BigTent Blog | Product updates and news for groups » Big Thoughts

BigTent CEO speaking on The Evolution of a Community

BigTent — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:05:30 +0000

Headed to Evo ’10? If so, be sure to check out BigTent’s CEO, Donna Novitsky, as she joins other online leaders for a panel discussion, The Evolution of a Community. The panel hosts bring a variety of expertise to the table — Lorraine Robertson (The Blogrollers), Leah Segedie (Mamavation), and Laurie Turk (Tip Junkie) have built popular, community-driven blogs, while Donna and Karen Bantuveris (VolunteerSpot) are heading up companies that add an online dimension to real-life group interactions.

“I’m excited to share what we’ve learned working with thousands of different groups who range from parenting groups to professional associations,” says Donna. “It’s really heartwarming to see the impact these groups have on their local communities and how loyal and active their members are.”

Evo ’10, presented by MomItForward and Today’s Mama, has been slated as “summer camp for bloggers,” and hundreds of attendees are expected to join the fun in Park City, Utah, from June 24-26, 2010. Going to the conference? You can meet up with fellow attendees by joining the evo10 group on BigTent.

Join us for a free webinar: How to Grow Your Group

BigTent — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:14:54 +0000

Hello admins and awesome community leaders!

My name is Jaine and I’m one of BigTent’s Community Coaches. I wanted to let you know about a fun, free, and educational webinar I’m hosting on Wednesday, June 2, about how to grow your group.

I have grown and led my own group, Moms and Tots San Diego (www.bigtent.com/groups/mtsd). I have also partnered and shared best practices with over 3,000 groups on BigTent.

Join my webinar to learn 10 tips and tricks on how to grow your group. There will also be a portion devoted to sharing our best practices so we can learn from each other. Here are the details:

How to Grow Your Group

Wednesday, June 2 @ 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern

Register for FREE: http://bigtent.com/l/grow3

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information. I hope you can attend!

Best,

Jaine, BigTent Community Coach since 2007

Join BigTent for a free webinar: Fun with Fundraising

BigTent — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:44:52 +0000

You know may know her from our recent twins’ club webinar, Twins Club: Extreme Makeover. Natalie Diaz is a force to be reckoned with — tireless mother of twins, founder of Twiniversity, and expert group leader. She is currently Director of Manhattan Twins Club, which means she’s responsible for a support system that helps out over 900 expectant and new moms.

In that role, Natalie has learned the ropes to fundraising. If you’re part of a parents group and you’re looking for ideas to raise revenue for your club, be sure to join Natalie in our latest BigTent webinar, Fun with Fundraising. Here are the details:

Fun with Fundraising

Thursday, March 11 @ 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern

Registration is FREE, so sign up today!

During the session, Natalie will share 10 tips she’s used to bolster her twins club’s budget. Though her experience is tied to twins clubs, we encourage all parenting group leaders to join. Tips she’ll share include:

-How to sell group products

-How to find event sponsors

-How to monetize your newsletter

…and more!

Hope to see you on the upcoming webinar. Let us know if you have any questions.

-The BigTent Team

Follow Natalie & Twiniversity on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Twiniversity

Flying with BigTent: slides and audio available

BigTent — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:59:25 +0000

Missed today’s BigTent webinar? Not to worry. The slides and audio for today’s session are now available:

It’s always rewarding to help BigTent users get more out of our site. We hope this session helps you all interact more meaningfully with FlyLady and other FlyBabies. And if you have any questions about using BigTent for other groups you’re involved with, pleased let us know!

Best,

Mia & the BigTent team

BigTent expert Monica Baucke hosts school webinar

BigTent — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:02:21 +0000

Hello school community leaders,

Happy New Year! The free webinar BigTent and I hosted last year, “How to Organize Your School Online,” was a huge success, so we’re bringing it back in 2010 to continue spreading the word about Web 2.0 technology and how it can benefit school communities. This session is geared towards PTAs, PTOs, preschool groups, and all other school communities.

Get your questions ready and sign up today! Here are the details:

How to Organize Your School Online
Thursday, January 28 @ 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern
Register for FREE at bigtent.webex.com

During this webinar, I’ll share 10 tips and tricks on how to combine online and in-person activities to strengthen your school community. Tips include:

-How to improve communications

-How to delegate responsibilities

-How to get more parents involved

I have used these tips in my own school community. I am an active volunteer for Leo R. Croce Elementary PTA (www.crocepta.com), and I’m proud to say that we have enrolled over 200 members in our BigTent group.

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information. I hope you can attend.

Best,

Monica

PTA Volunteer & BigTent Expert

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/myptofview

Follow BigTent on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bigtentgroups

Join BigTent for a FREE Webinar: How to Organize Your School Online

BigTent — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:43:40 +0000

Hello school community leaders!

2009 is drawing to a close, but it’s never too late to start thinking of ways to use Web 2.0 technology to improve communications for your school.

On December 3, please join me and BigTent for a special webinar, “How to Organize Your School Online.” This free session is geared towards PTAs, PTOs, preschool groups, and all other school communities.

Here are the details:

How to Organize Your School Online
Thursday, December 3 @ 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern
Register for FREE at bigtent.webex.com

During this webinar, I’ll share 10 tips and tricks on how to combine online and in-person activities to strengthen your school community. Tips include:

-How to improve communications

-How to delegate responsibilities

-How to get more parents involved

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information. I hope you can attend!

Best,

Monica

PTA Volunteer & BigTent Expert

Join BigTent for Twins Club: Extreme Makeover

BigTent — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:21:37 +0000

Are you a twins club leader looking for ways to save time and boost participation in your group? Join us next week for a fun, free webinar, hosted by BigTent and led by fellow expert twin mom, Natalie Diaz.

Twins Club: Extreme Makeover
Thursday, November 12 @ 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern
Click here to register for free

In this session, Natalie will share 10 tips to help you cut down on management burdens and spruce up your twins club. Tips include:

-How to manage member information online
-How to delegate volunteer responsibilities
-How to plan awesome events

Natalie is Director of Manhattan Twins Club, a group on BigTent that boasts over 900 members. Natalie is also founder of Twiniversity.com and a contributing writer for New York Family Magazine — she is guaranteed to commiserate with you and make you laugh!

Hope to see you next week at the webinar. Let us know if you have any questions.

Best,

The BigTent Team

Slides and audio available for How to Grow Your Group webinar

BigTent — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:44:50 +0000

In case you couldn’t attend this morning’s webinar, How to Grow Your Group, we have a copy of the slides and a recorded version of the webinar to help you out.

Jaine Murphy, BigTent Community Coach and expert in starting and growing groups, led the session and shared 10 tips for increasing publicity and member interest in groups. Audience members represented all kinds of great groups, including neighborhood, parenting, PTA, and non-profit organizations.

BigTent will continue to organize webinars in ongoing efforts to share best practices for leading groups and for getting the most out of our free site. We hope to see you at a future webinar!

Best,

Mia and the BigTent team

Join our FREE Webinar: How to Grow Your Group

BigTent — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:06:14 +0000

Hello admins and awesome community leaders!

My name is Jaine and I’m one of BigTent’s Community Coaches. I wanted to let you know about a fun, free, and educational webinar I’m hosting next Thursday, 8/13, on how to grow your group. I have grown my own group, Moms and Tots San Diego (www.bigtent.com/groups/mtsd), from zero to 700+ members in just three years. I have also partnered and shared best practices with over 3,000 groups on BigTent.

During this webinar, I’ll share 10 tips and tricks on how to grow your group. We’ll also have a portion devoted to sharing our best practices so we can learn from each other. Here are the details:

How to Grow Your Group

Thursday, August 13 @ 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern

Register for FREE: bigtent.webex.com – click on “How to Grow Your Group”

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information. I hope you can attend!

Best,

Jaine, BigTent Community Coach since 2007

BigTent had a blast at BlogHer

BigTent — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:49:34 +0000

Over 1,500 bloggers ventured to Chicago last week for BlogHer ’09. Donna Novitsky, BigTent CEO, and I were thrilled to be part of this record attendance crowd! We learned about the latest trends of business and blogging, and met with mom bloggers and the throngs of advertisers interested in reaching their community. For an extra dose of BlogHer buzz, we also joined the three-day unfolding of events on Twitter.

A great opening keynote conversation with Lisa Stone (one of BlogHer’s founders), Tina Brown (Founder and EIC, The Daily Beast), Donna Byrd (Publisher, TheRoot.com), and Ilene Chaiken (executive producer of The L Word), set an energizing tone for the event. It was uplifting to hear how each woman has brought her successful, offline media career into the social media world.

BlogHer then gave participants a chance to explore every niche of blogging imaginable. Sessions ranged from WordPress geek labs, a personal favorite of mine, to discussions on changing FTC guidelines for bloggers.

In the thick of Tweeting, crowds, and flashy swag filling every corner of the Sheraton Chicago, Donna and I enjoyed catching up with some of our friends and leaders of groups on BigTent, including Silicon Valley Moms Group and Manic Mommies.

The parties, which included unicorn cake*, weren’t bad either.

BigTent is excited about the role we can play in helping bloggers evolve their conversations with readers and build strong communities. See you in New York in 2010!

Best,

Caroline & the BigTent team

*unicorn cake: