Inside VT KnowledgeWorks

Got a Product and a Video Camera? Then Get on the Shelf!

From Z. Kelly Queijo, founder of VT KnowledgeWorks member company SmartCollegeVisit. A version of this post first appeared on Handshake 2.0.

Think you have an idea for the NEXT GREAT PRODUCT? Want to sell your product in Walmart stores?

There's a contest for that.

On January 18, 2012, Walmart announced the launch of Get on the Shelf, an online video competition whereby product developers have a shot at getting their product sold on Walmart.com and in Walmart stores.

According to a Walmart press release, anyone with a great product in any of the Walmart product categories is invited to participate.

Here's what you do:

• Create your prototype.
• Make a video demonstrating your product.
• Submit your video to Walmart's new product competition: Get on the Shelf

Who decides who wins? We do. The public. Inventors will create videos of their products and the public gets to decide who wins. The grand prize winner gets their product on Walmart's shelves.

Contestants have until February 22, 2012 to submit an entry. First-round voting will take place March 7th - April 4th. Ten finalists will move to round two which takes place on April 11 – April 24, culminating in the announcement of the top three contestants and the grand prize winner.

If you think you have the next great product idea, go to GetOnTheShelf.com and enter the competition. All you need is a good idea and a YouTube account to enter.

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Z. Kelly Queijo is founder of Smart College Visit, Inc., a Blacksburg, Virginia-based higher-ed marketing company focused on mobile app and mobile web development with a special interest in creating travel and location-based tools and services. SmartCollegeVisit.com, a college search and college visit planning portal, has been listed in the Top 100 education advice blogs and as one of the top 5 college visit sites. Smart College Visit's products include the Smart College Visit Blog, College Mom Minute, Campus Chat, Mobile Campus Guides, Smart Visit Widget, and other informational and productivity tools.

VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters are located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

11 Facts About Smart College Visit

A version of this post first appeared on Handshake 2.0.

SmartCollegeVisit is an award-winning college-search and travel planning resource that works with college and university admissions offices to provide efficient on-line and mobile products for college-bound students and their families.

Smart College Visit, Inc. also:

1. won the VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurial Summit Award for Best Business Concept.
2. was featured in Valley Business FRONT.
3. is a woman-owned technology company.
4. publishes Where'd They Go To School - quirky lists of famous people and where they attended college.
5. is a mobile app publisher.
6. hosts a weekly chat on Twitter called #CampusChat.
7. was invited by President Obama's Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra, to attend a Whitehouse Mashup: The Convening on Consumer Information in Higher Education in September, 2011.
8. is listed in the Top 100 Education Advice Blogs by College Scholarships.
9. is listed in The Top 50 College Info Web Sites by Parents Countdown to College.
10. is founded by someone whose last name means "cheese."
11. is a VT KnowledgeWorks member company!

Smart College Visit's products include the Smart College Visit Blog, College Mom Minute, Campus Chat, Mobile Campus Guides, Smart Visit Widget, and other informational and productivity tools.

Photo: Zane J. Queijo

VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters are located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Smart College Visit Featured in Valley Business FRONT

Z. Kelly Queijo, founder of college search and travel planning resource Smart College Visit, was featured in the December, 2011 issue of Valley Business FRONT. Follow the link and read the story beginning on page 48.  Smart College Visit, Inc. is a VT KnowledgeWorks member company.

Photo: Zane J. Queijo

You're invited to read more about Smart College Visit on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.

SmartCollegeVisit is an award-winning college-search and travel planning resource that works with college and university admissions offices to provide efficient on-line and mobile products for college-bound students and their families. SCV products include the Smart College Visit Blog, College Mom Minute, Campus Chat, Mobile Campus Guides, Smart Visit Widget, and other informational and productivity tools. Smart College Visit - The educated way to visit campus.

VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

You're invited to keep up with VT KnowledgeWorks on Facebook and Twitter.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Entrepreneurial Collaboration

Smart College Visit, Inc. and Handshake Media, Incorporated are VT KnowledgeWorks member companies. Jim Gray is a member of Presidents' Council, the leadership program at VT KnowledgeWorks. A version of this post first appeared on Handshake 2.0.

Kelsey Sarles designed the mobile app Thought Full(TM) - an app to remember, Jim Gray developed it, and Handshake Media produced it. Smart College Visit kindly featured a post by Kelsey Sarles about Thought Full on the Smart College Visit Blog.

An excerpt from An App for College-bound Students to Remember by Kelsey Sarles on SmartCollegeVisit:

You're 17 going on 18. You can't wait to get out of high school. You're over the drama, the cliques, having to ask permission to go to the bathroom, the cafeteria with its plastic cutlery. You're an adult now. You're ready for sweet, sweet freedom. You're ready for college!

Did you remember to...

• Meet with your guidance counselor?
• Study for the SATs?
• Sign-up for financial aid?
• Plan your college visits!
• Submit your college applications?

Whether you've realized it yet or not, all this new found freedom comes with a price. Yes, the plus side is that you no longer have to listen to your mom nagging you about homework. The downside is – you have to remember to finish it yourself!

For the rest of your life, it's up to you to remember all the things you need to do. Fortunately, there's an app for that, and it's called Thought Full™.

Thought Full is designed to solve the problem we all seem to have – keeping our acts together...

To read the rest of the post, "An App for College-bound Students to Remember," please visit SmartCollegeVisit.com.

You can learn more about Thought Full™ at www.thoughtfullapp.com. Thought Full is available in the iTunes App Store and is coming soon to the Android Market.

SmartCollegeVisit has apps, too! Learn more about SmartCollegeVisit's Mobile Campus Guides on SmartCollegeVisit.com.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Smart College Visit Founder to Speak at American Marketing Association Higher Ed Symposim

Kelly Queijo, VT KnowledgeWorks member company Smart College Visit, Inc. founder and president, will present at the upcoming American Marketing Association 2011 Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education in Chicago.

Mrs. Queijo and co-presenter, Zack Rosen, Admission Counselor and Coordinator of Social Media & Online Recruitment for University of New Haven, are hosting a tutorial session entitled “Build a Better Community of Bloggers.” The pre-conference workshop will be held on Sunday, Novebmer 6, from 1-5 pm and will focus on how to launch, maintain, and build a “community” of bloggers by developing and managing a coordinated blogging initiative.

“Blogging has been an invaluable tool for Smart College Visit and is playing a larger part in college recruitment. During the workshop, Zack and I will cover everything from the technical to the transformative,” noted Kelly Queijo. “We both have extensive experience with higher education recruitment and blogging and can provide guidelines on setting editorial calendars and timelines, integrating Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels. We will be discussing best blogging practices from a very practical, real viewpoint and plan for this to be a lively, interactive session.”

The AMA’s 2011 Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education, scheduled for November 6-9, 2011 in Chicago, is the industry’s largest and most comprehensive event for Higher Education Marketers. Over the course of four days, Education Marketers from all over the world will discuss cutting edge approaches, new tools and technologies, and the hottest trends on the forefront of higher education marketing.

See the full press release.

You're invited to read more about Smart College Visit on Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.

SmartCollegeVisit is an award-winning college-search and travel planning resource that works with college and university admissions offices to provide efficient on-line and mobile products for college-bound students and their families. SCV products include the Smart College Visit Blog, College Mom Minute, Campus Chat, Mobile Campus Guides, Smart Visit Widget, and other informational and productivity tools. Smart College Visit - The educated way to visit campus.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a self-sustaining not-for-profit subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Smart College Visit Releases Smart Visit Widget

From Z. Kelly Queijo, founder of Smart College Visit, Inc., a VT KnowledgeWorks member company:

When I founded Smart College Visit, Inc. the goal was simple: to make planning travel to college campuses easier for college-bound teens and their families. SmartCollegeVisit.com was designed to do just that by providing the travel booking tools necessary for college visit travel.

Once we had these tools in place and began to demo them to colleges and other businesses, people would ask, "Can I get that for my web site?" Immediately, we realized we had created a solution to a problem that was portable to other sites. We named this solution The Smart Visit Widget and we're happy to announce that the widget debuted on eduLaunchPad.com.

The widget is a location-based-service (LBS) that matches colleges with destination details all under one "roof" so to speak. To accommodate as many web design styles as possible, the widget is available in four sizes, three of which should fit most sidebar widths, and a larger one to fit other web page designs.

The Smart Visit Widget is free and anyone interested in adding a location-based travel widget to their sites, even companies not associated with higher-ed, are invited to contact me for more information.

We're excited to work with eduLaunchPad and are looking forward to seeing the widget at work during the fall college visit season. Please read the complete press release Smart Visit Widget Debut for more information.

A version of this post originally appeared on Handshake 2.0.

Smart College Visit, Inc. is a Blacksburg, Virginia-based higher-ed marketing company focused on mobile app and mobile web development with a special interest in creating travel and location-based tools and services. SmartCollegeVisit.com, a college search and college visit planning portal, has been listed in the Top 100 education advice blogs and as one of the top 5 college visit sites.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a self-sustaining not-for-profit subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

Video College Advisor Features Smart College Visit

SmartCollegeVisit was featured by Paul Hemphill of the Video College Advisor, a site specializing in college admissions and college financial aid advice.

SmartCollegeVisit.com was founded by Z. Kelly Queijo, President of Smart College Visit, Inc., winner of the Second Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit’s Open Competition in 2010, and keynote speaker at the Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit in 2011.

Smart College Visit, Inc. is a Blacksburg, Virginia-based higher-ed marketing company focused on mobile app and mobile web development with a special interest in creating travel and location-based tools and services. SmartCollegeVisit.com, a college search and college visit planning portal, has been listed in the Top 100 education advice blogs and as one of the top 5 college visit sites.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a self-sustaining not-for-profit subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

SmartCollegeVisit Hosts Marketing Mashup

From Z. Kelly Queijo, Founder and President of Smart College Visit, Inc., winner of the Second Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit’s Open Competition in 2010, and keynote speaker at the Third Annual VT KnowledgeWorks Entrepreneurship Summit in 2011:

What do you get when you take 10 or more people passionate about their work with college-bound and college-going students and ask them all to show up for one hour on Twitter to tweet their best back-to-school advice? You get Back-to-School SUPER #CampusChat!

I've been hosting a weekly chat on Twitter (#CampusChat) every Wednesday night at 9:00 PM for the past 15 months. Topics have included planning campus visits, college test prep, admissions, college life, academic planning, internships, careers...you name it and we've likely covered it.

Tonight, instead of one expert guest, I've invited ALL of my 2011 previous co-hosts and other long-time supporters of #CampusChat to come prepared to share their "back-to-school" tips, promos, and guides. The response from past guests has been fantastic and many of them have offered give-aways as prize drawings for participants. There are at least 10 prizes to give away - that's a lot for a chat that only lasts an hour! Talk about crowdsourcing an event - what was I thinking?!

And, we're not talking about pencils and erasers as prizes. The list of give-aways includes resources and services to help throughout the life of a college student. Here are just a few of the prizes we'll give away:

• Get into college: 10 copies of Getting In: The Zinch Guide to College Admissions and Financial Aid in the Digital Age
• Stay fit while in college: a FitKitDORM and a free one year membership to the FitKitCLUB - $50 value from www.FitKit.com.
• Plan your career while in college: A one-hour mentor call for students interested in finding the right internship with Mark Babbitt, founder of YouTern, a college internship matching and counseling service. The call can be used to discuss career goals, mentorship, entrepreneurial aspirations – whatever the student would like to focus on.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Prizes are cool, but it's really the opportunity to meet and chat with industry experts, experienced parents and college students that makes #CampusChat an awesome hour. Multiply that "awesomeness" by 10 or 15 and you can see why I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by how much information there will be to manage, push out and later curate. Is this mashup on Twitter a really great marketing innovation in the making or is it more like trying to squeeze 60 college kids into a VW Bug?

To register for tonight's #CampusChat - Wednesday, August 3, 2011, 9:00 PM ET - and to be entered into the prize drawing, please RSVP by posting your Twitter ID in the Comment section of this post on SmartCollegeVisit: There Will Be Prizes: Back to School Super #CampusChat.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a self-sustaining not-for-profit subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual. Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

SmartCollegeVisit.com Founder Quoted in eduLaunchPad.com

An excerpt from Gone Fishing for College, eduLaunchPad.com:

Kelly Queijo of SmartCollegeVisit.com adds, “Combining vacation travel and college visit travel is a great way to make the experience fun for the whole family. With a little planning to find out what else there is to see or do, everyone gets to enjoy the trip.” Also for the prospective student, knowing there's something everyone can look forward to may take some of the pressure off the college visit itself.

Z. Kelly Queijo is founder of Smart College Visit, Inc., a Blacksburg, Virginia-based higher-ed marketing company focused on mobile app and mobile web development with a special interest in creating travel and location-based tools and services. SmartCollegeVisit.com, a college search and college visit planning portal, has been listed in the Top 100 education advice blogs and as one of the top 5 college visit sites. Blacksburg Lodging is a division of Smart College Visit, Inc.  Smart College Visit, Inc. is a VT KnowledgeWorks member company.

Smart College Visit Launches Visit Virginia Tech Mobile Guide to Campus

From Virginia Tech News:

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 27, 2011 – Planning to visit Virginia Tech? There’s an app for that.

Prospective students, their families, friends, returning alumni, and anyone visiting Virginia Tech's 2600-acre Blacksburg campus can now have an electronic map, driving directions, a walking tour, admissions information, restaurant and hotel information, historical sights, and more available literally at their fingertips via the "Visit Virginia Tech" mobile app.

“The campus visit is very important in higher education marketing,” acknowledged Melissa Richards, director of marketing and publications at Virginia Tech. “Virginia Tech works very hard to make every visitor’s experience the best it can be. We seek innovative and interactive ways to forge personal connections with our audiences. A mobile app is a smart way to engage visitors before, during, and even after they come to campus.”

Published by Smart College Visit Inc., this navigational and travel planning guide to campus features the university’s admission requirements, campus tour and information session schedules, on-campus and off-campus dining directories, and area accommodations as well as turn-by-turn directions to nearly every building on campus, parking lots, athletic facilities, and residence halls.

A self-guided walking tour and Virginia Tech wallpaper backgrounds are just two of the app's features designed to connect the visitor with the university.

“Visit Virginia Tech” is published by Smart College Visit Inc., a Blacksburg, Va. based higher-ed marketing and college visit planning portal, in partnership with Virginia Tech and is available free on iTunes -- search for “visit virginia tech.” 

Virginia Tech's new Visitor and Undergraduate Admissions Center, located off Prices Fork Road next to the Inn at Virginia Tech, will be open in July 2011. The new center will feature interactive exhibits focusing on Virginia Tech's research, academics, student life, outreach, and history. Admissions tours, as well as other university tours, will initiate at the new center. Fall Open House dates are Oct. 15-16 and Nov. 12-13, 2011. 

Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech attracts students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The university’s eight colleges achieve quality, innovation, and results through teaching, research, and outreach in Blacksburg and at other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Richmond, Southern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Roanoke.

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via www.vtnews.vt.edu

Smart College Visit, Inc. is a VT KnowledgeWorks member company.

“Visit Virginia Tech” is published by Smart College Visit, Inc. in partnership with Virginia Tech. Visit Virginia Tech is available free on iTunes.

About Smart College Visit, Inc.
Smart College Visit is a Blacksburg, Virginia-based higher-ed marketing company and college visit planning portal. Featuring college search and campus visit travel resources, SmartCollegeVisit.com has been listed in the Top 100 education advice blogs and as one of the top 5 college visit sites. Their popular weekly Twitter chat, CampusChat, provides education experts, parents, and students with a forum for insightful interaction. More information can be found at SmartCollegeVisit.com, by phone at 540-239-2525, or by email, info@smartcollegevisit.com. Smart College Visit is on Twitter.

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VT KnowledgeWorks encourages and enables creative entrepreneurship world-wide, through innovative curriculum, local business resource centers, and a global network of cooperating regions, all focused on three essential contributors to success: clear understanding of fundamental business principles; access to timely, relevant information; and meaningful personal and corporate relationships. It is a self-sustaining not-for-profit subsidiary of the Virginia Tech Foundation, funded through the continuing confidence and enthusiasm of its clients, sponsors and friends, both corporate and individual.  Its world headquarters is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, The Branch Group, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Hutchison Law Group, LeClairRyan, New River Valley Intellectual Property Law, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).