Social media for business and local web development this Spring

--updates on social media for business and local web development--
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The PA Wilds Resource Center writes:
A great deal has been done to promote the Pennsylvania Wilds to tourists outside the region, but what about communicating the initiative's successes and opportunities to the people who live here? (Scroll down for detailed info)

That's the goal of the PA Wilds Resource Center: to keep residents informed (and hopefully inspired) about the community revitalization efforts going on around the region, and to make it easier for them to participate.

Website development workshops specifically targeting tourism businesses in the Pennsylvania Wilds region are now scheduled for McKean, Warren, Clearfield and Lycoming counties.

Participants in these free, two-hour workshops will be shown examples of tourism business websites from around the PA Wilds region that have gotten real results, and hear what these small business owners have to say about building an effective website, costs and more. In the second half of the workshop, PennTAP will explain basic website layout, search engine optimization and why these things are critical for a successful website.

Outfitters, guides, liveries, artisans, restaurants, stores, lodges and other tourism businesses that want to improve their web presence are encouraged to attend.

Presentations scheduled include:

McKean County/Pitt Bradford
March 10, 5-7 p.m.
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
Swarts Hall, Room 162
Bradford, PA Clearfield County
April 13, 2-4 p.m.
Leonard Street Multi-Service Center, Room 131
600 Leonard Street
Clearfield, PA 16830

Lycoming County
May 13, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
River Valley Room,
Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce
100 West 3rd Street
Williamsport, PA 17701-6418

Warren County
May 19, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Host provides snacks)
Ruff Acres Fine Arts & Antiques
600 North Main Street
Russell, PA 16345

A complete brochure, including registration information, can be found under “Hot Topics” on the www.pawildsresources.org homepage. Or you can register by contacting Donna Yale at dyale@psu.edu or 570.596.3585.

Grow your tourism business with free social networking sites Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn … the growing number of social networking sites can be overwhelming to a busy small business owner. But these sites can be very effective for tourism businesses because they’re built on an old fashioned concept that has helped grow tourism businesses for decades: free word of mouth advertising.

Which social media sites are right for your business? Come find out at this presentation at the University of the Pittsburgh at Bradford. Participants will learn how to create an effective social media marketing strategy to help grow their business; the class will also touch on how social media can affect productivity in the workplace. The presentation will cover social networking trends, tools, strategies and what policies could be implemented for various types of businesses or organizations.

The workshop will be held Wed., March 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Swarts Hall, Room 105. Cost is $29 per participant. To register, contact 814-362-5078 or reach@pitt.edu.