Rethink, Resolve, Renew at the Florida Conference for Women

Online social networking is becoming the way business professionals communicate out to the masses. The Florida Conference for Women is certainly no exception! Anne Hebert, Digital Content Director for the conference, has her thumb on the pulse of numerous social networks like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Using these networks to promote the Florida Conference for Women is her main goal. This interview gives insight to how Anne is accomplishing her objective.

Q) Tell us a little about the background of Florida Conference for Women. How did it get

started?

A) The Florida Conference for Women (hosted by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women) was created to bring resources and information to thousands of women across the state, to foster networking and connections, and to provide inspiration and tools to help women lead and succeed in today’s challenging environment.

Q) What drove you to use online social networking to promote the conference?

A) Since this is our first year to host the Conference (May 12, 2009 in Orlando), we’re exploring every avenue to spread the word. Online social media is a great way to build awareness and complement our other outreach efforts.

Q) According to your website you are on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Why did you choose these particular online social networks?

A) As the most popular social networking sites (at the moment), we are using all three to share our message and encourage people to share with their own networks. We’re finding that each network has a distinct audience and protocol, so we’re communicating differently to each one.

Q) Which online social network has proven the most useful?

A) We currently have 850 followers on Twitter, 168 fans on Facebook, and 145 in our LinkedIn group. Of the three, Twitter provides the most direct traffic to our website.

Q) As the conference is on May 12, 2009, your current strategy for using online social networking does have a time limit on it. What are your long term plans for utilizing online social networking?

A) We certainly plan to use these networks to continue the dialogue after the conference, whether we’re sending updates on our speakers, forwarding job leads, linking to interesting articles, or even sharing connections made and stories told at the conference. Since we hope the conference will be an annual event, we want to provide relevant information and resources as much as possible.

Q) As a non-profit organization, volunteer resources are huge. How can the Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn communities help Florida conference for Women?

A) As a non-profit, we rely heavily on our online “advocates” to help us spread the word about the conference and encourage people to attend this amazing event. It’s hard to convey in 140 characters the incredible amount of opportunity and inspiration they’ll find at the Florida Conference for Women, but we’re trying, one tweet at at time!

What a great way for professional women to spend a day connecting, learning and growing. This is one Florida woman who intends on going to this conference!

If you would like more information about the Florida Conference for Women, contact Anne Hebert or visit their website.