Archive for 2011
Google Music Store Chases Apple’s ITunes
Google Inc. (GOOG) is entering the online music market almost a decade too late to pose a threat to Apple Inc. (AAPL), the largest seller of songs on the Web.
The service, scheduled to be unveiled at a Google event in Los Angelestoday, will let users store songs online and listen to tracks on multiple devices, people familiar with the matter said. Apple opened the iTunes store in 2003 and made popular the legal downloading of music from the Internet.
Google’s new challenge to Apple escalates the rivalry between the two companies, already locked in a fight for smartphone users and mobile-advertising customers. The Internet- search giant also faces budding competition from Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), which has bolstered its music-download and storage service, and Spotify Ltd., whose partnership with Facebook Inc. has buoyed U.S. membership this year.
“They’re coming into this market rather late in the game, where there are large, established players,” said Ray Valdes, an analyst at Gartner Inc. in San Jose, California. “You can say it’s a saturated market.”
Google, the owner of the biggest Internet search engine, has expanded into music, television and movies to bolster sales of devices running its Android mobile software. The company, based in Mountain View, California, is also seeking rights for its Google+ social-network users to share music with each other, people familiar said.
Randall Sarafa, a spokesman for Google, declined to comment.
Sony, Vivendi, EMI
On the eve of the debut, Google reached an agreement with Sony Corp. (6758)’s music unit, a person with knowledge of the situation said yesterday. Vivendi SA (VIV)’s Universal Music Group and EMI Group Ltd. have already signed on, said two people with knowledge of the plans, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Songs will cost 99 cents to $1.29, though Google may offer discounts, said one person.
Warner Music Group hadn’t yet reached an accord with Google because of pricing and piracy concerns, two people familiar with the matter said earlier this week.
Apple first unveiled its iPod music player in 2001, and in 2003 started the iTunes music store, offering songs for 99 cents apiece. The company, which makes its own hardware and the software that runs it, has benefited in the past decade as consumers shifted from CDs to online music services. Apple’s iTunes service works on its own devices, such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad tablet, as well as personal computers from other manufacturers.
Android Versus IPhone
Google fights back in the smartphone market by letting multiple phonemakers customize the Android system. T-Mobile USA Inc. introduced the first phone powered by Android software, made by HTC Corp., in October 2008, more than a year after Apple’s iPhone debuted.
Android garnered 53 percent of the global smartphone industry in the third quarter, making it No. 1, according to Gartner. Apple’s iPhone software had 15 percent.
Still, Google may have a harder time narrowing Apple’s music lead, given the longer head start and how established iTunes has become. ITunes customers have downloaded 16 billion songs, and the store had $1.5 billion in revenue in Apple’s most recent quarter.
“They have to overcome the No. 1 incumbent in this area,” said Mark Little, an analyst at research firm Ovum in London. “That’s not an easy company to grab share from.”
Amazon, Spotify
Amazon.com, the world’s largest online retailer, offers MP3 song downloads from the major labels with a service that began with a public test in 2007. Amazon also unveiled a storage service for users earlier this year.
Music provider Spotify, helped by its partnership with leading social-networking service Facebook, is emerging as another online-music alternative. Since its start in the U.S. in July, Spotify has grown to about 2 million subscribers who pay $5 to $10 per month for a premium service, according to Ken Parks, chief content officer for the London-based company.
Another startup, Rdio Inc., will offer free song streaming without advertising. Users of the free service are granted a limited amount of music each month and access is available only for listening on computers, San Francisco-based Rdio said last month.
The new online store won’t be Google’s first effort in music. Earlier this year, the company rolled out a service that stores song libraries and playlists, and suggests music based on listeners’ collections. That offering lacked the ability to purchase songs directly from Google after some labels stymied the effort, Jamie Rosenberg, director of digital content for Android, said at a conference in May.
Web Reach
Even if it takes a while for Google to secure an agreement with Warner, whose artists includeGreen Day and Madonna, the company’s reach on the Web may help it succeed. Google’s network of websites had the most visitors worldwide in September with 1.1 billion, according to ComScore Inc. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) sites had 914 million, and Facebook was No. 3 with 770 million.
“I doubt they’ll meet with immediate success,” Valdes said. “If they fail, it will take a while for that to become evident because they have enough presence to make at least slow progress for some time.”
sourceTwitter Etiquette: Must You Follow Back?
Is not following people—and especially not following the people who follow you—a sign of arrogance on Twitter?
That’s what one reader, Jordan Koene, suggested to me in a comment on a recentpost that had nothing to do with Twitter. He wrote, “Jeff's article is almost as arrogant as his twitter profile which follows no one.”
I’m fine with differences of opinion and negative comments regarding posts. (Decoded, the last sentence means, “I’m actually bothered by criticism as much as anyone and probably have a thinner skin than most but accept it comes with the territory.”) Check out the post above and you’ll find plenty of, um, constructive feedback.
But Jordan brings up a point worthy of some debate for both writers and entrepreneurs alike. Must you follow anyone on Twitter?
I set up a Twitter account at the request of a few readers who wanted an easy way to know when I posted new articles. I don’t tweet witty aphorisms or amusing anecdotes or trenchant commentaries because I’m not especially witty, amusing, or trenchant. All my tweets are links to new posts.
And I don’t think my profile is arrogant since I don’t claim to be a guru, or strategist, or leading authority, or unique or passionate. But Jordan is right about one thing: I don’t follow anyone.
Why? There is no right way to use Twitter. It’s just a tool. In my case I don’t hope to build a massive following by targeting power tweeters, using hash tags, retweeting or—heaven forbid—buying followers. I only use Twitter as a way to tell people who, by following, have asked me to tell them when I post new articles. But is it rude not to follow them back?
Even if I wanted to, it’s not practical; anyone who follows thousands or even hundreds of people can’t possibly read everything and probably never intended to. Many people follow others as part of a strategy designed to build a larger following and not to show respect or consideration. (I have a few friends with six-digit followings and they all readily admit they see piling up the followers not just as a business tool but also as a game they like to win.)
Still, I do “follow.” I keep up with a few blogs. I use Google Alerts. I connect in other ways. I don’t follow people on Twitter because I’m happy with the set of tools I’m currently using.
Following people on Twitter may work well for you, and if so, that’s great. The specific tools you use to connect, build relationships, and expand your network are largely irrelevant; what matters is that the tools you use and the ways you use them best serve your needs.
And as for etiquette, automatically or routinely following people back isn’t polite, courteous, or the opposite of arrogance. When you will rarely—if ever—read a person’s tweets, following them only pays lip service to the idea that you care about what they have to say.
What do you think?
source
Tag :
social media,
twitter
Google Plus Pages – Facebook Pages Rival
After an early culling of people who tried to claim “keywords” and brand names on Google +, the search giant has finally rolled out a new face to the facebook copycat with their version of “pages” that aims to give brands a voice on the social network, and allow people to build relationships with local businesses and brands within the framework of Google Plus.
How this will manifest is unclear just yet but it seems that with Google plus the aim will be to build a seamless bridge between “switched-on” companies who will benefit from an easier to reach and communicate channel, this could be in the form of a band on tour or a local furniture shop.
The amount of interaction will depend on the owners of the page but we can see voice and video chat being one simple aspect that could be tapped into with creative uses being developed to help improve or promote brands and companies.
Google’s engineering headman Vic Gundotra states:
“So far Google+ has focused on connecting people with other people, but we want to make sure you can build relationships with all the things you care about – from local businesses to global brands – so today we’re rolling out Google+ Pages worldwide.”
Feedback – Sometime a good thing, though sometimes manipulated, but always worthwhile if constructive.
Loyalty – Giving more and more of your time to listen to your clients promotes loyalty, and as competitors are not getting in the way of your customers the benefits are even more potentially.
A new search option that will connect Google users directly to Google pages:
Using the “+” option as a prefix you will be taken directly to that brands Google + page.
This should help in bringing more people to Gmail services and Google + over time, which let’s face it is vastly superior to Yahoo or MSN in terms of Gmail and ancillary services and products never mind the actual social networking aspect which users can take or leave.
With Google banning the “+” symbol as a valid term in the Boolean search options we can now see why that was implemented.
How to add a Google Plus Page?
Giving a brands page the right to pass information on to you requires the Google + account holder to actually add that page to their circle.
With page shaving a “+1″ button and an “Add to circles” button, it would seem like an obvious like to click the +1 and expect that that had given the page the right to assume you wanted to know more, but currently only the “add to circles” option will give that amount of google love to approve this type of communication from page to Google + user.
I sense that this could be an issue that was given some thought and was deemed that only the later option woudl be sensible given that “+1″ buttons could be abused by simple copying of code to a popular page…..(my point being that you may not realise you are +1′ing a brands page until you start getting a stream of content, so having the only option to allow this being to actually add a brand to your circles should mitigate con artists)…got that?
How to create my own page:
Well you need to go here: Google Plus Pages and see if your Google account is eligible yet…enjoy.
Tag :
google +,
social media
25 Twitter Reactions to Gaddafi’s Capture and Death [PICS]
Nielsen McKinsey company NM Incite analyzed the online reactions for Mashable and discovered that only 4% of Gaddafi tweets expressed negative sentiment. By comparison, when Osama bin Laden died, negative tweets accounted for 11% of the chatter after his death.
- 19% of tweets express a sense of justice for what was considered Gaddafi’s dictatorship over Libya.
- Negativity emerges in 4% of tweets as some Twitter users note that it’s wrong to celebrate death.
- Information sharing, especially around pictures of Gaddafi’s body and confirmation from news sources, comprises 76% of tweets.
What was your reaction to Gaddafi’s capture and death?
Tag :
social media,
twitter
YouTube Goes Professional
Google Inc.'s YouTube is going Hollywood.
The Internet company is finalizing deals with well-known personalities, such as skateboarder Tony Hawk, and major media companies to produce original content for its popular video website, as it seeks to become a next-generation cable provider that oversees dozens of free online "channels" with professional-grade shows, people familiar with the matter said.
YouTube, the world's largest video site, is putting up more than $100 million in cash advances to get some of the content produced, said the people. YouTube will recoup the funds from advertising revenue it sells against the content, later splitting ad revenue with the partners, these people said. YouTube hopes the new channels, which are expected to roll out sometime next year, will draw in big money from advertisers, they said.
So far, Google has reached agreements or is in late-stage talks with parties including pro-skater Mr. Hawk, as well as media companies such as Warner Bros. and News Corp.'s ShineReveille unit, which has been involved in TV shows such as "Ugly Betty," these people said. News Corp. also owns The Wall Street Journal.
Also among the expected YouTube partners: RTL Group's FremantleMedia Ltd., which produces "The X Factor"; BermanBraun, which has produced shows for SyFy and other cable channels; and IAC's Electus, which produced VH1's "Mob Wives."
Additional potential partners include Everyday Health Inc., which produces content with the likes of celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels; Iconic Entertainment LLC, started by former Sundance Channel chief Larry Aidem and former VH1 executive Michael Hirschorn; "CSI" creator Anthony Zuiker; and DECA, which creates online-video content for women.
Verso Entertainment, formed by National Basketball Association player Baron Davis and Cash Warren, may produce content for YouTube related to sports, said a person familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal may also produce news content for a YouTube channel, another person familiar with the matter said. Several other partners for the new initiative already create popular content on YouTube, people familiar with the matter said.
A YouTube spokesman said in a statement, "We don't comment on rumor or speculation, but we're always talking to content creators and curators of all kinds about building audiences on YouTube."
With its channels initiative, Google—which has been under pressure to turn YouTube into a profit center since buying the site for $1.6 billion in 2006—is aiming to position the site for the rise of televisions and cable set-top boxes that let people watch online video in their living rooms, said the people familiar with the matter. More people are also watching videos on their smartphones and tablets, pressuring traditional cable and satellite operators to make content available on smaller screens.
YouTube had more than 600 million unique visitors world-wide last month, according to comScore Inc., and it is expected to generate more than $1 billion in net revenue this year, up from more than $500 million last year, according to Citigroup Inc. analyst Mark Mahaney.
Google wants to convince big advertisers that it can create a safe environment to showcase their brands on a global scale, and to divert some of their $60 billion in annual broadcast and cable ad spending to YouTube. Some of Google's competitors privately say they are rooting for the YouTube initiative because it could bring new ad dollars to other Internet companies that show videos.
YouTube has had informal talks with some advertisers about sponsoring the original content, these people said. In some cases, YouTube may allow its partners to sell ads for their channels, said one person familiar with the matter.
Many brand advertisers were previously scared off by the large amount of user-generated, lower quality content on YouTube, said David Cohen, an executive vice president at Universal McCann, a media-buying agency owned by Interpublic Group of Cos. But in recent years, YouTube has accumulated higher-quality video and its new channels strategy "is a clear signal of its commitment to creating immersive and engaging original content," he said.
YouTube also currently gets lower ad rates than Hulu LLC, which is owned by and carries content from Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal, and News Corp.'s Fox networks. Hulu charges advertisers $25 or higher to show an ad 1,000 times on its site, Mr. Cohen said, while YouTube can command a fraction of that price for its best content.
But with YouTube's new channels initiative, Mr. Cohen said, "there is nothing preventing YouTube from getting Hulu-type ad rates assuming the final content is as engaging as we anticipate."
The effort doesn't mean YouTube will abandon the way it has made money to date: identifying popular user-generated videos and offering to share ad revenue with the creators. YouTube has 20,000 such content partners.
At the same time that Google invests in programming and upends the way entertainment is created, it has signaled it is willing to pay large sums to license it. People familiar with the matter have said Google has expressed interest in buying Hulu. The companies previously have declined to comment.
Other partners for the new channels initiative include longtime YouTube content producers Machinima Inc., which creates content about videogames and other topics for young men, and Maker Studios, known for comedy videos from personalities such as "KassemG." The channels initiative will pair well-known individuals such as Mr. Hawk with existing YouTube content partners to create new kinds of programming, said a person familiar with the matter.
Some partners will be in charge of producing multiple channels that fit into one of 20 or so categories such as food, comedy, health and news, these people said. YouTube executives are asking partners, who will retain ownership rights over the content, to produce unique shows that don't just mimic those on TV, they said.
Hollywood has been abuzz ever since YouTube began reaching out to potential partners earlier this year with promises of cash advances. YouTube received more than 150 pitches from content creators before settling on a few dozen with which to start, people familiar with the matter said. Most partners will receive hundreds of thousands of dollars or multimillion-dollar deals to produce several hours of content per month, these people said.
Source
The Internet company is finalizing deals with well-known personalities, such as skateboarder Tony Hawk, and major media companies to produce original content for its popular video website, as it seeks to become a next-generation cable provider that oversees dozens of free online "channels" with professional-grade shows, people familiar with the matter said.
YouTube, the world's largest video site, is putting up more than $100 million in cash advances to get some of the content produced, said the people. YouTube will recoup the funds from advertising revenue it sells against the content, later splitting ad revenue with the partners, these people said. YouTube hopes the new channels, which are expected to roll out sometime next year, will draw in big money from advertisers, they said.
So far, Google has reached agreements or is in late-stage talks with parties including pro-skater Mr. Hawk, as well as media companies such as Warner Bros. and News Corp.'s ShineReveille unit, which has been involved in TV shows such as "Ugly Betty," these people said. News Corp. also owns The Wall Street Journal.
Also among the expected YouTube partners: RTL Group's FremantleMedia Ltd., which produces "The X Factor"; BermanBraun, which has produced shows for SyFy and other cable channels; and IAC's Electus, which produced VH1's "Mob Wives."
Additional potential partners include Everyday Health Inc., which produces content with the likes of celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels; Iconic Entertainment LLC, started by former Sundance Channel chief Larry Aidem and former VH1 executive Michael Hirschorn; "CSI" creator Anthony Zuiker; and DECA, which creates online-video content for women.
Verso Entertainment, formed by National Basketball Association player Baron Davis and Cash Warren, may produce content for YouTube related to sports, said a person familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal may also produce news content for a YouTube channel, another person familiar with the matter said. Several other partners for the new initiative already create popular content on YouTube, people familiar with the matter said.
A YouTube spokesman said in a statement, "We don't comment on rumor or speculation, but we're always talking to content creators and curators of all kinds about building audiences on YouTube."
With its channels initiative, Google—which has been under pressure to turn YouTube into a profit center since buying the site for $1.6 billion in 2006—is aiming to position the site for the rise of televisions and cable set-top boxes that let people watch online video in their living rooms, said the people familiar with the matter. More people are also watching videos on their smartphones and tablets, pressuring traditional cable and satellite operators to make content available on smaller screens.
YouTube had more than 600 million unique visitors world-wide last month, according to comScore Inc., and it is expected to generate more than $1 billion in net revenue this year, up from more than $500 million last year, according to Citigroup Inc. analyst Mark Mahaney.
Google wants to convince big advertisers that it can create a safe environment to showcase their brands on a global scale, and to divert some of their $60 billion in annual broadcast and cable ad spending to YouTube. Some of Google's competitors privately say they are rooting for the YouTube initiative because it could bring new ad dollars to other Internet companies that show videos.
YouTube has had informal talks with some advertisers about sponsoring the original content, these people said. In some cases, YouTube may allow its partners to sell ads for their channels, said one person familiar with the matter.
Many brand advertisers were previously scared off by the large amount of user-generated, lower quality content on YouTube, said David Cohen, an executive vice president at Universal McCann, a media-buying agency owned by Interpublic Group of Cos. But in recent years, YouTube has accumulated higher-quality video and its new channels strategy "is a clear signal of its commitment to creating immersive and engaging original content," he said.
YouTube also currently gets lower ad rates than Hulu LLC, which is owned by and carries content from Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal, and News Corp.'s Fox networks. Hulu charges advertisers $25 or higher to show an ad 1,000 times on its site, Mr. Cohen said, while YouTube can command a fraction of that price for its best content.
But with YouTube's new channels initiative, Mr. Cohen said, "there is nothing preventing YouTube from getting Hulu-type ad rates assuming the final content is as engaging as we anticipate."
The effort doesn't mean YouTube will abandon the way it has made money to date: identifying popular user-generated videos and offering to share ad revenue with the creators. YouTube has 20,000 such content partners.
At the same time that Google invests in programming and upends the way entertainment is created, it has signaled it is willing to pay large sums to license it. People familiar with the matter have said Google has expressed interest in buying Hulu. The companies previously have declined to comment.
Other partners for the new channels initiative include longtime YouTube content producers Machinima Inc., which creates content about videogames and other topics for young men, and Maker Studios, known for comedy videos from personalities such as "KassemG." The channels initiative will pair well-known individuals such as Mr. Hawk with existing YouTube content partners to create new kinds of programming, said a person familiar with the matter.
Some partners will be in charge of producing multiple channels that fit into one of 20 or so categories such as food, comedy, health and news, these people said. YouTube executives are asking partners, who will retain ownership rights over the content, to produce unique shows that don't just mimic those on TV, they said.
Hollywood has been abuzz ever since YouTube began reaching out to potential partners earlier this year with promises of cash advances. YouTube received more than 150 pitches from content creators before settling on a few dozen with which to start, people familiar with the matter said. Most partners will receive hundreds of thousands of dollars or multimillion-dollar deals to produce several hours of content per month, these people said.
Source
Tag :
social media,
youtube
Facebook’s Subscribe Button Produces More Traffic Than Twitter Or Google Plus
Facebook’s new subscribe button appears to produce more traffic than either Twitter or Google Plus, even when you have more Twitter followers than Facebook subscribers.
That’s based on an early observation by Kevin Rose, Kevin Rose, co-founder of Digg and now the co-founder and chief executive officer of Milk. I saw his publicly visible status update about this in my news feed even though he’s not one of my Facebook friends because I’d clicked on the subscribe button he enabled on his profile.
Rose notes:
That means, in this case, that Facebook produces more than five times more clicks than Twitter and more than seven times as many clicks as Google Plus. Part of the reason may be that Facebook subscriptions might be more effective at notifying subscribers than Twitter or Google Plus are.
source
That’s based on an early observation by Kevin Rose, Kevin Rose, co-founder of Digg and now the co-founder and chief executive officer of Milk. I saw his publicly visible status update about this in my news feed even though he’s not one of my Facebook friends because I’d clicked on the subscribe button he enabled on his profile.
Rose notes:
- Even though he has more than five times as many Twitter followers (1,200,000) as Facebook subscribers (220,000), he received 10 percent more clicks from Facebook.
- And though his Google Plus followers (129,000) are about half his Facebook subscribers (220,000), he received only one-seventh as many clicks from Google Plus.
That means, in this case, that Facebook produces more than five times more clicks than Twitter and more than seven times as many clicks as Google Plus. Part of the reason may be that Facebook subscriptions might be more effective at notifying subscribers than Twitter or Google Plus are.
source
Tag :
facebook,
social media
How Social Media has changed the Face of the World
Social media has changed the face of the world whether you’ve realize it or not. The control of the channel is in completely control from the user; markets have been flipped upside down. This article will share how social media has continually changed the world and what you can expect each will have as an impact in your own life.
- “Social Media is the Podium” – Social media is much like a podium in which everyone has an audience. Unlike the early web which were built to share content to a user and kept everything on tight lockdown, social media gives the user the stage where they are the ones creating content however they see fit. Users can easily share content with others, interact and integrate themselves into the social media platforms to create their own niche within a community.
- “Transparency & Social Proof” – Social media has changed who we listen to and respect in the world because of the simple flip of demanding social proof and transparency. Experts from years past were labeled as ‘experts’ despite the fact that not everyone truly saw why they were labeled as such. In today’s world the title of expert is given to those that are able to prove what they’ve accomplished by being transparent with their community, showing their numbers and backing it up with valuable content and interaction with others. The control of who we listen to on the web has shifted from T.V. talk heads to the underdog with passion.
- “A Platform for Building Personal Brands” –To break it into business or make your mark on the world at large was nearly impossible because of the high barriers of entry to gain the backing of platforms like the music & movie industry, patents for products, venture funding and more. Social media has flipped the idea of branding from a logo and large company to an individual and the good they are providing to the world. Social media allows everyone to build a personal brand through their interactions, content creation, voice and drive to stand out on the web.
- “Everyone has a Voice” – Everyone that joins a social media network has a voice that can reach millions of others. One hundred years ago it would be nearly impossible for the average person to draw an audience in the thousands without popular backing and access to forums. Today, everyone has a platform to share their voice, opinions and build an audience with zero barriers for entry. The world has found many amazing individuals that were once silent from traditional barriers. Entire movements can be created using social media platforms.
- “Social Commerce” – The way we buy as a society has shifted from interruption to passive interaction. A review of a product from the actual customer has a profound effect on the buying decision when it’s shared on social media networks vs. a marketing message crafted by a division of a large corporation. People want to learn what others are buying, where to find great deals, how others are experiencing a product or service, what the low-down is and how items will impact their lives rather than being told through a commercial. People regularly flock to the net to research products and services; one of their first stops is within their social media circles.
Tag :
social media
The social media landscape in 2011 – infographic
Working for a social media agencymeans that I’m often inundated with infographics. Some are insightful, some show great design aesthetics…and some tell me absolutely nothing!
The infographic to the right, by Fred Cavazza, which highlights the social media landscape in 2011, stood out for two reasons (click on the infographic to enlarge it).
Firstly, it has removed Google andFacebook from all categories and placed them as a central focus point. This reflects the continuous evolution of these platforms and their multi-functional capabilities.
Secondly, it’s the first time I’ve seen social gaming highlighted within its own category.Social gaming is becoming an increasingly important area of social engagement, and the current speculations of a Zynga IPO is likely to reinforce this.
One notable exception from this infographic is SCNGR, which intends to apply a gamified approach to real world activities, and it will be interesting to see where it might be placed in 2012.
source
Tag :
images,
social media
Facebook marketing
Facebook is a term which has become a huge part of today’s vocabulary. So what is facebook and what can it do for you?
So facebook is a social networking website where you are able to interact with other people online. Facebook is a small sort of online community like a forum where you are able to make new friends as well as keep in touch with old friends and your relatives.
Today Facebook has over 62 million active subscribers and its continuing to grow. For advertisers or even internet marketers this is the kind of number which is hard to pass. With so many people in one place at one time this is truly a huge platform for internet marketers to use to market their products of services.
If you want to expand the number of customers you get for your business, you consider using the internet which is place to find more people to buy your products or services.
To market your products or services try Facebook, it has a huge potential to expand your business, it has a huge business section which tells you step by step how to promote your business by using their tools to market your products and services effectively.
So facebook is a social networking website where you are able to interact with other people online. Facebook is a small sort of online community like a forum where you are able to make new friends as well as keep in touch with old friends and your relatives.
Today Facebook has over 62 million active subscribers and its continuing to grow. For advertisers or even internet marketers this is the kind of number which is hard to pass. With so many people in one place at one time this is truly a huge platform for internet marketers to use to market their products of services.
If you want to expand the number of customers you get for your business, you consider using the internet which is place to find more people to buy your products or services.
To market your products or services try Facebook, it has a huge potential to expand your business, it has a huge business section which tells you step by step how to promote your business by using their tools to market your products and services effectively.
- Firstly it already has the traffic you need, with 62 million active subscribers. With the amount of people logging in and out daily, you will know facebook will generate traffic for you. It has all kinds of people from different backgrounds and lifestyles which will be easier to target your niche.
- Facebook give you functions such as uploading photo’s and videos to your fan page. It even lets you design your fan page to make it stand out.
- With facebook you can create a page which your target market e.g. age group, and which country you want to target with. This is a good way to target traffic to your fan page.
Tag :
facebook,
social media
Where Does Twitter Fit In?
The Internet may seem to be a behemoth of unconnected sites united simply by the fact that they are all online and accessible by anyone with the correct equipment. But if you look closer it is easy to see that there is a lot of connectivity between certain sites, not least in the use of hyperlinks which allow you to navigate between sites which have a common interest. But where this becomes fascinating is with the rise of the super website, the one which is by far and away the leader in its field. Prime examples of this in recent times are not hard to identify.
We have Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia which is seen as an immediate resource for collated information. Then there is YouTube, a video hosting site which allows one to view footage collected from numerous different places. How hard it would be to find the sites you need if it were not for the ultimate search engine, Google. And recently, Twitter has become a site which everyone knows about, even if they only know that everyone else is talking about it.
One of the things that makes Twitter so popular is that it is an excellent way to spread links. This allows it an instant affinity with other sites. If you find a video on YouTube which you believe that everyone should see, you post a link to it on your Twitter account, and people can view it and then pass on the link. This connectivity is also very useful for bloggers who can install a “widget” on their blog which automatically posts a link on their Twitter feed whenever they put up a new blog post.
We have Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia which is seen as an immediate resource for collated information. Then there is YouTube, a video hosting site which allows one to view footage collected from numerous different places. How hard it would be to find the sites you need if it were not for the ultimate search engine, Google. And recently, Twitter has become a site which everyone knows about, even if they only know that everyone else is talking about it.
One of the things that makes Twitter so popular is that it is an excellent way to spread links. This allows it an instant affinity with other sites. If you find a video on YouTube which you believe that everyone should see, you post a link to it on your Twitter account, and people can view it and then pass on the link. This connectivity is also very useful for bloggers who can install a “widget” on their blog which automatically posts a link on their Twitter feed whenever they put up a new blog post.
Tag :
social media,
twitter
Social Media Help Find U.S. Student in Malaysia
It is every parent’s nightmare: a normally reliable child sets off on a journey, then vanishes without a trace. But through the power of social media, a small army of thousands of volunteers produced a happy ending in the case of Jacob Boehm.
Mr. Boehm, 22, a senior at Stanford University, had gone to Japan in June with the Stanford Chamber Chorale. When the rest of the singers headed home, he continued to travel, carrying his U.S. and German passports.
Like most of his peers at elite universities, he was well plugged in to the world around him, posting regular updates every two to three days on his travels through Southeast Asia. By Aug. 13, he had announced through his Google Plus page that he was in Malaysia.
Then nothing for a week.
Worried, his parents, Bruce Boehm and Nancy Luberoff, got in touch with U.S. and German consular officials in Malaysia and sent e-mails to 12 of his friends. The message went viral. On Facebook, more than 5,000 people subscribed to one of two pages dedicated to the hunt. On Twitter, #JacobBoehm became a trending topic in the San Francisco Bay Area, the home of Stanford.
The first Facebook page was created shortly before 11 a.m. Friday, San Francisco time, by Julian Kusnadi, a fellow member of the chorale. People immediately started joining in, offering suggestions, encouragement and prayers. One suggested reaching out to current and former Stanford students who lived in Malaysia or hailed from there.
Another posted a close-up photo showing just Mr. Boehm’s face. Misha Nasrollahzadeh, doing a summer internship at Facebook, contacted its “safety team,” which offered to run free advertising promoting the page within Malaysia. And that was just in the first 10 minutes.
At that point, a second page, which became the main source of information, appeared. A missing person’s flyer was posted in English, then translated by someone else into Malay. Celeste Brash, who writes the Lonely Planet guide for the area, noted that the village where he had last been seen, Jerantut, is a gateway to Taman Negara, a jungle area that is a vast national park. “Is it possible he went on a long jungle trek?” she wrote, offering local contact information.
Mr. Boehm’s father suggested that it was unlikely that he would make an unannounced multiday trip into the jungle, as it was “not his sort of thing.” More suggestions and offers of help came forth, including one from Timothy Tam, a Stanford student whose father works in the office of Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia.
The hours passed as the search went into high gear in Malaysia, focusing on the national park. Finally, at 10 p.m., Friday, San Francisco time, came a piece of news, from the U.S. Embassy: “The park rangers informed us your son checked into the Tembeling River View chalet in the town of Kuala Tahan (approximately 1 hour driving north of Jerantut) on August 15th and checked out on the 17th. He did not obtain a permit to enter Taman Negara national forest. The rangers will continue searching. We will continue checking with them and other contacts.”
The circle widened via Twitter and Reddit. Several Malaysians who had joined the effort on Facebook noted that anyone entering Taman Negara is required to have a permit and a guide and that people without guides can occasionally get lost. And there is generally no cellphone or Internet access.
At about 8 a.m. San Francisco time Saturday, 21 hours after the first posting on Facebook. Mr. Boehm had been found in the park and was in communication with U.S. officials via two-way radio. Asked what had happened, he reportedly said, “It’s a long story.”
Ms. Luberoff said in a statement that the “real story” was not her son’s disappearance, but rather that “thousands of people worked together to find him.”
“We are so grateful for this spontaneous community and outpouring of support,” she said. “I hope it becomes a model for others.”
Tag :
social media
Is 140 Characters Ever Enough in twitter
One thing that has emerged over the course of the last decade is a common aversion towards text speak, or a phenomenon to which people have begun to refer as “txt spk”. This is particularly prevalent among people who feel that language should be respected by those who use it and that if you are going to use a word, you should use the full word. While character limits (first identified as a barrier to clear communication with the advent of text messaging) do confer a certain urgency upon not wasting a word or a letter, it is possible to tweet or to text with clarity.
While text messaging may be driven towards “txt spk” by the fact that you pay by the message and you don’t want to waste money, you pay nothing for a tweet and you can easily continue your message in a second post. Although many people are conscious that multiple tweets in a short space of time can look like spamming, when faced with a choice between this and being viewed as a dimwit they tend to accept the spamming charge. It is not exactly a fair charge anyway, when it is simply a run-on tweet.
One outcome of the Twitter character limit has been the increase in sites providing shorter link URLs. If you have tweeted about a news story or with a link to a site, a long URL can take you over the character limit. Step forward sites such as tinyurl.com, snipurl.com and icanhaz.com, which offer an easy way around this.
Tag :
social media,
twitter
Social Media Tips
- Know what you’re talking about
If you’re going to work in the social media industry, get yourself a facebook page, twitter account, youtube page, read blogs and familiarise yourself with the upcoming news which your able to blog about. The best way to start is to understand the networks you’re going to use and practise using them.
- Always be transparent
When talking on various social networks you registered on, make sure you’re genuine and real to your readers otherwise they won’t feel like talking to you. Make sure you don’t use other people to write on your social media sites, make it sound as real and genuine to attract more clients to your page.
- Be yourself
On all the social media networks you join people can see when you’re being genuine or through marketing talk. Let people see who you are and not a mouth piece, let them get to know you.
- Post frequently
One most important thing is to post regularly; if you post once in a while readers won’t have a reason to follow on twitter or like your page on facebook. Make sure you update regularly which interesting content making it easier for people to follow you.
- Add value
Share tips, tricks and insights, make sure what you share is interesting and easy to read and doesn’t bore them. Make listening to you worth their time.
- Respond
Make sure you answer questions people have asked you, thank people who commented or agreed with you to make it a two way conversations.
- Listen to what people have to say
Appreciate suggestions and feedback; it will make what you do even better.
- Learn from your mistakes
Don’t be afraid you where wrong and be quick to change when you are, it shows to people your quick to change things you’re wrong and your improving.
- Be external
Don’t always link from your blog, link from other people’s articles, retweet tweet what others have to say.
- Have fun
If you’re not interested in what you’re posting, it will show to other people and they won’t enjoy interacting with you and leave. Enjoy what you post and readers will enjoy reading it and interacting with you.
Tag :
social media,
tips
