Atlanta Web Entrepreneurs Presents:

Ask the Expert!

Session Details:

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Session:

General Category:
Branding
Session Topic:
Personal Branding Online
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • Should I use my real name online?
  • Does it hurt my brand to use a different persona for different contexts?
  • Whom do you serve?
  • What's your unique personal proposition?
  • Do you know what you're not?

Expert:

David Cohen — Equation Arts

Artist and technologist David Cohen is the founder of Equation Arts, an Atlanta consultancy specializing in defining brand positioning for software and service companies. In 1999 he co-founded AnyDevice, a mobile middleware provider, later sold to HiddenMind Inc. He is experienced in fund-raising, business planning, market strategy, brand creation, product definition, and start-up coaching. David's paintings have been exhibited in galleries in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Atlanta.
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Session:

General Category:
Branding
Session Topic:
Web Branding
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • What are the three R's of branding?
  • Why is branding important in a virtual landscape?
  • Who is in control of my brand?
  • How do I develop a context for my brand?
  • How is findability changing branding?

Expert:

David Cohen — Equation Arts

Artist and technologist David Cohen is the founder of Equation Arts, an Atlanta consultancy specializing in defining brand positioning for software and service companies. In 1999 he co-founded AnyDevice, a mobile middleware provider, later sold to HiddenMind Inc. He is experienced in fund-raising, business planning, market strategy, brand creation, product definition, and start-up coaching. David's paintings have been exhibited in galleries in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Atlanta.
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Session:

General Category:
Cloud Computing
Session Topic:
Which "Cloud" Provider is Right for your Business?
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • Can you simply explain the cloud computing?
  • What about Amazon; they are the 800-pound gorilla, right?
  • What are the other "Cloud" providers?overview
  • (Mosso,Rightscale,Elastra,3Tera,...)
  • What's the best choice for my business?

Expert:

John Willis — Zabovo

John Willis has 30+ years of IT management experience with enterprise systems management technologies. John has designed provisioning systems many Fortune 500’s using Tivoli Provisioning Manager, the framework for IBM's "Blue Cloud". John has implemented "Cloud" solutions on Amazon's EC2 and S3 for customers and himself. He runs several sites on various "Cloud" platforms including EC2, Mosso, RightScale, 3Tera, and Google's App Engine and he writes and presents frequently on "Cloud Technology" topics.
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Session:

General Category:
eCommerce
Session Topic:
Card processing with Google Checkout
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • What is Google Checkout? Why is this important?
  • How do I save over $15k using google checkout?
  • Can I do this myself, and what do I need?

Expert:

Allan Regenbaum — Keylan

A BSEE engineer, Allan Regenbaum has 30 years experience in telecommunications, video, telephony, marketing, and web retail. Originally from South Africa, Allan and wife own and operate Keylan, a successful web retailer of multiple brands of cookware with a unique business model. Allan also has spent 10 years designing and implementing interactive TV services for the hospitality and medical industries. Allan also serves as Director of Web Marketing for Soltech, an Atlanta software and solutions provider.
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Session:

General Category:
Email marketing
Session Topic:
Email Marketing Program Considerations
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • Do you have an interested audience who wants to hear from you?
  • Do you have a clear idea of relevant content for your messages?
  • How much dedicated time and energy does email marketing require?

Expert:

Sandi Solow — iSendYourEmail.com

Sandi Karchmer Solow's background includes forming and implementing strategic marketing programs for a Big Four consulting firm and developing content for CNN.com and CNNSI.com. As an individual consultant she has worked with a loyalty marketing firm in Atlanta to manage the daily aspects of an email marketing program, including list segmentation, tracking the effectiveness of various messages and promotion analysis. She has also worked nonprofits and a small business to develop an email marketing program.
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Session:

General Category:
Email marketing
Session Topic:
Optimizing an Existing Email Marketing Program.
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • How do I match message content with audience interests?
  • What TLC do I need to give to my emails?
  • How do I select the right Email service provider?

Expert:

Sandi Solow — iSendYourEmail.com

Sandi Karchmer Solow's background includes forming and implementing strategic marketing programs for a Big Four consulting firm and developing content for CNN.com and CNNSI.com. As an individual consultant she has worked with a loyalty marketing firm in Atlanta to manage the daily aspects of an email marketing program, including list segmentation, tracking the effectiveness of various messages and promotion analysis. She has also worked nonprofits and a small business to develop an email marketing program.
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Session:

General Category:
Exit Plans
Session Topic:
Selling Your Business
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • How do I enhance valuation and prepare to sell, from a legal standpoint?
  • What is due diligence and how will it affect me?
  • What are lock-up provisions and how will it affect me?

Expert:

Jim McDonough — Fish & Richardson, P.C

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Session:

General Category:
Funding
Session Topic:
Angels in Atlanta
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • How do I find an angel investor in Atlanta?
  • What are the leading angel groups?
  • Who are the leading individual angels
  • How do I meet these angels?

Expert:

Lance Weatherby — ATDC

Lance Weatherby helps launch and build tech companies, and is so busy doing it that he didn't have time to write a full bio. ;-) He was also employee #12 at Mindspring (I think it was #12. Or thereabouts.)
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Session:

General Category:
Funding
Session Topic:
When To Seek Investment
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • What are the 3 different types of early stage investments?
  • What forms of investment are there?
  • What is my company worth?
  • How much equity do I need to give up?
  • What do I need to prepare to raise money?

Expert:

Lance Weatherby — ATDC

Lance Weatherby helps launch and build tech companies, and is so busy doing it that he didn't have time to write a full bio. ;-) He was also employee #12 at Mindspring (I think it was #12. Or thereabouts.)
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Session:

General Category:
Infrastructure
Session Topic:
An Open-source PBX for your business?
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • What is Asterisk? Why should I use for my business?
  • How do you use 1 X 1U asterisk server to handle all incoming calls for your 6 web business?
  • Can I do this myself, and what do I need?
  • Can I customize asterisk for my needs?

Expert:

Allan Regenbaum — Keylan

A BSEE engineer, Allan Regenbaum has 30 years experience in telecommunications, video, telephony, marketing, and web retail. Originally from South Africa, Allan and wife own and operate Keylan, a successful web retailer of multiple brands of cookware with a unique business model. Allan also has spent 10 years designing and implementing interactive TV services for the hospitality and medical industries. Allan also serves as Director of Web Marketing for Soltech, an Atlanta software and solutions provider.
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Session:

General Category:
Legal
Session Topic:
Allocating Ownership in your Business
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • What is founder's stock and how does other stock differ?
  • How many shares should my company have and why?
  • How will foreign ownership interests in my company affect my business (outsourcing)?

Expert:

Jim McDonough — Fish & Richardson, P.C

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Session:

General Category:
Legal
Session Topic:
Legal Issues for Web-based Start-ups
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • Should I choose a C Corp, an S Corp, or an LLC and why?
  • Should you obtain outside funding and if yes what are the legal requirements?
  • What do I need to consider when buying a Web based business?
  • How should I pick a business name and domain name?
  • How can I avoid infringing someone else’s trademarks or service marks?

Expert:

Rob Hassett — Casey Gilson P.C.

Rob Hassett is an attorney with the Atlanta law firm, Casey Gilson P.C. focusing in technology, entertainment and corporate law. He is co-author of “Entertainment Industry Contracts"", a volume on Internet and interactive media law published by Lexis/Nexis. He teaches at his undergraduate alma mata Georgia Tech in the professional education program and has written more than 30 published articles and spoken more than 70 times about his areas of expertise.
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Session:

General Category:
Legal
Session Topic:
Legal Requirements of Commercial Websites
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • Am I required to have a privacy policy and/or a “terms of use?” What should each include?
  • Can I just copy these documents from other websites?
  • What are “browser wrap” and “click wrap” agreements? Are they enforceable?
  • What can I do to own and protect the copyrights on my website?

Expert:

Rob Hassett — Casey Gilson P.C.

Rob Hassett is an attorney with the Atlanta law firm, Casey Gilson P.C. focusing in technology, entertainment and corporate law. He is co-author of “Entertainment Industry Contracts"", a volume on Internet and interactive media law published by Lexis/Nexis. He teaches at his undergraduate alma mata Georgia Tech in the professional education program and has written more than 30 published articles and spoken more than 70 times about his areas of expertise.
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Session:

General Category:
Marketing
Session Topic:
Using Mobile Devices to Connect with Your Consumers
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • Why the United States is 5 years behind the rest of the world in mobile technology.
  • What the iPhone meant to the mobile industry.
  • Putting the mobile device into global perspective.
  • How to achieve double digit response rates in mobile campaigns.
  • How to set up mobile campaigns for your customers.

Expert:

Giff Gfroerer — i2SMS

Giff Gfroerer is currently President, North America of i2SMS, a global leader in the delivery of 2-Way Text Messaging Platforms. He is active in TAG, a frequent blogger on the University of Oxford Next Generation Mobile Applications Panel, consultant with the World Heath Organization and CDC on mobile technologies and health marketing, consultant and author for the ATMIA Mobile Phone Security Committee, and has taught both graduate and undergraduate marketing and business classes at AIU in Atlanta.
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Session:

General Category:
Patents
Session Topic:
Is my idea is patentable?
Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
  • Is my idea Novel?
  • Is my idea Useful?
  • Is my idea Non-obvious?
  • Is my idea Technically workable?

    • Expert:

    Bill Shaouy — IBM Global Services

    Bill is an IT Architect and technical team lead for IBM Global Services. Bill has 17 years experience in the IT industry, many of which have been spent in a technical leadership role. He holds several patents and is the chairman of the IBM Atlanta Invention Development Team, which evaluates inventions from IBM inventors throughout the Southeastern United States.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Photos on the Web
    Session Topic:
    Pro vs. your own digicam to enhance a website.
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • How do I decide Pro vs. my own digital camera?
    • What equipment do I need to do my own?
    • What should I outsource, and how much will it cost?
    • What level of quality do I really need?
    • What is "Camera RAW" format? Aren't Jpegs best?

    Expert:

    Eric Ellis — SimplePhoto

    Since 1993 Eric Ellis has run his professional studio based in Atlanta focusing on his high-quality commercial and editorial photography he calls "interpretive portraiture." In 1999 Ellis started an e-commerce portal for photographers at SimplePhoto.com for photographers to show and sell their images online. Mr. Ellis speaks at seminars frequently and consults the top names in the photo industry about making the digital transition and leveraging the Internet for e-commerce success.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Sales & Marketing
    Session Topic:
    Generating Accounts with SugarCRM Marketing Campaigns
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • What is a CRM and SugarCRM?
    • AS Open-Source, what is SugarCRM's business model?
    • How do you use SugarCRM for marketing campaigns?
    • Can SugarCRM handle Mobile use, and if so how?
    • What can sales automation do for me?

    Expert:

    Josh Sweeney — SugarCRM

    Josh Sweeney is a SugarCRM sales engineer and helps organizations automate their sales forces, nurture leads, implement marketing campaigns, and the manage their overall customer relationships using CRM. Josh was previously a security analyst at Internet Security Systems where he managed customer IPS, IDS, Firewalls, and VPN's as well as a lead QA engineer at SPI Dynamics testing the core of their web app security scanning products. Josh also manages his own security training website at SecurityDistro.com.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Search Engine Marketing
    Session Topic:
    Clever Competitive Research and Analysis
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • Who are my main competitors?
    • What marketing techniques are my competitors using?
    • What are my competitors' weaknesses?
    • How can I maximize short-term profitability?

    Expert:

    Josh West — Snowcap Labs

    Josh West served as a Project Manager at a thriving Inc. 500 corporation where he successfully managed 8-10 employees through 50+ projects totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. Josh joined Snowcap Labs as a partner in April 2007 where he has focused a majority of his energies on competitive research and analysis that serves to inform search marketing campaign development. Josh adopts the strengths and exploits the weaknesses of the top competitors of a vertical to improve conversions and profits.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Security
    Session Topic:
    Ensuring your Website is Secure
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • How can people hack my site?
    • How can people steal my customers?
    • What are the positives and negatives of CMS systems?
    • What are some free security tools and add-ons?
    • How do people use social engineering to get around my security?

    Expert:

    Josh Sweeney — SugarCRM

    Josh Sweeney is a SugarCRM sales engineer and helps organizations automate their sales forces, nurture leads, implement marketing campaigns, and the manage their overall customer relationships using CRM. Josh was previously a security analyst at Internet Security Systems where he managed customer IPS, IDS, Firewalls, and VPN's as well as a lead QA engineer at SPI Dynamics testing the core of their web app security scanning products. Josh also manages his own security training website at SecurityDistro.com.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Shipping and Logistics
    Session Topic:
    Using free software to manage shipping logistics?
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • What is freightquote.com, and how do you use it?
    • Can I handle hundreds of LTL shipments using Zencart?
    • How can I cost effectively interface with UPS/R&L shipping?

    Expert:

    Allan Regenbaum — Keylan

    A BSEE engineer, Allan Regenbaum has 30 years experience in telecommunications, video, telephony, marketing, and web retail. Originally from South Africa, Allan and wife own and operate Keylan, a successful web retailer of multiple brands of cookware with a unique business model. Allan also has spent 10 years designing and implementing interactive TV services for the hospitality and medical industries. Allan also serves as Director of Web Marketing for Soltech, an Atlanta software and solutions provider.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Social Media
    Session Topic:
    Micro Blogging a la Twitter
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • What’s all the fuss about?
    • What can you say in 140 characters?
    • A community reaches out - The Green Pea Story
    • How are brands are using Twitter?

    Expert:

    Toby Bloomberg — Bloomberg/Diva Marketing

    Toby Bloomberg, president of Bloomberg Marketing/Diva Marketing www.divamarketingblog.com, combines over 15-years of traditional strategic marketing and with lessons learned from her adventures in social media. Since 2004, Toby has helped marketers join the new conversation - from blogs, to social networking to blogger relations. She serves a range of clients from Fortune 100 to small business. Diva Marketing is (usually) ranked 2nd or 3rd solo female written blog on Ad Age's Power 150.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Social Media
    Session Topic:
    The Good, Bad and Ugly of blogs and more
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • What are the tools?
    • How can you leverage blogs, video, social networking as a marketing strategy?
    • Understanding the culture is critical.
    • How do you get into the game?

    Expert:

    Toby Bloomberg — Bloomberg/Diva Marketing

    Toby Bloomberg, president of Bloomberg Marketing/Diva Marketing www.divamarketingblog.com, combines over 15-years of traditional strategic marketing and with lessons learned from her adventures in social media. Since 2004, Toby has helped marketers join the new conversation - from blogs, to social networking to blogger relations. She serves a range of clients from Fortune 100 to small business. Diva Marketing is (usually) ranked 2nd or 3rd solo female written blog on Ad Age's Power 150.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Video on the Web
    Session Topic:
    Amazing & Free Web Video Services
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • Can I easily add video to my blog?
    • Can I track my viewers?
    • Can I put HD content on the web?
    • Can I create live television?
    • Is it possible to broadcast live from my cell?

    Expert:

    Loren Norman — Snowcap Labs

    Loren is a web marketer, a technology enthusiast, and a free spirit. He is a partner at web marketing agency Snowcap Labs where he handles the tech side of spreading the good word on the web for their clients. Previously Loren developed mobile phone apps, from credit card processing to multi-player videogames and more. His real passion is technology tinkering, and he would love to spend all of his time learning and teaching the new ways that computers are changing our lives every day.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Video on the Web
    Session Topic:
    Production on a budget
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • What equipment do I need?
    • What is the production process?
    • What level of quality do I need?
    • Can I outsource, and how much?
    • What's the best distribution format?

    Expert:

    Amani Channel — MyUrbanReport.com

    Amani Channel is a TV veteran with a decade+ experience in broadcast television. He's familiar with all phases of video production having worked as an on-air news reporter, and produced a wide range of projects. He is currently a freelance correspondent for HDNews on Dish Network and is fully immersed in social media, having produced a hundred+ video podcasts for his independent citizen journalism video blog MyUrbanReport.com. He also frequently speaks on video at conferences, schools, and universities.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Video on the Web
    Sesson Topic:
    Video Production 101
    • What are some basic professional video production techniques?
    • What's the best way to conduct an interview?
    • How do you find talent, or prepare to be on camera?
    • What are the Legal issues?

    Expert:

    Amani Channel — MyUrbanReport.com

    Amani Channel is a TV veteran with a decade+ experience in broadcast television. He's familiar with all phases of video production having worked as an on-air news reporter, and produced a wide range of projects. He is currently a freelance correspondent for HDNews on Dish Network and is fully immersed in social media, having produced a hundred+ video podcasts for his independent citizen journalism video blog MyUrbanReport.com. He also frequently speaks on video at conferences, schools, and universities.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Web Technology
    Session Topic:
    Ruby on Rails for non-techies
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • What is Ruby on Rails?
    • When is my business/site a good fit for Ruby on Rails?
    • Conversly, when is Ruby on Rails a poor fit?
    • What skillset do I need? Where can I find people with these skills?
    • Where can I find out more (as a business person with an idea for a site)?

    Expert:

    Micah Wedemeyer — AisleTen

    By night (and weekends), Micah is a co-founder of AisleTen, a two-man startup dedicated to serving the needs of niche communities on the web. At AisleTen, we focus on launching our products as quickly as possible, then enhancing them through a continual dialogue with our users. Ruby on Rails is our tool of choice, providing a great platform to rapidly build, deploy, and refine our projects. By day, Micah works as a senior software engineer for Vitrue, a premiere web social media startup in Atlanta.
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    Session:

    General Category:
    Web Technology
    Session Topic:
    What should I use for my website?
    Potential Questions/Discussion Points:
    • What's best for a non-technical bootstrapper?
    • How much do I need to spend?
    • Should I use Rails, Django, Java or ASP.NET?
    • What about PHP, and Drupal and Joomla?
    • What's best for a blog?

    Expert:

    Mike Schinkel — NewClarity

    Mike Schinkel is a degreed engineer from Ga. Tech and the organizer of Atlanta Web Entrepreneurs. During his career his inner self has battled between his entrepreneurial/business/sales personality and his web/technical/geek side. Formerly both a programming instructor and founder, president & CEO of an Inc 500-recognized business, Mike currently develops websites on Drupal for magazine publishers, at least until he figures out what he is going to be when he grows up.
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