Alan Pruitt

Today, I had the honor of being one of the Guest Bloggers at the San Francisco Microfinance USA 2010 (@mfusa2010) conference at the Metreon. Following is the blog assignment submitted about the Opening Address speaker.

#MFusa2010 Blogger Alan Pruitt and Mr. Martin Eakes – May 20, 2010

#MFusa2010 Mr. Martin Eakes May 20, 2010

ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Martin Eakes, CEO of North Carolina based Self-Help.org and the Center for Responsible Lending delivered the Opening Address at this morning’s Microfinance USA 2010 event.

Following the “Conversation with Maria Shriver”, Martin delivered a compelling case for “economic justice” in today’s world of lending and entrepreneurship.

Martin’s description of his background and life lessons establishing the Self-Help in North Carolina presented a perfect backdrop for his call-to-action for “economic justice” and sacrifices that must be made by borrowers and lenders alike.

Martin recounted many instances of barriers to lending (actually borrowing) that were constantly undermined by social and economic pressures of demographics that were intent on sabotaging the rights of those seeking to rise above the “economic norm” of poverty and regressive social policies of the Rural South.

Another aspect of economic justice Martin mentioned was check cashing and payday-lending businesses that really hurt local economies. Predatory lending costs Americans billions of dollars annually, through abusive subprime mortgage loans, payday loans, tax refund loans, and other lending scams.

In closing, Martin reminded audience members that 3 action steps must be taken to ensure economic justice: #1 – Create a community that fosters economic justice; #2 – It is our duty and privilege to fight for (economic) justice; and # 3 – self-sacrifice can lead to (economic) healing in our country. Best take away comment that Martin provided: ”Money (lending) without vision is not worth anything at all.”, and “Let this gathering (#MFusa2010) be a starting point for fighting for economic justice.”

Meeting Martin after his presentation and speaking to him briefly confirmed my impression that he is a revolutionary thought leader (maybe a “linchpin”, as described by Seth Godin in the book by the same title) for the microfinance community and a defender of consumers — regardless of their social-economic status or demographic.

But unfortunately, humans will feel safer with the status quo, (i.e., predatory lending, un-banked habits, and lack of “financial” focus) rather than follow the courageous and sound recommendations of a giant mind like Martin Eakes.

Follow Martin Eakes @CRLONLINE (Center fo Responsible Lending)

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@alanpruitt is the Director of the Western Arizona Economic Development District that provides economic development services to rural communities in La Paz, Mohave, and Yuma counties in Arizona.

[Source: Online PhD Programs for MashableMashable.com]

@hilzfuld is spot-on with these gentle reminders about Twitter practices. The DMing thing is just out-of-control! In January, I thinned out over 700 followers who engaged in a lot of the practices mentioned in the post (below). Twitter is a powerful communication tool – but it requires PEOPLE to be behind the message/s – not some automaton widget sending out nonsense DMs (have you read some of these a-w-f-u-l tweets? — how (sometimes) desperate.

Via - 5 Twitter Practices People Have to Stop Doing | Mobile | Social Media | Newest Technologies by Tech N’ Marketing.

@alanpruitt

Employers should take heed of this article and try to understand the perils of creating draconian “IT lock down” atmospheres in the workplace. What’s the point? Proving that you can bend your employee’s will? Or are you r-e-a-l-l-y worried about “time sink” activity. I am not saying employers should not have a say in worker productivity or conduct in the workplace. Instead, a thoughtful review of social media policies should be reviewed and articulated with the goal/s of  creating a fleet of champions for your firm or enterprise. Just look at how BestBuy handles customers and tech support with @Twelpforce.

Via - Why Banning Social Media Often Backfires.

@alanpruitt

This is a “benchmark” blog article that does a fantastic job of laying out the strategy of social media marketing and the emphasis is on strategy — not “tools“. Very apropos for my upcoming Social Media for Non-Profits workshops in May and June.

Cheers! @nickeyjameson Well done.

Via - What’s Your Social Media Marketing Strategy?.

@alanpruitt Business Analyst @ Arizona SBDC Network.

This is my first blog post from my T-Mobile HTC Android (MTG3) using a WordPress app. Not bad for mobile blogging. I have spent the last few days revising my social media tool box and WordPress is the engine for this project.

Sigh…some of the small businesses that I consult for — still think Twitter is a silly Internet gadget and a passing fad. Wrong! This Twitter Business 101 Guide should help clear up the misconception about what Twitter can do for (any size) business – especially in rural areas.

The (by far) largest comment that I hear is: “I don’t have time.” Well, what else are you doing to engage customers and how is that working for you?

Via - Twitter 101 for Business — A Special Guide.

@alanpruitt Business Analyst at Arizona SBDC Network.

Prezi.com is an innovative presentation editor that I am learning to use — instead of the tired ol’ PowerPoint. Don’t get me wrong — I love Mac’s Keynote software — but Prezi is just a different presentation animal altogether. I can’t wait to see this on the video projector! I am using the Education license version of Prezi — but I might upgrade to the Pro version soon. Yes, it is a Flash product – so you need to have the Flash Player installed to view. Use the DVD control buttons (bottom of frame) to advance the presentation. I booted PowerPoint out of presentation tool box when Google Apps rolled out it presentation suite. Prezi just might become my default presentation gadget of choice.

Now, this is just pure evil NSFW (Not Suitable For Work) fun!

Who thinks about these things?

Via - Access Twitter While You Pretend to Work – PCWorld.

@alanpruitt

Okay, so I have a 6-week schedule of weekly social media workshops coming up this spring that I am facilitating at a local non-profit (“Social Media for Non-Profits”, actually). So these post from Mashable are some examples of “best practices” or at least guidelines that I am sharing via my personal blog and the feeds (Twitter, Facebook, GBuzz, etc.) that are affiliated with my account.

I agree with the blog comments by @CDGInteractive:

“Although you could use Facebook to communicate with your audience in similar ways to doing so through a corporate or organizational web site, it’s still a different channel and tends to be better as a complement to a site, rather than a replacement.”

Mashable concludes with:

“Although Facebook was built as a social network and most people treat it as such – there is a tremendous amount of professional value that can be gained there. Once you’re a member of a few groups and have completed the introductory workflow for each one, the professional value of Facebook should be evident and ready to be fully realized. Be creative, have fun, and remember: What you put into things is what you get out of them, so always try to stay active!”

via HOW TO: Use Facebook for Professional Networking.

@alanpruitt