Our nation is in a recession. The State of Hawaii government is cutting an already slimmed down budget, the tourism industry is scrambling for creative campaigns to lure visitors, and small businesses are staving off impending closures. Not just businesses and organizations, but everyone is looking for solutions.
One solution and a decision towards an investment in the future of how nearly everything will be done is the Bytemarks eCommerce and Social Media Workshop sponsored by the High Tech Development Corporation (HTDC).
eCommerce and Social Media Workshop
February 21 & 28, 2009
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Kapiolani Community College, Naio Building
$75 + fees Computers and internet access will be provided.
“It is critically important at this time for businesses to engage their customers. When I say engage I mean to interact and communicate with their customers,” said Bytemarks founder, Burt Lum.
Since its launch, Bytemarks has been growing with technology. It began in 1998 as a tech column in the Honolulu Advertiser. After a six-year run, in order to keep in touch with his readers, Lum launched the Bytemarks Yahoo! Group and eventually converted online discussion to real life relationships.
“Our monthly lunches were a way to nurture community and helped to spawn similar communities. The tech community in Hawaii as a result has galvanized and is now a much stronger, more cohesive group,” explains Lum.
Lum consistently uses social media tools to further the Bytemarks audience with its own blog, Flickr and Twitter accounts that has over 1,000 followers worldwide. Most recently, Lum launched Bytemarks Cafe, a weekly tech radio show on Hawaii Public Radio that is also available via iTunes.
Lum emphasizes, “In this economic downturn the most important thing is your customers. You need to stay in touch with them and continue to build your value in their eyes. If not, they will go elsewhere. The sooner you establish your online presence the better. With this workshop we hope to kick start that process.”
Lum will be teaching the 2-day workshop with his Bytemarks Cafe co-host and social media leader, Ryan Ozawa.
