Queen Street Commons

How to be Big while Small – Lessons on Social Media for Small Business

November 30, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Until now small businesses could not have the same tools and big business – they could not afford to market or to do market research – they could not afford to advertise, use TV or Radio – they could not afford to communicate all over the world – they could not afford the office tools – they could not afford to have office space – they could not afford to find new staff – the list goes on.

But this has all changed. Not only can small and ultra small organizations do all these things for free now or close to free, but they can do a better job than most large established organizations who dare not change their expensive tools for the new ones.

But if you are not a Geek, how will you learn how to use these new 2.0 or Social Tools such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google Office Tools, Blogging etc?

The Queen Street Commons, is putting a learning series together to help you do just that.

The Series will begin on January 13th, 2010 and will take place every Wednesday every week for 8 weeks. The price will be $10 a head per session. There will be a limit of 10 Learners. Please book here - Bonus for those that subscribe to 5 sessions or more will be a free 1 month membership to the Commons.

Full details of the sessions will be announced in mid December as the key mentors will then have chosen their dates. The Provisional Series will look like this:

  • Free Office Tools – How to support your enterprise with high quality tools for very little cost – From Email – to Office Suites – Phone/Video Chat Conferencing
  • Marketing and Research Overview – An overview of the use and power of tools like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging etc to enable you to find out what is going on in your field and to attract communities of support for what you do or stand for
  • Setting up your own website – How to use free and simple to use Blogging tools to create your own websites
  • Video – How to make your own videos, elementary editing and how to use tools such as YouTube and Vimeo to have your own TV station
  • Community Tools – Tools such as Ning, that we will also use to support the course are proving very useful in helping groups of people stay connected – what are they and how best can they be used
  • Using a smart  Phone such as an iPhone – The basics of making the most of your smart phone in the mobile world
  • Running your own Wireless Network – How to use the main elements of WiFi to network all your gear – basic problem solving as well
  • Risk Management – What are some of the things you need to avoid and what will keep you safe in this new hyper-connected world

Each session will be lead by an experienced person in the field. The small size of the “class” is designed to promote interaction. We will also make available an online support community as well so that you can extend the class outside the room.

Some of our coaches include:

  • Patrick Ledwell – “Lead, Sustain Creative Consultants – Former IT instructor at Holland College
  • Rob Paterson – Long Term Blogger, Twitter user and adviser to NPR and Public TV on the use of social media
  • Peter Rukavina – Star Blogger, Video user
  • Jason White – aka Tech Guru – all around problem solver of all things IT
  • Karen Mair – Journalist – Island Morning – Newbie and brave user of 2.0 tools
  • Teresa Wright – Journalist at the Guardian
  • Eireann Rigby – Co Founder of UFIT and long term user of Facebook and 2.0 tools to support her businessQuA
  • Kelly Burke – COO silverorange
  • Vicki Bryanton – long term CEO of NGO’s

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A New Series for Very Small Business at QSC – The Intent

October 28, 2009 · 2 Comments

It is now clear that the many parts of what can be described as Social Media are not merely the fantasies of an elite group of nerds but are a set of excellent tools can help the very small organization – business or NGO or artist etc – to do so much more for less.

An artist of musician can break out more easily – she/he can attract a core of supporters who can act as both an amplifier for their work and also as a sense maker for the scene keeping the artist in context.

A small business can have the marketing and power of a very large one – it can use video online to show what it does, who are the people involved, answer questions – it can use Twitter to follow trends, pick up problems and opportunities – to have the kind of research that a major corporation would die to get. It can use powerful tools to write, present, handle numbers, keep the group in touch that the larger organizations would envy. It can attach it self to a wide range of resources and help.

A small NGO can get its message out, build a powerful support group – it can tell stories that help stimulate change – be more effective for much less money.

The very small can use these tools to have the power of the very large – for almost no extra cost.

But there is a catch.

Where do you learn this? There are no courses run by the usual institutions.

How also do you get over the fear of the really new?

The place could be the Queen Street Commons and we can get over our fears of the new by helping each other as well as having some experts.

Here is a link to the Queen Street Commons Blog where you can see what kind of place this is.

We will host a series of lunchtime meetings where we will have conversations about how to do many of the things that will enable you to become good at using these tools. Each meeting will have a few people who know a lot but the meeting will also be designed as a conversation. You too will have a lot to offer.

Outside the meeting we will set up a supporting online community where you can try stuff and seek help from the people that you have met face to face.

Our intent is to have not only “teachers” but also people like you who have already put their toe in the water -  fellow explorers who have not got it all solved – people like you who don’t have all the answers yet.

With luck you will find an ongoing resource in this group – “go to” experts that can answer a question or solve a problem – confidants – suppliers – new customers – friends.

Some of the topics that we are thinking about might be:

  • How to make and use video online
  • Leading to how to tell a good story
  • How to use Twitter to listen and to influence
  • How to use the web – community building – blogging etc
  • How to use a wide range of free or close to free tools on the web – from Word Processing to Blogging
  • How to create your own “Place” on the web – your TV/radio station – Your Community etc
  • Setting up and running networks

We plan to offer these during the lunch hour. The price will be affordable by any individual or small organization.

I have not talked about the details yet because I still have some work to do in staffing and scheduling.

What do you think? Will this help you? Would you like to help.

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Welcome to the Queen Street Commons

July 31, 2008 · 2 Comments

The Queen Street Commons is a simple idea. Bring interesting people together to share space, services, and costs. The commons is set up with private work spaces, common rooms, meeting rooms, a kitchen, and an eating area. As a group we can do more and afford more.

Located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, the Queen Street Commons is a place for people to work, meet, and relax. The space is designed to be used by individuals and by groups. Services include wireless internet, printers, fax, phones, mail delivery, and boardroom.

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