by Mike McDermott on September 20, 2009
Through conversations with business partners and friends across the street or around the globe, Mike McDermott as an Ohio Ambassador is empowered to share what makes Ohio the State of Perfect Balance.
With a passion for Ohio and a drive to share with others what he loves about working and living in the State of Ohio, Mike McDermott, Lead Community Manager with Bash Foo Social Media is now a card-carrying Ohio Ambassador.
Mr. McDermott will work to help excite his friends, family and business associates about all that Ohio has to offer. The Ohio Ambassador program seeks to gain recognition as the ideal state to achieve a perfect balance in life, allowing for both professional and personal success without sacrificing one for the other.
As an Ambassador for the State of Ohio, Mr. McDermott seeks to:
- Share his Ohio experiences
- Address misperceptions of Ohio
- Avoid negatively positioning another state or location
- Be supportive of all Ohio business
Mr. McDermott seeks to achieve these goals as the founder of the Why Buy Ohio alliance http://whybuyohio.com where he works to encourage the growth and opportunities made for small, independent businesses in the State of Ohio.
I was really thankful for this program setup by the Ohio Department of Development as it gives me additional exposure to both resources and people I need to know in order to help make ALL Ohio businesses more successful. While there is only a small handful of us out there, Ohio’s Ambassadors work every day to enhance Ohio’s reputation and amplify the voices of our small businesses working every day to be successful.
- Mike McDermott
by Mike McDermott on August 24, 2009
OK, so say you don’t live in a huge metropolitan area of Ohio. And say that you have some discretionary income to spend. Also say that you enjoy the idea of eating out at a nice restaurant now and again. How do you determine where you will go for this proposed dining experience? Most of us determine food location based on only a few pieces of information.
- Distance. How far will we travel to eat?
- Cuisine Type. What sort of food do we want to consume?
- Price. Once there, how much are we willing and able to spend?
- Dining Experience. Sit down, stand up, cafeteria-style, casual/formal.
Pretty simple list right? Not so simple of a decision many times however.
Enter: Taste Casting
Larger metropolitan cities do a good job of reporting restaurant reviews through the newspaper and culinary review magazines and books. As most of Ohio does not have such coverage, and since the Internet is super easy and ubiquitous to use, Dan Harris, founder of Taste Casting had an idea. Why don’t small independent restaurants use the reach and the voice of Social Media folks to tell the story of their unique menu, the taste of their food, and their fabulous location? In order to welcome the trained social media “Taste Casters”, restaurant owners offer free portions of their menu and extend a special welcome date and time for them. Between 10 and 12 Taste Casters then descend on the establishment and record video and audio clips for You Tube, photos for Facebook and their blogsite and “Tweet” about their experience to their many thousands of followers and friends. These Taste Casting reviews can easily reach 10,000 local friends who all then have the opportunity to pass the word on to their friends. Dan takes the amplification power of the social media networks to a new level.
Curious and want to learn more about Taste Casting? Head on over to Dan’s site http://tastecasting.com or you can listen on Wednesday, August 26th at 9PM as Dan is interviewed by the Get Social! Radio Show.
