Revised Article for J711 (Part I)

Will Social Media Work For Your Small Business?

Advisors Say African-American Women Entrepreneurs Should Explore the Benefits for Their Business Plan

Authors Note: I wrote and published to this blog the first version of this article on November 16, 2009, as an assignment for my Journalism 711 class, “Writing for Digital Media.” This revision of the article is a final project for the class.

By Suzanne Jeffries

A tweet can help a small business owner sell lots of cupcakes curbside.

Ana Harvey (pdf) saw up close how use of the micro-blogger, Twitter, made it happen on a late afternoon workday in November outside her office in Washington, D.C. Harvey, appointed seven months ago by President Barack Obama as the assistant administrator of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at the U.S. Small Business Administration, said she believes social media are amazing and powerful tools.

The mobile business sent a Tweet announcing its van was on the way and someone in Harvey’s office got the Tweet and passed along the information. Twenty cupcakes sold in less than six minutes. On the vendors Web site, the cost of a cupcake is $3.

Yet getting access online and to the technology needed for social media participation is not as easy for everyone.

“What we’re seeing is women of color – Hispanic, African-American – are having a little more difficulty using online tools,” Harvey said. Her work involves funding 111 non-profit business centers nationwide that provide outreach to communities that have been underserved.

Harvey attributes the difficulty to possible reluctance because of fear or lack of access to online tools that other women have, she said. Not being wired prevents the women from getting information about accessing loans, or acquiring new clients, or getting access to a credit line, Harvey said.

The question then is how should African-American women small business owners go about learning what social media are useful to them in their endeavors? What should they consider?

Think About What You Want

Some others who use social media for their own businesses, or who teach others about how to use blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites for business, agree with Harvey’s assessment that social media are amazing business-building tools.

“Social media (are) about relationships – building relationships,” wrote Carmin Wharton, via an e-mail interview. Wharton lives in Florida and owns e-BlackWomenNetwork.com, a company that encourages business and professional networking for women of color.

“Building a business is about building relationships,” Wharton wrote. “Social media offer African-American female small business owners the opportunity to build relationships through networking.”

Opportunity, says Wharton and other business owners, is key.

 “There is no glass ceiling”

“The reason why social media is so critical for women business owners, and particularly for African-American women, is because there is no glass ceiling when it comes to the World Wide Web,” Monique Brown McKenzie said. McKenzie is owner and president of Small Business Boot Camp, a nearly two-year-old company based in Charlotte, N.C., that advises small business entrepreneurs. She writes about business for magazine articles and online, and hosts a local radio program.

 “The Internet levels the playing field and as long as you have a product or service of value to someone, you are able to market it,” McKenzie said.

Harvey would agree, while acknowledging that for some, the digital divide remains. She enjoyed a Key Lime flavored treat from Curbside Cupcakes. The mobile small business operates in Washington, DC, using social media and networking through its Web site, Facebook and Twitter to gain new clients.

It’s like the familiar sounds of the ice-cream truck driving through neighborhood streets, except instead of a bell or music to attract customers the Tweet from Twitter does the work, Harvey said.

And social media use that pushes a business more online can cut costs.

For example, the old model to get a business brochure meant creating the content, finding a printer, getting it printed then sending the material out by the postal service, Harvey said. The old way meant some people could not participate at all.

The cost savings of being online, the ability to find a community of support and mentors, and the access to important financial and other business-growth information is why Harvey said her office encourages a push against the fear and resistance to get wired.

 “Now you can publish everything you need online,” Harvey said. “The cost is a fraction of what it used to be.”

Erial Ramsey is a part-time business owner who started her business five years ago while in college, and she agrees.

 “In general I feel like as a business you are lacking when you don’t have a Web presence period,” Ramsey, 25, a free lance graphic designer in Ohio, and owner of Design Diva, said. She uses social media to push people toward her Web site to help gain business, but she still sees the benefit in passing out business cards and having face-to-face interactions with potential customers. Social media has a place, she said, but it is not the only answer.

“The short answer – use it,” says Ramsey, talking about social media. She has a Web site, is on LinkedIn, she has a blog, she’s on Facebook, but said she hasn’t yet joined Twitter.

“It’s a resource,” she said. “It’s very important to have a Web presence. Use it and be proactive in it. Don’t just put a Web site up there and not do anything to promote it.”

And, says Ramsey, look for a mentor or mentor someone.

“In general I try to encourage African-American women, or women in general, who are trying to start businesses,” Ramsey said. “It’s very important to network and help each other out and I think social media enhances that networking because you are not restricted by location now.”

You need a plan

Harvey, McKenzie, Wharton and Ramsey all say a plan for how to use social media is crucial, just as having a business plan in general is important.

“I want every woman who takes this path to be fully supported at the highest level,” Harvey said. “I want them to start their business out of preparation, not desperation.”

Don’t just jump into the use of social media without truly understanding what you need to get out of it for your business, they said.

“I think people need to be mindful that just because someone is listed as your, in quotes, friend you still have to take the time to get to know them,” McKenzie said. “Don’t think: so this person is listed as my friend and I can start sending them sell pitches,” she said. “That’s a completely different relationship.”

McKenzie said she plans in January to partner with another African-American female to start a business called e-Source Unlimited. She’ll help people answer the question of whether they should use social media in their business. Her new venture will handle the business aspect of social media for business owners who want to use it, but who cannot devote the time themselves.

McKenzie provided several tips in getting started with the use of social media:

• Work to find the appropriate social media network. Ask yourself what would make sense for your specific industry to help you choose.
• Work to be strategic. Otherwise, you can take up a lot of time chatting, posting photos and in discussions on various forums.
• Work to establish an identity, establish intimacy and establish trust. Participate in forums, provide interesting feedback, comment on blogs, provide a link on a subject that you know interests the person.

J711 Class – Revised Article Background (Part II)

Revised Article: Back up information (Part II of the assignment)

Social Media and African-American Women Small Business Owners

Questions Asked:

Monique Brown McKenzie, Small Business Boot Camp

(I interviewed Monique Brown McKenzie via telephone)

• What can social media do for the African-American female small business owner?
• What are some obstacles, if any, to the use of social media for a business? Are the obstacles the same for an African-American woman small business owner?
  • What social media is best to use for business?
  • Is there anything else, any other advice or insight that you would like to share that I haven’t asked about?
  • What is your age?

Ana Harvey, Assistant Administrator for Women’s Business Ownership, U.S. Small Business Administration

(I interviewed Ana Harvey via telephone. I made initial contact via telephone and e-mail with Cecelia Taylor with the Press Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration)

• What is the SBA saying to women business owners about the use of social media in their business plans?
• How about African-American women, or minority women, in specific?
• What can the use of social media do for the African-American female business owner?
• What trends are you seeing around social media and the use of the Web in women-owned small businesses?
• Is there anything that I have not asked you that you want to share about the topic of social media and the small business owner?

Erial Ramsey, Design Diva

(I interviewed Erial Ramsey via telephone, with initial contact made via e-mail).

• Will you share why you chose Design Diva as the name for your business? Is it correct to say that your title is owner?
• What is your age? When did you launch Design Diva?
• Where in Ohio are you located?
• You have your Web site and you are on Facebook. What other social media sites do you use?
• How is social media working for you in your business?
• What would you say are some of the pluses or positives?
• What about the negatives or minuses?
• What trends have you noticed around social media and your clients? How much of your business, or inquiries about your business, would you say come from your social media engagement?
• Tell me about the technology training that you offer. Does it include aspects of social media use?
• I see your work on the Urban Jazz Coalition site. How did that relationship come about?
• Did you have any barriers to the use of technology online or learning about the Web?
• What advice do you have for African-American women entrepreneurs about the use of social media in their business plan?
• What have I not asked that you feel is important to convey about the use of social media, and the Web in general, for African-American women business owners?

Carmin Wharton, Founder & CEO, e-BlackWomenNetwork.com

(I interviewed Carmin Wharton via e-mail, after submitting the first draft of this assignment in November. Responses from her interview will be incorporated into the revised article for December).

• What can social media and social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, do for the African-American female small business owner?
• What are some of the obstacles, if any, to the use of social media for a small business? Are the obstacles the same for an African-American woman small business owner?
• What social media do you use for business?
• Do you know of examples when the use of social media helped to make a significant impact on a small business? How? Will you share some of those examples?
• Is there any advice or insight that you would like to share that I have not asked about?

Facts Checked:

The Web address, Twitter and Facebook pages for Curbside Cupcakes

Web addresses and social media pages of sources, where appropriate

All name spellings are cq (signals to copyeditors that a name or telephone number, for example, has been checked and is correct; abbreviated from the Latin cadit quaestio)

Other Sources Attempted to Contact:

Tiffany L. Jones, owner, Digital Divas, Inc.

Renee Hode, director, Institute for Entrepreneurship, Central Piedmont Community College

Intended Audience:

African-American women small business owners

Minority Women small business owners

Women small business owners

Possibilities for publication include magazine style Web sites with a niche primary audience of African-American women business owners and entrepreneurs; Web sites that publish how-to articles and business and social trend articles; trade publications geared to encourage minority and women-owned businesses.

Ideas for Additions to the Article Package:

• A top 10 list of Useful Web sites for African-American Women Small Business Owners
• An information box listing social media sites useful for businesses, with brief explanations
• A sidebar feature on an African-American female small business owner who is using social media to great success
• A “How to Template” designed to guide the interested small business owner through a series of questions that can help identify whether social media is right for their business needs
• Photos of the persons interviewed in the article
• If the information is available, a graphic comparing the use of social media among African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American and White women small business owners
• An information box on where to go online for free help creating a business plan that includes the use of social media and social networking sites

J711 – FAQ REVISION

Frequently Asked Questions

Following is a list of some questions about the services and programs provided by Mecklenburg County Community Support Services (CSS). Answers appear on this main page. Follow hyperlinks to CSS division Web pages for program-specific information and additional FAQ lists.

1. What is Mecklenburg County Community Support Services?
2. How do I contact CSS?
3. Can I enlist for military service at the Veterans Services Office?
4. I am a veteran in need of medical care. Who should I contact?
5. Can you help me find a place to live?
6. Do you provide food?
7. Can you help me find work?
8. Can I file a domestic violence report with a police officer at your office?
9. Is my community on the Project Safe Neighborhoods’ list?

What is Mecklenburg County Community Support Services?
Community Support Services (CSS) is a resource for individuals in need, and for the agencies and organizations in Mecklenburg County that provide services to help meet economic self-sufficiency, safety and health needs. CSS is a department of Mecklenburg County government in North Carolina.

The department provides information, referrals and services for military veterans, individuals and families who are homeless, victims of domestic violence, and residents in neighborhoods designated as at risk for gun crime violence.

Eligible residents receive help from social workers and counselors. The department’s four divisions include:
• Homeless Support Services
• Project Safe Neighborhoods
• Veterans Services Office
• Women’s Commission

How do I contact CSS?
The telephone number is 704-432-SAFE or 704-432-7233.

The CSS main office is located on the second floor of the Hal Marshall County Services Building at 700 N. Tryon St. in uptown Charlotte, N.C. 28202. Free customer parking is available. Public transportation is available.

Administration and the Veterans Services Office are on the second floor. The Women’s Commission, Project Safe Neighborhoods and the administration office for Homeless Support Services are in the basement. Social workers in HSS have offices at some community agencies that offer help to persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Can I enlist for military service at the Veterans Services Office?
No, the CSS Veterans Services Office is not a recruitment office for the military and it is not an office of the federal government’s Veterans Affairs (VA) office.

Eligible veterans who live in Mecklenburg County (and their dependents) can receive free help from the County government office to fill out applications and file for benefits claims. Other services include help with a military service burial, referrals to other community agencies and information about programs for veterans.

I am a veteran in need of medical care. Who should I contact?
Our veteran services specialists can help eligible veterans to apply for medical benefits through the federal government’s Veterans Affairs office.

The County office can help eligible veterans with transportation to area VA clinics and hospitals for their appointments and treatments.

Can you help me find a place to live?
CSS Homeless Support Services does not operate a shelter or rental housing. However, a social worker can talk with you and assess your situation. The social worker can provide you with information and referral to services or agencies in the community, such as transitional housing, that may be able to help. Some of the HSS social workers are located on site at Mecklenburg County area shelters for the homeless.

Do you provide food?
CSS has limited, donated grocery items on-site for emergency help. The department does not operate a food kitchen or serve meals. However, social workers can provide information about area food pantries that offer groceries to people in need. Also, HSS social workers will tell you about community agencies that serve meals to individuals who are homeless.

A social worker will talk with you to find out more about your situation to help decide which community programs or services will be of help to you.

Can you help me find work?
Yes, through the New Beginnings Program of the Women’s Commission, eligible residents can receive help with resumes, job searches, self-improvement and self-esteem training, and when available, access to free clothing appropriate for interviews and workplace attire.

New Beginnings is a grant-funded service (formerly called Displaced Homemakers) open to women and men who need to become self-sufficient because they have been unemployed, under employed, widowed, divorced, or dependent on another person’s income.

Can I file a domestic violence report with a police officer at your office?
If you feel that your safety is at risk seek help by calling 9-1-1 immediately.
The CSS Women’s Commission is not a law enforcement agency and does not employ police officers. Through its Domestic Violence Adult Services program, the division can offer individual and support group counseling to victims of domestic violence. Services are confidential.

Is my community on the Project Safe Neighborhoods’ list?
PSN is a grant program funded nationally through the U.S. Department of Justice. Its goal is to keep communities safe by eliminating gun violence. Community partners along with local, state and federal law enforcement work to create strategies that address the problem of gun crime.

The program works in collaboration with the following Mecklenburg County neighborhoods: Belmont, Ashly Park, Enderly Park, Glenwood, Lockwood, Parkview and Villa Heights. Expansion of the program into the Thomosboro community is planned.

J711 Week 14 Assignment Part I: Web site Privacy Policy

The Assignment

Read the posted privacy policy and/or user agreement of your favorite Web site, preferably one for which you supply information and/or content. Write a response to the policy that includes any objections to the ways in which the site reserves the right to use the information and content supplied to or published on it.

My Choice

For my exploration of a Web site privacy policy or user agreement, I selected the blog site, WordPress.com because I use the site for my online Journalism class work.

WordPress.com is one of several Web sites owned and operated by parent company, Automattic Inc.

I have a confession: I did not read the privacy policy for the WordPress.com site on my first visit or when I set up my first blog for a class more than one year ago. At the time, I concerned myself more with the novelty and nerves I associated with one, enrolling in my first online class, and two, with creating my first blog. The topic of privacy did not top my list of what I should be concerned about right then. After all, I thought, I trust the University and my professor is recommending this blog hosting Web site to the class, so why should I worry?

The Web site includes a hyperlink to the Automattic privacy policy within its WordPress.com Terms of Service agreement.

In the registration process for a blog on the site, the user is asked to read the Terms of Service and acknowledge her agreement before proceeding. I scanned the terms and checked the box so that I could go ahead and get to what I needed to begin writing and posting to my blog.

On closer inspection and with a more thorough read, I found:

What I like about the privacy policy

The privacy policy:

• Is easy to read and is clear about its intent. I like how the site owners open with this first sentence: “Your privacy is critically important to us.”

If I don’t read beyond the first paragraph and the bulleted items it contains, I still have a great deal of information and insight into what WordPress.com believes is important to include in a privacy policy. The site breaks down into four bullets what it refers to as the fundamental principles that guide how it collects information about visitors and users:

We don’t ask you for personal information unless we truly need it.

We don’t share your personal information with anyone except to comply with the law, develop our products, or protect our rights.

We don’t store personal information on our servers unless required for the on-going operation of one of our services.

In our blogging products, we aim to make it as simple as possible for you to control what’s visible to the public, seen by search engines, kept private, and permanently deleted.

• Is open to being shared. The site’s owners make the privacy policy available under a Creative Commons Sharealike license, which as they write “means you’re more than welcome to steal it and repurpose it for your own use, just make sure to replace references to us with ones to you….” What’s not to like about a site that offers up its privacy policy as a template to others and encourages that use because it one, admits how much time and expense goes into creating such a policy, and two, apparently believes that its policy is such a good one dealing with the topic of privacy that it is willing to distribute it for others to use.
• Is segmented well with clear subheads that help the reader find topics easily. For example the following subheads appear in the policy: Website Visitors; Gathering of Personally-Identifying Information; Aggregated Statistics; Protection of Certain Personally-Identifying Information; Cookies; Ads; Comments and Privacy Policy Changes.
• Is polite and considerate to the users. For example, the policy ends with these words after the copyright information: “Thank you for your time.” Also, the tone of the writing is conversational and does not suffer from legalese that can be off-putting.

What I dislike about the privacy policy

I found little to dislike about the Automattic and WordPress.com privacy policy. Okay, admittedly some of my dislikes can be said of any Web site and include the following:

• That there is a need for a privacy policy at all and that protection of privacy is not a given online. Is that too idealistic? Maybe, but it is how I feel.
• That the policy must use these terms to describe how it interacts with visitors and their information: “non-personally-identifying information” and potentially-personally-identifying information.”
• That the cookies used by advertisers do not fall under the site’s privacy policy. In fact, I don’t want advertisers using cookies at all. I recognize that ads help make the site available to users.

Closing thoughts

Now, more than a year later and into my second created-for-class blog, I have finally really read the WordPress.com privacy policy and the terms of service agreement. And I’ve discovered that the two include eye-opening information for me. Admittedly, before my experience in this class, “Writing for Digital Media,” and a couple of the other courses required for the online Certificate Program, I had no real sense of how much important and revealing information is included in such policies.

I appreciate the care that WordPress.com extends to its users through what I consider a transparent privacy policy. I like that all I am asked to provide is a user name and an e-mail address for the basic and free service of creating a blog.

My recommendation: read the privacy policy on any Web site where you will contribute information about yourself, or one in which you frequently visit. If the policy is too vague or cumbersome or in anyway off-putting, then that information will be useful to decisions you make about whether you want to interact with the site.

While it is true that in our current state of new technology-driven ways to access information, interact, and participate online that we the users must give up some of our privacy as a trade-off, there remain good practices that should guide how and how much of ourselves we want to give out or give over.

Access online should not automatically mean that one has to give up the expectation of some degree of privacy.

J711 Week 14 Assignment Part II: Legal Counsel Advice

In this hypothetical class assignment, I am legal counsel to MyFacebookSpaceNews.com, which is facing a libel suit for alleged libel per se and $5 million in damages. I must advise the news site as to how to avoid or win the libel action based on facts supplied.

Brief Background: The news site published an article about six deaths in New York on Dec. 2, as a result of two traffic wrecks involving three vehicles at the same scene, with one collision involving two vehicles happening first, and then a third vehicle shortly thereafter crashing into the first two. Most of the dead were other motorists and bystanders who had stopped to help.

The plaintiff in this libel case is David Simmons, a 19-year-old college student. He says the story published by the news site is libelous because it falsely reported that he was guilty of drunk driving and that it falsely portrayed him as stupid.

NOTE: This assignment is entirely fictitious; the names, places and events were invented to create a hypothetical example for use in answering the following questions about libel:

First, I would talk with the news site representatives about the definitions and requirements involved for a successful libel case. The conversation would cover the following:

• What type of libel plaintiff is the court likely to name Simmons?
• What, then, will be the requisite standard of fault in this case?
• Will Simmons be able to prove the requisite standard fault?
• Are there other defenses the news site might consider?

If Simmons is to win his claim of libel, he must prove the six elements required of any successful suit:

• Defamation
• Identification
• Publication (and re-publication)
• Fault
• Falsity
• Injury

Simmons believes he has been defamed, or held up to ridicule, hatred or contempt, according to the textbook definition.

Simmons believes that he’s been identified by police and by college officials, and even by a woman who saw the van police say he was driving pass her on her bicycle. He is identified by name in the piece, and he is further identified as a student athlete and the vice president of the campus chapter of Students Against Drunk Driving.

Simmons knows the piece was published by MyFacebookSpaceNews.com

As a private citizen, Simmons must prove negligence, or “failure to exercise ordinary or reasonable care,” is at fault on the part of the news site in its reporting. He must prove that what is reported about him is false and untrue and that he, or his reputation, has been injured by the report.

What is libel per se?

According to the “Writing for Digital Media,” textbook definition, libel per se is one of three kinds of defamation (the other two are libel by interpretation and libel per quod). Libel per se is “libel on its face,” a published statement that is in fact not true.

In this case, the news site did not report Simmons as being guilty of drunk driving, but it did report that the two crashes were alcohol-related. The site reported also that a police sergeant, an official officer of the court, identified the third motorist, the driver of a van, as someone who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. The police sergeant identified Simmons as the third motorist.

The article does not say that Simmons killed anyone, nor does it report that he is charged with killing anyone. A witness at the scene, Robin Hubier, is quoted as saying she saw the van, heard a noise and then when she came upon the scene on her bicycle, she saw that the van had hit people. Hubier is the one quoted as saying that the driver of the van “was too much in a rush,” and “…people like that guy are just too stupid to know when it’s unsafe to drive.”

Simmons will need to prove that he is not the third motorist and driver of the van, and that he was not arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Official police records identify him as such.

• Are there other defenses the news site might consider?

The news site can use the following information in its defense:

http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi?COMM

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

ARTICLE I

Bill of Rights

(Section)

§ 8. Every citizen may freely speak, write and publish his or her sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right; and no law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press. In all criminal prosecutions or indictments for libels, the truth may be given in evidence to the jury; and if it shall appear to the jury that the matter charged as libelous is true, and was published with good motives and for justifiable ends, the party shall be acquitted; and the jury shall have the right to determine the law and the fact.

And here’s another one covered by civil rights law in New York:

http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi?COMM

§ 74. Privileges in action for libel: A civil action cannot be maintained against any person, firm or corporation, for the publication of a fair and true report of any judicial proceeding, legislative proceeding or other official proceeding, or for any heading of the report which is a fair and true head note of the statement published. This section does not apply to a libel contained in any other matter added by any person concerned in the publication; or in the report of anything said or done at the time and place of such a proceeding which was not a part thereof.

J711 Week 13 Assignment: Create a list of Frequently Asked Questions

Mecklenburg County Community Support Services
A local government resource for military veterans, individuals and families who are homeless, victims, perpetrators and child witnesses of domestic violence, and residents in neighborhoods designated at risk for gun crime violence.

Frequently Asked Questions
Following is a list of often asked questions about the services and programs provided by Mecklenburg County Community Support Services (CSS). Answers appear below on this page. Follow hyperlinks to other CSS Web pages on the County’s main site for additional program-specific information.

1. What is Community Support Services?
2. Where is your office located?
3. What is your telephone number?
4. I want to join the armed forces. Can I enlist for military service at the Veterans Services Office?
5. I’m a veteran and I need medical care. Do you operate a clinic at your office?
6. I do not have anywhere to live. Can I have one of your apartments?
7. I am homeless. Can I take a shower and get a free meal at your office?
8. I am unemployed. Can I get help finding a job?
9. My spouse (or significant other) is abusive. Can I file a domestic violence report with a police officer at your office?
10. Is my community on the Project Safe Neighborhoods’ at-risk list for increased gun crimes?

1. What is Community Support Services?
Community Support Services, or CSS, is a part of Mecklenburg County government in North Carolina. Eligible residents receive attention from social workers, counselors and other employees through programs and services that provide help with self-sufficiency, health and safety. The department’s four divisions include:
• Homeless Support Services
• Project Safe Neighborhoods
• Veterans Services Office
• Women’s Commission

2. Where is your office located?
The CSS main administration office is located on the second floor of the Hal Marshall County Services Building at 700 N. Tryon St. in uptown Charlotte, N.C. 28202. Free customer parking is available.

The Veterans Services Office is on the second floor, and outreach veterans services specialists have designated days and hours at off-site locations throughout the County such as some regional libraries and the Employment Security Commission.
The Women’s Commission is located in the basement of the building and has an off-site location for its court referred perpetrators program.

The Project Safe Neighborhoods office is located in the basement of the Hal Marshall Services Center.
Social workers in Homeless Support Services have offices in co-locations at several community agencies that offer help to persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

3. What is your telephone number?
The main telephone number for Mecklenburg County Community Support Services is 704-432-SAFE or 704-432-7233.

4. I want to join the armed forces. Can I enlist for military service at the Veterans Services Office?
No, the CSS Veterans Services Office is not a recruitment office for the military and it is not an office of the federal government’s Veterans Affairs, or VA.

Eligible veterans who live in Mecklenburg County (and their dependents) can receive free help from the County office to fill out applications and file for benefits claims. Other services include help with a military service burial, referrals to other community agencies and information about programs for veterans.

5. I’m a veteran and I need medical care. Do you operate a clinic at your office?
No, the Veterans Services Office does not operate a clinic. Our veteran services specialists can help eligible veterans to apply for medical benefits through the federal government’s Veterans Affairs office.
The County office can help eligible veterans with transportation to area VA clinics and hospitals for their appointments and treatments.

6. I do not have anywhere to live. Can I have one of your apartments?
CSS Homeless Support Services does not operate a shelter, nor does the division own an apartment complex or other housing. However, social workers can talk with you and assess your situation, then provide you with information and referral to services or agencies in the community that may be able to help, such as transitional housing programs. Some of the HSS social workers are located on site at Mecklenburg County area shelters for the homeless.

7. I am homeless. Can I take a shower and get a free meal at your office?
No, HSS does not operate a shelter with shower facilities, or operate a kitchen to serve meals. The division is a resource service and collaborates with several community agencies and programs that do offer such services to individuals and families who are homeless.

A social worker will talk with you and do an assessment of your situation to see what services and programs you might be eligible for and will refer you to the appropriate resources.

8. I am unemployed. Can I get help finding a job?
Yes, through the New Beginnings Program of the Women’s Commission, eligible residents can receive help with resumes, job searches, self-improvement and self-esteem training, and when available, access to free clothing appropriate for interviews and workplace attire.

The former Displaced Homemakers program, now called New Beginnings, is a grant-funded service open to women and men who have lost their means of support and need to become self-sufficient because they have been unemployed, under employed, widowed, divorced, or dependent on another person’s income, for example.

9. My spouse (or significant other) is abusive. Can I file a domestic violence report with a police officer at your office?
If you feel that your safety is at risk seek help by calling 9-1-1 immediately.

The CSS Women’s Commission is not a law enforcement agency and does not employ police officers. Through its Domestic Violence Adult Services program, the division can offer individual and support group counseling to victims of domestic violence. Services are confidential.

10. Is my community on the Project Safe Neighborhoods’ at-risk list for increased gun crimes?
PSN is a grant program funded nationally through the U.S. Department of Justice. Its goal is to keep communities safe by eliminating gun violence. Community partners along with local, state and federal law enforcement work to create strategies that address the problem of gun crime.

The program works in collaboration with the following Mecklenburg County neighborhoods: Belmont, Ashly Park, Enderly Park, Glenwood, Lockwood, Parkview and Villa Heights. Expansion of the program into the Thomosboro community is planned.

J711 Week 12 Assignment: Write an Article – Part I

“America’s 9.1 million women-owned businesses employ 27.5 million people and contribute $3.6 trillion to the economy – yet women continue to face unique obstacles in the world of business. The SBA is doing more than ever to help level the playing field for women entrepreneurs.” Source: U.S. Small Business Administration

http://web.sba.gov/faqs/

African-American Women Business Owners Should Put Social Media to Work

By Suzanne Jeffries

One person in the office received the late afternoon Tweet and told others the news: a van with cupcakes for sale is parked on the street right outside the building.

Twenty cupcakes sold in less than six minutes.

For the small business owner, the use of Twitter or other social media can produce big returns and satisfying relationships with clients and mentors, say entrepreneurs and advocates of small business ownership.

And for African-American women, who’ve traditionally faced barriers and challenges to business ownership and longevity, incorporating social media into a business plan can offer a cost-effective and helpful tool for success.

“There is no glass ceiling”

“The reason why social media is so critical for women business owners, and particularly for African-American women, is because there is no glass ceiling when it comes to the World Wide Web,” Monique Brown McKenzie said. “The Internet levels the playing field and as long as you have a product or service of value to someone, you are able to market it,” McKenzie said.

McKenzie is owner and president of Small Business Boot Camp, a nearly two-year-old company based in Charlotte, NC, that advises small business entrepreneurs. She writes about business and hosts a radio program.

A 2006 study from the U.S. Small Business Administration says that based on 2002 data, the latest available, of all women business owners, 8.43 percent were African-American.

“In this day and age you can’t blame racism anymore and you can’t blame sexism,” McKenzie said. “This platform is designed to get your products into the hands of people who want them.”

A Tweet and a Key Lime Cupcake

“Social media is a phenomenon; just amazing and powerful,” says Ana Harvey, appointed six months ago by President Barack Obama as the assistant administrator of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at the U.S. Small Business Administration.

On a recent afternoon, Harvey enjoyed a Key Lime flavored treat from Curbside Cupcakes. The mobile small business operates in Washington, DC, using social media and networking through its Web site, Facebook and Twitter to gain new clients.

It’s like the familiar sounds of the ice-cream truck driving through neighborhood streets, except instead of a bell or music to attract customers the Tweet from Twitter does the work, Harvey said.

“Just think about that business model,” Harvey said.

Her office is in partnership with and funds the non-profit work of 111 business centers around the nation. The centers advise, tutor and counsel women who want to start or further develop a business, she said.

For some, the digital divide remains

“We are reaching out to the underserved communities,” Harvey says. The communities, defined by legislation, include certain socio-economic levels that include what Harvey describes as “communities of color.”

No one is turned away from a women’s business center, including men who, Harvey said, make up 10 percent of the clients.

“What we’re seeing is women of color – Hispanic, African-American – are having a little more difficulty using online tools,” Harvey said.

Harvey attributes the difficulty to possible reluctance because of fear or lack of access to online tools that other women have, she said. Not being wired prevents the women from getting information about accessing loans, or acquiring new clients, or getting access to a credit line, Harvey said.

And the business cost savings to being online can’t be ignored.

For example, the old model to get a business brochure meant creating the content, finding a printer, getting it printed then sending the material out by the postal service. The old way meant some people could not participate at all, she said.

“Now you can publish everything you need online,” Harvey said. “The cost is a fraction of what it used to be.”

The cost savings of being online, the ability to find a community of support and mentors, and the access to important financial and other business-growth information is why Harvey said her office encourages a push against the fear and resistance to get wired.

“In general I feel like as a business you are lacking when you don’t have a Web presence period,” Erial Ramsey, 25, a free lance graphic designer and owner of Design Diva, said.

“Social media allows you to have a Web presence,” says the Cleveland, Ohio, native who launched her part-time business five years ago while in college. Ramsey learned how to design Web sites in an intensive summer program for high school students at a local community college. She keeps up with technology and offers training to students and others now.

“Maybe 10 years ago – maybe – someone would not have thought to look on the Web first for a business, but now it’s an important part of marketing and putting yourself out there,” Ramsey said.

You need a plan

Harvey, McKenzie and Ramsey all say a plan for how to use social media is crucial, just as having a business plan in general is important.

“I want every woman who takes this path to be fully supported at the highest level,” Harvey said. “I want them to start their business out of preparation, not desperation.”

Says McKenzie:

• To help choose an appropriate social media network ask yourself what would make sense for your specific industry
• Be strategic, otherwise you can take up a lot of time chatting, posting photos and in discussions on various forums
• The use of social media in business is about letting people know that you have something of value and that you can provide information and support to them without only pushing your products or services
• Establish an identity, establish intimacy and establish trust. Participate in forums, provide interesting feedback, comment on blogs, provide a link on a subject that you know interests the person

“I think people need to be mindful that just because someone is listed as your, in quotes, friend you still have to take the time to get to know them,” McKenzie said. “Don’t think: so this person is listed as my friend and I can start sending them sell pitches,” she said. “That’s a completely different relationship.”

McKenzie said she plans in January to partner with another African-American female to start a business called e-Source Unlimited, which will handle the business aspect of social media for business owners who want to use it, but do not have the time themselves.

She’ll help people answer the question of whether they should use social media in their business.

“The short answer; use it”

“The short answer; use it,” says Ramsey of Design Diva, talking about social media. She has a Web site, is on LinkedIn, she has a blog, although she says she’s not a frequent contributor, she’s on Facebook, but said she’s holding off on what she calls joining the Twitter bandwagon.

“It’s a resource,” she said. “It’s very important to have a Web presence. Use it and be proactive in it. Don’t just put a Web site up there and not do anything to promote it.”

And, says Ramsey, look for a mentor or mentor someone.

“In general I try to encourage African-American women, or women in general, who are trying to start businesses,” Ramsey said. “It’s very important to network and help each other out and I think social media enhances that networking because you are not restricted by location now.”

J711 Week 12: Write an Article – Part II

African-American Women Business Owners Should Put Social Media to Work

Questions Asked:

Monique Brown McKenzie, Small Business Boot Camp

• What can social media do for the African-American female small business owner?

• What are some obstacles, if any, to the use of social media for a business? Are the obstacles the same for an African-American woman small business owner?
• What social media is best to use for business?
• Is there anything else, any other advice or insight that you would like to share that I haven’t asked about?
• What is your age?

Ana Harvey, Assistant Administrator for Women’s Business Ownership, U.S. Small Business Administration

• What is the SBA saying to women business owners about the use of social media in their business plans?
• How about African-American women, or minority women, in specific?
• What can the use of social media do for the African-American female business owner?
• What trends are you seeing around social media and the use of the Web in women-owned small businesses?
• Is there anything that I have not asked you that you want to share about the topic of social media and the small business owner?

Erial Ramsey, Design Diva

• Will you share why you chose Design Diva as the name for your business? Is it correct to say that your title is owner?
• What is your age? When did you launch Design Diva?
• Where in Ohio are you located?
• You have your Web site and you are on Facebook. What other social media sites do you use?
• How is social media working for you in your business?
• What would you say are some of the pluses or positives?
• What about the negatives or minuses?
• What trends have you noticed around social media and your clients? How much of your business, or inquiries about your business, would you say come from your social media engagement?
• Tell me about the technology training that you offer. Does it include aspects of social media use?
• I see your work on the Urban Jazz Coalition site. How did that relationship come about?
• Did you have any barriers to the use of technology online or learning about the Web?
• What advice do you have for African-American women entrepreneurs about the use of social media in their business plan?
• What have I not asked that you feel is important to convey about the use of social media, and the Web in general, for African-American women business owners?

Facts Checked:

The Web address, Twitter and Facebook pages for Curbside Cupcakes

Web addresses and social media pages of sources, where appropriate

All name spellings are cq (signals to copyeditors that a name or telephone number, for example, has been checked and is correct; abbreviated from the Latin cadit quaestio)

Other Sources Attempted to Contact:

Tiffany L. Jones, owner, Digital Divas, Inc.

Renee Hode, director, Institute for Entrepreneurship, Central Piedmont Community College

Intended Audience:

African-American women small business owners

Minority Women small business owners

Women small business owners

Ideas for Additions to the Article Package:

• A top 10 list of Useful Web sites for African-American Women Small Business Owners
• An information box listing social media sites useful for businesses, with brief explanations
• A sidebar feature on an African-American female small business owner who is using social media to great success
• A “How to Template” designed to guide the interested small business owner through a series of questions that can help identify whether social media is right for their business needs
• Photos of the persons interviewed in the article
• If the information is available, a graphic comparing the use of social media among African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American and White women small business owners
• An information box on where to go online for free help creating a business plan that includes the use of social media and social networking sites

Wikipedia Edit: Weeks 9 & 10

For my experience in editing Wikipedia, I chose the Mecklenburg County, NC page. I added the name of artist Romare Bearden to the list of notable residents. I included an outside link to the Romare Bearden Foundation, which gives a more detailed look at the Charlotte, North Carolina-born artist, who was also a writer.

A new public park is planned for Mecklenburg County named for the artist. Here’s a bit more information about the planned Romare Bearden Park.

Initially, when I made my edit, I placed in the wrong section because I misjudged the editing prompt. I had to go back and delete Bearden’s name from the category below Notable Residents.

My experience with Wikipedia has been interesting. I was reluctant to edit pages and it took me a while to decide which page I would edit. I do believe that now that I have an account and I am getting a bit more familiar with the site and specifically editing the site, I will be more adventurous.

Twitterature and Poetry: Weeks 9 & 10

My contributions to Twitterature for #JoMC711 (Posted on Twitter)

First, I shared a short poem I’d written when a group of writer friends and I experimented with a poetry prompt that required writing a line or two to describe or define a word. The exercise lends itself to the 140-character requirement of the micro-blog, Twitter.

Revenge

As you swallow the bitter pill and slowly come undone/

I’ll sip the sweetness from my glass and savor it on my tongue.

 

My original poem posted on Twitter and written for our Writing for Digital Media class is inspired by one of the first discussions about writing and some of the first advice provided by Professor Brian Carroll.

Writer’s (Un)Block

Touché, cliché! En garde

No longer have you my regard

For I have seen the light

Your power has no might

Unmasked, revealed, defeated

When Professor Brian entreated

Don’t take its sass

Instead sit on your …ahem

And write.