First Gentleman Dan Mulhern hosts “Everyday Leadership”, a weekly look at leadership in business and the issues that impact the workplace.

LANSING – On Wednesday, February 24, 2010, The House Committee on New Economy and Quality of Life passed legislation sponsored by Speaker Pro Tempore Pam Byrnes (D-Lyndon Twp.) that will increase investment in the information technology, or “IT” industry, and create good-paying jobs. Representatives of Ann Arbor-based businesses SRT Solutions and the Whole Brain Group testified in support of the plan that would include software development as a specific growth sector eligible for state funding through the 21st Century Jobs Fund.

Read more on Rep. Byrnes website….

After a bit of a delay due to some scheduled maintenance on our neighbor’s building, we were finally able to put our snazzy new office sign up this week! Instead of cruising up and down the street squinting at address numbers, our visitors can now spot our logo from blocks away and spend their time looking for PARKING instead.

Stop by and check out our new office and feel free to stand on the sidewalk admiring our new sign for as long as you like!

Read more about the web design release on the new InPrint Blog >>

Why this Social Media Workshop has Whole Brain Goodness

It’s important to understand how social media fits into your overall strategy and goals as a professional or business owner, and it’s really helpful to do this in a group environment where you can talk through your plans and get feedback from others who are struggling with the same issues.  When it’s a group that’s facilitated by people with expertise to get your accounts configured properly, understand the tools well enough to help you define an appropriate strategy, it’s even better.  And when you meet for 4 weeks in a row for two hours with the same people, you’ve got a winning combination!

You will walk away knowing how to:

• Speak the lingo of the top three social media tools (LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook)
• Choose and use those tools to help you grow or sustain your business
• Set measurable and reasonable goals for social media usage
• Establish healthy habits for making progress toward these goals
• Learn in a fun and collegial small group atmosphere where you won’t feel stupid asking questions!
• Following through on your plan with practice, practice, practice!!

This is a hands-on class (bring your laptop!), so you’ll also have:

• A complete LinkedIn Profile, with connections and recommendations from colleagues
• A company page on LinkedIn with a link to your company website, a listing of your employees on LinkedIn, and a feed from your company blog (if you have one)
• A twitter account that will help you join online conversations with colleagues in your industry, and help you spread the word about the interesting work you’re involved in.
• A Facebook account with lists of business and personal contacts to keep your information separate.

Meeting Dates (Registration Fee covers all four sessions):

• Tuesday, March 2: 12pm – 2pm
• Tuesday, March 9: 12pm – 2pm
• Tuesday, March 16 : 12pm – 2pm
• Tuesday, March 23: 12pm – 2pm

Prerequisite:  Bring your lunch, and a laptop with wireless internet connectivity.

At the end of the four hands-on classes, each participant emerged with:

• A complete LinkedIn profile, with connections and recommendations from colleagues.
• A company page on LinkedIn with a link to the company’s website, a listing of employees on LinkedIn, and a feed from their company blog.
• A twitter account that helps them join online conversations with colleagues in their industry, and helps spread the word about interesting work they are doing
• A Facebook Fan Page for their company, product, or service.

Additionally, participants learned strategies and best practices for driving traffic to their website, publicizing events, and establishing industry expertise. Armed with a social media strategy that makes sense for their own business and lifestyle, they now can choose and use the tools that will help them grow or sustain their business on their own.

Registration is now open for our March Social Media Workshop Series! >>

“I attended Whole Brain Group’s Social Media Workshop Series and highly recommend it to anyone seeking to optimize the business impact of these activities… A great combination of practical strategic and tactical advice. Great for social media newbies as well as folks who have some experience and want to make social media work for their business.” — Mike Wynn, Sandler Training Center – Ann Arbor

“I highly recommend the Whole Brain Group for their savvy in helping businesses integrate social media into their repertoire” — Cheryl Baker, Humax Networks

“It was well worth the time and money. As a small business owner, I was able to take what said and immediately apply it … at times before the session ended. [The Whole Brain Group] provided personal feedback and guidance throughout. I would give this workshop a strong thumbs-up.” — Kathy MacDonald, The MacDonald Group

The team at TorranceLearning wanted an elegant website to showcase their cool interactive multimedia learning pieces. The Whole Brain Group web design team delivered with this snazzy new website designed to integrate with the eClickMap social media strategy.

Visit eClickMap website

Deque Systems Inc. is built around developing innovative solutions that automate Web accessibility compliance, reduce manual intervention, and provide flexible reporting. They needed a website that would adhere to Section 508, under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Working with Steelfish Design, we designed this website to meet all compliance regulations and be consistent with Deque’s image.
Visit Deque – Home of Web Accessibility Testing website

Read more about this web design success story on the Torrance Learning website >>