2013 Chino Hills Business of The Year | Welborn Social Media

Lacey and her brother Zeb Welborn founded Welborn Media. She has designed and launched websites, several projects, marketing materials, a podcast, a book and more. Her passions include her family, her friends, creating things and helping businesses grow.
Latest posts by Lacey Welborn (see all)

Welborn Social Media named the 2013 Chino Hills Business of the Year by the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce!

Last Friday night, June 28, I went to the 2013 Installation & Awards Dinner for the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce. I was already looking forward to the evening because it would be my first event as a member of the Chino Valley Chamber Board of Directors, but I had no idea how amazing I would feel at the end of the night.

Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce 2013 Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award Presented to the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce

2013 Chino Business of the Year Award

While at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino for the event I thought back over the last few years.

My sister, Lacey and I founded Welborn Social Media in 2011 while we were both living at our parents house. Before that I was running my Chino Valley tutoring company, The Tutoring Solution. It was there that I encountered business owners and found they were not what I expected (greedy and self-interested people who only care about money). Instead they were people who loved what they did and were simply trying to help others.

Before that, as an educator, I felt discouraged at the lack of drive and motivation in my students. My mind began forming a theory that our societal problems stem from a lack of passion and excitement in a person’s professional life.

Our goal at Welborn Media has been shaped by these experiences. We want to help business owners who are passionate and love what they do. Why? Because, if we can help them be successful more people will try to emulate them. In our opinion, the world will be a better place if there are more people who love what they do, are good at it, and are willing to help others.

Joining the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce in January, 2012 was an easy choice: it aligned with our mission.  Through the Chamber, Lacey and I have met some phenomenal people . . . all hard-working and all willing to help others.

Since then we have developed some strong relationships. We have been managing the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and have worked with friends of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce: Rodell & Company, ABC Services, Alba Moesser, Los Serranos Country Club, Gotcha Covered, Beltone Hearing Aids, and Kardar Insurance.

At the end of 2012, the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce selected us to build their new website which was completed a few months ago. We have received so many complements on the new website. I know they are happy they chose us for the project.

When we decided to become a part of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce we knew it would allow us to help businesses in our community grow. If we can help our passionate local business owners use the Internet more effectively then the people and businesses in our area will thrive. We want to introduce local businesses to the online opportunities available to them, and show them how they can maximize their efforts by developing a strong online presence for their business.

At the end of the Installation & Awards dinner the final award of the night went to the 2013 Business of the Year. Debbie Mitsch, the newly sworn in president, began, “This business started in 2011 and is very big in the social media world…” She announced “Welborn Social Media” as the 2013 Chino Hills Business of the Year. I was shocked.

There are so many successful, vibrant businesses… it is truly an honor. We are so very thankful the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce feels we were worthy of such an award.

My sister and I still have a lot of work to do to turn Welborn Media into the company we both know it can be. It’s a tremendous feeling to have others recognize the efforts and strides we have made as well as see the potential we have.

It’s amazing to see how supportive others in our community have been to us and how quickly our business has grown. Thank you to every person who had a hand in our selection as the 2013 Chino Hills Business of the Year.

Thank You!

Zeb Welborn

Is It Legal to Post Photos From Google Images On My Facebook Page? | by Noe Gaytan

Photo Credit: MikeBlogs on Flickr

If there is one thing that I have learned from working with social media, it’s that people love photos. Just look at the countless image sharing web sites that have popped up such as Instagram and Flickr. Almost every good article that you will come across on the internet will also include a picture. When we make Facebook posts for our clients, we always get more Shares and Likes if we include an image. For whatever reason, people are just naturally drawn to visuals. So when the need for photographs arises, many people look to Google Images and don’t think twice about posting it on their Facebook. While this may be morally or socially acceptable to do on a personal page, there are deeper legal and ethical implications when doing this on a business page.

There is a term in law known as “the three a.m. stoplight”. If you pull up to a red light at three in the morning, and there are no cars around, is it illegal to run it? The answer is yes, it is illegal. However, chances are you won’t get caught so most people choose to take that risk. The same applies to sharing images on the internet. If I were to take a photo from somebody’s blog and post it on my Facebook page without proper attribution, I would be infringing on their copyright. Internet culture has evolved so that most people don’t really consider copyrights. We choose to run that red light because, hey what are the chances that blogger is going to happen upon my Facebook page, right? Most people may choose to take that risk with their own personal accounts. But business owners with their reputation on the line will certainly think twice about it.

Luckily, there are ways around this. So you think that picture of the cute kitten would be perfect to post and show your followers? Well you can get permission the old fashioned way: just ask nicely. Wherever the image originated from, you might be able to contact the owner. However, since the internet is a share-happy place, the post you find might be a re-post of a re-post of a re-post, and the person you try contacting may not be the proper copyright holder. In that case, it would be safer not to use the image. Another approach is to specifically search for “free to use” images. These can easily be filtered through an advanced search on most image databases. In most cases you will be required to properly attribute the work by including a link or naming the author. There are even ways to shorten the URL and make the link less intrusive.

Many people look to Google Images to find pictures because it is what they are most familiar with. But the question “Is it legal to post photos from Google Images on my Facebook Page?” Google Images is a search service that compiles images but it is not a database. Any image found through Google Images is coming from a separate site. It would be that site that holds the copyright. There are other web sites that ARE media libraries where you can find photos and videos, often for a price. Getty, AP, and Reuters are the top paid sources. Flickr is an excellent place for finding free to use images.

If you come across an image you want to share, you can take one of two approaches. The first option is to share the link. You can do this by copy and pasting the URL onto your Facebook status, or by clicking on a “Share” or “Like” button that might be on the page. Each one is formatted differently on Facebook, so try both and see which you like better. Or, you can upload the image yourself and be include as part of your post something like “Image by MikeBlogs on Flickr”. Nobody wants to get into a messy copyright infringement situation. But business owners should not let that keep them from sharing images. If you use the proper tools embedded on to most sites, then you are sure to be safe. That is why the share button exists. Social media is all about sharing. Just remember to play nice and give credit where credit is due.