Archive for July, 2011

 

Add Some Personality to Your Professional Twitter

Posted on July 25th, 2011 by

People get on Twitter for a variety of reasons. To follow celebrities, connect with friends, network, or promote business. Sometimes it’s for several of these reasons. The question for many people when using Twitter, especially those tweeting for professional purposes, is when is it ok to mix and match? Can I infuse bits of my personal life into my Twitter? Is that crossing a line? Will it make me look less professional? Mixing some personal bits into your Twitter stream is perfectly fine, in fact, encouraged when done appropriately and in moderation.

Tweeting about current events, or news, or something fun you did today will actually add some personality to your Twitter. It shows you are not just consumed with your business or your professional life, that it’s not just a robot spewing out self-promotions and lifeless tweets. It’s a person with spark and personality. Even if you are tweeting as a business, people like to see that you’re connected with the rest of the world – that you’re not just living in your company bubble. People don’t just want information, they want personality -  someone they can interact with and talk to. That’s what social media is about: people connecting with people. So don’t be afraid to take off the business suit every once in a while. You never know who you’ll meet.

This entry was posted in Twitter by .

How to Use Twitter Lists

Posted on July 25th, 2011 by

One on the most underused Twitter tools is right inside Twitter itself. Lists. Looking at your Twitter homepage can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you are following hundreds, even thousands of people. Twitter lists are extremely easy to use and help organize the people you are following. You can have unique lists for your clients, your personal friends, your favorite celebrities or go-to bloggers. So if you don’t feel like reading whatever Lady Gaga is blabbing about today, you can filter her out by selecting one of your other lists. To create a list, go to your home or profile page and click on the list menu. You can name the list, write a short description and decide whether you would like the list to be kept public or private.

To add a user to a list, go to their page and click on the icon circled below. Users can be added to as many lists as you’d like!

Simple as that! Now go make some lists! And enjoy seeing the Twitter users you want to see, when you want to see them.

This entry was posted in General Post by .

The Problem with Ignoring Social Media

Posted on July 18th, 2011 by

So you think social media is a fad. It’ll never last, it’s not worth my time. The 750 million+ Facebook users, 200 million+ Twitter users and 10 million+ users of  Google+ would disagree. Social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and if you don’t jump on the bandwagon, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities, including Facebook application development. These are just a few:

1) Millions of people to connect with that can serve as future clients or simply just friends.

2) Loads of information that will help you improve your business. Tips and tricks on how to optimize your use of the web to gain business.

3) Improve your reach by unthinkable amounts.

4) An additional way for people to get in contact with you.

5) The ability to not only gain clients and/or fans, but also interact with them.

6) A new medium to promote yourself and your products with the use of Facebook application development.

7) A more visual and interactive way for people to learn more about you.

8) And so much more!

Join the party! Don’t let these opportunities pass you by!

 

This entry was posted in Mobile application development by .

The Scoop On: Google+

Posted on July 14th, 2011 by

Will it be a Facebook killer or total flop? That’s been the big question since Google+ first launched on June 28. The social network has been the hottest topic in social media since its release. It is currently still accessible on an invite only basis, but the service is estimated to have reached 10 million users just two weeks after its launch. So what makes this different than the already successful Facebook?

The biggest difference and perhaps key feature of Google+ is circles. Circles allow you sort your contacts into groups, then making it super easy to decide which information is shared with which people. It’s as simple as a drag and drop. This feature is a definite improvement over Facebook lists, which serve a similar purpose, but are not nearly as user friendly.

Another feature unique to Google+ is hangouts. With hangouts, you can easily video chat with up to 10 0f your friends, completely free! Though Facebook just rolled out its new video chat feature, it only allows you to chat with one friend at a time.

Photos can easily be imported to Google+ directly from Picasa as well as uploaded from your computer or phone. Like all other content, you can easily decide who can view your photos by selecting which circles they are accessible to.

You’ve probably noticed the new addition of the +1 button on websites and blog posts across the web earlier this year. Well, all those things you +1 will appear right in your Google+ profile so your friends can see what you’ve been checking out on the web.

Sparks are a unique way to allow users to keep up to date on their favorite interests. Want to know what’s going on in sports? What about politics or science? Just add it to your sparks and you can see what other people are sharing about these topics. Maybe even meet some new friends.

So, those are the Google+ basics. Want to know more? Check it out for yourself. Get your Gmail ready and see if you can snag an invite. There are tons of people giving them out so give a shout on Twitter to see who’s got ‘em.

Do you think this could be the end of Facebook? Or will it flop like Google’s last attempt at going social. Let us know in the comments!

This entry was posted in New Scoop by .

Facebook and Skype. A Match Made in Heaven.

Posted on July 9th, 2011 by

This Wednesday, Facebook made a very exciting announcement regarding its partnership with Skype. Now, not only can you enjoy the convenience of getting to instant
message with your friends while surfing Facebook, you can chat with them face to face. The new video chat feature is easy to set  up. Just go to the video calling set up page and download the required plugin. Then start a chat with someone as you normally would, but instead of typing your message, hit the video button.

That’s it! It works pretty much like regular Skype, except there is no group calling feature. So go ahead, try it out! And let us know what you think!

This entry was posted in Facebook by .

Social Media. It’s More Than Just a Numbers Game.

Posted on July 6th, 2011 by

It’s easy to get caught up in numbers. How many Twitter followers you have. How many hits you got on your website today. And while these numbers are very important to monitor and grow, they are not everything. The real key is not in what the number is, but the value of those numbers. What’s most important is not the quantity of followers, but rather, the quality. Social media is all about engagement, right? So if your followers aren’t talking, you’re not getting the full benefit that social media has the potential to give you. Take a minute to evaluate your twitter followers and/or blog readers. Ask yourself a few questions:

Are they sharing your links?

Are they sharing any links?

Are they returning visitors or one time passers-by?

Do they leave comments?

Do they ask questions?

If you answered yes to any of these, then you have engaged followers. The advantage of having engaged followers is that they are more likely to stick with you and spread the word about you or your business. These are the people that are going to bring attention to you. By retweeting you, sharing your website and services and talking about you online. Word of mouth doesn’t happen by people staying silent. Not only will these people help share your  business with others, but they are more likely to become loyal customers and visitors themselves. They are more likely to stick with you when things go wrong and more likely to suggest ways for you to improve because they genuinely care about your success. Now, of course, the more followers you have the more opportunities you have to gain loyal followers, so don’t let this advice stop you from trying to build your following to its highest potential. Just remember, at the end of the day. It’s not all about numbers. It’s about value.

This entry was posted in Blogging, Other Social Sites by .

The Social Gaming Craze

Posted on July 3rd, 2011 by

Farmville. Mafia Wars. Words with Friends. They’re just a bunch of silly computer games, right? Maybe so, but there’s more to them than that. They are a part of what is becoming the new craze in the gaming world. It’s called, social gaming. As the name indicates, these games allow you to socialize while being entertained. This could mean working together with a group of individuals to accomplish a goal as well as connecting with a social network to share your game results and invite friends to play with you. Take a look at how these games are successfully integrating social interaction making the gaming experience more fun.

Words With Friends

Probably one of the most popular mobile games out there right now, Words With Friends has taken the classic Scrabble game to a new level.

Opponents may be hand picked or chosen at random. You can connect to Twitter or Facebook to see which of your friends are playing the game as well.

The game allows you to chat while playing, and there are no time limits so feel free to take a turn at a time that works for you.

Phoozl Alphabetography Challenge

ConvoSpark client, Phoozl, hosts a Facebook game that combines the social experience with photography. This game/contest, called Phoozl’s Alphabetography Photo Challenge runs four times a year and requires players to upload photos relating to that week’s assigned letter. The social aspect of it appears in the players’ ability to vote and comment on other players’ photos as well as share the game with their friends and encourage them to vote and submit photos.

Social gaming is quickly becoming the new way to play. This new trend brings gamers of all kinds together and makes the whole gaming experience a little less lonely.

This entry was posted in General Post by .