Donna Tech Designs

Article in the Philadelphia Business Journal

Donna Serdula — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:34:27 +0000

The Philadelphia Business Journal’s article all about DonnaTechDesigns came out today! It was such a surprise! I got a call from a very nice woman asking me if I would like her company to preserve the article for posterity in a beautiful ebony frame… and I was like, “HUH?!?”
“Don’t you know? There’s an article about your company in the Philadelphia Business Journal!”
“Wowsers!”
Yes, it’s true. I did indeed exclaim, “Wowsers!”

I hung up with her and immediately ran out to buy a couple copies. I was happy to find a Philadelphia Business Journal basket at the local Bagel Junction. Apparently my mother hadn’t yet been tipped off and so there were copies to be found… now that she knows, there won’t be an article left within a 50 mile radius. (Just teasing!)

I am so happy with the article! I will admit that I was a little nervous. Who knows how something is going to be interpreted, but I worried needlessly. Athena was a delight in person and she wrote a very lovely article that makes me feel all effervescent inside. The main point that I wanted to get across was that I train businesses to be self reliant on new technology. And it’s not just Websites but any type of Internet Marketing that they need: Social Media, Social Networking, Email Newsletters, Blogging, Videos, Optimization, etc… The other thing I really wanted to get in there was my love of public speaking and how I want to do more of it. Those points made it in and I am pleased!

The article is scanned below– check it out and let me know what you think!

An interview?

Donna Serdula — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:04:52 +0000

Something very exciting happened to me last week. I got a call from a journalist with the Philadelphia Business Journal. She had heard about the work I am doing and wanted to interview me for an article she’s writing about young entrepreneurs. I think the surge of joy I felt at that moment had more to do with being considered young than an entrepreneur!

We met at the local Starbucks and she asked me a ton of questions like why did I start my little business and how was it working out for me. She asked about challenges I faced and what were my plans for growth. Some of the questions were easy, others were difficult. It’s odd getting interviewed– I am usually the one asking questions! Regardless, it was fun and a few days later she sent a photographer out to shoot pictures of me at the store of one of my clients.

The article should come out next week or maybe the week after, if it comes out at all. Whenever it shows up, I hope the article is kind to me and even more so, I hope it provides another channel for me to connect with people who need my services. We shall see!

Professional Help for Your LinkedIn Profile

Donna Serdula — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:37:06 +0000

I recently performed a makeover on LinkedIn-Makeover’s Website! I had been quite happy with the old look but I really wanted to make it look more professional and more attractive to professionals and executives. Out went the light blue and in came navy! I’m very happy with the new look and it appears to be working because sales have doubled!

If you are looking for examples of LinkedIn Profile Headlines and samples of a great LinkedIn summary, check it out!

Talk Healthy To Me

Donna Serdula — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:14:32 +0000

Just finished my latest masterpiece! Cindy and I met at a local networking group and she mentioned how she wanted to really increase her Internet presence. I mentioned that I thought she should get into Facebook and Youtube. I think I piqued her curiosity because we got together (over a couple of afternoons) and I tricked out her Facebook page and we recorded a couple cute videos that we uploaded to YouTube in which she talked about her favorite healthy products. Oh wait, did I mention Cindy is a Holistic Health Counselor? We got the pages integrated so that she uploads videos once a week to YouTube and then posts them to Facebook.

And then Cindy had the terrific idea of expanding her Website! Why keep those videos and links to just Facebook? This time we talked at length about how she wanted the site to look. She gave me addresses to sites she liked and didn’t like. I noticed that all the sites she liked were built on the WordPress Thesis theme… and I just happen to have a developer’s copy of Thesis! So next thing I know, I’m up to my elbows in Thesis! Cindy visited Mr Frank Pronesti at Heirloom Studio and he took AMAZING, gorgeous portraits of her that we used on the Website AND Facebook. Once it was up and running, I trained her on how to update it HERSELF!!! There’s links to all her Social Media profiles AND tons of ways her potential customers can stay connected with her. We still have more things we want to do– one of which is putting some e-commerce into the site but we’ll get to that a bit later. Right now, I am just so happy with how the Website turned out and I know Cindy loves it too!

Check out the nicest Holistic Health Counselor in Bucks County! And let me know what you think of the Website!

LinkedIn Profile Improvement

Donna Serdula — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:37:16 +0000

I often get asked how a person can improve their LinkedIn profile. I tell them to add a photo, get a punchy headline and really speak from their heart in the Summary section. But that’s really a truncated way of explaining what it really takes to get an awesome LinkedIn profile. Because I get asked this so often, I decided to create a presentation that takes you through the steps of crafting a FANTASTIC LinkedIn profile. Check it out and let me know what you think!

LinkedIn Profile: Getting the Perfect Profile Couldn't be Easier!

View more presentations from DonnaTechDesigns.

LinkedIn Presentation: Now What?

Donna Serdula — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:34:37 +0000

I spent the morning conducting a presentation on LinkedIn to the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce. It took place at the Lambertville House which was an absolutely lovely location. And Ed Andriessen recorded the presentation. He miked me and set up two cameras to get me from different angles. I haven’t seen the video yet but I have a feeling it’s going to be terrific just based on Ed’s professionalism. The Mercer Chamber of Commerce will be selling access to the video on their Website. I don’t have a link yet but once I do, I’ll let you know.

I want to thank Mercer’s Technology Committee, especially Ian Smith from Syncratec and Michael DeCamillis from Dolvin Consulting, Inc. Thank you so much for asking me to present for your group! It was a joy!

A few people asked me for a copy of the presentation and so I’ve embedded it below.

Domain Registry of America SCAM

Donna Serdula — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:34:23 +0000

Over the past two weeks, I’ve had a couple customers contact me with questions regarding a letter they received from Domain Registry of America. The document looks like a very official invoice. It says that if you act now, you can renew your Website’s domain registration and SAVE MONEY! This gets me so angry. I do not like companies trying to FOOL my customers!

Yes, ladies and gentleman, THIS IS A SCAM! There are NO SAVINGS here. The Domain Registry of America wants $30.00 to renew your registration for one year. This is not savings! The typical cost of domain registration is $9.95. And sometimes you can get it cheaper. Here’s proof.

So how did they get your address? They obtained your information through the publicly accessible WHOIS database.

Domain Registry of America preys on people trying to convince them they need to renew early and through them. It’s not true! If you get this notice, just toss it out! IGNORE IT! Renew through your hosting company when it’s time to renew or leave it up to your Webmaster/mistress. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to answer your questions.

LinkedIn Presentation at the Mercer Chamber of Commerce

Donna Serdula — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:55:22 +0000

I was asked to present at the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, May 25th. The Technology Committee decided they wanted to hold a series of Social Media seminars and I was asked to present the very first one! We decided to aim the discussion at LinkedIn and how you can use it to find customers, referrals and grow your business!

It’s going to be a great event and I hope you can make it! And if you can’t, the event will be recorded so you can watch it afterwards!

Greater Philadelphia Small Business Consulting Group

Donna Serdula — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:50:47 +0000

The Greater Philadelphia Small Business Consulting Group asked me to help them develop a strong Web presence. First thing we did was TRAINING. I spent time with them as a group talking about Social Media and the different networking sites out there. We talked about Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn and forums and podcasts and blogs and video sharing and photo sharing and tagging and so many other things. And then I got to work on their Website. Rather than revamping what they had, we decided to register a totally new domain name and start from scratch. I made sure that their new Social Media profiles were front and center. This way prospects and customers can easily connect with them and stay connected. I didn’t design this WordPress theme but I did customize it. Sometimes the real work isn’t the actual design but getting the site built and finding the right content. The Website is connected to each Consultant and to their Social Media Profiles. When new blog posts are added, the posts automatically update Facebook and Twitter. A large portion of the blog posts have already been written and are scheduled to publish throughout the year. I will continue to work with them for the next 6 months making sure they are adapting to the Website and using their Social Networking profiles.

Rex Schutte

Donna Serdula — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:48:15 +0000

Rex is a small business marketing consultant based in West Chester, PA. Rex wanted a Website that would showcase his business and help him gain a stronger presence on the Web. I helped Rex register a domain name and I found a WordPress theme that he liked. I installed WordPress, customized the theme and built the pages using the content that Rex created. We linked all of Rex’s Social Media profiles to his Website so it would act as a hub to all his other Internet profiles. As Rex comes up with blog entries, I am posting them for him but soon I will train him on how to maintain the site himself. Right now we are concentrating on building content. Soon we will start integrating using the Social Media profiles and later I will train him on how to maintain everything on his own. The path is a long one but we are moving down it together.