Internet Marketing, Web Design, SEO, Web 2.0 Optimization
Posts tagged social networking
What is the difference Between Social Networking and Social Media?
107 months ago
One of the greatest things about the new Web 2.0 is that the web is no longer just a place to go get information; it is alive and full of two-way interactions. Since it has made the transition into a social web and allows for so much interaction there can be great confusion regarding terms that we have become accustomed to hearing on a daily basis. Two terms that we hear used a lot both in marketing and outside of marketing platformsare Social Networking and Social Media. Many use these two terms interchangeably but they are not synonymous.
Social Networking
Social networking is basically an online social community. This can be on a strictly personal level, but it can also be a large part of business and internet marketing strategies. There are many social sites on line where people with common interests can share thoughts, ideas, plans or chat about life’s occurrences. Web users build online communities around a common interest. Coming together within a social network can revolve around limitless topics. A social network can be tied together around simple friendship, kinship, or financial exchanges, religious beliefs or virtually any type of shared interest. Basically, a social network is built by creating a page or a group and allowing the exchange of conversation or information about the interest that is shared. Social networking can be accomplished through the use of social media.
Social media is a very broad term that includes a wide variety of media vehicles. It is the “how” of how we socialize on the new Web 2.0. Social media is the vehicle we use to share information with our social network. Social media includes all of our social networking sites like facebook, twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. These are among the most popular social media sites. Facebook (as of August 2011) has reached 750 million members and comes in as the number one social networking site. There are many social media sites and they use a wide variety of formats. Blogger and WordPress are two of the most popular general blogging sites, but there are thousands of blogging sites. The possibilities are endless depending on the information being exchanged and the intended audience. There are article databases such as Ezine, sites to create your own page and content (called a “lens”) such as squidoo, and scribd where ebooks or other documents can be shared across the World Wide Web. Social media covers all the tools we use for social networking.
How to Use Social Media for Business
37 months ago
The social media world is a very broad one as there are so many options and platforms available from which to promote your business. While it can be a simple process in general, it can be rather complex to use these social platforms to their fullest potential. In some ways it is as easy as setting up a facebook fan page and sharing links to twitter accounts, blogs and various forums or websites. But it will take a detailed strategy to use these platforms properly and effectively. Otherwise it is like a scattershot in the dark at best. While employing the various modes of social media there is a certain (mostly) unspoken set of rules and ethics.
Using social media
Honesty and transparency are key to launching a successful internet marketing strategy. It is important for relationships for you to be yourself with customers and internet users who may interact with you. Do not act like you are a “customer” if you are a business owner. Being honest and open about who you are and what you are sharing builds trust between you and your customers. This is key to maintaining a good business relationship.
Make your communication informative rather than promotional. It is okay when using social media platforms (facebook, Twitter, etc…) to make suggestions about products that may be available but make it sound more like you are sharing information. You want to be careful that you do not come off as a spammer while engaged in interactions online. You do want to logically present your business information so that others are aware of what you are making available. Remember that most social media platforms are built around a casual atmosphere. Conversations may be business oriented, but you want to be congenial and informal.
Use every opportunity to answer any questions that may be asked. But try not to answer questions that already have answers unless you really have more information to add to what has already been said. Also try to avoid questions that were asked a long time ago, unless of course they are pertinent to current events.
Always listen to customer feedback. Don’t dismiss something just because it sounds negative on the surface. One of the benefits to using social media is to get constructive feedback. Yes, you are dispensing information and providing it to clientele, but they may have an idea that can help you provide better service or a way to improve communication between your business and the customers.
Using these guidelines, when dealing within the structure of social media, will help you become a trusted source. You need this trust so that customers can ask you for your advice.
Google’s New Social Network
59 months ago
Google social network
Honestly, I think I am the most skeptical person when it comes to new social networks. It took me several years to get caught up in the facebook scene. At my age, I get stuck in a rut and basically figure if something is working why opt for something new? But, I must say at first glance, Google’s new social network, Google Plus, is very impressive. And it has grown faster than any other social network after its inception. So what’s so special about the new Google Plus?
My favorite part is the circles. The difference here is that I can group my “friends” into different circles. My real-life friends are in their own circle, family in one and business relationships are in another. What is the advantage? There are things I want to share with my friends that I really do not care for my boss to know. Google says it’s more like “real life” since I can put the people I know into groups of how I want to share my personal information with them. I can share my website marketing ideas with business associates; and save my Saturday night activities for my friends. And my mother doesn’t have to know either, because she is in my “family” circle! I can even create separate circles for the friends I run with, or the ones I want to go to the movie with.
Sparks is a great idea too. Basically it is its own search engine of sorts (in layman terms). You can type in any topic of interest and get a snippet, a video, pictures or articles that may be of further interest on that topic. And on the flip side, you can sync your phone so that your photos are automatically uploaded to your Google + account. There’s no waiting for them to upload, because it is done when you take the picture or video.
Huddle and Hangouts are two of the social scenes that are becoming popular with Google Plus users. A “hangout” is created and then you can invite others to join, or if your friends see you are there they can join in. It is more like a video chat room with major social interaction. I am pretty impressed with these advancements in social networking too. The Huddle is pretty much just a group chat session. It’s more like a personal chat room. This works a lot better than trying to relay messages back and forth between friends.
Although Google Plus is still in its earliest stages, I think it has some very nice features that will spoil us all very quickly. Other social networking sites may have to step up their game if they want to compete with this new kid on the block!
Related articles
- Why Google+ Matters to Marketers With @Shama Kabani [@InboundNow #32] (hubspot.com)
- Why Google + is the Facebook Killer (seopositive.co.uk)
- A Guide to Google+ Privacy and Information Control [Google+] (lifehacker.com)
- 6 Pressing Google+ Questions: Answered (webpagefx.com)
- Google Launches Google PLUS + Social Networking Site (appsgadgetsetc.wordpress.com)
Should I use Facebook or Twitter to Communicate with Customers?
21 year ago
The world has changed. Gone are the days when companies were housed in mile high glass fortresses with no doors and no transparency, today companies (big and small) are expected to communicate with their customers and this communication has to be well planned and implemented. Today even companies such as GM are expected to have one on one communication (via the internet) with both fans and foes of their products. This is truly a scary world, but if you have a well thought out communication strategy and if you are respectful to your customers, such communication can help to equal the playing field between the big guys and the small guys and even a small company may have the potential to reach a truly global audience.
When it comes to direct communication between a company and its clients there are currently many options and many platforms for companies to choose from, depending on their target demographic, but the two biggest players are still Facebook and Twitter. Today it is not so much a question of Facebook or Twitter (Since companies must be active in both of these platforms and must integrate these platforms together so that they can maximize the benefit of this communication) The question today is, which platform should a company’s focus be on…? I would recommend that if you have a younger demographic (20-30) and if you have media (images, videos…) to distribute to your followers that you should concentrate your efforts on Facebook, b/c it is more suitable to media and still has a greater percentage of youth. If you wish to communicate with your audience in smaller bursts (140 characters at a time) I would recommend using Twitter to communicate with your audience. But as always, you should experiment for yourself and choose the platform that works best for you.
Which do you prefer Facebook or Twitter? Why? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Optimizing Linked In for SEO
31 year ago
Currently there are many social networking sites that exist on every topic, no matter what you are interested in there is a social network for you! And many of these social networks have a potential benefit to offer from an SEO perspective. One of the bigger genres of social networking, and perhaps one of the more important uses for social networking is that of professional social networking and the unarguable champion of professional networking, the leader of the band, the granddaddy of them all is Linked In!
Linked In is a professional networking site that was developed to allow users to network with recruiters and industry leaders. Once you create an account, you can invite everyone from your email address book to join and start networking with colleagues. This platform allows you to create a profile, which is basically an online resume where you list your accomplishments, education, employment history etc… In terms of optimizing your profile for SEO there is one important thing that you should do, there is a place within the profile where you can add a link to your website, blog… these links will be a part of your public Linked In profile, and they can help your overall SEO.
There are two other very useful features that Linked In offers that can help generate buzz for you and your site, the first of these is “Linked In Answers”. Linked In Answers allows you to ask questions, once asked; a question can be posted on the answers page and can also be sent to up to 200 of your connections. This is a very useful feature if you are looking to attract visitors from your industry.
Another very useful component of Linked In is Groups. Groups within Linked In function much the same way as groups in other social networking sites, you can reply to or post a discussion, invite people to join the group, invite group members to join your network etc… The cool thing about groups is that in Linked In there are many professional groups on every topic imaginable and if you want to be considered an expert in your chosen field, groups are a good place to start.
How do you use Linked In? Is there a feature of the site that you like that I’ve overlooked? Please share with us by leaving a comment.
Twitter still important?
22 years ago
The value that Twitter can potentially bring to your brand/business/website is a topic that can be debated, but simply put, it all depends on the amount of time that you dedicate to the Twitter platform, and the interest that you are able to generate from your followers. The fact remains that having an inactive Twitter account will accomplish nothing, whereas an active Twitter account, one where you have thousands of followers, with whom you communicate regularly can do wonders to generate buzz for your site and can be a great method by which to network, and make valuable business contacts and friends.
The most important thing about Twitter from an SEO perspective is the proper optimization of your account; this means, a profile image (a real picture of you), a website (either your site, your blog, or a link to another web 2.0 page you have set up), and a description, Twitter descriptions are limited to 160 characters, people often try to be cute in their descriptions without saying anything, but if you want a popular Twitter account it is valuable to tell people who you are.
Twitter has a number of useful features that you can use to promote your site, blog… one of my favorites is Twitter feed (this is an independent company that helps users attach an RSS feed to their Twitter account). The way this service works is you set up an account, then add an RSS feed (usually from your blog) and then, every time that you update your blog (your RSS feed is updated) Twitter feed sends out a Tweet to your followers with your blog title and a link to the blog post. If you have dedicated followers, and write interesting blogs this can potentially generate tons of good traffic.
What has Twitter done for you? Please share by leaving a comment.
Is Facebook still important?
42 years ago
Today Facebook remains the grand daddy of all social networking sites, if you want to connect with long lost elementary school friends, or spy on a high school girlfriend, or simply see your friends latest pics from that weekend trip they took… then Facebook is for you! But, if you are looking to use Facebook for business, to market your product, or to improve your SEO then the answer becomes much less obvious.
As a rule Facebook discourages their users from using their services to market a product, and if you are caught ignoring this they will shut down your account without warning, I would therefore not advise a client to try to gain the Facebook filters b/c you are likely to have your account disabled. Although, if you have a wide circle of friends, or an existing Facebook account on which you are already active… I would advise you to certainly take advantage of this platform! I would also advise you to use Facebook if you have a social business, (la restaurant, bar, club…); in this case Facebook would make it easy for you to maintain a large circle of friends, and to communicate with those friends about events, contests, discounts…
An additional feature of Facebook and the only feature of Facebook that currently has any bearing on the SEO of your website is the Fan page. A fan page is a page that you can set up about your business, favorite singer… and then invite “fans” to that page. This page allows you to list a website, and it is typically indexed by major search engines.
Have you used Facebook in your internet marketing efforts? Please share your success stories with us in the comments section.
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