Social media sites are becoming a fact of life. Just like the use of computers, cell phones and video gaming devices, they’re here to stay and are setting out to make an impact. The question is not of when the sites will die out, but rather, when will you give in?
I have been a Facebook user for some time now; probably over a year. I can navigate it pretty well, create fan pages, send status updates, tag pictures and the like. And although Facebook is a high-powered medium, I feel that I will not get the full benefit of a social media experience unless I finally break down and acquaint myself with Twitter.
Walking through OfficeMax the other night, I saw a self help book that familiarizes people with Twitter. It was even equipped with screen shots so that people could be walked through the process of setting up an account and a navigating it. I thought twice about buying the book, but eventually rested it back on the shelf. I am just not ready to make that kind of commitment (with my busy schedule and all).
The next day at work, one of my wonderful co-workers who seems to be a computer genius, told me about a site that I thought I needed to share with all of you interested in learning about Twitter as a marketing tool for not only you, but for a business as well. The site is www.mashable.com. It is also updated frequently, probably more so than my potential book purchase.
On this Web site you can learn all about Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Google and YouTube through personalized guidebooks. Now, I have to admit that I have yet to undertake that feat, but I plan to. I am going to need some support from you, I’m sure, to get me started.
Another interesting site for those of you involved with social media or looking to get involved is http://seesmic.com/seesmic_desktop/. This site leads you to a desktop download that is completely free! The download will allow you to manage MULTIPLE Facebook accounts and Twitter accounts (and I am sure even more) at THE SAME TIME! Now, this is not as huge for individuals as it is for companies, but I mean, this is officially the best site ever! Now you don’t have to log out of one account to check another. Everything pops up at once. You can even search on a menu bar for something and the search will cover all of your accounts until it finds the information you are seeking. This is definitely going to be a powerful tool for anyone in the public relations, advertising or journalism field.
On a side note, I have been doing quite a bit of research on how to track Web sites. I use the Web site below to help me find the number of visitors or clicks on a particular site. This is very helpful for me at work, but think of ways this could benefit you. What if you are researching one car insurance over the other? One restaurant over the other? One potential job site over the other? Hey, hey now, popularity isn’t everything, but I am sure you can find a way to make this site useful to you.
http://www.compete.com/
And, if you are wondering what the heck SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is, I will explain that too. The concept of SEO is based on the belief that some Web sites get more “hits” or “clicks” if the certain words appear on their page. This is why when you search for specific things on Google, you can usually find them on the first or second page-they have done this intentionally. Figuring out how to optimize your page used to be a long and involved process, but now, it is simple. Check out: http://www.google.com/insights/search/. Type in a specific word and see how many people are searching for that phrases including that particular word. This can help you word things better on your Web site in order to generate more interest.
Ok, now that I have covered social media tips and tips for Web sites, I think I’ll head to bed. This is a late post for me.
Goodnight all, I hope I have helped you in some significant way through this posting.
-Jen2010
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