Local PR and Social Media Firm honored with Two National Awards

Step Ahead Inc. has been recognized by two national organizations for its creative public relations and social media marketing work.

The Squeaky Clean blog, which Step Ahead designed and maintains for Castle Keepers, a Charleston-area cleaning company, recently received a Gold Award from the MarCom Awards, an international competition for marketing and communication professionals.

Additionally, the Society for New Communications Research recognized Step Ahead with a Commendation of Merit for the Twitter Beach Bash it hosted earlier this spring for MyrtleBeachHotels.com, a group of oceanfront hotels and condos in Myrtle Beach.

The Twitter Beach Bash was a two-hour event in which Twitter followers were invited to answer trivia questions via Twitter for a chance to win prizes at the Myrtle Beach resorts.

‘Effective January 1, 2009, Mount Pleasant resident, Jennifer Lennon will assume the position of Vice President, Development & Education for the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. The Medal of Honor Foundation supports the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which is headquartered on the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point, by raising funds to support the programs and goals of the Society.’

http://www.moultrienews.com/business/Business-Kudos-12-30

Lyn’s Viral Video Picks for 2009

As we close out 2009, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the silliest and most impactful viral videos of the year. Ranging from tragic to ridiculous, here are my picks for the year on my TwitterMoms.com blog post. I’d love to hear your favorites and what you think of mine!

Should Employers Ban Facebook at Work?

Should employers ban access to social networking sites like Facebook at work? If you look at the potential security risks alone, the answer would be resounding yes for most enterprises. Aside from the security risk, there’s the huge hit that social networking has had on employee productivity. One estimate — from IT consulting company Morse — figures employee use of social-networking sites cost employers $2.25 billion a year in lost productivity.

Yet even with the productivity and security challenges caused by social media, there is no still easy answer to the Facebook ban question. There are, however, plenty of opinions and guidelines that can help your company make a sound decision around the use of social networking from 9 to 5.

First, it helps to consider how other small businesses as well CIOs at large companies are handling the social-networking phenomenon. More than half of CIOs in a Robert Half Technology survey said their firms don’t allow employees to visit social-networking sites for any reason while at work.

“Using social-networking sites may divert employees’ attention away from more pressing priorities, so it’s understandable that some companies limit access,” said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “For some professions, however, these sites can be leveraged as effective business tools, which may be why about one in five companies allows their use for work-related purposes.”

The Case for At-Work Facebooking
Public-relations and marketing firms — or PR and marketing divisions within larger enterprises — are among those who believe employees should be able to update their Facebook status at work.

As a PR firm, social media is a way of life for HMA Public Relations. Abbie Fink, vice president and general manager of the firm, said social networking is a critical component of how the company does business. In fact, she added, clients expect the firm to know and understand social media.

“More important to me than whether or not employees are using or viewing social media during work hours is remembering that although they may maintain personal Facebook and Twitter accounts, there is a very fine line between personal and professional in the online space,” Fink said. “You need to be careful what you post [keeping in mind that] your boss, your clients, your future boss, your grandmother… may all be on there, too.”

At Invesp, an e-commerce conversion optimization company, supervisors have had to ask employees to cut back on Twitter and Facebook usage, even though the company relies heavily on social-media activities to connect to others within the industry, including partners and potential clients.

“We have specified time the social-media activity can take place, and it’s always work-related. We’d like our employees to continue building connections with others through their Invesp Twitter handle, and our Invesp Facebook page,” said Ayat Shukairy, managing partner at Invesp. “Business hours are dedicated to business only, even if it is a social-media activity. It’s not easy to monitor, but since we have not cut our employees off completely and they can engage others through Facebook, even if it’s work-related, it has helped tremendously with productivity.”

Avoiding Legal Liabilities
Legal experts have a different perspective about whether companies should ban on-the-job Facebook posts. Some, like Beth Slagle, an attorney with Pittsburgh-based Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, fall back on the standard policy for personal use of corporate resources.

Slagle said employers have the right to prohibit the use of company computers and computer networks for personal use, including for Facebook, other social networking, and personal blogging. Employers can also give their employees social-networking guidelines, including warning that employees will be subject to disciplinary action if they make negative personal comments about the company’s products or services or other employees in a profile or blog.

“Employers should beware that in establishing social-networking guidelines that they comply with all pertinent federal and state laws, including labor and antidiscrimination laws,” Slagle said. “Employers should also understand that banning or restricting Facebook may meet with employee resistance, especially from younger employees. For example, a 2009 survey by Deloitte found that 63 percent of 18-to-34-year-old employees say that employers have no business monitoring any of their online activity.”

Is the Problem Really Facebook?
Social media is no different than offering Internet access at work, according to Lyn Mettler, founder of Step Ahead, a company that develops and manages social-media campaigns for clients.

“It’s unacceptable for an employee to be online surfing the Net for personal reasons during work hours, and the same holds true for Facebook and Twitter,” Mettler said. “However, the Internet can also help us do our jobs, as can some social-networking tools. In fact, Facebook and Twitter can both be great networking tools, and restricting access could limit new business potential.”

Steve Balzac, president of 7 Steps Ahead, a Stow, Mass., coaching and consulting company, says if employers are having a problem with Facebook at work, the problem is not Facebook.

“The use of social networking and the ubiquity of smartphones that can access sites such as Facebook means that employers cannot easily ban [social networking] in any case. Instead, employers need to become considerably more skilled at clearly defining goals and metrics for evaluation,” Balzac said.

That way, he added, it doesn’t matter whether employees are on Facebook or not: they know what is expected from them, by when, and how they’ll be evaluated. If they don’t live up to the standards, the employer can take whatever action is deemed appropriate.

“This approach,” he said, “removes the conflict over Facebook, lets the employer treat the employees like adults and not children, and gives the employees the power to make their own choices, an important component of motivation.”

The Best of Both Worlds
Dani Johnson, author of the number-one Amazon best-seller, Grooming the Next Generation for Success, responds to the Facebook banning question with a series of questions of her own: Does social networking equal employees not working? Is social networking the same thing as having a personal conversation? Is it the same as talking on the phone with a friend about non-work-related issues? Is it the same as making personal plans on company time?

“Last time I checked, we get paid to work and produce results. Our ‘personal’ social networking should be done on ‘personal’ time. Employees can use their two 15-minute breaks as well as their lunch breaks to Facebook, tweet, text and talk,” Johnson said. “I will say this on the contrary as well. Those mediums are very powerful for business growth and connecting with people you normally would not. Find out who in your office is the best at social networking and turn them loose to help promote your business.”

Should Employers Ban Facebook at Work?

Should employers ban access to social networking sites like Facebook at work? If you look at the potential security risks alone, the answer would be resounding yes for most enterprises. Aside from the security risk, there’s the huge hit that social networking has had on employee productivity. One estimate — from IT consulting company Morse — figures employee use of social-networking sites cost employers $2.25 billion a year in lost productivity.

Yet even with the productivity and security challenges caused by social media, there is no still easy answer to the Facebook ban question. There are, however, plenty of opinions and guidelines that can help your company make a sound decision around the use of social networking from 9 to 5.

First, it helps to consider how other small businesses as well CIOs at large companies are handling the social-networking phenomenon. More than half of CIOs in a Robert Half Technology survey said their firms don’t allow employees to visit social-networking sites for any reason while at work.

“Using social-networking sites may divert employees’ attention away from more pressing priorities, so it’s understandable that some companies limit access,” said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “For some professions, however, these sites can be leveraged as effective business tools, which may be why about one in five companies allows their use for work-related purposes.”

The Case for At-Work Facebooking

Public-relations and marketing firms — or PR and marketing divisions within larger enterprises — are among those who believe employees should be able to update their Facebook status at work.

As a PR firm, social media is a way of life for HMA Public Relations. Abbie Fink, vice president and general manager of the firm, said social networking is a critical component of how the company does business. In fact, she added, clients expect the firm to know and understand social media.

“More important to me than whether or not employees are using or viewing social media during work hours is remembering that although they may maintain personal Facebook and Twitter accounts, there is a very fine line between personal and professional in the online space,” Fink said. “You need to be careful what you post [keeping in mind that] your boss, your clients, your future boss, your grandmother… may all be on there, too.”

At Invesp, an e-commerce conversion optimization company, supervisors have had to ask employees to cut back on Twitter and Facebook usage, even though the company relies heavily on social-media activities to connect to others within the industry, including partners and potential clients. “We have specified time the social-media activity can take place, and it’s always work-related. We’d like our employees to continue building connections with others through their Invesp Twitter handle, and our Invesp Facebook page,” said Ayat Shukairy, managing partner at Invesp. “Business hours are dedicated to business only, even if it is a social-media activity. It’s not easy to monitor, but since we have not cut our employees off completely and they can engage others through Facebook, even if it’s work-related, it has helped tremendously with productivity.”

Avoiding Legal Liabilities

Legal experts have a different perspective about whether companies should ban on-the-job Facebook posts. Some, like Beth Slagle, an attorney with Pittsburgh-based Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, fall back on the standard policy for personal use of corporate resources.

Slagle said employers have the right to prohibit the use of company computers and computer networks for personal use, including for Facebook, other social networking, and personal blogging. Employers can also give their employees social-networking guidelines, including warning that employees will be subject to disciplinary action if they make negative personal comments about the company’s products or services or other employees in a profile or blog.

“Employers should beware that in establishing social-networking guidelines that they comply with all pertinent federal and state laws, including labor and antidiscrimination laws,” Slagle said. “Employers should also understand that banning or restricting Facebook may meet with employee resistance, especially from younger employees. For example, a 2009 survey by Deloitte found that 63 percent of 18-to-34-year-old employees say that employers have no business monitoring any of their online activity.”

Is the Problem Really Facebook?

Social media is no different than offering Internet access at work, according to Lyn Mettler, founder of Step Ahead, a company that develops and manages social-media campaigns for clients.

“It’s unacceptable for an employee to be online surfing the Net for personal reasons during work hours, and the same holds true for Facebook and Twitter,” Mettler said. “However, the Internet can also help us do our jobs, as can some social-networking tools. In fact, Facebook and Twitter can both be great networking tools, and restricting access could limit new business potential.”
Steve Balzac, president of 7 Steps Ahead, a Stow, Mass., coaching and consulting company, says if employers are having a problem with Facebook at work, the problem is not Facebook.

“The use of social networking and the ubiquity of smartphones that can access sites such as Facebook means that employers cannot easily ban [social networking] in any case. Instead, employers need to become considerably more skilled at clearly defining goals and metrics for evaluation,” Balzac said.

That way, he added, it doesn’t matter whether employees are on Facebook or not: they know what is expected from them, by when, and how they’ll be evaluated. If they don’t live up to the standards, the employer can take whatever action is deemed appropriate.

“This approach,” he said, “removes the conflict over Facebook, lets the employer treat the employees like adults and not children, and gives the employees the power to make their own choices, an important component of motivation.”

The Best of Both Worlds

Dani Johnson, author of the number-one Amazon best-seller, Grooming the Next Generation for Success, responds to the Facebook banning question with a series of questions of her own: Does social networking equal employees not working? Is social networking the same thing as having a personal conversation? Is it the same as talking on the phone with a friend about non-work-related issues? Is it the same as making personal plans on company time?

“Last time I checked, we get paid to work and produce results. Our ‘personal’ social networking should be done on ‘personal’ time. Employees can use their two 15-minute breaks as well as their lunch breaks to Facebook, tweet, text and talk,” Johnson said. “I will say this on the contrary as well. Those mediums are very powerful for business growth and connecting with people you normally would not. Find out who in your office is the best at social networking and turn them loose to help promote your business.”

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=0030003H5KTU&page=3

Last Minute Gift Ideas

Local PR and Social Media Firm Honored with Two National Awards

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Step Ahead Inc. has been recognized by two national organizations for its creative public relations and social media marketing work.

The Squeaky Clean blog, which Step Ahead designed and maintains for Castle Keepers, a Charleston-area cleaning company, recently received a Gold Award from the MarCom Awards, an international competition for marketing and communication professionals.

Additionally, the Society for New Communications Research recognized Step Ahead with a Commendation of Merit for the Twitter Beach Bash it hosted earlier this spring for MyrtleBeachHotels.com, a group of oceanfront hotels and condos in Myrtle Beach. The Twitter Beach Bash was a two-hour event in which Twitter followers were invited to answer trivia questions via Twitter for a chance to win prizes at the Myrtle Beach resorts.

The Society honors innovative organizations that are pioneering the use of social media, ICT, mobile media, online communities and collaborative technologies in the areas of media, marketing, public relations, advertising, entertainment, education, politics and social initiatives.

About Step Ahead Inc.
Step Ahead, Inc. is a Mt. Pleasant, S.C.-based company that combines the best of traditional public relations with social media and Internet marketing campaigns to help maximize visibility for clients both online and off. The company’s clients include Spirit Telecom of Columbia, the Charleston Breast Center, Myrtle Beach National resorts, Charming Inns of Charleston, Charleston Parks Conservancy, Golf Island of Hilton Head, SpiritLine Cruises and others. The company has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur magazine and the Associated Press and on MSNBC.com. Visit www.stepaheadinc.com or call (843) 606-0226 for more information.

Eat, sleep, get support: Ways for small business owners to stop, avoid small business burnout

Burnout has long been a problem for small business owners who throw themselves into their companies. The struggling economy makes it worse, and the stress of the holiday season can add to the misery.

The signs are clear: exhaustion, irritability, forgetfulness, a feeling of being overwhelmed. Worse, an owner doesn’t seem to find much joy in this business that he or she used to be excited about.

Owners who have suffered from burnout learn that it can be alleviated, even prevented. They get more balance in their lives, learn not to carry their burdens by themselves and to take better care of themselves physically. For example: have a social life, build a support system and get some exercise and a good night’s sleep.

KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS

Paying attention to yourself and how you’re feeling can help stop burnout early.

“I feel myself getting tired on nights and weekends and that’s my cue to step back,” said Lyn Mettler, founder of Step Ahead Inc., a Charleston, S.C.-based company that creates and manages social media publicity campaigns.

It’s also the point when Mettler starts to take better care of herself. “If I burn out, we’re in real trouble.”

Avi Karnani and Matt Wallert are on the lookout for burnout not only in themselves, but also in the employees of their New York-based startup advisory firm, Churnless.

“The moment I see people being short-tempered with each other,” Wallert said, he knows that burnout has arrived.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF PHYSICALLY

The admonition “a healthy mind in a healthy body” is something small business owners should take to heart.

Simona Paige, who co-owns Gourme Mist, maker of an organic food mister, said exercise, yoga and getting enough sleep have been keys to fighting burnout.

Sleep in particular is something that many entrepreneurs decide they can do without. Paige warned: “If you don’t sleep well, you’re not going to be able to function well.”

Paige said she and her partner, Sherene Costanzo, started burning out about five months ago, when they were both traveling to trade shows while trying to run the Coral Gables, Fla.-based company.

“We were being pulled in a million different directions,” Paige said.

Mettler also exercises and watches her diet, especially her blood sugar level. She finds that poor food choices, especially too much sugar, makes her “crash and burn, only to crave more sugar, followed by another crash.”

Many owners might think, I just don’t have time to worry about all that. But burnout takes away some of the time and energy you need to run your company. Fighting it by taking care of yourself physically can restore that.

TAKE A BREAK — AND GO OUT AND HAVE A GOOD TIME

It’s hard for many small business owners to stop working, even for an hour or two. There’s always something that needs to be done, and it feels like it has to be done right now. But many of those who keep burnout at bay learn to schedule down time.

“I try to wind down at night, go in front of the TV for half an hour before I sleep, or read a book,” Paige said.

The problem for many owners, especially in this kind of economy or if the company is very young, is they find it hard to stop thinking about work. Never going off-duty mentally is big burnout contributor.

One answer is to be sure you schedule distractions. Make sure you have a social life, whether it’s going out with friends for a quick drink or a movie, or going on a hike.

“The more positive people you have in your environment that you can go to have a beer with on short notice or have lunch with or go for a bike ride, the better,” Wallert said.

Brian Gross, president of Woodland, Hills, Calif.-based BSG PR, a public relations firm, said many owners just forget the important of a maintaining a balance between their work and personal lives.

“It’s really easy to get away from those things, and you realize when you get back into them how important they are,” he said.

“It’s really important to be able to go to others during times of burnout and stress, times when you think the world is going to end,” Gross said.

Owners with partners can find it easier to avoid burnout, simply because there’s someone to share the burden.

“We encourage each other and support each other and work as a team,” Paige said.

For sole proprietors, it means making an effort to get some support. Networking groups are an ideal way to quickly build a support system. Gross said friends who are also in business are the ones who help him out.

Wallert and Karkani, who work with other entrepreneurs, say it’s a mistake for an owner to try to carry the burden alone or just put on a good face for the world.

“No one can help you if they don’t know you have a problem,” Wallert said.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.