Being Social with Social Media On The Go or In The Air

The beauty of running your own business is that you are no longer tied down to the desk.  With social media, a mobile hone and a laptop or even a new tablet PC you can promote your business while on the go.  It doesn’t matter where you are at anymore to connect with the world and market your business.

I’m at Brewforia Beer Market right now which is a business in Meridian, ID that sells over 500 different beers.  Brewforia uses social media to connect with their customers by showcasing new product, what’s on tap and new food products.  The relaxing environment and free Wi-Fi makes it possible for someone like myself to enjoy a beer, enjoy a craft bread (pizza) and write a blog post or market my business endeavors.  Where do you enjoy hanging out when promoting your business?

It’s pretty common to find Wi-Fi in every city around the US and Europe.  Plus services such as Clear, Rover and Sprint offer 4G in 50 plus cities across the US.  That means you could be sitting on a park bench and connected to the internet at super fast broadband speeds.  Think about how relaxing that would be enjoying the warm fall sun while conducting business over the internet.  I’ve even been connect to the internet while flying 36,000 ft. above the earth heading to Florida. GoGo Inflight Internet connects you to Wi-Fi while on board your cross country flight.  Pricing starts around $4.95 per flight segment depending distance travelled.  Visit their website for more information on pricing and how the service works.

I’ve given you a few ways you you can promote your business while on the go or even in the air.  Suggestions?  Ideas?  Feel free to comment below and start the discussion.

Google Brings Voice to Gmail With Free Calls

Google Brings Voice to Gmail With Free Calls

Content by Jared Newman, PC World
Aug 25, 2010 1:33 pm

Google just shattered the pay wall between VoIP and telephones, letting Gmail users make free voice calls to the United States and Canada.

Google promises that phone calls will remain free "for at least the rest of the year," while calls to other countries start at $0.02 per minute. The voice service for Gmail will roll out to users over the next few days. To get started using the service, you will have to install the free "voice and video chat" Web-based service to your Gmail account here.

Here's how it works: First, you'll need Google's Voice and Video plug-in. Within Gmail's "Chat" window, a "Call phone" option will appear. Up pops a little number pad, on which you can dial the phone you'd like to call. Your Google Voice number, if you have one, will appear as the outbound caller ID, and can be used to receive calls within Gmail. Otherwise, a generic number is shown, Search Engine Land reports.

Google doesn't mention whether free VoIP calls will be possible from cell phones, and an official blog post on the subject only shows Gmail's desktop application. However, the number pad that pops up for placing calls has the proportions of a cell-phone screen; maybe that's a hint of things to come.

With the introduction of voice calls in Gmail, Google probably just made a few enemies. The first is Skype, which only allows free VoIP calls to other Skype users. With Gmail, all calls within the United States and Canada are free. I imagine Gmail's calling feature won't go over well with home phone alternatives such as Vonage and MagicJack, not to mention telcos that offer digital phone service.

But Google's going to make a lot of people happy, as well. Home offices could use the Gmail service in lieu of a dedicated landline, and people who don't have landlines and want to cut down on their cell phone minutes could use Google's service for long conversations. If Gmail phone calls remain free beyond this year, it may be time to invest in a wireless headset and a mic.