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Facebook brings seminars, block party to town

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Chat with Facebook marketing representative Doug Frisbie on the phone from Menlo Park, Calif., and you find out he’s pretty pumped about the Facebook Community Boost planned next week in Des Moines, one of 30 U.S. cities that are getting the free sessions on everything digital — especially using Facebook and Instagram to boost your business.

All you have to do is show up at Franklin Junior High School in Des Moines for the sessions, which will run Monday through Friday. You can register if you want. 

“Community Boost is training program and curricula on digital skills for succeeding in today’s economy and to help the community,” said Frisbie, who is Facebook’s global marketing director, small business.

“We’re excited to come to Des Moines because we listen and learn and we know there is a need,” he said. 

“We researched where we had the best opportunity. We learned that 94 percent of Des Moines business representatives believe digital skills are important. But only 30 percent think their skills are ‘excellent.’ ” 

There’s even a block party beginning at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Des Moines Social Club, featuring music by the Brazilian 2wins.

The sessions will help businesses and nonprofits find new customers or members, increase visibility, find a job, locate potential workers and build community, for example. 

“Our mission is to enable people to build community,” said Frisbie, whose parents both graduated from the University of Iowa. “We recognize that small businesses play a critical role in that. The number of people who own a small business or work at one make that important.”

The help will continue when the Facebook staffers leave town or return to their Des Moines-area homes. The sessions will describe online training that will be available. And a Facebook group will be formed to join attendees in future networking. “We don’t want to come in and have this be a flash in the pan,” 
Frisbie said.