Social media and Integrity
Posted on | June 22, 2010 | No Comments
A friend of mine recently asked me to give her a list of my top “social media dos and don’ts“. This started a train of thought into how one maintains integrity in the social media world? The issue with social media is not so much what we don’t share. but what we do, and how easy it is to say something with its permanency embedded in cyberspace.
I believe that one should behave the same online as in the real world. In fact, one has more freedom online and therefore should be more careful. It helps build your credibility if you are consistent, especially in business.
Being myself is critical to people getting to know me, it does not make sense to be someone else online, as the is always the chance of a real life meeting occurring, and then what? Here are some of my social media media rules to help me connect and live it 
:
- Be genuinely genuine
As I engage with anyone, whether online or in the real world, I behave the same. If someone does not like you in the online space, chances are, they won’t like you in person, so … keep it real . - Respond, respond, respond
Everyone is busy, but take the time to respond to voicemails, direct messages and emails. Responding shows that you respect the time the other person has taken to make contact with you. Even if you are unable to provide immediate assistance, scheduling some time in the future instead of simply avoiding a following up is much more effective. - Share
Sharing your experiences whether they are challenges or success stories, shows you are human and accessible. The power of influence is not necessarily in your ability to demand attention, consider your influence stemming from external resources who share the stories you have shared with them. Tweet interesting resources, blog about your challenges and successes and when someone asks in person, giving them honest feedback makes all the difference. - Don’t slate your competitors
We all have competitors. Unless you have a real #BrandMinus to report, slating your competitors shows a degree of unprofessionalism that potential clients steer clear from. This also shows potential clients or investors that you handle things with integrity and professionalism. - Don’t spam your clients/customers/friends
This relates to being personal. In business and in your personal life, spamming is a big don’t. It only takes a few spam emails for your “you” brand to disappear. Be personal and appropriate with your messages. (PS: “Insert boy/girl/religion here” will not love you any less if you don’t pass the email around 20 0000 times) - Don’t integrate all platforms into one
Different platforms (online and offline) have certain audiences and integrating all into one may show that not much thought has gone into what you are saying. Be considerate and appropriate with your messages. This way, people will see how you engage with different audiences but still have the consistency of who the “you” brand is.
All of the above are ways to help manage your online profile and help you be seen as honest, credible and one who works with integrity. I guarantee, people are drawn to those characteristics. It all builds up to a little (large) thing I call “trust”.
Happy “socializing”,
Editor: Shana Kay
Tags: Communication > facebook > honesty > integrity > linkedIn > social media > trust > twitter
Infointeg showcases at ICSE 2010
Posted on | May 14, 2010 | 1 Comment
The ICSE (International Conference for Software Engineers) held at the CTICC (Cape Town International Convention Center) last week, was attended by 600 registered international delegates including some of the world’s top software engineers and academics. Local industry peers, students as well as school learners attended as well.
On invitation by the Cape IT Initiative, Infointeg was invited to participate in the Cape Software Showcase Exhibition (funded by Department of Economic Development of the City of Cape Town) which ran concurrently with ICSE this year.
It was an inspirational experience to see students from all over the world, interacting with each other as well as industry members.
Chris Vermeulen (Bandwidth Barn) and Jenny McKinnel (CITI) were available to visitors and students to spread some of the entrepreur success stories as well as encourage them to consider venturing into the entrepreneurial world. The students passing in and out of the conference hall had such an air of excitement about them. All eager to venture into the world of technology and gain more knowledge and insight into various business opportunities.
From an entrepreneurial point of view, the showcase was an amazing experience to be part of, as the entrepreneurs were given a platform to showcase their work as well as interact with the public.
What made the Cape showcase stand out from the crowd, was the way it was presented to the public. The theme took the form of “a three-dimensional experience of going on a journey through “forests” of trees and along a “wall” of curved screens, exploring and learning about the Cape software eco-system, and meeting some of the people who drive, influence and support the industry“. Jenny McKinnel.
We hope the the Cape Software Industry runs again next year as new or up and coming entrepreneurs would benefit from having this kind of platform to showcase their businesses. Add to this, the benefit of students seeing entrepreneurial success stories and the ICT industry being seen as a fun / creative / innovative industry to be part of.
Tags: Bandwidth Barn > conference > CTICC > ICSE > industry > Infointeg > Media > peers > Press > students
Free trial-offer, limited offer in our “pre-launch” stage
Posted on | May 4, 2010 | No Comments
Take advantage of our pre-launch “Free trial offer” running for a limited period only. To be notified of all systems go, send an email to prelaunch@infointeg.com.
Why would you want an Infointeg Digital Certificate?
- Are you in a competitive space and need to stand out from the crowd?
- Are you new to the online world and would like consumers to trust your brand and see you as credible?
- Did you know that more consumers are more likely to transact with you if they see some kind
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, you may need one.
Send your details to be notified of go-live or we will register on your behalf if you send the following details to us:
- Your name
- Company name
- Website address to be verified
- Contact number
- Contact person
More sneak peak specials to follow. Watch this space.
Tags: certificate > Digital Certificate > free > free trial > prelaunch > special offer
Idea, startup and growth-stage finalists all gather at the 2010 CTEC awards
Posted on | April 22, 2010 | 5 Comments
Sitting in a room filled with the finalists all hoping to win the 1st prize in their categories, Infointeg sat patiently (along side their competitors all vying for the prize money and an opportunity to go to Barcelona) at the Bandwidth Barn today. The Cape Town Entrepreneurship Competition or CTEC was launched in February 2010 and today marked the prize giving event.
The competition which was launched as part of City of Cape Town’s initiative to position Cape Town as a leading enabler of entrepreneurship. The categories a business could enter are:
- idea stage
- start-up stage
- growth stage
Infointeg entered the start-up stage category, and took 2nd place with Personera taking the 1st prize. Congratulations to all winners ツ.
For more information on the CTEC visit their website.
For more information on the winners, visit the Bandwidth Barn.
The Infointeg Editor
Our first eBook “Trust and the Internet”, free of course ..
Posted on | April 6, 2010 | No Comments
The CEO and I are on a fact-finding spree to find the good, the bad and the ugly online. Our first eBook “Trust and the Internet“, written by our very own CEO (Kevin Derman), highlights the problem of a growing internet and how to spot a scam. He also shows the differences between secure site and trustworthy information and concludes by sharing some tips on how to sharpen your online eye for trusted information.
Please check back regularly for more free eBooks and other “hot” topics.
Infointeg Editor and MD – Shana Kay
Sifting or searching? Use Google more effectively!
Posted on | March 8, 2010 | No Comments
The Internet can either be compared to a giant sieve, or a map where X marks the spot, the choice is yours, or is it? Searching the Internet for “freeware and diagrams” will result in well 100’s of thousands of search ….uhm results. How can we filter through the billions of pages for the answers we are looking for, but quickly and effectively.
The answer is, search better. Many people, including myself, fall into the trap of typing the most common words and expect the “Google-God” to read our minds. Unfortunately, (s)he needs more than that.
Here are some tips on how to use search engines like Google, more effectively:
- keep it simple, if you are looking for a company, enter the name
- search is case insensitive - it does not matter if you type “The Golden Child” or “the golden child”
- keep it simple – instead of typing “what is the time in Cape Town”, “Cape Town time” will result in faster search results
- be descriptive – a noun is different to a verb, a song is different to a jingle,
- use quotes for phases – if you are searching for a particular phrase, using quotes tells the search engine to look for the exact phrase
I will add more tips on search in our next set of tips, until there, don’t let search engines get the best of you, get he best of of them.
Infointeg Editor
Online community, connect with us ..
Posted on | March 1, 2010 | No Comments
Sharing and participating in the online community fuels us. If you have any tips, feel free to share them with us and we will do the same.
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/infointeg
Join our Facebook fan page
Join our group on LinkedIn
We look forward to your comments, please email us anytime!
Infointeg Editor
Shana Kay
E-books available for free download…
Posted on | March 1, 2010 | No Comments
We believe in sharing resources. Infointeg will release a series of E-books on various topics such as:
- Trust and the Internet
- How the Internet shapes our lives
Subscribe to our RSS and get the latest E-Book fresh off the “inter-press“.
Infointeg Editor
Shana Kay
Sssshh, we’re hibernating, but plan to launch soon..
Posted on | March 1, 2010 | No Comments
Welcome visitor! We are currently preparing for our debut. Please bookmark our site for future updates.
We look forward to your return!
Infointeg Editor
Shana Kay
Tags: Communication > hibernation > Infointeg > launch > Media > Press
World at your fingertips ….
Posted on | September 18, 2009 | No Comments
Ever wonder what life was like before the internet? Good grief – seems like decades ago although in reality it was not. Everyday I learn something new and amaze myself at the quality and quantity of information out there.It has b
een reported that there are 83 billion websites on the internet, 83 billion, I struggle to fathom this number. Yet somehow knowing this allows me to realize that information overload is not only in my life, but in many others as well.
What to do about it? Let’s wait and see ….
Infointeg Editor