Dear Members and Guests,
TAG is taking a summer break from its regular monthly meetings and will not have a third Friday of the month meeting on August 15.  You will however have the opportunity to get together with your peers if you attend the Special Interest Group Meeting on Security which is scheduled for Wednesday August 13. Read the details below.

We encourage you to consider attending the 'Social Media Conference Northwest, The New Word of Mouth Marketing' which is scheduled for September 10-11, 2008 in Bellingham. Sign up early to secure a seat! You can find the details of the conference below.

Happy Summer!

Anna Ehnmark

Upcoming Security Special Interest Group Meeting:

This presentation will provide a case study of Logos Bible Software's effort to become PCI compliant and focus on the importance of maintaining an open and innovative spirit in an insecure world. This will include a brief discussion of network and application architecture,  general information on the security solutions implemented at Logos, and how security best practices pay for themselves. For more details read here >>

Presenter: Jim Straatman
Lunch provided courtesy of Logos. RSVP required.

For questions on the TAG Security SIG, contact SIG leader Bart Pestarino

Social Media Conference NW, The New Word of Mouth Marketing

Date: September 10 - 11, 2008
Location: Bellingham, Washington

Word-of-Mouth Marketing has expanded from the town square to the digital village. The "buzz" about your business is now online, measurable, searchable, and permanent.

Come and learn how you can and why you must participate in the conversations that are your market.

 This conference has been designed for small-to-medium businesses and organizations interested in learning how to use social media to generate revenue.

• Explore how your business or organization can benefit from this marketing opportunity and take it to the next level
• Hear from leading social media and marketing professionals and practitioners
• Walk away with practical plans and resources

Highlights:

Opening Keynote- James Sun of Zoodango will discuss the "New Rules for Marketing"

Conference fee:

Basic conference (includes conference and 3 break-out sessions)

Conference fee- $198 for registration received before August 27, and $275 after,

Please note seats are limited so sign up early!

Dinner Keynote:

Keynote dinner: Matthew Dunn to discuss just how social media has impacted one popular industry

$49, at the American Radio Museum

Tickets are limited. Sign up early to secure a seat!

We have speakers from Apple to Zoodango.

Speaking about topics from: How do I start? Measure success? Determine if your company is ready for social marketing and determine if it is strong enough to withstand a Web 2.0 world? Use video and podcasting to increase sales? And much more.....

For information on the schedule, speaker's bios, brochure, and to register visit the website.

The early bird registration ends August 27, save $77

This conference was created by Western Washington University College of Business and Economics' Small Business Development Center, TAG, the Technology Alliance Group and Whatcom Community College.

Visit us at www.socialmediaconferencenw.com for more information and to register. You can also download the conference brochure as a PDF file here>>:

This is a conference you can't afford to miss!