Well, another week floats by. It's Friday, two weeks before Christmas and it seems like only a few weeks ago I was celebrating last Christmas. We've had a wild ride this year. Turnover is up but activity seems to have increased disproportionally, although that could have been the result of life changes too.
I am looking forward to another addition to our team coming soon. I'm interviewing at the moment and the quality of candidates is fantastic. The plan being that they will help to ensure our clients get faster response times to emails and phone calls, and also means that I can spend more time with you, our clients.
Being the end of year, have you booked time out with yourself to review what you have achieved, what worked well this year and what you want to do differently next year? Maybe it is time to review what is possible online, what is possible for an online business and think about how could that work for you. If your website was a 'bricks and mortar' shop front of your business, what does it say to the world as the walk by? Do you have a brochure that has incorrect or out of date information? Or is it an 'all singing, all dancing' 24 hour sales representative for you and your business?
Does your site:
Grab the visitors attention quickly
Say how you care for your client
Provide an action for them to take NOW
Give the visitor options - are there too many options?
Can they find the information they want quickly
Is it time to consider Social networking? Do you need some education about where to take your online Business?
Of course, any of these things we can help you with, you only need to ask
Social Networking is very popular today. Just a few years ago, before Facebook and MySpace, no one had ever thought of using the web in such a way. A mere decade ago, people connected to the web to obtain information, buy books, movies and products or services from online stores. Today, individuals, corporations, charities and non-profit organisations use these social networks to provide information, organise events and receive donations. As social networking becomes more popular, it becomes subject to growing legal restrictions.
The three biggest "no-no's" that web designers and site administrators run into are:
Plagiarism: Many people think that anything found on the Internet is public fodder. Would you cite every idea that you knew came from a conversation? It seems absurd to an extent, but even if there isn’t any actual copyright statement to be found anywhere, content on social networks is copyright protected.
In order to protect an individual or organisation from committing plagiarism, run all content to be placed on a website through a program that checks for plagiarized material. These programs are easy to find on the web and can put articles, blogs and other Internet documents through a large database of information to ensure their originality.
Bandwidth Theft: Bandwidth theft (a.k.a. Hot linking) is both easy to commit and easy to get caught doing. Most everyone has seen MySpace pages. Almost everyone has taken pictures of their favourite movies, their favourite rock bands and displayed them on their own profile pages. These picture help make profiles personal and attractive, but it is possible, depending on how the pictures are linked, to make those very same profiles illegal. Hot linking occurs when some information, whether a picture, a video clip or anything else, is displayed using a server that does not belong to the person displaying that information. Example: You put a picture on your website. You put it there using HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) code that does not place the picture on your server, but instead summons information from the server that you are taking the picture from instead. This is sort of like stealing cable television. You are plugging into someone else’s server and using bandwidth to display items on your own website (or social network profile).
Defamation: This is another issue, which is sometimes hard to avoid. Social networks are supposed to be microcosms of the real world. You have peers or friends on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn (or any other social network) but then again, you may know people that aren’t your friends. Sometimes, people who don’t like each other like to say things that aren’t always good and the line between comments that are just mean and comments that are defamatory is very, very thin. Social networking is vital in today's economy. However, individuals, corporations and organisations need to use care and caution on popular social networks. Remember that just because it’s online and it is easy to maintain some level of anonymity does not mean that you get to do whatever you want.
Ok, rule number one for your blog, Stay on focus with your site topic. Never waste precious words on blogging about anything other than your blog topic. So, it will take me a few posts to make up for this grave misjudgement, but I post for my readers more than for any SEO results, Enjoy.
These were two quotes that I re-discovered last weekend, I like them.
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
“My life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is a privilege to do for it whatsoever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.
“I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment; and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
George Bernard Shaw
The world we have made as a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far creates problems that we cannot solve at the same level at which we created them.
With the growth of social networking on the Internet, many people have turned to networks found online as a source of money earning potential. Some of the most popular sites, such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace, are great locations to boost your own company or organization's sales, gain additional customers or donors and even market your products or services.
If done successfully, everyone has the potential of earning money on any of the social networking sites within a reasonable amount of time. Internet marketers increasingly use networks to increase their own demographic, since sites such as Facebook bring in thousands of new members each month. Using social networking as a way to promote or advertise is extremely beneficial, since it reaches a massive audience around the world all at the same time. YouTube, a site where anyone can post videos, tutorials or anything else they have a mind to post, reaches up to 100 million visitors per month. By using this site as a source of advertising or marketing, companies or organisations are able to share their message in ways that would be impossible by traditional methods.
To begin setting up marketing through a social networking site, the first step is to sign up for an account. MySpace, Xanga and Facebook are just a few of the many websites that contain networking capabilities. Signing up for an account can be done either with a company name, a charity name or even the user's actual name. Many Internet marketers commonly use a pen name to register, and then create a profile to advertise or market their ideas or products.
Selling products on social networking sites usually does not have a limit. Opportunities to post links back to personal websites helps to generate traffic and offers users more potential to understand more of what is being advertised. Websites such as MySpace allow video or music capabilities that work much like television commercials, without the astronomical costs involved in a televised media campaign. Another beneficial feature found in many social networking sites is the ability to share information through the use of bulletins. This allows anyone to write message or display information that posts throughout the entire network that individual users belong to. Providing links or product reviews and then sending them as a mass bulletin to thousands of people generates commission sales for products advertised by the user.
Many individuals use their profile as a way to generate and earn money through social networking websites. Social networking on the Internet enables direct relationships between individuals, companies, organizations, charities, and encourages dialogue, direct involvement, and immediate feedback for causes and events. Social networking profiles are used in promoting a product or even to promote second party products. Using profiles to post reviews, informative pieces, and links to the product itself or other sites are just some of the ways that marketers make use of social networking sites in the 21st century.
Brendan Byrne (www.receptive.com.au) is an internet marketing consultant. Brendan runs workshops on how to manage your online business and effectively market yourself.
With the rise of social networking, more people are using it as a platform to obtain exposure as well as a way to broaden professional circle and social impact. With thousands of users visiting social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace on a daily basis, there are opportunities for you to break through to millions of people around the world. Anyone can gain access to your message, product or event all in a single moment.
While belonging to the social networking group does not mean that professionals or organizations will have an easier chance of finding jobs or platforms, it certainly helps promote causes and contacts that might be able to assist with a wide wealth of resources at some point in the future, depending on content, intent and even career paths. Since popular social network websites obtain millions visitors per month, companies, non-profits and charities are beginning to market to a variety of demographic users logging on to these sites.
Not all social network sites have thousands of users. Networks may also consist of smaller, specially designed sites created primarily to help users gain professional connections or contacts. For example, Linkedln is a professional networking site that promotes professional contacts, resumes and skills, as well as employment opportunities. Navigating through social networking sites such as this one allows users who are members to make professional connections. Networking has become important in most professional arenas, since companies now commonly search through these professional sites in order to find potential employees.
Many social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace or Linkedln allow users to search the database of other members in order to find people with similar interests, skills or talents, all by simply using search tools designed by the site. Some social networking websites even allow members to ask or answer career- related questions that help companies become more familiar with them or vice versa. Since these social networks are free, utilizing them is a huge advantage when looking for a job or seeking the perfect professional to join your organisation.
Not every social network has been successful. Fiendster, one of the first large-scale social networking sites, failed to catch on and soon became overrun by other sites such as MySpace and Facebook. While Facebook was primarily intended to attract college students, anyone was able to join the site in 2006. With its user-friendly applications, Facebook now sees millions of new users joining each month.
While certain social networking websites have different features or directions, users are continually putting a more professional twist on content and goals. Whether social networking is used as a career enhancer. To attract attention to a non-profit or charity organization or just make a few new friends, it has certainly allowed for open communication around the world. Finding old friends or staying connected to the ones users already have was a major desire during the beginning of social networking. In the future, sites such as Facebook and MySpace are expected to cater to professionals and the relationships they can build, resulting in important aspects of business and organization tools.
Brendan Byrne (www.receptive.com.au) is an internet marketing consultant. Brendan runs workshops on how to manage your online business and effectively market yourself.
Social networking isn't just for the young crowd. Charity and nonprofit organizations are now beginning to understand the power of social networking. That power is hard to ignore when recent surveys polled produced results that half the users on the formerly teen-popular MySpace are 35 years old and older. Add that to the number of viewers visiting Facebook and YouTube, and corporate boards are sitting up and taking notice.
The question is whether or not you and your organization are tapping into the potential and opportunities available through various methods of social networking. One such company has. Habitat for Humanity has long been known for their work helping communities throughout the United States. They are metro region-based, are charitable organizations, and they have joined the 21st century when it comes to social networking and media opportunities. In many locations around the country and in Canada, the charity uses Facebook for viral marketing programs to advertise their campaigns, their locations, as well as to generate information about attending various events that help finance their goals.
The well-known Humane Society has also seen the benefit of social networking. At last count, over 650 charities have profiles on Facebook. The ability to reach far and wide through the Internet enables donations not only from local residents, but also throughout the country and indeed the world. The Humane Society in the United States relies on social networking presence to help fund campaigns, generate information and to build their membership.
Recent studies have shown that nearly 50% of Internet users access one of at least a dozen well-known social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Blogging is also essential in today's Internet-based society, as it offers limitless opportunities for many different types of charitable organizations. Says Alan Rosenblatt, executive director of the Internet Advocacy Center, "Social networking platforms give nonprofits a forum for meeting like-minded organizations and potential supporters, and provide(s) a medium for spreading their message beyond the immediate community."
Some of the most popular social networking websites include but are not limited to:
Social networking allows both individuals and groups to connect with each other through blogging, Internet messages, and website discussion and forum boards. One of the best things about such social networking websites is that they are free to join and most receive tens of thousands of visitors a day in both unique and return visitors, allowing charities and organizations to spread their message and disseminate information without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on old-fashioned mail campaigns. When searching for the right network for any organization or charity, intended audience is a general determining factor.
Social networking websites enable charities and organizations to increase visibility and raise both awareness and funding. Consistent blogging, regular updating of websites and information offers nonprofit organizations and charities the ability to connect with one, hundreds, or the hundreds of thousands of people at a time.
Brendan Byrne (www.receptive.com.au) is an internet marketing consultant. Brendan runs workshops on how to manage your online business and effectively market yourself.
Social networking is great for business for many reasons. Until recently, many site owners forgot one of the main rules for selling – People buy from People. In almost every business, it is all about the relationship the customer has with a shop, a sales assistant or a product that makes me want to buy. The internet and social networks make it easy to find people and information. Understand the relationships and communication patterns and you can experience real world results.
Advantages to Social Networking:
1. Social networks build better customer/company relationships. This comes from the idea that we will listen to a friend-of-a-friend long after we would hang up on a telemarketer. The message still needs to be appropriate, and the tone needs to match the connection.
2. Social networks build a sense of community; Staff morale and camaraderie are valuable commodities; motivated staff may work harder and be more productive. Social networks help bridge any physical gaps between staff in an organisation.
3. Social networks increase opportunities; for example keeping past employees in contact with your business can create new relationships to sell to their new employer.
4. Social networks help to share knowledge; both internal and external information is found more easily with social networks. Finding information, and the people who have it, is one of the primary advantages to social networks.
5. Social networking lowers recruiting costs; Encouraging staff to use their social networks, and link them with your corporate presence can help employee satisfaction levels which in turn may reduce staff turnover, and assist with recruiting.
Considerations before social networking:
1. Social networking is very time intensive: having simple goals and clear boundaries will help to ensure there is value to be gained, with fewer ramifications.
2. Control freaks beware. You will need to carefully consider the current trust levels before giving staff the opportunity to speak on behalf of your company. This may mean a big shift in your corporate culture.
3. Opening the communication within your business may place strains on the usual decision hierarchy within some businesses.
Digg.com is similar to StumpleUpon in that users can add your site to their "list" of sites, stories, videos or podcasts that they like. Digg also displays the number of people who Digg the same article. The main focus for digg is news items.
Read the StumbleUpon post on how to add a link for that Social Network.
Again, the basics for adding digg:
visit this page: http://digg.com/tools/integrate
In the most simple form, you copy the text that looks like this:
<script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" originalAttribute="src" originalPath=""http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js"" originalAttribute="src" originalPath=""http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js"" type="text/javascript"></script>
To get a result like this:
There are several other options that will let you customise the way this looks and works.
Good Luck and Happy Digging!
The concept of www.Stumbleupon.com is that you could never visit all the pages that are being published on the internet. BUT if StumbleUpon knows what you like, it can suggest more sites that you might like, based on other users who liked the same sites as you.
The reason this is important for you as a website owner, is that it makes linking to you, really easy AND everyone knows how important links are on the internet.
There are heaps of websites similar to this and collectively they are refered to as Social Networking. While StumbleUpon is not the biggest, I thought I would start here because a client recently asked me about this one specifically.
Over the next few posts I will introduce some of the more mainstream Social Networking sites and explain the basics of how to make it easy for your visitors to link to you.
For a link to StumbleUpon, you need to visit this page: Step 1: http://www.stumbleupon.com/buttons.php Step 2: And follow the 3 steps on the page, plus the final optional step to show a link like this: (You can even click this link to see how it works.)
I hope by now you have heard of linkedin.com it is a social network, a bit like the concept of My Space, without the videos and pictures. It is great for headhunters or if you are looking for staff. I am sure it is an untapped source of work, wealth and information, but I have not really spent enough time on it to be an authority. There seems to be a little flood this week of invitations flying around after The Sand day last Wednesday where there was a speaker who spoke about linkedin.
Anyway, I wanted to mention there was an interesting discussion today with some friends about whether one should accept any invitation, or just accept all. I thought about this later and have come to the conclusion that it is better to accept and extend your network than to reject for fear of being associated with an idiot. The argument was that if you accept someone into your network, you are automatically providing a reference to them and it could reflect badly on you.
It is absolutely crazy, I know lots of idiots, and most of our common friends know that they are idiots, and it does not reflect on me or them that we know them. The real power in life (and linkedIn) is a reference/recommendation. If you truly believe in someone, you will provide a good reference. But the idiots will get an ambiguious or no reference.
My logic is this; accept the linkedin reference, but consider carefully the reference/recommendation.
