Alford Chamber of Commerce, Lincolnshire

Blogging, sounds a bit of a daft word when it’s not in your everyday vocabulary, the word stems from Web Log, a Log we all understand is a record of events kept in a chronological order. In effect Blog or Web Log is just that.

In its simplest format a blog is a diary of events kept on some website for that website owners own record of time and events, but I’m interested in Blogging for Businesses, so how do we go about that?

There are some very powerful proprietary blogging programs available, they are mostly free, and they are specifically designed for the job, these programs can be stand alone and hosted on the program providers servers, they can stand alone being hosted on third party servers and accessed the a regular domain name, or a blog can be an integrated part of a regular website and although using someone else’s program to run the blog, it can be styled to look just like the rest of that website. This is the type of blog I would have as a preference.

Some websites are being built using only these proprietary blogging programs and therefore possibly doing away with webmasters, webdesigners and so on.

Why have a blog?

Everyone here has a story to tell, information to impart and absorb. Wouldn’t it be good if that story or information could be packaged up by you, along with links to other people, places, products, websites, still images and quality moving images with sound. That package is the blog of today and it is within the capability of any of us who can type with one or two fingers.

Almost anything you would broadcast or publish elsewhere would be suitable for you business blog, so cut and paste from any document directly into your blog, so a blog does not need to take a lot of your time, it can be added to or updated from any computer.

What can a blog do for you?

Let’s make up an example, you have a product you want to spread the word about.

Yes, if you have a website you could contact your webmaster, supply them with all the relevant data and wait for your product to appear on your website, hopefully looking something like you envisaged, or, you could log in to your blog management, type in the information you have, following simple instructions regarding how to make typeface Bold , larger, italics etc, how to add images straight from your computer desktop or files, how to add links to other websites and email addresses, then press one button to see the blog as it will appear online, at this point the blog is unpublished, so if you don’t like it or see a mistake, go back into the management section and make alterations, preview again and when you are totally happy with your labours, press “publish” very shortly your blog will be live for all to see, or for you to tell others to look at.

Do and don’ts, Don’ts first

There is a very famous guy at Google called Matt Cutts who gives three simple guidelines about blogging for businesses,

Don’t make hard promises about the future
Don’t trash talk a competitor
Don’t post when you’re angry

There is one other don’t that I’ve heard mentioned, Don’t blog when you are drunk.

These are relevant points and it should be remembered a business blog is a business communication with all the legal implications that brings. Fortunately the writer of a blog entry or the modifier of a blog can go back to that entry and modify it at will, there will be a date stamp on that entry of when it was originated and when it was modified.

Do’s

Regard your blog as a real time advertisement, use it to show off your products.

Place calls to Action

Make references to other respected businesses or institutions this gives credibility by association.

Keep your blog entry on subject, if you want to change the subject, write a separate entry.

Keep updating your blog, more about this in hidden benefits of blogging.

Marketing your blog.

Seems like a funny thing to want to do, but other similar interest businesses and websites may want to know about you, your views or your products. So some bright spark invented something called RSS (Really Simple Syndication) without getting too deep, RSS allows others to get a copy of your blog, in real time and it can allow you to import other blogs content to your website.

Hidden benefits to blogging.

Primarily a good blog will give a website credibility in the eyes of many search engines, due its up to date, relevant content, if each time a search engine visits your website it sees new, relevent content, that search engine will improve the ranking of that website and slowly but surely your website will creep closer and closer to page one and then the top of the natural listings on page one.

Also, every blog entry should be regarded as a press release, you might have some idea which of the press is watching your blog via RSS feeds and every so often it is a good idea to check your website logs to see who is looking at your blog and maybe tailor a blog entry towards them.

I haven’t touched on social networking, encompassing instant messaging, facebook, myspace, twitter, digg, stumble upon , squidoo, furl, reddit, technorati and a plethora of others, which can increase the awareness of the blog in quick time.

If what I have written doesn’t inspire you to go and have a play with this method of communication, you either already know how it works or you have no interest in the subject, in which case, I hope I didn’t bore you too much.

Alford Chamber of Commerce

Agenda

Meeting 22nd September 2008

7pm at The Manor House

• Chairman, Bob Clifford
• Vice Chairman, Alan Whitcombe
• Treasurer, Paul Rice
• Secretary, Tony
• Members Secretary, Rob Ray
• PR, Terry Wilburn

Apologies.

Chairman Bob to open meeting

1. Members Secretary Rob Ray to address meeting re: new web site (Laptop presentation) and the way forward for the Chamber’s members and registration.
2. Forms to co–opt members to the committee for future events in a voluntary capacity.
3. Treasurer Paul: nothing to report as yet.
4. (PR) Terry and (MS) Rob to report on meeting with Skegness Standard’s Helen Bell.
5. On the table information (please do not remove)
6. Any other business.
7. Date set for next meeting

Alford Chamber of Commerce Committee

Meeting 7pm, Monday 15th September

Present:

• Chairman, Bob Clifford
• Vice Chairman, Alan Whitcombe
• Treasurer, Paul Rice
• Secretary, Tony
• Members Secretary, Rob Ray
• PR, Terry Wilburn

Chairman declared meeting open at 7pm

1. Terry: why meeting had been called in order for objectives to be ironed out where possible before the next open meeting.

2. Rob explained in depth about time he has spent since last meeting talking with relevant people as to our standing and registration
   On Chamber of commerce Business. Rob also informed meeting that there was now a web site in operation www.alfordchamber.co.uk

   A decision is to be made when all facts have been investigated as to whether we remain independent or join under the umbrella of the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce. Rob to research this further and to set up meeting with Simon Beardsley for a date to be confirmed

   Also Rob advises the Committee about Business Links and possible grants available, again this is to be further looked into via Rob’s contact Simon Wesley.

3. Vice Chairman Alan thanked Rob for all his hard work.

4. The committee discussed the constitution but decided to hold off until registration had been decide on.

5. Terry brought up whether the market traders should be asked to join and it was agreed by all that they should.

6. Terry and Rob have meeting with Helen Bell Skegness Standard on Wed 17th 9.30am

7. It was suggested that Phillip and Sarah Crome be approached to design a logo and everyone agreed.

8. It was decided by all that at this present time we are to be looked upon as the steering committee for the organisation and that as of yet nothing is set out and no membership fee could be asked for until something more concrete can be offered to its members.

9. Nothing to report from the treasurer (Paul) at this stage and it was agreed that no bank account is to be opened yet also that the ATEC money to be transferred to Chamber of Commerce account is to be left in ATEC account as a holding account for the time being.

10. All committee confirmed its aim was to benefit the businesses, the Town in general and all the residents in the LN13 area of all age groups.

11. The next step for the Town council Parish Plan is to send out questionnaires to all businesses. Terry is to make contact with Jenny and let them have the Chamber’s data on businesses in our area thus covering all.

12. It was agreed that a form should be designed by the next open meeting namely a Declaration of interest form for people to register their interest in any way they can. This form will also be available on the web site in order that it may be downloaded.

13. It was noted that all the committee were very enthusiastic and a number of ideas were put forward that will be relevant in the future when the steering committee has finalised all the research needed and the Alford Chamber of Commerce if formally registered.

14. Alan (Vice Chairman) is to ask Sarah at the Manor House if there is any provision for laptops to be made available for the next open meeting for everyone to be able to access the new web site.

Meeting closed at 8.25pm

I’ve had the pleasure of tasting a new bread loaf launched this very day by respected local bakers Pocklingtons. Only a dozen loaves were made in the first batch, it is in my opinion a winning product.

A Wholemeal, wholegrain loaf is probably one of the most difficult loaf to produce sucessfully. One of the tests of a good loaf is how it cuts when fresh, this loaf was just hours out of the oven when it cut cleanly with an ordinarly knife. As you see the loaf looks good, so how does it taste? Well I’m no wordsmith, mmmmmm nutty, mmmmmm with strawberry jam there is no need for butter, ooooh, try it with just the butter. How spoilt we are to have such a wonderful loaf on our doorstep.

At Perseus Star 1900hrs, Contemperaneus minuits by Terry Wilburn.
Opened by Chairperson Bob, shortly handing over to Rob who gave a brief synopsis of the various corporate entities a Chamber of Commerce could adopt as its formal standing.
The question of the nature of Alford Chamber is not a simple one. To operate without legal title would hinder the effectivness of the Chamber. It is apparant that the ideal current format would be a Social Enterprise, this can take various formats. A Social Enterprise can be a Charity, Limited Company or a recent inovation by the Government, a Community Interest Company (CIC), which is a Limited Company with special conditions attached. More links regarding CIC’s at the bottom of this text.
If a Chamber of Commerce applies to Companies House to become a CIC, a referece check is made to the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) regarding the standing of the applicant Chamber. It has been established that Alford’s Chamber of Commerce will be too small a Chamber to be directly acredited by the BCC and should probably affiliate or associate with a larger acredited Chamber, Simon Beardsly, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce has kindly agreed to talk with the Committee on this subject.

The meeting moved to the agenda for the next open meeting at the Manor House Monday 22nd Sept 1900hrs.

From http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk/

Community Interest Companies (CICS) are limited companies, with special additional features, created for the use of people who want to conduct a business or other activity for community benefit, and not purely for private advantage. This is achieved by a “community interest test” and “asset lock”, which ensure that the CIC is established for community purposes and the assets and profits are dedicated to these purposes. Registration of a company as a CIC has to be approved by the Regulator who also has a continuing monitoring and enforcement role

A downloadable guidance is at http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk/Leaflets/OverviewLeafletMarch2008.pdf

THE BENEFITS OF A COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY (CIC)
is outlined here http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk/Leaflets/CICBenefits.pdf

notes for funders downloadable here
http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk/Leaflets/FundersLeafletMarch2008.pdf

FAQ’s on CIC here
http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk/faq.shtml#one

What is involved when creating a CIC
http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk/CIC%20guidance/Chapter%204%20-%20creating%20a%20CIC/Chapter%204%20-%20August%202008%20(version%203).pdf

Following a meeting on the 8th of September at the Alford Manor House, called by Bob Clifford the landlord of the Windmill Hotel, an initial core committee was elected to found the Alford Chamber of Commerce.

Bob had organised and delivered about one hundred letters of introduction, including the objectives of the Chamber, our apologies to anyone who would have liked to be informed but had not, we will endeavour to include all interested parties in future.

Bob was elected Chairperson and other posts were filled by willing local business people, any person wishing to be co-opted onto the Committee will be most welcome, please contact us or any Committee member.

The Committee has arranged the next open meeting for Monday 22nd September.