Ask NCET: Company blogs and in-person meetings

Have a business or technology question?  Send it to ask@NCET.org and if selected, NCET’s panel of business and technology experts will answer it in our monthly column. 

Should my company have a blog? Where do I start? 

Cinammon Davies

Cinammon Davies

Having a blog as part of your company’s website can provide several important benefits to your website. Mechanically, having a blog that is consistently cared for over time can help your websites SEO rankings providing the content of your blog articles serve to strengthen the context of your website in the eyes of the search engine crawlers. Google, Yahoo and Bing are looking for meat on the bone to understand who you are and what you do, when they consider the positioning of how they recommend your website to searchers.  

Blogging is an important component to your overall SEO strategy because it is a great way to provide that additional context to help search engines understand if they can make a love connection between the searcher and your company’s website. 

The art of blogging is providing content that the reader finds value in, while elevating your company as a subject matter expert. Your blog is an opportunity to give outsiders an insider’s view into your world. You can share case studies and white papers that demonstrate to your potential customer base how your business can serve them. You can create behind the scenes content that shows the level of quality and care that you take in performing your business services while caring for your customers. Perhaps you want to share new innovations and practices that your company has put into place? Or even a simple “how-to” video paired with an article that outlines the step-by-step in writing. The possibilities are endless!  

So, what are you waiting for? Get #Blogging! 

Cinammon Davies is an Account Executive for LOCALiQ, part of the USA Today Network (www.localiq.com/markets/nevada/) and NCET’s VP of Social Media and Newsletters.

My organization is getting ready to resume in-person meetings.  What do I need to know?

Dave Archer

Dave Archer

It’s a brave new world out there, and here some items to consider:

  • First, you may need a lot more room!  You’ll currently need to maintain six feet of social distancing while networking. If you’re serving food, most venues are now seating three or four people at tables originally meant for eight, so you’re going to need at least twice as many tables – and at least twice as much space – as you’ve used in the past.  Social distancing and other rules are set to change in May and June and may vary from county to county, so be sure to check with your venue for updated rules.

  • Masks will be required; many venues are requiring temperature checks; and some require participants to fill out heath questionnaires either in advance or upon arrival.

  • You’ll need to decide if you’re going to hold “hybrid” meetings where participants have the option of either attending in person or online.  Hybrid meeting can range from simple to quite complex depending on whether you plan to have a single local speaker, such as when one person is giving a presentation; or multiple simultaneous speakers, as you would with a hybrid board meeting.  You can learn more about these options in my earlier column:  https://www.rgj.com/story/news/money/business/2020/11/03/how-hold-successful-hybrid-meetings-ncet-biz-tips/6143748002/

  •  Hybrid meetings require more technology, so make sure you or your venue have all the required equipment such as AV, computers, wi-fi access, etc.  And it’s worth holding a dress rehearsal before your first event to make sure everything works.

 Best wishes for a successful meeting!

 Dave Archer is President / CEO of NCET

 NCET is Northern Nevada’s largest member-supported non-profit that produces educational and networking events to help people explore businesses and technology. (www.NCET.org)

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