...Holiday Special Extended » Small towns, social networks, and communicating December 28th, 2008......to tap into the changing social networks and to make friends......SocialMediaToday.com, How Small Towns are Social Networks, and it sparked some......observation that small towns are social networks and the photo of......can best combine the offline networks of bulletin boards and newspapers......and newspapers with the online networks of Twitter, Facebook, and local......how do we combine these networks so that it is easy......makes some good points about social networking, the way I found......here: How Small Towns are Social Networks Had I found the article......be the unintended consequences of social networking extending our reach to......Business Networking, Communities, Social Networking. You can follow any......closed. 14 responses about “Small towns, social networks, and communicating” ...

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Small towns, social networks, and communicating
December 28th, 2008 by John Dilbeck
During this time between Christmas and the new year, I’m doing a lot of thinking about what I plan to accomplish in 2009. I am narrowing my focus and will be concentrating on just two areas: 1. affiliate marketing and 2. promoting businesses in Murphy, NC. That means I will stop doing many of the things I’ve been doing. I’ll stop blogging on a lot of different topics and I’ll close down blogs and websites in January that are not related to my two primary areas of interest. It also means that I’m going to be much more active in my community than I’ve been able to be for the last several years - both online and offline. Yes, that means that I’m actually going to leave my cave and talk to real people in the real world, again. I really love living near Murphy, NC. I love the people, the small town atmosphere, the scenery, and being away from the big cities. I don’t like how hard it can be to meet new people and to earn a living here. Sometimes, I think the two go hand in hand. In order to earn a living, perhaps new people in our area need a way to tap into the changing social networks and to make friends with people who know where the jobs are and can hire them. Today, I was reading an interesting article at SocialMediaToday.com, How Small Towns are social Networks, and it sparked some ideas I wanted to share with the author. I agree with her observation that small towns are social networks and the photo of the bulletin board with all the business cards reminds me of several similar boards in Murphy. I was wondering how one can best combine the offline networks of bulletin boards and newspapers with the online networks of Twitter, Facebook, and local portals and forums. If the businesses are mostly promoting offline and the potential customers and employees are increasingly going online, how do we combine these networks so that it is easy to connect and to get to know each other? Maybe I’m a bit uncommon as compared to most of the people here in western North Carolina. Instead of reaching for the yellow pages to find a phone number, I search on Google. Only if I can’t find what I’m looking for online would I consider going offline. Yet, I believe most of the people in this area approach this type of information gathering first from the offline world, and many of them never go online for local searching. I don’t have any data to back this up, it’s just a feeling from having talked to people. With the price of offline advertising going up and online advertising going down, how long will it be before the businesses bring most of their marketing activities online? How long will it be before the residents of Cherokee County take their local information gathering activities online, primarily? How can I position myself and my services to help put these two groups together so we can all benefit? As I said, I had some ideas I wanted to share with the author of the blog I was reading, so I was ready to comment and saw the following: “To Comment on this post, you must first register. Click here” Sigh… I really had something I wanted to say, so I registered, something I am doing much less of now than I used to do. Over an hour later, I’m still waiting for the authentication email so I can post my comment, and you know what? I’ve lost interest. Even if I get the email now, I won’t bother activating my account just to post a comment. Yes, I was a hot prospect then, but I’ve gone completely cold, now. I even clicked on the link to the original post, but it, too, requires registration. That link takes me to Reddit, and that’s not what I’m looking for. I want a way to contact her directly. Wait a second, that’s not accurate. Over an hour ago, I wanted a way to contact her directly and carry on the conversation. Now, not so much. No more. I’m no longer interested. I think back to just a few months ago when I changed my primary blog to this one with the main goal of making it easier for my friends and visitors to join in the conversations by commenting. It is working out very well, and I’m making friends with fellow bloggers around the world. I would have enjoyed exchanging ideas with the author of the article I mentioned, but I can’t even see her profile without registering. To top it off, there are links to the Twitter profiles of three people in the article who are referenced only indirectly, but there is no link to her Twitter profile that I can see. I did a search on Google, and I think I found her Twitter profile, but the photo is different and I’m not sure it’s her. So, while she makes some good points about social networking, the way I found her has been time-consuming and frustrating. It turns out that I followed the URL on her Twitter profile to her website and confirmed that she was the author of the article. To her credit, her own blog has links to her email address, Twitter profile, and Skype accounts. Not only that, but the article makes it easy to comment and she even uses CommentLuv. See it here: How Small Towns are social Networks Had I found the article on her actual blog instead of a syndicated version of it on SocialMediaToday.com, I would have been much more likely to have joined in the conversation and I would not have felt so frustrated trying to find a way to communicate with her. Now, I’ve opened up at least one door by following her on Twitter. Perhaps I’ll even find the motivation to share my thoughts with her on her blog - if I can remember what they were. In the long run, what will I remember about this experience? Will it be her insights on local networking or will it be the frustration of trying to communicate? So, how does this apply to affiliate marketing? What are you doing to make it easy to establish conversations with your visitors? How well is it working? Maybe you are doing a good job of conversing on your blog, but what happens when your content is syndicated elsewhere? Are roadblocks thrown up needlessly? Why? What can you do about them? If you recommend a product or service as an affiliate, do you make it easy for prospects to contact you to gather further information or to clarify any points you’ve made? Do you respond to those requests in a timely manner? Do you provide additional information? Do you answer the specific questions that are asked? In my opinion, the main point of having a blog is to start a conversation. What are you doing to make it easier for your reader to respond to you? What are you doing to make it more difficult? Are you even aware of things that may make it more difficult? Truly, I don’t want to pick on her, because she’s doing the right things on her own blog. Still, I found her article on another site that is syndicating her content, and finding a way to join in the conversation was difficult and time-consuming. Is that her fault, or is it the fault of the site that syndicated her article? I don’t see it as her fault, at all. It seems to me to be the unintended consequences of social networking extending our reach to other sites that may not make it so easy to participate as our own sites do. In the long run, it will probably be worth an hour of frustration, because I found someone who shares some of the same interests I do. Now that I’ve found her blog, and just now subscribed to it, I’ll look forward to reading what she has to say, and it will be easy, then, to join in the conversation, should I want. I’m going to take a short break and see if I can work up the enthusiasm I originally had to join her conversation, now that I’ve found it. Act on your dream! JD Rate this: 3.1 (1 person) Share and Enjoy:
This entry was posted on Sunday, December 28th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
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14 responses about “Small towns, social networks, and communicating”

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...that can show us how social networks operate and spread ideas? We......so popular? Duncan Watt’s research on social networks suggests that a bad......elements are needed in a social network to make something popular......should be noted that all social networks behave differently and are......and look at how some social networks work on the web......of how people interact in networks than just Digg, Facebook and......Feeds Stay up to date to Social Media Trader with RSS full......to date with the latest social media news and insight via...... Related PostsQuit Smoking with Social Networks (9)Visualizing StumbleUpon Top Users...

HomeFrontpage AboutWho we are ArchivesBrowse freely ContactMake Contact RSSSyndicate Alternate Reality Games Blogging Broadcasting Business Censorship Demographics Digg Guides Interview Know Your Audience Lists Marketing Monthly Statistics Newspapers Off Beat Pay-per-click Podcast Reddit Resources social Media social Media Analysis social Network News social networks social Proof social Shopping Sourcing Images Statistics StumbleUpon Tools Twitter US Elections user generated content video Web Development Mar 21, 2008 social Networks, Influencers and the Story of LSD Is there anything in the rise in popularity of LSD that can show us how social networks operate and spread ideas? We look at some of the more interesting connections between the parties who helped propel LSD into the public consciousness and try to find out why LSD reached the mainstream. Most of the information about how LSD/ psilocybin spread through a society was taken from the excellent book, Brainwash: The Secret History of Mind Control by Dominic Streatfeild. In particular we looked at the chapter, “Eating the Flesh of God”. You can view the network diagram yourself by visiting this link. To look at the spread of LSD into mainstream culture, we’ll look a few different pieces of research and ideas that have been proposed to explain how ideas spread in a network. Closeness of connections Influentials Anybody can seed an idea Product evangelism The story of LSD in western society started with a Swiss scientist, Albert Hoffman who accidentally took mushrooms one day and experienced strange visions. Even after Hoffman’s discovery, there were still only a handful of scientists in the world who were working with the drug and very few research papers published on the subject. As you can see from the graph, Hoffman was to eventually play an important role in providing LSD/ psilocybin to intelligence services both in the US and Russia. Closeness of connections While Hoffman was arguably one of the first westerners to experience LSD, it is perhaps a letter from the poet Robert Graves that set the wheels in motion for the spread of LSD/ psilocybin . Graves has fewer connections than many of the other people who helped to spread LSD - but did he have a closer connection to the friends in his network than others? Grave’s network would seem to fit the idea of network influence proposed by Nicholas A. Christakis. Rather than there being specific influencers, Christakis suggests that the closeness of people in a network is more important in helping ideas to spread. Graves certainly had the respect of Gordon Wasson, vice-president of J.P Morgan and William Sargant, who worked for the British intelligence services. Wasson went to Mexico to look for the mystical mushrooms after corresponding with Graves. Wasson had also been impressed with Grave’s play, I Claudius, so it’s probably safe to assume that Wasson held Graves in high regard if he went to Mexico because of him. Evangelists Gordon Wasson went to Mexico to look for the mushrooms and his experience both during and after taking them had a profound effect on him. Wasson became an evangelist for the mushrooms, enthusiastically telling people about the great experiences he had while taking them. Wasson clearly loved the product of LSD/ psilocybin , as did others. Was it this passion for the “product” that helped propel it into the mainstream? Wasson’s passion for the mushrooms led him to write a piece for Life magazine that would be read by people like Aldous Huxley and Timothy Leary. Even if there are some people who are more influential, would it have made a difference if the “product” was bad? If Wasson hadn’t loved the product so much would even influentials have been able to make LSD/ psilocybin so popular? Duncan Watt’s research on social networks suggests that a bad song won’t be popular and a great song won’t be unpopular but “almost any other result is possible”. If we go by Watt’s research then was LSD such a great product that anybody could have spread LSD and it would still have had a chance of becoming popular, or did it need influentials to reach the mainstream? Influentials? The influentials theory suggests that a small percentage of the general population has the ability to affect the likelihood that a trend will be adopted by a community. It’s suggested that these people are usually more influential because of their personal reputation, the number of friends they have and their knowledge on a particular topic. If there are any influentials in the group who brought LSD to the masses then arguably, they would be Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey and Alfred Hubbard. (Picture of Leary’s network is below) Hubbard was a millionaire who purchased 43 cases of LSD. He refused to charge anybody for the drug and he and Aldous Huxley thought it was their mission to give the drug to members of the American intelligentsia so they could try the wonder drug for themselves. Ken Kesey, who went onto write, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, held parties were he handed out the drug and presumably there would be a number of people at those events who he had never met before. Kesey gave the drug out to large numbers of people, but he probably didn’t have had the same “closeness” of connections with those friends as Graves had. The same also applies to Timothy Leary. He had various research chapters set up in the US and probably didn’t meet all of the people who attended those either. In Leary’s graph we see a large number of loose connections. Is he more influential than someone like Robert Graves who had fewer connections, but presumably had closer ties with his friends? Did a large number of friends and connections play an important role in the spread of LSD or was the “product” of LSD destined to become popular without these well-connected individuals? Differences in networks It’s difficult to look back on a set of data as complex as human interactions and determine what exactly propelled LSD into the mainstream. It could be that a combination of influentials, evangelists, close ties and just a damn good idea/product are needed to make something popular. This article is only attempting to raise some questions as to what elements are needed in a social network to make something popular and it should be noted that all social networks behave differently and are constantly evolving. If we turn our attention away from LSD and look at how some social networks work on the web we can see that each network is slightly different. They might regard certain types of content as being more valuable than others and they also interact differently. Before the recent algorithm change, Digg was arguably a much tighter network with a smaller number of influentials than many other sites. It has been widely quoted that 100 people controlled 56% of stories that appeared on the front page. On Facebook it’s possibly the closeness of connections that help to spread an idea or application. It’s unlikely that you’ll add an application unless somebody you trust and respect from your network has added it already. If you get multiple requests every week from someone you don’t know or trust very much then are you likely to pass on the message/add the application or are you likely to ignore it? I have a tendency to ignore people who send me lots of applications to install, but other people might behave differently. We recently looked at the StumbleUpon network and that seems to fit Watt’s idea more closely. As long as a piece of content is good (although this is obviously subjective) and correctly tagged on StumbleUpon an article has a good chance of becoming popular. There are obviously more examples of how people interact in networks than just Digg, Facebook and StumbleUpon. Hopefully, the story of how LSD became popular has made you think a little about how ideas spread throughout a network. So, what do you think? Was the success of LSD was down to a small number of influential people, close ties in a network or was it just a good product that was always going to be successful? Leave your comments below Bookmark and Share this story! RSS Feeds Stay up to date to social Media Trader with RSS full feeds.. OR Keep up to date with the latest social media news and insight via email. Related PostsQuit Smoking with social networks (9)Visualizing StumbleUpon Top Users And Their Friends (15)social Media Influence on UK Newspapers (8) 18 Readers have left their thoughts

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... Breast Feeding Social Networks Posted 04.23.2009 by Frank J......20 Diggs, not even close! Many Social Networks are lopsided with spammers......should weed out the maniac social morons. As in life, you know......truly care. The concept of Social Networks is to share interesting......first class seats. Tags: Referral Traffic, Social Network Issues, Social Networks, Spammers,......Social Networks, Spammers, Tips on Social Networks (1 votes, average: 1.00...

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Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on RedditDigg this!Tweet This!Share this on FacebookEmail this to a friend?Serving up articles with friends and fans can be time consuming; in fact, it takes a good chunk out of my day. I am one that always reciprocates, but to what extent? I get a lot of shouts from Digg, about 30 a day, from 20 unique friends. You would think that each article you share could fetch 20 Diggs, not even close! Many social networks are lopsided with spammers and greed. These are people who are self promoting maniacs out for themselves. I suggest we build a fence around Wyoming, with one computer, and let them all fight over it. This should weed out the maniac social morons. As in life, you know who your real friends are. It’s important to reciprocate and help your friends who truly care. The concept of social networks is to share interesting articles with others and improve your referral traffic. The greatest reward, is converting that same traffic into loyal fans who will visit your blog daily. If you ever need to create a feeding frenzy, send your latest blog through the StumbleUpon toolbar or Twitter. I am sure we can make some noise for you! Twitter: @techjaws (Follow me) StumbleUpon: socialbeaver (Add as friend and subscribe to my favorites) If anyone needs a plane ticket to Wyoming, let me know. I can get you first class seats.
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...address here. Why Do Adults Misunderstand Social Networks? Network and Market (photo by...... What is it about social networks (and the internet in......kids have been hurt there? Social networks can be great tools Aside from......misunderstand the true power of social networks. They must be......can come from them. For example, social causes have mobilized supporters and......from different technologies and services. [tags]myspace, social networking, social networks, rock for......– Now What?Thoof – Personalized Social BookmarkingLearn How to Build a......to “Why Do Adults Misunderstand Social Networks?” ...

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Why Do Adults Misunderstand social Networks? Network and Market (photo by pfly) Apparently a Michigan Catholic school is banning students from using MySpace (news article via Bloggers Blog). If students don’t have their profiles removed, they are suspended. While I think it’s questionable for any school to regulate student activity outside of school functions, my focus here is different. What is it about social networks (and the internet in general) that adults misunderstand? Kids will simply move Young people are usually on the technological bleeding edge. Parents and schools are way behind. If kids are banned from using MySpace, they’ll just find another place. It will have similar problems. But the worst part is that parents won’t know what their kids are doing (and where they’re doing it). If a child has a MySpace page, it’s easy enough for a parent to keep tabs on it. If schools ban kids from the well-known networks, they’ll just interact somewhere unknown to parents. This place will be secret and anonymous. What does that solve? Predators are still there If we turn our backs to MySpace, the predators will simply go away. WHAT?! As we’ve seen with chat rooms, IM, Facebook, MySpace, etc, predators will find victims. Society has had problems with sick people victimizing children forever; the internet didn’t change that. Sure, predators can find victims a little easier on MySpace, but they’re still out there without it. Do schools ban kids from the playground, because kids have been hurt there? social networks can be great tools Aside from these arguments, adults shouldn’t misunderstand the true power of social networks. They must be used responsibly, but great good can come from them. For example, social causes have mobilized supporters and volunteers through MySpace. Rock for Life, a pro-life group oriented toward teens has used its MySpace page for this purpose with great success. I’ve heard other non-profit groups refuse to even venture into MySpace, because of the negative things that exist there. But this just throws the baby out with the bath water. The internet as a whole has horrid things on it, but that doesn’t mean we should turn our backs to it. Business people and companies are even using MySpace for marketing and PR (info on lawyers here and here). Shouldn’t teens learn about these cutting edge business methods? In the end, parents should always monitor what their kids do, especially online. Simple precautions and common sense can protect people of all ages from being victimized online. But don’t ignore the great utility and good that can come from different technologies and services. [tags]myspace, social networking, social networks, rock for life, detroit[/tags] AKPC_IDS += "407,";Popularity: 2% [?] Get more legal tips Sign-up below to get email tips and exclusive discounts on videos, webinars, and future items. All fields are required. Email Address First Name State See also... Top 10 Must-Join Websites of 2007Digg Has What It Takes – Login MemoryI’m on Facebook – Now What?Thoof – Personalized social BookmarkingLearn How to Build a Solo Law PracticeContact March 24, 2007 by Andrew Flusche Comments One Response to “Why Do Adults Misunderstand social Networks?”

...The best and the worst Social Networks | Twitter or Facebook? Which one......is for you the best social network? Twitter or Facebook? Why? Social......network? Twitter or Facebook? Why? Social Networks | Twitter or Facebook? Facebook 6 Why? Every field...

Blog | Suggest | FAQs | Stats | Explore | Español Design Internet Lifestyle | Entertainment Politics Society Technology Tops | The best and the worst social networks | Twitter or Facebook? Which one of these two is for you the best social network? Twitter or Facebook? Why? social networks | Twitter or Facebook? Facebook 6 Why? Every field is optional, just tell me why: Who? Email? Website? RSS # Read the 6 reasons

... Home About Home » Featured , Headline Unblocking the social networks If for some reason your......your access to the popular social networks, then your solution is......can use to access the social networks . My favorite ones are HideMyAss Noboycanstopus Surfunblocked Unblockall Bestproxy Dycubed Freedom2surf Webrover Proximizeme Another...

Home About Home » Featured , Headline Unblocking the social networks If for some reason your school, university, ISP has blocked your access to the popular social networks, then your solution is proxies. There are many sites which you can use to access the social networks . My favorite ones are HideMyAss Noboycanstopus Surfunblocked Unblockall Bestproxy Dycubed Freedom2surf Webrover Proximizeme Another great option is to join two groups from yahoo and google: http://groups.google.com/group/pagemod http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pagemod/ (No Ratings Yet)  Loading ... 5 Comments »

...and make them better Entrepreneurs! Social networks or social NOTworks Friday, May 29,......May 29, 2009 Posted in category Internet Social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter,......More and more people see social networking as not working. Enjoy, Omega New business? “I......word-of-mouth advertising, say the entrepreneurs. Social networks may perhaps be a......Yes the “not digital world”. While social networking does have some value,......potential customers. Oke, lets see if social networks work or not. Vote......let us know. [poll id="5"] Related Posts Will social network MySpace survive? How long will......site. Tags: Business , facebook , Internet , linkedin , networking , social network 2 Responses to “Social networks or social NOTworks” ...

Home About Contact Why Subscribe? Blog Search EntreNova is all about online Business and Entrepreneurship. We're blogging about every piece of the job like: Business Ideas and Opportunities, Innovation, Internet Marketing, SEO and Sales but also things offline like Personal Development. We hope to inspire people to start their own business and make them better Entrepreneurs! social networks or social NOTworks Friday, May 29, 2009 Posted in category Internet social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, are for entrepreneurs an important instrument to be visible for business relationships, potential customers or employers. But does it really create more business? More and more people see social networking as not working. Enjoy, Omega New business? “I spend more than two hours a day on Twitter” people say. Visibility is important, people should see what I’m doing. But most people have never seen any new business of there efforts. Word-of-mouth The best way is still word-of-mouth advertising, say the entrepreneurs. social networks may perhaps be a word-to-mouth with a megaphone, but are no comparison with personal references from the ordinary (not digital) world. The what???? Yes the “not digital world”. While social networking does have some value, it is good to realize that the investment of time and maybe some money is often not paid back. If you’re looking for new business deals you should go to lunch with an old colleague or use the phone to call potential customers. Oke, lets see if social networks work or not. Vote here and let us know. [poll id="5"] Related Posts Will social network MySpace survive? How long will Google last Business Success - Lessons to learn(2) Instant Messengers (Poll) Golf as networking opportunity You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site. Tags: Business , facebook , Internet , linkedin , networking , social network 2 Responses to “social networks or social NOTworks”

...IT OUT MORE NEWS RSS Feed Facebook Twitter Flickr Michael Phelps, Social Networks and the Year of...

NEWS Jul 05 2009 Gnomedex 2009 is approaching and we’re excited + honoured that Jay and Leah have been asked to speak along side some really incredible people. More info on GNOMEDEX here. Jun 16 2009 Leah will be joining Douglas Coupland and David Allison at the next Vancouver Good Ideas Salon to talk storytelling. You can get your ticket HERE . May 08 2009 Urban Project and Giant Ant Media in the news! CHECK IT OUT MORE NEWS RSS Feed Facebook Twitter Flickr Michael Phelps, social networks and the Year of the Ant? Feb 05 2009  by Jess We could have spent out millions of dollars on sponsoring Michael Phelps *, sent out thousands of messages to devoted fans on twitter or spent dozens of dollars on Facebook advertising. We did none of the above, instead we decided to name drop them all in the latest video from your friendly Giant Ant Media team. The Legend of the Year of the Ant tells the ‘updated’ story of how the signs of the zodiac were chosen. Made to celebrate Chinese New Year and the re-launch of GIANT ANT MEDIA , we suggest you learn the real story for yourself! The Legend of the Year of the Ant *for the record, we cannot afford to rent Michael Phelps. Categories: Blog Tags: Animation , Facebook , Giant Ant , Michael Phelps , New Years , social Networks , Twitter , Video Giant Ant Open House: A HUGE Thank You! » « Northern Voice Presentation + Bongo Preview

...5:46 am Google and Yahoo Starting Social Networks By Bryan Eisenberg July 9th, 2007 Yahoo is......working on a “new cool social network product” called Yahoo Mosh , according......respond to many types of social content across multiple networks.” I could......be a fan of a social networking aggregator with a rich......experience. After all, seems like social networks are popping up everywhere . Can Google......of the biggest challenges for social networking sites is maintaining the......I belong to several other networks as well, but the value of......value of all these different networks isn’t entirely clear. Do you belong......clear. Do you belong to any social networks? What are you getting...

Questions? (877) 643-7244    About Us     Why Us Our Services  Marketing  Better 101   Resources  & Research      Store Visit Our Blog BLOG HOME AROUND THE NET ARCHIVES RSS FEEDS EVENTS « Previous Entry Home Next Entry » FutureNow Post Monday, Jul. 9, 2007 at 5:46 am Google and Yahoo Starting social Networks By Bryan Eisenberg July 9th, 2007 Yahoo is working on a “new cool social network product” called Yahoo Mosh , according to TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington . Google, meanwhile, seems to be working with Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute to create “a system for users to seamlessly share, view, and respond to many types of social content across multiple networks.” I could be a fan of a social networking aggregator with a rich user experience. After all, seems like social networks are popping up everywhere . Can Google pull this off even after others have failed? One of the biggest challenges for social networking sites is maintaining the nature and boundaries behind the different levels of relationships within an individual’s networks. For example, people may not want to combine their personal network together with their business network or they may want some of it to overlap. There are no easy software rules that govern these preferences. social networking is here to stay but it is in its infancy. Of course, in the last few weeks I’ve seen a flurry of invites from LinkedIn and Facebook . (Go ahead; feel free to invite me to join your network, too.) I belong to several other networks as well, but the value of all these different networks isn’t entirely clear. Do you belong to any social networks? What are you getting out of it? In Blog Buzz , social Media Add Your Comments Comments (8)

... pageTracker._trackPageview(); Subscribe:    Posts    |    Email    |    Facebook    |    Twitter .eduGuru Contact Best Of Speaking About Archives   An Introduction to Social Networks Presentation By Kyle James - Wed, Aug......I presented an “Introduction to Social Networks” at the Spartanburg Chamber of......I used were specifically Wofford’s Social Network campaigns.  We did record......individuals in the room which networks they had accounts on and......Facebook) I wanted to show the Social Networks in Plain English video,......22 Million Registered Users Introduction to Social Networks Slides Here are all the......site and your other resources.Social Networks are about building relationships.  If......touch is a powerful element of social networks.  You can reconnect with......to play around with these networks and explore building your own......really interested in getting into Social Networks you should definitely check......articles. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "An Introduction to Social Networks Presentation", url: "http://doteduguru.com/id346-social-networks-introduction-presentation.html" }); chamber......an active contributor in the social media spectrum. Although his background......around SEO, analytics, blogging, and social media. He has spoken at......ranging from e-mail marketing to social media and Web analytics. He's......Responses to “An Introduction to Social Networks Presentation” ...

var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-3363556-2"); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview(); Subscribe:    Posts    |    Email    |    Facebook    |    Twitter .eduGuru Contact Best Of Speaking About Archives   An Introduction to social networks Presentation By Kyle James - Wed, Aug 6, 2008 Marketing , social Networks tweetmeme_url = 'http://doteduguru.com/id346-social-networks-introduction-presentation.html';tweetmeme_source = 'eduGuru'; Today I presented an “Introduction to social Networks” at the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce .  The presentation was designed more towards local businesses, but all the examples I used were specifically Wofford’s social Network campaigns.  We did record the presentation, but the audio came out as nothing so it’s not worth even sharing online.  Despite that I think there are some important takeaways that anyone can learn from.  I’ll try and outline some of the important notes from my slides (linked below). I asked the 25 or so individuals in the room which networks they had accounts on and the results were rather low.  Keep in mind that these are working professionals probably 25-55. Individuals on Facebook – 2 Individuals on Myspace – 5 Individuals on LinkedIn – 2 (I believe it was the same two as Facebook) I wanted to show the social networks in Plain English video, but didn’t have attached speakers so I’m embedding it here. Pulling the latest numbers from Wikipedia shows that: Myspace – 110 Million Registered Users Facebook – 115 Million Registered Users LinkedIn – 22 Million Registered Users Introduction to social networks Slides Here are all the Links to Profiles in the presentation. Facebook My Facebook Profile Boss the Terrier Profile Young Alumni Group Wofford College Page Myspace My MySpace Profile (It’s Private… sorry) Wofford College Profile LinkedIn My LinkedIn Profile Wofford LinkedIn Group landing page Takeaway Notes Takeaways about College Profiles .  Build them more as Official landing pages to drive individuals to your site and your other resources.social networks are about building relationships.  If you go strictly for business you will fail.  Be open and genuine Staying in touch is a powerful element of social networks.  You can reconnect with long lost friends and find out what people are doing that you haven’t seen in a long time.  It’s also an easy way to quickly contact someone that you don’t regularly interactive with but might need to because you will be in town or need to ask them something, but don’t have their regular contact information. Meet customers where they are. When individuals find out that your making the effort to cross the gap to meet them where they are they are much more accepting of your brand. Dive In. Don’t be afraid to spend the time to play around with these networks and explore building your own profile and groups.  The ability for something on a network to viraly promote itself means sometimes you don’t even have to do much promotion. I have a bunch more information about Wofford’s new LinkedIn network, but I’m still letting the data come in before reporting.  Finally if your really interested in getting into social networks you should definitely check out my social Marketing collection . I’d specifically check out: Monitoring Online Identity Marketing with Facebook in Higher Education Marketing with MySpace in Higher Education Like this post? Be sure you've subscribed to the .eduGuru RSS feed or email to get all the latest news and articles. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "An Introduction to social networks Presentation", url: "http://doteduguru.com/id346-social-networks-introduction-presentation.html" }); chamber of commerce , facebook , linkedin , local businesses , network campaigns , slides , social Networks , spartanburg chamber of commerce , takeaways Read Related Posts on .eduGuru: social Survey: Facebook social Survey Week 2: MySpace A little introduction This post was written by: Kyle James - who has written 178 posts on .eduGuru . Kyle is an Inbound Marketing Consultant at HubSpot and  formerly the webmaster at Wofford College. Kyle is an active contributor in the social media spectrum. Although his background is technical, he claims to know a thing or two about marketing, but mostly that revolves around SEO, analytics, blogging, and social media. He has spoken at multiple conferences on topics ranging from e-mail marketing to social media and Web analytics. He's definitely a fairly nice guy. Ways to Connect with Kyle 5 Responses to “An Introduction to social networks Presentation”

...Comments » Should You Jump Into Social Networks to Promote Your Business? There’s......the online PR world about social networking, whether that be traditional......networking, whether that be traditional social networks like Myspace and Facebook......like Myspace and Facebook or social networking through microblogging services such......as Twitter. Should you jump into social networking to promote your business?......how do you choose which social networks to participate in? Benefits of......networks to participate in? Benefits of Social Networking I’m not much of a......into every new or large social networking environment or fad to......to promote a business. However, social networks do have some benefits......to your online PR efforts: 1. Social networks and microblogging services can......potential clients of your company. 2. Social networking is cost-effective. Most networks......Social networking is cost-effective. Most networks are free to join. 3. Social......networks are free to join. 3. Social networks and microblogging services can......to a targeted audience. Problems with Social Networking Despite its benefits, there are......are also some drawbacks to social networking for promoting a business. 1.......networking for promoting a business. 1. Social networking can be a productivity......personal, or too off-topic, when social networking, Twittering, etc. You may......not yet be well-represented there. Choosing Social Networking Services for Your Needs There......Needs There are good things about social networking for PR. There are......do you choose the best social media communication tools for your......doesn’t matter what the largest social network is if your specific......specific audience isn’t represented there. Niche social networking tools may be a far......option than simply going with networks that always seem to be getting......effectively. There are also smaller social networks targeted to very specific......the numbers. Don’t join a social network simply because they say......you decide to delve into social networking and / or microblogging,......to “Should You Jump Into Social Networks to Promote Your Business?”...

Home Services Support About Us Contact Pricing Search Engine Marketing Blog July 5th, 2008 Posted in: Online PR 55 Comments » Should You Jump Into social networks to Promote Your Business? There’s a lot of buzz in the online PR world about social networking, whether that be traditional social networks like Myspace and Facebook or social networking through microblogging services such as Twitter. Should you jump into social networking to promote your business? And if so, with so many options available, how do you choose which social networks to participate in? Benefits of social Networking I’m not much of a supporter of diving into every new or large social networking environment or fad to promote a business. However, social networks do have some benefits that make them worth considering as an addition to your online PR efforts: 1. social networks and microblogging services can serve multiple roles with a single tool. For example, you can network with colleagues, while also promoting offers or information to clients and potential clients of your company. 2. social networking is cost-effective. Most networks are free to join. 3. social networks and microblogging services can help you get news or a message out very quickly to a targeted audience. Problems with social Networking Despite its benefits, there are also some drawbacks to social networking for promoting a business. 1. social networking can be a productivity killer. Many businesses simply try to do too much - Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, etc. The multiple updates aren’t always reaching different audiences, and it’s a waste of time that could be spent elsewhere if you’re simply targeting the same groups with the same messages, but in different locations. 2. It’s easy to get too personal, or too off-topic, when social networking, Twittering, etc. You may divulge more information than you wanted to (or than you should), and once you’ve said it, you can’t take it back. The instant gratification factor also makes it easier to communicate without thinking things through; contributing to negative “Web wars” at times. 3. The bulk of the population still hasn’t embraced these technologies, meaning your target audiences may not yet be well-represented there. Choosing social Networking Services for Your Needs There are good things about social networking for PR. There are negative things as well. So how can you strike a happy balance? How do you choose the best social media communication tools for your business, without over-extending your resources to reach only a small portion of your audience? 1. Target, target, target! It doesn’t matter what the largest social network is if your specific audience isn’t represented there. Niche social networking tools may be a far better option than simply going with networks that always seem to be getting the buzz . For example, no network yet beats Myspace for promoting to musicians. If you’re trying to reach an adult audience as opposed to teens, you may be better off using a service like Gather.com . If you want to network with other professionals in your industry, LinkedIn might serve your needs more effectively. There are also smaller social networks targeted to very specific niches (webmasters, photographers, etc.). There’s no reason to try to “do it all.” 2. Understand the numbers. Don’t join a social network simply because they say they have X number of members. Those numbers mean absolutely nothing. What you should care about is not the total membership, but instead the “active” membership (and those specifically within your target audience - it goes back to targeting). 3. Get to know a network’s policies on promotion, as it applies to your plans. The last thing you want is to be labeled a spammer. Understand that these tools are more about networking, building relationships, and communicating than blatant promotion, as in marketing and sales. No matter how deep you decide to delve into social networking and / or microblogging, always make sure you’re making the best use of your time, and reaching your intended targets. Related Articles: Online PR vs. Internet Marketing The 5 Easiest Ways To Get Search Engines To Trust You Ten Tips for Building Authority Status in Your Niche or Industry Web Credibility Factors You Need To Keep In Mind SEO And PPC Should Be Friends - PPC Management & SEO Crossover DMOZ Submission Guide Responses to “Should You Jump Into social networks to Promote Your Business?”

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...am I? Tips & Tools Reading List E-mail Comment Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Technorati Furl Social Networks and the Net Generation at......security have largely been overcome. Social Networks Stats and Facts There is a......Managers and business owners - social networks and social media.  A......new report by Nielson puts social networks ahead of e-mail in......online is spent on a social network or blog site, bringing......network or blog site, bringing social networks and blogs to the......is the growth seen by social networks during the period of......versus an incredible 5.4% for social networking. There are 150 Million active......say they have used the social network Twitter . A Netpop report shows that 7......to content online and that social networking sites have grown a......growth in the use of social media and social networks specifically,......employees access. Blocking Access The concerns for social media are similar to those......(oddly in the case of social media it is often e-mail!).......the concerns companies have regarding social media: Productivity: This has to be the......employees are allowed to use social media they can actually become......this in next post) Data Capture/Management: Many social networks are easily followed, stored......this can be accomplished with Social Networks. Ownership can be overcome......set up internal IM systems, social networks and Wikis for use......more employees spend time on social networks discussing their lives (which......companies to be active on social networks it will become inadequate......become inadequate to simply block social media sites and use URL......whether your employees are using social media or not - but......limit or block use of social media are not only unnecessarily......closing the company off from social media they are also driving......work, eager to use his social networking tools to collaborate and......to solve a problem. Using social networks, social bookmarking, Wikis, aps......and if surfing on a social network is that little bit......in the market. They use social media tools such as Wikis......workers bring their knowledge of social media to the work place...

MEGO: My Eyes Glaze Over Home What is MEGO? Who am I? Tips & Tools Reading List E-mail Comment Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Technorati Furl social networks and the Net Generation at Work Mar 15, 2009 Blogs , Books , Customer Service , Digital Marketing & Metrics , Internet General , Marketing & Communication , Microblogging , social Bookmarking , social Media When I joined the workforce e-mail was pretty standard as a method for communication and the Internet was commonly used for research purposes. But, in the early days of email many business owners and managers did not allow e-mail in the offices for fear that their employees would not get any work done, they were concerned over how to manage, store and capture e-mailed information, and of course they grappled with security issues surrounding e-mail. Today, business owners and managers have realized that e-mail has increased the speed of business communication, and concerns over data capture and management as well as security have largely been overcome. social networks Stats and Facts There is a new tool that has caused much consternation and hand-wringing for IT Managers and business owners - social networks and social media.  A new report by Nielson puts social networks ahead of e-mail in online activities according to a recent article in the Globe and Mail .  Neilson found that 1 in 11 minutes online is spent on a social network or blog site, bringing social networks and blogs to the fourth most popular activity following search, general interest portals and software manufacturers. More telling is the growth seen by social networks during the period of the study (Dec 2007-Dec 2008) which saw between 1.4 and 1.9% growth for the top three activities versus an incredible 5.4% for social networking. There are 150 Million active Facebook users and a recent research study from Pew Inernet shows that 11% of online adults say they have used the social network Twitter . A Netpop report shows that 7 Million people in the U.S. are contributing to content online and that social networking sites have grown a whopping 93% since 2006! Despite the growth in the use of social media and social networks specifically, many corporations have decided to bury their head in the sand and hope it goes away, much like they did when e-mail came on the scene. Instead of facing the issues these companies have decided to simply block employees access. Blocking Access The concerns for social media are similar to those in the 1990s when e-mail entered the workplace: productivity, data capture, privacy and security. The approach the same - block, refuse access, refer employees to old technology (oddly in the case of social media it is often e-mail!). But this is short-sighted, unrealistic and a passive approach that will eventually (if not already!) be seen as anti-productive. Let’s look at the concerns companies have regarding social media: Productivity: This has to be the most ridiculous of the reasons. 1) If employees want to be slack off all they need to do is go stand by someone else’s desk, go for a smoke break, chat at the water cooler, close their eyes and have a snooze. Let’s face it if you can’t trust your employees are doing their job…then you didn’t hire the right people or they are bored, unchallenged or unempowered. 2) If employees are allowed to use social media they can actually become more productive! (More on this in next post) Data Capture/Management: Many social networks are easily followed, stored and saved. People have clearly moved beyond this issue with e-mail - and this can be accomplished with social Networks. Ownership can be overcome by businesses as well by contracting space on sites for block of space that would be under control of the company as suggested by Salesforce.com precedent. Another alternative is to set up internal IM systems, social networks and Wikis for use with Internal Communication. While this does not help customer and vendor communication it can allow employees some use of tools that will help productivity while maintaining data security and capture. Privacy and Security : This is a biggie, and closely related to data capture and management. Panic has ensued amongst business owners with regards to data privacy and corporate secrets. And, of course it can be an issue as more and more employees spend time on social networks discussing their lives (which includes work) with Facebook status changes, LinkedIn profiles, and of course the tweets on Twitter. Companies obviously want to limit and retain close control over sensitive company information, at the same time they also must find ways to engage and communicate directly with their customers (or risk losing them). As social media becomes increasingly interconnected and more customers EXPECT companies to be active on social networks it will become inadequate to simply block social media sites and use URL filtering. Instead companies can help alleviate the privacy and security (and avoid potential lawsuits) issues by creating policies and educating employees on safe data handling. (Note: There are also IT tools available on the market to help monitor, examine historic patterns of leaks and discover and eliminate malware that have in the past been issues with some Web 2.0 sites). Privacy and security is an issue whether your employees are using social media or not - but a easy to understand policy, and a central contact for questions related to privacy and security can help companies avoid future issues. Net Generation at Work Companies that decide to limit or block use of social media are not only unnecessarily limiting their communication with their customers through online methods, they are also forfeiting the chance to discover new tools for collaboration within the organization. By closing the company off from social media they are also driving away younger employees who are looking to work for companies whose culture fits their life and ideals.  Don Tapscott in his book Grown Up Digital says the “Net gener [age 18-32] arrives at work, eager to use his social networking tools to collaborate and create and contribute to the company. For starters he’s shocked to find that the company’s technological tools are more primitive than the ones he used in high school…And they are surprised, perhaps naively, to learn that corporations have antiquated ways of working.” These same Net Generation workers can, if given a chance, show companies how to collaborate in new ways more effectively and efficiently. But, these workers don’t stick around long according to Tapscott - they usually only last two years before moving on. Which is too bad since Tapscott’s research shows that those companies that embrace the Net Gen norms perform better than those that don’t.. This generation, of which I am a part of (well I missed it by a month…), view life and work different from other generations according to Tapscott - and that view is defined by 8 characteristics or norms: Freedom, Customization, Scrutiny, Openness, Fun/Entertainment in life and work, Collaboration, Speed, Innovation. Tapscott definies these characteristics as they relate to work (summary): Freedom : Net Geners expect to mix work and their personal lives, and this includes choosing when and where they work. They want flexible hours, the ability to telecommute, and other services that make their lives easier. Customization : They want employers to treat them as individuals and this means giving them learning and development opportunities that are right for them. They want an adaptable work environment, job descriptions that are project based and customized, flexible benefits,  and more frequent discussions on their contribution to the organization. Scrutiny: How we search for jobs has changed and how we research the company before we make a change has as well.  According to Grown Up Digital 60% of Net Geners check out a company before accepting a job offer. They want to work for companies that are transparent, share information, and have integrity. Tapscott says: “Young people respond well to management integrity…there is greater loyalty and lower turnover, and employees are more likely to do the right thing.” (For example more likely to get their job done even if they take a break to check Facebook, and more likely to hold company secrets sacred and follow company privacy policy). Collaboration: Net Geners want to work with other people and collaboration is how they get stuff done. To them the workplace should be less about hierarchies and departmental silos and more about connecting with others to solve a problem. Using social networks, social bookmarking, Wikis, aps like LinkedIn Huddle Workpaces or Virtual worlds ( Second Life ) to meet, collaborate, plan, and execute. Fun/Entertainment: Fun and work go hand in hand for this generation - they don’t need to be separate. Cultures that allow employees to have a little fun at work end up with more productive staff. We all need a break before diving back into another round of work - and if surfing on a social network is that little bit of fun - why block it? Speed: This generation is used to speed and instant responses. Why not? We no longer have to wait for dial-up or snail mail! For Net Geners red tape is frustrating, feedback should be in real-time and bureaucracy can mean doom in the market. They use social media tools such as Wikis and IM to speed up communication within the workplace. Innovation: This is a fascinating point Tapscott makes: “If video games taught this Net Generation anything, it’s that every problem has seemingly endless solutions” and so this generation is looking for new ways to their jobs, to be innovative in their workplace, to challenge status quo. Many of these young workers bring their knowledge of social media to the work place