Here it is...my ongoing relationship with Twitter in a public forum. We have had our ups and downs, but we're still hanging in there. Guess that says something, right?

I first started using Twitter last Summer. I thought to myself, "Wow, this would be a great business tool, but can I use it?" I spent hours doing research; read articles and asked a lot of questions. I saw companies like Rubbermaid, Jet Blue and Zappos utilizing it for customer service, marketing and networking. I figured if large corporations see the benefit, smaller companies should too.

Twitter does not work like magic, even if it is FREE. You cannot be passive in using Twitter. Too much time goes by, you forget and you are forgotten.

I asked Guy Kawasaki a question yesterday: How many hours and days in a week does he "Tweet, Twit and Twitter"? He told me, " If I'm on the computer I'm tweeting, and I'm always on the computer. :-"

You see Guy and a couple of other individuals, have created a following that cannot be beat.

Guy launched Alltop, a site that aggregates the top news stories from the most popular topics on the Web. (if you don't know who Guy is, pop him into Google).

• He proclaims all his marketing and PR is done through TWITTER.
• He follows everyone who follows him.
• He tweets links and things of interest to people.
• He utilizes many Twitter applications such as Tweetdeck (which I like too), Tweetburner (I use this and Feedburner too) and Twhirl.
• He conducts searches for keywords which come up in tweets, so he can tweet that person information on that topic.
• He searches for people in certain industries, etc...
• He also does use a couple of RSS feeders to auto-feed information into tweets on his Twitter account too.

The more you utilize Twitter, the more results you will find.

Before the election last year, I along with several other people would spend hours on Twitter talking about the latest newsworthy items. We started using #hashtags (if you want your tweet to be relevant to a topic--a hashtag will group it in to a search, you will then find a stream of tweets all with that hashtag included on a separate tab)I developed rapport with several people and have transferred our friendships to FaceBook, email and even the "phone" (gasp).

Many people create "groups" of people on Twitter; individuals to interact with who can help their biz and vice versa. There are Mom bloggers, Multi-level Marketers, Self Help Evangelists, Attorneys, CEOs and everything in between in groups. Some cities host Tweet-ups, meet people you interact with on Twitter in person....this is better than your usual networking event in that you already know if the people attending are people you ACTUALLY WANT to meet. There are also on-line tweet-meets in which everyone in your group engages in tweeting in the Twitter forum at a specific time about a specific subject.

Other items to look at: plenty of people do automatic tweets with their company information embedded in the message. This may annoy people you are trying to develop a relationship with. You have to watch where you use the automatic tweet. When someone follows you, don't send an auto tweet with your company info linked in---really, it is impersonal and not how most people like to be treated. Everyone likes to feel special.

Mix in your tweets with an auto source from elsewhere, like your blog. I feed my blog and my clients' blogs directly into Twitter and Facebook (and of course do feed Twitter through Facebook, other social media sites, your website and your blog too). That way there is ongoing content into Twitter, but you are not inundating people with your business like a door to door brush salesman.

Approach Twitter as you approach people in your life, introduce yourself, ask questions...become engaged, find out their needs and develop a relationship.

The downside of Twitter is that it can be very time consuming as is all social media. You do not hang a sign and wait passively. You have to put the effort out there to get a return. You also have to sift through the minutia--the automated advertising tweets, the overzealous marketing person, the person with just fills cyberspace with garbage, etc...you need to find the diamonds by going through a lot of coal. It can be worth it, it just takes patience and time, just like any relationship worth having in this lifetime.

Today I am going to chat about another site or two or three. And check their progress over the coming months too.

This week I have paid visits to many of the ol' standbys in the social media crowd, plus a couple of ones I had not had the chance to investigate in the past. Tumblr, Boxee and Tweeples. All are based on having friends. And it appears web 2.0 is keeping up with that cliche; you know what they say about friends, right? "You can never have too many."

At the rate social media is growing on-line, it seems McDonald's will have its own social media networking forum soon enough, and then we can all be friends with McDonald's...hey if it comes with coupons, they may strike gold! I am sure.

Let's start with Tweeples: It opened for Beta last fall. It is a network for Twitter users; it gives individuals the opportunity to expand their profile beyond Twitter's current interface. It has some of the same functionality as FaceBook (although without the vortex-losing days of your life to sending out lil garden patch mutants); look to see who has viewed your profile, invite friends, send emails, post pictures and a bio, post events, form and join groups (track Twitter groups too), run your own tweetups (off-line human to human twitter meetings); you can also see who is currently logged in on the home page (usually a handful of people). And you can create a blog post there too. They have a newsfeed on the home page highlighting members latest activities, and who is friends with who; plus if you so choose, it will even show who you are NO longer friends with. Not very socially PC really. ;-)

An exciting twist on function: You can see who was recently logged in to Tweeples and maybe it will forecast who is going to be logged in tomorrow? Sorry, I digress. The point is what is the point to this site? Can't really see any biz benefit, except to give you another place for search engines to find you. People you interact with on Tweeples are more than likely already talking to you on some other social format...and yes, like FaceBook, there is a place for businesses to create a profile too. My opinion, it can't hurt to join....but, don't know how much return on your time invested it will bring you right now.

Tumblr...let's roll the dice here. Post whatever you want here on your Tumblelog (their form of a blog). What you ate for lunch, quick pic of the guy you yelled at in traffic this a.m., the rant about too many social media sites, etc... Or in Tumblrs own words: Post text, photos, quotes, links, music, and videos, from your browser, phone, desktop, email, or wherever you happen to be. This is a blogging site with social media capabilities.

The question is why post any of this here? You get your own url. Mine is: 13degreez.tumblr.com (although you can customize with a REAL website name, just follow their instructions). And if that isn't enough excitement, you then can customize your "blog" in color, shape and even give it mood lighting too. I do like that you can import all of your feeds from elsewhere to your home page (just another part of the web you spin with connections), including many widgets that will allow items such as Twitter and YouTube on to your page. I also am able to invite ALL of my friends once again to another social media site. And it will also offer up some really COOL people to follow; as opposed to those who sit in dark corners with the sole light of their laptop flickering, just ruminating over which virtual drink to get drunk on as they figure out how to become more popular in a virtual world. Ahem...

I think Tumblr is worth a whirl, at least put your information on there and if you have NEVER started a blog, why not start there. There are pros and cons basically built on personal preference as to choose this site over blogger or wordpress or even typepad.

And if you have a MAC or Linux, go to Boxee. You can use it as an aggregate of all media and online applications.(If you have Windows, the beta is coming out soon).

I am on Windows for now, but like the idea someday of feeding thru this site to my HDTV or laptop: my Netflix movies, Hulu (although not direct), Flickr, blog, once again inviting my friends, posting tweet reviews of the content to Twitter, FriendFeed, etc..., using my non-existent iphone to utilize the site, etc...and the list goes on...For now, I don't quite see why a business would choose to utilize its services for marketing or growth of an online brand, but for the individual--it could be a lot of fun.

To wrap it up...the first two can be used by an individual and for business purposes too. The popularity of any of these sites has yet to prove itself in the marketplace and like everything else online, time will tell a success from the big blue whale "FAIL".

Please feel free to leave comments or ask me questions about marketing, PR and social media.

Times are changing, so we hear. That is really the only consistency in life we can rely on, because as the world changes, so must we.

In the world of business TODAY, many people cannot figure out the next move to make in terms of capturing new markets, retaining current clients or establishing a new business, service or product.

For today's post, we will focus on the new business.

You have to send a message that reaches your audience. What is the best way to have a welcoming reception? Hand out a personally engraved calling card? In some cases that may not be a bad idea. Hell, whenever I have a new client or a client who sends me more business, I send a handwritten note. I want the person to know their business has meaning to me. Obviously, there are many ways of saying thank you for your business besides a note; yet it is the personal touch and time that is appreciated, the more...the better.

What does appreciation mean in terms of gaining new business? People like to be appreciated, no one wants to feel like they are just a number or some other nondescript face in your address book. If you are placing an ad in this day and age (we are talking on-line here, forget the traditional media for now), you better make sure it speaks to your intended audience. Make sure there may be a NEED for what you are selling. Do you know your people? First step: Get to know your people. Find out how or where (or IF) your business, product or service will work for them. Second step: What is the best way/vehicle to get your message to them? Third Step: Create your message based on the research. Fourth step: Get the message out there. Fifth Step: Show appreciation every step of the way, thank people for their interest, time, questions, advice, and money!

It is a win-win situation! Build a better relationship and loyalty will help you to sustain your clients, even if they don't buy now or buy later....create the appreciation and they will always come back.

And...it doesn't matter if your message is carried thru an ad, a marketing message, a salesperson, a referral, or a passive website.....ALWAYS appreciate what you have and what you receive, especially in a time of so much uncertainty.

I saw a quick analysis on the Silicon Alley Business Insider this morning. A man by the name of Ross Sandler believes that Facebook will surpass Google in size within the next 2-3 years.

Off the top of my head, I doubt that will happen for a few reasons. The first is not just Google as a search engine, but their AdSense program makes "cents". Google seems to be a mainstay of the ever-changing landscape of web 2.0. They have an ability to metamorphosis and stay ahead of the pack in bringing new tools and technologies to its many users. Not to mention they continue purchasing other on-line entities, so their offerings blossom, while others wilt and are quickly forgotten.

Google has a revenue stream; FaceBook has yet to show they can bring in the bucks!

The fickle crowd of internet users will find another social media site in time (probably within the next 2-3 years, if not sooner), which will pull many users away from FaceBook and onto the next "BIG" thing!

The internet social media scene is a high for many and once they have gotten used to a certain level of social media intoxication from one site, it is onto the next high with whatever is the new groove!

It was a coconut landing on my head sort of moment, when it dawned on me that all of the things I had been talking about for months to potential clients...actually meant a whole new frontier in more ways than one.

For the first time in a long time, I have the opportunity to utilize my talents and experience in being creative, techie (well kinda), using my PR savviness, promotional inspiration and marketing concepts. Not to mention the ability to develop business and create a fun or depending what you call fun, maybe a better term is a "slightly warped" image of my client.

The off-line portion actually takes less time than the online compilation of sites, sounds, clips, blogs, applications, connections, etc...although, my point is: this is more fun than I remember marketing ever, ever, ever! And believe me, I have done some creative promotions in the past.

I would love to hear from other people about their experiences online and the viral effects of the social media aspect...not to mention the improvement in business. I know without proper analytics, which no matter what anyone states to the contrary, is there ain't much out there to call reliable. I am curious, so feed my curious mind, either leave a comment or email me.

Have a good evening.

So.......................

I have found myself over the past few months accumulating clients who need social media marketing and optimization. All of my time spent studying this last year allowed me to speak of this phenomenon in non-layman's terms....you know, I actually sounded like I knew what I was talking about!

Upon being hired to create the web presence, I have found myself immersed in social media HELL. There is sooooooooo much content, sites, applications, gadgets, blogs, blah, blah, blah....to lear about and consider.

I have spent hours learning and I am stating this because in the midst of all this "education" I realize I have neglected my own blog. For shame for shame! We won't even mention my wonderful website. That one may be on the front burner for 2010.

I am going to add posts here on a more frequent basis. I am thinking it would be good to cover some of my learning curve here to help others.

Today, has been spent with blogs (once again--were I started with my education comes full circle), Pluck, PayPal, Weblogs, FB, Flickr, Twitter, NetVibes, Yahoo, Buzz, etc... that is just today.

And some of it is not learning per se, it is about connecting all this shit together. And poking my client to contribute their part in the equation. Too bad FaceBook does not make a Poke widget that would really poke someone physically until they remembered to do what they keep "forgetting".

So...Pluck...is now going to be added to this blog. This oughta be interesting. I am a person of many talents, my background allows that in business, plus personally I being years of experience to the table. In other words, my front burner time is being spent making money and building a name....my back burner time is spent belly-dancing, coaching and having fun!

Anyways....please comment. I like to talk with people from all different viewpoints.

Here we go….

Whether you are the first on the block or haven't let go of your latest ad in newsprint, SEE if you can keep up! Please, please leave comments on what you think of any, some or all of these sites. I have used many and plan on using even more of these sites.

SEND ME MORE SITES; I will list each and every one, as long as they are porn-free.

Ask* Backflip* BallHype* Bebo* Blinklist* Blogmarks* Blogger* Bloglines* Boxee* Delicious* Digg* Diigo* Fark* Faves* FaceBook* Favorites* FeedMeLinks* Flickr* FriendFeed* Furl* Google Bookmarks* Kaboodle* Link-a-Gogo* Live* Magnolia* Mister Wong* Mixx* Movable type* Multiply* myAOL* My Journal* MySpace* NetVibes* Netvouz* Newsgator* PageFlakes* Pluck* Reddit* Segnalo* Simpy* Slashdot* Spurl* StumbleUpon* Tailrank* Technorati* Twitter*tweeples*Tumblr* Typepad* Weblogs(ping service)* Wordpress* Yahoo Bookmarks* Yahoo Buzz* Yahoo MyWeb* yammer* Yardbarker* Xing*