non-conventional. Watch a trailer here >

The two main characters set out on a journey, a true pioneer story. And, as their paths crossed and they ventured overseas to a land of the unknown, they experienced life as a true pioneer. An open range of land, freedom and opportunity. They came across groups of people and circumstances they would have never imagined. Their standards of ethics and integrity became more pronounced throughout their venture and once they arrived at their destination, standing on a hill near a stream, with one hand holding a white flag to claim their own land, the sun set in the west and the movie credits began to roll. A success story of a pioneer - or, only the beginning?

That was then. Pioneers went westward bound on their pursuits of happiness, seeking natural resources like land, streams of water, oil and gold. These opportunities were available to those who dared to step out beyond the boundaries of status quo.

Today's pioneers have the same reasons and passions that drive them. They have the same rugged- and character-building journey. They are also on a pursuit of happiness but today's pioneers are not discovering America, the land of the free. That was then. This is now. America has been discovered, acquired, capitalized and over-utilized. Today's pioneers are venturing out in an intangible land seeking life and liberty in a new frontier, a new world of intangible possibilities.

They're the entrepreneurs, inventors, designers, writers, all with creative minds and a fearless spirit that drive them forward, in hot pursuit of innovation. The far away lands and turbulent seas that once shaped a pioneer's journey is much different than the landscape just ahead in the eyes of today's pioneers. Today, our new frontier is a cyber world endless and rich with intangible resources, just waiting to be discovered. The future discoveries and inventions are going to change the world.

Are you ready for the intangible adventure? Let's go!

Nonprofits Can Outsource Social Media and Online Promotions to The Midas Center

2011-01-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

Social Media Management Services: Now available for nonprofits throughout Marshall County.

The Midas Center is pleased to introduce a community service plan aimed to promoting the many benefits, activities and events that Marshall County's nonprofit organizations provide.

This new Social Media Management service plan provides the strategic development and ongoing promotion through a variety of social media channels to grow the online presence of organizations that are volunteer based and reliant on community's social engagement.

With an annual social media management plan, nonprofits can receive customized professional services so that the right online tools are created, ongoing announcements and messages are promoted and ultimately the organization can grow in an effective and efficient manner while focusing on what its original mission. Outsourcing the promotion and professional online social media marketing allows nonprofit organizations to focus on its mission and service to the community. Additional services may include web design and development, newsletter management and more.

Interested in seeking financial assistance? If your organization is a 501(c)(3) and you would like to apply for the resources to fund this plan, you may apply for a grant from the Marshall County Community Foundation. Click here to apply for a grant. Act now, deadline ends February 1st!

Special Tips for Women in the Workplace

2011-01-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

Calling all women in the workplace... want to learn some tips on how to succeed? In preparation for the upcoming networking event sponsored by the Women's Advisory Group, we'd like to share an encouraging TEDtalks video by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook titled, "Why There Are So Few Women Leaders and What Women Can Do About It."

Basic tips include:
1. Sit at the table.
2. Make your partner a real partner.
3. Don't leave before you leave.

For more, view this video now >

Want more encouragement and tips on professional development tailored to women in the workplace? Join us this Monday for the next WAG networking event at our new office location, 200 N. Michigan Street.

WAG Networking Luncheon
Monday, Jan. 10, 2011
11:45 a.m. Registration and Networking
12:15 p.m. Presentation on Balancing Work with Life, by Angie Stults
12:45 p.m. Discussion
1:00 p.m. Event ends

Please bring your colleagues and business cards. RSVP by calling the office at (574) 936-7058 or email to reserve your seat and catered lunch, $7.50.

We've Moved!

2010-12-29T08:14:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce the new office location for The Midas Center. Our new address is 200 North Michigan Street in Downtown Plymouth, Indiana 46563.

Prepay for Registration

2010-12-23T09:17:00.000-08:00

Thank you for securing your seat at the upcoming course.
You may pay online for your registration to the The Midas Center Workshop: Social Media 101 by selecting the number and type of attendees below. Please contact The Midas Center by phone directly (574) 936-7058, if you have any trouble processing your payment with this method. Thank you.

Want to Learn More About Social Media?

2010-12-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of buzz about social media. People of all ages, backgrounds, professions and interests are using it. But, what exactly is social media?

The Midas Center Workshop: Social Media 101 will provide attendees with 101 facts, tips, ideas and best practices on social media, its variety of tools, history and impact it is making on today's society both in our personal lives and in the professional world. Join colleagues and improve your understanding on social media by registering for the next course titled, "The Midas Center Workshop: Social Media 101" scheduled for Wednesday, January 26, 2011.

Course is designed to meet all levels of understanding on this current and relevant topic. Class fee is $50. iHEART sponsors will receive 50% discount for all employees attending any class in The Midas Center Workshop series. Contact The Midas Center prior to registration to secure your discount and learn more about the benefits sponsors receive.

Attendees will receive lunch and handout materials that will review the 101 random social media items presented during the workshop. Register today, online by clicking here >

The Midas Center Presents

2010-12-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

VIP Reception at New Office

2010-12-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

On Friday, December 17th, The Midas Center opened its doors to its new office location to special VIP members of the Buzz Patrol. The Buzz Patrol is a group of dedicated creative writers who contribute their creative thoughts in their own blog hosted on iHEART media outlets like iHEARTplymouth.com and iHEARTculver.com.

Guests included members of the Buzz Patrol and colleagues who we would like to have join this social media club. Official members who attended are pictured above, Marcy Eckhoff Wagner, Expressions in Design; Andrea Cook, editor and President, The Midas Center; Phil Cook, Foodie Love; Brandi Klingerman, Small Town Girl in a College World; and Mike Bergman, advisor and consultant for The Midas Center.

Members were recognized for their contributions with a gift and a certificate of appreciation. The Buzz Patrol is full of other talented contributors who were unable to attend the reception. A listing of these writers and their bios may be found on the Buzz Blog.

If you would be interested in joining the Buzz Patrol and get "your blog on," please write about your specific passion you are interested in writing about and tell us why you would be interested in joining the Buzz Patrol. email >

Also, you are welcome to follow our Social Media Club on LinkedIn to join in the discussion of social media and how it is impacting the workplace. LinkedIN here >

Wheel of Progress Congratulates Winners!

2010-12-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Wheel of Progress: 2010 drawing for Plymouth Chamber of Commerce gift certificates!

Today, on Monday, December 9th, The Midas Center presented the results of the Wheel of Progress 2010 to the public. During this presentation, The Midas Center shared the process on how the new image and message was developed. Much of the process included an agreement on the need of a cohesive image for Plymouth as stated collectively by five key stakeholders. Stakeholders included the City of Plymouth, Plymouth Community Public Schools, Plymouth's Chamber of Commerce and PIDCO who commissioned The Midas Center to develop a new image and message that will be used to communicate Plymouth online.

The presentation overview may be reviewed on a post shared on iHEARTplymouth.com >

The apex of the presentation was a slide show of the value propositions of Plymouth with the main message, "Join us in the Journey." For a preview of this slideshow, please see below:

And last, but not the least of today's presentation included the announcement of the winners of the five $100 gift certificates from the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce. The winners are:
- Ken Houin
- Gnomes_Garden
- Lois Evan
- S Clarke @ fourway
- Brantley Houlihan

You may stop by the new offices at The Midas Center, 200 N. Michigan Street in downtown Plymouth to pick up your gift certificate. Please stop by during regular business hours and I.D. will be required.

The next phase of the Wheel of Progress: 2010 will be presented to the public in March of 2011.

Thank you all who participated to make this campaign successful! The members of The Midas Center thank you for your investment into this public branding program and we hope to continue to work with the community towards the ongoing progress!

Seeking Job Candidates

2010-11-30T10:10:00.000-08:00

The Midas Center is growing. We are actively seeking passionate individuals to join our team. There are several positions available in the areas of Sales, Copywriting, Social Media, Web Development and Account Management.

Each of the qualified candidates will have specific job duties. Some positions will be compensated on an hourly rate, others will be commissioned-based plus bonus incentives. We have part-time and full-time needs. Freelancers and independent consultants are welcome to apply.

The Midas Center is a creative communications agency that offers services and products to help businesses and organizations succeed in northern Indiana. We have a strategic vision to grow our business. All candidates must possess a positive entrepreneurial energy as well as a strong understanding of branding and the variety of tools used to build a successful web presence for our growing list of clients.

If you are self motivated, have a strong work ethic and would like to join our creative team of movers and shakers, please send an email with your resume and a letter to convince us that you are the right candidate. Interviews will take place throughout December and new hires will begin in January 2011.

Adweek's Social Media Market Discussion

2010-11-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

On a recent article from Adweek, "Keep Social Media Simple -- and In-House" written by Alex Blum, we shared our $.02. The Midas Center owner, Andrea Cook was pleased to be the first to comment, here is what she said:

You bring up a great topic that is so relevant and current and should be evaluated for businesses. My take on this is that social media, if managed and supervised under the guidelines and standards of a company's brand, image and goals can indeed be outsourced to reliable social media service.

In fact, I see this (social media outsourcing) as the next generation of corporate customer service. Gone are the days when customer service 1-800 numbers hidden on company's web sites and directed to an office somewhere off shore where people, completely dis-attached to the mission and values of of the company's brand read from a script.

Today, in the new era of the internet age, the corporations who rely on third party social media marketers to help build their brand throughout the variety of social media outlets will be the leaders to watch out for. Your article mentions authenticity and simplicity and so perhaps the real rub here is finding a social media source to partner with who understands these values. As you know, social media is not just about the traditional methodology of pushing a message, it also can provide valuable insight that can be informative to the R&D process.

If corporations have found value in outsourcing their R&D function as well as their customer service function, why would they not also trust a third party social media marketing business. I for one am in the process of developing a business and to train individuals to become more savvy social media juggernauts so that I may offer professional services to businesses who are seeking social media services.

I welcome further discussion on this relevant topic. My name is Andrea Cook and I am the President of The Midas Center (www.themidascenter.com), currently located in rural Indiana. What a better place to offer a third party social media service for businesses? Find me on Twitter/andreacook or Twitter/midascenter. Also, please join The Midas Center Social Media Club on LinkedIN for more discussions on out sourcing social media.

Get Motivated: In Review

2010-10-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

Get Motivated Tip #2 by Rudy Gulliani: Leaders have lost their own individuality, their passions their principles. Technology is a great tool and it is profoundly making an impact on our society and its leaders. Read how to manage technology and improve your leadership. Read below for more leadership tips > > >

* * * *
This week I attended the Get Motivated business seminar at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. There was a bounty of accomplished world renown speakers all sharing tips, techniques, tidbits and truths that have kept them on a steady path of success. I would like to publically thank my friend and fellow Toastmaster, Jan Houin who secured a ticket for me and arranged for transportation for me even though we left at 4:45 a.m.!

Here is a list of the speakers who made the most impact on me and a quick take away I gained from their talk. I share it with you in hopes that you may find it interesting and encouraging for you and your journey.

Steve Forbes:
Don't forget the basics.
(This was the basic tip I basically heard, although, I was late for this presentation so I didn't get the full message. I would have loved to have learned more on what Steve shared however! )

Terry Bradshaw:
Terry was honest and genuine. He told the audience of 15,000 of his flaws, his journey of divorces and family problems, his struggles with depression and ADHD and more. Then he said, "Our lives will always have adversity." He encouraged audience members to work on those simple things in life like smiling and just being happy. He encouraged people to define their gifts, passions and what makes them truly fulfilled.

Terry was told most of his life he was "stupid." He even admitted several times that all he had was "a P.E. degree." He shared about his experience of running through the tunnel onto fields and being booed. Despite the negativity, the adversity, he claimed that he owned the title and deed to his dream and no on could take away his dream.

Rudy Gulliani:
Rudy Gulliani told the stadium of guests that technology and the rate of how information is delivered by technology is having a profound impact on our world. He claimed that one of the problems leaders are faced with due to this information technology is that leaders have lost their own individuality, their passions their principles. There is a tendency to follow majority too often. They follow the polls instead of using their minds and their hearts. He encouraged leaders to develop individual plans and ideas based on experience, education and beliefs. "Collective opinions lack creativity and lean towards a tyranny."

Rudy recognized the impact of technology and offered suggestions on how to cope with this major impact of overwhelming information.

1. Stay connected.
Don't be afraid of it. You will be left behind. Learn how to use a computer.
2. Read.
Read books. Go deeper into a subject you enjoy. Read about a subject that challenges you. Read about subjects that you enjoy.
3. Listen.
Learn from others. Copy other leaders, fit it to your own self. Learn to be a better business person, go to another leader and ask them to teach you.
4. Write. Hand write notes on what your interested in. List pros and cons. Write down goals.
5. Stop and think.
Reflect. Take a moment to search for your own Instinct. Your instinct and individuality needs to be accessed and preserved.

Lastly he shared a great quote from his father, "Weddings are discretionary, funerals are mandatory." You need to care about people. Be a true friend to others.

Zig Ziglar:
While most of the speakers paced the stage from corner to corner with a supernatural enthusiasm, Zig Ziglar, 84 year old man sat on a chair next to his daughter. His daughter introduced her father and told the crowd that Zig had fallen almost a decade ago and needed his daughter to help him on stage when his memory would wander. A strong message in the act was almost as powerful and memorable than the words they shared. Here were some of the principles Zig shared:

Never worry. Tell the truth.
Encourage and court your spouse just like when you were first in love.
Sales techniques come and go but integrity and truth is always in vogue.
Be a life time learner. Put good stuff in, and good stuff will come out.
No one gets anywhere on their own, we all need others. Help one another.
Money buys a nice house, but not a home.
A sense of humor is valuable, don't suppress it. Laugh out loud.
Love your wife. (He kept referring to his wife throughout his presentation.)
Pump pump pump hard and tirelessly. Then, when you least expect it the water will just flow...
See you at the top.

General Colin Powell
Shared his own techniques he has used in all sectors, at all levels in his life:
Be a leader, get followers, bond and give them goals, a mission, a PURPOSE. They have to believe that they are making a big impact, benefitting society.
Have a purpose, believe, have passion, show it, show moral and ethical integrity.
Motivate and inspire, people need to believe in what you are doing, so they can achieve in what you need them to do. Make sure they have the tools to get the work in.
Just because you are cold wet, be a leader and don't show it.
Show affirmation, say thanks.
Check in, have human connection with others.
Great leaders are tough too. Don't be a pushover, do not allow bad followers to stay.
Trust is shared by good leaders and their followers. They'll follow you even it it is out of curiosity.
Radiate. Think new thoughts.

Laura Bush
It can be difficult to recognize yourself despite others opinion. She shared her secrets to sanity and told about how she handled stress while living in the White House on 9/11. She shared:
Stay in the moment.
Know who you are.
Respect previous leaders as decent men.
At times we lean to left and to the right but America is the big ship that sails on.
Live thru the adventures, count your blessings (realize the value of your own children safely tucked in, know the job of a leader, take a stand, make q difference, face failure, humiliation and change)

Danica Patrick
Her number one tip: Don't give up. Success takes hard work. Most people quit too early and just give up.
Danica's secret to success: Obstacles only charged her, made her want to be more, to be better, to keep going.
She suggests that others need to identify their passions, find their talents. It is good to have lofty dreams and high goals. Keep big picture in mind.
When asked if she had any advice for other underdogs, she responded with disbelief, "Am I an underdog?" Evidently, she has always seen herself as a winner even as a female in a male dominated sport, from a young age, she never recognized parameters. Her parents helped formulate this belief from early on in her childhood. She shared, "We are our own limit."

A full day packed to the minute of ideas and testimonies from some of the powerhouses and aspiring leaders. From 8:00 a.m. to past 6:00 p.m. the stage was oozing with information and inspiration. We hope you will find these leaders to be role models for you as you form your own ways to manage stress, be a leader, take a stand and change the world. Are you motivated?

Move over secretary, hello igoogle!

2010-10-19T12:40:00.001-07:00

If you have not gotten acquainted with the powers of igoogle, you might be in the pre-internet dark ages.

igoogle is a free online tool that provides online calendar management, online document storage and sharing, web sites, blogs, RSS feed management and well, so MUCH more! This online tool is helpful in going paperless and being successful in the online landscape. Anyone want to share how igoogle has impacted their business practice? Please share!

Celebrating One Year Today!

2010-10-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

OCT 14, 2010 PLYMOUTH – The business world is always changing and it is hard for business owners to keep up. In addition to normal operation duties of any business, owners also realize the need to update how they advertise and appeal to more people and markets. For business owners looking for a new way to appeal to more people and new crowds, a fresh new pair of eyes from a marketing professional may be just the key they need to success. The Midas Center is the place to go for reaching more sales, more customers and more opportunities to grow.

Today, October 14th, The Midas Center celebrates their first year of business since relocating and opening its doors in Plymouth, Indiana. Located on Garro Street, near Michigan Street in downtown Plymouth, they offer professional communication services. Services include updating, expanding, and managing a business’s marketing, public relations, branding, social media, and advertising. They listen to what clients want and offer solutions to work within a variety of budgets. From social media coaching to community wide branding projects, The Midas Center’s mission is to help businesses and organizations succeed.

In the past year, The Midas Center’s clients include inSPIRATIVE art center, Lake Maxinkuckee Environment Council, Culver Wesley Methodist Church, Recycle Depot, Earthworks, Strikes and Spares, Hanggup, insight HR, King’s Jewelry, Setting the Tone by Beth Paré, Plymouth Community School Corporation and a collective group of community leaders including Plymouth Mayor’s Office, PIDCO, Plymouth Community School Corporation and Chamber of Commerce who have hired The Midas Center for the Wheel of Progress 2010. Services for these clients range from basic graphic design, social media coaching, advertising campaigns, web sites, surveys and integration of marketing, public relations, advertising and branding tools.

The Midas Center is proud of the development of a new web site launched during the summer of 2010 called a new business called iHEARTplymouth.com. In addition to iHEARTplymouth.com, iHEARTculver.com is also available. Both are community-centric social media tools that integrate the people and businesses and are designed to foster community- and economic growth. These new sites are free to read, write and share and include “everything you love about your town.” Readers can access information and details about upcoming events from organizations, businesses, individuals, and the rest of the community. And, anyone can post events or add a web page at no cost. There are additional services that provide promotional options such as training, sponsorships and advertising for the businesses and organizations who want the added presence and to financially support this community enriching online resource.

The sites are continually growing with content and members and are quickly changing how the town can communicate ideas, projects and events. There are a number of ways for you as an individual and as a business or organization can benefit from iheartplymouth.com, iheartculver.com and The Midas Center. To learn more, join each group on Facebook or Twitter or contact the office directly by calling (574) 936-7058.

Social Media Tip: The Practice of Learning

2010-10-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

Are you in the practice of learning more about the latest best practices?

Because technology is fervently changing and evolving, we encourage you to make business development part of your business practice.

Take the time to develop your skills and learn more about social media by attending a seminar or workshop in your area. If you are interested in attending a networking event hosted by Women Business Owners of Michiana (WBOM), you can join me next Tuesday. Or you may learn more about the event on their web site by visiting www.wbom.org. This particular event they are offering is a luncheon on the topic of social media. Notre Dame's AgencyND's Director Extraordinaire Don Schindler will be speaking about the latest trends in social media. Although he has much to say on the subject of social media by proof on the number of posts he shares on Twitter and his agency's blogs, social media continues to emerge, evolve and shift the way businesses and organizations communicate who they are and what they do. We're looking forward to learning more from Don and his approach to how he leads Notre Dame's social media endeavors in this new frontier.

Learn more about social media and its latest best practices, attend workshops when available. And don't forget to mingle with live people at live events. There is more to business relationships than just retweeting and emailing!

The Midas Center offers workshops and coaching sessions for individuals and groups in-person or virtually. Coaching sessions can be customized to your specific business goals and can include training, guidance, support, strategy or what ever helps you meet your goals.

Clients achieve an improved understanding of social media tools including how to better communicate and meet goals using facebook, twitter, LinkedIN, blogs, google documents and more!

Presentations now available:
• Social Media 101: The New Frontier of Marketing
• Facebook 101: Save Time and Money and More
• Twitter 101: To Tweep or Not to Tweep and More
• iHEARTplymouth 101: Small businesses get online for free
• Blogging 101: Passionate Social Activists Wanted
• Branding 101: It's not Just for Cows

Clients may also request customized presentations based on their specific needs and goals. To learn more about how The Midas Center can help you improve your social media activities and take your business to the next level, contact Andrea Cook today to schedule your first session by phone at (574) 936- 7058 or by email.

Social Media: Help Me Help You

2010-10-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

The Midas Center is passionate about helping businesses and organizations succeed. We want to be your Jerry Macguire. Like Jerry, we promote our clients and we use proven, best practices and a variety of creative marketing tools to help clients succeed. We completely relate with Jerry's passion and entusiasm in this clip (see video below). We are just as passionate about helping you to succeed and we are excited about the technologies that are currently and readily and "freely" available to each of us. We talk a lot about social media because there are so many tools that are free to use and have a great impact to helping you reach your marketing goals. So, tell us, help us... how can we help you?

Currently, we are creating opportunities for individuals and businesses to learn-n-grow and lead-n-succeed. Through workshops or coaching sessions, we have a list of social media topics we can offer. We also provide customized workshops, presentations and training to individuals and groups to help clients reach their specific goals through marketing on-line.

We are developing a list of topics we think would be useful. However, if you have a suggestion on a topic you think would be beneficial, we'd love to hear from you. Feel free to comment or email Andrea Cook directly with your ideas.

Help us help you!

Social Media Tip: True Identity

2010-09-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

Me, myself and I.

If this sums up your profile across all social media platforms, well then, your online identity is safe. However, if you have additional profiles, or online brands that you are managing, then be sure to be mindful when you log in and share comments, updates and posts.

Perhaps you didn't realize you could even branch out of your own personal identity and recreate new profiles, new brands that represent your professional aspirations and values. Well, you can and you should. Depending on what your over all objective is for using social media, you should be mindful of your own online brand. For example, if you use Facebook or Twitter for venting your views about politics, you should not use the same profile for your professional identity, unless, well, you are in politics and everything you post or tweet supports your position and principles of your political views.

As a working mother, I may use my Facebook for seeking a special Halloween costume for my kids. I also might use it for playing way too much time on Bejeweled, but I would never share personal information as a post for my professional profiles. And, yes, I do have more than one professional profile to represent my full online brand. Don't you?

To sum it all up: Who are you and what are your goals? Your profile represents your reputation and your brand. Your status updates should reflect who you are and what you want to be known for.

Social Media Tip: Were You Open to Email?

2010-09-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Where are you in your understanding and acceptance of social media? Do you remember when email was the new thing? Perhaps you may recall the Apple commercial with Jeff Goldblum where he opened my eyes to how the email technology was separating members in our society. Even though he claimed in the advertisement that "email is as easy as licking a stamp" and referred to those who email as one big party, and those who did not email were missing out, there are still those in our society who are hesitant to hop on the information highway and travel together online in this internet era.

Social media is a term that encompasses all of the tools that allow us to communicate more effectively and efficiently. It depends who you ask, but I think of social media tools as both hardware and software technologies that all work together, or "sync" to improve the way we live, communicate, learn, improve, behave in society. In 1998, Apple launched the iMac ad (see video below) as a tool to help society as a whole email. Since then, there have been a plethora of tools that help us get invited to the party.

When you first got that invitation to come to "the party," how did you respond? How are you responding to today's world of social media tools?

The Midas Center offers workshops and coaching sessions for individuals or groups to empower you to better understand social media and reach your goals. Whether you are feeling like you're missing the party and just want to learn the social media basics so you can share photos and stay in touch with your friends and family, or you want your business to have a stronger online presence using social media tools, The Midas Center's coaching and workshops can be customized to your specific needs. Contact Andrea Cook today to schedule your session >>

Social Media: Want to optimize your online marketing efforts?

2010-09-20T13:06:00.001-07:00

Learn more about what social media is and how it can help your business succeed today.

Workshops and coaching sessions are available for individuals and groups. Coaching sessions can be customized to your specific business goals and can include training, guidance, support, strategy or what ever helps you meet your goals.

Clients achieve an improved understanding of social media tools including how to better communicate and meet goals using facebook, twitter, LinkedIN, blogs, google documents and more!

To learn more about how The Midas Center can help you improve your social media activities and take your business to the next level, contact Andrea Cook today to schedule your first session by phone at (574) 936- 7058 or by email.

Presentations now available:

• Social Media 101: The New Frontier of Marketing

• Facebook 101: Save Time and Money and More

• Twitter 101: To Tweep or Not to Tweep and More

• iHEARTplymouth 101: Small businesses get online for free

• Blogging 101: Passionate Social Activists Wanted

• Branding 101: It's not Just for Cows

Professionals who have participated in a social media workshop or coaching sessions by The Midas Center are welcome to be members of The Midas Center Social Media Club.

Award winning full service creative communications agency providing professional marketing, advertising, public relations and branding services to businesses and organizations.

Women's Advisory Group Reception

2010-09-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you mix confident handshakes, an art exhibit opening and a gathering of professional business women?

This past Saturday night, the Women's Advisory Group (WAG) invited business women entrepreneurs and business leaders for a networking opportunity. WAG founders include local business owners, Andrea Cook, Tina Fitch, Nancy Felde and Marianne Peters. This WAG board represents businesswomen of a variety of generations, coincidently raising daughters of all ages, and meet monthly to discuss topics that impact women in the workplace as well as career and business development.

The WAG mission? To encourage women entrepreneurs in their careers through sharing, networking and supporting. In attempt to reach out to the community and provide leadership opportunities and benefits to businesswomen, a women's networking wine and cheese reception took place over the weekend at The Midas Center's office in conjunction with inSPIRATIVE art gallery's opening night of Rococomance, an exhibit by artist Christopher Stackowicz.

Guests of all ages and professions attended, including business owners, directors, educators and more.

Freelance writer and business owner of "Workshops that Work," Carol Anders was the winner of the engraved business card holder that was given as a door prize. A selection of wine and artisan cheeses were available as well as great topics of conversation, new relationships and future lunch dates.

The Midas Center is pleased to host the event and is encouraged by the innovative business leaders in the community!