I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to help businesses and residents in Virginia-Highland use social media and technology to their advantage. This week we'll explore how to use a weather radio to protect your family during major storms. In this column, we'll learn from one of the world's foremost authorities on the topic. And we'll hear about the experiences of Virginia-Highland residents. What is a Weather Radio? It's Like a Smoke Detector for Storms A weather radio constantly monitors severe weather alerts, such as tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings, and automatically alerts you to …

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to help businesses and residents in Virginia-Highland use social media and technology to their advantage. This week we'll explore how to use social media at festivals. We'll look at dos and do-nots, with Virginia-Highland Summerfest as a case study. And we'll hear from Summerfest vendors who made smart use of social media. 1. Use social media to build long-term relationships with fans. Many artists and food vendors focus entirely on making sales at the festival. But these transactions are typically one and done. Which is not good business. In addition to …

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to help businesses and residents in Virginia-Highland use social media and technology to their advantage. This week, we'll explore legal issues with social media and what local businesses need to know. To learn more, I interviewed Virginia-Highland resident Douglas J. Miller, attorney at Elarbee Thompson. Here's our Q&A. When did you first start looking at social media and law? DM: I'm a fairly young attorney. Social media has been in my life personally for pretty much my entire legal career. Facebook really took off when I was in law school. That's when I …

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to help businesses and residents in Virginia-Highland use social media and technology to their advantage. Last week in part 1, we covered "Foursquare 101". This week in part 2, we'll explore how local merchants use Foursquare to create raving fans; we'll detail the business results that can be achieved; and we'll talk about advice for local businesses. Checking In I recently had dinner at D.B.A. Barbecue in Virginia-Highland. While there, I used the Foursquare app on my smart phone to check in. This instantly earned me a special that visit, a free Whippet …

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to help businesses and residents in Virginia-Highland use social media and technology to their advantage. This week we'll explore location-based mobile platform Foursquare and how you can use it in the neighborhood and beyond. Location, Location, Location Foursquare is a location-based mobile app that helps make cities easier to use and more interesting to explore. There are over 8 million users worldwide, with 35,000 new users added each day. The app and service is free to users and merchants. When you use the app, the GPS in your smart phone identifies …

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to help businesses in Virginia-Highland use social media and technology to connect with customers and grow their businesses. This week we'll explore how you can use social media for real-time customer service. We'll draw on lessons learned from local restaurant Yeah! Burger; and from subject matter experts who I spoke with at the SXSW Interactive conference. You Can't Buy Customer Loyalty How does a business create loyal customers? "You can't buy customer loyalty," Kimarie Matthews, vice president of social Web at Wells Fargo said at a SXSW Interactive …

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to help businesses in Virginia-Highland use social media and technology to their advantage. This week we'll explore options for preparing your business taxes with local tax professionals; and with TurboTax and H&R Block software. Tax Professionals Located in Virginia-Highland I spoke with two tax preparers in the Virginia-Highland area: Philip Autrey, senior tax advisor at H&R Block, at 696-B Cleburne Terrace, NE; and Taylor Green, CPA, located at 750 Ponce de Leon Place, NE. Autrey is in his thirteenth year preparing taxes at H&R Block and specializes in …

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to help businesses and consumers in Virginia-Highland use social media and technology to their advantage. Last week in part two of our multi-part series on social shopping, we explored what local merchants need to know to make the most of Groupon, LivingSocial, and Scoutmob. This week in part three, we'll explore what consumers need to know to make the most of "deal of the day" services. My top seven suggestions: 1. Tell your friends about a LivingSocial deal and get yours free. When LivingSocial offered a great deal for an Amazon gift certificate in January…

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to talk with businesses in Virginia-Highland that use social media to build their business and clients. Last week in part one of our multi-part series on social shopping, we explored how local businesses use Groupon, LivingSocial, and Scoutmob to reach new customers. This week in part two, we'll explore what merchants need to know to make the most of "deal of the day" services. If you're a merchant, if you remember only one thing from this article remember this: with social shopping campaigns, failing to plan is planning to fail. Here's what you need to plan…

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to talk with businesses in Virginia Highland that use social media to build their business and clients. This week, we'll explore how local businesses use "social shopping" services such as Groupon, LivingSocial, and Scoutmob to grow their businesses. First, a primer in how social shopping works. The social shopping services each offer a "deal of the day" for a business such as a restaurant, spa, or boutique, in each of the cities they serve. The deals are usually in the range of 50 to 60 percent off. As a consumer, you register online for a free account with…

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to talk with businesses in Virginia Highland that use social media to build their business and clients. This week, I spoke with Michael Erickson, Director of Marketing at Fifth Group Restaurants, whose portfolio includes La Tavola and El Taco. When you talk with Erickson, you quickly discover that he has a passion for food, people and social media. "What we do is all about making connections with guests," Erickson said. "The restaurant business is all about being social and building relationships. Social media is my dream." For more than two years, Erickson …

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to talk with businesses in Virginia Highland that use social media to build their business and clients.  This week, I spoke with the owner and marketing manager of Osteria 832, a pasta and pizza restaurant on N. Highland Ave. Rich Chey, owner, uses social media, to connect with customers in ways he never could have when he got into the restaurant business fifteen years ago. "I tell my team, we need to appreciate each and every customer." Chey said. "We have to win our customers one at a time. If the new generation wants to communicate on Facebook and Twitter…

I'm David Eckoff. I'm on a mission to talk with businesses in Virginia Highland that use social media to build their business and clients.  This week, I'm in Atlanta Activewear, a store that sells high quality fitness apparel. Owner Danielle Burke's boutique on Virginia Avenue is beautiful. It's obvious that she put a lot of focus on the aesthetics of the store. So just how important is social media for Atlanta Activewear? Burke focused on the online aspects of the business even before the store opened. "You can't have a business without it," Burke said. "One of the first things we did was …