LAKE COUNTY – With the dawn of 2009, a special interest group (SIG) called “Clusters” will make itself available for educational venues throughout the county to spread its message of a mutual business uplight through mutual collaboration and online resources.

In 2008, Clusters began holding meetings at the Greenview Restaurant in Hidden Valley Lake. Then, moved to Mugshots Espresso, also in Hidden Valley Lake.

Regarding the design of Clusters, there are no dues, elected officers, bylaws or articles of incorporation needed for a governmental agency. This is simply a forum designed to help people help each other regarding business promotion.

What’s unique about this particular SIG is the forum's versatility and potential. Clusters focuses upon nurturing small groups of caring people (ideally four) who desire to help one another succeed. When needed, one small group connects to another, and another and so on. Eventually, there will be Cluster groups around the globe.

Since this is the age of online communication, a virtual person is added as a mentor to help educate each small group concerning free online resources which may prove extremely helpful.

For the record, the term "SIG" is not meant here to be political. In the early years of computing, people brought their computers to computer user group SIG meetings to solve problems and learn new things.

Clusters is meant to be a place to solve problems and learn new things. If you do not know how to use a cell phone to send group messages with a single toll-free call, Clusters can teach you how to do that. If you not know how to program a photo digital frame you recently purchased at Wal-Mart and turn it into your own advertising network, Clusters is a place you are likely to find someone who can do that for you. If being able to create a video to promote your business online without the need of a video camera would be good for your business, through Clusters you are likely to find the help you need to get that done.

Clusters is also a place for mutual collaboration – be it in creating signature advertising pages, sharing a trade show booth or making something extra-special happen ... maybe even a business mixer.

Small businesses that need to s-t-r-e-t-c-h their advertising dollar should seriously consider becoming involved in Clusters. For example, any place where large groups gather on a regular basis – parks, campgrounds, restaurants, coffee shops – are great places for FREE Wi-Fi. But, the larger the location the less likely it is to provide free Wi-Fi due to the cost, unless splash page advertising by small businesses is introduced.

However, there is now a program in Lake County where this very concept is being successfully implemented. Just visit Ting's Thai Kitchen in the Hardester's Shopping Center in Hidden Valley Lake and see for yourself. (Be sure to take your laptop with you.) Or, go online and visit the restaurant via its Squidoo lens at www.squidoo.com/TTK.

Keep in mind that the advertising being done is both physically within the restaurant via Wi-Fi and online at numerous locations which are constantly increasing. Why? Because that is the way the system was designed to work.

The restaurant customers win because now they have a wonderful place to eat excellent Thai cuisine, can freely check email, surf the Web and make VOIP phone calls. The advertisers win because they now have a cost-effective multimedia advertising option. (Advertisers can even request marketing feedback to see who is paying attention to their advertising.) The restaurant wins because it gets increased customer traffic and has advertising revenue to pay for the public's free Wi-Fi.

Question: What resource is available to bring both the would-be advertisers and the free Wi-Fi hot spot locations together? Answer: Clusters.

Below are some online resources currently available to Clusters:

• Our Ryze Business Network: http://clusters-network.ryze.com (FREE to join).

• Our Squidoo Lens: www.squidoo.com/Clusters.

• Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/clustering (FREE to join).

If you have never taken a look at the site designed to help move Middletown forward, please take a look at www.squidoo.com/TMMF. Be sure to play the videos. What you learn will amaze you.

For more information about Clusters – including scheduling a special group presentation – please call Lamar Morgan at 709-8605.

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