Social Media for Personal Branding & Networking
Here are the slides from a recent presentation we gave to the Rocky Mountain Young Professionals organization. The focus of the discussion was mostly about how to use social media channels to:
A) Network and increase your technical knowledge in order to a do a better job for your current employer
B) Use your social reach and today’s online channels to find a better employment situation
The takeaway from this was that there is a tremendous opportunity these days to build your personal brand online and network with people that far out-reach your local surroundings or work environment. Over time, these relationships and the story you tell about yourself through a blog or social biographies could have a major impact on the success of your career.
Posted in Business Insights
Introducing Facebook’s New “SEND” Button
Yesterday Facebook launched the new “Send” button feature which is designed to be a more targeted way of sharing information with friends and groups. Whereas the original “Like” button is a mechanism for aggregating information to your News Feed, the new Send button allows you to hand-select the individuals that will receive your message.
Taking a look at the illustration below you’ll see the main distinction between Like and Send. When using the Send button you will first notice a pop-up box that allows you to select recipients from your friends, groups or by email address. This in turn becomes a more targeted way of consumer sharing with those they think will be most interested in the link they are sharing. In fact, if you want to try it out now, please send this post to a friend now:
This new Send button is designed to compliment the Like button and is more focused on private sharing. The messages themselves will appear in users’ Facebook messages inbox which breaks through any clutter or account settings that may prohibit Liked messages from appearing on one’s News Feed. The implication for marketers is that messages or links shared using the new Send feature will more likely get seen and read. Additionally, Send sharing will also count towards the overall number of Likes a web page has tallied giving more credit to those pages with heavily shared content. The “Like” total of a URL will now be calculated by totaling the number of actual Likes along with comments, inbox messages and shares (i.e. “Sends”).
Posted in Social Media / Web 2.0
Facebook Wall Photos Promote Your Business
Here’s a quick tutorial I created for my information site… The Social Buddha. This helpful tip explains how to better utilize the photos on your Facebook Wall to promote the products and services you have to offer. Please enjoy:
The Social Buddha
In an effort to create an online community that openly shares the tips, tricks and tools of social media marketing we have created “The Social Buddha.” You can find The Social Buddha on Facebook @TheSocialBuddha and our soon to be built website at TheSocialBuddha.com. For now, we wanted to post this teaser video we created to get you (and ourselves) pumped up for the launch. Enjoy!
Posted in Social Media / Web 2.0
Wielding the Power
Ok… so you’re going to see my link at the end of this post and think to yourself: “A post about Conan O’Brien… what does that have to do with anything?”
You see, I’m constantly on the hunt for real-life examples that support the impact that social media is having on the ways we communicate and the ways we market. This is another fantastic story about how a lone American (ok fine… a Hollywood super-star) took matters into his own hands and created an even bigger following for himself.
Never before in history have the tools and opportunities for each of us to brand ourselves and achieve super-stardom been laid so conveniently at our doorstep. The question to ask as you read this story is:
How am I using social media to control my own destiny?
Click to Read: Fortune Tech – Conan 2.0
Posted in Social Media / Web 2.0
What Motivates People?
The folks at RSA Animate have done it again! They’ve taken Dan Pink’s concept in the book Drive and explained it through animation. This video makes me think about the times that I’ve been in charge of managing employees and how, at the time, I thought that money was the absolute motivator.
For those that run or manage their business and have team members they are trying to motivate to get results, you might find the information here extremely helpful. As Colomark Media begins to expand and bring on new partners, this concept of “challenge and mastery along with making a contribution” will most definitely be our theme. No longer are we simply drawn to potential partners based on the fact that they want to “kick butt” and make a lot of money. Our focus now is to seek out lifelong learners and those that want to continue learning the craft of online marketing simply for the mastery of it.
Please enjoy:
Posted in Business Insights
Facebook’s NEW “Messages”
Facebook’s NEW “Messages” features were announced this week surrounded by much anticipation and hoopla. It appears that Facebook is finally diving full-steam ahead on becoming an all-in-one communication hub which includes a complete email service.
For those that choose to create a @facebook.com email address, the new Messages area will combine your daily interactions into a central place to view and control Facebook direct messages, chats, texts and now email.
The Facebook help page goes on to explain a few of the added features that members can now enjoy. These include:
- Faster interaction: If you want, you can send messages just by hitting your Enter key, so the new Messages is as fast (and as informal) as an in-person conversation.
- Integrated communication: No matter what you’re using to communicate (Facebook, mobile or email), your conversation streams quickly and seamlessly into one place.
- Smart filtering: You’ll always see what’s important to you first – messages from the people you’re close to take precedence over mailing lists.
- Revamped search: Search for either the person you were talking with or what you were talking about to quickly find your message and all the related context.
- Adding people to group conversations: Loop new people into the conversation, giving them full access to everything that’s been said so far.
- Forwarding: Pass individual messages along to other friends.
- Unsubscribing, or removing yourself from a conversation: Leave a group conversation when you no longer wish to receive new messages.
- Sending attachments: In addition to sending links, photos and videos, you can now attach external files to your messages.
Facebook’s new email alternative is being hailed as a “reinvention of the inbox” and the“Gmail killer.” True, with over 500 million users already on Facebook, the idea of rolling in a complete email service seems like an instant win. No more having to toggle between your mailbox server to communicate with colleagues and your social media screen to contact your friends on Facebook.
However, one of the main problems that some are pointing to is that about 16% of companies who use OpenDNS, which is a security and network tools service, are still blocking the use of Facebook from work computers. One might quickly ask what good the email service is if it can’t be read or accessed from work? But one thing is for certain, this move in the direction of consolidating a user’s social networking with email capabilities shows Facebook’s general plan to be a “one stop shop” for the world’s communication.
Posted in Social Media / Web 2.0
Quick Peak at the #newtwitter
If you haven’t seen or heard about the new face of Twitter, I found this video a bit tantalizing:
Posted in Social Media / Web 2.0
So You Want to Go Viral?
Posted in Social Media / Web 2.0
Article Marketing: Proofreading Tips
Posted in Search Engine Optimization
