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Twitter is For Us Big Kids!

This past week on August 6th, Twitter and Face weathered denial of service attacks. Although Facebook did not go down entirely, Twitter was hit hard. What I found out from this attack is just how much I depend on Twitter for news and information exchange.

Twitter is not just like an instant messaging program, although newbies when they first interact with Twitter  equate it with instant messaging. It is more like a hotline to news and topics much like the old pre-Internet water cooler routine. With Twitter you are tapped in automatically as news happens. You get to hear it online first instead of from a news media resource. The people who pass the news on Twitter are usually eye witnesses and/or participants. Take Michael Jackson’s death. It was on Twitter before it was even reported on TV or the radio.

Here’s another example, Ashton Kutcher film star and Twitter Poster Boy had an emergency plane landing on August 6th with fire trucks all around. Not only did he tweet about it, but then offered a special password to all Twitter followers to meet up with him at a specific New York City at a club and get half priced drinks on him to celebrate life. It was a close call that Twitterverse heard about as it happened.

Twitter has forever changed the way we interact with others, promote ourselves, get news and information, and share the same. Twitter is not the medium for kids as recent report stated that the majority of Twitter users are business professionals between the ages of 34 and 52, so don’t think this is another “My Space” thing. Twitter is for us “big kids”.

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New Social Networking Program

We’ve rolled out a new program on our website this past week. You can review our program and pricing online.

Due to the interest in social networking and the number of clients we have who are interested in growing their presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Naymz, Tagged, and others, we have created services that help you get started fast.

With our Social Networking Made Easy program, we’ll set up eight platforms for you for $190. We particularly like: Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Twitter, Plaxo, Naymz, Tagged, and Xing. All you have to do is to send us your resume and photo and we’ll do the rest. If you don’t have an up to date resume, you can arrange for us to interview you by phone for $40 to make it even easier.

Many clients will be ready to take over from that point, but some clients need more help. For this special type of client we offer social networking mentoring by the hour and our Executive Social Networking program. In this special program we will actively work your two selected networks (sorry not Twitter we have a separate program for Twitter), to help to grow your following and to provide value to readers.

Now’s the time if you have thought maybe you want to do social networking to take charge and hit the ground running with our ala carte social networking set up and update services.

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Blog Posts Should Never Be Website Content

We’ve been hit with a real flurry of activity of website owners pretending that they want blog writing done, but we have to supply the content as Word documents and they have no online blogsite and a website that is under construction. I have to say that this smells to me like a client trying to get website content at a blog post price.

Yes, I know that some people like to do things on the “cheap” and it seems like a good idea, fool a quality blogger to write for you at a super cheap price when website content costs a whole lot more. But, I would like to explain why you should never use blog posts to build your website content.

1. Blogs are derivative works.  When we write a blog post, we find an article online on a news site, we read it and then put our own unique spin on it. Sometimes using our own point of view for the piece or a conglomeration of thoughts from other web news articles compiled into our own unique content. The content is unique but really not what I would consider suitable for website content.

2. Blogs being a more conversation medium than web pages. Blogs are also written in a different style and tone. Blogs are written in a more casual tone. Website content just sounds different when you read it aloud.

3. Blog writers, due to the market, are paid by far less money than web content writers. You will get what you pay for in this area. Although the content will be just fine and really even great for your blog, I would not recommend that a blog piece be passed off as authoritative website content or for that matter even as informational content on your website. Blog posts should stay as blog posts.

4. Website content is typically optimized for specific keywords and is written with a call to action and marketing language. This type of writing would be very boring for a reader to read on a blog, but is appropriate for search engines and a more sanitized selling message that is typically used on a corporate website.

5. Blog content needs to be timely to cater to readers and encourage interaction. Website content on the other hand should have more staying power and not speak to events that have passed or ask the client for input as there aren’t comment links on web pages as there are on blog posts.

Additionally, blog posts should not be used as Link Bait articles for similar reasons.

We are not fooled by clients who try to contract for our blog services and really want inexpensive website content. If you need website content don’t ask for blog posts. Get what you should have for your specific need. In the long run the extra money you pay for website content, that is created for this special need, will serve your site better in the long run winning you customers and communicating confidence in your products and services.

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Using Lists With Facebook

Sorting my friends into lists has revolutionized my experience on Facebook. If you have not started to use this relatively new feature then you really should consider doing so.

You need to access all you friends first. Go to the menu bar item on the left sidebar that says All Connections. On this page will will see a list of all of your friends and their photos. on the left side of their listing click the link there, as I have all mine in lists, my link says “lists”, yours may say something different. Mouse over create a new list and create a category for that person. I have my account set up with lists for Family, Friends, Work, and Acquaintances.

Work your way through your friends list assigning friends to one or more lists that you have created. Now, go back to your profile home page. You will see a new navigation feature under status updates with the name of your new lists. You can sort how your lists appear there by just dragging them into the order you would like.

For me, no longer do I have to wade through the wall postings and status updates of acquaintances that clutter up my home page, I can go to family and see immediately what my son or nephew is doing. Using lists is a huge time saver and as your Facebook account grows allows you to stay in control over what you see in a glance.