Oakland Digital (ODALC) presents:
“Social Media for Small Business”
an Online Marketing Symposium

When used properly, social media can be a great tool to help your small business reach untapped, potential customers and stay connected to current ones. But there are a few things you’ll need to know to help you get the most out of social media as well as your online presence in its entirety. “Social Media for Small Business” will help break social media down into easy-to-understand pieces, so you can make sense of and make use of this powerful resource in a way that grows your business.

You’ll receive information and educational demos full of ideas and tips you can start using right away to build your online brand using social media. This is a historic technology event you won’t want to miss!

Who Should Attend? Small business owners, non-profits, entrepreneurs, realtors, consultants, associations, social & community activists, neighborhood leaders, churches, and chambers of commerce (any organization that wants individual social media consultation).

Keynote speakers include:

• Social Data Revolution, Andreas Weigend, Ph.D.
• GetSatisfaction, Wendy Lea

Presentations and Educational Demos from:

• City of Oakland, Mayor Jean Quan [A New Oakland]
• Oakland Digital, Shaun Tai [Overview of Social Media]
• Constant Contact, Kelly Flint [Social Media & Email Marketing]
• YP.com, Stephen Perez [Online & Mobile Advertising]
• InOak, Patrick Hurley [Collaboration and Community]
• The B on Broadway, Zach Seal [Free Downtown Shuttle]

SPACE IS LIMITED. REGISTER EARLY!
www.oaklandsocialmedia.com

OAKLAND, California (February 09, 2010) – The Oakland Digital Arts & Literacy Center (ODALC) is teaming up with Whole Foods Market and the City of Oakland to hold a contest that calls upon local artists to design a billboard poster conveying what it is about Oakland that inspires them. The top ten designs submitted to the “Inspire Oakland” billboard contest will be featured in three of the city’s most prominent art galleries, while one lucky artist will have his or her design displayed on a commercial billboard.

“The purpose of this contest is twofold,” said Shaun Tai, Executive Director of the ODALC. “First off, we want to direct fresh, young talent in Oakland towards graphic design and information technologies … these are lucrative fields that will create jobs and reenergize our city’s economy. Secondly, we want to promote a positive image of Oakland that counters negative stereotypes sometimes associated with the city. By giving a highly-visible, public platform to the talent and optimism of our young people, we can instill a sense of pride and hope in the Oakland community.”

The Oakland Digital Arts & Literacy Center is a newly formed nonprofit organization founded with the purpose of training, mentoring, and inspiring Oakland’s underemployed youth to achieve higher career goals. In this increasingly digital economy, business-computing skills are more essential than ever to finding work, yet many young people in Oakland don’t have the resources to develop these skills. ODALC seeks to address this problem by offering free access to computer training courses, keynote speakers from Silicon Valley, professional network referrals, business consultations, and one-on-one career counseling.

The “Inspire Oakland” billboard contest marks the Oakland Digital Arts & Literacy Center’s first major public event. Founded on July 31st, 2009, ODALC has been forced to operate on limited resources in the short time they’ve been active. Yet even with limited funding, ODALC is able to help individuals in one-on-one sessions by appointment. One such individual, ElTyna McCree, owner and operator of “Underground Treasures” on Webster Street, had been unable to promote her business effectively due to posttraumatic stress suffered from a violent hate crime. With the help of ODALC, McCree learned the importance of online tools and is now using Yelp.com to successfully promote her business online.

“All we’re asking is for people to believe and give us the chance to prove that our organization can fill a real gap here in Oakland,” said Tai. “If you believe as we do, that Oakland can prosper into a 21st Century city for the rest of America to emulate, then volunteer, spread the word, and donate to the ODALC.” He added with chuckle, “And participate in our billboard contest!”

Entries for the “Inspire Oakland” billboard contest are being accepted from now until March 21st, 2010. How to enter and official rules: http://www.odalc.org/contest/inspire.pdf

Contact: Jesse Elias, jesse@odalc.org, (510) 435-2945