SubscribeAbout Beth
My name is Beth Bates and I love social media, Web 2.0, new media, social networking or whatever the kids are calling it this week. With eleven years in web technology/project management and a passion for helping animals, I decided to find out all there was to know about leveraging the value of community web tools and social media with humanitarian causes. Once I started digging through the myriad of interactive tools, widgets and services, I realized that there were a ton of great, cheap, easily adaptable solutions that non-profits could leverage with their business needs. But then what? Without a clear road map for effectively using these tools, well-meaning web lovers are left with a lot of fun stuff, but no real substance; no strategy for success.
This blog will serve as my journey through the seas of social media. We will find some diamonds. We will find some coal. But the end result will be a resource not only for great social media tools, but also how you can use them effectively within your organization.
More Than You Could Ever Want To Know About Me
I launched my first “Diablo” RPG guild website in 1995 and haven’t looked back. In 1998, I founded Web Strategies Internet Solutions LLC and began a long and exciting career in technical project management. Although my background is in technical web development for educational associations and non-profits, I have also managed large-scale projects for corporations like USA TODAY, and government agencies ike the National Museum of Natural History. I am currently Director of Operations and a project manager at Balance Technology Group, a Springfield, VA based technology firm.
A jack of all trades, I have experience in project management, web development and design, social media and interactive marketing and business strategies. I have also truly enjoyed five years in non-project management and governance. Over the years, I have gained practical experience in a variety of areas like environmental waste, animal welfare, computers, tabloid writing, newspaper circulation, dog parenting & training and classical violin.
My motto is “If you’re not having fun, you should do something else” and I try to incorporate it into my work and home life. An active member of the pet community, I am President and Co-Founder of GoodDogz.org, Inc., a 501(c)3 animal welfare education non-profit. In November 2006 I launched Wet Nose Willy’s, a specialty dog boutique with a shop located in Ashburn, VA.
I am a member of the Reston Chamber of Commerce, the Vienna/Tysons Resional Chamber of Commerce, DC Web Women and NTEN. In my spare time, I enjoy motorcycle riding, computer games and spending time with my dogs. I reside in Reston, VA, with my husband, Mark, and four dogs, Katie, Willy, Max and Gorgeous George.
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Beth consults with businesses and non-profits on social media tool selection and strategy and helps her clients find effective ways to leverage these new mediums to meet business goals.