Who is more important: you or a group of your fellow nonprofit volunteers or professionals? What signal are you sending when you direct your attention to your mobile device instead of the group’s discussion? If you believe the work of the organization or institution is unimportant, say so and work with your peers to restructure meetings. If not, give your attention to the business at hand. Each of you has carved out time from your busy schedules to attend the meeting: make the most of it.

2. Social Resumes and the Job Search - Friday, April 05, 2013

As an adjunct accounting professor at the University of Memphis, I am constantly trying to prepare my students for their future. Part of that preparation is exposing the students to tools that will assist them in their search for employment.

3. Events - Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Black Business Association of Memphis will meet Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 8 a.m. at the association’s office, 555 Beale St. Jozelle Booker of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division will discuss what MLGW’s recent disparity study means for minority businesses. Visit bbamemphis.com.

4. Events - Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Orpheum Theatre will present “Anything Goes” Tuesday, Feb. 26, through March 3 at the theater, 203 S. Main St. Visit orpheum-memphis.com or call 525-3000 for showtimes and tickets.

5. Events - Monday, February 25, 2013

Rhodes College will host Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, presenting “A New Vision of Islam in America,” as part of its free Communities in Conversation Series Monday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in the McCallum Ballroom of the Bryan Campus Life Center on campus, 2000 North Parkway. Visit rhodes.edu.

6. 9 Things Apple Could Do With $137 Billion - Monday, February 11, 2013

Apple Inc. has recently come under attack for its practice of stockpiling cash. At the end of last year, the company was sitting on $137 billion – and the heap keeps growing.

7. Top 10 Smart Marketing Trends for 2013 - Thursday, December 27, 2012

Make it your resolution to execute these Top 10 smart marketing trends in 2013.

1. Visual Storytelling – Thanks to image-centric sites like Pinterest and Instagram, 2012 became the year of brand visualization. Visual content is now in higher demand than ever before and brands must step up and tell their story through more than words.

8. Political Outsourcing - Monday, October 15, 2012

It has been 12 years since Shelby County voters have encountered a Democratic or Republican presidential nominee on the general election ballot who had some kind of political presence in the region, if not the city, before they made their bid for president.

9. National Small Business Workshop Coming to Memphis - Wednesday, October 03, 2012

A small-business-themed workshop tour presented in part by the New York Stock Exchange is stopping in Memphis next week.

The NYSE, small-business lender Accion and Yelp, which operates a business ratings and review website and app, earlier this summer joined forces to launch their “Small Business Connections Tour,” part of the organizations’ NYSE Big StartUp initiative.

10. Events - Friday, September 21, 2012

Catholic Charities of West Tennessee’s Mobile Food Pantry will be holding a nonperishable-food drive during the grand opening of the fred’s Super Dollar at 7143 Winchester Road Friday, Sept. 21, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Contact Alie Lifsey at alie.lifsey@acc.cdom.org.

11. 5 Best Practices For Leveraging Pinterest - Thursday, August 16, 2012

Part two of a two-part series Virtual scrapbooking site Pinterest has quickly taken the world of social media by storm, leaving some business owners and marketers scratching their heads about how exactly to leverage their time investment accordingly.

12. Business Focus - Monday, August 13, 2012

Memphis’ small-business community got a shot in the arm earlier this month.

Tennessee’s three-day sales tax holiday ran from Aug. 3 through Aug. 5, and it drew shoppers to retailers that carry certain clothing items, school supplies and computers.

13. Build an Advantage By Creating Talking Points - Friday, July 27, 2012

You just said yes to fundraising for an organization you believe in. It could be your child’s school, your alma mater, a local hospital or an advocacy organization. You felt confident you could help when you took on the task, but now, upon reflection, you wonder what you have gotten yourself into.

14. Startup Weekend Helps Bring Ideas to Life - Tuesday, July 24, 2012

In LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman’s recent book “The Startup of You,” he recalls a billboard in Silicon Valley that asks passers-by – many of them presumably being startup founders – a simply question: What makes you so special?

15. Weak Hiring Shows Economy Still Hurting - Monday, July 09, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – A third straight month of weak hiring shows the U.S. economy is still struggling three years after the recession officially ended.

U.S. employers added just 80,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.2 percent, the Labor Department said Friday.

16. Cybercrime Disclosures Rare Despite New SEC Rule - Monday, July 02, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Hackers broke into computers at hotel giant Wyndham Worldwide Corp. three times in two years and stole credit card information belonging to hundreds of thousands of customers. Wyndham didn't report the break-in in corporate filings even though the Securities and Exchange Commission wants companies to inform investors of cybercrimes.

17. Tech-Savvy Jostes Helps Grow Small Businesses - Friday, June 22, 2012

To Liz Jostes, a social media and small-business consultant, now is a great time to be a small-business owner.

Between search engine optimization, social media and other tech tools available today that weren’t around or weren’t as robust a few years ago, “the little guy” can compete on a wider playing field than ever before.

18. Questions Abound in Grizzlies Sale - Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Robert Pera, a young tech industry multimillionaire, is close to adding a new title to his resume: NBA team owner.

19. Facebook Leaning Toward Nasdaq, Reports Say - Monday, April 09, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook will list its shares with Nasdaq, according to media reports.

That would be a big win for the Nasdaq, which competes fiercely with NYSE Euronext Inc., especially for an initial public offering as large as Facebook's, pegged at $5 billion.

20. New Network Affiliation Bolsters Investec Realty - Monday, April 02, 2012

Commercial real estate firm Investec Realty Services has broadened its reach beyond the Memphis market thanks to a partnership with the international network of Sperry Van Ness.

A recent franchise affiliation increases the company’s footprint from 10 brokers in Tennessee to more than 700 affiliates in 145 markets, plus another 35,000 brokers who subscribe to the Sperry Van Ness network.

21. Study: Social Media Plays Role for Job Searchers - Friday, March 02, 2012

At Obsidian Public Relations in Downtown Memphis, it’s not unusual to find employees on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media sites as they handle their clients’ PR needs throughout the day.

22. Miconi Finds Success During First Year - Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Start-up firm Miconi Project Management has completed several projects in the Memphis area in recent months, and has more in the pipeline.

Warren Miconi founded the firm on April 1. It provides real estate project management and consulting services to clients with operations in Mississippi and the Mid-South.

23. Yelp Looking for $12 to $14 per Share in IPO - Monday, February 20, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Online review service Yelp rated its own business Thursday, setting an IPO target of $12 to $14 per share that could value the 7-year-old company as high as $840 million.

24. Status Update: Facebook to Go Public, Raise $5B - Thursday, February 02, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook made a much-anticipated status update Wednesday: The Internet social network is going public eight years after its computer-hacking CEO Mark Zuckerberg started the service at Harvard University.

25. Tech Companies Team Up to Combat Email Scams - Tuesday, January 31, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Google, Facebook and other big tech companies are jointly designing a system for combating email scams known as phishing.

Such scams try to trick people into giving away passwords and other personal information by sending emails that look as if they come from a legitimate bank, retailer or other business. When Bank of America customers see emails that appear to come from the bank, they might click on a link that takes them to a fake site mimicking the real Bank of America's. There, they might enter personal details, which scam artists can capture and use for fraud.

26. SEC Warns of Social Media Schemes After Fraud Case - Thursday, January 05, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Regulators are warning the public to be wary of social media sites that could be offering bogus investment schemes.

The warning follows civil charges filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against an Illinois-based investment adviser who tried to sell fraudulent securities through Linkedin.

27. European Finan. Crisis Tops AP Picks of '11 Biz Stories - Thursday, December 22, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Europe took the financial world on a stomach-churning ride in 2011.

The rising threat of default by heavily indebted European countries spread fear across financial markets and weighed on economies worldwide. As the year came to a close, banks and investors nervously watched Europe's political and financial leaders scramble to prevent the 17-nation eurozone from breaking apart.

28. Business Gift Giving Guide - Wednesday, December 07, 2011

'Tis the season for showing appreciation for our clients that allow our businesses to operate.

What should be a fun activity can wind up being a chore, as finding a memorable gift that aligns with your clients’ interests and fits within your budget is no small feat.

29. FarmVille Creator Hopes to Raise About $1B in IPO - Monday, December 05, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Hoping to harvest some fresh cash, the online game company behind "FarmVille" said Friday that it plans to raise $1 billion in an initial public offering of up to 100 million shares.

30. Report Says Facebook Seeks $10 Billion in IPO - Wednesday, November 30, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook might finally be laying down the groundwork for a highly anticipated initial public offering, long expected to take place sometime after April 2012.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the world's largest online social network is looking to raise as much as $10 billion in its IPO. The Journal cited people familiar with the matter but did not identify them by name.

31. Groupon Shares Jump in Public Market Debut - Monday, November 07, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Groupon, the company that pioneered online group discounts, saw its stock climb by nearly a third in its public debut Friday, showing strong demand for an Internet company whose business model is considered unsustainable by some analysts.

32. IPO Market, an Engine of Job Growth, Stalls - Tuesday, October 25, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) — Two companies with quirky names, Ubiquiti Networks and Zeltiq Aesthetics, made their public debuts earlier this month with listings on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Each company's stock went up modestly on the first day of trading.

33. Groupon's Fall to Earth Swifter Than its Fast Rise - Monday, October 24, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Only a few months ago, Groupon was the Internet's next great thing. Business media christened it the fastest growing company ever. Copycats proliferated. And investors salivated over the prospect of Groupon going public.

34. Obama Defends Push to Raise Taxes on Rich - Tuesday, September 27, 2011

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) – President Barack Obama on Monday defended his push to tax the rich more to help jolt the economy and rebuild it for the long term, saying the income of well-to-do people has soared while the middle has struggled with no room to spare.

35. Obama, GOP Trumpet Jobs Plans in Silicon Valley - Tuesday, September 27, 2011

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) – The debate over how to create jobs has moved to Silicon Valley, where the president and Republican leaders were each taking to the Internet to trumpet their agendas and win over young voters.

36. archer>malmo Entity Invests in Digital Startup - Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Digital startup company Work for Pie, based in Memphis, has completed a deal with a>m ventures and is soon to benefit from the creative capital it needs to fuel its aggressive growth plan.

a>m ventures is an investment company started by archer>malmo earlier this year that invests in early-stage digital businesses.

37. Corporate Blogs at Heart of Seminar - Tuesday, September 13, 2011

A marketing strategy is essential to any successful business model.

Companies that ignore the rising power of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and blogs are sure to be ignored by potential consumers.

38. Status Update: Now Hiring - Wednesday, August 10, 2011

More and more companies are tapping into social networking sites during the recruitment process, giving job board sites a run for their money.

While sites like CareerBuilder and Monster cost money for employers to search through resumes, social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are free. And with the number of users growing by the minute, recruiters like Cheryl Citrone and Dianne Tabulog with Vaco Memphis are capitalizing on the high volume of traffic and mutual connections.

39. 10 Twitter Tips You May Be Missing - Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series.

Most businesses have Twitter profiles. Very few, though, are satisfied with the outcome of their Twitter strategy.

In this second of a two-part series, we’ll explore 10 advanced Twitter tricks of the trade to ensure you’re getting the most of your time investment.

40. ‘Ask ABC’ Answers Construction Questions - Wednesday, July 06, 2011

The largest commercial and industrial construction association in West Tennessee is leveraging its size, resources and expertise to provide reliable and timely construction-related information to its members and the community.

41. 'FarmVille' Creator Zynga to Go Public - Monday, July 04, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Zynga, the online game maker behind "FarmVille" and other popular Facebook pastimes, is going public, the latest in a crop of high-valued Internet IPOs expected after LinkedIn Corp. showed that the online networking craze is a hot commodity on Wall Street.

42. Present Yourself with Polish - Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Before the advent of email and texting, we didn’t take many shortcuts in our written communication. Now, our finesse with messages depends on the size of our thumbs, the amount of time we have between flights and how much our viewers’ screens (or brains) will comfortably hold. What suffers is the refinement of our compositions.

43. Twitter Gains Critical Mass - Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series. It’s official. Twitter is not a passing fad. Eight out of 10 people know about it, and in five years, Twitter has amassed more than 100 million users.

44. Haslam Touts Social Media Numbers - Friday, June 24, 2011

Tenn. Gov. Bill Haslam has 40,042 Facebook supporters, 8,388 Twitter followers and 1,072 LinkedIn connections, according to statistics he announced.

Haslam is the first state chief executive to add the social media statistics to the other vital statistic a governor has – how many people voted for him.

45. Get LinkedIn To Opportunity - Wednesday, June 22, 2011

For most industries, sales is still a relationship business. It’s about who you know and how you make them feel. Social media tool, LinkedIn, has created efficiencies around both. It enables you to make a first connection with a much larger group of prospects than you normally would through traditional offline networking. Mind you, it doesn’t replace quality face-to-face interaction, but it facilitates it.

46. Partnership Advocates Social Media to Firms - Monday, June 20, 2011

Now that Morgan Stanley has allowed itself to be the first major wealth manager to use social media for marketing purposes, Memphis marketing professional Amy Howell is encouraging other financial services companies to follow Morgan Stanley’s lead.

47. Pandora Gains Point to Healthy Internet IPO Future - Friday, June 17, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Internet radio station Pandora Media's IPO struck the right chord with investors Wednesday despite the static in the overall stock market.

Pandora's shares surged by as much 63 percent in their market debut before pulling back later in the session. The stock closed at $17.42, still a decent gain amid the market's broader decline. It marked a 9 percent increase from Pandora's initial public offering price of $16 and a nearly six-fold increase from what Pandora's own board thought the stock was worth just six months ago.

48. Report: Facebook Users More Trusting, Engaged - Friday, June 17, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook, it turns out, isn't just a waste of time. People who use it have more close friends, get more social support and report being more politically engaged than those who don't, according to a new national study on Americans and social networks.

49. Companies Embracing Twitter To Spread News - Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Social media experts have often described Twitter as a cocktail party – join in the many ongoing conversations as you hit up different groups in the room.

The reverse is also true. If one stands in the corner and doesn’t embrace the dialogue, no networking is accomplished, and the attendee loses relevance.

50. Pandora Raises IPO Offering Price Range - Monday, June 13, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Pandora raised the price range of its initial public offering Friday by at least a third and boosted the number of shares to be sold by as many as a million, demonstrating again a seemingly insatiable demand from investors for a stake a new slate of Internet companies.

51. Survey Examines Local Social Media Use - Thursday, June 09, 2011

The world of social media is a trending topic these days, but its presence locally is still relatively unknown.

That’s why Obsidian Public Relations and Research Dynamics Inc. partnered to conduct a public opinion survey in hopes of learning more about the types of social media being used in the Memphis area and the implications of those habits for businesses and nonprofits alike.

52. It's Here: Groupon Files for Hotly Anticipated IPO - Friday, June 03, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Fast-growing daily deal site Groupon Inc. on Thursday filed go public, the first step what will be one of the year's most hotly anticipated initial public offerings.

53. Twitter Buys TweetDeck for Reported $40M to $50M - Thursday, May 26, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Twitter has bought TweetDeck, a London-based startup that helps people read, write and organize the short messages posted on the online network – and will keep the service going.

54. Retail Slide Sends Broad Stock Market Lower - Monday, May 23, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) — Signs that U.S. consumer demand may be weakening led to a broad sell-off in stocks Friday, setting the market on course for its third week of losses.

Retailers Gap Inc. and Aeropostale each lost more than 15 percent after cutting their profit forecasts for the year, in part because of higher costs for raw materials. Gap's sales have been sluggish, a worrying sign for investors who are counting on shoppers to lead a recovery in consumer spending.

55. LinkedIn's Stock Up 90 Percent in Market Debut - Friday, May 20, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – LinkedIn's stock more than doubled in its market debut Thursday because of huge investor demand for the first major U.S. social networking company to go public.

The stock traded at $103 at midday under the symbol "LNKD" on the New York Stock Exchange. That puts the company on track for one of the biggest first-day gains of 2011.

56. LinkedIn Increases Price Range for IPO Shares - Wednesday, May 18, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – The professional networking website LinkedIn is increasing the target price for its initial public offering of stock by about 30 percent in a sign of heavy demand by investors. The increase is encouraging for future IPOs of other social-networking companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Groupon.

57. Social Media: A Mystery to Most Businesses - Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask me about social media for business. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter are all new media tools that can help bolster your Internet or “digital footprint.”

58. Unleashing an Army of Brand Ambassadors - Wednesday, March 30, 2011

One in three small businesses uses some sort of social media, according to a recent University of Maryland study. A much smaller percentage, however, have figured out what role their employees will play in that strategy.

59. Reports: JPMorgan Seeks Minority Stake in Twitter - Tuesday, March 01, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s new fund that invests in social media companies is in talks to buy a minority stake in Twitter, according to published reports.

60. Creativity Tops MBA - Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Over the past 10 years, the IBM Institute for Business Value and IBM Strategy and Change has conducted four biennial Global CEO Study projects. The latest installment – titled Capitalizing on Complexity – surveyed about 1,500 CEOs in 60 countries and 33 industries. The topic they cited consistently as most important and challenging has been the increasing complexity of business. Well, no surprise there, as the word “global” has become integral in the dictionary of just about every business with the possible exception of my vet.

61. Housing Endured Bumpy Ride in 2010 - Tuesday, December 28, 2010

As the 2010 housing market seemed to get worse with every monthly report, local real estate professionals adjusted their routines to cope.

A lack of confidence in the market and uncertainty about the employment picture prevailed, keeping home sales about 15 percent off last year’s pace – which had been the lowest in decades.

62. Time to Up Your E-mail Game - Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a three-part series.

Every day, the marketing landscape changes. New technology is introduced, customer communication preferences change and consumer expectations continue to rise regarding how specifically we target our marketing messages to them.

63. Agents Adapt to New Market - Monday, October 11, 2010

Molly Booth Phillips is getting back to the basics of when she started in the real estate industry 14 years ago.

64. CT Groups Provide Support in Job Search - Thursday, October 07, 2010

For Memphians who are out of work but in the know, an organization called The CT Groups offers moral support, opportunities to network, training in technology and insight into what it takes to get hired, 2010-style.

65. ‘No’: A Blessing Disguised as Rejection - Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Nothing shortens the sales cycle more dramatically than getting to the right person right off the bat.

In this third in a three-part series on shortening the sales cycle, we’ll examine why so many sales reps, and even CEOs and senior managers involved in selling, spend so much time courting lower level players and the resulting impact on the sales cycle.

66. Former TV Reporter Launches Networking Site for Media Pros - Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Veteran sports reporter Dave Cera has created exactly the kind of website he wished had existed when he was laid off from his job at WMC-TV in late 2008.

MediaLinkup.com is a niche social networking and job search site specifically targeted toward professionals in television, radio, print, Internet, film and public relations.

67. Sales Call Success Is All In The Prep - Tuesday, July 06, 2010

I’m often asked about the qualities that separate the good from the great in sales. At the top of my list are a drive for success, rapport-building, discipline and fearlessly asking for the business.

68. Memphis on the Rocks Latest Vision for Trailblazer - Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Whether your drink of choice is cotton candy vodka, a more traditional gin and tonic or a no-nonsense straight-up bourbon, you can quench your thirst Thursday night on South Main Street at Memphis on the Rocks.

The celebration of fine distilled spirits will feature more than 50 premium brands of bourbon, gin, rum, tequila, vodka and whiskey from several distributors, including Memphis’ Southwestern Beverage Distributing.

69. Image-Conscious Youth Rein in Social Networking - Friday, May 28, 2010

CHICAGO (AP) – What’s that? A young college grad lecturing her elders about online privacy?

It might go against conventional wisdom, but a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project is adding fuel to the argument that young people are fast becoming the gurus of online reputation management, especially when it comes to social networking sites.

70. ‘Facebook Free’ Day Protests Lack of Privacy - Friday, May 28, 2010

It’s Facebook Free Friday, a day of social networking protest over the sharing of personal data and the changing terms of privacy.

On the eve of the protest, which includes a Facebook site, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of Facebook, was rolling out new features on the social networking site designed to answer the privacy concerns that have spawned the protest.

71. Casting Your Net For Success - Tuesday, May 18, 2010

You can take many roads to fetch new leads for your organization – advertising, website marketing and telemarketing are just a few. When you’re selling to other businesses, networking can be a particularly effective.

72. When Tweets Can Make You a Jailbird - Wednesday, March 17, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - Maxi Sopo was having so much fun "living in paradise" in Mexico that he posted about it on Facebook so all his friends could follow his adventures. Others were watching, too: A federal prosecutor in Seattle, where Sopo was wanted on bank fraud charges.

73. Expert: Social Media Here to Stay - Tuesday, October 27, 2009

For businesses, the first secret to leveraging Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other networks is not to be afraid of social media.

After all, as social media consultant Glen Gilmore has noted, social media is where a business will most likely find its customers as well as its competition. Social media is simply a fundamental shift in the way businesses communicate, he told about 102 people at a social media conference late last week.

74. Realtors Target First-Time Buyers - Thursday, August 28, 2008

Numbers don’t lie, as the old adage goes. So when Briscoe Ellett sees that 85 percent of the buyers he represented last month were purchasing a home for the first time, he understands how crucial that segment of the real estate market is for his livelihood.