Poll - First Website Open

In a recent poll conducted by me on Facebook, I presented the question: What website do you open first after opening a browser?

Here are the responses by percentage in categories:

Social Networks: 28%

News/Sports: 28%

Search Engine (Google): 22%

Email: 22%

These statistics are unbiased, but it should be noted that the survey took place on a social network itself.

My hypothesis before I conducted this survey was that social networks would be the most popular, but it tied with news/sports. It was important that the question be about which is opened first, because this could mean the category opened first is the most important. Many also habitually check their social media profiles for updates to events, groups, and other comments. This represents a huge change in how the internet is used and presented to the public. Social networks, according to this poll, are tied with news for an information service!

I cannot wait to see how Facebook and Twitter evolve, as well as new social services such as Foursquare.com or Meetup.com.

Todd T.

P.S. If you haven't checked out Google Voice, you should. No more Facebook groups for changing your phone number to your friends.

Incuba8 Business Starter

Do you know anyone with great business ideas but doesn't know how to refine the idea? People with technology/science products that want to commercialize their idea? Companies that need help with intellectual property strategy, patents, trademarks, or licensing? Startups who are trying to set up their organizational structure and/or accounting?

I'm putting together a week and half of events called Incuba8 with events geared toward entrepreneurs of different ages in Midland, MI. Check out our site. They occur Aug 10- Aug 18th. As a young entrepreneur myself (22 yrs old) I'm excited to help foster a statewide community of entrepreneurs passionate about pursuing their ideas. They can come to one or multiple events. I've listed the events below and attached our press release.

Young participants may especially be interested in hearing Alex Lindahl, Founder of College Mogul speak.

Entrepreneurs of all ages may be especially interested in our Area Innovation Showcase, Entrepreneur Meetup, and Business Setup Conference (Link to a agenda).

People from all backgrounds may be interested in attending our Participant Presentations.

Web Developers and Graphic Designers may be interest in participating in our Business Launch Weekend.

- Do you know of anyone who may be interested in attending?

- Do you know of anyone else I should contact about our event?

- If anyone is interested let me know and we will arrange a place for them to stay.

If you could pass on the website and/or give me names of people with an interest in being involved with a startup or who have a business idea, that would be great!

Thanks,

President & CEO, Opportunity Analysts, LLC

cshick@opportunityanalysts.com

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Area Innovation Showcase - August 10^th, 10:15- 11:30 am, Alden B. Dow Creativity Center, Midland, MI

· Meet the area’s most creative innovators, services providers , inventors, and product creators.

· Showcase your new invention or business idea to angel investors, customers, and other entrepreneurs at the first Area Innovation Showcase. REGISTER Here!

Concept Crafting Boot Camp - August 10-12^th, Alden B. Dow Creativity Center, Midland, MI

· A workshop that helps you create a viable and feasible business proposal by helping you walk through the ideation process needed to outline your startup’s purpose, strategy, and revenue model. This workshop targets motivated entrepreneurs under 30.

· Suggested donation: $65 (scholarships available upon qualification). REGISTER Here!

Entrepreneurial and Social Entrepreneurial Meetup - August 12^th, 7:00 pm, 2470 E NewCastle Ln, Midland

· A networking event creating connections among smart, driven people from all walks of life in Mid-Michigan to build a better community and world together.

· Suggested donation: $5

Mid Michigan Innovators Speakers Series, Alex Lindahl, Co-Founder of College Mogul - August 13^th, 4:30 pm, The Sloan Building at Northwood University, Midland, MI

· Come hear a young entrepreneur share his journey of founding CollegeMogul.com and the Boston chapter of Ultra Light Startups. REGISTER FOR THE SPEAKER SERIES Here!

Business Launch Weekend - August 13-15^th, The Sloan Building at Northwood University, Midland, MI

· Develop your own business concept with the help of our mentors and experts targeting motivated individuals under 30.

· Don’t have a business concept? Jump on board with some of the hottest new concepts in Michigan and contribute your talent to making them a reality. REGISTER Here!

Participant Presentations- August 16^th, The Sloan Building at Northwood University, Midland, MI

· Come hear what has happened over the week at Incuba8 by attending our Community Presentation Day. Participants will present their concepts, progress made, and future plans.

Business Setup Conference - August 18^th, 8:00 am-7 pm, Mid Michigan Innovation Center, Midland, MI

· Have all of your startup questions answered by the experts.

· This event is focused on walking startups through the organizational structure, legal & accounting setup, intellectual capital strategies, and licensing your idea.

· Attendees will receive instruction from Intellectual Property Specialists, Start-up Lawyers, Accounting Specialists and more.

· Suggested donation: $100. REGISTER FOR THE BUSINESS SETUP CONFERENCE Here!

If you or someone you know is interested or is considering a business start-up check out www.incuba8.com or contact them at cshick@opportunityanalysts.com.

Michael Jackson & Social Media - Short

I was asked by one subscriber to make a note on Michael Jackson and the use of social media to spread allegations surrounding his death.
I will say that it is fascinating how powerful social media can be for spreading news vs. traditional news from the actual news programs/blogs. This basically shows that the mass portion of social media subscribers believe or listen to their peer sources on the networks rather than through traditional means, making regular joes experts in areas that they may or may not be experts in. In other words, this is shrouding the term "expert" in a gray area that is becoming increasingly undefined in our online world. This is both a great and detrimental phenomenon.
I would only listen to the social media world if it can also be verified by the traditional news as well. Know who is an expert and who is not.

TDT

Sites to Check Out

These are just broad overviews of websites designed to help people use and understand social media. I will go more in depth on specific article(s)/blog(s) in future posts.

http://www.socialmedia.com/

This is a site designed by the guys who wrote twitter to help explain social networks and why they are powerful social tools. The only problem is its bias toward twitter.

http://www.socialmedia.biz/

A completely non-biased site bent on giving you an advanced look into the various microblogging and social sites, what they can do, what they CAN'T do, by people like us.

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/

This is another blog site designed to give you an indepth look into what is going on with social media TODAY, literally. It is also unique because I can join and become a voice.

The benefit of learning about social media: If you understand how sites are currently being used, you will be able to easily impliment that for your product/service and gain instant positive feedback from people who's opinions matter... our friends, co-workers, or bosses. People that will recommend it, and recommendations are much more powerful than advertisements.

iN-tech

iN-tech defined:

Any new internet technology that is 1) somehow connected to social networks 2) new social networks themselves 3) connections to various new tech blogs or sites

Example:

Google Wave is a multi-facet platform coming in the months down the road that will completely revolutionize, no, redefined the way we IM or email someone. Here is the blog:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/went-walkabout-brought-back-google-wave.html

I will keep my blogs shorter and to the point. Basically, this will aim to be a "engadget" of social networks/social technology.

A Lesson on Image and Values

Lately I've been wondering about the definition of "image" in the world today and what it entails. For instance, does one derive their image from the face that peers back in the mirror, or is it from within - an idea of oneself - or maybe even a combination of both? I came across what I feel is the truth while running with my good friend David.

We were discussing why people still weight lift excessively if their career has nothing to do with having muscle, such as a desk job. My view was that they built their muscle to achieve the image that they were trying to convey to the world. His view was that it was because it was still instinctual to build muscle and have broader shoulders to attract females. While it may be a bit of both, the concept still remains: they were building muscle to build their image. While building muscle may build image in one manner, it could be completely destroyed by a car crash or some kind of accident. It was "destroyable image," or image that is temporary. Image should be based on something better, something lasting.

For myself, bulk weight lifting sounds like something I would like to do, but makes no sense for my career and life choices. I will always continue to exercise in one manner or another because it is a priority. It will give me energy to build my business by being fit and increasing my metabolism; in other words, I have an undeniable logic behind my choice. Image based on logic is very important, which is how I discovered the truth: the only things that cannot be destroyed by this world are our souls and our values.

Since I feel inadequate to talk about the human soul, I focused purely on developing how values are important AND indestructible. Values determine our priorities, which in turn determine our choices we make on a daily basis. If our values are not set in stone, we have no basis on which to determine what the most important things in life are, which will make decision making impossible. An important person in my life once told me, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything," and I finally believe it.

Do you know your values off the top of your head? Can you give me a list of your priorities everyday, or what you want to accomplish?

I can't motivate you to change - only you can do that. But I can inspire you through the changes I make in my life.

Todd Terwillegar is owner of Entrepreneurs&Business Marketing Firm in Michigan, and focuses on personal success development with those willing to make the necessary changes within to change the world at large.

Shortie: Ambition

Shorties are short notes that require only one or two paragraphs, are a great read, and will keep you thinking throughout the day on how to improve yourself.

Ambition, defined:

1. 1. An eager or strong desire to achieve something, such as fame or power.
   2. The object or goal desired: Her ambition is the presidency.
2. Desire for exertion or activity; energy: had no ambition to go dancing.

What are YOU trying to achieve right now? What are the goals/achievements that define the choices you make in everyday life? What? You say you don't really know? Well have you ever considered that every choice you make WILL and IS determined on these goals, and that without them or a clear sense of a destination, you will only end up where you started? Listen closely:

Going through life is like driving a car. Do you ever get in the car without having a destination in mind? If you said yes, that means you are going on a roadtrip. Roadtrips are fun, but guess where they take you when you are done. HOME, back to the BEGINNING. Without a destination, you will get nowhere.

Fact:

80% of success toward any goal is made up of PASSION.

Here's another example:

My newest prototype project in the community of Midland is called ACTS, and is a Christian fellowship project with aims to help the community in struggling times as well as to build lifetime relationships. I have had too many people tell me as of late that they have been waiting for a group like this... what have they been waiting for?

They didn't have the drive, the goals, or the AMBITION. Have one great idea, act on it, and people will follow you.

Try it.

Purpose of Blogging

Hi, my name is Todd Terwillegar, and this is the first blog I have ever written. For your sake, I will skip why I did not blog before now, and get to the meat of the piece - why I have begun to.

I recently started Entrepreneurs&Business Marketing as a proprietary business venture - concerned with consulting various other small businesses regionally in marketing methodology - in Midland, Michigan. For those of you who do not know what my business does, please take a moment to visit www.businessmarketingconsult.com. This business idea stemmed from the growing interest in using the new marketing sector known as social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) as a business tool, which would expand upon its original social purposes. As I have expanded my search for information on how to do this, I have realized another growing trend. Using blogs for business.

The power of corporate or business blogging has escaped me until rather recently, when I realized that it will become my free e-zine (if you will) for releasing pertinent information on the following categories:

1. innovative marketing strategies
2. new uses for social networks
3. entrepreneurial news or tips
4. small business strategies

The power of this blog will stem from the research that I am doing daily on new strategies for my business that can help anyone.

I will keep my blogs short and sweet, because Time=Money. I hope the time you spend reading my blogs will help you earn what it is you want most out of life, whatever that may be.

Tip:

Every single person you meet at any given point is a possible connection, or networking opportunity. If you want to succeed, you have to know people. It is the way it is. Walk up with a smile, shake their hand confidently, and most importantly, HAVE A PLAN. Too many people walk up with no plan and miss the true opportunities at hand.


"Its not who you know, its who knows YOU."
- Jeffrey Gitomer - Little Black Book of Connections