Howdy Gunslinger!

This one's a long one, so here's a quick summary:

• We raised $500 last year, accounting for 2,000 meals for the Larimer Food Bank
  
• We're changing up how we offer classes, specifically - we're offering more options for both newbies and veterans, and providing our materials in a new way
  
• We're adding small-group classes and one-on-ones to our mix
  
• Read on for more specifics...
  

What happened?

So, you may have noticed that after October, we got a little quiet.

Well, I needed a bit of a break. I'd taken on a few too many projects, caught a cold, and had to take some time off to take care of myself. I felt like the old model wasn't serving us anymore and January for me has largely been about restoring balance.

Last year, we raised over $500 for the Larimer County Foodbank with our efforts which provided 2,000 meals for local families.

We've expanded our hosting program, which now hosts over 20 local business and solopreneur websites for a ridiculously low cost each year of $25.

This year, I'd like to even more for local charities - and we're aiming for record attendance and to monetize our services more effectively.

So, what's in the pipeline?

Introducing: Web Wrangler Workshops, Digital Gunslinger Campfire Chats, and a Drink with the Sheriff

Every month, we'll be introducing a new Web Wrangler Workshop on Tuesdays at 6PM (WWW, see what I did there? ;-D).

The Web Wrangler Workshops are an hour-long hands-on workshop, where we set up and optimize some aspect of your web presence. From Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, to your first WordPress website, blog, content management plan - we'll cover step-by-step plans to get you up and running by the end of the hour. A computer is a necessity for this portion of the meetup. You'll also get a PDF workbook to take with you and a video of my screen and instructions while we teach the course.

At 7PM, immediately following the hands-on portion of the class, is an hour-long strategy discussion where we discuss the best practices of using the tool we just set up. For example, if we set up Twitter from 6-7 - we'll talk about how to use it to market your small business from 7-8. Because it's really hard to record this portion, you'll have to be here to benefit.

You can attend one or both portions of the class if you like; this should make our classes more user-friendly for both newbies and the seasoned veterans.

Our first Web Wrangler Workshop will soon be scheduled in February on the topic of Google+ and cost $5 to attend (to be clear: you can attend both portions for $5 total). As always, the $5 goes toward a local charity - and, if you're unemployed, it's on me.

If you can't join us that night, or just want to have the materials, the videos and handouts from the first-portion of the class will be available on the Gunslinger Website for a monthly donation of $5, or a one-time payment of $50 for a year - which goes to local charities.

The Digital Gunslinger Campfire Chats are Google+ Hangout Chats - featuring 10 of us connecting to discuss specific topics of marketing, web technology, and more. These are first-come-first-serve and may often feature a special guest or gunslinger whose work we'll be discussing. Think of these as focus-groups that occur monthly.

These aren't scheduled yet, but I'm taking suggestions on time and day. I'm thinking these might be best in the mornings, since Tuesday nights are difficult for some folks. Reply and let me know what you think!

These cost $2 to attend - which (surprise!) also goes to support local charities. We'll also record these and the videos will be available to anyone whose opted in to the Web Wrangler Workshop materials online.

Finally, let's talk about A Drink with the Sheriff. These are quarterly, hour-long one-on-ones with me to work directly on your web presence. They're up for grabs via an auction starting at $25 with, you guessed it, the full proceeds going directly to local charities. We can cover everything from your website (and fixing minor coding issues) to creating a strategy for your marketing, or pretty much anything else you'd like to cover as long as it's in my wheelhouse.

I'm excited for the future of the Gunslingers - how about you?

Reply to this email or attend our Watering Hole social event and let me know what you think. Until then, keep slingin'!

-Nick Armstrong