Simon S. Tam's Blog, page 14

Upcoming Appearances

I’ve added a page for all of my upcoming lectures, panels, and performances.

Here’s a quick preview of events on the horizon:

January 19, 2014: Stanford, CA – Stanford University: Listen to the Silence conference

January 31, 2014: Portland, OR: Portland Community College – The Dean Shirley Anderson Conference

February 8, 2014: Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania – Asian Pacific American Law Student Association conference

February 15, 2014: Portland, OR: Dante’s (performance with The Slant...

Oregonian Opinion post: A New Slant on Racism

Currently, my band is fighting a battle with the United States Patent and Trademark Office over the right to register a trademark on our name. It’s been going on for four years now. Today, the Oregonian published an opinion piece that I wrote talking about the case. You can read it here.

I suppose in the world of marketing and activism, a greater conversation can take place: who ultimately should own or decide the appropriateness of words, logos, or icons? Is it our audience, our communities,...

62 Tips for Twitter Now Featured at Huffington Post

My post about 62 Twitter tips in less than 140 characters or less each is now up at Huffington Post. I’ll be writing about small business, digital marketing, and tech from time to time there now.

4 Things They Don’t Teach You in MBA Programs (But Really Should)

I’m wrapping up my final term in an MBA program right now, with a concentration in Marketing.

So what exactly does the Master of Business Administration degree do? For some, it’s to help unlock higher earning potential as well as to open up possibilities for obtaining an executive-level position at a company. For others, it is to get advanced training in business management that will help them be able to start a business. I enrolled in graduate school because I wanted to be able to teach class...

From Business Bolts: 46 Entrepreneurs Share Their Tips for Staying Motivated in Business

I was recently asked to provide some advice to entrepreneurs and aspiring businesses on how to stay motivated. I was joined by 45 other entrepreneurs in this article on Business Bolts:

46 Entrepreneurs Share Their Tips for Staying Motivated in Business

How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements Free Book Offer

Amazon is now offering a free ebook version of my book,How to Get Sponsorships and Endorsements, with the purchase of a print version. To celebrate, I’m going to give away a few free digital copies of the book myself – no purchase necessary.

It’s simple, just tweet at me @SimonTheTam with the number one reason why you need the book. You get bonus points if you include the link to it (http://t.co/aI4yxdNoGn ).

I’ll DM a few users and everyone can be happy. How does that sound?

On another note, I...

62 Twitter Tips in 140 Characters or Less

I recently wrote an article full of tips for networking for musicians. This led to a few requests for tips on Twitter. Here are my tips, all delivered in 140 characters or less to help get you more followers, a more engaged followers, and a more interesting profile.

1) “Brevity is the soul of wit.” -Shakespeare.

2) Keep it sassy, funny, or quotable.

3) Follow people by industry or interest, learn from them.

4) Listen before you post.

5) Be consistent, post as often as you can.

6) Timing matters mor...

10 of My Best Social Media Tips

1. On Engagement: Treat Social Media more like a telephone and less like a megaphone.

2. On Channels: Use only the social media sites that you can commit to managing effectively and that your audience uses. There’s no point in signing up for the newest, hottest social media site if your customers aren’t there.

3. On Quality: Make every post count. Does it inspire, make people laugh, make them cry, compels them to take action or share with others? If not, find a way to make it so.

4. On the Lengt...

5 Strategies for Managing Multiple Social Media Marketing Channels

543.That’s how many digital communication channels I manage right now. Between email, social media, and online advertising for my businesses, organizations I work/volunteer for, my clients, and my personal use, that’s 543 different accounts, login authentications, areas to send/receive messages, or even have a potential communications crisis. I know some people with far less, but I also know a few people with many more. It can get overwhelming, but here are some tips on how to manage multiple...

Codeswitching and the Language of Social Media

Recently, I spent a weekend seeing friends and family in San Diego. I have a very diverse group of loved ones down there from multiple cultures and age groups.

Without thinking, I was automatically switching from English to Spanish to Mandarin and back. In linguistics, they call this code-switching. Code-switching how those of us connect with other people, by using the language that they are most familiar with.

I started thinking about another type of language: digital and social media. In rece...