Category: Social Media

Twitter Contests: Waste of Time or Opportunity to Engage With Followers?

At this point, it is safe to say that just about everybody has at least heard of Twitter, if they don’t already have accounts set up. Attracting followers is generally the first objective of anyone who establishes a Twitter account. Followers represent a core group of individuals – or organizations – interested in what you have to say. Once followers have been established, the next goal is connecting with and building relationships with those followers.

This is where contests come in. Continue reading “Twitter Contests: Waste of Time or Opportunity to Engage With Followers?”

What the Heck is a # and Why Should You Care?

For those of you who have braved the bold new world of Twitter, it’s likely that you’ve come across the symbol #. In the old days, we referred to this as a “pound sign,” generally referring to its use on a phone. Today Continue reading “What the Heck is a # and Why Should You Care?”

No cost/low cost resources for marketers and entrepreneurs

I know there’s something just “wrong” about blogging early on Thanksgiving morning, but I acknowledge the fact that I’m a workaholic and frankly what better time for a little peace and quiet to actually think without interruption!

This blog was prompted by an email from a friend/colleague who is pulling together a list of resources for small businesspeople/entrepreneurs and asked me if I had anything to add. I did – more than I thought I would actually. So, I decided to share my list Continue reading “No cost/low cost resources for marketers and entrepreneurs”

Why Are You Hiding Your Contact Information?

Have you ever noticed how difficult some people make it to connect with them? I can understand the very elite, supremely famous celebrities that are so inundated with attempted contacts from masses of strangers that they absolutely need to put up barriers. But, what about those whose web sites and professions would lead one to believe that they make a living based on their ability to serve the needs of potential customers, existing clients or others who could help them make valuable connections? Continue reading “Why Are You Hiding Your Contact Information?”

Be Careful About Drawing Conclusions Based on Social Media

I use social media a lot these days for everything from connecting with friends and family to finding sources for articles I’m working on, to connecting with vendors and clients. As I do this, though, I often wonder if I’m really connecting with the masses, or if my connections are skewed somehow to reflect only a piece of the larger pie.

 

A recent survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project makes me lean more toward believing they’re skewed. Continue reading “Be Careful About Drawing Conclusions Based on Social Media”

Listening and Learning…From Social Media and Everywhere Else!

A recent study from PRWeek and communications agency MS&L, reported in BtoBonline.com, indicated that almost 70 percent of marketers say they’ve never made a change to their products or marketing campaigns based on consumer feedback on social media sites.

Now this number may be shocking, until you learn who the survey was distributed to. Continue reading “Listening and Learning…From Social Media and Everywhere Else!”

What’s a Journalist?

In an era where anybody with a keyboard can create a blog (akin to publishing a newspaper) can *anyone* be a journalist? What is the definition of journalist? The credentials? Is there a difference between a journalist and a writer? Between a journalist and a blogger? Does it matter? To who?

I’ve become interested in the topic recently because, while doing research Continue reading “What’s a Journalist?”

Banning Employees From Social Media

More than half of the companies surveyed recently by Robert Half Technology indicated that social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are “prohibited completely” at work. Only 19 percent of the responding CIO’s indicated that Continue reading “Banning Employees From Social Media”