2014 New Year's Eve Ball Drop in Times Square New York

Have to share live streaming technology. 

Here is a link to the Times Square signature streaming event of the 2014 New Year's Eve Ball drop:
2014 New Years Eve Ball Drop

And at this moment (approximately 3 hours before the the ball drop) there are 53,140 people watching and potentially chatting. Interesting!

Always interesting to find new organizations like this one

Through some networking we have been introduced to an organization called Spellbinders. The Spellbinders storytelling program recreates the age-old tradition of storytelling while bringing together older adults and young people. This seems like a great way to advance literacy for young people and engage older adults in the community. Learn more about their group through their website - www.spellbinders.org. Share this resource with your community.

This is one of a four organizations we shared in our December 2013 eNewsletter from new companies and organizations we have met - Read More.

December 2013 eNewsletter went out - last week

We want to share that the December 2013 eNewsletter for professionals went out last week. (Have to admit that we missed posting a notice here).  

The eNewsletter is called, "News, Resources & Marketing Updates For Professionals Serving Seniors." Here is a link to the archived eNewsletter - Click Here

Check out our eNewsletter for Professionals serving Seniors

Our system is that the eNewsletters are sent out to those who have signed up and then we add a link to the eNewsletter from the Senior Business Connection Newsroom web page. 

Check out our Senior Business Connection Newsroom. We are talking about Telehealth this month and 24HourMDNow - Click Here

By the way, the eNewsletter lists some free online meetings - a few are about 24HourMDNow and others are about Internet marketing strategy with www.SeniorsResourceGuide.com. This is the first time we have advertised meetings like this. Hope you can attend one or more of the meetings. Use this link to review upcoming December GoToMeetings - Click Here. Note that these are small GoToMeetings limited to 26 people and availability is first come, first served. If you should miss getting into a meeting send us an email via the eNewsletter.

Sharing some Tips in Regard to Posting Event Flyers Online

Just want to share some tips in regard to posting Event Flyers online. Here goes ...

1. Always post the files in the PDF format as opposed to posting a Microsoft Word File or Publisher File. PDF stands for Portable Document Format and it was developed by Adobe Acrobat - basically it is close to a universal format online and most web viewers can open the file. Visit Wikipedia to get more details about PDF files -
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format
   And while at the Wikipedia website consider making a donation. They are an awesome resource and they need our support:
   Wikipedia - Colorado Front Range
2. Next suggest is to be sure to include your website address - We know the other details are important such as where, when and what but your website is important too. And assuming you save your file as a PDF then when you post your flyer online your website should be an active link.
3. Our next suggest is how to name the file - keep in mind that the file name shows up in your website code so try to use your company name, short name of the event and then the date. Including the date is important so that at a glance the online viewer can see that the event is coming up or as past. 
4. Here are some examples of event flyers we have posted for December within our network. Note how the file names incorporate the "company name, name of the event and the date" ...
   springwood_holiday_open_house_12-10-13.pdf - Click to view
   autumn_heights_cookie_exchange_12-8-13.pdf - Click to view
   holiday_celebration_lcca_12-12-13.pdf - Click to view
   healthSET_adopt_an_elder_2013.pdf - Click to view
5. And here are links to the web pages where we list events. Our event listings have links out to websites and some have flyers posted online:
   Denver Senior Coalition Events - Click Here
   Denver News & Events for Seniors with SeniorsResourceGuide.com - Click Here

Hope this is helpful. And don't forget to submit your events for both consumer and professional events - Click Here

At a Senior Professional Meeting Today Learned More about Sandler Training

Have to share that I attended the Denver Southwest Coalition on Aging senior professional networking meeting today in Denver and listened to a presentation by Chuck Terry of Sandler Training. Chuck's group is located in Lone Tree, Colorado and his website says he serves the Denver area.

Chuck is a good speaker and shared a well-paced presentation that engaged our group, got us laughing (which is always a good thing) and he shared some tips on "non-sales selling." Here is his website:
www.SalesGrowthMD.sandler.com

Anyone in sales can probably use some new tips, techniques and new energy if they have been in sales for a few years. Not to mention that 'sales strategy' as it existed 5 years ago has changed dramatically from the impact of the Internet, cell phones, voice messaging and more. And the truth is more changes are coming as we do our best to be "non-sales" sales people.

And from the Denver Senior Coalitions to Chuck Terry of Sandler Training of Lone Tree, Colorado - Thank you for taking the time to attend our meeting and make your presentation. Learn more about the Denver Senior Coalitions at their website:
www.DenverSeniorCoalitions.org

One of our Favorite eNewsletters - The Protocol Post Newsletter by Jacqueline Whitmore, CSP

As everyone feels the building pressure of the upcoming 2013 holiday season, it is good to start reflecting about the past year and think about our New Year Resolutions. We want to recommend "The Protocol Post Newsletter" by Jacqueline Whitmore, CSP as a good place to start this reflection. We have been following Jacqueline's newsletter for probably two years and she always shares something new or something that is a reminder of how to improve yourself. 

We contacted Jacqueline and asked permission to share the link to her November eNewsletter in a post - here is the link:
 "The Protocol Post Newsletter" - November 2013 - Click Here

In this issue Jacqueline's article on creative ways to network caught our attention. Here is a direct link to her article (which is highlighted in the eNewsletter) - Click Here. Her suggestions from volunteer to create your own network to reaching out before events, plus a few more ideas are all great suggestions. Check the article out and see if you get some tips on improving your networking skills.

In the eNewsletter also be sure to read about the elephants that Jacqueline and her husband adopted and visited on a recent trip to Thailand - it is a wonderful story and program they are involved with.

Sign up for "The Protocol Post Newsletter" by Jacqueline Whitmore, CSP if you are interested in getting fresh ideas and excellent reminders about best business manners - here is her website:
www.EtiquetteExpert.com

Save the Date for Small Business Saturday on November 30, 2013

Small Business Saturday® is focused on encouraging people to shop small businesses in their community. What a great idea! Yes, almost all of us go to the 'big box stores' however the small businesses in our neighborhoods have a lot to offer and we need them so we have choices on where to shop and items to purchase. 

The Small Business Saturday® event was started by American Express in 2010 and the event is always the Saturday after Thanksgiving which makes it November 30, 2013. This year there is a special highlight on independent bookstores - so get out there and do some shopping in support of small businesses in your community. 

Here are some links to check out:
Check out the Small Business Saturday® on the American Express website - Click Here
and Check out the Small Business Saturday® Facebook page - Click Here. 

And our favorite independent bookstore in Colorado is The Tattered Cover Book Store. Did you know that aside from special events with book signings and presentation by authors, they also host events for older adults and seniors such as the Active Minds educational series. Here are some links to check out:
The Tattered Cover Book Store - www.TatteredCover.com
Active Minds - www.ActiveMinds.com

Have you thought about Boomers in other parts of the world?

We always enjoy exploring the Internet for senior and boomer events in the United States however this is fascinating - During our research for November events we found a retirement expo happening in Sydney, Australia in July 2014. Visit the event website and learn more about Australia's 'rapidly ageing population. Does this sound familiar to what we are hearing about Boomers in the U.S.? The Exhibition and Marketing Services group is actually having Retirement Expos in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, Australia in 2014 - Fascinating!


www.emsaust.com.au/retire.html

Interesting Article & Interview with Bill Clinton on Ozy Media

Ran across Ozy Media, Inc. website and we are intrigued - www.ozy.com. What stopped us was the interview with Bill Clinton about the Affordable Care Act however what was engaging was the combination of the written words (a short article) and then the video interview available on the website. As we explored the website we found the content presented in a well-crafted website that is fun to navigate and the articles we have browsed and watched were well-written and informative. Here are two articles that caught our attention:

• Bill Clinton talking about the roll out of the Affordable Care Act - Click Here and
• Bill Clinton talking about healthy living and what do boomers owe younger generations in regard to taking better care of themselves? - Interesting! - Click Here.

Check out Ozy Media. By the way we also find their logo appealing and they have an eNewsletter - www.ozy.com

One last item - we browsed their "Ozy House Rules" also known as "Housekeeping" and we agree with their statement that ...

• "Ozy also wants to foster vigorous, active and respectful debate ..." - We need more attitude and behavior supporting this approach.
• And here is a link to their Housekeeping section - Click Here

Great job Ozy Media, Inc. - www.ozy.com

VIP Exhibits Shared Some Great Tips in their November 2013 eNewsletter

Received our recent eNewsletter from VIP Exhibits located in the Denver area and they had some great tips on the pros and cons of renting a display. Their view was that renting is the way to go if you only exhibit once or twice a year and renting avoids the overhead of maintenance, storage and insurance. However with renting a display you are limited in how much customization you can do with the display, display rentals can offer challenges with showtimes and you still need to create all your graphics. The other option is to purchase your own display and they shared that it is probably good to purchase one if you use the display more than 4 times a year and of course the upside is that the display can be built to your exact specifications. The con's of owning your own display are that you are now responsible for storage, upkeep, inventory and maintenance, not to mention that at some point you will replace it or do a major freshening. Interesting points. 

The newsletter also had a link to a video about the new LED lighting that can be added to exhibits and office environment displays. The video looks really interesting but I bet this is even more awesome in person - Video is called "Moss Color Wash Wall in Moss Max 120mm" and Sherri Harrod of VIP Exhibits shared this link with us - Click Here

We posted November News Snippets

We are just getting into the habit of posting in our Google Blog. There was quite a learning curve in setting up the Google+ pages and then deciding to add Blogs. And of course the next step is blogging something useful. We consider all of this the real start to our Google+ accounts. 

From what we have seen so far the Google+ program has a lot of potential in planning your marketing strategy. Follow the links to our new Google+ Accounts shown below and check out our posts. 

Click around and contact us back about creating your Google+ account. If you have a Google+ account connect with us. Google+ is intuitive and easy to use. We have many ideas on how to use this in senior-oriented marketing strategy. Let the online networking begin!

• Senior Business Connection Google+ – CLICK HERE 
• Seniors Resource Guide Google+ – CLICK HERE
• Look for our Google+ Badges on these pages mentioned above and follow the links in the badges and of course the Senior Business Connection link would take you to this blog.

I want to Shine a Light on Mobile Senior Coalitions and Wendy Harris of Assisted Transition of Mobile

I want to shine a light on Mobile Senior Coalitions and Wendy Harris of Assisted Transition of Mobile. Wendy reached out to me and I have assisted her in laying the ground work of the Mobile Senior Coalitions which is a professional networking group for companies that serve seniors. My organization developed the website and we helped develop a system for promoting and listings events online along with sharing local resources for professionals. I could never done it without Wendy's 'feet on the street.' Check out the Mobile Senior Coalition website:
www.MobileSeniorCoalitions.org

If you are in Mobile and need housing placement assistance contact Wendy Harris through her website:
www.assistedtransition.com/southal

A Great Online Resource if you are in Colorado - Senior Law Handbook from the Colorado Bar Association

I ran into people I know at the Amazing Aging Expo in Denver, Colorado that was held 9-28-13. One group at the event that I know is the Colorado Bar Association and their Senior Law Day events. I want to share their Senior Law Day events for event planners in Colorado. This year they had multiple Law Day events in Boulder, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer and El Paso Counties along with events in Northwest Colorado and Pueblo. This is a great event to participate in, volunteer for or just plan to attend. 

They combine a legal and senior resource fair with educational seminars focused on senior issues. This year, as in past years each participant is given a printed Senior Law Handbook. It is an excellent resource and better yet, it is available online. If you were not able to attend any of the events this year and want to learn more or want an online version of their book visit their website - http://seniorlaw.annualcle.com/.

And another tip - another electronic posting of the Senior Law Handbook is posted on the Colorado Bar Association website. Their format has links to the chapters - Click Here. The Senior Law Handbook is a joint project of the Elder Law and Trust and Estate Sections
of the Colorado Bar Association.

If you are working on event planning for 2014 check out participating in one or more of the Senior Law Day events. You will see www.SeniorsResourceGuide.com there.

Why suggest a Personal Health Record System to a Senior?

In my personal experience of working with the seniors in my family facing an illness and a chronic debilitating condition, I can relate to elders not wanting to be a bother or to worry family members. The 'I don't want to be a bother mentality' is self-defeating because if you love someone you will worry and part of that 'worry' has to do with not knowing what is going on. When I look at the technology of personal health record system where health information can be shared with the patient's permission, I see a great communications hub. Take the time to learn about personal health record systems with eCareTeamConnect and other PHRS providers. This is interesting technology that can also help care providers stay in contact with the senior and their family.