The Business March 27, 2013: The “Will you Durst with us?” Edition

We saved a spot on our Durst card open just for you.  Come join us!

Sweeping both sides of the aisle with a quiver full of arrows dipped in common sense, Will Durst transcends party ties, having performed at events honoring former Presidents Bill Clinton and George HW Bush as well as acclaimed appearances a column, daily website jokes—yet still finds time to perform hundredss of comedy shows every year. He has racked up more than 400 television appearances in 14 different countries while slinging jokes around the globe in his one man crusade to make people laugh out loud on purpose against their will. Hobbies include the never-ending quest for the perfect cheeseburger, while his heroes remain the same as when he was twelve—Thomas Jefferson and Bugs Bunny.

Also joining us, the fantastic Karinda Dobbins

Hailing from the Motor City and now living in the Bay Area, Karinda's humor is sharp, distinctive and infused with hilarious social commentary. Karinda has appeared at dozens of venues throughout the SF Bay including The Purple Onion, San Francisco Punchline and Cobb's. Karinda is a breakthrough talent with an unconventional perspective and colorful wit that engages and pulls you into her aggressively laid-back comedic style.

Hosting the evening’s boogie will be Matt Lieb

Matt Lieb is a comedian, writer, actor and street musician/Bone Thugs-N-Harmony cover band. He was the winner of the 2004 KZSC Comedy Competition, has performed with Brent Weinbach, Moshe Kasher, Mary Van Note, Ronna & Beverly and has opened for W. Kamau Bell, Jasper Redd and San Francisco’s premier sketch comedy troupe Killing My Lobster.

And featuring your regulars Caitlin “Mashed Potato” Gill and  Nato “Twerking” Green.

You can cut this rug for just $5!  You can even bring a friend for free with one of our handy 2 for 1 coupons! http://thebusinesscomedy.blogspot.com/

BYOBurrito and electric slide it down your gullet. 

The Business March 20th 2013: The “So a Bishop and an Old Lady Walk Into The Business…” Edition

With a set-up like that, you just KNOW you’re in for wacky hijinks!!

This week we welcome back an old favorite before she becomes worm food.  

At age 77, Lynn Ruth Miller is a renaissance woman who wears many hats. She entertains audiences of all ages with comedy and song. She is living proof that the older you are, the more fun you have.Lynn Ruth is the host on two television programs on public access television, Channel 26 in Pacifica: “What’s Hot Between The Covers” (book reviews and interviews in the arts) and “Paint With Lynn” (a hands on creative arts series)

We are also happy to have, all the way from LA, the fabulous Pat Bishop.

 

Pat Bishop writes, produces, and directs sketches and other content at Funny Or Die, and performs stand-up across the country. He's super into ginger ale.  So he and Lynn Ruth already have a lot in common!

All these wonderful guests, plus your Business regulars Bucky “Chicken Crossin the Road” Sinister, Nato “Stupid Blonde” Green, Sean “Knock Knock” Keane and Caitlin “Yo Momma” Gill.  

This whole show is just $5!!! And you can bring a friend for freeeeeee!  http://thebusinesscomedy.blogspot.com/

Get there early!  WE SELL OUT.

BYOBurrito cause I ain’t sharin’ mine.  NO JOKE. 

Help Desk Hangouts: Google+ Profile and Page Update

Editor’s note: Each week on the Google+ Your Business page, we’re putting you in touch with Googlers and users who can help you as a business owner get the most out of our products and features.

In our latest Help Desk Hangout On Air, we chatted with +Navin Kadaba, who works on Google+. We walked through the updates to Google+ profiles and pages that rolled out last week, learning about the new, larger cover photo, the refreshed look and functionality of the About tab, and the new customizable tabs for profiles.

Miss the event? You can watch the whole thing on the Google and Your Business YouTube channel.


Check out the video description on the YouTube page for a minute-by-minute breakdown.

Some of the questions we answered during the Hangout:
What size photo should I upload as my new cover photo?
We recommend that you upload an image that is 960 x 540 px (16x9 aspect ratio). At a minimum, please select a photo that is 480 x 270 px. For HD displays, we’ll take a maximum resolution of 2120 x 1192 px.

What does the update look like on mobile?
This is a desktop-only update for now.

Any tips and tricks to making my page look good?
We’d recommend keeping the essential aspects of your cover photo toward middle, vertically. The bottom fifth of the cover photo will sometimes be covered by a dark gray bar, and when people visit the page, the top portion of the cover photo may not be visible. We also recommend uploading a large, zoomed out profile photo, so you can crop the photo to appear as you’d like.

Posted by Jade Wang, Google+ Local Community Manager

The Business March 13, 2013: The “Hand or Mouth?” Edition

What!?!  It’s a perfectly valid question!  Our guests this week include one half of the brilliant pair that run Hand to Mouth, which is an excellent monthly show where comedians perform all new material on a specific social, cultural or political issue. One show, one topic.  Juicy stuff like commercialism, technology, gender and conspiracy theories.  Check one out the first Friday of the month at 10.  Until then, bring your hands and mouths to The Business to see Trevor Hill!

 

Trevor’s humor oscillates between deeply personal material about homeless family members and adolescent trauma to absurd vignettes about Bolivian Phil Collins fans and bayou-dwelling pornographers. He has been described as inventive, candid, engrossing and infertile. 

And that’s not all!

 

 “Three goats are playing soccer. Christopher Hitchens, driving an armored car with a huge, blunt lance attached to the front, chases them off the field while chuckling eruditely to himself.” – These are the dreams of Matt Louv.  Find more of his subconscious musings at http://bearswithcigars.blogspot.com/and find him at The Business this week!

 

Plus, a set from Lyall Berhens!  Use your hands to put THAT in your pipe and smoke it with your mouth!

These fabulous guests plus your regulars, Sean “Handyman” Keane, Bucky “The Mouth” Sinister and Caitlin “Talk to the Hand ‘cause the Mouth Ain’t Listenin” Gill.

Just $5!  This whole show is just $5! AND you can bring a friend for free with these nifty coupons! http://thebusinesscomedy.blogspot.com/

BYOBurrito.  Carry it with your mouth and eat it with your hands.  VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE.

Fueling discoverability and engagement with Google+

Cross-posted with the Inside AdWords blog.

Automotive brands were among the first advertisers to adopt Google+ and they’re making it pay off in big ways. Our research has shown that the path to buying a car is becoming more and more social, with consumers relying on information and advice from their social connections and brands to inform their purchase. Millions of consumers are already engaging with the top global auto companies on Google+, and brands are using this opportunity to connect and engage with customers in unique ways, from connecting with auto enthusiasts through G+ Communities to launching new car models via Hangouts.

Today we’re releasing new insights on how Google+ is working to amplify auto brands’ existing marketing campaigns. For example, we found that brands can experience a 91% increase in conversion rate for non-brand terms when running social annotations on search ads.

Please check out our infographic below for additional insights and tips, and visit our Google+ Business site to learn more about Google+.

Click to see full-size infographic

Posted by Gretchen Howard, Director of Global Social Solutions

The Business March 6th, 2013: The “OMG you’re a Pisces too?!?” Edition.

The Business staff Astrologer (full time, executive position) has cautioned us that gathering this many Pisces in one location could be an attempt by the stars to assemble a monstrous VoltronFish that would terrorize the world.  Mainly by being really moody and sensitive, but the world would put up with it cause it would have a creative spirit.  

Warnings of monsterfish from the 12 Sign aside, we are gonna party Business style to celebrate the birthdays of regulars Nato Green and Caitlin Gill, as well our guests, Keith Lowell Jensen and Johnny Taylor!!

Johnny Taylor uses sharp wit, and off-beat sensibilities to communicate his sometimes tragic life experiences in a hilarious way.  He has opened for some of the biggest names in stand-up comedy, including Robin Williams, Bobcat Goldthwait, Brian Posehn, Wayne Federman, and more.  They all wish him a very happy birthday.  

Keith Lowell Jensen has found a very unique niche in comedy. He is the non-pot smoker that performs at pro-marijuana legalization benefits. He is the straight host of The Gay and Lesbian Comedy Show. He is the non-disabled founder and sometimes host of The Comedians With Disabilities Act, and he is the atheist member of the multi-faith comedy show about religion, The Coexist? Comedy Tour. Yes, Keith Lowell Jensen the Non-Pot Smoker, Non-Gay, Non-Religious, Non-Disabled comedian has become a professional token. The one thing he does just like everyone else is get old. 

 

Also a set from Bryce Jones! Bryce sounded like a smart 20 year when he was performing in clubs at 14.  Now that he is a smart (almost) 20 year old, he sounds like THE FUTURE.

All these wonderful guests and your regulars, Nato “Birthday Boy” Green, “Cumpleaños” Gill, Sean “Yo MOMMA’S birthday” Keane, and Bucky “Belated BUT NOT BELEAST” Sinister.

Just $5!  And you can bring a friend for free! http://thebusinesscomedy.blogspot.com/

WE SELL OUT.  GET THERE EARLY IF YOU WANT A SEAT.

BYOBurrito, put a candle in it.  Then put a ring on it. COMMIT ALREADY, YOU’RE NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER. 

Looking for Ways to Grow Your Business Online? Meet Friday 15

In 15 minutes, you could clip coupons, wash dishes, fold laundry, dance to your favorite song... three times, or you could learn some new tips to help your business succeed on the web. Businesses that are online grow faster.* Make it a habit to grow your business online with Friday 15, a series designed to help small businesses make the most of their online presence.

Friday 15 answers questions small business owners need to know, like: How should I choose the pictures on my website? How can I monitor my business online? What should my website be called? How should I handle a bad review? What information should I include on my website?

If you want to learn more about growing your business online, visit www.gybo.com/friday15 for training videos and tip sheets. You can also tune in to live discussions with industry experts during the Get Your Business Online team’s Friday 15 Google+ Hangouts. Each episode is 15 minutes or less and will provide you with tools, tips, and practical use-cases to help grow and promote your business online. The series is open to everyone. All you need to join us is a computer and an internet connection. The Hangouts air every other Friday on +Google+ Your Business at 11:00a.m. PT/2:00p.m. ET. Watch this Friday, March 8th, for a discussion on optimizing your website.

Friday 15 is brought to you by Get Your Business Online with Google, an initiative to help small businesses get online and succeed online. Visit the Friday 15 page at www.gybo.com/Friday15 for directions on how to watch a Hangout and sign up to receive Friday 15 tips, news, event notifications and more.

*Source: BCG Report, "The Connected World: The $4.2 Trillion Opportunity," March 2012

Posted by Whitney Lemon, Friday 15 Host, Get Your Business Online Team