This post was contributed by Taylor Britt, one of ReadyTalk’s awesome summer interns. Find out what being a ReadyTalk intern is all about.

Well, my summer internship in the marketing department at ReadyTalk is winding down, and I thought I would share a few thoughts on my experiences before I leave to start school.

Unfortunately, I feel like I will never appreciate my job in the future because I’ve been so spoiled by my time here. No dress code, flexible schedules, runs at lunchtime, a kitchen with a drawer filled with chocolate… I won’t be holding out for this anywhere else. However, besides giving me unrealistically high expectations, this company’s culture has made me an admirer of its management. The company thrives off of relationships with its customers, and I think this is only really possible at a company where its employees are authentically happy to be there. I know this sounds like a marketing gimmick, but I’m absolutely sincere, and I think that it’s great that they’ve found a niche where they can take advantage of a win-win situation like this.

I got to work on a bunch of different types of projects this summer and I think I worked on something with everyone in the department, which was cool because I got to see a wide variety of different roles people play in marketing. I doubt I can remember everything I did, but some things are: Updating ReadyTalk’s Wiki, cleaning up trash in a park in downtown Denver, researching the healthcare market, analyzing demographics on webinar attendees, doing competitive analysis on webinar series, rebranding PowerPoint slides for a company that resells our product, packing in random order 5000 coffee sleeves, folding boxes and sending out packages full of ReadyTalk swag, helping analyze ReadyTalk’s compliance with government contracts, updating ReadyTalk’s marketing collateral (Whitepapers, testimonials, and case studies), and setting up a YouTube channel for ReadyTalk.

I also got to help out on ReadyTalk’s new recruitment video (see it on YouTube) although most of the credit for that project ought to go to my fellow intern Kelly King. Never once did I make anyone coffee, which makes me worry that I may have missed out on the “full internship experience.” We also got to spend one afternoon at a Rockies game (the stadium is only a few blocks from our office.)

I think my biggest regret about my summer is that I never brought my dog to work. I would have had to drive down here instead of taking the bus, and he would have gone completely insane all day, but so many people do it here that it seems kind of shameful that I never once brought him in.

While I probably won’t miss the bus ride to work, the building that ReadyTalk’s office is in is really cool. Although it’s probably not actually this old, the worn brick walls and weird metal pipes and rivets on the walls make me think of 19th century prospectors or something like that. There’s also a really nice bookstore downstairs. The main downside of the building that the elevator frequently breaks down and traps people or the elevator door almost crushes someone, but fortunately I managed to evade this over the course of the summer. By this metric, as well as all of the interesting stuff I did and great people I got to work with, this summer was a success and I really appreciate having had the opportunity to work here.

Thanks to Taylor for all his hard work this summer. We wish him the best of luck at the University of Colorado and will let him bring his dog by the office any time.

ReadyTalk interns hard at work.

One of the things that makes ReadyTalk a Best Companies to Work For, is the company’s support and emphasis on philanthropic activities. To encourage employees to support local non-profit organizations:

• Every employee receives 20 hours of paid volunteer hours per year to support an organization of his/her choice
• The company matches employee donations dollar-for-dollar up to $500 annually
• Donation of in-kind web and audio conferences to qualifying non-profits.

In addition, ReadyTalk has an employee-led Charitable Contributions Committee. The group’s mission is to support non-profit organizations that create a positive impact on the community, support education and the environment. The committee focuses on non-profits that are employee-supported, located on the Colorado Front Range, and provide services to financially disadvantaged populations. ReadyTalk gives the committee $10,000 per quarter to donate to organizations selected by the group.

For Q3 2010, the Charitable Contributions Committee is supporting the following organizations:

Brain Injury Association of Colorado, Pikes Peak Challenge
September 11, Pikes Peak
The Pike’s peak challenge is a summit to the top of Pike’s Peak to raise money for the Brain Injury Association of Colorado. All funds raised go into the Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund of Colorado which provides services for children and adults who have sustained a TBI.

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 5th Annual Purple Stride Golden Gallop
September 11, Splash Aquatic Park, Golden, Colo.
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is dedicated to the fight against pancreatic cancer, the 4th leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Join them for a 5K walk/run and a 10K run.

Junior Diabetes Research Foundation, Walk to Cure Diabetes
Sunday, September 12, Elitch Gardens
JDRF is the worldwide leader for research to cure type 1 diabetes. It sets the global agenda for diabetes research, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide.

Make-A-Wish Foundation, 6th Annual Kickball Tournament
Saturday, September 25, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. This year’s tournament will boast 14 fields of simultaneous kickball action, with an estimated 70 teams and 1,300 participants, which would make this the largest one day kickball tournament in the state of Colorado.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Light the Night Walk
Thursday, September 30, Wash Park, 5:00 p.m.
During this leisurely walk, walkers carry illuminated balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of loved ones lost to cancer – thousands of walkers – men, women and children – form a community of caring, bringing light to the dark world of cancer.

It’s always a challenging decision for our group to decide which organizations to support because we want to support as many organizations as possible. I’d love to hear what organizations you support or think are worthwhile. We’re also looking for volunteer opportunities so if you have any suggestions, please share!

Last week was an exciting week for ReadyTalk.

At the Denver Business Journal’s annual Fastest Growing Companies event, ReadyTalk was recognized as one of Colorado’s fastest growing companies in Flight II, which recognized companies with revenue gross between $16.6 million and $64.5 million.

Later that day, CSIA, Colorado’s technology association, hosted their annual APEX awards. ReadyTalk was one of three finalists for Company of the Year, recognizing Colorado-based companies whose overall performance sets it apart as a leader in its market segment. The finalists show profitability from sales of its products and/or services; strong financial growth or return on investment for its investors and/or shareholders; technical innovation; and concrete examples of how it is meeting a need in the marketplace.

But, more exciting than that, Simone Verhulst, marketing coordinator at ReadyTalk, was recognized as CSIA Champion of the Year for her volunteer work with the organization. Simone has spent countless hours supporting CSIA during the past year – serving as the chair of the AV committee for two major events and co-chairing the education committee. She has done an outstanding job representing ReadyTalk among Colorado’s technology leaders. She has also made sure that ReadyTalk has fully leveraged our relationship with CSIA to help growing ReadyTalk’s business. She is well deserving of the honor.

These awards are exciting and validate much of the hard work of ReadyTalk’s teams. From developing the product, to selling the service, to supporting it, every role at ReadyTalk is crucial to the company’s continued success.

Congratulations!

Last week, Simon Mackie, editor at Web Worker Daily, published the Top 10 Teleconferencing Tips. The article includes great advice, much of which is applicable for in-person meetings too. The list was targeted at conference call organizers but participants on audio and web conferences should also consider a few tips to ensure they get the most from the meeting:

• Avoid Distractions. Because no one can see you, it’s easy to continue working on other items or follow up on some unanswered emails. You’ll get more from the call and your colleagues will appreciate it if you stay focused and engaged. Close email, web browsers and other applications so that you can focus on the information being presented.
• Location, Location, Location. Much like the chairperson, the participant’s location is also important. Muting and unmuting your phone can be troublesome and collaborating from a loud, busy location can be difficult. Find a quite environment—no dogs, no kids, no traffic, etc.—so that your colleagues can appreciate the fine points of your ideas. And, remember, the organizer may not have you on mute, so before you ‘think out loud’ make sure you’ve muted your own phone.
• Participate. If you’re joining a collaborative conference call or meeting with your colleagues, be sure to verbalize your thoughts. If you agree with the discussion, don’t just nod because no one will see you; let the rest of the group know. It can be awkward to interrupt to let the speaker know that you agree, so take notes on what you agree and disagree with and important highlights. When it’s your turn or the appropriate time arises, share your feedback on the topics being discussed.
• Always Be Prepared. To ensure that you have the best audio and web conference experience prepare ahead of time:
  • Review the agenda and gather notes
  • Check to make sure your computer is properly setup for web conferences
  • Dial-in 5 minutes early so you’re not frazzled for the start of the call

Audio and web conferencing is a great way to share information, collaborate, train and educate. BUT, it is what you make it. In order to get the most from teleconferencing, participants and chairpersons need to consider best practices and tips for success.

Facebook profile, Facebook group, or Facebook fan page.

We get this question a lot.

What’s the difference? Which, if any, do I need? And how can I even keep up with all of it?

As a user, you know what’s possible on Facebook. You can update your nonprofit’s information, post photos, comment on what other nonprofits are doing, and so on.

But maybe, by mistake, you made a personal profile for your nonprofit. Or more likely, you – or someone in your nonprofit created a Facebook Group a couple years ago, have built up a sizable following, and now wonder why you should even bother to make a Facebook page.

The answer is that Facebook replaced Groups with Pages.  You can ee a more detailed treatment of Facebook groups vs pages in our community forum.

Suffice it to say that if you get above 5,000 members in your group,you can’t message them anymore. Don’t find that out the hard way.

Also, you can’t install cool applications, have landing pages, or choose a custom url. Maybe you want to pump up donations by sending users to a landing page that has a video on the left and donation option on the right.

Can’t do that with a group.

Finally, if you care about ranking in Google, you will want to get a page, since Facebook is telling Google to favor pages over groups.

Got a group already? Sorry that there’s no automatic import function.

But best to bite the bullet now and message users about the change.

Or contact us for more information: BlitzLocal