By Megan Totka
Most people understand how to use social media to find friends, activities, games, etc. Businesses are also becoming more adept at finding both their current customers as well as new ones by using social media sites to their advantage. But social media can be a dangerous creature if you don’t know how to harness its power properly.
Social media marketing is quickly becoming a focus for many companies. Since some social media sites, Facebook in particular, are viewed millions of times per day, it’s critical to the success of small businesses to keep their page(s) up-to-date and use them as tools to interact with customers.
However, there are many pitfalls to social media marketing. Here are some common social media gaffes and how to avoid or remedy them:
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By David French
In Part 1 last week, we addressed confidentiality agreements and nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), particularly the role that these documents serve in protecting patent rights. We ended Part 1 with the question, “But what is a disclosure made in confidence?”
It’s clearly established that disclosures made to professionals such as patent agents and patent attorneys are assumed to be in confidence. Also, if the parties have agreed that a disclosure is confidential, then the necessary standard of confidentiality has been established. And then there are other cases where the circumstances imply an understanding of confidentiality: Disclosures made to a draftsman or to an industrial designer to improve the product, disclosures made to find out whether there are public regulations that the invention must meet, disclosures within the family, and numerous other cases where a special relationship exists. The problem of establishing confidentiality arises when conversations occur between business persons in the context of arms-length relationships, such as between the inventor and a potential purchaser. Are these exchanges assumed to be confidential?
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By Hailley Griffis
Last month’s content lineup featured great posts that shattered common myths about listening to feedback from investors, the future of the tech-world for entrepreneurs and how far a little cleverness can take you in your marketing strategy. We also looked at the International Startup Festival being held in Montreal this month for the third year in a row and the astounding importance that neurons play in our day-to-day lives.
In case you missed any of it, here is a handy recap of our posts, as ranked by the enthusiasm of our readers:
June 18 : The art of ignoring feedback, by Anil Dilawri
June 04: Where do the next opportunities lie for savvy tech entrepreneurs?, by Denzil Doyle
June 26: International Startup Festival hits Montreal for third edition, by Francis Moran
June 17: A little cleverness goes a long, long way, by Leo Valiquette
June 19: You are what you think, by Bob Bailly
June 12: Why my pony tail ain’t my brand, by Francis Moran
June 06: House renos and the art of customer service, by Francis Moran
June 05: Your local newspaper may be your hardest to crack, and least relevant, media outlet, by Leo Valiquette
June 24: Why confidentiality, by David French
June 27: Running faster is not the solution to Canada’s productivity challenge, by Denzil Doyle
June 10: 4 reasons why you need a mobile website, by Debra Kaye
June 11: With clients, you must sometimes be cruel to be kind, by Leo Valiquette
June 20: Are developers responsible for how their products are used?, by Francis Moran
June 25: Summer is no time to slack off, by Leo Valiquette
June 13: Customer surveys are great. Unless you ask the wrong questions, by Francis Moran
Image: June 2013 Calendar Printable
From all of us at Francis Moran and Associates, we hope you have a happy and safe Canada Day long weekend. Regular posting will resume tomorrow.
By Hailley Griffis
As per our usual Friday schedule, we have rounded up some of the best articles we’ve come across in the past week to share with our readers. Front and centre this time around are Startup Professionals, Financial Post and the Huffington Post.
Many entrepreneurs over-think or under-think issues
Martin Zwilling, CEO and founder of Startup Professionals, Inc. assesses the overload of information that today’s entrepreneurs are swimming in, causing them to either over-think or under-think very crucial issues. He bases his points on Daniel Patrick Forrester ‘s book and offers key areas for reflective thinking.
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Running faster is not the solution to Canada’s productivity challenge
June 27, 2013 by Denzil Doyle
Canada’s debate on productivity is one in which the country’s high-tech industry has both a right and a responsibility to participate. […]
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International Startup Festival hits Montreal for third edition
June 26, 2013 by Francis Moran
Outside of my annual summer vacation, one of the things I most look forward to when the weather turns hot is the International Startup Festival, returning to Montreal from July 10 to 13 for a third great year. I chatted this week with Phil Telio, the festival’s maestro […]
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Summer is no time to slack off
June 25, 2013 by Leo Valiquette
Here we are, a few days from the Canada Day long weekend. For many of us, it marks the beginning of a two-month stretch of general slacking as many workplaces downshift in response to mass vacation taking. Or … maybe not […]
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Why confidentiality?
June 24, 2013 by David French
This post is about why it is appropriate to limit disclosures of new technology under confidentiality agreements or understandings. This applies to “confidentiality agreements”, and “nondisclosure agreements – NDAs”, which are essentially the same thing […]
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Great articles roundup: Marketing investments, public relations, permission marketing, personal branding
June 21, 2013 by Hailley Griffis
Every Friday, we round up some of the best articles we’ve come across in the past week and share them with our readers. […]
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Are developers responsible for how their products are used?
June 20, 2013 by Francis Moran
Ottawa finally got its version of the C100’s terrific Accelerate conferences last week and it was a stellar event from beginning to end. […]
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You are what you think
June 19, 2013 by Bob Bailly
Humans have relatively big brains, and certainly it’s our defining characteristic, as much as a trunk is for an elephant, or the size of its neck is for a giraffe […]
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The art of ignoring feedback
June 18, 2013 by Anil Dilawri
I see a lot of presentations every week. Many of these presentations are investor pitches from small technology companies. Most of these investor pitches are bad … really, really bad […]
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