There are endless social networking sites, and platforms online today, all promising to be the best, and offer something different to their visitors, but does Squidoo actually deliver or is it just another social networking site that doesn't quite deliver?
Squidoo is a social networking website that allows it users to create their own content and pages for various different topics of interest. Unlike other solo page websites where information is shared from the website owner, Squidoo uses social networking to its advantage by pages being created by the Squidoo community, creating a highly interactive social platform.
Created in 2005 by Seth Godin, Squidoo is now known as one of the most popular content sharing sites, even finding its way into the top 500 most visited sites in the world. With a primary benefit of the site being that it enables just about anyone to create pages to reveal their interests, opinions and passions with very little censorship to what gets published.
The concept behind Squidoo is that users compose the content for the website themselves by uploading content to single web pages, known as a Lenses, each web page has information on one topic only, though you can create as many Lenses as you might like. Another huge benefit for the user is that they can create attractive multimedia pages, sharing their content without having to go down the usual path of having to learn confusing html and using website creation tools.
The Squidoo user really does have scope to create Lenses on pretty much anything that they may choose to with Lenses covering 22 different topics, from Business to Fitness.
Another very powerful element to Squidoo is that due to it being in the top 500 websites worldwide, it means that the search engines love it! Therefore enabling its users to get high search engine rankings for their lenses, which in turn will drive even more traffic to them.
As I'm sure you can begin to see it is a very powerful social networking tool, that really outshines most of its competitors.
Which is exactly why it is such a popular method for internet marketers to use to drive traffic to their websites completely free of charge. There are an abundance of free marketing methods to be used online nowadays and Squidoo should definitely not be one to be overlooked. Its free, its popular and its powerful.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
How to Build Your Own Online Community - Social Networking Site
Social networking is among the latest craze to captivate the net savvy adult. Building our own social networking site or community is similar to establishing a unique identity in a real society. Your "virtual" identity and importance grows along with it and so does it reflect on your "real" identity. It helps advance your business profile and plays a very supportive role in gaining you new business opportunities. A social networking site of your own adds the extra impetus needed for you to have an established presence in the virtual world where you can not only provide opportunities to others but can also extend your network of friends, admirers and partners.
Before jumping headlong into ones own online community, it is imperative that one have prior experience in this sort of thing. One must be active and regular in at least few blogs, communities, participate with others in responding to the events of others. Only then can you get an idea of how people will react to your social site or online community. Kaboodle, ThisNext are other social shopping arenas that are influential in shaping up ones sense of the virtual reality. Creating an online community is almost a formality now a days with sites like ning.com offering easy to use and branded social network at almost no cost and in just a couple of simple steps. But as they say,no one gets free lunch. Your site will be accompanied by Google ads though you can upgrade it using a very nominal and affordable fee. Why this is important is that the time is not far away when one can envision a future empowered by the proliferation of these small mini communities and networking sites rather than these massive widely popular ones of today.
There are of course open source and closed source resources for building such networking sites. Most of the simple networking sites can be built by hand if one has sufficient knowledge of technologies (scripting languages) like PHP, java Script and JSP. Knowledge of Server side technologies are useful too. For a simple social networking site, front end can be designed in HTML DHTML and back end server script can be PHP. User friendly databases can be used and interfaces can be these server side scripting. But with the advancement of the internet, all these are redundant. There are different applications, prominent being the Okphp sns, an efficient social networking application creator. It is built from PHP/ MYSQL. It has been in existence for many years now and its popularity lies in the fact that it has been upgraded continuously. There are tons of templates, custom palettes and lots of options to the user to make and customize his online community. Its unique standout feature is a billing system for paid networks. This script is fairly simple and allows you to create your online community in just few minutes. The script also provides you user generated content that will improve the visitors' rate to your site by increasing the search engine indexes. Few common provisions in social networking application builders are access control lists, powerful authentication mechanism, advanced template engine, view support, widget framework, cross site tagging, user administration, moderator facilities and ability to extend the network to include international support.
Before jumping headlong into ones own online community, it is imperative that one have prior experience in this sort of thing. One must be active and regular in at least few blogs, communities, participate with others in responding to the events of others. Only then can you get an idea of how people will react to your social site or online community. Kaboodle, ThisNext are other social shopping arenas that are influential in shaping up ones sense of the virtual reality. Creating an online community is almost a formality now a days with sites like ning.com offering easy to use and branded social network at almost no cost and in just a couple of simple steps. But as they say,no one gets free lunch. Your site will be accompanied by Google ads though you can upgrade it using a very nominal and affordable fee. Why this is important is that the time is not far away when one can envision a future empowered by the proliferation of these small mini communities and networking sites rather than these massive widely popular ones of today.
There are of course open source and closed source resources for building such networking sites. Most of the simple networking sites can be built by hand if one has sufficient knowledge of technologies (scripting languages) like PHP, java Script and JSP. Knowledge of Server side technologies are useful too. For a simple social networking site, front end can be designed in HTML DHTML and back end server script can be PHP. User friendly databases can be used and interfaces can be these server side scripting. But with the advancement of the internet, all these are redundant. There are different applications, prominent being the Okphp sns, an efficient social networking application creator. It is built from PHP/ MYSQL. It has been in existence for many years now and its popularity lies in the fact that it has been upgraded continuously. There are tons of templates, custom palettes and lots of options to the user to make and customize his online community. Its unique standout feature is a billing system for paid networks. This script is fairly simple and allows you to create your online community in just few minutes. The script also provides you user generated content that will improve the visitors' rate to your site by increasing the search engine indexes. Few common provisions in social networking application builders are access control lists, powerful authentication mechanism, advanced template engine, view support, widget framework, cross site tagging, user administration, moderator facilities and ability to extend the network to include international support.
What the Tweet is Twitter All About?
Its amazing really that a site that has now been around for 3 years can still have so many people baffled as to what it is! However Twitter is one of those social networking sites that still has people scratching their heads, when in fact it not only is a very powerful social media site, but also one of the simplest.
Twitter, created in 2006 by a gentleman by the name of Jack Dorsey, is a popular and free social networking site and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and receive messages that are known as tweets. However there is one catch, all messages must be within 140 characters, the same number of characters as a text message.
Every time that a twitter member tweets their status ,the 140 character message is not only displayed on their profile page but also delivered to all other twitter members that are subscribed to that members channel. These are known as followers.
Since 2007 when Twitter really started to kick off there have been multiple other sites & applications that have been created that run alongside Twitter, for example twitpic.com & yfrog.com which enable you to upload pictures to your twitter account for an even more interactive social experience.
There are millions of people worldwide now with twitter accounts, and it is one of the few social media platforms that is not just being used by the "Average Joe", but also has massive usage from celebrities and public figures. It enables them to interact with their fans on a very personal level, though still keeping their fans at safe distance. With Ashton Kutcher, Ellen DeGeneres & Britney Spears the top 3 tweeters with over 3 million followers each! Pretty impressive I am sure you'll agree.
Since its launch in 2006 Twitter has now found its way into the top 50 websites worldwide, in accordance with Alexa's web traffic analysis, with a whopping monthly growth of 1,382 percent. If that doesn't show you just how popular and powerful this social media site is I don't know what could!
There are currently approx 8 million Tweeters on Twitter with an estimated 12 million followers by the end of the year, so if so many millions are logging on.. it really cant be the difficult, right?!
Twitter, created in 2006 by a gentleman by the name of Jack Dorsey, is a popular and free social networking site and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and receive messages that are known as tweets. However there is one catch, all messages must be within 140 characters, the same number of characters as a text message.
Every time that a twitter member tweets their status ,the 140 character message is not only displayed on their profile page but also delivered to all other twitter members that are subscribed to that members channel. These are known as followers.
Since 2007 when Twitter really started to kick off there have been multiple other sites & applications that have been created that run alongside Twitter, for example twitpic.com & yfrog.com which enable you to upload pictures to your twitter account for an even more interactive social experience.
There are millions of people worldwide now with twitter accounts, and it is one of the few social media platforms that is not just being used by the "Average Joe", but also has massive usage from celebrities and public figures. It enables them to interact with their fans on a very personal level, though still keeping their fans at safe distance. With Ashton Kutcher, Ellen DeGeneres & Britney Spears the top 3 tweeters with over 3 million followers each! Pretty impressive I am sure you'll agree.
Since its launch in 2006 Twitter has now found its way into the top 50 websites worldwide, in accordance with Alexa's web traffic analysis, with a whopping monthly growth of 1,382 percent. If that doesn't show you just how popular and powerful this social media site is I don't know what could!
There are currently approx 8 million Tweeters on Twitter with an estimated 12 million followers by the end of the year, so if so many millions are logging on.. it really cant be the difficult, right?!
How to Make Money From Facebook Applications
The app industry has really exploded over the past couple of years, and is making big money. In the past if you wanted to get in on the lucrative app business you would have needed to be well versed in the relevant programming language to be able to write the code for your application, but now anyone can get in on it as an entrepreneur and make good money from it without needing to have any kind of technical knowledge or skills whatsoever.
There are two major platforms which really dominate this market - Facebook and the iPhone, both of which have a truly enormous market for new applications. I thought it was about time I wrote about Facebook.
There are two routes which anyone can take to make money from Facebook apps which I know of, so take a look at both and then decide which route suits you best - have a go at both!
Make Your Own Facebook Apps
There are many tools available in the market which anyone can use to easily create gift apps for Facebook. If you looking for custom Facebook application you need to search for Facebook developer or a company offering Facebook application development services. There is a real focus on helping you to make money from your creations and each one has four potential income streams and they also provide plenty of info on how to maximize the money you make to how to use them to drive traffic to your websites (or hubpages!) if you prefer. Its a great little tool and the only drawback is the limited range of things that you can create with it Plenty of revenue potential though.
There are two major platforms which really dominate this market - Facebook and the iPhone, both of which have a truly enormous market for new applications. I thought it was about time I wrote about Facebook.
There are two routes which anyone can take to make money from Facebook apps which I know of, so take a look at both and then decide which route suits you best - have a go at both!
Make Your Own Facebook Apps
There are many tools available in the market which anyone can use to easily create gift apps for Facebook. If you looking for custom Facebook application you need to search for Facebook developer or a company offering Facebook application development services. There is a real focus on helping you to make money from your creations and each one has four potential income streams and they also provide plenty of info on how to maximize the money you make to how to use them to drive traffic to your websites (or hubpages!) if you prefer. Its a great little tool and the only drawback is the limited range of things that you can create with it Plenty of revenue potential though.
10 Tips For Effective Marketing on Twitter
1. You need to know the difference between spamming and posting often. You do not want to spam Twitter. That is a quick way to lose followers. Twitter is a social network, not a spamming network. If you spam your followers, you'll lose them or get ignored. Instead post meaningful and relevant content.
2. Be sure to post a picture and some information about your business on your profile. A picture of yourself or something relating to your business works best. If people can learn a little about you or your business on your profile, they'll be more likely to follow you and see what you have to say.
3. Keep it brief. That's the whole point of Twitter. Your product might have 20 or more great features. Don't try to tell your readers about all of them on Twitter. Just post one or two with a link to your website or blog where you can go into more detail about your product or services.
4. Encourage conversation. Post polls, ask questions, or come up with other creative ways to engage your followers. Conversation is an important part of marketing yourself or business on Twitter.
5. Follow others. When you follow someone, they are notified. Many people will follow you back, thus increasing your Twitter network. Some users will look to follow the people another user is following.
6. Along with the above tip, find a program you like to automate your following. A program like Tweet Adder or Bird Feeder will allow you to gain a large number of followers quickly and almost effortlessly.
7. Go mobile. There are lots of applications that let you use Twitter while on the go. Blackberry and iPhones have several each. If your phone doesn't support one of these apps, you can use text messages through Twitter to post updates. This is great if you think of something while on the go that you want to get out to your followers right away.
8. Re-tweet posts of others. If you find something someone else had to say useful, chances are your followers might as well. Re-tweet it. Sure you might be giving some business to that person, but maybe they'll return the favor in the future and re-tweet one of your posts out to their readers.
9. If you can, send some personal direct messages out to new followers. You can have an auto-responder do this, but they are impersonal, and most people can recognize them from a mile away. Mention something on the new followers profile that you found interesting. Again, you are engaging your followers, hopefully, building a follower for life.
10. Have fun! Twitter can be a blast if you let. Enjoy yourself.
2. Be sure to post a picture and some information about your business on your profile. A picture of yourself or something relating to your business works best. If people can learn a little about you or your business on your profile, they'll be more likely to follow you and see what you have to say.
3. Keep it brief. That's the whole point of Twitter. Your product might have 20 or more great features. Don't try to tell your readers about all of them on Twitter. Just post one or two with a link to your website or blog where you can go into more detail about your product or services.
4. Encourage conversation. Post polls, ask questions, or come up with other creative ways to engage your followers. Conversation is an important part of marketing yourself or business on Twitter.
5. Follow others. When you follow someone, they are notified. Many people will follow you back, thus increasing your Twitter network. Some users will look to follow the people another user is following.
6. Along with the above tip, find a program you like to automate your following. A program like Tweet Adder or Bird Feeder will allow you to gain a large number of followers quickly and almost effortlessly.
7. Go mobile. There are lots of applications that let you use Twitter while on the go. Blackberry and iPhones have several each. If your phone doesn't support one of these apps, you can use text messages through Twitter to post updates. This is great if you think of something while on the go that you want to get out to your followers right away.
8. Re-tweet posts of others. If you find something someone else had to say useful, chances are your followers might as well. Re-tweet it. Sure you might be giving some business to that person, but maybe they'll return the favor in the future and re-tweet one of your posts out to their readers.
9. If you can, send some personal direct messages out to new followers. You can have an auto-responder do this, but they are impersonal, and most people can recognize them from a mile away. Mention something on the new followers profile that you found interesting. Again, you are engaging your followers, hopefully, building a follower for life.
10. Have fun! Twitter can be a blast if you let. Enjoy yourself.
Treat Twitter Like Your Business and it Will Perform For You
Twitter is one of the best tools that has come out recently to drive hundreds of thousands of people - targeted traffic - to your websites and blogs. But you need to be cleverer than the average Twitterer to make yourself stand out.
Here are the 5 secrets to Twitter success:
1) Consistency
It is critical that you do not have an opinion on everything.... whilst your opinion on the Queen, the cricket and the NBL may be fascinating, if you are building a serious business in commercial real estate your followers expect you to be so passionate about commercial real estate that you barely have time to be aware of anything else.
Can you imagine Apple, Ford or Coke discussing anything other than their main specialty item?
No one is interested! If they are experts in computers, we want to know their opinions, thoughts and latest news about computers. If they are experts in cars, the same.....
So if you are building a brand on Twitter, do stick to what you know. You need your followers to know YOU are the person to come to if they need information on your chosen field.
2) Be human
It is still important be human, be engaging, and be charming with your followers.
Use humor, be controversial, be outrageous to get noticed. Never be dull.....
This will help your tweets get re-tweeted all over the Twitterverse - you will be amazed how many new followers you get if you are successful in getting your tweets re-tweeted. So pay special attention to the content of your tweets.
3) Develop Your Brand
Pay special attention to your bio box, your background and your photo.
This is the first thing people use to create an impression of you and your company. Even if you content is the best in your industry, if you have not bothered to carefully design your profile, people will not follow you. This should be completely obvious but you would be surprised how many people get me to coach them on their Twitter site and have neglected this part.
4) Do not sell, sell, sell
Your followers want a conversation, they want to be informed, they want to trust you BEFORE they buy. Of course there is a time and a place for a subtle sales message but Twitter is unlike other forums where companies blast out their message as loud as possible. Rather it is important to build relationships of trust.
Take the time to respond to your Direct Messages. Retweet other people's interesting messages. Ask other people questions. Engage with your followers. Yes it does take more time but think of it as pre sales. By the time someone clicks on your link hopefully they feel like they know you already and are ready to buy.
5) Use Twitter tools
There are lots and lots of Twitter applications out there to help you streamline your Twitter experience and save you time. Get familiar with them, use them and get plugged in. Twitter is developing all the time. Stay up to date and you will prosper. Applications like Tweetkarma, Tweetdeck, Tweetlater and many many more.
Here are the 5 secrets to Twitter success:
1) Consistency
It is critical that you do not have an opinion on everything.... whilst your opinion on the Queen, the cricket and the NBL may be fascinating, if you are building a serious business in commercial real estate your followers expect you to be so passionate about commercial real estate that you barely have time to be aware of anything else.
Can you imagine Apple, Ford or Coke discussing anything other than their main specialty item?
No one is interested! If they are experts in computers, we want to know their opinions, thoughts and latest news about computers. If they are experts in cars, the same.....
So if you are building a brand on Twitter, do stick to what you know. You need your followers to know YOU are the person to come to if they need information on your chosen field.
2) Be human
It is still important be human, be engaging, and be charming with your followers.
Use humor, be controversial, be outrageous to get noticed. Never be dull.....
This will help your tweets get re-tweeted all over the Twitterverse - you will be amazed how many new followers you get if you are successful in getting your tweets re-tweeted. So pay special attention to the content of your tweets.
3) Develop Your Brand
Pay special attention to your bio box, your background and your photo.
This is the first thing people use to create an impression of you and your company. Even if you content is the best in your industry, if you have not bothered to carefully design your profile, people will not follow you. This should be completely obvious but you would be surprised how many people get me to coach them on their Twitter site and have neglected this part.
4) Do not sell, sell, sell
Your followers want a conversation, they want to be informed, they want to trust you BEFORE they buy. Of course there is a time and a place for a subtle sales message but Twitter is unlike other forums where companies blast out their message as loud as possible. Rather it is important to build relationships of trust.
Take the time to respond to your Direct Messages. Retweet other people's interesting messages. Ask other people questions. Engage with your followers. Yes it does take more time but think of it as pre sales. By the time someone clicks on your link hopefully they feel like they know you already and are ready to buy.
5) Use Twitter tools
There are lots and lots of Twitter applications out there to help you streamline your Twitter experience and save you time. Get familiar with them, use them and get plugged in. Twitter is developing all the time. Stay up to date and you will prosper. Applications like Tweetkarma, Tweetdeck, Tweetlater and many many more.
How Facebook is Changing the World
More than twenty years ago, we hadn't yet heard or even knew what the Internet was. The internet back in those days was mainly used by big institutions such as the government and universities. Now, the Internet is part of our daily lives. We use it to pay our utility bills and catch up with friends on Facebook.
Facebook is an extremely popular website that allows users to contact and look at other people's status. It has become so popular that it is now considered to be one of the most visited websites in the world today.
Here are five things why Facebook is changing the world:
1. There are more users of Facebook than any other social media website - although Twitter is catching up fast.
2. It can be used to organize events quickly, cheaply and to more people compared to any other methods.
3. Facebook can be read by many languages like Chinese, Persian, Italian, etc.
4. Workplaces and educational institutions now uses Facebook to distribute training materials.
5. Major companies can directly communicate to their customers and provide instantaneous feedback. These same companies can also collect data that cannot easily be done offline. For example, most people are reluctant to pick up the phone and complain about their services. However, on Facebook, people can just type what they feel online immediately without having to dial the phone number. In the meantime, companies can also promote their services that are custom made for the them. For instance, you can offer free rock concert tickets to a teenager or if they're middle age, free opera tickets.
Facebook is an extremely popular website that allows users to contact and look at other people's status. It has become so popular that it is now considered to be one of the most visited websites in the world today.
Here are five things why Facebook is changing the world:
1. There are more users of Facebook than any other social media website - although Twitter is catching up fast.
2. It can be used to organize events quickly, cheaply and to more people compared to any other methods.
3. Facebook can be read by many languages like Chinese, Persian, Italian, etc.
4. Workplaces and educational institutions now uses Facebook to distribute training materials.
5. Major companies can directly communicate to their customers and provide instantaneous feedback. These same companies can also collect data that cannot easily be done offline. For example, most people are reluctant to pick up the phone and complain about their services. However, on Facebook, people can just type what they feel online immediately without having to dial the phone number. In the meantime, companies can also promote their services that are custom made for the them. For instance, you can offer free rock concert tickets to a teenager or if they're middle age, free opera tickets.
Successfully Marketing Music With Twitter
The typical musician spends much of their time being musically creative and so a lot of musicians that should be using Twitter to market their music just aren't sure where to start or how to use it to its full potential.
So, to help out those that could be using Twitter more effectively I've listed some things you could be doing to market your music, whether you are a DJ, band, music producer, promoter or even if you have a podcast to promote.
Luckily, Twitter is simple and easy. The only work that really needs putting in is a little thought and some time on a regular basis. Hopefully that makes you feel a little better.
Twitter is great for sharing thoughts, ideas, tips, advice as well as generating awareness of a band, particular song, podcast, article, press release, review... the list goes on.
On top of the one-way sharing aspect, Twitter also allows for two-way communication via replies and direct messages. This is one of the most interesting aspects of Twitter, in that it bridges the gaps between people who never would have found each other on their own.
Use these features to your advantage. Regular and personal interaction with your followers will help to keep them interested in your content, as well as giving yourself a powerful online identity and - more importantly - presence.
It can also potentially give your followers a personal and positive connection to your band or music. If they are interested in what you have to offer they are likely to keep following you and interact with any content you post - even follow links to wherever you want to send them.
Keep the above in mind when you start posting your tweets from now on and see how this affects your follower numbers. Post the occasional URL and see how many people follow it by tracking stats with your favourite analytics program. If you don't get much of a result, try another tactic. Or wait a while until you build more followers or gain more trust with your existing followers.
So, to help out those that could be using Twitter more effectively I've listed some things you could be doing to market your music, whether you are a DJ, band, music producer, promoter or even if you have a podcast to promote.
Luckily, Twitter is simple and easy. The only work that really needs putting in is a little thought and some time on a regular basis. Hopefully that makes you feel a little better.
Twitter is great for sharing thoughts, ideas, tips, advice as well as generating awareness of a band, particular song, podcast, article, press release, review... the list goes on.
On top of the one-way sharing aspect, Twitter also allows for two-way communication via replies and direct messages. This is one of the most interesting aspects of Twitter, in that it bridges the gaps between people who never would have found each other on their own.
Use these features to your advantage. Regular and personal interaction with your followers will help to keep them interested in your content, as well as giving yourself a powerful online identity and - more importantly - presence.
It can also potentially give your followers a personal and positive connection to your band or music. If they are interested in what you have to offer they are likely to keep following you and interact with any content you post - even follow links to wherever you want to send them.
Keep the above in mind when you start posting your tweets from now on and see how this affects your follower numbers. Post the occasional URL and see how many people follow it by tracking stats with your favourite analytics program. If you don't get much of a result, try another tactic. Or wait a while until you build more followers or gain more trust with your existing followers.
7 Steps to Getting the Right Twitter Followers
If you are new to Twitter or you are trying to expand your followers on your Twitter account, you need to know the best techniques to getting the right followers. As a user of Twitter, you can write powerful sales pitches all day long but it won't generate sales from Twitterville if you are connected to the wrong people. What do I mean by "wrong people?" No, Twitter isn't high school so please don't reject someone because they have heaps of black nose hairs poking out of their left nostril. Twitter isn't about accepting or rejecting based on perceived class status but rather targeting your direct market.
To get the right audience, I suggest you do the following steps:
1. Make a list of the top five gurus in your industry. Use Twellow.com to search for your gurus. Twellow is a directory of public Twitter accounts with hundreds of categories and search features to help you find people. While you're on Twellow, register yourself for free.
2. Once you find one of your gurus, start a conversation with that guru first before following him or her as this increases the chance that he or she will follow you back. An easy way to start a conversation is re-tweet (RT) something the guru wrote on their page. Include the 'at symbol' (@) with their Twitter name along with their tweet. This encourages good will as you are promoting the guru to all of your followers, bringing positive attention to the guru. The guru would know his or her name was mentioned by using the search feature in Twitter (search.twitter.com). You will also want to use the Twitter search feature to find tweets about yourself!
3. While on the gurus page, open his or her list of followers then follow everyone in the first five pages. Take a break after five pages otherwise Twitter will temporarily suspend your account on the assumption that you are a spammer. I encourage you to read Twitter's rules so that you keep your account live at all times. After your break, follow another five pages. Make sure you avoid following duplicate Twitter accounts as those are spammers. It always amazes me when someone takes the time to create 10 Twitter accounts with 10 different names but makes the mistake of using the same photo. Dead give-away that this person is a spammer and will not be a live person on the other end. Don't waste your time with them as they certainly won't be looking at your tweets. Wash, rinse, and repeat daily.
4. The best times to follow people in the United States and Europe is between 1:30pm-3pm and 7pm-11pm. The weekends is a great time to add new followers as a lot more people are online.
5. Build familiarity and trust with all your followers. You add value by posting tweets that educate your followers. Share your best tips and lessons. Post 3 to 5 times every day. Out of the 5 posts, three posts should be about your business, product, or service and two posts should be a story or educating. You can find interesting stories on Digg.com, HowToDoThings.com, EHow.com, or Ezinearticles.com and post the link to the article in your tweet. Copy the link for the story and the headline into your post. If the link is too long for your post, use a link shortener. I use Bit.ly because it is free and tracks how many people have actually clicked on my links. The point of sharing stories is to be real, fun, and informative. You don't want to come across as a selfish sales person only trying to get your message across to the world. Who wants to follow that?
6. Send direct messages to your new followers. Save yourself some time by automating the direct messages using Tweetlater's free service. Direct messages are a perfect opportunity to cross promote yourself. For example, I automatically send out an invitation to all my followers to add me as a friend on Facebook.com. Facebook is a great way to build a follower into a trusted friend. You could also use the direct message to have private conversations with your new follower.
7. Brand yourself. Become unforgettable in the eyes of your prospects. A good way to brand yourself is create a background that shows your personality. At a minimum, include a picture of yourself and your domain name. If you can squeeze anything else, include your social media addresses. If you don't know how to use PhotoShop, you can hire a graphic designer like Hugh Briss at Twitterimage.com. His branded backgrounds are affordable at $99.
Getting Twitter followers should be easy, fun, and profitable as long as you stick to the above suggestions. I wish you massive success in Twittersphere!
To get the right audience, I suggest you do the following steps:
1. Make a list of the top five gurus in your industry. Use Twellow.com to search for your gurus. Twellow is a directory of public Twitter accounts with hundreds of categories and search features to help you find people. While you're on Twellow, register yourself for free.
2. Once you find one of your gurus, start a conversation with that guru first before following him or her as this increases the chance that he or she will follow you back. An easy way to start a conversation is re-tweet (RT) something the guru wrote on their page. Include the 'at symbol' (@) with their Twitter name along with their tweet. This encourages good will as you are promoting the guru to all of your followers, bringing positive attention to the guru. The guru would know his or her name was mentioned by using the search feature in Twitter (search.twitter.com). You will also want to use the Twitter search feature to find tweets about yourself!
3. While on the gurus page, open his or her list of followers then follow everyone in the first five pages. Take a break after five pages otherwise Twitter will temporarily suspend your account on the assumption that you are a spammer. I encourage you to read Twitter's rules so that you keep your account live at all times. After your break, follow another five pages. Make sure you avoid following duplicate Twitter accounts as those are spammers. It always amazes me when someone takes the time to create 10 Twitter accounts with 10 different names but makes the mistake of using the same photo. Dead give-away that this person is a spammer and will not be a live person on the other end. Don't waste your time with them as they certainly won't be looking at your tweets. Wash, rinse, and repeat daily.
4. The best times to follow people in the United States and Europe is between 1:30pm-3pm and 7pm-11pm. The weekends is a great time to add new followers as a lot more people are online.
5. Build familiarity and trust with all your followers. You add value by posting tweets that educate your followers. Share your best tips and lessons. Post 3 to 5 times every day. Out of the 5 posts, three posts should be about your business, product, or service and two posts should be a story or educating. You can find interesting stories on Digg.com, HowToDoThings.com, EHow.com, or Ezinearticles.com and post the link to the article in your tweet. Copy the link for the story and the headline into your post. If the link is too long for your post, use a link shortener. I use Bit.ly because it is free and tracks how many people have actually clicked on my links. The point of sharing stories is to be real, fun, and informative. You don't want to come across as a selfish sales person only trying to get your message across to the world. Who wants to follow that?
6. Send direct messages to your new followers. Save yourself some time by automating the direct messages using Tweetlater's free service. Direct messages are a perfect opportunity to cross promote yourself. For example, I automatically send out an invitation to all my followers to add me as a friend on Facebook.com. Facebook is a great way to build a follower into a trusted friend. You could also use the direct message to have private conversations with your new follower.
7. Brand yourself. Become unforgettable in the eyes of your prospects. A good way to brand yourself is create a background that shows your personality. At a minimum, include a picture of yourself and your domain name. If you can squeeze anything else, include your social media addresses. If you don't know how to use PhotoShop, you can hire a graphic designer like Hugh Briss at Twitterimage.com. His branded backgrounds are affordable at $99.
Getting Twitter followers should be easy, fun, and profitable as long as you stick to the above suggestions. I wish you massive success in Twittersphere!
Why Fanbase is Important
When I first saw the article about Fanbase in the New York Times earlier in the week, I will admit that I didn't quite get why people, let alone big league venture capitalists, would be excited about Fanbase, who in their words is "the web's largest almanac of college and pro athletes built by fans." It's sort of an intersection of classmates.com and Wikipedia, but with a narrower focus on sports teams.
As I went about my day, I thought more about it, and it started to sink in the Fanbase is not only a really great idea, it is also setting a great example for all sorts of companies.
Since the beginning of time, marketers have tried to understand the various groups or segments of people that buy, or might buy their products. That's one of the reasons social networking has so much potential, you literally have groups of people opting in to various circles of friends, and when people know, or know of one another, the potential to market into those groups not only allows you to be more targeted, even more importantly with things like referral businesses, you can see causal and correlation behavior based on your marketing investment. In other words you get transparency into whether your marketing efforts directly cause a person, or a group to buy your products or services or at the very least see a correlation, where historically very little of that data has been available to marketers so a lot of marketing has either been guesswork.
One problem with a lot of social networking sites is that just because someone is a "friend" of someone else on a site like Facebook, you don't really have insight into how well those people know each other, and thus it's potentially a very loose connection, so it may not really be meaningful that a given person is in a specific network. A site like Classmates.com has some additional benefits where you know that people are the same age, and there's probably a good chance that they have a lot of common demographic characteristics (like income and personal interests). The downside of a site like classmates is that it's mostly involuntary. I didn't pick my classmates, and there are a lot of them that I am not friends with, either in the conventional sense, or in the evolving Facebook definition, so there's still some risk there in getting to a "pure" segment of customers, if such a thing exists.
Sports teams are great because they are likely to be a much more tight knit group, I would assert that the members of the teams are much more likely to actually like each other, and they probably still behave like a cohesive group. In my case I was on the rowing team in high school and college, and I still keep in touch with both of those groups, I have a picture of my rowing team on my facebook page, I still know all of the names of the people I rowed with and I have kept in touch with more than half of them over the years. So not only is Fanbase going to be a valuable thing to me and my rowing friends, it also puts us in the cross hairs of marketers, because between my schools and the sport, the demographics tend to be very consistent, so my guess is that Fanbase is going to be very successful selling ad space to marketers.
The larger point for companies, and I have talked about this in previous blogs, as well as the Rethink book, the more you can know about your customer and what they value and don't value, the much easier it is to get more targeted and tailored messaging for them. I expect to see more sites like Fanbase that combine opting in, with groups that have similar demographics, who actually stay in touch with each other, but Fanbase sure seems to have a lot of potential, and if you read the article, it also sounds like a great management team. I am a fan.
As I went about my day, I thought more about it, and it started to sink in the Fanbase is not only a really great idea, it is also setting a great example for all sorts of companies.
Since the beginning of time, marketers have tried to understand the various groups or segments of people that buy, or might buy their products. That's one of the reasons social networking has so much potential, you literally have groups of people opting in to various circles of friends, and when people know, or know of one another, the potential to market into those groups not only allows you to be more targeted, even more importantly with things like referral businesses, you can see causal and correlation behavior based on your marketing investment. In other words you get transparency into whether your marketing efforts directly cause a person, or a group to buy your products or services or at the very least see a correlation, where historically very little of that data has been available to marketers so a lot of marketing has either been guesswork.
One problem with a lot of social networking sites is that just because someone is a "friend" of someone else on a site like Facebook, you don't really have insight into how well those people know each other, and thus it's potentially a very loose connection, so it may not really be meaningful that a given person is in a specific network. A site like Classmates.com has some additional benefits where you know that people are the same age, and there's probably a good chance that they have a lot of common demographic characteristics (like income and personal interests). The downside of a site like classmates is that it's mostly involuntary. I didn't pick my classmates, and there are a lot of them that I am not friends with, either in the conventional sense, or in the evolving Facebook definition, so there's still some risk there in getting to a "pure" segment of customers, if such a thing exists.
Sports teams are great because they are likely to be a much more tight knit group, I would assert that the members of the teams are much more likely to actually like each other, and they probably still behave like a cohesive group. In my case I was on the rowing team in high school and college, and I still keep in touch with both of those groups, I have a picture of my rowing team on my facebook page, I still know all of the names of the people I rowed with and I have kept in touch with more than half of them over the years. So not only is Fanbase going to be a valuable thing to me and my rowing friends, it also puts us in the cross hairs of marketers, because between my schools and the sport, the demographics tend to be very consistent, so my guess is that Fanbase is going to be very successful selling ad space to marketers.
The larger point for companies, and I have talked about this in previous blogs, as well as the Rethink book, the more you can know about your customer and what they value and don't value, the much easier it is to get more targeted and tailored messaging for them. I expect to see more sites like Fanbase that combine opting in, with groups that have similar demographics, who actually stay in touch with each other, but Fanbase sure seems to have a lot of potential, and if you read the article, it also sounds like a great management team. I am a fan.
How to Twitter For Business and Attract Potential Customers to Turbo Charge Your Profit
For every small business owners, it takes creativity and persistence to find what works for your business. I have found Twitter as a marketing tool for my business and I am learning new things on it everyday. Any company can Twitter for business and attract potential customers too. What's Twitter? I will say it's a social networking website that you can use to share maximum 140 characters messages (known as Tweet) as often as you wish with friends, family, co-workers and with people that want to be in touch with you.
The Twitter tool allows you to see the updates of people you want to be in touch (commonly known as the people you want to follow) in your home page. When they decide to follow you back (known as followers), they will see your updates in their home pages. You can search for friends, people in your locality or search for keywords to see people who are interested in your business. That makes it a powerful marketing tool to promote your business.
Here are tips on how to Twitter for business:
Twitter Search: The Twitter search tool can be use to search for useful real-time (current) information on any topic that may interest you. You can also ask questions and get instant reply from the person that post (Tweet), since there is option to receive post (Tweets) in your mobile phone. Another thing I found interesting about the search tool is that you keep getting notification and updates about new information results since you started searching. So people that are interested in your business can contact you immediately and get instant information.
Building business relationship: Twitter can be use as a marketing tool to build relationship with people in your target market no matter what you're selling. For you to succeed in your marketing effort you must provide valuable information to those on your list. When you Tweet valuable information consistently will enhance your credibility and may turn your visitors to customers in the long run. If all you do is just promoting your business, many of your followers will remove themselves from your list. It's also a platform to know what your customers and people in your target market are saying. You get to know how they feel about your business, competitors and their challenges. The information will help you to improve your product, service and tailor it to their need.
Platform to learn from Experts: There is a common adage that says, the best way to succeed in any business is to learn from successful people in that field. One powerful factor about Twitter is that it allows you to decide whom to follow. So by following the expert in your industry will provide you with the leverage to succeed faster and reduce your learning curves. You just copy their strategies and apply it in your business. The Twitter platform allows you to interact with them, question them and seek their advice, which may not have been possible. I not only Twitter for business but following expert in the internet marketing niche and is paying off. That is getting free mentoring.
Attracting traffic and building more follower ship: I notice that as you follow more people, many of them will visit your Twitter profile. From your profile they will see your last 20 Tweets to decide whether to follow you. The key here is sharing valuable information with your targeted market audience. So devote sometime everyday to search for people in your target market and follow them. Many of them will reciprocate by following you. It's one of the strategies I have been using it to build my follower ship.
Direct Messages: The direct messages tool can be use to send private message to your followers on Twitter. The system allows you to send a direct message to limited people that are following you. The message will go into their mail box if they had already set email preferences to be notified by mail. That way many of them will read your message.
The Twitter tool allows you to see the updates of people you want to be in touch (commonly known as the people you want to follow) in your home page. When they decide to follow you back (known as followers), they will see your updates in their home pages. You can search for friends, people in your locality or search for keywords to see people who are interested in your business. That makes it a powerful marketing tool to promote your business.
Here are tips on how to Twitter for business:
Twitter Search: The Twitter search tool can be use to search for useful real-time (current) information on any topic that may interest you. You can also ask questions and get instant reply from the person that post (Tweet), since there is option to receive post (Tweets) in your mobile phone. Another thing I found interesting about the search tool is that you keep getting notification and updates about new information results since you started searching. So people that are interested in your business can contact you immediately and get instant information.
Building business relationship: Twitter can be use as a marketing tool to build relationship with people in your target market no matter what you're selling. For you to succeed in your marketing effort you must provide valuable information to those on your list. When you Tweet valuable information consistently will enhance your credibility and may turn your visitors to customers in the long run. If all you do is just promoting your business, many of your followers will remove themselves from your list. It's also a platform to know what your customers and people in your target market are saying. You get to know how they feel about your business, competitors and their challenges. The information will help you to improve your product, service and tailor it to their need.
Platform to learn from Experts: There is a common adage that says, the best way to succeed in any business is to learn from successful people in that field. One powerful factor about Twitter is that it allows you to decide whom to follow. So by following the expert in your industry will provide you with the leverage to succeed faster and reduce your learning curves. You just copy their strategies and apply it in your business. The Twitter platform allows you to interact with them, question them and seek their advice, which may not have been possible. I not only Twitter for business but following expert in the internet marketing niche and is paying off. That is getting free mentoring.
Attracting traffic and building more follower ship: I notice that as you follow more people, many of them will visit your Twitter profile. From your profile they will see your last 20 Tweets to decide whether to follow you. The key here is sharing valuable information with your targeted market audience. So devote sometime everyday to search for people in your target market and follow them. Many of them will reciprocate by following you. It's one of the strategies I have been using it to build my follower ship.
Direct Messages: The direct messages tool can be use to send private message to your followers on Twitter. The system allows you to send a direct message to limited people that are following you. The message will go into their mail box if they had already set email preferences to be notified by mail. That way many of them will read your message.
LinkedIn Profile Tips - The 10 Mistakes You Want to Avoid and Why
A lot of people tell you what you should be doing, but what about what you shouldn't be doing?
LinkedIn is the place to not only find others but also to be found. And that is why you need a LinkedIn Profile that not only helps you get found but also will entice people to contact you once they view your profile. I see many people making fundamental mistakes that actually work against them in this aspect. If you're going to spend time putting together a LinkedIn profile, I assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted by the right people, right?
With that in mind, I have created an easy-to-understand list of a few things to check for with my reasoning. If it sounds like an exercise in search engine optimization, you are on the right path. Just like any website owner, you want your LinkedIn profile to stick out and be found!
Enjoy my LinkedIn Profile Tips!
1. Not Displaying Your Personal Photo
I wrote an entire blog post about why you should include your photo in your LinkedIn profile, but it all comes down to having social media credibility or not. There are too many fake profiles on LinkedIn, so you want to show that you are real. If you have taken the time to complete your LinkedIn profile, why wouldn't you display your photo? It just raises too many potential questions. And company logos or photos of pets obviously have no value here
2. LinkedIn Profile Headline is Not Branded Enough
See that space underneath your name? That is your "Professional" or Profile Headline. It will appear in search results next to your name, as well as next to any questions you ask or answer. It is, in essence, your elevator speech in a few words. Are you just putting your title and company name here? Don't! This is the place where you need to appeal to anyone who finds you in a search result to reach out and look at your profile. Your Profile Headline is the single most important piece of real estate on your LinkedIn Profile, and you need to brand it as such.
3. LinkedIn Status Update is Not Appealing
This is that "What are you working on?" box that I refer to as a "Status Update." Assuming someone finds you and looks at your profile, chances are they are going to be looking at what you write here simply because that it appears just underneath your Headline Profile. What do you write here? Many people in transition note that they are looking for a job here. What do you use your LinkedIn Status Update for? It is part of your branding exercise, and it should be something appealing that will both inform the reader of your latest activities as well as hopefully add to, not subtract from, your LinkedIn Brand.
4. Don't List Enough Companies You Worked At Or Schools Attended
One of the ways you are found on LinkedIn is through searches on company names or schools. If you are only listing your current company and/or not even displaying your college, you are missing out on potentially being found. Check this out: I did my Junior year of college abroad in Beijing nearly 20 years ago. I had been out of touch with all of the 15 or so Americans that were there that year. Two of those 15 have found me on LinkedIn! And another high school friend who I lost touch with found me this week on LinkedIn. They would not have found me had I not listed my Junior year abroad school and high school name on my profile. Companies are even more important in that there are potentially more colleagues that may be trying to find you or recruiters trying to network with you! You may be missing out!
5. Not Having Three LinkedIn Recommendations
This is the same as not having your personal photo on your LinkedIn profile. Why? When you sign up for LinkedIn and first fill out your profile, LinkedIn recommends that you write three LinkedIn Recommendations. You need to do this in order to get your LinkedIn Profile to 100% Completion. Job postings on LinkedIn similarly require three LinkedIn Recommendations. These recommendations can only work in your favor, so why don't you have at least three of them?
6. Too Few Connections
This is a topic for debate, but too many people have too few connections on their LinkedIn Profile, and thus are not getting found. The idea is simple: when you do a search you will see results from your network. And vice-versa. So the more connections you have the more search results you will appear in pure and simple.
7. Not Listing Three Websites
LinkedIn gives you the ability to list three websites on your profile. Are you taking advantage of it? Do you have a Twitter profile or other social networking profile that you want to advertise? Company website? A blog that you enjoy reading? Anything that you would want associated with yourself should be listed here. You will be adding to the search engine optimization of your own websites just by the fact that you list them here!
8. Not Claiming Your Personal URL
When you sign up to LinkedIn you are provided a public URL which you can then include on your email signature or wherever else you want to lead people to your LinkedIn Profile from. You can customize this when you edit your profile. Claiming your name here is one of the first things you should have done on LinkedIn. If you have a common name, make sure you claim your LinkedIn URL before others do!
9. No Branded Summary Rich with Keywords
Assuming that someone finds you in a search result, likes your Profile Headline, and isn't scared away by your Status Update, the next most important part of your profile will be your Summary. This is the chance to fully brand yourself and ensure that any keywords that you want associated with yourself are found here. You also want to write something compelling, just as you would in the Executive Summary of your resume. This is your stage to tell the world who you are and what you can do! Utilize it to your fullest advantage!
10. No Job Descriptions
Even if you've listed positions at companies that you previously held, it means nothing if you don't have any job descriptions. Job descriptions provide you the perfect opportunity to pepper your profile with keywords that will help you get found. Why aren't you taking advantage of this?
Did I miss any that you'd like to share? Let me know! And if you didn't make any of the above mistakes, congratulations! Your LinkedIn Profile is in good shape!
LinkedIn is the place to not only find others but also to be found. And that is why you need a LinkedIn Profile that not only helps you get found but also will entice people to contact you once they view your profile. I see many people making fundamental mistakes that actually work against them in this aspect. If you're going to spend time putting together a LinkedIn profile, I assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted by the right people, right?
With that in mind, I have created an easy-to-understand list of a few things to check for with my reasoning. If it sounds like an exercise in search engine optimization, you are on the right path. Just like any website owner, you want your LinkedIn profile to stick out and be found!
Enjoy my LinkedIn Profile Tips!
1. Not Displaying Your Personal Photo
I wrote an entire blog post about why you should include your photo in your LinkedIn profile, but it all comes down to having social media credibility or not. There are too many fake profiles on LinkedIn, so you want to show that you are real. If you have taken the time to complete your LinkedIn profile, why wouldn't you display your photo? It just raises too many potential questions. And company logos or photos of pets obviously have no value here
2. LinkedIn Profile Headline is Not Branded Enough
See that space underneath your name? That is your "Professional" or Profile Headline. It will appear in search results next to your name, as well as next to any questions you ask or answer. It is, in essence, your elevator speech in a few words. Are you just putting your title and company name here? Don't! This is the place where you need to appeal to anyone who finds you in a search result to reach out and look at your profile. Your Profile Headline is the single most important piece of real estate on your LinkedIn Profile, and you need to brand it as such.
3. LinkedIn Status Update is Not Appealing
This is that "What are you working on?" box that I refer to as a "Status Update." Assuming someone finds you and looks at your profile, chances are they are going to be looking at what you write here simply because that it appears just underneath your Headline Profile. What do you write here? Many people in transition note that they are looking for a job here. What do you use your LinkedIn Status Update for? It is part of your branding exercise, and it should be something appealing that will both inform the reader of your latest activities as well as hopefully add to, not subtract from, your LinkedIn Brand.
4. Don't List Enough Companies You Worked At Or Schools Attended
One of the ways you are found on LinkedIn is through searches on company names or schools. If you are only listing your current company and/or not even displaying your college, you are missing out on potentially being found. Check this out: I did my Junior year of college abroad in Beijing nearly 20 years ago. I had been out of touch with all of the 15 or so Americans that were there that year. Two of those 15 have found me on LinkedIn! And another high school friend who I lost touch with found me this week on LinkedIn. They would not have found me had I not listed my Junior year abroad school and high school name on my profile. Companies are even more important in that there are potentially more colleagues that may be trying to find you or recruiters trying to network with you! You may be missing out!
5. Not Having Three LinkedIn Recommendations
This is the same as not having your personal photo on your LinkedIn profile. Why? When you sign up for LinkedIn and first fill out your profile, LinkedIn recommends that you write three LinkedIn Recommendations. You need to do this in order to get your LinkedIn Profile to 100% Completion. Job postings on LinkedIn similarly require three LinkedIn Recommendations. These recommendations can only work in your favor, so why don't you have at least three of them?
6. Too Few Connections
This is a topic for debate, but too many people have too few connections on their LinkedIn Profile, and thus are not getting found. The idea is simple: when you do a search you will see results from your network. And vice-versa. So the more connections you have the more search results you will appear in pure and simple.
7. Not Listing Three Websites
LinkedIn gives you the ability to list three websites on your profile. Are you taking advantage of it? Do you have a Twitter profile or other social networking profile that you want to advertise? Company website? A blog that you enjoy reading? Anything that you would want associated with yourself should be listed here. You will be adding to the search engine optimization of your own websites just by the fact that you list them here!
8. Not Claiming Your Personal URL
When you sign up to LinkedIn you are provided a public URL which you can then include on your email signature or wherever else you want to lead people to your LinkedIn Profile from. You can customize this when you edit your profile. Claiming your name here is one of the first things you should have done on LinkedIn. If you have a common name, make sure you claim your LinkedIn URL before others do!
9. No Branded Summary Rich with Keywords
Assuming that someone finds you in a search result, likes your Profile Headline, and isn't scared away by your Status Update, the next most important part of your profile will be your Summary. This is the chance to fully brand yourself and ensure that any keywords that you want associated with yourself are found here. You also want to write something compelling, just as you would in the Executive Summary of your resume. This is your stage to tell the world who you are and what you can do! Utilize it to your fullest advantage!
10. No Job Descriptions
Even if you've listed positions at companies that you previously held, it means nothing if you don't have any job descriptions. Job descriptions provide you the perfect opportunity to pepper your profile with keywords that will help you get found. Why aren't you taking advantage of this?
Did I miss any that you'd like to share? Let me know! And if you didn't make any of the above mistakes, congratulations! Your LinkedIn Profile is in good shape!
How to Use Twitter For MLM Or Network Marketing
How can you use twitter to promote your MLM or network marketing business. Once you have an account set up, you must have a way to direct people to your website. Your website must convert that visitor into a lead and more importantly, into money. I suggest getting a custom made background for twitter that lists your website and other important information such as a call to action.
Some free tools I recommend are:
10.) Bit.ly - Shorten your urls and track the clicks
9.) Twitter Feed - Add a RSS feed like a blog or Google news item to your twitter account to add some awesome content automatically
8.) Twitter Grader - See your ranking on twitter and your grade. Also search for others by location or name
7.) Twollo - Find a niche market and search for those terms people are talking about and all them automatically to your follower list
6.) http://huitter.com/mutuality/ - Quickest tool to unfollow hundreds of people who aren't following you
5.) Twitter Counter - Graph your followers and add your stats to your other sites for other people to add you
4.) Ping FM - Set up MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, others and send a message to all accounts at once using this tool
3.) Tweet Deck - Organized and easy tool to reply and keep up with new messages; also has Facebook updates
2.) Tweet Later - Automatically send DM's to new followers. Auto-follow people that follow you. The upgrade allows you to send automatic tweets any time you want and lets you rerun it every 2 hours to once a week.
1.) http://www.jdwashere.com/twiPing/ - Best free tool out there to find people with similar interests and follow their followers. Mass unfollow and follow very easily.
Now that you have your twitter account going, do you have an effective website that turns visitors into money? Network marketing is basically sales and you need to learn how to market to make money in MLM; Twitter won't help you with your conversions and sales funnel.
Some free tools I recommend are:
10.) Bit.ly - Shorten your urls and track the clicks
9.) Twitter Feed - Add a RSS feed like a blog or Google news item to your twitter account to add some awesome content automatically
8.) Twitter Grader - See your ranking on twitter and your grade. Also search for others by location or name
7.) Twollo - Find a niche market and search for those terms people are talking about and all them automatically to your follower list
6.) http://huitter.com/mutuality/ - Quickest tool to unfollow hundreds of people who aren't following you
5.) Twitter Counter - Graph your followers and add your stats to your other sites for other people to add you
4.) Ping FM - Set up MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, others and send a message to all accounts at once using this tool
3.) Tweet Deck - Organized and easy tool to reply and keep up with new messages; also has Facebook updates
2.) Tweet Later - Automatically send DM's to new followers. Auto-follow people that follow you. The upgrade allows you to send automatic tweets any time you want and lets you rerun it every 2 hours to once a week.
1.) http://www.jdwashere.com/twiPing/ - Best free tool out there to find people with similar interests and follow their followers. Mass unfollow and follow very easily.
Now that you have your twitter account going, do you have an effective website that turns visitors into money? Network marketing is basically sales and you need to learn how to market to make money in MLM; Twitter won't help you with your conversions and sales funnel.
Are You a Facebook Groupie?
This is the second article in a short series I am producing on Facebook and focuses on the use of Groups. After reading this article you will be familiar with Facebook groups and how they can propel your social web marketing when used correctly.
Groups in Facebook are a very flexible thing for people who market on the social web. Essentially I will go through the three things you can use them for. I will highlight the two things you must use them for and one optional.
Must
# Create your own group - Some people fail to do this because they think no one will join a group they create. That's mistake number one. Facebook is 'group centric' social network, people love to join groups. They will join groups out of pure curiosity. Your group must be about value you can add to your group members. No selling of your products or services here, in fact avoid mentioning or having pictures of your products or services. This group is about adding value so must focus on the members as opposed to you.
The reason for this is because it sets you up as a Leader, this attracts people to you. If they like you then they can go to your Fan Page (covered in the next article) to find out about your business. This group is about establishing your social reputation, this is your social currency and is very precious so cultivate it.
Wait until you have 200 Friends then invite them all to the group at once. After that invite every new Friend to your group in your Introductory Message. Make sure there is a link to the group in the message. Facebook will kindly attach the image for your group and the blurb at the bottom of the message. I get about 20% - 30% opt-in at this stage.
Decide from the outset the group rules, and what you are offering and write them on the About section. The main decisions to make are; will you allow members to post links to their sales landing pages? (no Sales Landing Pages allowed in my group and it says any member posting a link to anything other than a social network profile or Blog will be banned) will you allow members to post videos? (members are unable to in mine because some used it as a way to get round the no sales page link)can members post to the wall and begin topics?(they can do both in mine). You decide your own rules but once you have then enforce them swiftly and consistently. That way you set the tone and again increase your reputation as a Leader.
Decide how often you are going to post topics and stick to what you say. If they are going to be on certain days say which days.
# Joining groups - When you first join Facebook join at least 6 groups a week in your niche market. This is where you will get your new Friends from (as well as Twitter). Befriend 5 people a day. Use a 'cut and paste' message to make it easier. In the message just say 'hi' their first name and the fact as you are both in the same XXXX group it would be good to connect. You must name the group correctly where I have put XXXX.
Leave this out and your take up rate will plummet. It's there so they can check you are a member which some people will want to. When you get to 60 - 70 groups that should be enough. Avoid 'group hopping', joining a group befriending all the members then leaving. However if the group ends up being a 'dead group' no posts or member activity then leaving is legitimate. Using this strategy you will soon get the 200 Friends you need to start your own. 200 Friends before starting your own is for one simple reason, people look at the number of Friends you have when deciding whether to join your Group. I never join the Group of a Friend with less than 200 Friends because they have no social credentials yet.
Optional
# Join groups to advertise your product or service - Some groups actively say you can place say one advertisement about your business. Now here's the thing. If you use a 'cut and paste' approach a pink warning box will pop up warning you the Facebook bots think you are 'spamming' and you can lose your account for it. If you decide to go down this road tread gently. Post 4 - 5 adverts each in a separate group that allows them and here's the key information, leave at least 5 minutes between each advert post. It will take longer than you like but should (and I take no responsibility for the accuracy of this statement because Facebook changes its rules all the time) keep you under the 'spamming radar'. My personal view - the risk is too high to do this on Facebook. You can find plenty of free Ning type business social networks that encourage adverts and even give you a free business page just Google 'business social networks'.
Groups in Facebook are a very flexible thing for people who market on the social web. Essentially I will go through the three things you can use them for. I will highlight the two things you must use them for and one optional.
Must
# Create your own group - Some people fail to do this because they think no one will join a group they create. That's mistake number one. Facebook is 'group centric' social network, people love to join groups. They will join groups out of pure curiosity. Your group must be about value you can add to your group members. No selling of your products or services here, in fact avoid mentioning or having pictures of your products or services. This group is about adding value so must focus on the members as opposed to you.
The reason for this is because it sets you up as a Leader, this attracts people to you. If they like you then they can go to your Fan Page (covered in the next article) to find out about your business. This group is about establishing your social reputation, this is your social currency and is very precious so cultivate it.
Wait until you have 200 Friends then invite them all to the group at once. After that invite every new Friend to your group in your Introductory Message. Make sure there is a link to the group in the message. Facebook will kindly attach the image for your group and the blurb at the bottom of the message. I get about 20% - 30% opt-in at this stage.
Decide from the outset the group rules, and what you are offering and write them on the About section. The main decisions to make are; will you allow members to post links to their sales landing pages? (no Sales Landing Pages allowed in my group and it says any member posting a link to anything other than a social network profile or Blog will be banned) will you allow members to post videos? (members are unable to in mine because some used it as a way to get round the no sales page link)can members post to the wall and begin topics?(they can do both in mine). You decide your own rules but once you have then enforce them swiftly and consistently. That way you set the tone and again increase your reputation as a Leader.
Decide how often you are going to post topics and stick to what you say. If they are going to be on certain days say which days.
# Joining groups - When you first join Facebook join at least 6 groups a week in your niche market. This is where you will get your new Friends from (as well as Twitter). Befriend 5 people a day. Use a 'cut and paste' message to make it easier. In the message just say 'hi' their first name and the fact as you are both in the same XXXX group it would be good to connect. You must name the group correctly where I have put XXXX.
Leave this out and your take up rate will plummet. It's there so they can check you are a member which some people will want to. When you get to 60 - 70 groups that should be enough. Avoid 'group hopping', joining a group befriending all the members then leaving. However if the group ends up being a 'dead group' no posts or member activity then leaving is legitimate. Using this strategy you will soon get the 200 Friends you need to start your own. 200 Friends before starting your own is for one simple reason, people look at the number of Friends you have when deciding whether to join your Group. I never join the Group of a Friend with less than 200 Friends because they have no social credentials yet.
Optional
# Join groups to advertise your product or service - Some groups actively say you can place say one advertisement about your business. Now here's the thing. If you use a 'cut and paste' approach a pink warning box will pop up warning you the Facebook bots think you are 'spamming' and you can lose your account for it. If you decide to go down this road tread gently. Post 4 - 5 adverts each in a separate group that allows them and here's the key information, leave at least 5 minutes between each advert post. It will take longer than you like but should (and I take no responsibility for the accuracy of this statement because Facebook changes its rules all the time) keep you under the 'spamming radar'. My personal view - the risk is too high to do this on Facebook. You can find plenty of free Ning type business social networks that encourage adverts and even give you a free business page just Google 'business social networks'.
Twitter - A Business Strategy With a Shoe String Budget
Microblogging as a business strategy may seem unnatural to use in the same sentence, but Curtis Kimball, a small business owner in San Francisco, would disagree with you. Kimball owns and operates a mobile crème brûlée cart in the city.
Not famous enough already, New York Times then interviewed Kimball about his business and he admitted that he wished he could say he had the brilliant strategy to attribute to his success, but really Twitter has been central to Kimball's achievements.
Microblogging has become a key advertising strategy for small businesses with a small or non existent advertising budget.
When you use Twitter you get a myriad of services - advertising, endorsements and referrals with a potential audience of millions of users, all for free.
Twitter has allowed Kimball to let customers know where he'll be each day with his crème brûlée cart. Twitter is also becoming a substitute for small businesses who don't have a website. With Twitter, there is no application to learn or software to install. You don't need software support or a graphic designer, you just sign up for an account and go. That's one of the truly brilliant and attractive characteristics about Twitter, it's designed to be simple.
Twitter is a great way to let customers find you, but also to find suppliers. Using the search tool on the Twitter site can help you locate other users by location or keyword search.
For some businesses Twitter is just an extra but for many it's a primary means of letting their business reach out to others. If you're curious exactly how Twitter works, check out Kimball's tweets and see just how he updates his followers.
Not famous enough already, New York Times then interviewed Kimball about his business and he admitted that he wished he could say he had the brilliant strategy to attribute to his success, but really Twitter has been central to Kimball's achievements.
Microblogging has become a key advertising strategy for small businesses with a small or non existent advertising budget.
When you use Twitter you get a myriad of services - advertising, endorsements and referrals with a potential audience of millions of users, all for free.
Twitter has allowed Kimball to let customers know where he'll be each day with his crème brûlée cart. Twitter is also becoming a substitute for small businesses who don't have a website. With Twitter, there is no application to learn or software to install. You don't need software support or a graphic designer, you just sign up for an account and go. That's one of the truly brilliant and attractive characteristics about Twitter, it's designed to be simple.
Twitter is a great way to let customers find you, but also to find suppliers. Using the search tool on the Twitter site can help you locate other users by location or keyword search.
For some businesses Twitter is just an extra but for many it's a primary means of letting their business reach out to others. If you're curious exactly how Twitter works, check out Kimball's tweets and see just how he updates his followers.
3 Advanced Methods For Generating Leads For Your Business Via Facebook
Many advanced marketing "Gurus" will use Facebook as their playground for generating endless leads and don't tend to give up the secrets without you shoveling out some dough first, and even after they do reveal some of their well guarded secrets, you are not getting the real deal behind what it is they are doing.
Before I get started I want it to be noted that in order for Facebook to work for you, try to separate accounts. Meaning if you have a Facebook account for friends and relatives, create a separate one strictly for marketing purposes, you do not want your mother blowing kisses and sending hug requests all over your business account would you? Didn't think so.
#1. Ok, after you set up your new account and you are sitting back wondering where to start, on the top right of your screen there is a search bar. Facebook tends to pride itself on its groups so do a search on a group (Do not copy my example) for marketing, or secrets for example. Find some of the bigger MLM or Network marketing groups and join one or two of them. After joining, you can then get the list of members and start adding friends, try sending a message to them to let them know you are a real person and have like interests, it's very important that you start some what of a relationship with someone due to the fact that you are targeting them. Keep in mind that adding too many friends a day will get you slapped by Facebook so be very careful not to have a spammy approach and remember that you are making friends not just trying to sell your product. You have to position yourself as the leader not a follower and try helping someone from time to time.
#2. After you have established yourself on Facebook and are starting to build relationships and make new friends and become an active user you will notice that the whole Facebook theme takes and auto-piloted effect and in turn you will see a lot of people sending you requests to be your friend and generally you may feel overwhelmed, so when this happens you have got to remember to work at your own pace and take it slow if you must and even so try to schedule your time within the community so you aren't locked in for several hours a day running in circles. So with that being said, every now and then you will notice people having birthday wishes posted all over, make a video wishing the person a happy birthday. Not everyone will do that trust me. Doing that will make you stand out amongst the masses and believe it or not drive traffic to your site if done correctly. Remember not to be too obvious with your intentions within Facebook, they will pick up on that sort of thing rather quickly.
#3. After building established relationships and successfully started generating leads from Facebook, what else can be done you may be wondering. The last and final tip for you would be, and please only do this with someone you have talked with frequently. Call someone up, usually in the back of everyone's profile there phone number is listed and if you feel the need, give them a call and ask them personally if there is any advice you can give them to improve their business. Remember when I said position yourself as a leader? That's where this comes into play. Let others know that you are the professional and you know the ropes and are willing to help them cut corners to save money.
Before I get started I want it to be noted that in order for Facebook to work for you, try to separate accounts. Meaning if you have a Facebook account for friends and relatives, create a separate one strictly for marketing purposes, you do not want your mother blowing kisses and sending hug requests all over your business account would you? Didn't think so.
#1. Ok, after you set up your new account and you are sitting back wondering where to start, on the top right of your screen there is a search bar. Facebook tends to pride itself on its groups so do a search on a group (Do not copy my example) for marketing, or secrets for example. Find some of the bigger MLM or Network marketing groups and join one or two of them. After joining, you can then get the list of members and start adding friends, try sending a message to them to let them know you are a real person and have like interests, it's very important that you start some what of a relationship with someone due to the fact that you are targeting them. Keep in mind that adding too many friends a day will get you slapped by Facebook so be very careful not to have a spammy approach and remember that you are making friends not just trying to sell your product. You have to position yourself as the leader not a follower and try helping someone from time to time.
#2. After you have established yourself on Facebook and are starting to build relationships and make new friends and become an active user you will notice that the whole Facebook theme takes and auto-piloted effect and in turn you will see a lot of people sending you requests to be your friend and generally you may feel overwhelmed, so when this happens you have got to remember to work at your own pace and take it slow if you must and even so try to schedule your time within the community so you aren't locked in for several hours a day running in circles. So with that being said, every now and then you will notice people having birthday wishes posted all over, make a video wishing the person a happy birthday. Not everyone will do that trust me. Doing that will make you stand out amongst the masses and believe it or not drive traffic to your site if done correctly. Remember not to be too obvious with your intentions within Facebook, they will pick up on that sort of thing rather quickly.
#3. After building established relationships and successfully started generating leads from Facebook, what else can be done you may be wondering. The last and final tip for you would be, and please only do this with someone you have talked with frequently. Call someone up, usually in the back of everyone's profile there phone number is listed and if you feel the need, give them a call and ask them personally if there is any advice you can give them to improve their business. Remember when I said position yourself as a leader? That's where this comes into play. Let others know that you are the professional and you know the ropes and are willing to help them cut corners to save money.
Using Social Networking to Promote Business
Networking is one of the oldest and time tested means of getting direct referrals and furthering a business. Take this to the internet age and you have social networking sites geared towards building your own networks online. One of the most widely used networking services is Twitter. Twitter is a social networking service that enables users to send and read other users updates known as tweets. It is a great way to keep in touch with your friends and quickly broadcast information about where you are and what you are up to?
Twitter began as an experiment in the 2006. When it was used as an instant media for sharing information in situations like earthquakes, conferences, and festivals - twitter got a lot of popularity. Hence Twitter, Inc. was founded in 2007. Today, Twitter is a privately funded company based in San Francisco, CA. Tweets are messages you send on your profile page up to 140 characters .These are seen by your followers or the people you are following .You can restrict a tweet to a group of people or open it to all within the circuit.
You can use and send tweets via the Twitter Website. You can also use Mobile Phones SMS(short message service ) service to post and see the tweets. This service is free of cost but using it on the mobile would have the service providers sms cost involved.
Why Twitter?
In a podcasting company named Odeo, Mr. Jack Dorsey put across this idea keeping SMS services in mind to share information with friends and strangers. So the working name initially was Status. But this did not sound very appealing and after a lot of brain storming they came up with the word Twitch (because the phone kind of vibrates when it moves or got a message). But again twitch did not sound too great and after looking up the dictionary they came up with the word Twitter which meant a "short burst of inconsequential information," and "chirps from birds", which was exactly what the product was. Hence the name Twitter arrived.
Twitter and your Business
People use twitter to create, discover and share ideas with others. Now, people are turning to Twitter as an effective way to reach out to businesses.
For a business, Twitter can be used to
• Broadcast a company's latest news and blog posts
• Interact with customers
• Enable easy internal collaboration and group communication
You can
• Join industry and topic groups related to your business and career on sites like Twibes, and WeFollow
• Join Twitter chats related to your industry or business on a regular basis.
• Stay in touch with friends and colleagues. Sometimes a friend or a colleague can help you out and get you some valuable business.
• Get and give referrals.
• Recommend other Twitter users to your network including reasons to follow them - by sharing goodwill you will encourage others to reciprocate.
• Do not post your tweets all at once, spread them all over the day.
• Help people with their problems if you can and share tips related to your business.
• Report any interesting information related to your business world/ industry with your comments .
• Link to articles and content posted elsewhere with a summary of why it's valuable.
• Post original thoughts on your topic, industry and business.
• Share what you're doing so people learn about the type of work you do. Do this on occasion rather than all day long.
Some interesting ways companies are using twitter to promote services and products:
• DELL has created a number of Twitter profiles, each meant for different types of deals (e.g. Dell Outlet posts recent refurbished Dell computer offers).
• STARBUCKS posts new offers and also participates in threaded discussions of these offers with their Twitter-followers.
• WHOLE FOODS MARKET asks what their clients like to read and watch, recommends new food podcasts and invites them to the company upcoming events
• BEST BUY HAS BUILT GINA COMMUNITY to communicate with their customers and friends
• ATTNEWS updates their Twitter-followers of the news published at the site
• BREAK POINT posts updates of the company and industry news and also discusses it with their Twitter-listeners.
• FORD posted the company internal news on twitter
• SAMSUNG has created a Twitter account dedicated to mobile phones and posts both the company (US department) and product news there.
• KODAK CHIEF BLOGGER both posts the company blog updates and discusses them with the company customers.
Twitter began as an experiment in the 2006. When it was used as an instant media for sharing information in situations like earthquakes, conferences, and festivals - twitter got a lot of popularity. Hence Twitter, Inc. was founded in 2007. Today, Twitter is a privately funded company based in San Francisco, CA. Tweets are messages you send on your profile page up to 140 characters .These are seen by your followers or the people you are following .You can restrict a tweet to a group of people or open it to all within the circuit.
You can use and send tweets via the Twitter Website. You can also use Mobile Phones SMS(short message service ) service to post and see the tweets. This service is free of cost but using it on the mobile would have the service providers sms cost involved.
Why Twitter?
In a podcasting company named Odeo, Mr. Jack Dorsey put across this idea keeping SMS services in mind to share information with friends and strangers. So the working name initially was Status. But this did not sound very appealing and after a lot of brain storming they came up with the word Twitch (because the phone kind of vibrates when it moves or got a message). But again twitch did not sound too great and after looking up the dictionary they came up with the word Twitter which meant a "short burst of inconsequential information," and "chirps from birds", which was exactly what the product was. Hence the name Twitter arrived.
Twitter and your Business
People use twitter to create, discover and share ideas with others. Now, people are turning to Twitter as an effective way to reach out to businesses.
For a business, Twitter can be used to
• Broadcast a company's latest news and blog posts
• Interact with customers
• Enable easy internal collaboration and group communication
You can
• Join industry and topic groups related to your business and career on sites like Twibes, and WeFollow
• Join Twitter chats related to your industry or business on a regular basis.
• Stay in touch with friends and colleagues. Sometimes a friend or a colleague can help you out and get you some valuable business.
• Get and give referrals.
• Recommend other Twitter users to your network including reasons to follow them - by sharing goodwill you will encourage others to reciprocate.
• Do not post your tweets all at once, spread them all over the day.
• Help people with their problems if you can and share tips related to your business.
• Report any interesting information related to your business world/ industry with your comments .
• Link to articles and content posted elsewhere with a summary of why it's valuable.
• Post original thoughts on your topic, industry and business.
• Share what you're doing so people learn about the type of work you do. Do this on occasion rather than all day long.
Some interesting ways companies are using twitter to promote services and products:
• DELL has created a number of Twitter profiles, each meant for different types of deals (e.g. Dell Outlet posts recent refurbished Dell computer offers).
• STARBUCKS posts new offers and also participates in threaded discussions of these offers with their Twitter-followers.
• WHOLE FOODS MARKET asks what their clients like to read and watch, recommends new food podcasts and invites them to the company upcoming events
• BEST BUY HAS BUILT GINA COMMUNITY to communicate with their customers and friends
• ATTNEWS updates their Twitter-followers of the news published at the site
• BREAK POINT posts updates of the company and industry news and also discusses it with their Twitter-listeners.
• FORD posted the company internal news on twitter
• SAMSUNG has created a Twitter account dedicated to mobile phones and posts both the company (US department) and product news there.
• KODAK CHIEF BLOGGER both posts the company blog updates and discusses them with the company customers.
New Advances in Fitness Social Networking
The internet has made some amazing things possible in just a few short years. It wasn't that long ago, getting a message to your boss in Dallas or your sister in Boston took an expensive and possibly ineffective phone call, but now emails can fly back and forth almost instantly between family members and friends at little to no cost. With the dawn of Web 2.0, a more connected, interactive recreation of the internet that features networking and socializing web sites, people are able to reach out and get to know people and professionals that they never would have encountered before. The fitness social networking scene is no exception to this rule, and many people have greatly enhanced their lives through advances in these types of sites.
First of all, one of the best new advances in fitness social networking is that people can now connect with each other on a variety of different levels and categories, from what type of running shoes they prefer, to the best ways to lose five pounds without really going on a diet. People can ask questions on these networking sites about any type of health or fitness issue, and there's a good chance that a member of the community will have an answer.
Another benefit of recent advances in fitness social networking is that people now have the ability to research, choose and then track their progress using a variety of different exercise programs. You can enter your body type, diet and usual physical activities into a networking site's system, and it can help match you to a program that will work for you, while providing the tools to help track your progress and stay accountable. These types of tools are highly encouraging, and can be used as a way to interact with more people on the site, as you congratulate each other on your successes.
Another thing that is great about many fitness social networking sites is that they are either established by, or with the help of reputable fitness experts that can supply valuable information about staying fit and healthy. If you're wondering about a new vitamin or running training program, you can simply visit your networking site and ask the resident expert or professional for their opinion. This can help you make smarter decisions when it comes to dieting and exercise.
First of all, one of the best new advances in fitness social networking is that people can now connect with each other on a variety of different levels and categories, from what type of running shoes they prefer, to the best ways to lose five pounds without really going on a diet. People can ask questions on these networking sites about any type of health or fitness issue, and there's a good chance that a member of the community will have an answer.
Another benefit of recent advances in fitness social networking is that people now have the ability to research, choose and then track their progress using a variety of different exercise programs. You can enter your body type, diet and usual physical activities into a networking site's system, and it can help match you to a program that will work for you, while providing the tools to help track your progress and stay accountable. These types of tools are highly encouraging, and can be used as a way to interact with more people on the site, as you congratulate each other on your successes.
Another thing that is great about many fitness social networking sites is that they are either established by, or with the help of reputable fitness experts that can supply valuable information about staying fit and healthy. If you're wondering about a new vitamin or running training program, you can simply visit your networking site and ask the resident expert or professional for their opinion. This can help you make smarter decisions when it comes to dieting and exercise.
Getting Retweeted on Twitter
On the massively popular micro-blogging site Twitter, retweets can occur when one tweeter posts another twitter user's message while giving credit to the original person who posted the article. Getting your post retweeted is a great way to spread your own message while also drawing attention to your Twitter page. The following is a list of tips that will help you get retweeted:
1. You need to post about something unusual that most people have not already heard about, something that will draw people's attention. Whenever possible, include a link that can back up your post.
2. Links to eye-catching photographs often get retweeted as well. A free photo hosting service (such as Flickr or twitpic) can host the image if necessary.
3. Twitter "bots" can automatically retweet your message if they contain certain words, phrases or hashtags depending on the topics of the day.
4. Joining the "followings" of other Twitter members and making retweets of their posts (when justified) may help you get retweeted.
5. Link to your message from a web site or regular blog. The chance for your post to get retweeted is influenced by how many people initially see it.
6. Asking people for retweets of a post is sometimes effective, but only if the message is particularly compelling and you should limit such requests.
7. Try to fit adequate information in your "tweet", but do not use so many acronyms and abbreviations that it becomes hard to understand. There are only 140 characters allowed per tweet so you have to learn to make it short and sweet.
Always writing about typical, everyday tasks and occurrences is not likely to get you retweeted. The same goes for mundane details about running your business, links with no explanation, or complaints about the weather.
Check out the other posts that have been retweeted to help generate ideas on how to get retweets. You can identify retweeted messages by the acronym "RT", which appears to the left of them. Searching for "RT" on Twitter's homepage is a great way to see recent examples of retweets.
Some of the retweets on Twitter have offered memorable quotes, links to articles on using Twitter, information about breaking news events, and links to various "Top Ten" lists on other sites. Internet and computer related issues are often popular.
Basically, if you want to get more retweets on Twitter you will need to catch people's attention in an interesting and original way. Timing also holds much importance; sometimes you must be very quick to post about a subject before another Twitter user does the same and is the first to get retweeted.
1. You need to post about something unusual that most people have not already heard about, something that will draw people's attention. Whenever possible, include a link that can back up your post.
2. Links to eye-catching photographs often get retweeted as well. A free photo hosting service (such as Flickr or twitpic) can host the image if necessary.
3. Twitter "bots" can automatically retweet your message if they contain certain words, phrases or hashtags depending on the topics of the day.
4. Joining the "followings" of other Twitter members and making retweets of their posts (when justified) may help you get retweeted.
5. Link to your message from a web site or regular blog. The chance for your post to get retweeted is influenced by how many people initially see it.
6. Asking people for retweets of a post is sometimes effective, but only if the message is particularly compelling and you should limit such requests.
7. Try to fit adequate information in your "tweet", but do not use so many acronyms and abbreviations that it becomes hard to understand. There are only 140 characters allowed per tweet so you have to learn to make it short and sweet.
Always writing about typical, everyday tasks and occurrences is not likely to get you retweeted. The same goes for mundane details about running your business, links with no explanation, or complaints about the weather.
Check out the other posts that have been retweeted to help generate ideas on how to get retweets. You can identify retweeted messages by the acronym "RT", which appears to the left of them. Searching for "RT" on Twitter's homepage is a great way to see recent examples of retweets.
Some of the retweets on Twitter have offered memorable quotes, links to articles on using Twitter, information about breaking news events, and links to various "Top Ten" lists on other sites. Internet and computer related issues are often popular.
Basically, if you want to get more retweets on Twitter you will need to catch people's attention in an interesting and original way. Timing also holds much importance; sometimes you must be very quick to post about a subject before another Twitter user does the same and is the first to get retweeted.
Protect Yourself With Twitter Safety Tips
The internet is a blessing indeed for the human kind; however, cyber crimes have been wrecking havoc amidst this convenient service. It has opened opportunities for people to commit crimes and what's more, social tools such as Twitter are used as a popular medium for these crimes. Before you fall into the victim's category, read up these Twitter safety tips which you might be thankful for.
Twitter safety is not just a fancy agenda put up due to standard regulations; it has its purpose and everyone should be well aware of it. First of all be on the right track and know what exactly Twitter does and what's the purpose people all around the world seem to be caught up in its craze. Messages posted in Twitter can be seen throughout the internet and it means that others can read your tweets while re-tweeting your messages to other parties, meaning there is the possibility that strangers can view your tweet. And through this, certain tools available in the internet might make it possible for tracking the location of Twitter's users. You wouldn't want to go tweeting about your vacation plans and ending up with a break-in.
One of another safety tips is basic security. If possible, never give out your password to any strangers. Only let it known family members whom you trust and have your best interests at heart. Password is not only the main concern for Twitter safety. Personal information including that of telephone numbers, travel plans, home or business addresses and social security numbers should not ever be given out to other Twitter users, no matter under what kind of circumstances.
Furthermore, do your research and do not just pick up any Twitter applications. Most of these twitter tools require your Twitter username and password in order to use their services. This is particularly hazardous, Twitter safety wise. Scout around the net and make sure the application is a reputable and trustable one before dumping all your info in it.
In conclusion, you can't stop cyber crimes occurring in all corners of the World Wide Web but with certain precautions, you have at least some reassurance and with the Twitter safety tips above, you are in good hands.
Twitter safety is not just a fancy agenda put up due to standard regulations; it has its purpose and everyone should be well aware of it. First of all be on the right track and know what exactly Twitter does and what's the purpose people all around the world seem to be caught up in its craze. Messages posted in Twitter can be seen throughout the internet and it means that others can read your tweets while re-tweeting your messages to other parties, meaning there is the possibility that strangers can view your tweet. And through this, certain tools available in the internet might make it possible for tracking the location of Twitter's users. You wouldn't want to go tweeting about your vacation plans and ending up with a break-in.
One of another safety tips is basic security. If possible, never give out your password to any strangers. Only let it known family members whom you trust and have your best interests at heart. Password is not only the main concern for Twitter safety. Personal information including that of telephone numbers, travel plans, home or business addresses and social security numbers should not ever be given out to other Twitter users, no matter under what kind of circumstances.
Furthermore, do your research and do not just pick up any Twitter applications. Most of these twitter tools require your Twitter username and password in order to use their services. This is particularly hazardous, Twitter safety wise. Scout around the net and make sure the application is a reputable and trustable one before dumping all your info in it.
In conclusion, you can't stop cyber crimes occurring in all corners of the World Wide Web but with certain precautions, you have at least some reassurance and with the Twitter safety tips above, you are in good hands.
Don't Drink and Tweet - The Twitter Don'ts
There's a tremendous amount of information out there now about how to tweet. Most people have a good understanding of the Twitter basics: connect, engage and offer value to build your brand and your followers. However, I'm amazed at how many people continue to make mistakes on Twitter that cost them followers, friends and potential clients. Because of the ease and speed of the medium, it's just as easy to fall out of favor as it is to engage and entertain. I can assure you that you don't want the reputation of a pest, a bore, or even worse, a spammer.
Keeping this in mind, here are six "Twitter Don'ts" to keep you on track:
1. Don't Overpromote - You will lose friends and followers quickly if all you do is talk about your products or services. Don't only offer links to your own website and blog. The key here is balance. It's okay to promote yourself or your products, but if it's all you do, it will likely irritate a lot of people.
2. Don't Repeat The Same Message - There are quite a few people out there who think if they repeat the same promotional message a gazillion times that it will help drive sales. The only thing it will get you is unfollowed. If you have an important message or offer to put out there, tweet once early in the day and again later in the day to reach friends and followers in all time zones. Re-craft your tweet to send out again on a different day. Anything more is just considered spam.
3. Don't Abuse Hashtags - Hashtags can be extremely useful, particularly when referencing a fresh, hot topic. But they are frequently abused by spammers, marketers and applications. Choose which ones you do use wisely and keep it to a minimum. There's even a fairly popular #twitter hashtag now. For goodness sake people, we're ON Twitter! Common sense and good judgment are the order of the day here.
4. Don't Tweet In Rapid-Fire Succession - You know the guy who always sends out a couple dozen tweets all at once? Ugh. Some people tweet endlessly about things that you may not find interesting at all. Or they use an application that allows them to store and schedule tweets and send out 20 at one time. Mostly, this is just downright annoying and clogs up cyberspace. It's fine to tweet often, especially if you have interesting things to say, but please don't hit us over the head with everything at once.
5. Don't Beg For Retweets - Asking "Please RT" just makes you look desperate. If your content is interesting and you are consistently sending out something of value, your followers will retweet you over and over again.
6. Don't Drink And Tweet - You are what you tweet, so think twice before tweeting under the influence. Once you hit "update" it's out there forever. Better to drunk dial your ex than to put something rude, offensive or God forbid, stupid, out there for all to see for eternity.
Keeping this in mind, here are six "Twitter Don'ts" to keep you on track:
1. Don't Overpromote - You will lose friends and followers quickly if all you do is talk about your products or services. Don't only offer links to your own website and blog. The key here is balance. It's okay to promote yourself or your products, but if it's all you do, it will likely irritate a lot of people.
2. Don't Repeat The Same Message - There are quite a few people out there who think if they repeat the same promotional message a gazillion times that it will help drive sales. The only thing it will get you is unfollowed. If you have an important message or offer to put out there, tweet once early in the day and again later in the day to reach friends and followers in all time zones. Re-craft your tweet to send out again on a different day. Anything more is just considered spam.
3. Don't Abuse Hashtags - Hashtags can be extremely useful, particularly when referencing a fresh, hot topic. But they are frequently abused by spammers, marketers and applications. Choose which ones you do use wisely and keep it to a minimum. There's even a fairly popular #twitter hashtag now. For goodness sake people, we're ON Twitter! Common sense and good judgment are the order of the day here.
4. Don't Tweet In Rapid-Fire Succession - You know the guy who always sends out a couple dozen tweets all at once? Ugh. Some people tweet endlessly about things that you may not find interesting at all. Or they use an application that allows them to store and schedule tweets and send out 20 at one time. Mostly, this is just downright annoying and clogs up cyberspace. It's fine to tweet often, especially if you have interesting things to say, but please don't hit us over the head with everything at once.
5. Don't Beg For Retweets - Asking "Please RT" just makes you look desperate. If your content is interesting and you are consistently sending out something of value, your followers will retweet you over and over again.
6. Don't Drink And Tweet - You are what you tweet, so think twice before tweeting under the influence. Once you hit "update" it's out there forever. Better to drunk dial your ex than to put something rude, offensive or God forbid, stupid, out there for all to see for eternity.
To Twitter Or Not to Twitter? That is the Question
One thing I've noticed about Twitter is the amount of salacious people who choose to follow me before I get the chance to block them. I'm so glad I get email notifications as some are plain XXX-rated and I'm sure these are designed simply to seduce and trap people to pornography addiction.
I use Twitter only as an extra feed of my EzineArticles. Other than that I leave it where it is, not truly understanding its power or purpose. Twitter seems to be something that you use when you want to follow interesting people and people can follow you because they find you interesting. Beyond that, I don't really understand it; though I did notice a 'Twitter For people who don't have a clue' book at a bookstore recently-perhaps I should get myself a copy?
There is a another school of thought that all these social networking applications are actually making people lazy in interacting with each other and I think that's a good point. Technology can undermine our efforts at interaction:
"Every technology has the ability to enhance embodied life or to subvert it. Take transportation. Planes, trains, and automobiles allow us to enjoy embodied fellowship with people who live far away from us. This is a great good. But speedy, cheap transportation also makes possible the transient culture we live in, where people struggle to put down roots in one place and ground themselves in their neighborhood."[1]
Extending this, the writer makes the possible point that social networking over the 'transient' internet doesn't 'enhance embodied life (i.e. love)' as opposed to real transportation that carries us to an actual destination. When we reach the end of a journey there are real people we connect with; some we haven't seen in years or even decades.
So, we know that Twitter and Facebook and the like contribute to this transient connection, but the point would also need to be made that these mediums might actually whet the taste buds for people to connect more; in the embodied state I mean.
I've known people to get right into Twitter only to pull the plug on their accounts, because like me, they've been inundated with salacious (distasteful) followers as mentioned earlier. Anyone seeking to live a virtuous life is placed into an abhorrently foreign situation-they face the arrogant-dregs of the world in an instant, and this is not something they'd invite.
As with all of the applications I use, there is a fundamental purpose that outweighs the 'maintenance cost' of keeping it clean; it's a chance to serve and help people.
With this end in mind, to serve, I attend my Facebook account for five to ten minute daily 'fixes' (and to interact) and sometimes if I have the time I'll log in more than daily. But I try never to get trapped there.
As for Twitter it's a tool for my few followers to receive my articles via another medium; the only reason to go there is to check and possibly remove followers who're obviously not after the material I'm a purveyor of.
I use Twitter only as an extra feed of my EzineArticles. Other than that I leave it where it is, not truly understanding its power or purpose. Twitter seems to be something that you use when you want to follow interesting people and people can follow you because they find you interesting. Beyond that, I don't really understand it; though I did notice a 'Twitter For people who don't have a clue' book at a bookstore recently-perhaps I should get myself a copy?
There is a another school of thought that all these social networking applications are actually making people lazy in interacting with each other and I think that's a good point. Technology can undermine our efforts at interaction:
"Every technology has the ability to enhance embodied life or to subvert it. Take transportation. Planes, trains, and automobiles allow us to enjoy embodied fellowship with people who live far away from us. This is a great good. But speedy, cheap transportation also makes possible the transient culture we live in, where people struggle to put down roots in one place and ground themselves in their neighborhood."[1]
Extending this, the writer makes the possible point that social networking over the 'transient' internet doesn't 'enhance embodied life (i.e. love)' as opposed to real transportation that carries us to an actual destination. When we reach the end of a journey there are real people we connect with; some we haven't seen in years or even decades.
So, we know that Twitter and Facebook and the like contribute to this transient connection, but the point would also need to be made that these mediums might actually whet the taste buds for people to connect more; in the embodied state I mean.
I've known people to get right into Twitter only to pull the plug on their accounts, because like me, they've been inundated with salacious (distasteful) followers as mentioned earlier. Anyone seeking to live a virtuous life is placed into an abhorrently foreign situation-they face the arrogant-dregs of the world in an instant, and this is not something they'd invite.
As with all of the applications I use, there is a fundamental purpose that outweighs the 'maintenance cost' of keeping it clean; it's a chance to serve and help people.
With this end in mind, to serve, I attend my Facebook account for five to ten minute daily 'fixes' (and to interact) and sometimes if I have the time I'll log in more than daily. But I try never to get trapped there.
As for Twitter it's a tool for my few followers to receive my articles via another medium; the only reason to go there is to check and possibly remove followers who're obviously not after the material I'm a purveyor of.
How to Make Money Using Facebook
If you're with an MLM or internet marketing company, social media can be one great way to gain new prospects for your online business. There's no real secret to doing so... it's simply a matter of networking, being polite, and not pushing your business all over people.
I find that one of the biggest problems with networking on Facebook is exactly that... others who are promoting their own businesses like to push their opportunities all over you. This tends to be annoying, and simply isn't a great marketing technique as it will just turn people off. The best way to find prospects is to add friends in the home-based business industry. It's no secret that there are plenty of poor home-based business opportunities out there, and a lot of members of social media sites are promoting them. Members of such programs may be looking for a new opportunity... and that's where you come in.
No offense to any MLM'ers out there, but many of these people tend to be in the MLM business. The attrition rate in MLM right now is not good... most newcomers to MLM quit the company they joined within their first 90 days. Join home-based business groups, MLM groups, internet marketing groups, and so on, and add members to your friends list. This is not the time to send your new friend a link to your website or tell them about your business opportunity. Simply send a message such as "Hi John, I see you're a member of 'so and so' group. I'm looking to network with like-minded people... I hope you accept me as a friend". If they decide to ask you about your business, then go ahead and discuss it... but let them come to you about it as opposed to the other way around.
Your Facebook profile should state who you are and what your business is (with a link or two to your websites). Posting in group topics with useful home-business information, or posting your blog feed to your profile can help to establish you as a credible home-business owner with some great knowledge to share... which might intrigue people to know more about what it is you do. Having the entire profile dedicated to business can be a turn-off to potential prospects however, so personalize it with pictures and information about yourself and show people who you really are.
Using Facebook or other social media sites will be much more profitable for you if you're with a top-tier internet marketing company where any lead could generate a potential commission in the thousands of dollars. You're additionally limited to I think 5000 friends or so on Facebook, so leads are not endless. It's 100% free however, so whoever you're with, make a profile and start prospecting.
I find that one of the biggest problems with networking on Facebook is exactly that... others who are promoting their own businesses like to push their opportunities all over you. This tends to be annoying, and simply isn't a great marketing technique as it will just turn people off. The best way to find prospects is to add friends in the home-based business industry. It's no secret that there are plenty of poor home-based business opportunities out there, and a lot of members of social media sites are promoting them. Members of such programs may be looking for a new opportunity... and that's where you come in.
No offense to any MLM'ers out there, but many of these people tend to be in the MLM business. The attrition rate in MLM right now is not good... most newcomers to MLM quit the company they joined within their first 90 days. Join home-based business groups, MLM groups, internet marketing groups, and so on, and add members to your friends list. This is not the time to send your new friend a link to your website or tell them about your business opportunity. Simply send a message such as "Hi John, I see you're a member of 'so and so' group. I'm looking to network with like-minded people... I hope you accept me as a friend". If they decide to ask you about your business, then go ahead and discuss it... but let them come to you about it as opposed to the other way around.
Your Facebook profile should state who you are and what your business is (with a link or two to your websites). Posting in group topics with useful home-business information, or posting your blog feed to your profile can help to establish you as a credible home-business owner with some great knowledge to share... which might intrigue people to know more about what it is you do. Having the entire profile dedicated to business can be a turn-off to potential prospects however, so personalize it with pictures and information about yourself and show people who you really are.
Using Facebook or other social media sites will be much more profitable for you if you're with a top-tier internet marketing company where any lead could generate a potential commission in the thousands of dollars. You're additionally limited to I think 5000 friends or so on Facebook, so leads are not endless. It's 100% free however, so whoever you're with, make a profile and start prospecting.
Using Twitter to Attract Real Estate Listings
Before I started toying with this new machinery I was had my doubts. I have had access to my twitter account that I used to encourage the RedXREALTOR Lead generation system, however until recently invested any time in using it. Because of this, I am just learning to implement the technology. However, now that I understand technology, I can understand how Listing Agents online should be utilizing this tool to attract leads.
So how do you use Twitter in a promotion campaign? Before we begin you need to understand that Twitter is only a single point of contact for your prospects and that numerous touches are usually required to charm a client. Also, understand that Twitter decorum implies that when you follow someone's tweets, they may in turn monitor you. With that background, what are the steps? The primary step is to connect your twitter account to any web site wherever you can be located. If you have a site, blog or web presence, add a "Follow me on Twitter" logo with a hyperlink to your twitter site.
To begin utilizing Twitter as a promotion resource, create an auto-responder on your twitter account so that when anybody chooses to monitor you, they will automatically receive a thank you with a call to action. I use TweetLater.Com for my autoresponders. The message ought to thank the user for following, and incorporate a call to action. Your may choose to make your call to action an offer for a complimentary report, data, or some other offer that allows you to capture more information about your target lead. For example, my call to action is "Thanks for the Follow! Want a discount on listing leads from RedX? Visit me here for more info."
The next step is to begin tweeting. You should routinely tweet, but additionally be aware that there is a shortcut that you may exploit when you cannot send directly. If you control a blog that you keep posted often, you may post the feed directly to your twitter account using TwitterFeed.
The subsequent step in your twitter promotion should be to incorporate followers. You can find followers who reside in your area simply by doing a keyword search on the twitter user directory Twellow. Just search the twellow list for active tweeters that live in your area and follow those that fit the bill.
There are a number of other ways that you can incorporate twitter as part of your promotion, together with mobile messaging and even film. We won't get into those details here, but may address them later.
So how do you use Twitter in a promotion campaign? Before we begin you need to understand that Twitter is only a single point of contact for your prospects and that numerous touches are usually required to charm a client. Also, understand that Twitter decorum implies that when you follow someone's tweets, they may in turn monitor you. With that background, what are the steps? The primary step is to connect your twitter account to any web site wherever you can be located. If you have a site, blog or web presence, add a "Follow me on Twitter" logo with a hyperlink to your twitter site.
To begin utilizing Twitter as a promotion resource, create an auto-responder on your twitter account so that when anybody chooses to monitor you, they will automatically receive a thank you with a call to action. I use TweetLater.Com for my autoresponders. The message ought to thank the user for following, and incorporate a call to action. Your may choose to make your call to action an offer for a complimentary report, data, or some other offer that allows you to capture more information about your target lead. For example, my call to action is "Thanks for the Follow! Want a discount on listing leads from RedX? Visit me here for more info."
The next step is to begin tweeting. You should routinely tweet, but additionally be aware that there is a shortcut that you may exploit when you cannot send directly. If you control a blog that you keep posted often, you may post the feed directly to your twitter account using TwitterFeed.
The subsequent step in your twitter promotion should be to incorporate followers. You can find followers who reside in your area simply by doing a keyword search on the twitter user directory Twellow. Just search the twellow list for active tweeters that live in your area and follow those that fit the bill.
There are a number of other ways that you can incorporate twitter as part of your promotion, together with mobile messaging and even film. We won't get into those details here, but may address them later.
Top Five Tips For Better Social Networking
Marketing with social media and social networking sites is the latest buzz among successful internet marketers. Here are five guidelines for marketing in this arena
1. Linkability
This is the most vital aspect for websites. Most websites are static in nature, which means they are seldom updated and are used merely as a storefront. Enhancing a site with a blog is a fantastic step toward increasing linkability. Other ways of doing this include article writing, social bookmarking and creating white pages.
2. The "Mashup"
We live in a world of co-creation, so it's advisable to be more open to re-using content. Obviously this should be done within reasons to avoid blatant plagiarism. An example is YouTube offering users the video code to copy and paste on websites. Syndicating your content through RSS also allows for others to easily create mashups that drive traffic.
3. Become a User Resource
Seek to enhance the overall value to users by adding outbound hyperlinks that lead to other marketers pages. When done correctly, you present yourself as a non-bias leader and information source. This helps social media optimization when others link to your social site and tag is as helpful. Overtime, your content will become more relevant to large search engines.
4. Targeting your Audience
Knowing your target audience is paramount in social media marketing. What use is it to embark on a large scale marketing campaign if the viewers will not be interested in your message or product. Thinking realistically is important here. There always exists a certain audience you can appeal to whereas others can not. Target these people and your conversion rates will increase.
5. Participate in Content Creation
Don't forget that social media is a two-way street. You can't expect to achieve huge results if you don't reciprocate back what others initiate in the form of conversation, blog posts, or forum commentary. Conversing with other like-minded people creates awareness and prolongs your buzz, much like the snowball effect as it spreads further and further.
Conclusion
Even though the packaging of social media may be constantly changing these ten guidelines serve as foundational core concepts for internet marketers. The reality is text is still king on the web and social media has only integrated and disseminated the text content throughout the internet fabric of networking sites.
1. Linkability
This is the most vital aspect for websites. Most websites are static in nature, which means they are seldom updated and are used merely as a storefront. Enhancing a site with a blog is a fantastic step toward increasing linkability. Other ways of doing this include article writing, social bookmarking and creating white pages.
2. The "Mashup"
We live in a world of co-creation, so it's advisable to be more open to re-using content. Obviously this should be done within reasons to avoid blatant plagiarism. An example is YouTube offering users the video code to copy and paste on websites. Syndicating your content through RSS also allows for others to easily create mashups that drive traffic.
3. Become a User Resource
Seek to enhance the overall value to users by adding outbound hyperlinks that lead to other marketers pages. When done correctly, you present yourself as a non-bias leader and information source. This helps social media optimization when others link to your social site and tag is as helpful. Overtime, your content will become more relevant to large search engines.
4. Targeting your Audience
Knowing your target audience is paramount in social media marketing. What use is it to embark on a large scale marketing campaign if the viewers will not be interested in your message or product. Thinking realistically is important here. There always exists a certain audience you can appeal to whereas others can not. Target these people and your conversion rates will increase.
5. Participate in Content Creation
Don't forget that social media is a two-way street. You can't expect to achieve huge results if you don't reciprocate back what others initiate in the form of conversation, blog posts, or forum commentary. Conversing with other like-minded people creates awareness and prolongs your buzz, much like the snowball effect as it spreads further and further.
Conclusion
Even though the packaging of social media may be constantly changing these ten guidelines serve as foundational core concepts for internet marketers. The reality is text is still king on the web and social media has only integrated and disseminated the text content throughout the internet fabric of networking sites.
How to Make Money With Twitter - It is Very Easy If You Understand This Concept
It is fun to make money by using Twitter. Especially when you can earn money everyday. You may not understand the way to do it. So, what I'm going to tell you some easy techniques on how to make money with Twitter.
The techniques that will help you to make money by using Twitter are:
First, if you want to earn a lot of money by using Twitter, you will need a lot of followers. You will need about hundreds or thousands of them. The more followers you have, the more money you can earn.
Second, Another way on how to make money by using Twitter is to create relationship with your followers. They need to trust you and more importantly, they need to read the messages you posted and react to them by click on the links you posted. This is how it works.
Third, this last technique has to do with the links you posted with your messages. Now, to create income, what you have to do is sent out a link with your messages that link to your affiliate product or offer. When someone buys your product, the affiliate offer is something that will let you to gain a commission from that product. Suppose that you're tweeting about the music you just heard. Then, what you have to do is signing up with the online music website, send out a message talking about the music and give a link to where they can purchase this music.
The techniques that will help you to make money by using Twitter are:
First, if you want to earn a lot of money by using Twitter, you will need a lot of followers. You will need about hundreds or thousands of them. The more followers you have, the more money you can earn.
Second, Another way on how to make money by using Twitter is to create relationship with your followers. They need to trust you and more importantly, they need to read the messages you posted and react to them by click on the links you posted. This is how it works.
Third, this last technique has to do with the links you posted with your messages. Now, to create income, what you have to do is sent out a link with your messages that link to your affiliate product or offer. When someone buys your product, the affiliate offer is something that will let you to gain a commission from that product. Suppose that you're tweeting about the music you just heard. Then, what you have to do is signing up with the online music website, send out a message talking about the music and give a link to where they can purchase this music.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Facebook is Our Second Sexual Revolution
What was the sexual revolution of the 1960's? While I wasn't old enough to really be aware of it, at its essence it changed the definition and etiquette of who it was OK to have sex with, right? There's a lot more to it than that, but that was one of the most basic and fundamental things that changed in that era, and after that shift happened, the definition and etiquette have continue to evolve and different age groups and social groups have their own ideas, but the sexual revolution, which was also really a social revolution transformed culture.
When people talk about Facebook and MySpace and Twitter and other social networking sites, a lot of people talk about how those sites will monetize social networking and those kinds of things in a more forward looking fashion.
Well I am here to tell you a second sexual, or at the very least a second social revolution, has already happened, and it's as simple as what happened in the '60s.
Facebook has changed the actual definition of the word "friend" for most people under 40, and a lot of people over 40. By fundamentally changing the definition of the word friend, people are shifting their ideas about privacy and communications. It has already happened. What we don't yet know is how that will transform our social work environments when 20-somethings have one set of standards and definitions of what is OK, communicating with a boss over 50 with a very different set of definitions and expectations of what's OK, it's going to be the 60's all over again, though probably a lot less psychedelic.
There's a new movie coming out next month called We Live In Public, it already won the best documentary at Sundance this year, and it's in the running for the Oscar. I have seen it and I really think it captures some of the good, as well as the dark side of this revolution. It's such a watershed moment in our culture, I think this movie is going to wake everyone up to what has already happened and it's going to force people to rethink where we are all headed.
When people talk about Facebook and MySpace and Twitter and other social networking sites, a lot of people talk about how those sites will monetize social networking and those kinds of things in a more forward looking fashion.
Well I am here to tell you a second sexual, or at the very least a second social revolution, has already happened, and it's as simple as what happened in the '60s.
Facebook has changed the actual definition of the word "friend" for most people under 40, and a lot of people over 40. By fundamentally changing the definition of the word friend, people are shifting their ideas about privacy and communications. It has already happened. What we don't yet know is how that will transform our social work environments when 20-somethings have one set of standards and definitions of what is OK, communicating with a boss over 50 with a very different set of definitions and expectations of what's OK, it's going to be the 60's all over again, though probably a lot less psychedelic.
There's a new movie coming out next month called We Live In Public, it already won the best documentary at Sundance this year, and it's in the running for the Oscar. I have seen it and I really think it captures some of the good, as well as the dark side of this revolution. It's such a watershed moment in our culture, I think this movie is going to wake everyone up to what has already happened and it's going to force people to rethink where we are all headed.
What is TweetAdder? And Why Do You Need It?
TweetAdder is a twitter program that automates everything you would want to do with twitter. It will maintain multiple accounts. It sets up accounts to follow, leaving you to decide what and who you want to follow, by zip code, bio description, or tweet content. It will also allows you to set up 'to follow' another person's followers, or who other people are following.
You can download a free demo.
TweetAdder then allows you to follow these people...but more than that , it automatically 'signs you up' as a follower. You don't have to do it manually, as in other programs, which can be very time consuming.
It automates your welcome messages, allowing you to rotate welcome messages, and direct messages.
Most significantly, it allows you to automate your tweets to your followers, even scheduling those tweets for a specific time. Think of it: you can assemble a list of , say 20 'tweets', feed them into the tweet file, click the mouse, and those messages go out at various times over the next couple of days. Great if you're on vacation, or away for the weekend. This feature alone allows you to update other files, compose articles, or, my favorite, take a nap!
Building an excess of unfollows? TweetAdder allows you to automatically 'unfollow' those who have not 'followed' you back.. You can set this up for 1 day (the minimum) or longer. I like to keep it at 2 days. That's enough time for anyone to decide whether to follow me or not. If they haven't followed me by then, they probably never will.
All of this is automated. Set it and forget it, and you can do it for multiple accounts.
With Twitter Traffic Machine no longer available. (Why?), TweetAdder is one program that should be in use by every serious twitterer.
TweetAdder is not a free program: the price for a single account is $55....additional accounts add to the cost: 5 licenses will cost an additional $19. but you can easily upgrade if you need extra licenses. It 's the automatic 'following' signup that I like. While there are several free 'follow' programs, they require you to 'manually' select who you want to follow. That takes time. If you're managing multiple accounts, the automatic features of TweetAdder will save you some long hours of 'follows', unfollows, and tweets. There are other programs that do similar functions, but they charge a monthly fee: TweetAdder is a one-time fee; and the affiliate program pays 50% on the first level, and you even get 10% on the second level.
You can download a free demo.
TweetAdder then allows you to follow these people...but more than that , it automatically 'signs you up' as a follower. You don't have to do it manually, as in other programs, which can be very time consuming.
It automates your welcome messages, allowing you to rotate welcome messages, and direct messages.
Most significantly, it allows you to automate your tweets to your followers, even scheduling those tweets for a specific time. Think of it: you can assemble a list of , say 20 'tweets', feed them into the tweet file, click the mouse, and those messages go out at various times over the next couple of days. Great if you're on vacation, or away for the weekend. This feature alone allows you to update other files, compose articles, or, my favorite, take a nap!
Building an excess of unfollows? TweetAdder allows you to automatically 'unfollow' those who have not 'followed' you back.. You can set this up for 1 day (the minimum) or longer. I like to keep it at 2 days. That's enough time for anyone to decide whether to follow me or not. If they haven't followed me by then, they probably never will.
All of this is automated. Set it and forget it, and you can do it for multiple accounts.
With Twitter Traffic Machine no longer available. (Why?), TweetAdder is one program that should be in use by every serious twitterer.
TweetAdder is not a free program: the price for a single account is $55....additional accounts add to the cost: 5 licenses will cost an additional $19. but you can easily upgrade if you need extra licenses. It 's the automatic 'following' signup that I like. While there are several free 'follow' programs, they require you to 'manually' select who you want to follow. That takes time. If you're managing multiple accounts, the automatic features of TweetAdder will save you some long hours of 'follows', unfollows, and tweets. There are other programs that do similar functions, but they charge a monthly fee: TweetAdder is a one-time fee; and the affiliate program pays 50% on the first level, and you even get 10% on the second level.
Easy Secret to Get You More Followers
All strategies aside, this is a quick little trick you can do to scoop up some more followers. This is an easy trick to do that requires very little time and effort on your part. The best part about all this is the fact that once you set yourself up, there isn't much to do except watch your followers grow.
Follow the Top 100 Profiles
This trick essentially involves following the top 100 Twitter users out there. The logic in this is that hundreds of thousands of people browse over these top 100 Twitter profiles every second of every day. They more often than not follow the followers of these popular top 100 users.
For example, the Twitter user Ashton Kutcher has over 3 million followers at this point and gets thousands of new followers every hour. After you follow him your name and picture is then placed at the top of his follower list and anyone who comes to follow his followers will more than likely follow you. After following the top 100 users I had experienced a 250 follower increase literally over night.
Of course your profile eventually gets lost in the crowd as more people follow them and eventually you will stop getting followers - usually after about 5-7 days. At this time you can simply game the system and re follow the top 100 to repeat the process.
Step 1: Go to Twitter Counter dot Com
Twitter Counter is the first place you want to go to. Once here you will want to click on the "Top 100". This takes you to the top 100 most popular Twitter users.
Aside from this there are a ton of different uses Twitter Counter can provide. I enjoy tracking my following and checking in on the trends that have developed. There are a lot of different features that make this site a very powerful tool. But right now, all we want to do is find the Top 100 list.
Step 2: Follow the Top 100
Allow Twitter Counter to access your account so you can follow right from the site. Now just go down the list and follow all 100 people. These are mostly celebrities, some politicians and movements but all of them have more than 1,000,000 followers so they are pretty popular.
Remember when you follow these people, you end up on the top of their following list. This way, when someone browses past their followers your profile will appear right on top.
Step 3: Rinse and Repeat
The entire success of this trick relies on the fact that you are going to be very visible at the top of these popular following list. People come through constantly and follow their followers, if you're on that list you're going to get a boat load of followers. Eventually you will end up moving down to the second, third, forth page and your followers will come to a halt from this trick. That's when it's time to rinse and repeat.
Most of these popular users will not follow you back. Since they won't establish mutuality this means you can use Huitter to easily un-follow the Top 100 after a few days or so. Simply go to Huitter dot com and un-follow people not following you and re follow the Top 100 to appear on the top of their list again. Repeat this process as many times as your heart desires.
Conclusion: Pros & Cons
Pros: It's an easy trick to do that takes no time or effort at all to do. It's worthwhile because of the quick exposure it will get you and the hefty boost to your following it will provide.
Cons: For one thing you have no control over who you follows you. Randoms, people who have no interest in what you've got, spam profiles and the works will begin to follow you.
All in all it is a worthwhile trick for anyone looking to quickly and easily boost their following. Especially if you're new and looking to push your new website, get it some exposure then this is something you might want to look into.
Follow the Top 100 Profiles
This trick essentially involves following the top 100 Twitter users out there. The logic in this is that hundreds of thousands of people browse over these top 100 Twitter profiles every second of every day. They more often than not follow the followers of these popular top 100 users.
For example, the Twitter user Ashton Kutcher has over 3 million followers at this point and gets thousands of new followers every hour. After you follow him your name and picture is then placed at the top of his follower list and anyone who comes to follow his followers will more than likely follow you. After following the top 100 users I had experienced a 250 follower increase literally over night.
Of course your profile eventually gets lost in the crowd as more people follow them and eventually you will stop getting followers - usually after about 5-7 days. At this time you can simply game the system and re follow the top 100 to repeat the process.
Step 1: Go to Twitter Counter dot Com
Twitter Counter is the first place you want to go to. Once here you will want to click on the "Top 100". This takes you to the top 100 most popular Twitter users.
Aside from this there are a ton of different uses Twitter Counter can provide. I enjoy tracking my following and checking in on the trends that have developed. There are a lot of different features that make this site a very powerful tool. But right now, all we want to do is find the Top 100 list.
Step 2: Follow the Top 100
Allow Twitter Counter to access your account so you can follow right from the site. Now just go down the list and follow all 100 people. These are mostly celebrities, some politicians and movements but all of them have more than 1,000,000 followers so they are pretty popular.
Remember when you follow these people, you end up on the top of their following list. This way, when someone browses past their followers your profile will appear right on top.
Step 3: Rinse and Repeat
The entire success of this trick relies on the fact that you are going to be very visible at the top of these popular following list. People come through constantly and follow their followers, if you're on that list you're going to get a boat load of followers. Eventually you will end up moving down to the second, third, forth page and your followers will come to a halt from this trick. That's when it's time to rinse and repeat.
Most of these popular users will not follow you back. Since they won't establish mutuality this means you can use Huitter to easily un-follow the Top 100 after a few days or so. Simply go to Huitter dot com and un-follow people not following you and re follow the Top 100 to appear on the top of their list again. Repeat this process as many times as your heart desires.
Conclusion: Pros & Cons
Pros: It's an easy trick to do that takes no time or effort at all to do. It's worthwhile because of the quick exposure it will get you and the hefty boost to your following it will provide.
Cons: For one thing you have no control over who you follows you. Randoms, people who have no interest in what you've got, spam profiles and the works will begin to follow you.
All in all it is a worthwhile trick for anyone looking to quickly and easily boost their following. Especially if you're new and looking to push your new website, get it some exposure then this is something you might want to look into.
Social Networking Strategy - Communication is the Key!
LinkedIn
Many professional s are using this simple and effective website to display their resume credentials with picture and interests. Have the ability to join groups and ask questions on different topics.
You can also request referrals and request to speak to professionals in other networks via permission based email. Add people your network and grow you resources with your own social network.
Post updates , search for groups and connect with other in you network through existing connects ( with permission) Ask question to industry experts on different topics and join relative groups online.
Created your own online resume through easy to use template is great benefit you can update at your own convenience. There are also various types of online software that is available to upload presentations you have completed and search for answer by asking industry experts.
Have had the opportunity to locate previous co-workers and friends with easy to use networking addition feature.
Twitter
This social function allows you to type 140 characters of information from daily interests to links and website you may be connected to. Tweeting is simple and easy to do. You can have followers or follow others on the social networking journey. Many CEO, singers and actors can be found twitting on their daily happenings.
Recently many corporations have used the Twitter to keep their customer informed on company news and product and service launches.
You can also post links to other networking sites that you have posted information for followers to learn more about you in the social networking arena.
There are many other enhancement software you can find online to increase the people you want to have follow or have following you.
This is social website has its advantages in being an "connection" website to link people with other social website you are on, from posting links of articles or blog post of interest.
Facebook
Facebook has combination of resources to use. Taking approach of learning it step and step to create profile that is interested and engaging with your friends, make frequent updates and work toward building your profile.
Creating your own sub groups within the community where you can promote events to a specified inner circle of entrepreneurs and professionals.
You can add pictures of events you have attended to build you relationship with other and share what your interests. You can tie in your blog address to your profile and attach other blogs that you also read.
Promote events that you are planning to attend and share them with your group who are in the local vicinity.
The environment of friends you create will have an impact on the type of information you give and receive with you profile. Avoid playing games and participating in activities that could have potential to distract you
Connection of networks
Key goal is to combine the networks to create a strategy of interest which will lead to following.
Create interest
Share with your networks what you are doing. Do speak regularly or write articles online. Do you associate or promote people of interest who add value to people.
Promote Events
What events do you attend in your area and why. Take pictures of events and post them with brief explanation.
Create referrals
You have to create an appetite that your potential customer customers need to follow you and learn more about you. In all the above networks you can email and send message to your online professional's database. Email and ask them what they are doing and how you can assist.
Get Connected-Make it Happen
Get connected with the people who can bring value to you and your group and gradually learn and understand how you can bring value to them. Either by specific information or events of interest and in due time you can make great things happen!
We covered some simple steps to a productive and result oriented social experience is a process to being confident to try influence and understand how you deal with people online within the various social networks available above.
Many professional s are using this simple and effective website to display their resume credentials with picture and interests. Have the ability to join groups and ask questions on different topics.
You can also request referrals and request to speak to professionals in other networks via permission based email. Add people your network and grow you resources with your own social network.
Post updates , search for groups and connect with other in you network through existing connects ( with permission) Ask question to industry experts on different topics and join relative groups online.
Created your own online resume through easy to use template is great benefit you can update at your own convenience. There are also various types of online software that is available to upload presentations you have completed and search for answer by asking industry experts.
Have had the opportunity to locate previous co-workers and friends with easy to use networking addition feature.
This social function allows you to type 140 characters of information from daily interests to links and website you may be connected to. Tweeting is simple and easy to do. You can have followers or follow others on the social networking journey. Many CEO, singers and actors can be found twitting on their daily happenings.
Recently many corporations have used the Twitter to keep their customer informed on company news and product and service launches.
You can also post links to other networking sites that you have posted information for followers to learn more about you in the social networking arena.
There are many other enhancement software you can find online to increase the people you want to have follow or have following you.
This is social website has its advantages in being an "connection" website to link people with other social website you are on, from posting links of articles or blog post of interest.
Facebook has combination of resources to use. Taking approach of learning it step and step to create profile that is interested and engaging with your friends, make frequent updates and work toward building your profile.
Creating your own sub groups within the community where you can promote events to a specified inner circle of entrepreneurs and professionals.
You can add pictures of events you have attended to build you relationship with other and share what your interests. You can tie in your blog address to your profile and attach other blogs that you also read.
Promote events that you are planning to attend and share them with your group who are in the local vicinity.
The environment of friends you create will have an impact on the type of information you give and receive with you profile. Avoid playing games and participating in activities that could have potential to distract you
Connection of networks
Key goal is to combine the networks to create a strategy of interest which will lead to following.
Create interest
Share with your networks what you are doing. Do speak regularly or write articles online. Do you associate or promote people of interest who add value to people.
Promote Events
What events do you attend in your area and why. Take pictures of events and post them with brief explanation.
Create referrals
You have to create an appetite that your potential customer customers need to follow you and learn more about you. In all the above networks you can email and send message to your online professional's database. Email and ask them what they are doing and how you can assist.
Get Connected-Make it Happen
Get connected with the people who can bring value to you and your group and gradually learn and understand how you can bring value to them. Either by specific information or events of interest and in due time you can make great things happen!
We covered some simple steps to a productive and result oriented social experience is a process to being confident to try influence and understand how you deal with people online within the various social networks available above.
Great Ideas to Outsource LinkedIn
One of the important tools of any professional individual is LinkedIn. It keeps people from all sorts of industries connected. If you have exerted an extra effort to build your network, LinkedIn is sort of a directory of all the people you came in contact with. You can find updates and important information about them, especially with regards to their career. It paves way for career opportunities. Because you have a list of experts in your LinkedIn directory, it makes it easier to seek help regarding big business decisions. Currently, there are more than forty million members and the number is still increasing. These people constantly interact to share their ideas or knowledge about business.
When you want to outsource your account in LinkedIn, you have to select someone who has knowledge to create an outstanding profile and is able to create an impressive resume. It is the most basic yet significant stride in the creation of a LinkedIn account. Of course, to make certain that things are done correctly, you have to furnish that individual your resume. You have to emphasize important achievements and skills to make sure that these are incorporated in your LinkedIn profile.
The other thing that you should be reminded about your LinkedIn account is your profile photo. It should be a professional photo because this account is sort of your resume that other people are going to be reviewing. LinkedIn is one of the solutions to increase professional acquaintances. Let us cite this as an example. When you are going to organize a conference, you will be scouting for a comfortable place to accommodate it. Since you have an online directory of all your professional networks, you can just contact these people through LinkedIn. Who knows, because you are included in their list of networks, they can even provide you the place for free or at a discounted price. We all know that creating a network is two way. If you were able to give a favor, most likely, that favor can be returned.
Another thing to consider when you plan to outsource your LinkedIn account is to make sure that the person you are hiring is experienced. He could either be a writer by profession or someone who can express clearly. So if you know someone (an article writer), you may delegate this small task to make sure your LinkedIn account is flawless. That person doesn't need to have a LinkedIn account to know which specific feature to update. LinkedIn is user-friendly. It provides a step by step procedure to successfully create an outstanding profile. What you needed is that person's writing skills to market you or your business to other people.
So when you were able to outsource the task already, you also have to assess how well they did. There are times some information is missing, so you should let them know about it. Your ultimate goal here it to ensure that your LinkedIn account is precise. It is important for people to be able to read trustworthy materials.
When you want to outsource your account in LinkedIn, you have to select someone who has knowledge to create an outstanding profile and is able to create an impressive resume. It is the most basic yet significant stride in the creation of a LinkedIn account. Of course, to make certain that things are done correctly, you have to furnish that individual your resume. You have to emphasize important achievements and skills to make sure that these are incorporated in your LinkedIn profile.
The other thing that you should be reminded about your LinkedIn account is your profile photo. It should be a professional photo because this account is sort of your resume that other people are going to be reviewing. LinkedIn is one of the solutions to increase professional acquaintances. Let us cite this as an example. When you are going to organize a conference, you will be scouting for a comfortable place to accommodate it. Since you have an online directory of all your professional networks, you can just contact these people through LinkedIn. Who knows, because you are included in their list of networks, they can even provide you the place for free or at a discounted price. We all know that creating a network is two way. If you were able to give a favor, most likely, that favor can be returned.
Another thing to consider when you plan to outsource your LinkedIn account is to make sure that the person you are hiring is experienced. He could either be a writer by profession or someone who can express clearly. So if you know someone (an article writer), you may delegate this small task to make sure your LinkedIn account is flawless. That person doesn't need to have a LinkedIn account to know which specific feature to update. LinkedIn is user-friendly. It provides a step by step procedure to successfully create an outstanding profile. What you needed is that person's writing skills to market you or your business to other people.
So when you were able to outsource the task already, you also have to assess how well they did. There are times some information is missing, so you should let them know about it. Your ultimate goal here it to ensure that your LinkedIn account is precise. It is important for people to be able to read trustworthy materials.
The Rise of Social Networking Sites and Their Effects on Our Lives
Many social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have exploded in popularity over the last few years. Today, it seems hard to believe that these sites didn't even exist in 2003. So much has changed over the Internet in modern times. The avenues for entertainment are greater than they ever have been before, and I personally do not understand how anyone could ever be bored!
The debate rages on about how these social networking sites affect our health. Many people have made new friends or even met special mates on these social networking sites. Some studies suggest that Facebook or Twitter could actually be harmful to our social health. Instead of meeting people in person, we are spending more time in front of our computer screens checking out the latest info on John. I really do not see how anyone really cares when John goes to the bathroom or eats dinner. Some famous celebrities use Twitter too and use it constantly. As for me, I do not have a Twitter account because of the stupid ideas behind this site. I don't really want people to know what I am doing all day long.
There are other people who would argue that social networking sites are great for society. With these sites, we can keep up with our college friends that we have not seen in twenty plus years. We can keep up on who Keith is dating this week and where Mary parties on the weekends. There are no more questions about whether Johnny has broken up with Sally. If Johnny and Sally break up, we just see the changes on their relationship status on their Facebook profiles. This lets us gossip about Johnny and Sally without having to confirm with Johnny or Sally about their tragic breakup.
There are many other great benefits of social networking sites. We have to learn how to manage our time so we can use these sites in moderation. There is nothing worse than the person who needs to change their Twitter status six times a day, and most people could really care less about your algebra test on Tuesday.
The debate rages on about how these social networking sites affect our health. Many people have made new friends or even met special mates on these social networking sites. Some studies suggest that Facebook or Twitter could actually be harmful to our social health. Instead of meeting people in person, we are spending more time in front of our computer screens checking out the latest info on John. I really do not see how anyone really cares when John goes to the bathroom or eats dinner. Some famous celebrities use Twitter too and use it constantly. As for me, I do not have a Twitter account because of the stupid ideas behind this site. I don't really want people to know what I am doing all day long.
There are other people who would argue that social networking sites are great for society. With these sites, we can keep up with our college friends that we have not seen in twenty plus years. We can keep up on who Keith is dating this week and where Mary parties on the weekends. There are no more questions about whether Johnny has broken up with Sally. If Johnny and Sally break up, we just see the changes on their relationship status on their Facebook profiles. This lets us gossip about Johnny and Sally without having to confirm with Johnny or Sally about their tragic breakup.
There are many other great benefits of social networking sites. We have to learn how to manage our time so we can use these sites in moderation. There is nothing worse than the person who needs to change their Twitter status six times a day, and most people could really care less about your algebra test on Tuesday.
Las Twitter - What Happens Here Does Not Stay Here
It was less than ten months ago that I re-arrived on Twitter. I say re-arrived rather than arrived, as the first time I glanced at it, it made zero sense. I was used to "simple rules and regulations" as had been set forth by facebook and other such social networks. I really didn't give it a lot of credence to Twitter at first.
At the same time, how could I ignore it? Every television or radio interview eventually seemed to lead to Twitter, and more times than not it was being mentioned in newspaper articles as well. There had to be something to this rather benign cyber-monster that was beyond my comprehension. So I decided to give it a little more time and this time ask questions. I am glad I did so as it led me to persons, many of whom are still my close friends, and even business associates, and I tend to meet new people right away.
There are a few things to know about Twitter (or any other social network). It is not the cozy quiet, static personal e-tool that it appears to be. What you type on Twitter does not stay there. In fact, it often appears on Google, MSN, Yahoo, and other search engines rather rapidly, sometimes within hours, depending on fast those particular spiders are operating on the day one is twittering. This can be used to your advantage or disadvantage.
For instance, as of this writing, I have almost 7,000 followers. I only communicate regularly with maybe 200-300 of them. I have discovered that Twitter, like any other social network is not too unlike a microcosm of our own real life community. There are people with similar likes, dislikes, values, morals, ethics, and you name it.
A lot of twitterers falsely believe that it is "all about getting more followers", when, in fact the opposite is often true. The real key is to find like-minded followers, and, even though be spontaneous in one's conversations on Twitter, also have some prepared keyword-rich tweets with a backlink (Google and other giant search engines love this) to be tweeted on a fairly regular basis. Google likes "like"; that is, they like to "see" you conversing with others with like-minded values, causes, businesses, interests, etc. as, to the Google-bots, it is noted that you are talking to others within your realm of knowledge. This can actually help pull up your site ranking as your words leak off of Twitter onto Google (and other major search engines).
The reason for the importance of the backlink to your page or particular product or service is so that when someone finds you on Google; it will not necessarily make the Googler click on the Google link, only to take them to your Twitter page; where they will have to click yet again, if they can find your backlink on your profile, to find out more information. Most would rather move on with their web surfing than take so much time. If you include a backlink, more often than not, Google and others will include it in the indexing allowing others to click directly to your site and/or blog. If you have a keyword-rich tweet along with it, all the better, as it helps the potential client know they do not have to go to Twitter, find your link, and yet click on another one (and perhaps even another one to find the particular product or service for which they are looking.
Though Twitter has become an important tool in the entire SEO (Search Engine Optimization) process, it is but one tool. To make it one's only tool is a big mistake. Though it may "rule" for the moment, what rules better is a combination of Twitter, Facebook blogging, article marketing, PPC (Pay Per click advertising), bookmarking, blog pinging, and a myriad of other elements that are ongoing. Did you know that the majority of actual buying decisions are not made on Twitter even, if the conversation originated there? Those are made by people who found your backlink and keyword-rich tweet, after it has leaked onto Google, MSN, Yahoo, or another engine, and, even then, often bookmarked and your page visited several times (in most cases).
Alas, don't be sad that with all your hard networking conversations on Twitter that this is not where most of the actual business transactions will happen. However, if you excluded Twitter altogether, chances are, they might not happen at all as there would be nothing to leak onto the search engines.
At the same time, how could I ignore it? Every television or radio interview eventually seemed to lead to Twitter, and more times than not it was being mentioned in newspaper articles as well. There had to be something to this rather benign cyber-monster that was beyond my comprehension. So I decided to give it a little more time and this time ask questions. I am glad I did so as it led me to persons, many of whom are still my close friends, and even business associates, and I tend to meet new people right away.
There are a few things to know about Twitter (or any other social network). It is not the cozy quiet, static personal e-tool that it appears to be. What you type on Twitter does not stay there. In fact, it often appears on Google, MSN, Yahoo, and other search engines rather rapidly, sometimes within hours, depending on fast those particular spiders are operating on the day one is twittering. This can be used to your advantage or disadvantage.
For instance, as of this writing, I have almost 7,000 followers. I only communicate regularly with maybe 200-300 of them. I have discovered that Twitter, like any other social network is not too unlike a microcosm of our own real life community. There are people with similar likes, dislikes, values, morals, ethics, and you name it.
A lot of twitterers falsely believe that it is "all about getting more followers", when, in fact the opposite is often true. The real key is to find like-minded followers, and, even though be spontaneous in one's conversations on Twitter, also have some prepared keyword-rich tweets with a backlink (Google and other giant search engines love this) to be tweeted on a fairly regular basis. Google likes "like"; that is, they like to "see" you conversing with others with like-minded values, causes, businesses, interests, etc. as, to the Google-bots, it is noted that you are talking to others within your realm of knowledge. This can actually help pull up your site ranking as your words leak off of Twitter onto Google (and other major search engines).
The reason for the importance of the backlink to your page or particular product or service is so that when someone finds you on Google; it will not necessarily make the Googler click on the Google link, only to take them to your Twitter page; where they will have to click yet again, if they can find your backlink on your profile, to find out more information. Most would rather move on with their web surfing than take so much time. If you include a backlink, more often than not, Google and others will include it in the indexing allowing others to click directly to your site and/or blog. If you have a keyword-rich tweet along with it, all the better, as it helps the potential client know they do not have to go to Twitter, find your link, and yet click on another one (and perhaps even another one to find the particular product or service for which they are looking.
Though Twitter has become an important tool in the entire SEO (Search Engine Optimization) process, it is but one tool. To make it one's only tool is a big mistake. Though it may "rule" for the moment, what rules better is a combination of Twitter, Facebook blogging, article marketing, PPC (Pay Per click advertising), bookmarking, blog pinging, and a myriad of other elements that are ongoing. Did you know that the majority of actual buying decisions are not made on Twitter even, if the conversation originated there? Those are made by people who found your backlink and keyword-rich tweet, after it has leaked onto Google, MSN, Yahoo, or another engine, and, even then, often bookmarked and your page visited several times (in most cases).
Alas, don't be sad that with all your hard networking conversations on Twitter that this is not where most of the actual business transactions will happen. However, if you excluded Twitter altogether, chances are, they might not happen at all as there would be nothing to leak onto the search engines.
How to Build a Quality Business Network of Friends on Facebook
On a more personal note I feel that business networking on Facebook can be used for experts and newbies to grow their business. However, as with anything you need to learn how to properly build a network of business contacts and quality friends.
Building real good quality friends on Facebook is very important for your business. When starting out on Facebook a lot of newbies, have a tendency to add people to their friends list that really serves no purpose or value for connecting.
Today, I want to give you some quick ways to build your community of friends on Facebook and I want you to share your top ways of building your Facebook connections.
========
Part 1
========
1. Define your goal for your business on Facebook.
2. Define and create your social networking strategy on Facebook.
3. Build a professional and appealing profile on Facebook.
========
Part 2
========
1. Find quality connections on Facebook.
a) Do a direct search in your niche on Facebook.
b) Do a direct search in your niche group on Facebook.
========
Part 3
========
1. Get noticed as an expert on Facebook.
a) Create a Facebook fan page of your expertise, search engines love this.
b) Create a Facebook group for your niche to make connections.
========
Part 4
========
1. Create a company blog and link to your Facebook fan pages,and groups.
2. Create articles based on your niche on Facebook.
3. Create videos based on your niche on Facebook.
4. Make sure you add your Facebook profile badge on your websites, blogs, and other social networks.
5. Invite your high school connections, coworkers, business partners, and clients to connect with you on Facebook.
6. Make sure you participate in the Facebook groups you join regularly, so that everyone can get to know you.
I sure hope this has helped you to gain how important it is to build a quality list of friends on Facebook. I'm only sharing with you what has worked for me.
Building real good quality friends on Facebook is very important for your business. When starting out on Facebook a lot of newbies, have a tendency to add people to their friends list that really serves no purpose or value for connecting.
Today, I want to give you some quick ways to build your community of friends on Facebook and I want you to share your top ways of building your Facebook connections.
========
Part 1
========
1. Define your goal for your business on Facebook.
2. Define and create your social networking strategy on Facebook.
3. Build a professional and appealing profile on Facebook.
========
Part 2
========
1. Find quality connections on Facebook.
a) Do a direct search in your niche on Facebook.
b) Do a direct search in your niche group on Facebook.
========
Part 3
========
1. Get noticed as an expert on Facebook.
a) Create a Facebook fan page of your expertise, search engines love this.
b) Create a Facebook group for your niche to make connections.
========
Part 4
========
1. Create a company blog and link to your Facebook fan pages,and groups.
2. Create articles based on your niche on Facebook.
3. Create videos based on your niche on Facebook.
4. Make sure you add your Facebook profile badge on your websites, blogs, and other social networks.
5. Invite your high school connections, coworkers, business partners, and clients to connect with you on Facebook.
6. Make sure you participate in the Facebook groups you join regularly, so that everyone can get to know you.
I sure hope this has helped you to gain how important it is to build a quality list of friends on Facebook. I'm only sharing with you what has worked for me.
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