For the past week, we here at TVG have been inspired by the back-to-school season. Here are some things we wanted to share in the spirit of learning:
Keeping It Legal
The always evolving realm of social media provides opportunity for growth and advancement. It is also important to stay on top of to the latest developments. [...]

With “back-to-school” just around the corner parents, students, teachers and faculty are learning about new opportunities and restrictions of social media.
Teachers and Students Can’t be ‘Friends’
Recent legislation in Missouri will make it a crime to be Facebook friends with teachers. Beginning on August 28, any contact through social networks like Facebook and Twitter will be [...]

Russian delegates from the Community Connections Program (CCP) visited the Vandiver Group this afternoon to learn about public relations and communications practices for non-profits. CCP is managed by the Bureau of Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for Information Development (USAID) and is run locally by the World Affairs Council of St. Louis.
The Community [...]

It’s been a few weeks, but thankfully we’ve recovered from Thanksgiving food comas and survived Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday and Cyber Monday! So, here’s the news you might have missed this past week.
1. New Facebook Profile
Facebook announced last Sunday via Twitter the “New Profile.” Besides rearranging where you see profile information, FB has added [...]

By Donna M. Vandiver
In twenty-first century marketing, there is a new rulebook. Rule Number One: Your best marketers are always your satisfied customers. In conversations with friends, family, peers, people they interact with online, and even those who follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and the myriad of other social media sites, your customers [...]

Ready for the weekend? So are we. Here’s some stuff you might have missed this week:
1. Sanford-Brown and First-Ever “Give Back Day”
Sanford-Brown College, a TVG client, participated in a nationwide “Give Back Day” this week. Coinciding with National Medical Assistant Recognition Day, students from all of Sanford-Brown’s campuses helped with various activities, including health screenings, [...]

In the most recent issue of Enterprising Women magazine, Donna Vandiver discusses the updated FTC guidelines for testimonials and endorsements in social media. Here’s an excerpt from her article, “Make Sure Your Company Knows the Rules Before Entering the Game”:
“The world of communications is changing.  Social media is growing by leaps and bounds and it [...]

“Change is the only constant in life.” –Benjamin Franklin
Change in how we communicate is certainly a constant in our life today. How are you and your organization adapting to that change? Are you taking advantage of the ways to more efficiently communicate with your employees or with your customers?
The Vandiver Group has [...]

Most of us have joined the major social media sites out there- but how do you find the information useful to you and your clients once you are on Flickr, YouTube, Blogs, Twitter, etc.
The answer is not so simple. There are hundreds of different sites online dedicated solely to searching social media content, and each [...]

For our second edition of Social Media 101, TVG will take a look at the mega-popular video sharing site- YouTube.
Many people are familiar with YouTube as it appears in random sharing of bloopers caught on home video or television mishaps. But there are many other uses for the site–from viral marketing, contests, education and much [...]