A Double-Header

Tomorrow I'll be training about 100 business professionals on 'How To Use Fast Pitch!' during two separate, one-hour sessions at the Manatee Community College Center for Innovation and Technology in Lakewood Ranch, FL (near Tampa). Similar to our webinar style training, I'll provide a brief overview of social networking and social media as it applies to business, as well as a general discussion about Fast Pitch! and what makes us unique. From there, we will dive right into a demonstration about the Fast Pitch! network including:

• Navigation
• Creating a Profile
• Making Connections
• Posting Content
• Distributing Content
• Increasing Your Internet Footprint
• Personal Branding
• Benefits of Membership
• And More...

The actual demonstration should last about 40 minutes... followed by 20 minutes of Q & A.

The expected turnout is encouraging, given this is our first live traning session here locally. We now expect to offer these events on a monthly basis in conjunction with the Regional Business Resource Center and the Center for Innovation and Technology who will provide us with an incredible venue for teaching.

That being said... We're also now interested in working with professionals in other markets around the world who have an interest in hosting Fast Pitch! training sessions in their respective regions. Beyond offering materials and instruction, we can also assist with marketing your events to ensure good turnout as well as provide deep discounts on membership and various marketing features we offer. Those interested in working with Fast Pitch! should call 888-327-8025

Bill

Event Management

Last week we added a new twist to our Event Marketing feature that allows attendees who are Fast Pitch! members to indicate to the event host whether they will be attending an event. Nothing groundbreaking... but a cool feature nevertheless for those of us who promote events and want to have an idea about turnout... as well as potential attendees who might be lured into attending an event by being able to see who else is going. Additionally, the feature sends alerts to the event host each time someone RSVP's... and allows them (as usual) to quickly learn more about the person by viewing their FP profile.

For now, payments for events will continue to be managed by the event hosts themselves using their own RSVP link that serves as a gateway into their payment option (online credit card, pay at the door, etc...). Ultimately I can forsee a time when Fast Pitch! plays a roll in handling payment for our members... however, until we figure out the best way to manage such a feature we will leave it in the hands of our members.

While I'm on the topic of events... I can't help but reiterate the power of our Event Inbox Promotion Package as a way to drive turnout. For those of you unaware of the package... for $29.95 per event can send an event announcement directly to the Fast Pitch! Inbox of thousands of other members based on geography, inudstry type and more.

For the price, I honestly can't think of a better way to promote an event to increase turnout... especially with people you may not already know. To take advantage of this feature, simply post your event and follow the instructions during the checkout process.

Good Luck!

Bill

Mobile Networking Phase I

Last week we rolled out our Fast Pitch! application for the Google Android G1 phone. The application has already been pretty well received as hundreds of people have already downloaded Fast Pitch! to their phone. For now, the application serves some basic purposes such as having the ability to quickly access your connections on Fast Pitch! (including their phone number) as well as your Fast Pitch! inbox and a variety of different types of messages from within the Fast Pitch! community. Additionally, you can manage your business related status updates on the go, which can also be tied directly to your Twitter account.

You can find the application in the Google Marketplace (under Applications > Social). Or you can download it directly by visiting http://www.fastpitchnetworking.com/android/ on your mobile phone web browser.

Stay tuned as we continue to add more and more functionality to the app.

Good Luck!

Bill

The Votes Are In...

Today I am excited to announce our Winners for the First Annual Fast Pitch! Business of the Year Awards. Winners were chosen across nine different categories during a 45+ day voting process that began with over 1,000 nominations. Winners were determined by a combination of open voting and our expert panel of judges.

All winners will be prominently featured on the Fast Pitch! homepage at various times throughout the year which will ultimately drive a lot of traffic to their respective businesses. Additionally, a special 'badge' has been added to the upper right corner of each winners profile for added recognition. Lastly, all winners will receive a special plaque in the coming weeks (internally dubbed a 'Willy' by our staff). And the Winners Are...

Business of the Year Five Star Mortgage

Top Green Business CityRyde LLC

Top Startup Company Vertical Insight

Best New Technology samplesecure.com

Best New Product GizmoVideo Hosting

Best Networker Ricardo Randorinho

Top Non-Profit The Apogee Foundation

Top Business Blog Suite Minute

Top Video Leashes and Lovers

Thank you to all of our participants for making the First Annual Fast Pitch! Business of the Year Awards a success. Undoubtedly we'll be adding more to the experience in the coming years, perhaps even one day announcing winners at the Annual Fast Pitch! Conference (coming soon).

Until next year...

Bill