Wired to the world

Ann Waickman went kicking and screaming into the 21st century’s
technological age. Now, she’s thanking it for all it’s done.

When the executive director for Helena Food Share learned of a
chance to win her nonprofit a new car, thanks to the Toyota 100
Cars for Good program, she jumped at the chance.

The only problem: the company needed a Facebook page, a YouTube
video and all the online accessories to go with them to be
eligible. And it needed them in a hurry.

Waickman, who had barely instituted a website for the company, did
what many over-50 business people do — she turned to a younger
generation for help.

Rebecca Menard volunteered to produce a video and first set up a
website, then Piper Arnold put together the Facebook page that is
readily available online.

“We are not on Twitter,” Waickman said. “One thing at a
time.”

Now, Helena Food Share has a chance at winning their choice in
vehicles — Waickman said she would go with a Highlander, since it
can deliver large amounts of food and would get better gas mileage
than a van currently being used — or at least collecting $1,000. It
would just take a number of supporters to vote today (Sunday, July
24) — and only today— on Facebook (search Toyota 100 Cars for Good
or go to www.facebook.

com/Toyota).

No matter what, the Helena Food Share is set up to benefit from the
charitable program, and from the leap into a new age of technology,
Waickman said.

“It’s a whole new curve, but well worth it for this agency that is
so well supported by the community and by people of all ages,” she
said.

With the work of starting the Facebook page out of the way,
Waickman realizes the simplicity in updating the company’s posts.
She plans to use it to let supporters know of new events and thank
those who have given to the program, like Symphony Under the Stars
and Helena Motors, which used its own $20,000 charity drive through
Toyota to help raise money for the nonprofit.

Until 2009, Helena Food Share didn’t even have a website.

“I was unwilling to create a website to not be able to manage it,”
Waickman said. “I only went to a website when I knew I could do it
decently.”

She has that opportunity now.

The business end

Helena businesses are learning all about the importance of the most
popular social media site in the world, Facebook, and how it
affects their daily routine. They’re learning to take the good with
the bad from online comments and selectively choosing how they use
it to communicate with their customers.

Among the simplest of users is Steve Vincelli, owner of Steve’s
Cafe. Vincelli said his wife, Penny, usually updates it once per
day with the restaurant’s features on its “wall” — that first
section of the site that everyone sees. Under the “info” section,
there is a description of the store, contact information and a link
to the store’s website.

“I view it as a complement to our website,” he said. “It’s a
shorter, faster way for people to find out those things. They’re
already fans, they’re getting caught up for the recent
things.”

In the past, he had to answer 30 or so phone calls about the
restaurant’s featured menu for that day. He’s urged people to go to
their Facebook page and now he’s replaced daily calls, many asking
if the feature includes their popular juevos rancheros, with
website traffic.

Comments are disabled on the wall because, Vincelli said, it would
require him to constantly monitor the site. He also doesn’t believe
it’s the proper forum for dealing with complaints.

“Any restaurant concept I’ve ever worked in, I’d like to be on the
floor where I can talk to them,” said Vincelli, who can be found in
the cafe from Thursdays to Mondays. If a customer believes their
eggs are too dry, they can tell him and he’ll be happy to offer a
replacement. The person doesn’t need to complain on a website that
can be viewed by the rest of the world.

“I have a problem with that,” he said. “I see a lot of companies
using (Facebook) as a marketing tool, and, heck, they’ve got their
PR department running it.

“This is just a way to help us not get 30 phone calls … it’s
helped us not have to be on the phone during the busy part of the
day.”

Alex “Papu” Rincon is at the opposite end of the Facebook spectrum.
The owner of fourOsix, a clothing and accessory store downtown,
views the company’s page as a way of sharing its ideals with its
customers and other like-minded people. He keeps his wall comments
mostly open — he limits them if they become offensive — and
encourages discussion.

“I think a big part of the business is to communicate to our
customers and tell the story of fourOsix,” he said. “It’s not just
a clothing store downtown, it’s a shop that has a lot of social
responsibility and community involvement.”

The store has held art shows and music concerts and tries to
involve itself in as many events in the community as possible, from
sports to outdoor barbecues.

“From the early stages of my business plan, Facebook was a key
component of it,” he said.

His belief is that the store’s Facebook page isn’t much different
from any individual’s one. He sees fourOsix as having its own
personality that reflects the workers and shoppers alike. So, he
and his workers posts items on his wall that he might like. If he
likes it, then his community probably will as well.

“It’s about communicating our lifestyle,” he said.

On Tuesday, Rincon updated the site with a link to a story on
transworld.net about the death of pro snowboarder and Whitefish
native Aaron Robinson. Three days later, it had seven “likes” — an
option viewers can have to click on and show their affinity for it
— and six comments.

By Thursday, perhaps with the mood a little lightened, Rincon
“shared” (sent out to his store’s followers) a humorous and
energetic music video by LMFAO, whose song he simply couldn’t get
out of his head.

The video didn’t feature any advertisements from the store, show
any clothing items or otherwise promote fourOsix, it was just
something fun.

“I’m not trying to push anything on (the Facebook users),” Rincon
said.

That doesn’t mean he shies away from updating them when new
products come in or answering questions about how the store can be
reached — both help sell products — but he views those, once again,
as things his customers are interested in.

It’s why he has over 12,000 people that have “liked” his store, 1.4
millions post views and 2,692 people have posted feedback — in
other words commented, liked or clicked on one of his posts.

How Facebook works

Rincon, who has been to South American countries to discuss the
importance of social networking sites with businesses, said it is
an important marketing tool, but in a very different way from
traditional advertising.

Finding an actual page for the Capital City is difficult. You can
type “Helena, Montana” into its search engine and see dozens of
different pages, some from people who live in the city, and others
who even share the same name as the city. If a tourist headed here
wants to find a nice restaurant to dine at or even a place to shop,
like fourOsix, they’re likely to have more success going through
Google or Bing than Facebook.

The easiest way to find Helena’s own city page, complete with a
Wikipedia description and Bing map, is to know of a person or
business from the city and click to the link at the top of their
page. Even then, the page will feature some of the local businesses
in the “Nearby Places,” section, but those don’t appear to be in
much of a discernable order or contain any reviews of the
businesses; just their Facebook pages.

That’s why, Rincon said, Facebook isn’t used like a billboard meant
to capture the eye of hundreds of people that weren’t interested in
the store in the first place. It is, instead, a better way of
holding onto customers and connecting with them after they’ve
already become interested.

How, then, does he get new customers to become interested? He
allows those people to come to him when they see that their own
friends on Facebook have liked the store.

That kind of “viral” marketing — which relies on customers to
promote the products through their own means — can still spread
very quickly and be as powerful, if not more, than traditional
advertising.

Can it have the same kind of negative effect? Absolutely.

Rincon said he’s only had to deal with one negative comment online,
a person who believed he was exploiting Montana through its area
code: 406. Rincon said he explained to the person how his company
tries to give back to the community and the pride he feels being a
Montanan. A number of the store’s customers also backed the
claim.

The commenter later showed his appreciation for the store.

Government use

Since few probably hear as many comments, good or bad, as a
politician, it’s no wonder Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s staff had a
meeting Wednesday morning to discuss how state departments should
use social networking sites.

Schweitzer’s office updates his page — which has a number of
comments from constituents, postings from protest groups like
Cascadia Rising Tide — and sees it as just another way of letting
people voice their opinions in an open forum.

“We communicate with him and we make the decision to update his
Facebook,” said Jayson O’Neill, Schweitzer’s communications and
policy advisor. “Our Facebook updates try to inform people of
recent stories or update them.”

The governor doesn’t need to respond to most of the posts because
other citizens will do that instead.

“In Montana, a 44-cent stamp still works pretty good for getting an
answer to any question,” O’Neill said.

Meanwhile, his office is still trying to determine if other
departments should have a Facebook page.

“Is there a relative state need for an agency to be on Facebook and
social media?” O’Neill questioned. “In some cases there is.”

Travel Montana has its own Facebook page (it’s just under
“Montana”) where the department can let visitors know about
activities going on and allows others to post their favorite photos
and stories of adventure in the Treasure State. The Department of
Transportation, meanwhile, has a Twitter account to update
followers on traffic developments and possibly save them time on
their journeys.

In any case, one of the biggest concerns with the use of social
networking sites, O’Neill said, is security. Whether it’s Google
Plus, Twitter, YouTube or LinkedIn, the departments can’t allow
access to sensitive information or passwords to be given to the
public. There is also the possibility of false information or
hoaxes in any form of communication.

With all the potential trouble “you almost have to redefine your
systems or put a person on it to monitor it,” O’Neill said. “That’s
something that the state’s going through and weighing the
value.”

Jeff Windmueller: 447-4005 or jeff.windmueller@helenair.com

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