Social Networking: Past, Present & Future
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Showing posts with label social networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social networking. Show all posts
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Branding
The truth is brands could once be controlled, contrived even. Not so long ago consumers and their voices were fragmented and weak. Big companies could sweep issues under the rug without having to worry about the toll it would take on their brand. However, the birth of blogs, social media and sites like Twitter have banded consumers together, creating a much larger platform for them and a greater need for you to promote a positive brand image. Consumers have demanded that brands become transparent, authentic and that they deliver more value than ever before."
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Social Media Content Creation Process
by Geoff Livingston
Many folks ask how to go about creating social media for their company. As a service to the industry, find here an open source version of a draft social media content development process.
This process is general enough to guide development of specific initiatives. It does not recommend blogging or video, per say. Rather the process allows content creation to move towards the market’s needs, and within the company’s resources. There are 14 steps in all:
1) Clearly articulate who your stakeholders are before you begin.
2) Clearly articulate the key issues these stakeholders care about as it relates to your offering. Use a bulleted list with no more than three or four words per item.
3) Begin by researching which, if any, top bloggers are discussing these issues. Use your bulleted list to search. The following are good places to start:
* Technorati
* Del.icio.us
* Google Blogsearch
* Ask.com Blogsearch
4) Inevitably, any substantial subject matter area has a back channel where top bloggers and influencers chat. For example, PR and marketing bloggers and tend to connect on Facebook, Twitter, and to some extent, LinkedIn. This back channel can yield powerful connections to highly influential minds who may not have blogs with top statistical ranking.
Marketers looking to find their subject area’s back channel should start with a basic search. Once your initial search yields important blogs, please visit them and note which social networks the bloggers use to connect. Join their communities. And learn what your stakeholders really care about.
5) Don’t just observe, participate. Comment on blogs and social networks in a non-promotional way. Become part of the community.
6) Note several things in your research:
1. Top industry issues
2. Top bloggers/thought leaders that write about your issues (you will need these for marketing purposes after your content creation process is done)
3. Preferred content forms (video, white papers, blogs, podcasts)
4. Ideal places to connect with the larger industry (social networks, etc.)
5. Other companies playing in the space: Who’s successful, who isn’t? Why?
6. Behavioral norms.
Write this information down in a formal analysis.
7) Using the analysis of your social media marketplace, identify the outcomes the organization would like to achieve. These outcomes will determine the measurement benchmarks once the company decides on its preferred communication tools. Possibilities include:
* Influence
* Awareness/changed perception on a particular issue
* Third party credibility through Word of mouth
* Brand awareness
* Return on investment (sales)
8 ) Identify the company’s value for the marketplace; specifically, the organization’s subject matter expertise as it relates to the top industry issues currently being discussed amongst bloggers and thought leaders.
* Can the company provide enough information to add to the conversation?
* If so, is it enough to consistently be a part of the conversation, or is it limited in nature? Will it only be valuable for a short time?
* Can the organization afford to give away this information or does the information comprise trade secrets?
9) Based on the company/organization’s value offering and the marketplace’s issues and needs, draft an editorial mission to serve the community/stakeholders. For example, here is the Now Is Gone blog editorial mission:
Continue serving as a primer for those business executives new to social media or considering engaging with these new communications tools. The conversation should be educational, pragmatic and weigh the pros and cons of social media to provide an authentic, genuine viewpoint of social media marketing. We believe in social media’s potential to better communications, but do not think it will replace traditional tactics. Instead we believe social media will be integrated into the larger marketing mix and may influence change in other disciplines.
10) Now examine the company’s resources:
* Time
* Thought leaders
* Technical capability and savoir faire: Blog, audio, video, social networking
* Financial resources for some of the above, plus graphic design, SEO, web hosting, application development
11) Select the outreach mechanism(s) that best fits the industry’s preferred content needs (#6), can achieve outcomes (#7) the ability to convey the company’s ability to deliver value through its editorial mission (#8 and 9), and that the company can afford to invest in (#10).
There are many, many mechanisms. Each has its assets and detriments. And blogging is not a cure all silver bullet solution. Consider these more popular initiatives:
* Launch a blog
* Execute a blogger relations program
* Podcast
* Create video(s)
* Develop social network community
* Create social network application
* Build your own social network
* Build a widget
12) Determine who will create the content. Group efforts can help distribute load as well as protect the company from an individual departure. Assign a schedule and make the person responsible. Participation in larger networks should be part of your content development plan and resource allocations.
13) Select general content categories to provide guidance on a weekly basis (if the effort is ongoing). Remain flexible to allow for larger industry and community events.
14) Determine measurement based on outcomes, social media communication vehicle(s), and dedicated effort the company intends to commit to the effort. Select tools to attain measurement. Tools and measurement can vary greatly. Research what is right for you and your effort. Some are free, some are not.
Monday, June 14, 2010
How Consumers Interact with Brands on Social Networks - eMarketer
The social networking audience in the US has reached critical mass. eMarketer estimates that 57.5% of all US Internet users, or 127 million people, will use a social network at least once a month in 2010. By 2014, nearly two-thirds of Internet users will be on board.
Marketers have been chasing this audience for several years, but the question remains: Do consumers notice, or care?
“Those who still think that social network users are too busy engaging with friends to notice marketers must change their viewpoint,” said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Brand Interactions on Social Networks.” “Brand interactions are real, valuable and growing. “
According to a February 2010 survey by Chadwick Martin Bailey, a market research firm, 33% of Facebook users have become fans of brands on the network.
via emarketer.com
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Citybizlist Launches Social Networking Optimization Platform with Gigya
Citybizlist Launches Social Networking Optimization Platform with Gigya - cbl
By citybizlist Staff
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Local business news site citybizlist announced today the integration of social optimization platform of Gigya.
Edwin Warfield, CEO of citybizlist, said, "Leveraging the power of the social networks is a major step forward for citybizlist. With the spectacular rise of social networks, users are increasingly turning to their friends to determine what to read online. The Gigya platform will provide citybizlist users and readers with an easy way to share stories with their business colleagues on Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, and other social network platforms."
The Gigya social optimization platform enables online businesses to easily connect their sites to all the major social platforms, including Facebook Connect, Sign in with Twitter, LinkedIn Platform, and Yahoo! Open Strategy Platform; enhance their users' connected experience through authentication via existing identity, one-click sharing, and on-site social features such as live chat; and analyze the business results of their on-site social optimization efforts via detailed metrics and real-time data.
"With people today relying more than ever on their trusted networks to determine what to read, watch and buy online, social networks are starting to rival Search as a source of referral traffic for any website," said David A. Yovanno, CEO of Gigya. "Gigya 4 provides a powerful way to turn this change in consumer behavior into a competitive advantage by maximizing the number of site users who connect with an existing social network identity and share content with friends. On-site social optimization is taking its place alongside SEO and SEM as a critical element of any online company's strategy for driving qualified traffic."
Warfield added, "Earlier this year, Google and Yahoo began including citybizlist news in their news and search results. This has resulted in a 304 percent jump in monthly unique visitors. Social is the next search and the citybizlist/Gigya partnership will be the next important driver of users to citybizlist."
About citybizlist:
Citybizlist is the premier insiders resources for local business news and is presently published in 11 cities. Citybizlist is published via email, the Web and Twitter in 11 cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte/Raleigh, Dallas, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, South Florida and Washington, D.C.
About Gigya, Inc.
Gigya is a leading social optimization platform for online business, enabling websites to connect seamlessly to the most popular and powerful social networks including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Gigya's technology, which it hosts and delivers to its customers as an on-demand service, enables customers to provide social sharing, registration and interactive features to drive increased traffic, conversion and time spent on their websites. In addition, Gigya provides widgets, analytics, best practices, consulting and customer support to ensure clients optimize the social performance of their websites. Gigya technology reaches more than 250 million users each month and powers the sharing of more than a million pieces of content per day across the social web for Fortune 500 clients including A&E, Intuit, The Coca-Cola Company, Time, and Turner Networks. www.gigya.comc
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Hello Social Network Directory World!! - Jen's Social Network Directory and Social Network Creator Hub
Hey all!!
I'm dipping my toe in the waters here and saying hello. Thanks to Jen for bestowing the "Expert Blogger" badge on me and I hope to live up to the title and hope that my contributions here are informative and entertaining. I have been blogging and heavily involved in social networking back before the term was coined...back to the days of Pentium I's, dial up connections and Juno & Earthlink, BBS lines and Usnet groups. Do I see some balding or gray heads nodding out there?? (Yes, despite my boyish good looks I am old folks, really old).
I've experimented with every known software platform that has come along like CSS style forums, Joomla, Drupal, Dolphin, Wordpress, BuddyPress, SocialGo, Ning, Blogger, LiveJournal and on and on. Have I found one that had everything I wanted? No, no I haven't. Is it the platforms? Am I picky? Probably a little of both; however, this whacky social highway we're now on is just getting upgraded to a two lane, blacktop country road from what began as a trail some of us old geezers bushwhacked through the jungle back before there were university's offering social media degree programs. I also have a fairly extensive background in PPS affiliate marketing (performance marketing now). I didn't ever really stray into the black hat PPC crowd and don't know how to create 1,000 dummy social network profiles and only use Craigslist to look at the hooker ads to check for ex-girlfriends or future ones but I digress.
So...I see I have many friends (that I've never met) here from other Ning communities. How are ya? Some of you I've seen around the schoolyard for years now and we've been "friends" on different sites yet never so much as exchanged a Facebook "poke". Kooky huh? If you fall into this category send me a note or better yet leave a comment to this post and say hello and if you can think of some one of my many "mistakes" you've seen me make over the years...that should add a few (dozen) pages to this site. If there's been one thing I've been consistent with it's been my inconsistency. I totally disenfranchised my 8 year established "super niche" social network of bass guitar players which at it's peak had about 5,400 registered, DUES PAYING (yes they paid to join) members and we were getting over 3 million paged views per month and were under a 100.000 Alexa ranking. I lost even the most loyal members through a series of format/platform changes I made when all they wanted was the original vBulletin forum. I tried to drag them kicking and screaming into Web 2,0land and the rubber band snapped when a co-founder, friend and #2 man under me splintered off and created a renegade PHPbb forum and they left one by one. The current Ning http://thedudepit.ning.com/http://thedudepit.ning.com/ has less than 500 registered members,m of which 'd say 80-90% haven't returned after initial registration.
That's my biggest mistake and there are many lessons to be learned from recanting and reexamining the many mistakes I made with that one and I will be using The Dude Pit as an example in future blog posts as a case study that hopefully we can all learn from. That's it for now...let's hear from you longtime "friends" I've never actually met...I see you out there!!Tags: buddypress, dudepit, facebook, ning, online communities, publishers, social network, social network service, software and services, tools
via jensocial.com
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Social Networking: the Five Biggest Mistakes Nichepreneurs? Make | Social Network | MediaVerso
Social Networking: the Five Biggest Mistakes Nichepreneurs? Make
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Over half of all Americans between the ages of 15-34 consider themselves active social network users. They regularly visit well-known social networking sites, such as MySpace or Facebook, or log onto specialty social networks, like Ravelry (devoted to the fiber arts) or GroupRecipes (for the foodie set). While industry research tells us that television watching is declining, especially among this age group, social network use is on the rise: average users spend seven to eight hours a week online.
This time spent on social networks clearly affects buying decisions. An estimated forty percent of all social networkers say they use social networking sites to learn more about brands or products they like, according to GreenBiz.com, with twenty-eight percent saying they’ve had a brand or product recommended to them by a friend.
The message is clear. Strategic use of social networking can help a company grow. It’s an effective use of target marketing, reaching out to one’s customers where they are.
However, in order to capitalize on social networking’s power, you have to do it right. Execution is everything. Make no mistake. Every time you log onto Facebook, MySpace, or other social networking platform, you’re representing your company in a very visible arena. The world is, quite literally, watching.
There are five common mistakes Nichepreneurs™ make when it comes to social networking. Here’s what they are — and more importantly, how to avoid them!
Mistake #1: Dismissing Social Networking as “Just a Fad”
Social networking may have emerged as a phenomenon only recently, but it is a manifestation of something as old as time — word of mouth! Customers value the opinions of colleagues, relatives, peers and friends above almost anything else. This has been true for generations. Social networking has merely expanded the definition of friend. Technology has made it easier to communicate with more people than ever before — a person could have hundreds of friends they’ve never once met in person. That’s a power and a privilege that no one is going to let just fade away.
Mistake #2: Mistaking Social Networking for Advertising
Social networking is a form of relationship marketing. It works best when you view it as an opportunity to build your brand, a prime platform to let your customer base know who you are and what you represent.
At the same time, you’ve got a fantastic chance to learn about your customers. If you actually stop and read what they post, you’ll learn a tremendous amount about who your customers are and what’s important to them. Where else do you get your customer’s pure, unvarnished opinions served up to you on a silver platter?
Don’t spoil this prime market research opportunity with unwelcome advertising. It’s fine to let people know you’re in business, but that can’t be the only thing you bring to the conversation.
Mistake #3: Failing to Connect Online Interaction with Real World Consequences
This mistake is often a generational problem. Nichepreneurs who grew up before the Internet was such an omnipresent force can have a hard time understanding how words on a computer screen can have real consequences on the every day course of business.
Compounding the problem is the fun, freewheeling atmosphere prevalent on many social networking platforms. It’s easy to forget the potential results when the commentary’s flying fast and furious. However, your words can come back and haunt you later. Remember — it all counts! The days where an organization can dismiss poor behavior with “It’s just the internet” are long gone!
Mistake #4: Using Sock Puppets
Sock puppets is the term applied to social networking accounts that are created with the intent of hiding the poster’s true identity. Individuals often create sock puppets in an effort to avoid the real life consequences discussed in mistake number three!
Sock puppets can be used to boost, support, or defend a company’s position. Conversely, they can be used to tear down, disparage, or make negative commentary about a competitor’s organization, products, or services.
Either way, it is a bad idea! Many denizens of social networks are incredibly tech-savvy, and it won’t take them long at all to discover who is really behind a string of negative or hostile commentary. Exposure can be a public relations nightmare.
Honesty is the best policy. Either be willing to own your commentary, by posting under your own identity, or don’t say them at all!
Mistake #5: Overestimating Social Networking’s Role
Social networking is powerful. It is influential. It is, in many cases, free to participate in. However, it is NOT the end all, be all solution to your marketing needs. While it is tempting to try to solve many of your marketing challenges with social networking, it is important to remember that social networking is a tool, not the only tool.
Use social networking efforts to augment your existing marketing efforts. There are small, start up companies that market themselves solely via social networking. However, this is a self-limiting strategy: even if you reach every single person on that network, you’re still missing out on a large number of potential customers who never log on.
Keep your perspective. Social networking might not eat into your budget, but it does take time. Realize that at best, social networking can significantly augment and enhance your marketing and promotional efforts — but it will never wholly replace it!
Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, TheNichePreneur? Coach, Lake Placid, NY, internationally recognized niche marketing expert working with service professionals and small business owners to increase their target marketing potential.
Author: “Riches in Niches: How to Make it BIG in a small Market”and “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies.”
Claim your free copy of the special report, “The NichePreneneur? Mindset” at
www.richesinniches.com
via mediaverso.com
Monday, March 15, 2010
Social Network Guide - A List of Social Networks
A Guide to Social Networks
By Daniel Nations, About.com Guide to Web Trends
Social Networks can be a great home on the web, can help you connect with people or reconnect with long-lost friends, and can even help your career by making business contacts. Social networks range from friends-based networks like Facebook and MySpace to music and movie networks like Flixster and Last.FM to business social networks like LinkedIn and XING.
- Social Networking Basics
- General and Friends-based Social Networks
- Movie and Music Social Networks
- Mobile Social Networks
- Pet Social Networks
- Hobby and Special Interest Social Networks
- Business Social Networks
- Reading and Books Social Networks
Social Networking Basics
What is a social network? Why should you join one? How can you get started with social networking? If you are new to the world of social networks, these articles will give you the basics.
- What is Social Networking?
- Why Get Involved With Social Networking?
- How to Get Started With Social Networking
- How to Create Your Own Social Network on Ning
It hasn't taken long for Facebook to become the most popular social network on the planet. With the multitude of Facebook applications extending its use and the ease of Facebook Connect to use as a login for various websites, Facebook has become our home on the web.
General and Friends-based Social Networks
General social networks do not focus on a particular topic or niche. Instead, they put the emphasis on staying connected to your friends and connecting with new people. These friends-based networks often allow you to join groups and connect with people who have similar interests.
Movie and Music Social Networks
Movie and music social networks focus on connecting people to others who enjoy similar interests in movies or music. They can be a great resource for finding more information about a movie you enjoyed, discovering new music by checking out the playlists of people with similar interests, or just kicking back and playing a movie trivia game.
Mobile Social Networks
Mobile users constitute one of the biggest areas of growth in the online market. A number of social networks have sprung up that cater to mobile users in order to better suit their needs. These social networks can be great for arranging impromptu meetings while out on the town.
Pet Social Networks
Did you think social networks were limited to humans? Many different social networks have sprung up devoted to our hairy, four-legged and sometimes slithering-on-their-stomach friends. These pet-based social networks are not only great for meeting other pet owners, but also can be an excellent resource if you are in dire need of finding adopters of a surprise litter.
Hobby and Special Interest Social Networks
Hobby and special interest social networks range from those devoted to biking or sports to those who focus on sharing car reviews or dispensing medical advice. They can be a great source of entertainment, information and a great place to go for advice.
Business Social Networks
Social networks aren't all about fun and games. Social networking in business goes back long before the Internet when use of the 'buddy system' could be the best way to find a job. Business social networks bring that buddy system into the digital age by allowing you to quickly and easily maintain a list of business contacts and make new business connections.
Reading and Books Social Networks
Just finished up with a great book and looking for something similar to read? Reading and book-based social networks can be a great place to find people who share your taste in books. They are a great way to get book reviews, let friends know what your are reading, recommend the latest book that blew you away, and simply share information about literature.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Google's social side hopes to catch some Buzz | Relevant Results - CNET News
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Google is determined not to be left behind by the social-media revolution.
The company wants to take what it does best--organizing Web content by relevancy--and apply it to social media, perhaps the most disorganized segment of the Web. Google Buzz is its most ambitious attempt to do just that, marrying the Gmail Web interface with status updates and media-sharing technology in an attempt to convince the social media addicts of the world to spend more time on Google's sites than on competitors like Facebook or Twitter; generating valuable data in the process.
"It has become a core belief of ours that organizing the social information on the Web is a Google-scale problem," said Todd Jackson, Gmail product manager, demonstrating Google Buzz at the company's headquarters a day before Tuesday's event. An astounding amount of social-media content is produced every day, across Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and personal blogs, and Google's faith that it could one day index and organize the entire Internet has been shaken by this explosion in Web content.
Somebody has to try, according to Google engineers. "A lot of the world's information is what's happening with my friends," said Bradley Horowitz, vice president of product management at the company. "We can't achieve (Google's) mission unless we solve these parts of that problem."
However, they see not only an opportunity to unify the social Web and make things easier for users, but a chance to erode Facebook's advantage in the reams of user data it has amassed behind closed walls that Google--and Google's advertisers--can't see. The only way they'll be able to do that is by creating a system that is as compelling and easy to use as Facebook.
Google is attempting to do this by taking Gmail, one of its more popular products, and integrating Buzz directly into the Gmail interface. Users can link their Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, and Google Reader accounts to their Buzz streams to see information produced by friends on those networks, as well as updates posted directly to the Buzz stream.
One of the selling points for Google Buzz is a "recommendations" algorithim that Google says will help you organize social media content. (click for larger image).
(Credit: Google)Google thinks it can build a competitive advantage in social media by focusing on relevancy and ranking within a social network. For example, Buzz users will be able to see all the content produced by those who they are following, but they'll also be able to see content produced by people they aren't following if their friends "liked" or commented on that content.
They'll also be able to train that algorithm by clicking "Not interested" on these "recommended" status updates if they don't wish to see that particular type of update again. Google thinks users might see an advantage if they can lower the ranking of oft-repeated types of content--such as the what-I-had-for-breakfast update--without having to banish that friend's content from their feed.
The idea is to take the thinking behind core Google concepts such as PageRank and quality score and apply it to social media, and Buzz is an early example of that process at Google, Jackson said. Expect to see further updates, as Buzz fits right into Google's classic strategy of launching a product as soon as possible and making constant updates.
Getting Buzz when you're on the move
And on the mobile side of the world, where social media can be combined with location, Google wants to allow phone users to see a wealth of data about what's happening around them and get in on the location-aware services bandwagon.Google Buzz for Mobile will essentially be a competitor to services like Foursquare and Gowalla, allowing users to "check in" by updating their Buzz status with a Google Maps link to their location. You'll be able to do this right from Google's mobile home page, and Google is also releasing a Web application for Google Buzz that will work on iPhones and Android phones.
And within Google Maps for Mobile, the company's improved mapping application, users will be able to see public Buzz content posted from mobile phones around their location, said Vic Gundotra, vice president of engineering at Google. That includes quick reviews of restaurants in the area, updates on traffic snarls further along the route, or anything else imaginable.
For those who haven't drunk from the Foursquare pitcher just yet, bear in mind that the location part of a Buzz status update is opt-in: you'll have to manually declare your location, and can post Buzz updates without having to share your exact whereabouts.
This brings up a key factor in how Google is pitching Buzz. In order to attract users, it has to offer enough privacy safeguards to allow them to live their online lives in a semi-private fashion. But it also wants to open up that data to the wider Web, where it can be analyzed and dissected to glean information about trends that advertisers demand.
One of the issues with a service like Facebook is that so much of its content is walled-off from search engines and the general public. That's nice for users, but bad for search engines and marketers, and so Facebook has gently tried to encourage its users to open up their profiles.
Buzz users can choose to make a new post public or private before publishing. Public messages are distributed to one's followers, but they are also posted to one's Google Profile, where they can be searched, indexed, and viewed by anyone. Private Buzz messages can be sent to an unlimited number of subgroups within one's follower list, separating work contacts from drinking buddies, family and groups of friends that don't travel in the same circles. That would appear to give enough cover to those who want to make their online lives semi-public, but also placate Google and its advertisers' hunger for data on how people are spending their time both online and offline.
Buzz will take some time to gather the momentum that other social media sites have enjoyed. For example, one key omission is the inability to update those external service from within the Buzz stream: you can't update your Twitter feed with your status with a Buzz post, even though you can see what your Twitter contacts are doing in Buzz.
Google said it was working on that feature, but declined to say why it decided to leave that out at launch. Presumably, the company would prefer to build a network within Buzz that keeps those updates in house, at least at first. But those who have already established themselves as frequent Twitter users might not see a lot of value in a service that doesn't allow them to post to Twitter.
2010 is an important year for Google's social media strategy. The company has hired several veterans of the social Web to build out a new team, and executives promised a lot more to come with services like Buzz over the course of the year to erase the memories of Google as a social-media also-ran.
The problem, however, will be the increasing backlash Google is seeing from the general public over how much data the company already controls on their online habits. Will they want to take it a step further? If not, Google's social skills will have taken another hit.
via news.cnet.com
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Online Social Networking Sites, Facebook, Twitter, Ning, Business Networking Sites, Blogging, Social Media, Web Marketing
Jan
3
Why Blogs Make More Sense
Filed Under Blogging, Networking and Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Social Media and Social Networking Sites, Web Marketing | 14 Comments
As we begin 2010, I wish you real success, both online and off, in the year ahead.
In a video I’ve already already shown you, marketing expert Darren Rouse, author of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, explains in detail his blog-centric approach to building a web presence, in which his blogs are his home base, and social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube are his outposts.
Some readers have questioned the necessity of starting a blog, since a blog can consume more time than a business might be prepared to invest in their social media initiative.
I agree that starting a blog is not absolutely necessary.
Businesses can choose among various alternatives when establishing their social media home bases. However, these alternatives are less ideal than a blog for one or more of the following reasons:
- Inadequate Control - When a site is owned by someone else, they modify the terms or remove users arbitrarily, not caring at all that it’s your home base.
- Inadequate Communication - The site’s features don’t sufficiently enable two-way communication between you and your community members.
- Inadequate Flexibility - The structure, linking or other features of the site are too rigid.
- Too Resource Intensive - The expense far exceeds the alternative cost of starting and maintaining a blog.
These are some major alternatives to the blog-centric approach and the reasons they are problematic:
- Static Website -Inadequate communication and flexibility.
- Your Own Ning Network or Facebook Page - Inadequate control and flexibility.
- LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Squidoo etc. - Inadequate control, communication and flexibility.
- Self-Hosted Social Networking Site - Too resource intensive.
Note also that search engines are consistently receptive to blogs, and that some social media sites and Facebook apps cater to blogs and bloggers.
If I couldn’t use a blog for whatever reason, a static website (equipped for lead capture) coupled with a Facebook Page or perhaps my own Ning (or SocialGO) social networking sites might be workable, but…
There ain’t nothing like a blog!
Start 2010 off right: Subscribe and leave a comment.
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Sharing is Caring! Tags: blog, Blogging, Social Media
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Dec
30
Real Social Media Success in 2010
Filed Under Blogging, Facebook, Outside the Box, Personal Development and Success | 19 Comments
In 1,000 True Fans, Kevin Kelly develops a marketing paradigm for artists of all types, including musicians.
A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version.
Focus on connecting with people. Convert 1,000 lesser fans into true fans, which is all you need to earn a living.
In First, organize 1,000, Seth Godin generalizes the model and applies it to politics and business, “1,000 people voting as a bloc can change local politics forever. 1,000 people willing to try a new restaurant you find for them gives you the ability to make an entrepreneur successful and change the landscape of your town.”
Again, the focus is on connecting with people, “You don’t find customers for your products. You find products for your customers.”
Connecting with People through Social Media
What I really love about social media, in particular, blogging and social networking sites such as Facebook, is the facility with which they enable me to connect with people.
I can write an article or post a link that sparks a public conversation. Some remarks can then lead to private discussions via direct messages, email or telephone. If I help somebody or solve a problem, I now have a true fan.
Why 1,000 True Fans?
Don’t attach importance to one thousand. 1,000 is a round number, chosen arbitrarily, to take the number of fans or customers needed to earn a good living — which is fairly abstract — and make it more concrete.
Unfortunately, the emphasis on 1,000 true fans might lead us to “see the forest for the trees” but to lose sight of each individual tree. However, each individual we touch is, somewhat paradoxically, as important as the overall group.
Impact the life of even one true fan, and you have achieved a measure of success.
Real Social Media Success
The changes made possible by technology and social media in the ways we communicate and conduct business have been phenomenal. How glorious it would be if we could witness corresponding improvements in the human condition.
Sadly, the opposite is true. Technology and social media are used for evil as well as good, and our world and its peoples continue to have little respite from their fear, pain and suffering.
Our world is made up of individuals. We, as individuals, must seek ways to bridge our differences, to heal our conflicts, and to ameliorate our Planet Earth. We, as individuals, must connect with other individuals, through our businesses and otherwise, and help them improve their lives.
It would be super if, in our businesses, we could look beyond the bottom line and use social media to make the globe not only smaller, but kinder, saner and safer as well.
That would be real social media success.
May we all achieve success in 2010. Have a happy new year!
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Sharing is Caring! Tags: critical success factors, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Seth Godin, Social Media, Success Strategies
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Dec
28
8 Social Media Basics for 2010
Filed Under Best of 2009, Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, List Building, Ning Sites, Personal Development and Success, Public Relations, Search Engines, Social Media and Social Networking Sites, Targeting, Twitter | 15 Comments
Search Social Media 2010 on Google, and you’ll be able to compile your own social media 2010 reading list. If the information in all the articles isn’t sufficiently comprehensive, a list of 44+ social media books to buy and read can help fill the gaps.
Not that I don’t like reading about trends and innovations — I do. However, I learned long ago that the bleeding edge cuts both ways, and there’s merit in waiting until the timing is right.
Blogs and Facebook have been around for years, yet only recently have they emerged as key tools for main- stream businesses.
I suggest that we watch and see how social media and technology play out in 2010, but that we focus on the basics and build our web presences right now using techniques and resources at our fingertips.
Here are my eight social media basics for building a web presence 2010:
- Core Marketing and PR Competencies - Analytics, branding, communication, competitive intelligence, design, list building, market segmentation, marketing research, targeting, etc.
- High-Quality Relevant Content - Producing and sharing articles, videos, podcasts, pictures, conference calls and talk shows.
- Search Engine Optimization - Social media and SEO complement each other. Read Social Media vs. Search Engine Optimization and Website vs. Web Presence.
- Blogging - Also in Website vs. Web Presence, Darren Rouse, author of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, shares in a video his blog-centric approach to social media marketing, an approach to which I subscribe.
- Social Networking Sites - Nearly any social media site can present opportunities to network. By social networking sites, I mean sites that exist primarily for networking rather than content sharing.The principal social networking sites for business are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. You can also throw into the mix Ning and other niche social networking sites.
- Content Sharing Sites - Two of the most popular content sharing sites are YouTube and Flickr, but there are many more.
- Social Bookmarking Sites - There are hundreds of business and social bookmarking sites. Two of my favorite sites are Business Exchange and StumbleUpon.
- Blog and Web Site Networks - There are many blog and website networks. My favorites include Entrecard, NetworkedBlogs, Technorati, MyBlogLog, BlogCatalog and Google Friend Connect.
With these social media basics, you can build a huge web presence in 2010. It’s not possession of the latest technology or an inside scoop on a new FB app that’ll enable you to soar in 2010. Your success will depend largely upon your own creativity, skills, efficiency and inner motivation.
I hope you have already mastered the all-important skills of subscribing to blogs and commenting on blog posts.
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Sharing is Caring! Tags: Blogging, content sharing, SEO, social bookmarking, Social Media, social networking sites, web presence
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Dec
23
10 Team Collaboration Strategies for 2010
Filed Under Best Practices, Networking and Marketing Strategy, Outside the Box | 18 Comments
Reading through Ivana’s tips, I stopped at “Productize Your Services: It’s much easier to understand and purchase something that looks like a product.” This task has been on my list for a while, but now I feel compelled to tackle it sooner rather than later.
During 2009, I focused on researching, analyzing and blogging about social networking sites and social media paradigms. However, I’ve already formulated some key objectives for 2010, which include closer collaboration with peers.
Here are ten of the many ways we might be able to collaborate in the year to come:
- Brainstorming - Teaching each other and working together to find creative solutions to problems. I currently brainstorm a lot with close friends.
- Masterminding - Forming mastermind groups to help each other reach our goals by overcoming obstacles and remaining accountable.
- Networking - Sharing contacts, either directly, through new social networking sites or via other business networking groups.
- Lead Sharing - Providing each other with business or job leads.
- Blogging - Group blogging is a proven concept.
- Strategic Alliances - Combining our skills and resources to create synergies.
- Team Projects - Pure team collaboration, i.e., working together on projects together as a group.
- Blog Promotion - Using our influence to promote each other’s blogs and other content.
- Fan Page Promotion - Inviting our Facebook friends to join each other’s Facebook fan pages.
- Content Promotion - Bookmarking, linking to, commenting on, and retweeting each other’s content.
I can envision collaboration strategies such as these benefiting teams in a corporate setting as well.
Please share your ideas below before you go.
If you’d like to collaborate, send an email with “Collaborate” in the subject to collaborate at braunersolutions dot com. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Sharing is Caring! Tags: business networking group, collaboration, Ivana Taylor, Marketing Strategy, mastermind groups, Social Media
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Dec
21
12 Tips for Using Business Week’s Social Bookmarking Site
Filed Under LinkedIn, Networking and Marketing Strategy, Social Media and Social Networking Sites | 17 Comments
I traced the visit back to Business Exchange, Bloomberg Business Week’s social bookmarking site “that helps professionals discover and organize information from across the Web… a great way to share content and find the most relevant news on business topics.”
Anita Campbell, a Twitter friend and CEO of Small Business Trends, “an online small biz community reaching over 250,000 each month,” had saved my blog post, The Social Media ROI Obsession, on the Business Exchange site. Somebody evidently clicked through to my blog to read the article.
Once I arrived at Business Exchange, I quickly realized that this social media site was much more upscale and business-like than the social bookmarking sites with which I was familiar, and I saw BX as a potential venue for sharing content and networking up with corporate executives and media elite.
On Friday, Business Exchange notified me that I will be the featured user starting Tuesday, December 22nd at approximately 9:15am ET and lasting for 24 hours. I thought therefore that this would be an opportune moment to write about the Business Exchange site.
Business Exchange Site Basics
These are the principal ways you interact with the Business Exchange site. You can:
- join and set up your account
- search topics and people (note that the search box is tucked away at the bottom, way below the fold)
- bookmark articles you discover into one or more topics
- browse articles that have previously been bookmarked
- react to articles that you or others have bookmarked
- save topics and articles of interest for easy future access
- follow other users
- explore users’ links
- subscribe to other users’ activity
Here are 12 easy ways that you can benefit from the Business Exchange site:
- When you join, choose the option to link your Business Exchange and LinkedIn profiles. Your LinkedIn information will automatically be filled in on your Business Exchange profile page, and you will be able to easily send invitations to your LinkedIn connections.
- You can let Business Exchange automatically post your reactions to LinkedIn and Twitter. I checked off the box for LinkedIn but not for Twitter. It’s your decision.
- Bookmark only high quality business articles that fit into existing topics. Add each article to as many topics as apply, up to five, the maximum. You’ll receive contribution points, one for each topic.
- You may bookmark your own high quality business articles, but if you bookmark only your content, you’re likely to be labeled a spammer, and your standing on Business Exchange will be jeopardized.
- You don’t have to bookmark articles to participate actively. You can react to articles bookmarked by others and receive a contribution point for each reaction.
- Other users will likely “size you up” based on your your contribution points, the quality of your contributions and reactions, the number of users following you, your profile and your links.
- Follow users who interest you. Don’t expect them to follow back automatically, and don’t automatically follow users who follow you.
- Explore other users’ links. You might discover a blog or other website that you’ll like. You may also find a way to connect up with them at another site and network together. Let them know that you’re both Business Exchange users.
- On LinkedIn, if you and another member belong to a common group, you can send an invitation without knowing that member’s email. If that person just followed you on Business Exchange or is a LinkedIn Open Networker (LION), extend an invitation and mention Business Exchange.
- Use the Business Exchange home page interface to invite LinkedIn connections. X-out people you don’t really know, so that you don’t risk spamming them. Customize your invitation message. Those who join will be added as mutual followers automatically.
- When telling friends about Business Exchange or promoting the site, link directly to your profile. You want that they should get the idea to follow you if they join.
- The Business Exchange site tends to be slow. Be patient. It’s worth waiting. Business Exchange is in beta, and hopefully Business Week is addressing the response time problem at this very moment.
Conclusion
I’ve been pleased with the articles bookmarked at Business Exchange and the quality of traffic my blog has received from the site. I hope you’ll have a similar good experience with Business Exchange.
Before you go, please subscribe and leave me a comment. See you on Business Exchange.
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Sharing is Caring! Tags: Anita Campbell, Business Exchange, Business Week, LinkedIn, social bookmarking sites, Social Media, Twitter
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Dec
17
10 Tips for Choosing a Social Media Consultant
Filed Under Best Practices, Best of 2009, Networking and Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Social Media and Social Networking Sites, Web Marketing | 25 Comments
After writing Social Media Carpetbaggers and Snake Oil Salesmen, readers remarked that they had heard enough about the kinds of social media consultants to avoid and were ready to learn how to choose a good social media consultant.
The ten guidelines I present below are best practices for choosing and hiring social media consultants but can be adapted for choosing an SEO consultant, an Internet marketing consultant, or another type of business consultant.
Oh by the way, when I say “he”, I mean “he, she or they.” Biased I may be, but that biased, I’m not.
#1 - Walking the Walk - Many businesses know little about social media. For such a business, choosing and hiring a social media consultant is on a par with choosing a brain surgeon or hiring a rocket scientist. If there’s no one in your business who knows about social media, enlist the help of an expert. Most high school or college kids can qualify.
Here are ten ways to tell whether your candidate is walking the walk:
- Established Blog - He has a blog and has been posting consistently to it for at least a year, and all the recent blog posts have comments.
- Articulate - He writes and speaks well and will be able to help you develop and evaluate content.
- Blog Subscribers - The subscriber count widget on his blog shows the number of subscribed readers. The more, the merrier.
- Web Presence - Google him and his blog. Each search should return at least a few pages of relevant results.
- Linking Out - His blog ought to link out to other blogs and websites.
- Facebook - With everybody and his brother joining Facebook these days, I expect that you will find him on Facebook too. He’ll have many friends on his Facebook profile and fans on his page, if he has set one up.
- Twitter - While Twitter may not be a good fit for your business, each and every social media consultant has a profile on Twitter. More important than the number of people following him are the number of lists following him and how, judging by their names, the curators of those Twitter lists seem to characterize him.
- LinkedIn - Everybody in business is joining LinkedIn. There’s a good chance that he’ll be on LinkedIn and have more than 500 connections there.
- People Person - He needs to understand people. On his blog, Facebook and Twitter he interacts with people who respect him.
- Social Bookmarking - It’s probably too much for you to check whether he uses social bookmarking sites, but ask. If he’s puzzled, that’s a bad sign. Some popular social bookmarking and content sharing sites are Digg, Delicious, Propeller, Flickr, YouTube, Reddit, diigo, Jumptags, Business Exchange and Google.
#2 - Past Accomplishments - Past successes help predict future ones, even in an unrelated field. Ask for and check references. Past employers and clients aren’t likely to report any misgivings, but perhaps you can still learn something valuable. A lukewarm reference may signal dissatisfaction.
#3 - Questions Asked - Does he ask great questions about your business and what you want to accomplish, or is he selling to you like a used car salesman? Don’t choose a consultant who fails to ask meaningful questions.
#4 - Appreciating Your Business - The person who is meant to be your social media consultant will “get” what your business is all about and appreciate or even share some of your passion for it.
#5 - Chemistry - You and he will hopefully work together for a long time. Rapport, communication and comfort are essential for a good long-term fit.
#6 - Sharp Thinking - Your social media program will consist of planning, execution and analytics. Therefore, your ideal social media consultant should be strong strategically, tactically and quantitatively.
#7 - Breadth and Depth - In order to see the big picture and master the details, not only is sharp thinking a must, your social media consultant should know a whole lot about a whole lot of things. Sharp thinking and extensive knowledge combine to promote creativity and excellence.
#8 - Money Issues - You have budgetary considerations, but never choose a social media consultant just because he’s cheap. Don’t let money impair your judgment. Find the right person to help you build your web presence and negotiate the terms with him.
# 9 - Distance Matters - All other things being equal, it’s helpful if your social media consultant is local to you or within reasonable flying time and cost. However, don’t let distance stop you from choosing the best social media consultant for your business.
#10 - Small Assignments - Don’t make a long term commitment on Day 1. Hire your consultant for preliminary planning and competitive analysis. If he performs well, let him work to develop a more comprehensive plan, etc.
We’ve reached the point in the post where you usually comment. Make me look good.
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