May 2013
2 posts
The Yahoo Buy-Out or How I Learned to Stop...
‘Sell out’ is a term with a bad connection to it- it means that something that you loved and thought was special has become swallowed up by corporate greed and will now become watered-down junk. Usually, we think of sell-outs as musicians or bands who sign major label deals and put out lousy music after showing initial promise but this also gets used with tech companies who get...
Did McDonald's Tweet Wisely About the Ohio...
There was surprise and relief when millions of people heard about the women who were freed from a kidnapper in Cleveland. There was also an interesting reaction from McDonald’s about the incident on Twitter. The man who helped to free the women happened to be enjoying a meal from the fast food chain at the time he helped them out. Reacting to this, McDonald’s had this to say on...
April 2013
6 posts
Your Twitter Account is Begging To be Hacked (And...
Don’t believe me? You can believe it from Twitter themselves- as CNET reported, the company is already warning that more hack attacks are on the way, especially for high profile accounts/companies. The present concern comes in the wake of a huge story that had almost catastrophic consequences on financial markets here in the States and around the world after Associated Press’s...
Does the Boston Bombing Expose A Reality...
After the tragedy of the Boston bombing, a number of respected news organizations took a beating with their rush to be first with news and subsequently be wrong in their reports- this included (but wasn’t limited to) New York Post, CNN and Associated Press. Part of the reason that these ‘mainstream media,’ old-school news org’s took a fall is that they were a little too...
Facebook Note- Love It Or Hate It?
If you’d like to see an example of how even a new millennium mogul like Mark Zuckerberg can get it wrong sometimes, read this CNN Money story detailing how he bet that apps would be less important than having a smart-phone-ready version of FB. Of course, apps have exploded in the last few years but with the release of the phone-friendly version of Facebook finally out, a lot of virtual...
tumblrbot asked: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INANIMATE OBJECT?
Social Media fact & fiction- don't be a year-round...
In case you missed it, the start of this month was the annual tradition of sharing (supposedly) harmless rumors and seeing who will take them seriously. April Fools’ is a day that I mark on my calendar so that I’m a little less susceptible to these kind of jokes, though admittedly that doesn’t always work.
This has become such a popular online tradition now that you can...
Facebook & Twitter New Features- Drawbacks You...
Usually when we hear about a new feature added to our favorite social media service, we get excited that we can now do something that we couldn’t do before or do it better. And indeed, these social media companies are always trying to improve their products to make them more user friendly and competitive. But sometimes, new features have their drawbacks and pitfalls that you have to be...
March 2013
4 posts
Learn from Coke's Mistakes- Don't Have Public...
Just as Burger King made a mistake with its Twitter security, Coke has now made a bigger mistake by having an open disagreement with itself over the nature of social media and how it uses it.
The problems started for Coke when one of their execs publicly said at a conference that their company didn’t see any sales lift related to their social media successes (‘buzz’). When...
RIP Google Reader- end of an era?
Google’s announcement that it was pulling the plug on its RSS/reader service met with a few groans but mostly didn’t seem to generate a lot of sadness or mass outrage. Part of the reason for that is that RSS is something that’s almost as old hat as say Friendster nowadays- remember them? (they were a precursor to Facebook that got buried when FB came along).
Part of the...
SXSW made easy- a guide to social media & music
The annual multi-industry phenom that is SXSW is happening now, including film, interactive and music components. It’s grown into a huge sprawling event (sometimes called ‘spring break for adults’) in the heart of Texas. I’ve been going several years and though I love it, I admit that it can be pretty overwhelming, hence this survival guide I wrote for Flavorwire in 2011...
Tweet like a pro- how to construct a great tweet
By now, it might seem obvious that anyone can tweet and technically it’s true but as I’ve said about social media in general or any profession, it’s more accurate to say that anyone can do it badly. There’s an art and science to making a great tweet that will engage, inspire, interest, fascinate (or infuriate) people.
The good people at Mediabistro’s All Twitter...
February 2013
4 posts
Newsjacking isn't a crime! Use it wisely for your...
Car jacking and hijacking are big no-no’s that will run you afoul of the law but do you know about newsjacking? It happens to be not only legal but it could also be a potent and vital part of your social media marketing plan, if you use it the right way.
So, let’s start with what exactly newsjacking is. A major story comes along and you latch onto it and incorporate your company...
7 Steps For Twitter Security- learning from Burger...
After Oreo showed up how a food brand can make a splash with social media recently, we’ve now seen an example of the opposite- another food company that bombed at social media. Granted, it wasn’t something that Burger King did per se as much as it was something that they didn’t do, related to security.
As you might have heard, the hamburger giant had its twitter account...
Should Amex make you tell the world what you're...
Twitter seems to have hatched quite a coup by teaming up with American Express to let people tweet their way to discount purchases. It’s not the first time a social media service has partnered to create a commerce portal for users but this is definitely one of the most high profile examples of this. Of course, as with most SM innovations, there are some drawbacks to it.
The American...
Oreo slays Social Media- the best cookies aren't...
Once upon a time, when web-heads mentioned cookies, they were talking about tracking codes for sites. But after the Superbowl this weekend, the biggest stars were obviously the Baltimore Ravens, Beyonce and… a cookie?
Yes, those little black and white cookies that we all used to love to pull apart as kids cleaned up at the Superbowl. Why exactly?
First of all, they had a bunch of...
January 2013
4 posts
Is Vine Divine? Clothing brands, kitties & adult...
As proof positive that the social media world turns on a dime, you’ll notice that last week’s buzz over Facebook Graph has already died down as everyone’s now talking about a new mini-video service called Vine which Twitter bought recently. Like Graph, Vine is in its infancy (literally, it’s only days old right now) but it’s already capturing peoples’...
Facebook Graph- game changer or over-hyped?
The social media world has been loudly buzzing about the announcement of Facebook Graph and while there’s reason for active interest, if not excitement, there’s also room for some healthy skepticism, especially about what a game changer this will become.
First off, if you’re not familiar with it already, Business Insider has a good overview (and screen shots) of what Graph...
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Finding the Right Size for Your Social Media Pics
A social media picture is worth a thousand pixels maybe? OK, bad joke but the fact is that making a good social media profile for yourself and your company doesn’t just include the right information but also good photos to go along with that.
But even that isn’t even enough- you have to have the right SIZED photos. Each of the social media platforms let you upload your own photos...
3 tags
Google+ here's some advice for you
Honestly, I don’t like to pick on Google+ but the problem is, they keep making themselves an easy target.
The latest skirmish that’s come up with the service is that after announcing boffo numbers for their community (about 200 million last year) and some questions about how accurate that figure is, it’s now come out that Google is fudging the user numbers even more as...
December 2012
4 posts
Instagram becomes a great cautionary example!
When you’re looking through social media platforms and sites to figure out what they’re doing right and what you can copy without looking like a copycat, don’t also forget that you can learn a lot from other platforms and sites about what NOT to do too.
Great case in point: Instagram. The photo site was skyrocketing to become one of the hottest new social media properties...
Wanna Be A Pioneer? Be Careful of Being A Biz's...
Being a great pioneer is part of the American legend/myth and we have all kinds of stories of larger-than-life men and women who have blazed trails. And when it comes to social media, we have pioneers there too- Mark Zuckerberg, Jimmy Wales, Biz Stone, Evan Williams, Ben Silbermann and Reid Hoffman to name a few- and we will have many more.
You yourself may be a social media pioneer one day,...
Where's the Real Google+ Stats & Twitter's...
If you’re looking for some social media mysteries to ponder, here’s two things to keep your head scratching and looking around for.
First off, Google+ has been bragging that their pool of active users has jumped to 135 million. It’s an impressive number for sure but in the SM world, it’s not as great as it seems. As this insightful article from dazeinfo points out,...
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What's Hot In Social Media Now & Beware the Tumblr...
Just as with last time, keep in mind that whatever news comes out now about social media has a quick expiration date but there’s two reasons you need to know what’s hot in SM and what are the most dominant forces in the field are now.
1. You need to know where the eyeballs are at (of users) and where the attention is going (ditto!).
2. Even if you’re looking at this info a...
November 2012
2 posts
3 tags
Social Media News You Can Use- 11-26-12 edition
Sure, social media is a field that changes by the second (literally) so blog posts that by natue can be back referenced aren’t useful except for the time that they’re posted, right? Not necessarily. While new info about old SM platforms might make some of the older info irrelevant, there’s always some kernels of info that can stand the test of time.
As such, I wanted to share...
2 tags
Twitter storm resources
Hurricane Sandy’s effects will be felt for a long time here in the Northeast- I lost power for about 4 days where I was but that pales in comparison to the people who lost their lives or their homes.
In addition to missing lights, warm water to bath and electricity, I also had a hankering for Net access. Luckily, my phone was pretty well charged and I was able to get online there. ...
October 2012
4 posts
Attack of the clones- social media mercilessly...
Funk master George Clinton called it ‘the placebo syndrome,’ where a fake copy of the real thing (in his case, funk music) was being successfully peddled to the public. And now the same thing is happening again in social media where clones and copies of various social media platforms are not only being used to create new ones but also being used to revamp some of the old ones.
In the...
Save the Drama- Avoid Flame Wars
I’ve said it before but it needs repeating- stay away from a flame war.
First of all, what is a flame war? It’s basically an online argument that’s really public- this is not just angry e-mail exchanges but an exchange in a public forum where anyone online can see you yelling at someone and vice versa. I know, it’s tempting to yell back at someone who’s...
Shorts should be for summer weather, not Facebook...
Here in most of the States, the fall season is upon us and we have to pile on the coats and long-sleeve shirts and stash away our shorts. Make sure you stash away your shorts for your URLs too, year round that is!
OK, so you don’t have to totally abandon URL shorteners because they do serve a purpose to share web addresses without users having to remember 500 characters to get to a site. ...
Google+ deserves some respect
Poor lil Google+ is the ugly stepchild of the social media world. Other social media places laugh at it and pick on it, etc.. Though it has 400 million users, only a quarter of them are, according one study, active there, which is a much lower rate than other social media platforms (but then again, some of the others don’t have the general public recognition that you’d think). When...
September 2012
4 posts
Is Your Facebook Page > Your Website?
When it’s time to have that serious talk with higher-up’s about the importance of social media for their company, one of the most important things I try to get across is that the online action is rapidly moving from traditional websites to social media destinations and you have to follow the crowd there to keep up.
I’m happy to say that there’s a recent report to help...
Why you should fancy Fancy & change your Twitter...
Last time, I was talking about ‘baby’ social media platforms and why should be taking them seriously (mainly because SM itself is very young and ever-changing).
One of these babies to add to the watch list is definitely Fancy (app is here for Android and here for Apple products). Think of it as a high scale version of Pinterest where you can drool over and buy some pretty...
Ignore the 'Baby' Social Media Services At Your...
Conventional wisdom tells you that spending time on social media means spending time on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. AKA the big boys. And there’s definitely SOME wisdom in that but if that’s your be-all and end-all, you’re definitely missing out.
Consider how ‘old’ the established social media giants are:
- Facebook was founded in 2004 and didn’t...
Post with a Purpose!
I wanted to share some general tips here about how to post engaging and appropriate content for a variety of social media platforms. Here’s some good rules for thumb to consider as you do this.
Think carefully about what content to post
Your content should apply to your intended audience and be interesting, useful, fun, helpful, friendly or something new to your audience. Don’t post...
August 2012
4 posts
Don't Be A Twit on Twitter Pt. 2- Mind Your...
To follow-up on last week’s post, I wanted to share some more basic Twitter tips here for you intrepid tweeters out there. Last time, we talked about starting out and ideas for content, now we’re off to more advanced fare.
General Tips
Limit your posts to 120 characters or fewer when possible, even though Twitter allows for 140 characters.
That leaves room for others to retweet...
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Don't Be A Twit on Twitter
Despite the fact that Twitter may now be cooking its own goose by cutting off 3rd Party Apps with its new API restrictions, it’s still a mostly beloved part of the social media world. So if you’re a newbie there, what’s the best way to take advantage of this platform without looking like a newbie? Glad you asked. Here’s some tips.
STARTING OUT
Use your full name or...
How to Maintain a Blog & Find Inspiration For It
After spending the last few months talking about how to set up, establish and maintain your social media properties, I thought it would be a good idea to focus on what we have here right now- a blog. We hear about them all the time and occasionally read them if we think they’re worthwhile, but if you yourself are a blog writer, how do you maintain it? At some level, it’s simple-...
Your Social Media Checklist- How To Start Up Your...
Want a nice simple way to sum up all the lessons here about starting up your social media presence? You got it! Here is a layout of all of the postings related to this in one place. Please bookmark this, refer back to it and spread the word!
Mind you, this won’t be the last post here at Social Media Swami. I just thought this would be a good point to sum up what’s been discussed...
July 2012
5 posts
Where to Look for Social Media News
Now that you’re planning and posting and keeping track of your own social media work, you’re all set, right? Well, not quite. You’re doing well but because social media is a field that changes by the day/hour/minute, you have to keep up with all of the news surrounding it as well as the latest technology and tips that go along with it. To make sure that you’re working efficiently and getting...
The Post-Posting Phase of your Social Media Plan
Now we’re heading into the home stretch of your planning work for social media! You’ve set up your sites and have some ideas about how to post, what to say and how to say it and how to be responsive to users. Now, it’s time to do some serious self-evaluating of your social media work. This is what I call “The Post-Posting Phase.” Some of this we’ve covered before so you please note again these...
Don’t Forget your Website in a Social Media World
It’s strange to think of the web as being old-fashioned but now with the shift to phones and portable devices, people are gravitating more and more towards apps rather than websites as the online community moves to a post-desktop world. Nevertheless, the web will be with us for some time, even if it keeps evolving and changing. For a business then, there’s no reason to give up your website or...
How Well Are You Doing in Social Media? Measuring...
Congrats! As you’ve been following along here, you should have your plan of action for social media ready to launch by now. We’ve been reviewing (among other things):
- How to gather your assets
- Which social media platforms to chose
- What your editorial voice should be
- What you should tell a social media audience about yourself
- How to give your users what they want
- How to plan...
Plan or Perish- tracking your social media posts
Now that we’ve covered important issues like your editorial voice for social media and what you should be saying to your audience on social media, it’s time to start posting, right? WRONG. You still have one important step left before you go at it in social media- you have to plan what you’re going to do ahead of time.
Here’s why it’s important to plan out your...
June 2012
4 posts
Are You Cut Out To Be A Social Media Spy?
No matter how well you’re handling your own social media accounts for your business, don’t forget that you’re not alone in your field. You have competitors but unlike certain huge software companies, you’re probably going to have to live with them instead of crushing them or buying them out. Not to worry though- believe it or not, your competition can be helpful to you in the world of social...
Saving yourself from violent customers
We’ve all seen it before- even if it’s not your fault, someone is screaming mad at you and wants blood. My grandfather used to say ‘only an idiot argues with an idiot’ (which is true) but if this angry person happens to be a customer, then all bets are off and you have to find some way to deal with them that doesn’t involve weapons of mass destruction. And no, that...
Who cares what you want- what do your users want?
Last time, we were talking about what you should be saying to your users but just as important is figuring out what the users themselves want from you.
You can have a great looking social media site that’s interesting, fun and informative but if you’re not doling out what your audience wants, it won’t do you any good. So how do you figure out what your audience is looking for? There’s a...
What you need to tell a social media audience...
Last time, we were talking about your editorial voice and the best way to convey what you have to say to a social media (SM) audience. But consider this- what important things in particular do you want to talk about to your SM audience once you have their attention?
On one level, this should be obvious- you want to talk about your business. But what exactly should you be saying about it? ...
May 2012
3 posts
What's your editorial voice for social media?
Now that you’re thinking about which social media platforms you’re going to be using, you have to also start thinking about striking the right tone when you address the online world. That’s what we call your ‘editorial voice.’
So, what kind of tone should you be using for your social media posts? Logically, you might think that you’re going to speak as you...
Which Social Media Platform Should You Choose?
From the last posting here, hopefully you learned about getting together your assets to use for ANY social media platform, so now let’s talk about WHICH social media platforms you should chose.
This is important because you have to figure out which social media (SM) resources you need to devote yourself to so that you show your audience that you’re serious about social media (which...
Don't start posting/tweeting until you...
Last time, we were talking about setting goals for social media so let’s move on to the next step.
So you’re ready to start out on social media just because you opened an account with Facebook and Twitter, right? Wrong. Before you start posting anything, you have to figure out what you have to post first. Makes sense, right?
More specifically, you have to come up with an inventory of...
