May 2011 be the best year yet for leveraging social media marketing initiatives and experiencing the success we saw with our clients in 2010!

Best Nicole and the BCAD Group Team

Hi Everyone,

I have not abandoned our blog and thought that I should send out another note to let people know that we are still here. As I mentioned earlier in the summer, I have been one of the main care givers for an aging father – who has encountered a time in his life where unforeseen medical issues have popped up one after another. As like many of you, one never expects the amount of time or effort that this support can demand and I am happily yet juggling all of the additional planning needed to fulfill both my personal and growing business commitments.

The amazing thing is that there are so many of us just entering into this transition of supporting our families and maturing parents – as we all continue to move on in years. Since I posted my last note – letting you know why we had lapsed on our regular posts after all these years – many of you have come forth to share your stories of the support you too – are also giving to your families and how you have worked to make room in your lives for these added adjustments and responsibilities. I thank you for those that have come forward and encourage others to share their stories with us.

I have been able to keep up posting on Twitter and Facebook as I can post from my iphone easily via Tweet Deck and hope you will continue to engage with us there as well.

Work is ways there but your health is a precious gift to which nothing is more important.

Looking forward to connecting again with you all in October!

Best Nicole

Hi Everyone it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post. For all those who have an RSS feed with SHARE blog I sincerely apologize for the lack of posting. Over a 3 year period I have been able to be dedicated and consistent – regarding our posts week in and week out. A month ago, what is happening to many of us all – happened to me. My father who at 90 has been healthy, mobile and busy with some general illness issues – that anyone with almost a century behind them would accumulate – has become seriously ill. We have had repeated visits to emergency as well as admittance and then releases and then started the process all over again. With him being an hour away – I am finding out what it is like to be a commuter and to be of as much support as I can – as one of the primary care givers for my father.

We believe that or I should say I believed – I was prepared for when this day would come, but when it arrived I was not even close to being ready. I think for all of us, know matter what age our parents are – we are never prepared for them to have to go through the challenges that can come as you age. In our case my father is a fighter and determined to surpass all of these serious issues as soon as possible. It is our job to help support him and negotiate the challenges and find outside support to help us do that as best we can.

In these times what I have learned is that family comes first and then everything must come after that. None of us are super human – especially women who want to take on the world! That by the way would be me!! The result is that the blog has fell behind and so I felt it important to SHARE where I was and hopefully touch someone else who is going through the same experiences as I am! Life is an evolution and we are all on a journey – sometimes SHARING what we are going through helps us as much as it does others!

Looking forward to getting back to the world of social media next week!

Best Nicole

Muhammad Ali

Networking is the epicenter for new contacts, sales leads, friendships and new clients. Social media has been a magnificent platform for networking and sites such as Linkedin – have created a community – that has been a well respected platform for businesses and professionals. Twitter has now also become a great place to connect for all genres of interest both business and personal and lets not forget Facebook! Read the rest of this entry »

It is amazing how quickly the news media has leaped into social media – while may businesses and corporations still lag behind in hesitation . I read most of my newspapers online now – 3 to be exact and tend to go to several of the sites – where I used to subscribe to magazines. I do admit that there is something great about a beautiful print magazine. My favorites continue to be Vogue, home decor magazines and of course food. Some magazines have been extremely successful in integration of offline and online, Bon Appetite is one that has a robust site and Facebook fan club. Read the rest of this entry »

I had a personal experience this past week that I thought wonderfully demonstrates the power of social media. I hope that businesses will read this post and think twice about how they can easily repair circumstances just like the one I am about to SHARE. Read the rest of this entry »

I just walked in from a networking event called Concrete. Its founder Romana Mirza has put together several of these events. Her list has built via a link to her and the attendees. Most that attend the event know her in some fashion. Her philosophy is the idea of networking and being yourself – representing unity both inside and out. Face to face sharing your ideas, opinions and thoughts and collaborating with others. Read the rest of this entry »

When is the last time that you left your house or office without your cell phone? Or went throughout the entire day leaving your cell phone behind on purpose? For me, my cell is my personal and business lifeline all wrapped up into one. It houses my contact list—the days of remembering a phone number are long gone. My calendar, my email, texts and the internet are all at my finger tips should I need to search something. My social media feeds are there too so I can Tweet and update Facebook as I move throughout my day. My alarm for the morning resides on the phone as well, and yes—it stays by my bed at night when I am asleep!
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For those that follow us on Twitter and Facebook - you know that yesterday I attended The Art of Marketing. It was a great event - but what I really enjoyed was the ability to SHARE with others – some of the many take-aways that I received from each speaker by Tweeting – better yet were the retweets I received from those that loved what I was SHARING. It adds a new dimension to be able to use your mobile device and be connected not just by email but in real-time to the social networks that are part of your day – to – day or I should re phrase that to say my day- to- day life.
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