Tech Goes Home is a Boston based nonprofit organization which promotes, teaches, and advocates for technology adoption through computer and Internet based classes in schools and at community centers in the Boston area.  In addition to teaching classes, the Tech Goes Home website has video printable guides in both English and Spanish to help users discover and navigate online resources covering the areas of personal finance, job searching, computer skills, health & safety, and community and cultural opportunities.  From the TGH website, www.techgoeshome.org, users can browse these tutorials under the categories Live, Learn, Earn, Work, and Play.

The category “Work” includes websites picked to help you make the most of  websites on the Internet if you are new to job searching.  Tech Goes Home has created step by step guides on how to use the job websites www.Monster.com and www.Idealist.org. Or, if you need to create a resume, Tech Goes Home has created a similar site for the website How to Write a Resume.net.   The tutorials listed under “Earn”  which highlights sites that can help with getting out of debt, budgeting, understanding credit card terms, or buying a house. The site www.Mint.com can help you track spending and budget your money wisely, and Money Girl is personal finance site with information about everything from credit cards to home mortgages.  

If you are a computer novice or are just looking a new online tool that could help you manage your resources, explore the Tech Goes Home website for tips and guides to discovering a new websites.

Pinterest is a online pinboard, where people “pin” or post images they find interesting onto a big, public, browseable bulletin board.  Pinterest boards typically represent a specific topic, use, or idea. Common uses of Pinterest are as inspiration boards for recipes, DIY projects, or party planning, but as pinterest grows more attention is brought to the site as a tool for business.

Pinterest is quickly evolving as a natural way for businesses to share and promote products, services, and their lifestyle brand. Whole Foods Market is an ideal example of a company using Pinterest to promote their brand. Whole Foods posts and repins images of food that their company sells, but they also have created boards for recipes, gardening tips, kitchen images, and DIY and upcycling ideas -not things that they directly sell or could profit from, but that will draw Pinterest users and potential customers onto their site and promote their brand.

Businesses, both large and small, can use Pinterest to drive traffic back to their website, promote their products,or network with potential customers. Are you starting a food truck or restaurant? Pin images of your food to create awarness and help new customers find you.  Are you a Professional photographer? Use Pinterest as a tool to promote your work and refer potential clients back to your business.  A pin on a Pinterest board creates a link to the original image source, so users who browse your images can click on them and see the original.

Like all social media networks, Pinterest is about community, so you want to be thoughtful about how you present yourself on Pinterest. Share others’ content, ‘like’ and comment on images shared by others, post ‘other’ images in addition to your products, and engage in the conversation. Above all, pay attention to Pinterest’s own Etiquette Guidelines if you’re not sure how to get started.

Help & Further Resources:

BPL’s Learning for Life Online – Guide to Pinterest
The Marketers Guide to Pinterest from Mashable.com
7 Pinterest Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
3 Ways to use Pinterest for Market Research
How Bloggers can Use Pinterest

View our booklist Social Media for Business

Business USA   is a new government website designed to bring together at one site information, programs, and services at federal, state,and local agencies to help match growing businesses with relevant resources.

Agencies such as the Small Business Administration, Department of Commerce, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Trade Development Agency provide guides, tips and resources about how to start, operate, or expand  a business, as well as tax tips and links to funding sources for your business. Business USA also contains resources for special groups, as well as a listing of business related training and counseling, events, programs, and conferences  throughout the country.

Interested in starting your own business? See what resources Kirstein has in our small business collection , as well as upcoming programs, and a bibliography of resources for small business funding.