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Four Great Reasons To Outsource Your IT

Four Great Reasons To Outsource Your IT When was the last time that you were able to pay attention to your IT strategy? So many business owners think that they know what’s going on with theirs, but as they become more and more reliant on technology, they find that actually they’re not as strong in the IT department as they think. IT solutions must be flexible if you hope to keep up with the…

This year the Shorty Awards are honoring influencers in the business world with the Cox BLUE Business Influencer Shorty Award. To help us recognize the best writers, speakers and bloggers on social media, we've recruited the help of three thought leaders in the business community.

We had a Google+ hangout with the Shorty Award finalists in the Cox BLUE #BusinessInfluencer category.

We had the pleasure of hanging out with:

- Martin Jones, the Sr. Marketing Mgr. Social Media & B2B Content Marketing at Cox Communications (@martinjonesaz)

- Gemma Godfrey, the Head of Investment Strategy at Brooks Macdonald who was voted the most popular businesswoman on Twitter (@GCGodfrey)

- Marsha Collier, the author of the For Dummies series on eBay. In the past five years she has branched out and also written bestsellers in social media and customer service. She was the first to write a book on Social Customer Service. (@MarshaCollier)

- Renee Blodgett, the founder and CEO of Magic Sauce Media, a consultancy dedicated to personal branding, product launches, social media, communications, events and marketing and works with clients from around the globe. She is also founder We Blog the World, an online luxury travel magazine that provides high quality content on travel, culture and adventure worldwide for the savvy traveler through smart creation and social media. (@MagicSauceMedia)

- Guy Kawasaki, who advises Motorola and is the author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur. (@GuyKawasaki)

- and Ted Coiné, co-founder/CEO of http://switchandshift.com, where he is host of Switch and Shift TV, weekly interviews with extraordinary thinkers focusing on The Human Side of Business. (@tedcoine)

The Shorty Awards' Natan Edelsburg (@twatan) led the discussion on topics including how to engage with others on social media and the best platforms for running a business or personal brand.

Check out #BizAuthor nominee Gemma Godfrey's creative campaign video and interview below. 

Remember, to maximize your Shorty Award campaign you can complete your ”Shorty Interview" and make a campaign video!

The Shorty Interview with Gemma Godfrey

We had a Google+ hangout with the Shorty Award finalists in the #SmallBusiness category (in partnership with Cox Business).

We had the pleasure of hanging out with:

- Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, CEO/Founder at The Best Ever You Network (@BestEverYou)

- Bob Somerhalder, Owner and Craftsman at Built of Barnwood (@bsome)

- Josh Beaty, Director, Social Marketing & Community at Diamond Candles (@diamondcandles)

In case you haven't heard, we're getting close to announcing the finalists for the #SmallBusiness Shorty Award, in partnership with Cox BLUE (@coxbusiness).

#SmallBusiness owners (and those who strive to be) should check out this insightful infographic: ‘How Small Businesses are Competing With Big Brands.’

Hint: Play to your strengths and maintain an online presence-- oh and don't let the big boys intimidate you.

Remember, you can campaign for Shorty Award nominations by completing your Shorty Interview.

Web developer and graphic designer Joel Shaw (@Joel_Shaw) is on the campaign trail for your vote in the #smallbusiness category for the 5th Annual Shorty Awards!

Check out his Shorty Interview below— and don’t forget to nominate a deserving #smallbusiness for the Shorty Award (in partnership with Cox BLUE).