North East business club musseling its way on to TV

Dec 8 2010 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

A BUSINESS networking group is going visual as it exploits the power of social media to help get members' messages out to a bigger audience.

The Mussel Club, which was started almost six years ago by financial adviser David Cook in Newcastle and saw 20 business people gathering for a bowl of mussels and a glass of wine, has launched Mussel TV as its latest project.

The initiative is part of the not-for-profit organisation’s new website, which is being upgraded to the tune of £15,000 to connect it with Twitter, Facebook and Linked In.

Mussel Club co-founder and events organiser Geoff Bowman said: “It’s going to be all-singing, all-dancing, and it’s all linked into social media.

“We launched our Twitter feed two and a half months ago and we’ve just short of 500 followers. It also links into our Facebook. The final side to social media is You Tube, so we’ve set up Mussel TV for the members who’ve got information, whether it’s a marketing company who has recorded a presentation or a company that has been on the local news.

“They can send us the file and we upload it. It’s another avenue of showing what they’re doing. It’s not about selling.”

The fast-growing group has 500 members and 300 people registered on its website.

Mr Bowman believes the power of social media will help members to contact whole new audiences in a different way.

The Mussel Club has groups in Newcastle, Sunderland and launched in South Tyneside earlier this year.

It will be starting up in Durham in February and is already receiving enquiries from businesses in North Tyneside, although it has not yet set a date for its launch there.