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Is Pinterest in Danger of Becoming the Biggest Online Echo Chamber?

A Guest Writer — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:07:35 +0000

Guest post by Lianne Froggatt. Do you wish to write and gain exposure? Read our write for us guidelines.

I am a big fan of Pinterest, after being introduced to this site a few months ago it has become my go to when I have a couple of hours spare to happily browse through some pretty and imaginative pins.

Yet, on quite a few of my recent forays onto this site, I have begun to notice the prevalence of re-pinning and the increasing amount of times I am coming across the same pins over and over again.

Is Pinterest in danger of becoming the biggest online echo chamber?

Pinterest portrays itself to be an online pin board, a site on which you can pin, share and organize anything you find across the web. A brilliant concept and I am very hopeful of the future of this site for online marketing and SEO.

Not only will a Pinterest account allow you to create an online catalogue of sorts, showcasing your products and services to the pinning community, but every time something from your site is pinned, you receive a dofollow link back to your site from a high domain authority (DA).

The concern I have relating to Pinterest as an echo chamber could prove beneficial or detrimental for businesses utlising this site. By an echo chamber, I refer to the tendency that we all have to congregate in online communities of people that share our beliefs, views and interests and do not challenge ourselves with opinions or information from outside of these bubbles. This seems almost even more apparent on Pinterest due to the visual nature of the site.

I believe there are both pros and cons to be drawn from this prevalence of repinning for online marketers:

Pros of repinning through Pinterest

1. As a company, you can see what has been repinned and shared frequently and try and emulate this in your campaigns or products. In a sense, an echo chamber on Pinterest can be looked at as a huge market research site, providing you with a visual insight into the interests of your desired clientele.

2. Every time your content is repinned, you receive another link to your site.

3. Lots of repins is brilliant exposure for that product or company.

4. Conversation can be ignited around a popular pin: if it is your product or service that can be fabulous for business!

5. Rather than people having to visit your site and find the content you want pinning, a repin can spread this content quickly.

Cons of repinning using Pinterest

1. Customers could become sick of seeing your product and determinedly avoid it. Repins to a prolific extent tend to look quite spammy, like they are being pushed by an individual or company.

2. The classic problem of echo chambers still stands no-one is discovering anything new! If you are unlucky enough to be on the outskirts of an echo chamber, your product services could fall by the wayside.

So what does this mean for marketing and Pinterest; is the formation of echo chambers an inevitable feature of the design of the site? And if this is the case is this necessarily a bad thing?

I believe that echo chambers can be extremely beneficial for marketing campaigns if you utilise them effectively, so here are a few tips that could help you infiltrate those Pinterest echo chambers and make the most out of the echo chamber effect on this site:

1. Engage with people.

Start by browsing through Pinterest looking for other pinners who are interested in your niche. Comment on their pins and ask them questions. This may encourage them to follow your or you boards and pull you into their echo chamber.

2. Make sure the content that you pin is interesting and aesthetically pleasing.

Pinterest is first and foremost a visual platform so by ensuring your content looks good, you are more likely to achieve repins and infiltrate these echo chambers.

I hope this helps? Have you tried using Pinterest before now?
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Lianne is Digital Communications Manager at IdeasByNet, a UK promotional gifts distributor. Interested in online marketing, blogging and social media, she would love any feedback or comments. You can find her at lianne.froggatt@ideasbynet.com or tweet her @Lianne_Froggatt.
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10 Tips for Using Social Media for Your Business

A Guest Writer — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:07:30 +0000

This guest post is written by Kevin Moor. To write an article for our website, kindly read our Write for Us guideline.

There are many social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Foursquare and LinkedIn. There are also more and more social media sites that are being developed each and every day. As more and more folks flock to these social sites, it has become imperative for businesses of all types to have a social media presence.

As you take your business onto the social web, there are many dos and don’ts, tips and tricks, best practices, and more that you should follow in order to best represent your business online.

The following are just 10 tips for using these social media sites for your business to help you get started.

1.) Set up accounts on as many networks as you can.

This doesn’t mean you need to get active on these networks, and you don’t even have to complete a profile. Much like you want to buy related domains to protect your name from the competition, you will want to be sure that competing sites or unreasonable disgruntled customers can’t set up an account on your name. One day using that network may make sense, and then you can get active.

2.) Be easy to find.

You will want to make sure that you have all social media accounts set up so that you are searchable. Additionally, you should be sure that your business name is the profile name if at all possible with as few additional characters as possible.

3.) Set up business accounts.

Some social media networks, like Twitter, don’t have dedicated business accounts, but many others do. Be sure to set up the proper account type, as otherwise you may be in violation of the networks terms and you could find yourself booted.

4.) Use an appropriate profile picture.

Ideally, your profile picture should be a company logo or an image of your location or a product. Just make sure that whatever you choose, make it relevant to your business. This is key for your social media success.

5.) Don’t use the default image.

If you don’t have good image for a profile picture, get one right away. Don’t use the default image, as that will make your business look less credible, and it may cause some visitors to wonder if they are viewing a legitimate social media account.

6.) Talk back.

Social media is about connections and conversations. You don’t have to address every comment or post that mentions your business, but direct questions need to be answered, even if only to direct them to the proper way to contact customer care or to link to a website for frequently asked questions. If you ignore comments, especially negative ones, you might be making a PR nightmare for yourself.

7.) Give a call to action.

The best way to get folks to interact with your company or brand online is by giving a call to action. Asking a question, requesting feedback or telling them to visit a site or click like is a good way to get them to interact with your business and make the most out of these social media sites.

8.) Learn how the social media sites you are using work.

Many of these individual sites have tips and special features that can help you to make the most out of your social media campaign. Twitter has the “@” sign and hashtags, for example. Learn how to utilize these features for optimum benefit.

9.) See what your competitors are doing.

As you ease into social media, you should see what competing companies and comparable businesses are doing with their websites. By looking at the social media profiles of a few of your competitors, you should be able to get a feel for what’s working and what isn’t for them, letting you learn from their mistakes and their successes.

10.) Let people know you are on the social web.

These sites aren’t a lot of good if no one knows you are using them. People probably won’t be moved enough by the drapes they bought from Colleens Curtain Warehouse to take the time to look the business up on Facebook or Twitter. Put your social media URLs anywhere you can: on your webpage, on business cards, on marketing materials, in your email footer and more.

Did I miss out any social media tips? Please share

Kevin writes for trojanalert.net, a site emphasizing Trojan reviews.

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8 Ways to Get More Google Plus Friends

jeffkgross — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:12:45 +0000

Google Plus may not quite be drawing in the same amount users as Facebook, but millions have already begun drifting over to this unique and potentially powerful social networking platform.

Combined with Google’s many other sub-companies and features, Google+ adds a new dynamic to all facets of social networking and social media networking. This has many users wondering how they can get more friends on Google Plus.

Here are a few quick tips that will begin to draw new people into your Google Plus circles today

1. Invite “Old” Friends Into A New Social Network

People would be hard-pressed to find a significant number of Google Plus users that do not also maintain a Facebook page. This means that there is a treasure trove of friends that are already available to be migrated over.

Searching through LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare accounts is the perfect way to immediately bolster one’s floundering Google Plus account.

2. Import Emails From Friends and Contacts

Working closely alongside Google Plus is Google’s Gmail. It takes only moments to import a huge friend and contact list into Google Plus to begin finding people that may already be on this social networking site. For those with mammoth email and contact lists, it is going to be important to only import those that they wish to interact with and be careful about what social circles they place them in.

A huge feature of Google Plus is the ability to add various individuals into separate circles, keeping a tidy separation between family, close friends, work contacts, and everyone in between.

3. Get Proactive: Find Interesting Topics and Interact

Much like Twitter, Google Plus makes it easy to search out topics and interact with complete strangers or popular personalities. After finding an interesting topic, there are countless ways to interact including the +1 button, commenting, sharing, and adding to circles.

4. Offer New and Valuable Information

Posting personal tidbits is not always enough to draw a huge amount of friends on Google Plus. With this social network it may take a little bit more to keep a steady stream of friends filtering in.

Users can offer funny links, important videos, coupons, local events, or any other exciting information that other people on Google Plus are going to want to see.

5. Help Others

Google Plus is also the perfect place to help those in need. This networking sight can quickly turn into a lightning fast support group for any of those that need it. Whether people do not remember the name of a movie, or are unsure of which smartphone to buy this season, valuable advice can become an invaluable tool when finding new friends and building a lasting relationship.

This strategy is helpful if you intend to use Google Plus for Business.

6. Take Your Time, Do Not Push Too Hard

For the impatient Google+ users out here, it seems all too easy to begin spamming anyone and everyone into their circles.

Unfortunately, this may just lead to annoying other members. It is important to remember that it takes time to build up circles on Google Plus and it should never be rushed.

7. Install The googleCards Plugin Into Your WP Site

For those with blogging WordPress sites, the googleCards plugin can be a huge benefit to both the blog and blogger’s Google Plus account. This seamless widget allows readers to quickly link to Google Plus and add followers with a single click of the screen.

8. Be Yourself and Have Fun

Last but not least, Google+ members should remember to have fun. While it can be a powerful tool for interaction, it is still a social networking platform at its heart. Trying too hard to bolster circles is only going to result in frustration and annoyance.

Instead, taking time to build up circles while having fun will result in a much more satisfying experience for everyone involved.
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Jeff is also a consultant and content contributor for Queens luxury condos community.
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Jeff Gross

Jeff has been blogging since 2007 and contributing on many websites since that time. He is an internet marketing consultant and a part time blogger. He writes mostly about blogging, internet marketing, Pay Per Click Strategies and Search Engine Optimization techniques and best practices.

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4 Simple Ways to Build your Personal Brand Online

CFAgbata — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:59:17 +0000

The internet give you a unique opportunity to Build your Personal Brand Online, which for me is one of the most interesting activities you can engage in.

I have been building my Personal Brand Online (the Conditioned for Accomplishments brand) for over 2 years now and it’s begining to yield some good results.

But results or no results, I intend to do this for another 2-3 years because I realize that good things don’t come easy, likewise building a solid Personal Brand Online – it’ll surely take some time and efforts.

Many aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs looking to start or take their businesses online are worried how they would build their brand on the Internet. Well, an Internet Business Consultant can help you get started but the truth is that you can also start off the process on your own.

4 Simple Strategies I have used to Build my Personal Brand Online

1. Answer Questions online

There are so many ways to get started with answering questions but my most recommended way is to start your own blog. I once wrote a post titled 4 Reasons why you should learn how to blog.

A blog is basically a platform used to express your opinion on certain issues, so with a blog you can write on just about any topic. For instance, with your blog, you can position yourself to be an online business coach providing online business solutions or start a blog to protest fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria or any other Government policy you don’t like. It is also advisable to buy some SEO Services after you set up the blog.

Don’t get discouraged if you are not ready to start a blog now, the Internet is dotted with several forums and social media sites i.e. Linkedin which provide an interesting way to share knowledge and expertise while gradually building your personal brand online.

Anytime you professionally answer a question in the area of your expertise, other users would be interested to find out more about you and what you represent, so they will start by looking at your profile and most likely visit your website depending on how interesting your profile content is, that is why you should always hire professionals to deliver content development.

Answering questions is a simple and effective way to let others know that you are an expert in the field and grow your brand online.

2. Add a Signature to your Emails and PMs

Can you remember this old saying;

The best things in life are free

I kind of like agree, think about the air you breathe or even the Facebook almost a billion people enjoy today!

In the same vien, you can actually build a Personal Brand Online with some of the completely free, no-brainer strategies such as using Signatures effectively.

I always use a signature whether I am sending an email or SMS and as a Small Business Coach, I encourage you to always add a Signature to every email and even post that you submit on a social networking websites, since most allow you to insert a signature, why not make sure you always insert one.

Your signature is simply another medium for brand expansion and each time someone sees your signature you achieve one of your branding objectives. But I suggest you Keep it Simple and Short (KISS) though.

Here is a sample of my email signature;

I have kept it simple so as to avoid issues with spam filters, that have become very sensitive today.

3. Make Use of Newsletters

A simple way to build your personal brand online is to start your own newsletter. Newsletters are an excellent way to connect with your user base and a medium to pass on information which can used or simply forwarded to others.

For example, if you are running a vacation business and want to inform the public of the discounts you are giving away for all Christmas bookings, a newsletter will be an effective way of getting the word out.

Note that without quality content development, you newsletter might not achieve its purpose, depending on your writing skills though.

4. Social Media Marketing Strategy

Social media is a powerful channel to build your personal brand online. Social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook are one of the most compelling ways to connect and share information with your network.

Modern businesses are slowly learning the full potential of this powerful channel and acknowledging the fact that they can use these sites to positively impact their brand, thereby improving bottomline.

A properly executed Social Media Marketing Strategy implementation will play an important role in building a good personal brand online, just as I have been able to accomplish over the years.

I have used Social Media Marketing to achieve so much and in the nearest future I will publish a post titled “Some of my Accomplishments using Social Media”

Conclusion

The importance and benefits of building a personal brand online cannot be overemphasized. I suggest you get started right away and if you need professional Business Improvement services then feel free to hit the contact button.

Have you started building your Personal Brand Online? Do you agree there is any benefit to this?

Published by CFA using WordPress for Android

Chukwuemeka Fred Jnr. Agbata

I am CFA [Conditioned for Accomplishments], read more here. My passion is to Help People become Conditioned for Accomplishments! Use the search button above to search our post archives for loads of valuable articles.

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Enhance Your Site Traffic with Smart Use of Web Directories

A Guest Writer — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:58:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Maitreyee Sinha. To write an article for this site, please see our write for us guidelines.

Submitting links to web directories would enable people to find your site much more easily. However, you need to ensure that the directory maintains strict standards about quality.

Web directories can be a good resource for increasing site traffic and creating quality backlinks. Unfortunately, many people, even after using web directories fail to accomplish their desired goal. This can happen for a number of reasons, such as submission of links to low quality directories or engaging in link exchange with poor quality sites.

In this article, we will discuss these reasons in details. However, first we will offer you a brief description of web directories and their roles in increasing your search engine rankings and site traffic.

What is a web directory?

A Web directory is a valuable resource that contains links of various websites. In most cases, users submit these links manually. Main purpose of a web directory is to simplify the process of finding a site related to a particular niche.

Importance of web directories

Web directories usually have two primary purposes;

Improving site traffic
Enhancing search engine rankings.

We will explain how submitting links in web directories can help you to improve your site rankings.

Let us assume that you have a site that offers information about web design. You submit link of your site under the category ‘web design’ in directories. If users look for sites related to website design in these directories, they will receive narrowed down results. This in turn, will allow them to find your site quickly. On the other hand, if you depend on search engines exclusively, people may fail to find you.

The reason is that to find sites in search engines, users need to type various keywords and visit every website that comes up in search engine rankings. Since this is a time-consuming process, people usually do not go beyond page 1 or 2 of major search engines. If your site has poor rankings (more specifically, it is listed in page 3, 4 or beyond), chances are high that they will not able to reach it. Web directories can also help you to acquire relevant and dofollow backlinks, which can improve the search engine rankings of your site.

3 Tips when using web directories

Submitting links in web directories blindly will not help you to achieve your desired goals. Rather, you need to consider few factors, before utilizing the advantages of web directories.

1. Pay attention to the directory quality

Quality of the directory plays a critical role in improving search engine rankings and site traffic. If you submit links in directories with poor rankings, you will not enjoy the advantages. On the other hand, submitting links in high quality directories will help you to fulfill your goals quickly. For this reason, opting for directories that have a page rank of 4 is a good idea. Additionally, you should target directories that accept links of high quality sites.

2. Avoid link exchanges

Exchanging links with a poor quality website can force Google to penalize your site. Therefore, avoid link exchange with cheap sites. Rather, choose one way links.

3. Do not opt for automatic submission tools

Various online tools are available that allow website owners to submit links in various directories at the same time. Most people will find these tools tempting because they save time and energy. However, one should consider the fact that using these tools can make Google penalize his/her site. Website owners should remember that whether it is content or web directories, quality is the most important factor. Using short-cut methods, while creating content or submitting links to web directories, can result in penalization of your site. For this reason, always stick to high ranking directories and avoid using automatic submission tools.

If you are unsure of using web directories, you can get in touch with a reputed SEO company, a number of Indian companies offer effective SEO services at affordable rates.

About the Author

Maitreyee Sinha writes for WebGuru India. A a website design company based in India, offering high-quality and cost-effective website design and website development solutions to people worldwide. The company has authored several articles on brochure design, logo design, flash design, SEO services etc, providing updated information on technological developments and advancements.

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4 Ways to use Google Plus for Business

CFAgbata — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 07:59:20 +0000

How to use Google plus for business is another social media adventure Small Business owners who have time on their hands can embark upon.

Google plus is Google’s latest adventure into the world of social networking. This is not Google’s first attempt to crack the Social Media nuts but it seems they have finally hit the nail on the head??? Only time will tell….. Google buzz was a failure and they have collapsed it into Google plus which is now said to be the fastest growing Social Media site with over 40 million members and growing.

The purpose of this post is to take a closer look at how to use Google plus for business

Note: One of the unwritten laws of using Social Media is that you should not spread yourself too thin. Experts like CFA will advice you to focus on the Social Networking sites that give you the most mileage. Below are my preferences when using Social Media;.

For Business
Personal

LinkedIn
Facebook
Google plus
Twitter

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Google plus

This strategy works for me big time, so I suggest you find out what works best for you, it takes time and careful monitoring.

Below are 4 Ways to use Google plus for business

1. Use ‘Hangout’.

This is an application for group chat. It allows up to 10 users to use audio & video chat at the same time from 10 different locations. This is beneficial for business people who are always on the move.

TheBut this service is currently available only on Android 2.3 (and above) phones with dual cameras. You don’t need to be at your office during the ‘Hangout’ session, you can get your business deals sealed from anywhere.

2. Create a Google Plus page for Business

The Google plus team wants to ensure that people are able to create relationships with businesses and brands easily. That is why they have created an option for businesses to leverage Google plus. I advice you to create a Google plus page for your business right away, place one of the buttons on your website and start learning how to use google plus for business.

Ensure your business page on Google is both interactive and interesting. Upload images of your products and services as well as your events. Sign up for a Google plus for Business account right away. (You need a Gmail account though!)

3. Streams

Streams enables you post latest updates about your products and services to the benefit of your small business. In order to gain publicity, you can forward these posts to your friends and business partners. Anyone can access your post, and if they like it they can post their comments or even forward it to their friends, further expanding your brand.

4. Circles

This feature allows you to communicate either publicly or privately. With this you can have different ‘circles’ for friends, clients as well as the ‘public.’ For instance you can create different circles for different clients depending on their contribution to your bottom-line – based on Pareto’s 80/20 rule.

I have often said that your success on the Internet depends on your ability to push out quality content either in text, image or video format. So as a small business owner, you should focus on developing quality content that will keep your Website, Blog or social Media profiles fresh and interesting.

If you are a Small Business Enterprise (SME) owner who wants more prospects to know about your products and services, then Google Plus is another Social Media platform to use in promoting your venture.

Have you tried Google plus? Please share the experience……

Chukwuemeka Fred Jnr. Agbata

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Using Social Media Consulting to grow your Small Business

CFAgbata — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:16:10 +0000

Today, social media consulting is being extensively used by people to improve their networking. And, if you want to use it for your business, it would be really helpful to find out the way in which it will benefit you.

First and foremost, social media consulting services will help you understand how social media can be used to your business’s advantage. You may have used Facebook, Twitter or WordPress, especially Facebook and Twitter. But, you may not be aware how you can use them for the promotion and growth of your business.

So, social media consulting services help your take maximum advantage of your current network and use it’s full potential. They are going to work on getting your community, which uses your products or services, to become more involved in your pages. They also help draw additional attention to your offerings.

As a small business owner without social media strategies, it would be difficult for you to get more and more target audience to view your page on Facebook or twitter, so the role of these consulting services is to help improve your followers and fans allowing more and more people to become aware of your products and services.

Today’s social media consulting services can also assist businesses owners to understand their demographic target audience and also help identify the social network that would work best for them. These consultants can help develop an interactive community and grow your revenue, both at the same time.

Without doubt the internet and social media are the future of businesses. Today event games have become social. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google plus and other social networking sites have experience massive explosion in terms of users. The utilization of traditional medium of advertising is not as effective (and cost effective) in spreading your business message to your target audience as it used to be.

The challenge for modern businesses lies in using social media to the best potential and this is where social media consulting is going to help your business.

Chukwuemeka Fred Jnr. Agbata

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Job Opportunities with Facebook,Twitter, Google+ and Similar Social Media Websites

Joe Oye — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:27:29 +0000

The various business opportunities arising from the adoption of Social Media (SM) websites for marketing purposes are becoming more and more admirable. As noticed, the adoption is already influencing the global job market and the impacts being created are seen altogether as a good omen.

Authoritative sources on career trends have indicated that Social Media experts will be in great demand by employers. It is now easy to realize that starting from now onward, job seekers with sound knowledge of and skills in the application of Social Media to business will be able to launch job searches with confidence. These set of job seekers will be self-assured of getting the jobs they want and of getting the jobs so soon after the launch.

It follows, therefore, that with the immense potentials brought about by the online networking websites to businesses, new career paths will continue to be created in the marketing industry.

If you are a job seeker who has been toying with Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other similar top websites, it is time for you to streamline the funs you have been playing with these websites to become a profession for you.

Presently, the position being filled by people skilled in social media is generally tagged Social Media Manager (SMM). The same position is alternatively named as SM Co-ordinator, Interactive Marketing Manager, Online Lead Generation Manager, Digital Marketer and Online Community Strategist.

While the academic pre-requisites and marketing experience required of an SMM appear now of less particularity, the functions include:

Developing and maintaining webpages on social networking websites.
Developing and implementing internet marketing concepts and programs.
Getting involved in social bookmarking, blogging/commenting/replying and SMSing activities,
Crafting media strategies to support business initiatives.
Creating ad campaigns and maximizing their impacts in the social media space
Analyzing campaigns to determine level of success.
Tracking how well business brands are portrayed in different social media communities.
Keeping up-to-date of latest social marketing trends to implement best practices.
Training of staff in social media.

What you need to do now to enter into or make improvement on Social Media career:

Get yourself aware of the social media employment trends.
Hone your media skills to get fit for the widening opportunities .
Launch your job search.

What you need to learn to make you a sought-after Social Media professional:

Internet lead generation.
Niche marketing.
Basic mobile marketing.
Consumer behavior and analytics.

How to fast-track your way into SM service business:

Where a company recruiting SMMs is not close to you, you can launch out and approach companies around you with your own package of SM consulting service. The need for companies to have SMMs is now widespread and many may not advertise now or at all.

To your social media success.

Joe Oye

Joe Oye is a non-fiction author and a ghostwriter. Being adherent to minimalism, he helps people focus on and implement their career, business and personal aspirations in simple and quick ways by guiding them to workable ideas, fresh possibilities and emergent opportunities.

He is the brain behind Written by Nigerians for Nigerians, a website dedicated to helping Nigerian graduates to fast-track their ways to the top in the areas of career, business and personal improvement

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What Social Media is

CFAgbata — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:42:33 +0000

Today, we hear every other person speaking about Social Media.

What is social media?

Let us define it this way. We all have heard of the word Media. Media is a tool through which a company advertises their products or launches new products etc. A company pushes their advertisements through the media; it can be in any form, for e.g. Television, Radio, Newspaper, Banners etc.

Now when we speak about Social Media, the concept is similar, the only difference here is that, instead of advertisement, social interaction is generated. Usually social media is generated through the internet. The internet has become one of the pioneers in creating awareness and a source for (of) interaction.

The main advantage of social media is that it is a two-way communication process. The moment, someone passes a comment or posts a question on the internet through their social media account, he or she is bound to get a feedback which is not the same, when compared to Television or Radio or Newspaper advertisements. This way, one can keep a track of the responses they receive and even know who has reverted back as the response can come from any part of the world. Not only does it help increase the business, it also helps reach the “common man” out there, which otherwise was quite difficult to achieve.

I want to invite you to the 2nd SME Toolkit Conference in Nigeria. The theme of the conference is: ‘Expanding REACH through web & mobile Tools’.

Venue: Terra Kulture, Plot 1376 Tiamiyu Savage Cresent, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Date: 16th November, 2011
Time: 9am – 5pm
Fee: N7,500

There are plenty of social networking sites which are changing the revolution of the world lately. The most common and famous few are Facebook, Twitter, Hi5, Orkut etc.

Today, for e.g. If Tom Cruise wants to get feedback on his latest movie ‘Mission Impossible 4’. He can come on any of the above social networks and post a general question. Millions of responses and feedbacks are attained within a span of few hours which would not have been possible otherwise.

Awareness can be created through video sharing as well i.e. YouTube or Vimeo. The responses are also instant and the best part of social media is that you can get the response from any corner of the world, and not restricted to a particular state or country.

In conclusion, any website that allows a visitor to post his or her opinion on an interactice webpage can be regarded as a social media.

Chukwuemeka Fred Jnr. Agbata

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What you need to know about Google Buzz

CFAgbata — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:33:17 +0000

A few years ago, I said to a friend that I foresee a future in which one company will be an online monopoly and I guess you know what company I am talking about, well it is Google. I would not delve into it’s history because most people know or must have read about the company. Google’s destination beats one’s imagination, the company is reputed to be one of the most innovative in the world, any wonder why they have great products, my favorites being Gmail, Reader. Wave and Analytics.

Google in it’s usual style has come up with another product called Google Buzz. On the 9th of February, the product was launched, but with major privacy concerns that are being addressed gradually. I honestly do not know why they choose the name Google buzz when Yahoo already has a product called Yahoobuzz – would you call this being a bully? It reminds Chris Brogan of Friendfeed and for Jessica Dolcourt it is simply a privacy nightmare. What do you think about Google buzz? Feel free to share your views.

What is Google Buzz?

Things You Need To Know About Google Buzz

Google buzz is an easy way to start conversations about the things you find interesting, you can share updates, photos, videos and much more with your friends and followers (Twitter like). It is basically for Gmail users and is intrinsically linked to Google Reader. Google buzz is growing rather rapidly and I know for sure that it is for different reasons, for true social media enthusiasts it presents another opportunity to further analyze the concept, while for some others it is just another “in-thing”. Whatever the case, buzz is doing pretty well at the moment.

What is the likely implications of Google Buzz?

Well for other social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, Ning etc. Google buzz is not so much of a good news because Google may have succeeded a bit in their game plan and which is to ensure that people spend more time using Google sites, products and services. That way they can serve more adverts and make more money. Ultimately, a few more Gmail users will likely spend more time in their mail accounts buzzing or trying to figure out what google buzz is all about.
With the launch of Google buzz (and many more social services to come), the noise in social media just keeps getting louder. How can one manage all those profiles? Facebook, Twitter, Ning, Hi5, Badoo, Bebo, Myspace, Friendfeed etc. Well it all boils down to one point; it all depends on you and what you want – your online goals.
Personally, I think Google is becoming one huge monopoly, and wanting to also dominate social media is a pointer to this fact. That said, the competition has only just begun, over the next couple of weeks we can expect certain upgrades from key social media networks.

Google will go on to create many more free products, because we give up our privacy in many ways and with that they create better products. What this means for the company, is more profit because each time a new product is launched, it attracts potential users and definitely more advertisers, these strategies is helping google become colossus of some sort by the day.

Mashable posted a Social Faceoff: Google Buzz vs. Facebook vs. Twitter yesterday – I voted for Facebook because it is my favorite, but then I am amazed that in just one week, Google buzz already have some loyal followers. I am still trying to figure out the Google Buzz “thingy” but as a Social Media enthusiast, I see another cool tool to share information and increase your personal brand.

Google may have finally figured out social media, even if there have been some major slip-ups in the way. The implications of that realization could dramatically change social media as a tool and as an industry. — Ben Parr

Only time will tell how well Google Buzz will do but I wanted to find out if you agree with Ben’s statements and what is your general opinion about the company Google and it’s new product buzz?

PS: I can’t figure out how to ask people to follow me on buzz, so for now do check out my Google buzzes.

Things to know about Google Buzz

Chukwuemeka Fred Jnr. Agbata

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