Advocacy 2.0 Website and Logo Launch

Advocacy [2.0] commemorated this year’s World AIDS Day on December 1, 2012 by launching its new logo and website. Through the growth and evolution of Advocacy [2.0] as an AIDS advocacy organization, a new logo has been created along with a new website to provide tools and information required for effective AIDS and HIV advocacy work.
One of the main features of the new website is the “Existing Tools” section which houses an incredible collection of resources for new and experienced advocates. The “Existing Tools” is great for new or experienced advocates, and includes items such as links for volunteering, best practices on collaboration, promotional tools for social media, and methods to engage decision makers.

A powerful networking medium used in advocacy work is social media and in this revision of the website, direct links and posts to Advocacy [2.0] social media accounts have been added, allowing continuous communication of information within the HIV and AIDS advocacy community. In addition to the website, the Advocacy 2.0 Facebook page is another resource that is updated frequently with useful news, resources and case studies.

For those advocates that prefer face-to-face interaction, information on the Advocacy [2.0] summit and an event calendar has been made available. The event calendar is also an open source tool with a downloadable widget that can be used in any individual or organization advocacy’s websites.

As Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Advocacy [2.0]’s website relaunch continues to share the successes of HIV and AIDS advocacy from around the globe to unite and work together in a common goal of stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS.

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Learn How to Be Prepared and Network Your Way to the Next Job With smartjob.com

Networking is one of the most effective ways to expand your influence. The more professionals that know you, the higher your chance of being offered a promising job opportunity. Walking into a room full of strangers can be daunting, so how do smartpeople network effectively? smartjob.com has some easy tips to get you started.

A quick introduction is key to effective networking. smartjob.com recommends that you prepare an elevator speech – a quick introduction in 15 seconds or less. Include your name, current profession, and why you are excited to be at the event. End your speech with a question to keep the conversation going. “How about you?” always does the trick.

Attending an event is only the first step. Create a clear goal to achieve by the end of the event. The easiest objective would be to get a specific number of name cards by the end of the event. Start with a small number, and build up your goal from there.

Acting smart is also important in developing connections. Be polite, attentive, and listen. Ask questions to get more details and always make eye contact. smartjob.com has other great tips on body language in the professional world.

Name cards are one of the most effective ways to make your name stick in a new contact’s mind. In a culture as diverse as Hong Kong, smartjob.com recommends having one side of your name card printed in Chinese and the opposite side in English. Make sure to have updated and accurate contact information on your name card.

After the event, hop on the internet and follow up by sending the people you met an invite to connect on LinkedIn, following them on Twitter, and subscribing to their blogs. Always be sure to remain in their radar in a respectful, non-intrusive manner.

Networking effectively takes time and practice. As your network grows, you’ll find yourself face-to-face with your dream career before you know it.

Get more career advice from smartjob.com at: http://www.smartjob.com
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SmartJob.com Shares: It’s Not What You Know But Who You Know… Online

As a rule to success, effective networking is a key people skill you must learn as you climb the corporate ladder. While nothing beats the real life experience of meeting new people and getting to know them, there are now many online sites that simplify this for you. As Hong Kong’s leading online job portal, SmartJob.com has some great social media networking advice for you to follow.

LinkedIn is considered the Holy Grail of professional networking online. It is no longer just nice to have a LinkedIn profile; not having a complete profile can put you at risk of being ignored by potential recruiters and employers. Many of your colleagues past and present have a profile on the platform, and connecting to them opens up their connections to you. Build your LinkedIn empire tactfully and professionally with the help of SmartJob.com.
Although Facebook is quite the “social” website, joining the right Facebook groups with members from your industry or profession will be well worth the effort. Most of these “honeypots” are invite-only groups, so work on those relationships and get clued in. A great way to start is by joining social media events in your area and to get to know digital influencers. SmartJob.com also lists great professional smartevents to further help your networking.

Twitter and Sina Weibo make networking easy. Since messages are public, you can join any ongoing conversations and meet like-minded people. Following hashtags is the easiest way to get started. You can also follow SmartJob.com to meet other local professionals like you!
The key to success network online is to bring your relationship offline and nurture it in real life. Having a digital life certainly makes connecting with like-minded professional easier, but nothing beats a firm handshake and a smile.

Get more job advice and see thousands of job posts everyday at: http://www.smartjob.com
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How Business is Adapting to a Design Driven World

Business is changing, and PRDA can help you build bridges between information and graphic design. The economy is no longer driven by information alone, but relies heavily on graphic design now as well. Simply put- businesses with well designed materials make more money. Design is constantly changing and updating, so keeping up with what consumers want is a full time job. This is where PRDA comes in.

Design is everywhere. With social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter growing exponentially, it is crucial to have an online presence. Having a well designed brand is only the beginning. Every business, especially small business, must carry their brand across a wide range of platforms. You can hand out business cards on the street all day and still only reach a small fraction of the business that social media will bring in. The internet and social networking target your specific audience, and then reel them in with aesthetics. Graphic design may seem like art, but in reality it is extremely deliberate and strategic. Business everywhere is changing to accommodate the consumers’ appetites for instant access. The only way to be successful is to join PRDA on the social media bandwagon.

The business world isn’t the only thing that’s changing. Graphic design professionals can no longer hide behind a computer screen playing with the pen tool. Design skills and business skills are converging. Without the ability to manage both, designers will soon find themselves out of work. Find out more about how design is changing in our next blog post!

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How to Connect to Your Customers with PRDA and Facebook

PRDA can help you in small but extremely effective ways. Facebook is a powerful tool that can help you connect with your customers, but you have to work hard to earn those fans. There are a few ways you can create a rapport with your customers that helps them stick around. First, and easiest, is responding to your customers on Facebook. Second is utilizing messages for Facebook pages, and third is phrasing open questions in your status updates.

It seems like common sense, but responding to your customers can be the most effective way to connect with them. Your Facebook page is there for your patrons to gather information about your company, find out about events, and take part in your offers. It is easy for your Facebook page to become one-sided, and PRDA can help you work to entice customer interaction. When customers comment on a status update, respond! Knowing you hear them will help them build trust in your brand.

Facebook recently added the ability for businesses to message their customers privately and vice versa. In the top right of your admin panel, you can see your inbox. With the use of private messaging, you can now contact your customers directly, and privately. Why is this important? You can now follow up on contest offers, send thank-yous, and negotiate problems with customers. Fans can now send complaints privately, instead of posting on the main timeline. This makes damage control much easier for you. You can even message other business pages for collaboration!

Phrasing status updates is tricky; it is easy for them to sound like sales pitches. Once your brand is established, you want customers to come back over and over again. Return business is the foundation for any successful brand, and PRDA can help you accomplish that with good social media writing. When writing status updates, make some open ended questions. Take the example above, Dove asks their customers “…what to make for dinner?” By asking a question, their Facebook fans are far more likely to respond. This interaction builds a bridge between the brand and the fan. They feel more connected, and you get a return customer!

Communication is a two-way process. Social media is as powerful as it is because both the customer and the business get to talk to each other. PRDA can help you utilize this and watch your sales soar!

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What we can learn from the Facebook India boom

Yes, Facebook has grown to be very popular in India. So popular that it might even very well surpass Indonesia as the second largest user nation of the said social networking website in the very near future. Is that surprising? Is that interesting? Did that pique your curiosity? Whatever the case may be, we only know one thing for sure: that we have some points to learn from this Facebook India boom.

First thing that we can surmise from this surge is that more and more brands (both online and offline) employ Facebook not only as a way to enhance their products or services or their brands themselves but as a way to engage with customers. This holds true for both MTV Splitvilla and Meri Maggi, which are among the top 3 Indian brand pages on Facebook. What does this mean? It means that Indian customers want and like brands that are online, “easy to access,” which have efficient and quick customer relations personnel behind the Facebook page. It also means that Indians are more likely to avail of products and services that offer a user-friendly platform for engagement. A platform that’s familiar to them and of course, a platform where they know they have friends, relatives, business partners, acquaintances in.

Another thing that we can learn from this Facebook India boom is that this signals that people do not just use the social networking website to contact “real” or “existing” businesses or brands. People also use Facebook to signify their “liking” towards anything that’s related to their culture, tradition and religion. In the case of Facebook usage in India, the top “brand” for the month of June is, quite interestingly, the well loved and widely recognized god Lord Ganesha. Now Lord Ganesha may not be “real” (i.e. can’t be seen or touched) but Indians show that cultural beliefs also play a strong role in their usage of Facebook and other social networking websites.

So…are you ready to join the bandwagon and get your share of the pie that is Facebook India?

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