Stay on top of new articles, members and more with new RSS feeds
It’s easier than ever to keep track of new articles, new members, individual members, and much more with RSS feeds that we’ve recently added. One of the benefits of using an RSS reader: You’ll be automatically notified whenever new content is added to the site. For example, if you’re subscribed to the new member rss feed, every time a new member joins, you’ll know about it instantly. And all without having to check your email. For more on how to use an RSS reader, check out this article.
Each member profile now contains its own RSS feed. Subscribing to the feed shows you a list of that member’s activity on Biznik, which is drawn from the “recent activity” list you see on the person’s profile.
Subscribing to the RSS feed on the Biznik home page shows you new members near you. Make sure you set your local city BEFORE you subscribe to this RSS feed - otherwise you’ll get the default setting, which is Seattle. Head to the member directory, and select the radius that you want to see members near you. Now go back to the home page, and subscribe to the rss feed. The RSS feed now contains only new members within the radius you defined in the rss feed.
Events feeds operate in the same way - make sure you select your local city before subscribing - you’ll be following events within the user-defined radius of your community when you subscribe, as per above.
BizTalk is full of RSS feeds that make following conversations easy. You can subscribe to see all new posts as they are made, or you can follow a single category, such as “general discussion.” You can also subscribe to individual posts to see new comments as they are made.
Here’s the feeds that you can subscribe to:
Members feed (shows new members as they join within 50 miles of Seattle)
Articles feed (shows new articles as they are published)
Tips feed (shows new tips as they are published)
BizTalk Feeds (many feeds are available)
Events feed (shows events near you)
4 Comments Angela Halsey is Biznik’s 4,000th Seattle business network member
Today was an awesome day here in Seattle. And not just because of that amazing lunar eclipse (as if by magic, the clouds parted and Seattle was able to see it tonight). Also eclipsed was the Biznik record for new-member signups in a single day. Molly Gordon plugged Biznik in her newsletter today, and the result was almost three times the normal rate of new-member signups - 62 in the past 24 hours. Thanks Molly!
And another milestone today: Angela Halsey joined Biznik. She is the 4,000th Seattle member to sign up for “business networking that doesn’t suck.” She was invited by Keith Gormezano, and already she’s got Melody Biringer (perhaps the most networked person in the entire Northwest) in her network. Go girl! And as is my habit, I’m going to tell you all about her, because I love celebrating milestones in the development of Biznik, and more importantly, because she took the time to fill out her profile! From her profile:
Angela Halsey
Payroll & Benefits Administration
Halsey Resources
Seattle, Washington 98116
http://www.halseyresources.com
What Angela does
Outsourced payroll and benefits administration for small businesses.
We are here to manage the areas of your business that you do not have the time, or the desire, to focus on.
Specializing in payroll and benefits administration, we will be your point of contact, for you and your employees, when payroll or benefits related questions arise. We will help negotiate your annual benefits package to make sure you are able to offer a competitive benefits package with affordable rates.
We will calculate, file, deposit, and reconcile your payroll taxes. We’ll even respond to inquiries from taxing agencies regarding the deposits and returns we file for you.
Payroll Services Offered
* Direct Deposit * Check signing and delivery * Payroll reporting * W-2s * Federal income and unemployment taxes * Social Security/Medicare taxes * State income and unemployment taxes * State disability insurance * Local income taxes
Benefits Administration Services Offered
* Benefit Enrollment * Health & Dental Plan Management * New Hire Reporting and Background Checks * Flexible Spending Accounts
Bookkeeping services are also available to clients who need help keeping their financials up to date.
What Angela does best
Payroll, benefits administration, organization and implementation of employee records.
What does Angela need?
Referrals to small businesses who are growing in size, but still small enough that they don’t have the need for a full-time, in-house HR person.
Collaboration with CPA’s who would like to refer clients back and forth who are in need of bookkeeping and accounting services.
Education
Front Range Community College Boulder, Colorado
Experience
Over 15 years working in human resources, office management, and bookkeeping for small businesses. Industries served include: Software Development, Web Development & Design, eCommerce, Medical and Dental.
New feature: Personal invitation link
Biznik business networking community members have been asking for this feature for months: a simple, personalized URL that you can share with your friends to invite them to Biznik AND automatically get credit with inviting them when they follow the link and signup. And now, you have it. You can grab your personal invite URL from the top of the invite a friend page.
The URL is nice and simple, and is formatted the same for everyone: http://biznik.com/join/[your-name].
The reason so many people have been requesting this is so that you can put this link into the footer of your emails or in the sidebar of your website when you link to Biznik. Then, when anyone follows that link and signs up, you will get credit. The points you get from each signup will help you earn a connector badge, and more importantly, make you more visible on Biznik.
Enjoy!
Biznik code invitation social mediaShop 0/8 event brings independent business people together in Seattle and Portland
Biznik member Melody Biringer is the driving force behind an event that I’m excited to see coming to Seattle and Portland early next month: Shop/08. The reason I’m excited is because this is an event that’s designed to bring together people who are passionate about the businesses they’ve created. From the website: “SHOP/08 is a conference to celebrate, inspire, and educate independent business owners of all stripes. Whether you’re a newbie still figuring out the nuts and bolts or a veteran needing fresh ideas, we’d love to spend that day with you.”
Let’s find out more about Melody and Shop/08 directly from her, shall we?
Q: Tell me a bit about yourself, how you started your first business, and your business background since then.
I have been in business since childhood, in my family’s berry business Bringer Farm. In my 20s I took the business to the next level and developed, a gourmet food line of about 50 products. Bringer Farm became a household name, and prompted me to open a retail shop in Seattle’s Pike Street Market that I owned for 15 years. Throughout I founded several companies—from a furniture store to a fitness studio—and earned a coveted spot on Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list. I was always
determined not to let hard work mean no play, that is how the CRAVE parties came to be. I wanted to see my girlfriends! CRAVE Party ™, became a business devoted to fun and pampering for hard-working women. Now in 15 cities internationally, CRAVE Party ™ features premium spas and retailers and brings women together to chat, nosh, sip, laugh, indulge, shop, and relax. As the author and publisher of the CRAVE guidebooks, I have built strong relationships with retailers throughout the Northwest. All these businesses and the years have brought me to realize how important it is to support this community. I am also the local leader of the Ladies Who Launch group and have co- founded startupjUNKiE, an entrepreneurial education and services company providing women with the tools and know-how needed to help their businesses soar.
Q: What was the idea behind the Shop events? Briefly describe what Shop/08 is all about and who it’s for.
The purpose of SHOP/08 is to provide practical information, offer wise encouragement and build camaraderie among independent business owners . This is accomplished through expert speakers, panel discussions, breakout sessions and vendors whose services support the unique needs of business owners not affiliated with large corporations or chains. Also I believe that there is a misconception out there, that small businesses feel threatened from each other, on the contrary they depend on each other and this is an opportunity to meet others and learn from them.
Q: What are your five key elements for starting and running a successful business?
Fail Fast…Just start today and quit talking about it.
Network…Get out there and meet people, you never know who you will meet.
Your team…who is on it? Surround yourself with a great positive team
Mentor & Be Mentored
Niche…make sure you have one.
Q: Why are you passionate about local, independent business?
I believe that Independent businesses keep the marketplace diverse and add character and soul to our communities, also these owners are particularly courageous. They need a community to support them,
and this is the purpose of SHOP/08.
Q: What can guests expect to see and hear at SHOP/08?
Our mission this year with SHOP/08 is to celebrate and educate independent business owners. The panels feature speakers who are seasoned retailers as well as professionals in the fields of marketing, journalism, web, graphics, blogs, and finances. For lunch we have invited several local business groups, including Biznik, to sit down with our guests and to inspire them. This is also a great opportunity to meet and make connections. Making connections is probably one of my greatest passions and pursuits, and I would encourage everyone to use this day to meet at least five different people.
To learn more and register for Shop/08, visit http://craveparty.com/shop08.
business networking conference independent business local business small business
1 CommentBiznik recognizes top contributing members with new badges
I’m delighted to announce a new feature for the Biznik business networking community: member badges. These little icons will display under your profile photo, and elsewhere on the site, so that members can tell at a glance how you are contributing to the community. For example, if you’ve hosted at least one event, an “event host” badge will now automatically appear under your profile photo.
Many of the badges are awarded by the community: for example, to earn an “expert” badge, you must have published at least 4 articles that the community has given an average rating of 8 out of 10. A “tipster” badge is earned the same way: you must have published 5 tips that are rated at least 8.
Here’s what the badges look like, and how to earn them:
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To earn a Connector badge, 10 people you have invited to Biznik must have followed your invitation link and signed up. |
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To earn a Tipster badge, you must post 5 tips with an average rating of 8 or above. Write a tip. |
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To earn Expert status, you must write 4 articles which are rated 8 or above by the Biznik community. Write an article. |
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Event hosts build community by hosting business networking events, such as happy hours, and workshops. Host an event. |
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Instructors teach Biznik Business Essentials workshops. Instructor badges are awarded by invitation only. Contact me if you’re interested in becoming an instructor. |
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Biznik staff moderate forums and events, and are always happy to answer your questions and help you out. |
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Biznik editors review articles and tips, and will work with you to prepare your article for publication. |
NOTE: We’re still working out some bugs on these - for example, there’s a bug that is preventing some article authors from having an “expert badge” because it’s calculating incorrectly - that will be fixed next time the script runs that updates your status. That runs every night at midnight, so if you hosted an event (defined as recording attendance) don’t be surprised if you don’t immediately receive a badge - you’ll see it on your profile the next morning. Also, event hosts are being calculated incorrectly - my badge shows that I’ve hosted only 18 events, but I’ve actually hosted 52. We’ll get that fixed asap.
badges business networking members social network statusIf Biznik could host ONE workshop, which subject would you choose?
Biznik will be hosting more high-quality educational workshops in the coming days, and we need your help to decide which ones. Got two minutes to answer three questions? Your answers will have a direct impact on what we decide to do! Click Here to take survey
Ignite Seattle returns to CHAC on February 19
The next Ignite is coming up soon: it happens February 19th at the CHAC in Seattle. It’s a geek talk event that Brady Forrest hosts. Quite a few Biznik members have presented their ideas there - Shelly Farnham, Jordan Schwartz, and yes, I presented Biznik there at the first one. So here’s what I’d like to pass along from Brady to any of you who are interested in speaking on a topic (your startup?) that will interest a bunch of geeks:
event geek speakingWe want you to submit your proposal to the next Ignite! What do you want to tell Seattle in 5 minutes? You get 20 slides for 15 seconds a slide and you can’t control it. If you’re unsure of how it works watch a couple of videos from before.
To submit a talk fill out the form at http://ignitenight.thirdeye.railsplayground.net/events/form/ignite_seattle_5. (thanks Gabe!)
Submissions will be open until February 10th. We have room for 16 speakers. I expect there will be more than that proposed. Slides will be due by Sunday the 17th.How will selections be made? They will be based on content (will it appeal to geeks?) and what else is in the program. There will be no repeat speakers from the previous Ignite. One tip: we found that the best, most popular talks were not straight product demos, but instead focused on personal experiences that could easily be applied to other people’s own project and lives.