MDBizExpo

MDBIZEXPO + R2iSMASH = a Social Mash Up

"Economic growth requires more than just knowledge. It requires networking as well as access to suppliers, government agencies, and partners who will help our companies grow and compete beyond our region." - Tom Hood

Business is about people and people are social that is why we have inserted social media throughout the MDBIZEXPO and made networking and connections such priority. (See post Up Your Whuffie Factor)

We see this event as a way to connect people which is why we are really excited about this technology tool. This latest version of R2i SMASH will showcase what the EXPO is really all about - people - connections - the network.

When we heard about this from our friends at GB Tech and the Maryland Chamber, we knew we had to have it for this event, so we went to Matt Goddard at R2i.ntegrated in Baltimore and said that they had to be a sponsor of the EXPO and they said YES!

Matt will be featured in a keynote on Tuesday, June 16th (10:15 a.m. 11:05 a.m.) - as he talks about "The Social Reality- Turning the Social Media Hype Into Real Value for Your Business"

This platform offers us the ability to capture the energy and excitement of the EXPO by showcasing all of the cool people in attendance and connecting those who can't be here with us LIVE. Attendees will be able to send photos, tweets, and text messages (use hashtag #MDBIZEXPO09 and mail live@macpa.org) and we will be conducting live interviews during the two days which will be broadcast through our MDBIZEXPO R2i SMASH site. It will be featured at three viewing stations around the EXPO and live on the website throughout the conference and after. We see this as an way to delver extra value to all of our thought leaders, speakers, and major sponsors who are making the investment in Maryland's future with us.

Check out our link with last year's photos and current twitter stream on our MDBIZEXPO R2i SMASH site now and check back as the conference starts.

R2i recently returned from San Fran where they unveiled the latest version of their social networking mash up technology as the focal point of the Inbound Marketing Summit 2009 Conference. Assigned the aptly named moniker "Smash", short for social mash up, R2i SMASH provides a robust and friendly environment which integrates the popular heavyweight social networking capabilities of Twitter, Flickr, text messaging, mobile video, Ustream, webcasting and multimedia messaging.With R2i SMASH you can quickly setup anything from a simple page with grouped social streams, to a full event conferencing web property, complete with locations, sessions, abstracts and schedules to conduct a full social networking world’s fair online or shared and in person.

R2i SMASH has been used for simple websites used to act as the one-stop takeaway point for single day conferences, to multi-day extravaganzas. It can have a custom user interface for each event, or a set of shared layouts for quick setup for use in any setting.

• Quick setup
• Custom URLS
• Popular social networking feeds
• Twitter tweets by tags and phrases
• Flickr pics by tag and author
• SMS texts from custom email addresses
• SMS pictures with automatic scaling
• Video streams with web capture
• Built in moderation capabilities
• Quick export of all multimedia types for archiving
• Adjustable and skinable layout
• Custom dimension flexibility appropriate for any display requirements like:
o laptops/desktops
o conference booths
o TV and HDTV
o standard and widescreen projectors

R2i SMASH brings you the best features of social networking, in one centrally located package.

Download R2i SMASH

Up your Whuffie Factor at the MDBIZEXPO

or How to use social media to increase your business and boost your career.

"Whuffie is the culmination of your reputation, influence, bridging and bonding capital, current and potential access to ideas, talent and resources, saved-up favors, and accomplishments." from the book, The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt (@missrogue on twitter)

The MDBIZEXPO will feature some of the top social media gurus in business and accounting and plenty of sessions designed to help you harness these new tools for your business and career.

Pictured are a few of the nationally-recognized gurus who stopped by our tweet-up back in February at our MACPA Columbia CPA Center (@chris_jenkins @tomhood @billsheridan, @pinnovation, @retheauditors, @editho @cpatrendlines). There were even more cool people at the tweetup like @robinyasnow @will_burns @jamesuccpa, etc. That conversation led us to integrate and weave social media throughout the EXPO, to help you build your whuffie. In addition we will have plenty more social media gurus helping you build your whuffie at sessions like these:

1. Matt Goddard of R2.Integrated will talk about The Social Reality- Turning the Social Media Hype Into Real Value for Your Business
2. Rick Telberg of CPA Trendlines will feature the results of the first survey of CPAs and uses of Social Media
3. Bill Sheridan will feature a panel of nationally recognized bloggers and social media experts from AccountingWeb, Accounting Technology Magazine, Journal of Accountancy. Daily Record, BBJ, Financial Executives International, re:TheAuditors, MDChamber and more
4. Raintoday.com will offer their free special report titled Social Networking for Professional Services: How to Add Social Media toYour Networking Plan to all attendees
5. All this and over 60 workshops for two days for $250! Register here

Here is how you can help us make the EXPO extra social and build some whuffie

1. RSVP’ing to the MDBIZEXPO LinkedIn event: http://events.linkedin.com/MDBIZEXPO/pub/78303 
    and the  MDBIZEXPO Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=61323852802
2.  Another easy way to let your network know what you’re doing is to update your “What are you doing now” on LinkedIn. Please insert this URL http://www.mdbizexpo.com to help others get easy access to the conference information.
3. In addition, if you will be tweeting about this conference, we’ve set up a Twitter hash tag: #MDBizExpo09. Please refer to the conference when applicable before, during and after the event to create some buzz!
4. Our technology sponsor, R2i.ntegrated, has created a Web site that will mashup our social media content before and during the EXPO. You can view the site with last year’s photos and recent posts here:http://mdbizexpo.r2ismash.com/

MDBIZEXPO sites:
• Official Web site: http://www.mdbizexpo.com
• Blog: http://www.mebizexpoblog.com
• On Twitter: http://twitter.com/mdbizexpo
• Hashtag: #MDBizExpo09

Here are just a few twitterers who will be with is at the EXPO (I Can't wait to see that twitter stream on our MDBIZEXPO R2i SMASH site):

@retheauditors @cpa_trendlines  @accountingweb @Atomorrow @editho @mike_schultz  @cybercpa  @will_burns @mdchamber @jamesuccpa @nadenlean@bbjonline@dubmenow@michaeldeutch @mindjet @r2integrated @G1440 @dubmenow @gretchenpisano @byron_cpa @FRYAN1951
@pmargaritis  @gbtech @SmallBusinessAd @chadmoutray @NFIB @Tbensky
@jackiesauter @JR_Martin @ronaldbaker @davidstephenson @MACPA@billsheridan
@tomhood @kimoneill @jegbrown @hawsmith @pamelacdevine @skipfalatko @dougshaner
@ShancockMACPA @Jfrizzera @amystum

Cool tool for networking - featured at the EXPO

Ever run out of business cards at a meeting or event? This new tool allows you to "send" your card by text, sms, or e-mail.

Every CPA needs to network.In fact, every business professional needs to network and this is a new way to speed up and organize your networking abilities. Our friend, Jeff De Cagna at Principled Innovation turned me onto this too and I was impressed. Check out this short video to really see the potential.

I use the iPhone version (available from the apps store), but there are other versions for blackberry and other smartphones, or just go to their website and setup your mobile card http://www.bibmenow.com

DubMeNow will be featured at the MDBIZEXPO and MACPA will be sending out a link to all of our exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees to connect then up (at their option).

DUB Explained from DubMeNow on Vimeo.