Social Business

Google + : Is there room for another Facebook?

Lidia Ryan — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:57:25 +0000

Learn about Google + HERE

Want an Actual Facebook?

Lidia Ryan — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 20:57:28 +0000

The ongoing trend is obviously for all things paper to go digital, but Deutsche Post DHL has come up with a product that goes completely against the current. For 19 Euros you can turn your Facebook life into a physical book. The Facebook app “Social Memories” creates a 28-page book highlighting your most popular photos, statuses etc. It also gives you really useful statistics like a break-down of your friends in pie-graph form organized by zodiac sign.

I can really only think of one time when this might come in handy: on the plane when you have to power down your electronics. But I hope most people can go that long without getting a Facebook fix.

The other problem (or genius business plan) is that you would have to buy a new book every couple of months to keep it up to date. Facebook is a living breathing organism – maybe that’s extreme – but it is constantly changing. It’s streaming live 24/7, which is why, despite its name, Facebook’s only natural home is the ever-evolving internet versus an actual book.

That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Germans behind this actually made some serious Euros. There is substantial proof that people will buy almost anything, and I can see the young Euro-chic of the world thinking it’s cool and oh-so-ironic to have a book case in their loft stocked with “Facebooks.”

Symbolic Foursquare Check-Ins

Lidia Ryan — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:30:19 +0000

“After Sunday night’s announcement that Osama bin Laden is dead, Foursquare users have — in a ceremonial gesture — started checking in to a world in which the Al Qaeda founder no longer exists.

A quick search on Foursquare in New York for ‘Osama’ reveals such checkin locations as ‘Osama bin gonathon” and “Osamapacolypse 2011.’” – Mashable

Also, man accidentally live-blogged the Osama raid: HuffPost

Actual News on Your News-Feed?

Lidia Ryan — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:30:53 +0000

Facebook is trying to partner with journalists and news organizations to make the site a legitimate source for news, CNN reported this month.

Tonight is the first “meetup” in Palo Alto, CA to discuss the relationship between Facebook and journalists. Fans of the page “Journalists on Facebook,” which has 52,226 “likes” are invited to the event. The fan page is designed as a way for journalists to use Facebook to reach and communicate with their readers.

I’m torn about whether or not this is a good idea or if it will work. As a journalist, I think Facebook is a great way to get the word out about your stories and about important news. But, do people really want actual news on their news-feed, or do they just want to see what’s going on with their friends? And isn’t the point of Facebook that the information you get is arguably fitted to your interests because it’s what’s important to your friends? Will Facebook become too impersonal if you add general news?

It’s just another example of how the line between journalism and social media is becoming more and more blurred.

Facebook Deals

Lidia Ryan — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:09:14 +0000

Facebook has launched “Facebook Deals,” a program similar to groupons that allows you to get coupons and vouchers, share deals with fiends etc. Facebook deals is now available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, San Diego and San Francisco.

Photo Walk Through from Mashable

More Twitter Advice

Lidia Ryan — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:37:56 +0000

A while ago, I posted some tips on how t use twitter successfully for your business and gave examples of companies who use Twitter the right way.

Mashable has posted 5 more ways to enhance your Twitter presence. Some of them overlap my previous post, but it’s always worth revisiting.

The 5 rules are:

get visual – post photos
get physical – post your location
get personal – post stories and updates about employees so your followers can get to know you
get inspired – re-tweet good tweets by your followers to make them feel noticed
get smart – post tips and trivia

Read the full article by Erica Swallow: 5 Quick Ways to Liven Up Your Twitter Stream

And They Lived Happily Ever After, Thanks to Twitter

Lidia Ryan — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:55:36 +0000

While the focus of this blog is to highlight social media as a growing tool for business, sometimes a story is just too good not to share.

Social media is a great money-making tool if you’re smart about it and use it right. But one Connecticut family learned that it can help you in other, perhaps more important ways in life – like finding your lost puppy.

Thanks to the help of Twitter and local newspapers, a Darien, CT dog was returned to its owners.

- Darien News

Darien News:

Two days after finding a stray dog wandering along Post Road, Kristin Calve decided to take to Twitter in hopes of finding the dog’s owner.

Calve, a real estate agent from Darien, had contacted animal control officials about a small, Yorkshire terrier named Bori that had no tags and no microchip. But Bori’s owner hadn’t come forward as of Sunday night, and Calve began to worry.

“I started to think `do I own this dog now,’ ” she said. That’s when Calve posted a photo of the dog on her Twitter page, along with a plea for help.

The tweet, it turned out, paid off. Calve said a neighbor of Bori’s owner, who lives in Stamford, saw the story, which had been posted online by the Darien News and The Advocate, and called Calve’s cell phone to claim the dog. At 9:55 a.m., Calve tweeted the good news. “Thanks to @StamAdvocate!” she tweeted. “Your story helped us find the dog’s owners! I just dropped him off.”

Flickr Wants a Piece of the Royal Wedding Cake

Lidia Ryan — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:26:57 +0000

“The people’s royal wedding album” is one of the latest developments in the royal wedding

- youandyourwedding.co.uk

craze. Flickr is asking all Will and Kate fanatics in the UK to post their wedding-related photos to “the people’s royal wedding album” to create an online community.

According to Mashable.com, “UK entrants can also compete for a chance to win a £5,000 honeymoon if their photo is deemed the best. Submissions are due by May 3.”

This should work out well for Flickr; they are following a fool-proof formula: pop culture phenomenon + social media = success.

Social Marketing

Lidia Ryan — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:27:46 +0000

“An overwhelming number of marketers consider social media to be integral to their strategies this year, and 70% plan to increase their social media budget by more than 10% this year, according to a poll from Effie Worldwide and Mashable.”

Read the full article on Mashable.com

They Tweet Hard for the Money

Lidia Ryan — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:53:18 +0000

Here are some examples and links to businesses who use their Twitter accounts in fun, creative and effective ways.

Starbucks posts new offers and also participates in threaded discussions of these offers with their Twitter-followers.

Via their Twitter profile Southwest Airlines run non-official, entertaining discussions with their customers. Facebook fans can enter drawings to win tickets.

Whole Foods Market asks what their clients like to read and watch, recommends new food podcasts and invites them to the company upcoming events

HRBlock runs ask-and-answer sessions with their customers

Popeyes answers their clients’ feedback in an entertaining tone and also updates their Twitter listeners of the current deals and discounts

Baskin Robbins has give-aways and trivia.

Coast hotels offer deals, events, and casual conversations

Ford customer service one-on-one conversations with followers. Answer questions. Post more than once a day.

Harley Davidson is interactive, asks followers to post photos on Facebook.

Gap has tweets unrelated to products. All about the holidays right now.

VirginAmerica does trivia questions

KFC example: “Random acts of chicken: Tell me why you deserve a free bucket. The five most interesting responses by 5 p.m. ET will win”

Huggies plays off the fact that parents are probably their followers. They ask “what’s for dinner” and address them sometimes as “hey moms and dads.”

Snapple posts Snapple facts

some good suggestions:

http://www.macworld.com/article/140254/2009/05/twitterdos.html

http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/08/03/62-ways-to-use-twitter-for-business/