VALDOSTA — Neal Rohrbach was a featured speaker recently at the 140 Characters Conference in Hollywood, Calif.
He lives in Valdosta and works in Ray City at the Outdoor Channel satellite station.
He is a co-founder, along with Bradford Shimp, of iDea Anglers, an online resource for people with business ideas who need a little, or a lot, of help shaping and implementing those ideas.
The conference was held Oct. 27-28 at the Kodak Theater, where the Oscars are held each year.
Conference Founder Jeff Pulver noted that the 140 Characters Conference explores the effects of the real-time Internet on business.
“It was phenomenal,” Rohrbach said. “It was kind of surreal because for the first day and a half I was seeing and hearing some of my social media idols on stage, but after the conference people were coming up to me at the conference and at the airport later thanking me and shaking my hand.”
The schedule for the event was rather fast-paced. Individual talks were set to 10 minutes, featured talks to 15 and 20 minutes, and panel discussions to 15 and 20 minutes. Rohrbach was part of a three-person panel discussion lasting about 15 minutes.
“Rather than each taking five minutes, we turned it into a conversation,” he said. “I have a little bit of wit about me and had the audience laughing and clapping in a couple places.”
Launched earlier this year, iDea Anglers is an online collaborative tool for small businesses and individuals, Rohrbach said. They chose the fishing angle because they are fishing for good ideas and want to teach others how to catch and release the best ideas into their business.
“What’s unique about iDea Anglers as a collaborative tool for small businesses is that we have built a team of guides from all over the U.S. Most of those trying to start a business can go to the best business experts in town for advice, but through iDea Anglers, they can work with some of the best entrepreneurs in the world,” he said.
Information from business professionals in different fields can be accessed free in the library section.
Need help writing copy for a Web site? iDea Anglers has a guide for that.
Need help writing a business plan for a new project? iDea Angers has a guide for that.
Have a crazy idea for a business but no idea where to start? iDea Anglers has a collaboration station for that, Rohrbach said.
Subject matter experts apply to be “guides” to field questions from subscribers and help them navigate issues that arise in the course of implementing their business ideas. Guides who offer solid advice gain more business. It’s a chance to help others realize significant business projects and to impress potential clients firsthand.
“It’s a give before you get model,” Rohrbach said. “I love iDea Anglers because it meshes the ethical impulse to help others with the capital impulse to make money.”
“As viral as the Internet is, word spreads quickly,” he added. “Social media is certainly a very powerful tool for small businesses because it allows you to reach an exponential audience. You can reach out and touch potential and current customers in the state of now.”
He advises those trying to connect through the use of social media to engage people, and not just use it as an outlet or infomercial.
“People really latch onto and appreciate the fact that there are people behind the scenes they can carry on a conversation with. Social media is not just a billboard; it’s about building relationships,” he said.
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