Always time to learn something new

With so many new apps and methods coming down the pike it can be a little rough trying to keep up and managing your sites on a daily basis.  Why not keep up on digital happenings via podcasts?  Try out a couple every week or so.  Load then onto your iPod and listen on the go!

I’ve started to put this on my to-do list as a way to learn more without feeling chained to my laptop.  TheNextWeb.com just posted some suggestions and I also found a recent listing via Direct Marketing Observations blog.

Resource: allfacebook.com

 Although it’s an “unofficial” resource, it’s still a worthy source for all things Facebook-related.  Want to create a page?  Need tips on advertising on fb or promoting your small business once you have a presence?  Bookmark it now:  http://www.allfacebook.com.

Whether advising small businesses how get the most out of Facebook promotions or posting guidelines on fb marketing, you’re bound to find relevant info.  Most helpful are the “how-tos” with screenshots and details sure to save you time and in some instances $$.

Trust in SocMedia

Read an article by David Armano today.   In the article he gives pointers to help businesses avoid social media experts who may not be looking out for your best interests.  It includes some useful info, but I have one objection to the chart above: where do your friends/colleagues come into the picture?  They should be located at the tip of the prism. 

But there are great tips to help you avoid the wrong type of socmedia expert.  This particular point from Armano is worth repeating:

Build it and they will socialize. Be wary of anyone selling a point solution that promises instant social interactions, conversations, collaboration, etc. Many businesses fail because they were built at the wrong time, in the wrong place or with the wrong tools. Any respectable practitioner will try to investigate where fertile ground is before building anything — and will tell you if there isn’t any.

Press Release basics and SocMedia

From time to time it’s essential to self-evaluate.  Take a step back.  Review the basics. 

Who hasn’t read a press release where the information contains nothing newsworthy?  They are posted to wires by the hour.  I know I sometimes fight this even on the pop culture blog I work on and it makes me crazy.  I’ve also been a fan on facebook where companies over-post with absolutely no relevance.  You can imagine how quickly I “de-fan” when that happens!

Things to keep in mind:

• how could you write a story based on your press release, tweet or fb link
• are you creating part of a conversation or spewing out stats
• what type of info has resulted in natural RT’s and links in the past
• have you piqued reader’s curiosity

Twestivals harness power of the net

If you are using social media on a regular basis you’re bound to have heard the word “twestival” bounced around lately.  Though it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, the concept is aces.

Non-profits in particular should take the time to learn about this exciting concept and start to make plans for the upcoming year.  Locally, our designated Twestival charity event was mentioned in today’s USA Today which will benefit Wayside Waifs.

Most events are slated now through Sept. 13th.  For some background, learn about the first Twestival.

Apple ann. to have social implications?

We will know shortly.  In the meantime, keep up with the goings-on live via Gizmodo Liveblog.

*Twitter Tip*

In search of best practices for responding to tweets?  Or perhaps your company has nixed social media fearing poor publicity.  Take heart and check out this flow chart to help navigate when or if posts need a response:  http://bit.ly/Jn8DF (thnx, SearchEngineLand for pointing out this great resource!)

Tweet Styles – 2mo follow up

Two months ago when I started to blog on social media, I took note of four companies/orgs tweeting; their styles, number of followers and who they followed.  Eight weeks later and take a look at the updated stats:

@SouthwestAir
Following | 8,000 (then)  | 8,800 (now)
Followers | 254,000 (then)  | 607,800 (now)
Style | Info, stats and converse with tweeps

@Bing
Following | 400 (then)  |  407 (now)
Followers | 20,000 (then)  | 28,700 (now)
Style | Good 2-way com and feedback on new product

@KindleNews
Following | 9,000 (then)  | 13,200 (now)
Followers | 9,000 (then)  | 13,200 (now)
Style | 1-way com but informative

@Smithsonian
Following | 40 (then)   | 50 (now)
Followers | 10,000 (then)  | 13,000 (now)
Style | Nice balanced approach dispersing info

This is by no means scientific, as each is in a different industry.  Some have a limited audience in the first place.  But I don’t believe it’s a stretch to say @SouthwestAir has a keen understanding how to use Twitter to their benefit.

In fact, they were mentioned in a list of Top 40 Twitter Brands by Mashable in January.  At that time they had about 8,300 followers.  Their emerging social media specialist, Christi Day, basically said their philosophy was “Be honest, be real, be quick, be FUN.”

Words to live by, don’t you think?

Bridging SocMed Outlets

Okay, going back to Panos’ article referenced in my last post.  If you are finding that multiple social media outlets is worth the effort, you need to make a plan to play off these opportunities.  Make it easy for people to share your content.  Remember, you want eyeballs!

The author cites what the SFGate.com has done:

 

 

“After registering free of charge and creating a profile on SFGate.com, readers can choose to extend a bridge to their friends on Facebook or Twitter.                              

…when these people read news that interests them and submit article comments, these comments can be automatically uploaded to the reader’s chosen social destinations, broadcasting their opinion to those places as well. All of the reader’s followers are made aware of the engaging comment the reader has found at SFGate.com. And, serving as a two-way passage, this same bridge lets readers invite their Facebook friends to come to SFGate.com.”

Great example to get you thinking.

Audience-driven communities

Dave Panos wrote a terrific piece called Building Bridges: Connecting Islands Across the Social Web on MediaPost this week.   It actually made my thinking go to a different direction – how do we communicate in forums, communities and other social media outlets?

We could all use a refresher course every so often.  Quite frankly, I believe we take our communication skills for granted.  From time to time it would be to your benefit to go back and read your posts from various communities you routinely visit. 

Perform a search to find the most recent threads you’ve participated and read them from a fresh perspective (as if it had been written by someone you don’t know).  What’s your impression?

Ask yourself:

Does your post sound consistently irritated?

Are you providing information or opinion?

Is it strictly self-promotion?

These questions should vary depending on the type of outlet.  You will naturally project yourself differently in a movie review site versus a more business-related community such as LinkedIn.  But you might be surprised at what you find and how you appear to others…a great tip to keep in mind as social media is blending our personal and professional lives.