Bigfoot blogging on laptop

BASE CAMP

Zoom vs Google Meet

Zoom vs Google Meet

by | Jan 14, 2021 | Google, Video Conferencing, Zoom

Zoom or Google Meet?

I use both but there are some differences. Zoom does things Google Meet can’t, and Google Meet does things Zoom can’t. Zoom’s popularity begins with it’s ease-of-use. Google Meet is popular because it doesn’t require a download on most popular browsers and for its native integration with Gmail and Google Calendar. But, Zoom now also integrates well with Google Calendar. Below, I outline the key features of both.

I spend an average of 20+ hours a week in video conferencing. I teach clients how to get things done with screen sharing. Other times, I’m attending board meetings. Other times, I’m attending seminars to keep my skills updated.

Free/Basic Versions

 Google Meet Logo

 

  • No download required.
  • Requires a Google Account (Gmail).
  • Free version includes 60 minutes per mtg.
  • 24 hour 1-to1 meetings.
  • Up to 100 members per meeting.
  • Live captioning in many languages (CC).
  • Stream to social.
  • Pre-meeting preview (check your image).
  • Pin, mute, and/or remove users.
  • Screen sharing.
  • Messaging/share files.
  • Integration with Google and Microsoft Office apps.

The full list of features with upgrade.

 

 

 

 Zoom Logo

 

  • Download required.
  • Requires Zoom account.
  • Free version includes 40 minutes per mtg.
  • Up to 100 members per meeting.
  • No live captioning (CC).
    No streaming to social.
  • Pre-meeting preview (check your image).
  • Pin, mute, and/or remove users.
  • Screen sharing.
  • Messaging/share files.
  • Integration with Google and Microsoft Office apps.

 Zoom’s full list of features with upgrade.

 

 

Google Grants

Google Grants

by | Jan 14, 2021 | Google Grants, Nonprofits

Milky Way GalaxyGoogle Grants is easy and fast. I’ve helped dozens of nonprofits apply and manage the $120,000 annual in-kind donation as well as setup and learn how to use Google Workspace (formerly G-Suite). Both offerings come with every approved application. That process generally takes about a week, or two, tops.

How it works:

You walk into a casino. The casino manager walks up to you and hands you a box with $10,000 in chips. She tells you that it’s yours to keep, but you have to spend it in the casino. Then she says, “Next month, I’ll give you another box with $10,000 in chips and every month for 12 months.  Everything you win, you get to keep.” 

Nonprofit’s I’ve Helped and Managed Using Google Grants

The Crocker Art Museum

The Sacramento Philharmonic

The B Street Theatre

 

Sacramento Public Library

The Sacramento Zoo

CA Nurse Practitioners Association

Latino Coaltion for a Healthy California

Dieabetic Edge

SKI Ducks

Free 20 Minute Consults for Interested Organizations

 

[wpforms id=”21559″]

Social Media for Business: 2021

Social Media for Business: 2021

by | Jan 13, 2021 | Business, Google Analytics, Personalization, Social Media

Personalized Media

There are many social media platforms, and even more tools within each one for business. This article focuses on one powerful tool that can be used on any major social media channel.

A study by University of Texas showed that personalization helps businesses and organizations reach consumers in two ways:

  1. Personalized content makes consumers feel that they have more control over what they wish to see.
  2. Remove information overload.

In the beginning, content was static. That doesn’t work anymore. Using tools like Google Analytics, businesses can tailor their messaging to appeal to their users’ interests.

Facebook AdI like to ski. If I see ski-related content, I’m inclined to click it, even if I don’t have time to check it out at that moment; I just hope that the business is savvy enough to use remarketing. As Wikipedia writes:

Behavioral retargeting is a form of online targeted advertising by which online advertising is targeted to consumers based on their previous Internet actions. Retargeting tags online users by including a pixel within the target webpage or email, which sets a cookie in the user’s browser.

Top 8 Key Performance Indicators to Track on Your Website (modgirl.consulting)

 Audiences today don’t just want their content to be personalized — they expect it to be.

According to a report from SmarterHQ, 72 percent of all consumers will only engage with your marketing message if it is personalized.

For marketers with limited time and tight budgets, implementing personalization strategies is a daunting task. It can seem technically challenging or even practically unattainable. The good news is, if you deploy visual interactive content in a strategic way, it can be not only possible but profitable.

Marketers have already witnessed just how effective interactive content can be. In a report from the Content Marketing Institute and Ion Interactive, 87 percent of marketers said that interactive content was better at grabbing audiences’ attention than static content. Another 87 percent said it had helped them achieve their marketing goals, and three in four were planning to use more of it.

5 Examples of Personalization in Social Media Marketing

Social media marketers have a massive amount of data and information at their disposal, yet not many make use of it as much as they can. Apart from using these insights to optimize your marketing, you could also use data to personalize your social media messages. If there is one social media marketing strategy you should start leveraging, it’s personalized marketing or personalization. (read more at https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/personalization-in-social-media-marketing).

Faceook Insights

Want help with personalizing your content on social media? You’ll need to run Google Analytics (or similar) on your website and check out your Key Metric Indicators (KMI’s).

94% of Chief Marketing Officers believe Analytics will help them reach their goals, however, adoption has been sluggish. In fact, only 15-20% of companies use data and Google Analytics to drive marketing and business decision-making.

I provide free 20-minute consults for new clients.

[wpforms id=”21559″ title=”false” description=”false”]

 

 

2020 Tax Deductions for Sole-Proprietors and Small Biz

2020 Tax Deductions for Sole-Proprietors and Small Biz

by | Dec 11, 2020 | Business, Deductions, taxes

The IRS recently updated their Tax Cuts & Jobs Act guide which outlines qualifying advertising and business related expenses. The full list is available in 56 page IRS Form 535 Business  Expenses, for use in preparing 2019 returns.

I have outlined the expenses I found helpful to know about, especially as the owner of a small business. Please refer to IRS Form 535 for the full details. Additionally, the nonprofit, SCORE, is a good resource for digging deeper on this and other related issues for business owners.

  • Business Use of Your Home
  • Advertising
  • Education
  • Web/App Design and/or Development
  • Print Marketing
  • Digital Marketing
    • Google Ads
    • Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Ads
    • Display Banner Ads
    • Influencer Ads
    • Email Marketing
  • Newspaper, Magazine, TV, and Radio Ads

Blog

I write about topics that matter to my business, and my clients’, as well as related things that may be of interest, even if they are on the periphery.

I’m here, and there . . .

I’m here, and there . . .

by | May 29, 2019

I began working as a professional webmaster way before Facebook became a thing, and just after MySpace imploded in 2002. Since then, I have worked with HP, Google and HBO helping to produce content. Both as talent, and as a digital marketing specialist. Focusing my...

Subscribe

WordPress Update Slip

WordPress Update Slip

by | Nov 2, 2020 | WordPress

WordPress Auto-Update Slip Up

Like millions of other webmasters, I use WordPress to create and develop simple, and complex websites. The much loved Content Managed System was the first to begin using automatic-updates, freeing webmasters from the tedious job of having to manually update applications.

A few years ago, WordPress launched their auto-update feature for the core software system, you know – not applications, but the actual”mission-critical,” program that IS WordPress. This was a good thing. All the new “copycats,” like Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace do it too and for good reason. People who use the knock-offs systems generally do not posess the skills or experience to maintain core files.

But I digress. In an article published on October 31, 2020 in Search Engine Journal, a significant hicup with the auto-update is outlined. Will it stop us from using WordPress? Probably not. WordPress is an open source coded system that is built by and for programmers who work together as a team to create new features, and solve common problems.

Flawed WordPress 5.5.2 Security Update

The fiasco began on October 29, 2020 with a routine update meant to address critical security issues. WordPress 5.5.2 was meant to prevent issues like Cross Site Request Forgeries, XSS (Cross Site Scripting) attacks and more.

 

Unfortunately, the update also introduced a bug that caused new WordPress installations to fail. This is how WordPress explained the bug:

 

“WordPress 5.5.2 …makes it impossible to install WordPress on a brand new website that does not have a database connection configured. This release does not affect sites where a database connection is already configured, for example, via one-click installers or an existing wp-config.php file.”

 

In order to fix that problem, WordPress stopped version 5.5.2 from rolling out to more sites. And that’s when a rogue update pushed itself out automatically.