My Travels on the Net
Showing you how to use the Internet to your advantange.Thursday, February 26, 2009
Getting the Most Out of Micro Blogging
A simple 140 character message is an excellent way to stay front-of-mind with all the people you are connected to. And maybe you haven’t noticed but Twitter isn’t the only micro-blogging platform out there. Many other social networking sites including LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook and even Flickr have a micro-blogging feature too.
The primary benefit of micro-blogging is that when you update your status, it shows up on the home page of all the people you are connected to. If done right, there is no better way to say to your network “Give me your attention! Now I’m going to share something interesting with you.”
Here's what the micro-blogging feature looks like on my LinkedIn home page:
Here's what the micro-blogging feature looks like on Facebook:
Posting updates on each of your social networking profiles would turn a 3 minute task into a 20 minute task. For many things we do in a day, 20 minutes isn’t a lot of time but when you’re trying to fit social networking into an already jam packed schedule, 20 minutes is too long. On the other hand, 3 minutes is doable and you’re much more likely to do it if it only takes a few minutes.
Personally, I don’t follow people who use Twitter to tell me where they are in the airport, conduct private conversations or to blatantly promote their products. I follow people who provide valuable information and as such, I also try to provide value. I consume a lot of media in a day and I really like to share the helpful and interesting stuff I come across in the course of my travels on the internet. So, most of my Tweets include a link I want to share with people.
To make sure what I’m sharing gets in front of the most people possible, I have developed a micro-blogging process that enables me to send my Tweet out to all my networks in 3 minutes AND tells me how many people clicked on the link in my Tweet. Here’s what I do.
When I find a link I want to share, I:
1. Go to http://www.budurl.com/ and get a custom link.
2. Go to >www.HelloTxt.com and post my Tweet with my BudURL link.
3. Sometime later, go back to www.BudURL.com and see how many people clicked on the link.
There are a couple of things you need to know about these websites to make this process work. First, when you create your http://www.hellotxt.com/ account, you will need to enter your login info for all the social networking sites you want to update. This can take 20 to 30 minutes but it will save you much more time than that over the long haul. Second, to get the click data, you will need to pay http://www.budurl.com/ $4 a month. They do have a trial offer, if you want to check it out for a while first.
Not only does this process tell me what people are interested in, it’s also made me a better writer. Sure, you have to be concise to fit an idea and link in 140 characters or less. But I’ve also found that I think about how to word my Tweet so people will want to click on the link. This short daily exercise of asking myself “How can I make this compelling to the reader?” is great practice for all the other writing I do in a day.
The process I describe takes about 30 minutes to set up and costs $4 a month but in my experience it has been well worth it! I’m sure my Tweets reach a wider audience and I know more about their value than people just using Twitter.
The primary benefit of micro-blogging is that when you update your status, it shows up on the home page of all the people you are connected to. If done right, there is no better way to say to your network “Give me your attention! Now I’m going to share something interesting with you.”
Here's what the micro-blogging feature looks like on my LinkedIn home page:
Here's what the micro-blogging feature looks like on Facebook:
Posting updates on each of your social networking profiles would turn a 3 minute task into a 20 minute task. For many things we do in a day, 20 minutes isn’t a lot of time but when you’re trying to fit social networking into an already jam packed schedule, 20 minutes is too long. On the other hand, 3 minutes is doable and you’re much more likely to do it if it only takes a few minutes.
Personally, I don’t follow people who use Twitter to tell me where they are in the airport, conduct private conversations or to blatantly promote their products. I follow people who provide valuable information and as such, I also try to provide value. I consume a lot of media in a day and I really like to share the helpful and interesting stuff I come across in the course of my travels on the internet. So, most of my Tweets include a link I want to share with people.
To make sure what I’m sharing gets in front of the most people possible, I have developed a micro-blogging process that enables me to send my Tweet out to all my networks in 3 minutes AND tells me how many people clicked on the link in my Tweet. Here’s what I do.
When I find a link I want to share, I:
1. Go to http://www.budurl.com/ and get a custom link.
2. Go to >www.HelloTxt.com and post my Tweet with my BudURL link.
3. Sometime later, go back to www.BudURL.com and see how many people clicked on the link.
There are a couple of things you need to know about these websites to make this process work. First, when you create your http://www.hellotxt.com/ account, you will need to enter your login info for all the social networking sites you want to update. This can take 20 to 30 minutes but it will save you much more time than that over the long haul. Second, to get the click data, you will need to pay http://www.budurl.com/ $4 a month. They do have a trial offer, if you want to check it out for a while first.
Not only does this process tell me what people are interested in, it’s also made me a better writer. Sure, you have to be concise to fit an idea and link in 140 characters or less. But I’ve also found that I think about how to word my Tweet so people will want to click on the link. This short daily exercise of asking myself “How can I make this compelling to the reader?” is great practice for all the other writing I do in a day.
The process I describe takes about 30 minutes to set up and costs $4 a month but in my experience it has been well worth it! I’m sure my Tweets reach a wider audience and I know more about their value than people just using Twitter.
Labels: micro-blogging, social networking, Tweets, Twitter
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Taming Social Media - How to keep track of social networking, blogs and Twitter and still get your job done.
The Natives Revolt
It seems like every one I talk to is fed up. For years they’ve been hearing about the latest “must do” to do to get clients from the internet and they’ve tried it. First, it was email. Gotta have email. Then it was a website. Gotta have a website. Then it was search engine optimization. Gotta get your website to rank well. Then it was a newsletter. Gotta keep in touch with a newsletter.
Then came blogs and people hit the wall. All the experts said you had to write a blog post at least twice a week which is no small time investment. When these experts couldn’t tell people exactly how blogging would lead to paying clients, many business owners said, “Wait a minute! I’m not drinking the cool-aid on this one.”
By the time social networking came along, the villagers had their pitchforks out and were ready to riot. When I talk to clients about using LinkedIn, Facebook, Biznik and Twitter, the most common reaction is, “No more! I can’t add one more thing to my daily to do list!” Social networking proponents aren’t doing themselves any favors either. The hundreds of articles written about how to use social networking to build your business assume you have the time - or will make the time - to do it. But that’s the problem. No one has any more time!
Keeping It all in One Place with iGoogle
In this day and age of constant information, value doesn’t come from providing information; value comes from filtering information and showing people how it’s valuable to them. But in order to do that, you have to sort through a lot of raw information first.
I don’t think you need to spend more time reading and researching to provide value. You just need to organize your sources of information better by putting your news sites, social networking sties, blog feeds, twitter account and everything else in one place. I use iGoogle —a customizable version of Google— to do that.
It seems like every one I talk to is fed up. For years they’ve been hearing about the latest “must do” to do to get clients from the internet and they’ve tried it. First, it was email. Gotta have email. Then it was a website. Gotta have a website. Then it was search engine optimization. Gotta get your website to rank well. Then it was a newsletter. Gotta keep in touch with a newsletter.
Then came blogs and people hit the wall. All the experts said you had to write a blog post at least twice a week which is no small time investment. When these experts couldn’t tell people exactly how blogging would lead to paying clients, many business owners said, “Wait a minute! I’m not drinking the cool-aid on this one.”
By the time social networking came along, the villagers had their pitchforks out and were ready to riot. When I talk to clients about using LinkedIn, Facebook, Biznik and Twitter, the most common reaction is, “No more! I can’t add one more thing to my daily to do list!” Social networking proponents aren’t doing themselves any favors either. The hundreds of articles written about how to use social networking to build your business assume you have the time - or will make the time - to do it. But that’s the problem. No one has any more time!
Keeping It all in One Place with iGoogle
In this day and age of constant information, value doesn’t come from providing information; value comes from filtering information and showing people how it’s valuable to them. But in order to do that, you have to sort through a lot of raw information first.
I don’t think you need to spend more time reading and researching to provide value. You just need to organize your sources of information better by putting your news sites, social networking sties, blog feeds, twitter account and everything else in one place. I use iGoogle —a customizable version of Google— to do that.
I’ve customized my Google home page so that I can:
- Follow people on Twitter and even add my own Tweets
- Monitor what my connections are doing on Facebook
- Stay on top of news headlines with the New York Times, CNN and the BBC
- Read the latest blog posts from all the blog feeds I have subscribed to
- Read and respond to LinkedIn Questions about internet marketing
- Search Wikipedia
- Keep track of my To Do List
- And even follow the phase of the moon
Each morning when I fire up my computer, I open a browser window. I have iGoogle set as my default home page and I see all this stuff first thing. Since I’m on the internet throughout the day, it’s really easy for me to keep an eye on my various accounts. I know many social networking experts say you should set aside time for social networking and blogging but I like to do it when inspiration hits. If I see something that sparks an idea that will take more than a few minutes to write up, I’ll make note of it and take care of it when I’ve got some time later to dedicate to it.
It’s really easy to set up and customize your iGoogle home page; you just need to have a Google account. If you use Google for email or run Google Analytics on your website, you already have a Google account. You can either sign in or create and account by clicking on the “Sign In” link in the upper right hand corner of the Google home page.
Once you’ve signed in, you can browse through and add gadgets (aka widgets) to your iGoogle home page by clicking on the “Add Stuff” link under the search box and to the right. Fortunately, there is a search box in the upper right hand corner so if you do a search on “Twitter”, it will pull up all the Twitter related gadgets you can chose from. You move things around so they’re in the order that works for you and you can even change how everything looks by selecting from one of the dozens of themes available.
A word of warning. These gadgets are not created by Google and they can “break” from time to time. Since there are typically several in each category, I recommend trying out different ones to see which work the best. I also don’t recommend adding too many because you can only fit so many above the fold and can lose track of the ones you have to scroll to see.
Feeling Adventurous? Try Flock.
I’m assuming most readers are using Internet Explorer and a few might even be using Mozilla. (Please for give me Mac/Safari users.) There is a great new browser called Flock (http://www.flock.com/) which is designed around the needs of social networking and social media. I’ve been playing with it for about six months now and I still don’t think I’ve figured out most of what it can do.
While with iGoogle you put all the gadgets on one page, Flock has separate pages for separate functions. For example, you can customize Flock browser so Twitter is on one page, your news feeds on another and your web mail on another. This enables you to monitor more accounts at more depth in one place. The combinations are practically endless and they are adding new features all the time.
While you can do a lot more with browser like Flock, you’ve got to pay close attention when installing it. If you’re not careful, you can inadvertently make it your default browser or disable features from other browsers and toolbars. It makes sense. Microsoft and Google don’t want to lose market share by making it easy for you to use another browser or search service. But don’t worry too much. If things get messed up, you can always uninstall it and start over.
Sure, there’s a learning curve with any of these options and time to set up the accounts and get them all talking to each other but it’s worth it. In just a few days, you’ll be doing a better job at staying on top of your social media and social networking. You might even feel like you’re in control of it instead of it being in control of you!
Labels: blog feeds, iGoogle, organizing information, social networking, Twitter
Monday, September 8, 2008
Maybe There Is a Use for Twitter After All...
The media has a steady stream of stories about how the younger generation seems to be obsessed with staying in touch via cell phone and computer these days. You hear stories about kids sending 10,000 text messages a month, checking their MySpace or Facebook page several times and day and using micro-blogging services like Twitter to inform all their friends about what they’ve had for lunch. Virtually anyone over the age of 30 is left thinking “These kids need to get a job!”
But the September 7th New York Times Sunday Magazine had an interesting article by Clive Davis titled “I’m So Totally, Digitally Close to You: How News Feed, Twitter and Other Forms of Incessant Online Contact Have Created a Brave New World of Intimacy” that helped me understand that maybe there are benefits to this level of contact. While any individual communication via Facebook, Twitter or news feed appears to be insignificant, in aggregate they create an “ambient awareness” which is similar to being in physical proximity to someone and picking up on what’s going on with them by their physical cues. This awareness makes us feel like we are close to people with out actually communicating with them one on one. The common reaction to this faux-connection is one of horror and lament about the decline of western civilization but it’s not all bad.
The author describes a phenomenon called the “Dunbar number” in which research has confirmed that human groupings tend to tail off at about 150 people. These social websites and apps don’t necessarily help increase our number of close connections but they do help expand and stay connected to our larger informal network. This has real benefits for anyone trying to network professionally.
If you’re going to use these social tools for professional networking, I wouldn’t recommend you update people on what you had for lunch. But I would recommend that you use them to share information and resources you think might help your network in their business. When done properly, it’s a fairly easy way to stay in front of people and build the perception of expertise. For example, I follow Robin Good on Twitter and he “tweets” several times a day with links to interesting web applications. Sometimes I feel like he tweets too much but unlike email they’re pretty easy to ignore so I’m less likely to unsubscribe from his feed.
If you’ve wondered what the appeal of these social technologies is, I suggest you read this article. It does a good job of describing how they work and why anyone would spend their precious time using them.
But the September 7th New York Times Sunday Magazine had an interesting article by Clive Davis titled “I’m So Totally, Digitally Close to You: How News Feed, Twitter and Other Forms of Incessant Online Contact Have Created a Brave New World of Intimacy” that helped me understand that maybe there are benefits to this level of contact. While any individual communication via Facebook, Twitter or news feed appears to be insignificant, in aggregate they create an “ambient awareness” which is similar to being in physical proximity to someone and picking up on what’s going on with them by their physical cues. This awareness makes us feel like we are close to people with out actually communicating with them one on one. The common reaction to this faux-connection is one of horror and lament about the decline of western civilization but it’s not all bad.
The author describes a phenomenon called the “Dunbar number” in which research has confirmed that human groupings tend to tail off at about 150 people. These social websites and apps don’t necessarily help increase our number of close connections but they do help expand and stay connected to our larger informal network. This has real benefits for anyone trying to network professionally.
If you’re going to use these social tools for professional networking, I wouldn’t recommend you update people on what you had for lunch. But I would recommend that you use them to share information and resources you think might help your network in their business. When done properly, it’s a fairly easy way to stay in front of people and build the perception of expertise. For example, I follow Robin Good on Twitter and he “tweets” several times a day with links to interesting web applications. Sometimes I feel like he tweets too much but unlike email they’re pretty easy to ignore so I’m less likely to unsubscribe from his feed.
If you’ve wondered what the appeal of these social technologies is, I suggest you read this article. It does a good job of describing how they work and why anyone would spend their precious time using them.
Labels: ambient awareness, Dunbar number, Facebook, social networking, Twitter spam
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Now That's Using Social Networking!
I logged into LinkedIn this evening to post a question to their Answers section and was surprised to see that Barak Obama is using LinkedIn to get answers to his questions.
Now that's using social networking to make change!
Labels: Barack Obama, LinkedIn, social networking
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Web 2.0 Media Group Demystifies Using the Internet to Build Business Relationships
Where web 1.0 was a monologue, web 2.0 is a conversation. Ultimately, web 2.0 is about building relationships online through blogs, social networking websites, online reviews and wikis.
Web 2.0 is a good thing but it’s also created overwhelm and confusion in non-techies trying to figure out how to apply it to their own business. I equate it to being born and raised in the cornfields of Iowa and then moving to New York City. All the sights, all the sounds, and all the options are fascinating but they’re pretty overwhelming too.
Web 2.0 is a good thing but it’s also created overwhelm and confusion in non-techies trying to figure out how to apply it to their own business. I equate it to being born and raised in the cornfields of Iowa and then moving to New York City. All the sights, all the sounds, and all the options are fascinating but they’re pretty overwhelming too.
I’m all for any effort to help demystify web 2.0 which is why I was thrilled to be invited to join the Web 2.0 Media Group. The purpose of the Web 2.0 Media Group is to help non-techies get a clear, jargon-free overview of new ways to market and manage their business using online media.
The Web 2.0 Media Group was conceived by Wayne Bishop founder of Arbutus Software which produces Joint Contact project management software. Wayne co-founded the Web 2.0 Group with Mark McLaren owner of McBuzz Communications an online communications firm.
I met Wayne through Biznik (my favorite social networking website) when I responded to an article her wrote. I had recently signed up for BaseCamp to manage client projects and wanted to know how Joint Contact was different than BaseCamp. In minutes I got a reply from Wayne with a list of about a dozen ways Joint Contact is better than BaseCamp. I gave Joint Contact a try and am now using it to manage all my projects. Now that’s leveraging the internet to build business!
Wayne, who is based in Seattle, got the idea for the Web 2.0 Media Group after noticing that there was a disconnect between the business community and the tech community. I’ve noticed it here in Portland too. “Business People” and “Tech People” network in their own little worlds and rarely do their paths cross. It’s as if they live in parallel universes. Wayne is one of the few who lives in both worlds.
Wayne also noticed that there were dozens of tech start ups with great ideas and products that didn’t get talked about because they didn’t have VC funding or angel investors. So he decided to start the Web 2.0 Media Group to help non-techies learn how to leverage new technologies in their own business and get tech start ups in front of a new audience.
The Web 2.0 Media Group is getting the word out in a variety of ways. There is a free introductory in-person seminar called "Introducing Web 2.0" designed to give the attendee an overview of the various technologies and how they can be used to build a business. There is a half or full day paid seminar that goes into more depth about exactly how to use the various technologies. There are also plans for an online community dedicated to answering the questions that come up as people try out web 2.0 technologies.
One of the goals for the Web 2.0 Media Group is to make a connection between cyber-space and physical space which is why it’s offering in-person seminars. Currently the seminars are only offered in Seattle but I plan to bring them to Portland in the fall. Email me if you’re interested in attending and I’ll keep you posted.
Labels: Biznik, blogging, Joint Contact, social networking, Web 2.0 Media Group
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Case Study: How Social Networking Can Sell Books
Last week I was on a panel on social networking for the Portland chapter of SECP (Self Employed Creative Professionals).
Jeff Fisher who is a graphic designer, author and speaker was on the panel too. He fielded several questions about how he's very successfully used social networking to promote his latest book "Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands".
Jeff blogged about which social networks he uses and the results he's gotten from each on his bLogo-Motives blog. If you're looking to promote a book with social networking, it's an excellent example of how to do it. Jeff also maintains a blog specific to the book. Check out the Identity Crisis blog to see how he's using a blog to promote his book as well.
Jeff Fisher who is a graphic designer, author and speaker was on the panel too. He fielded several questions about how he's very successfully used social networking to promote his latest book "Identity Crisis: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands".
Jeff blogged about which social networks he uses and the results he's gotten from each on his bLogo-Motives blog. If you're looking to promote a book with social networking, it's an excellent example of how to do it. Jeff also maintains a blog specific to the book. Check out the Identity Crisis blog to see how he's using a blog to promote his book as well.
Labels: case study, Jeff Fisher, LogoMotives, social networking
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Social Networking & Social Media: What’s the Difference and Why Should You Care?
I often see the terms “social networking” and “social media” used interchangeably when in fact they are two different concepts. Attracting clients via the internet is hard work that requires a tightly focused plan. If you’re going to do it effectively and efficiently, you have to know the difference between the two so you can target the right activities, have realistic goals and achieve them. So here’s the scoop.
Social Networking is very much like face to face networking. The primary goal is to connect with other people (old classmates, new friends, love interests, potential clients and sub-contractors) for similar purposes and start conversations that can lead to specific outcomes.
Social Media is about content: articles, news, videos, absurd stories, jokes. It’s about using the wisdom of crowds to find interesting stuff on the internet and bringing it to other people’s attention. Social media websites enable users to decide what’s important on the internet by voting on it, sharing it and commenting on it.
The reason why the two terms get used interchangeably is because social networking and social media are increasing found in the same places. (Biznik is an excellent example!)
- Things social networking and social media have in common:
- Designed to create a dialogue
- You need an online profile to participate
- There is an element of trust (which differentiates it from the general internet)
- Typically gather around a particular topic, area of interest or purpose
Why Do I Need to Care About the Difference?
If you want social networking or social media to work, you need to consider the purposes for each and how they fit into your overall eMarketing strategy.
Connecting vs. Sharing - Social networking is about meeting people while social media is about sharing what you know with the hope it will be helpful.
Proactive vs. Passive - While with social networking it’s generally okay to be proactive about seeking out introductions, it’s not okay to be proactive about seeking votes for your social media content. (Yeah. People do it but if you get caught, you will have to dig yourself out of a public relations nightmare.)
Meeting People vs. Getting Links - Social networking is about making human links while social media is about getting website links.
Hopefully, knowing the difference between social networking and social media will help you decide which combination of the two will work best for your business. Please! Let me know fi you have any questions!
Labels: difference, social media, social networking
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
oh great... The Spammers Found Twitter
I get a handful of people signing up to follow me on Twitter each week. It’s kind of flattering (Some one cares what I think!) but it also occurred to me that following people is a pretty good Guerilla marketing tactic. Why? Because when you sign up to follow someone, they get an email that you’re following them. If you’re using Twitter, you’re probably using social networking and are curious to about who’s paying attention to you so you’re going to click on the link to check them out. And bang! You just played right into the hands of a spammer.
For a brief moment I thought I’d discovered “Twitter Spam” so I decided to Google Twitter spam and realized someone (or many people) had already discovered it, named it and created a website around it. I’m not kidding. Check out www.TwitterSpam.com.
For a brief moment I thought I’d discovered “Twitter Spam” so I decided to Google Twitter spam and realized someone (or many people) had already discovered it, named it and created a website around it. I’m not kidding. Check out www.TwitterSpam.com.
Labels: social networking, Twitter spam
Monday, April 7, 2008
Tips for Creating a Social Networking Profile
Your social networking profile is important. People visiting your profile are making conclusions about you and your business from very little information. Small things, like your picture (also known as your Avatar) and your email address can say a lot about you. Your bio and your company description will say even more about you. Don’t just throw your social networking profile together. Put the time and effort into creating a profile that’s informative and compelling. Doing so will make a huge difference in how you are perceived by your social network.
Every directory and social networking site wants slightly different stuff so it’s hard to say “This is exactly what you need.” But if you have the basics, you can edit or add as needed. The following is a list of information you will most likely be asked to add to your profile (assuming your profile is mainly for business purposes).
Components of a Social Networking Profile:
- Screen name – Base it on your name or business name. “Cutesy” screen names make you look unprofessional.
- Job title
- Company
- Website URL
- Blog URL
- Tagline
- Email address – Use a professional email address not your personal email address. If you have a website, have your webmaster set up an email addresses at your domain name. It looks a lot more professional than a Yahoo or Comcast email address.
- Thumbnail picture (aka Avatar) – Get a good headshot! Don’t have your kid or spouse line you up against the wall and take a photo. It’s unprofessional and can be downright scary. You don’t have to spend a fortune on professional pictures. I recommend going to a high school portrait photographer and asking them for a CD of the pictures.
- Summary or Bio of different lengths – It is crucial that your summary or bio be well written. Don’t just throw it together on the fly! Spend some time working on it or get help with it. Tailor it to the audience of the specific social networking site.
- Key words and phrases that describe your products or services. These are words your target markets would use to find you so be careful about using industry specific jargon.
Information you might need or want to include:
- Education and job history – If you’re in a field where these types of credentials are important and you don’t mind disclosing them, go ahead but be mindful of how much information you’re giving out.
- Recommendations or Testimonials – You do have these, right? Well put them on your profile! Show people this isn’t your first day on the job.
- Interests or Hobbies – Remember; people are looking for information about who you are. Adding pertinent interests and hobbies can make you memorable.
- Groups and Associations – Listing these adds to your credibility. If you have access to the group or association logo, add it if possible.
Labels: network online, social networking, social networking profile
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Social Networking Resources
I was asked to write an article on tips for creating a social networking profile and came across the following resources about social networking I thought were particularly helpful.
Social Networking Resources:
A short video with an overview of social networking. (CommonCraft who produced this video also has other helpful overview videos on blogging, wikis and RSS.):
http://www.commoncraft.com/video-social-networking
(Or see it on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc
An in depth history of online social networking that includes links to the major players:
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/08/digging_deeperyour_guide_to_so_1.html
Social Networking Blog where you can learn about latest developments and new tools.
http://www.socialnetworking-weblog.com/
Search engines specifically for finding social networks:
http://www.digfoot.com/
http://www.findasocialnetwork.com/search.php
List of Social Networking Sites organized by category (i.e. books, business, family)
http://mashable.com/2007/10/23/social-networking-god/
A good list of Social Networking Aggregators. (Yeah. There are so many of them you need to worry about putting them all in one place.):
http://mashable.com/2007/07/17/social-network-aggregators/
Social Networking Resources:
A short video with an overview of social networking. (CommonCraft who produced this video also has other helpful overview videos on blogging, wikis and RSS.):
http://www.commoncraft.com/video-social-networking
(Or see it on YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc
An in depth history of online social networking that includes links to the major players:
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/08/digging_deeperyour_guide_to_so_1.html
Social Networking Blog where you can learn about latest developments and new tools.
http://www.socialnetworking-weblog.com/
Search engines specifically for finding social networks:
http://www.digfoot.com/
http://www.findasocialnetwork.com/search.php
List of Social Networking Sites organized by category (i.e. books, business, family)
http://mashable.com/2007/10/23/social-networking-god/
A good list of Social Networking Aggregators. (Yeah. There are so many of them you need to worry about putting them all in one place.):
http://mashable.com/2007/07/17/social-network-aggregators/
Labels: social networking, social networking lists, social networking resources
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Stuff I Found when I Should Have Been Working
The Newbiew Guide to Social Networking - This is a good primer on social networking. It does a good job describing how to find niche social networks and things to consider when setting up your account.
The Blogger’s Guide to SEO - I don't agree with everything they say in this guide (sucha s telling you not to use a service like Blogger) but it does give you good info for how to think of your blog from an SEO perspective.
SEO Digger - With this SEO tool you can find out for which keywords your site ranks high enough to be in Google Top 20. You can analyze your own sites as well as sites of your competition. The only problem is that you can't tell it which key words to search for.
Tips for Using Digg - I'm doing reserach for an article on social media and came across this video on SEOmoz. I had to watch it several times to understand the points Matt makes but it's worth the effort.
The Blogger’s Guide to SEO - I don't agree with everything they say in this guide (sucha s telling you not to use a service like Blogger) but it does give you good info for how to think of your blog from an SEO perspective.
SEO Digger - With this SEO tool you can find out for which keywords your site ranks high enough to be in Google Top 20. You can analyze your own sites as well as sites of your competition. The only problem is that you can't tell it which key words to search for.
Tips for Using Digg - I'm doing reserach for an article on social media and came across this video on SEOmoz. I had to watch it several times to understand the points Matt makes but it's worth the effort.
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