Saturday 15 October 2011

Durham co-working day announced for November

In response to popular demand we've managed to squeeze in another Co-working day for homeworkers in Durham before we batten down the hatches for the Winter break!

Come along to join us on TUESDAY 22ND NOVEMBER.

This will be a really great day.  We'll be hosted by Durham Office Services, a new business centre with a range of space for hire and rent, located on Belmont Business Park just off the A690 in Durham.

Join us for a change of scene from your home office for the day.  For only £20 + vat (members' price) you can connect with other home business owners in the Durham area, but get your work done at the same time (most of our past co-workers have said they get at least, if not more, work done at Colleagues on Tap than they do at home!).

We'll also spoil you with a lovely lunch and cupcakes, and you'll have the opportunity to join your co-workers for our usual SpoT chat after lunch when we'll be sharing experiences relating to a topical business issue (so far we've covered a whole range of areas of interest, from social media to DIY website development).


Find out more about co-working here, and if you'd like to book a place now CLICK HERE

Sunday 2 October 2011

Homeworkers chat about making money from social media at co-working day

Shepherds Dene
Wednesday 29th September witnessed our long-awaited Colleagues on Tap co-working day at Shepherds Dene Retreat in Ridings Mill, Northumberland.

The beautiful sunny day defied the late September date for the event, temperatures reaching 28C during the day!
The windows of our 'pop-up office' for the day were opened, allowing us to take in the full impact of the breathtaking  views while we worked, and to savour the crisp, clean air of the Tyne Valley.

The new environment inspired productivity, as laptops were fired up and all involved were heads down getting on with their day's work (some had completed everything they'd brought for the day by lunchtime - a lesson for the future!).

Lunch was tasty, homemade fayre served in the dining room, enjoyed while getting acquainted with fellow co-workers.  As usual an eclectic and interesting mix of people.  A web designer, 2 accountants, a writer, an IT consultant, a well-being through movement coach, a marketing consultant, a virtual PA ('the admin doctor'!), a strategic adviser and the day's hosts from Space on Tap.

Our usual post-lunch SpoT chat took place on the lawn, again the warm weather and wonderful views providing an inspiring back-drop for the topic for the day, chosen by those who attended:  Making Money from Social Media.

Co-workers exchanged views and experiences of the range of social media they've used, and the indirect and direct benefits they'd achieved from it.  Here's a quick synopsis:


Social media used by the group - ultimately it really is down to personal choice and preference, but it was generally agreed that the broader your range of tools, the broader your audience will become and the greater the impact will be. 

  • The usual suspects (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
  • Video/image media (YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr)
  • Alternative chat facilities (Ping and Myspace)

 Impacts of using social media: expected and experienced

  • Improved search engine rankings
  • Profile - business and personal
  • New customers (usually through indirect conversation, not hard selling)
  • New suppliers and associates (through effective use of keywords to find people with specialist skills)
  • New employee/job through a 'friend of a friend'
  • Expanded networks without attending events (although it was generally agreed that meeting people face to face can reinforce online relationships
Key messages
Every member of the group is using social media in some form or another, and to varying degrees. It was acknowledged that to have a real impact it needs a time investment, and it's difficult to commit that without being certain of the rewards.

Co-workers generally agreed that effective use of social media involved conveying a personality (for you or your business) and being consistent, and ultimately agreed that you can certainly make money from social media.  Whether the rewards justify or balance the input is open to question, but ultimately isn't that the case with all types of marketing? You never know ...

© Copyright Space on Tap Oct 2011