Those attending the Social Media Workshop Tuesday evening at 6:00 PM are in for a very special treat. Andy Beal, internet marketing consultant, award-winning blogger, professional speaker and coauthor of the critically-acclaimed book Radically Transparent: Monitoring & Managing Reputations Online will be the special guest speaker via Skype.

Riverstone Energy Center team members Kristy Johnson (on screen) and Ben Thompson (standing) make first trial run using the modeling and simulation “Cave” for immersive teleconferencing.

Lisa Kipps-Brown, President of Glerin Business Resources, is working with the Riverstone Energy Center to use the modeling and simulation “Cave” to host an interactive discussion during the workshop. “We couldn’t afford his fee to come and speak to our group, but Mr. Beal graciously offered to attend via Skype. Our next challenge was to figure out a way for those attending the workshop to be able to see and interact with Mr. Beal,” Kipps-Brown said. “Without Riverstone Energy Center's assets and lots of help from Energy Center employees Ben Thompson and Kristy Johnson, we wouldn't have been able to make this happen; they're also enabling us to live stream the entire workshop for those who can't attend,” she added.

The next free social media workshop at Riverstone Technology Park will be next Tuesday, March 20, at 6pm; the topic will be blogging and a special guest will be teleconferencing in. You can register online but space is limited so make sure to register early.

 Noted marketing and online reputation expert Andy Beal will join the group via teleconference for a Q&A session.  Andy will discuss how businesses can use social media monitoring software in market research, PR, online reputation management, risk analysis, and customer service. He is the author of Radically Transparent: Monitoring & Managing Reputations Online.

Presented by Kim Ray, Business Analyst, Longwood SBDC

Entrepreneurship is the American Dream.  Unfortunately, of the 1 million businesses started each year, most of them eventually fail.  The reasons are as varied as the businesses themselves.  Proper planning and eliminating assumptions before opening your doors will drastically increase your chances of success.  If you are considering the possibility of starting a business, this introductory seminar will provide information that may help your business be among the 20 percent that survive and thrive. The seven steps to start a new business are:

The star attraction of the recent Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India was not an athlete or foreign dignitary, but the world's largest aerostat - created by our very own Lindstrand USA, located in South Boston. (photo gallery below)

The 80m by 40m and 12m high aerostat is a unique piece of technology that is mounted with cameras to provide a 360-degree viewing experience so every person in the stadium could view the entire effect of the aerostat and laser projections. Light fixtures with mirrors were attached to the underbelly of the balloon to emit a warm glow.

Do you own, or aspire to own, a small farm?  If so, one of the biggest obstacles can be diversifying your operations enough to spread the risk around.  To learn from farmers who have successfully diversified their operation, make plans to attend this Agriculture Diversification Field Day, sponsored by VA Tech's Small Farm Outreach & Technical Assistance Program.

The Field Day is July 13 from 10 am-12 noon in South Hill, and is free and open to the public.