Best of Columbia!

Want to take part in voting in the Best of titles for 2012?  Visit Inside Columbia's website at www.insidecolumbia.net or here to vote for the best people & places in Columbia, MO. 

From best restaurant, to hairstylist, to favorite weathercaster, you get to pick the best! 

JK

Using Facebook for Business? Read this!

If you are a real estate agent, photographer, restaurant manager, business owner, etc., you may market your goods or services on your personal Facebook page.  To my great surprise, I found out this actually violates the Terms of Service on Facebook and you could lose everything because of it. 

Being a Realtor, our personal lives and professional careers often intermingle with each other.  We post our new listings, open houses, new sales, congratulations to new homeowners, etc.  In reality, this is illegal according to Facebook regulations. Specifically, Section 4-4 says you cannot use your personal profile for your own commercial gain.  This can be interpreted many ways, but there are cases where profiles have been completely deleted without notification because violations of these terms (and they couldn't get any of it back).  So, I'd rather be safe than sorry.  Here is Facebook's FAQ answer to the direct question of why someone's account was deleted:

Per our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, Facebook profiles must represent an individual. Users aren’t permitted to maintain an account under the name of their organization, or use personal accounts to advertise or promote themselves professionally. If your profile was listed under a non-individual name, or was used primarily for professional promotion, this is probably why it was removed.”

To avoid your profile being deleted, I would advise starting a business or fan page to disseminate information about your business or to promote yourself. This would avoid the issue.  You can also keep your personal and professional "profiles" separate, which could be a bonus.  Post about your child's piano recital on your personal page to share with your close friends; then post your open house on Sunday to your business/fan page. 

JK

P.S. I'm not an attorney, so this is not legal advice...just trying to save some of you some heartache.  If you have questions, please contact your attorney.

Roots N Blues N BBQ!

The end of summer festival in Columbia is this weekend! Tonight the fun begins at 5 pm with several artists hitting the stage.  Entertainment continues until 11 pm.  Tomorrow, the festival opens at 11 am.  With three different music stages, there is plenty to see.  Tickets are available for purchase for $35 each day, or there is a 2-day pass for $60.  There will also be a free area at Flat Branch Park, which will have a stage, the family fun area and the BBQ Competition.  Although you can't partake in the sampling of the competitor's BBQ, there will be plenty of vendors to choose from for food & drinks. 

Besides the BBQ and blues, this weekend includes a half-marathon and 10k race and a wedding! So, there is fun to be had by all! Go downtown and enjoy the weekend!

JK

Quickbooks, Fox Trot, & Cupcakes Oh My!

What do all of these things have in common?  Well, you can learn about each one of these and a whole host of other topics in the Columbia Area Career Center's Professional & Community Education classes.  There are so many different topics and most are under $150.  Want to polish up a second language? Take French, Spanish or Chinese courses.  There are Microsoft classes being offered, along with other technology courses like how to build your website.  There are some great cooking classes, like In the Kitchen with Your Kids! Or, get creative with Zumba dancing, guitar lessons, or making glass beads.  So many options, and at such an affordable price, it's hard to beat! But hurry, classes start next month. 

You can sign up online here. 

JK