First Class Offering: Four Pillars of Social Media Description
The class presentation of the Social Media Lab will be the Four Pillars of Social Media presented by Michael C. DeAloia of LNE Group. The Four Pillars will focus on the effective use of the Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These pillars are the foundation for a provocative and successful social media strategy. Prior to the class, each student will receive a social media workbook that will need to be completed prior to the class starting. A primer on how to register and how to use each of the pillars will be offered. The class will then delve into the strategy on how to link and effectively use each pillar as an effective communications tool for your business or personal brand. Case studies on best practices as well as on poorly executed strategies will be discussed. Emerging social media tools will also be detailed such as FourSquare, Pandora, YouTube, Flickr and Meetup.com. This will be the platform class for all other Social Media Lab classes offered in the series. 

The Social Media Lab

The Social Media Lab is a partnership between Corporate College (www.corporatecollege.com) and LNE Group LLC (www.lnegroup.com), and offers a series of social media classes where individuals and businesses can learn and then deploy social media techniques. The Social Media Lab is a collection of course study and actual lab work on six topics. The classes are:

• The Four Pillars of Social Media – Facilitator Michael DeAloia/LNE Group
• Customer Experiences Using Social Media – Facilitator Jack Ricchiuto/DesigningLife.com
• Social Media Techniques for Business Development – Facilitator TBD
• Branding in the Social Media Sphere – Facilitator John Heaney/Orange-Envelopes.com
• Social Media and Employee Attraction – Facilitator TBD
• Social Media Analytics – Facilitator Dennis Gartland/Net Advertising Group

Each topic is offered in a four-hour class and each class has one-hour of instruction and then three-hours of lab time that will support the individual or company implementing their social media strategy in real time. All Social Media Lab classes and instruction will take place at Corporate College in Warrensville Heights. The initial Social Media Lab class is planned for February and additional classes in the series will be scheduled in the near future.

Pricing

The cost of the Four Pillars of Social Media is $399 / Feb 18 / 1:30 - 5:00p / Corporate College East / Facilitator Michael DeAloia- LNE Group Click here for more information

CERTIFICATE AVAILABE:  Attend all six Social Media Lab classes and receive your “Social Media Professional” certificate. Please contact Chuck Mackey of Corporate College at 216.987.2869 or at Charles.mackey@tri-c.edu.

NON-PROFIT PRICING: Special discounts apply for non-profits who want to attend Social Media Lab classes. Please contact Chuck Mackey of Corporate College at 216.987.2869 or at Charles.mackey@tri-c.edu.

SPECIAL OFFER: MULTIPLE ATTENDEES FROM SAME COMPANY: Special pricing discounts apply for companies sending multiple employees to the Social Media Lab classes. Please contact Chuck Mackey of Corporate College at 216.987.2869 or at Charles.mackey@tri-c.edu.

I received word yesterday from my good friend Ray Paganini - President of  CornerstoneIT (www.cornerstoneit.com), about a refreshing new event targeting the C-Level suite here in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. The event is called the “C-Level Technology Roadmap.” This is a must attend event for those executives who are struggling with technology trends and investments - especially in this economy. The event will be held at the City Club of Cleveland on January 26th from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

There are a number of provocative speakers and thought leaders who will be in attendance. Should be a phenomal event. Scheduled speakers include:

• Dave Willmer - Executive Director, Robert Half Technology
• Brian Jackson - Ohio Territory Manager, Microsoft Corporation.

Kudos to CornerstoneIT and the International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners (“IAMCP”) for putting together one hell of a show.

To register for this event at a cost of only $25 go to: http://tinyurl.com/yg6qkrm.

The City Club of Cleveland and the LNE Group proudly announce the development of Cleveland 2.0, a new dialogue series that will uncover emerging personalities, rising industries and vital issues in the Cleveland vicinity.

The first of six panel discussions will focus on the thoughts and aspirations of emerging leaders for the city Cleveland and the surrounding region. Please join us on January 20 @ 11:30am at the venerable City Club in Downtown Cleveland to listen to and debate with these ambitious individuals as they discuss their vision of a new Cleveland.

Panelists include:

• Laura Steinbrink, President - Humanity’s Loom, LLC. (www.humanitysloom.com)
• Thomas Mulready, Owner - Cool Networks, LLC. (www.coolcleveland.com)
• Doug Hardman, CEO - Sparkbase (www.sparkbase.com)
• Jennifer Coleman, CEO/Founder - CityProwl (www.cityprowl.com)

The panel will be moderated by Michael C. DeAloia, former “Tech Czar” of the City of Cleveland and current practice leader at LNE Group (www.lnegroup.com).

To register for this noteworthy event please go to: http://www.cityclub.org/Default.aspx?tabid=256&id=15322 or call 888.223.6786.

Cost of this program is $15. For additional information please connect with Carrie Miller of the City Club at 216.621.0082.

I really have to sit back sometimes and reflect on just how blessed I am living in Cleveland. This city just has an amazing vibe and offers a world of opportunity to those who want to really want to make it…BIG. Consider my last 48 Hours in this crazy town:

• Monday morning attended a Cleveland Leadership Center private event at the City Club with about 40 invididuals who were lucky enough to listen to the Speaker of the Ohio House - Armond Budish. Not a lot of positive noise coming out of Columbus but I respect Armond’s fire and intellectual curiosity on how to fix complex problems. The State is in bad shape and he and I share the same sentiment that it will get worse before it gets better for Ohio.
• For lunch on Monday had a great lunch meeting with Tom Thacker of Smith Barney. What a gem of a guy. Sharp, smart and articulate. Great conversations over a well-prepared lunch. (Sorry didn’t get to tweet about this yesterday.)
• Had my tailor deliver a new suit and sport coat to the office. Wait until you see this sport coat - smoking hot!
• Spent the entire afternoon at a local investment bank working on the debt side for a spectacular local company. There is a strong sense of entrepreneurship in this town. Why doesn’t the media wake up to this? Cleveland’s “new economy” is growing strong - but receives little acknowledgement.
• LimeRibbon (www.limeribbon.com) and the Virtual Incubator were included in an article in Crain’s Cleveland.
• And of course, spent the evening at Crop Bistro for the LimeRibbon.com Launch Party. Gotta give props to the LimeRibbon.com crew in attendance - John & Julia Briggs, Thomas Mulready, John Heaney, Doug & Geof Hardman and George Nemeth. What a freaking party, man! Over 200+ in attendance on a cold Monday night in Cleveland. I don’t ever want to hear that nothing is happening in this town. Truth is Cleveland is starved for some more events like this. Ton of local tech royalty in attendance. Crop Bistro was fantastic - LimeRibbon Punch and lamb sliders. Insane!
• After the launch - me and my crew headed to Nauti Mermaid for some spicy fish tacos and cold beer.

Tuesday, while a bit freaking chilly, and gray - was much of the same.

• Early, and I mean early, meeting at the Q for a TeamNEO (www.teamneo.org) meeting. I sit on the Emerging Leaders Advisory Board for TeamNEO and was proud to be included in a joint Board of Trustees/Advisors meetings. This group is doing some solid things for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, but with anything else we need to more to help this group. Get involved - connect with Carin Rockind (crockind@teamneo.org)!
• Great lunch at the Union Club as I have brought two tech companies together for potential “strategic relationship.” I firmly believe that 2010 will be the year tech makes its mark on Cleveland.
• Prepping for a Channel 19 TV shoot tomorrow morning for Corporate College. I have always wanted to be a “talking head.”
• Later tonight, heading over to CrossFit Cleveland for a beautifully brutal workout. I have lost 40 pounds over the last 18-months. I am looking dead sexy, Cleveland!

Get involved. Connect with me. I want to hear all the great stories about what you are doing and how this City is changing.

I hope you will join me this Friday (December 4th) at noon as I will be presenting the “Four Pillars of Social Media” for the EMarketing Techniques Social Media Tour! Register here, my friends: http://preview.tinyurl.com/ylhv5b6.

It has been an honor to be a part of a special social media start-up in Cleveland, OH. Over the past few months many of you have heard me talk about LimeRibbon.com - the really cool and juicy social shopping network. The entire LimeRibbon team is proud to announce that the site is operational! Please feel welcome to sign up, or better yet use your Facebook login, and begin creating your gift lists, or as we like to call them “Your Ribbons.” The site is still in beta so you may come across a few bugs, errors or tiny mistakes. No worries. Just please let us know about your experiences and our expert team will fix them post haste.

Enjoy a safe and happy Thanksgiving Holiday. And get ready to shop! With Limeribbon. Join the coolest site around at www.limeribbon.com.

Hope you will join us at the Cool Cleveland Launch Party for LimeRibbon.com - Cleveland’s newest social media website. The event will take place on December 7th, 2009 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Crop Bistro & Bar. Come share the excitement of one of the coolest social media launches, not just in Cleveland, but in the nation!

What is LimeRibbon.com all about?

1. Add gifts you want to your LimeRibbon - Your “ribbons” are gift lists where you can add items you desire for your birthday, holiday or special occasions.
2. Share your “Ribbons” with friends! LimeRibbon makes it simple to post your gift lists on other networks like Facebook and Twitter, so that all your friends and family get your gift wish list.
3. Show Off! Flaunt what you buy and want and see what cool stuff others are purchasing instantly.

The Launch

The LimeRibbon.com launch party at Crop Bistro & Bar will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, free beer and free Crop Punch! Multiple terminals will be placed through out the bar so that you can start creating your own “ribbons” on site! And of course, there will be giveaways including two free tickets on Air Tran courtesy of Akron Canton Airport! This is a great way to start the Holiday Season by creating your gift lists like good little boys and girls.

Register

Tickets are only $10! Register today at Cool Cleveland: https://coolcleveland.net/tickets/lr09/index.php.

When: December 7th, 2009. 5:30pm to 7:30pm

Where: Crop Bistro & Bar - West Sixth Street

About LimeRibbon.com

LimeRibbon.com is a Cleveland, OH-based social media site that specializes in the creation of gift lifts, or “ribbons,” that can be shared on other social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. One can also purchase items off these gift lifts, or “ribbons,” with trusted retailers through the LimeRibbon website.

Board Members of LimeRibbon.com include:

• Doug Hardman - Chief Executive Officer, Sparkbase (www.sparkbase.com)
• Geoff Hardman - President, Sparkbase (www.sparkbase.com)
• John Briggs - Vice President, Blue Star Design (www.bluestar-design.com)
• Julia Briggs - President & Pirate, Blue Star Design (www.bluestar-design.com)
• Michael C. DeAloia - “Tech Czar,” LNE Group (www.lnegroup.com)
• John Heaney - Principal, Orange Envelopes (www.orange-envelopes.com)
• George Nemeth - Principal, Brewed Fresh Daily (www.brewedfreshdaily.com)
• Thomas Mulready - President, Cool Cleveland (www.coolcleveland.com)
• Matt Dickman - Techno Marketer (http://technomarketer.typepad.com/)

Big topics and great commentary for this week’s Rapid-Fire Radio (www.rapid-fireradio.com). Dial into to WHK-1420AM and listen (and hopefully engage) to John Heaney and I talk about:

• “Cash For Clunkers” - the real numbers
• New Home Tax Credit Fraud
• New GDP figures were released this week. What does it all mean?
• Decline of newspaper circulation
• What is the new Health Care Plan all about?

Remember Rapid-Fire Radio starts at 6 pm at the home of intelligent talk radio WHK-1420AM!  Check us out on Twitter (@rapidfireradio) and on the web at www.rapid-fireradio.com.

The following video details a great dialogue as read by my friend and former CIO of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Len Steinbach. It was part of the monthly Monologues and Madness series, curated by Tulis McCall. It took place at the Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village on Oct 5, 2009.

Bastrop by Len Steinbach

The State of Ohio through its Third Frontier program has announced two new RFP’s for the Sensors Program and Advanced Materials Program. The Third Frontier Program is a $1.6 billion comprehensive and professionally managed initiative to build world-class research capacity, promote interaction between research and industry and commercialize R&D. These RFP’s provide a $1.0 million matching grant opportunity to those groups, universities and companies selected by the State of Ohio. This is a magnificent vehicle in which to propel any R&D and commercialization opportunities your enterprise may have.

Sensors Program

The goal of the Ohio Third Frontier Sensors Program (“SP”) is to accelerate the development and growth of the sensors industry in Ohio by direct financial support to organizations seeking to: investigate near-term specific commercial objectives with respect to products, processes, or services; commercialize new products, commercialize manufacturing processes or technologies, or adapt or modify existing components or systems that can reduce the cost of sensor systems or address technical and commercialization barriers; or demonstrate market readiness. While this program is open to any sensors projects, preference is being given to projects that address key Ohio industries including motor vehicles, aerospace/aviation, advanced energy/environment, biosciences/bioproducts, advanced materials and agriculture/food processing.

Advanced Materials

The goal of the Ohio Third Frontier Advanced Materials Program (AMP) is to accelerate the development and growth of the advanced materials industry in Ohio by direct financial support to organizations seeking to: investigate near-term specific commercial objectives with respect to products, processes, or services; commercialize new products, commercialize manufacturing processes or technologies, or adapt or modify existing components or systems that can reduce the cost of advanced materials systems or address technical and commercialization barriers; or demonstrate market readiness. While this program is open to any advanced materials projects, preference is being given to projects in polymer and carbon nano-materials, liquid crystals, and bio-based materials.

LNE Group

LNE Group is a federal, state and local government bi-partisan advocacy and grant writing firm. With offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Washington DC and Berlin, Germany – LNE Group has the ability to serve the advocacy and grant writing needs of clients at all levels of government. The firm’s office in Berlin, Germany represents companies doing business at the European Union and European national government levels. The firm’s principals are registered to represent 60 clients. To date LNE Group has completed 20 Third Frontier proposals and have an extraordinary 16 funded. That is an 80% success rate. This equates to over $22.0 million in Third Frontier funding on behalf of our clients. We have great expertise in the Third Frontier RFP process and can offer invaluable advice during this process.

For more information please contact: