In the past months, there has been some confusion as to the actual popularity of Google +.  Google +, the newest addition to the Google Empire, is rapidly gaining subscribers, but how often are they actually using the platform?  Google has yet to release any information about the frequency in which + is being used, leaving many to wonder what their release of 40 million users really means. As part of Google’s earnings announced on October 13th, CEO Larry Page announced that Google + had 40 million members, stating, “Google+ is now open to everyone and we just passed the 40 million user mark. People are flocking into Google+ at an incredible rate and we are just getting started!” (more…)

In the dynamic, complex world that is social media today, there are seemingly endless considerations when implementing and managing a social media campaign.  Which networks should you have a presence in?  What monitoring platforms should you use?  What about the content?  Much of these decisions are subjective and companies should be both industry-specific and brand conscious when managing their social media campaigns. I have, however, provided guidance on content generation for social media in a previous post entitled 8 Ideas for Producing Engaging Content for the New Facebook. (more…)

Twitter is a network of people, brands, businesses and organizations. Over the past few years, Twitter has proved to be a powerful and influential player online. In our current state of content overload, Twitter has broken through with a strong voice of the people. The millions of people on Twitter are speaking loud and clear about the things that they do, the brands they like, the brands they don’t like and many other things that only your mother might care to know (well, and us marketing people ). (more…)

In the realm of social media, the conversation is frequently about analytics: which platforms to use, which numbers matter and what, if anything, that all means to page owners.  Social media – with its endless options for personalization – offers up a tremendous amount of information that can, if used correctly, give great insights into how well a brand is performing in social media.  One of social analytics’ most popular tactics is also one of its simplest: listening. (more…)

Facebook is, in many ways, the quintessential social network.  After all, when a major motion picture about your company is titled “The Social Network,” you know you’re pretty much synonymous with the whole concept. Facebook, however, wasn’t the first social network and they’re not even close to being the last one.  Others have come and gone, but Facebook continues to dominate the space by evolving with new trends and technology, while others stand idly by and get left behind. (more…)

In social media news, it’s all about the buttons—Social media share buttons, that is.  You’ve seen them to the side or at the bottom of nearly every page or article you’ve perused while on the internet, inviting you to “Share This” or “Tweet” the content to your friends and followers. (more…)

I don’t have to tell you how computers have changed our world (when was the last time you actually wrote something more than an address or a shopping list – if even that?).  Nor are the effects of the internet on our lives any big mystery.

However, as I mentioned in my previous blog, “When Search Met Social”, social media has changed the world yet again. While social has caused big changes in search marketing and marketing in general, it has had a much larger impact in world events and life as we know it over the past year. (more…)

Once upon a time, search engine rankings were kind of nerdy: their somewhat complex algorithms caused them to keep to themselves and they didn’t always play well with website owners and developers, who wanted very much to play with them—and rank well as a result.  Then, something changed; a new kid came to town by the name of social media.  Social media changed the internet marketing landscape with its new take on marketing and, consequently, left business and webpage owners along with marketing consultants and managers all scratching their heads.  Like search engine rankings, social media was sometimes misunderstood and perhaps that’s why they eventually became friends. (more…)

In this ever-growing world of technology and social media, where does your preference lie in the battle for supremacy, Facebook or Twitter?  With one Goliath the giant, and the other aiming to be David, who reigns supreme and for how long?  Although their inceptions are different, I am eager to determine which is most used and which is the less-favored platform. (more…)

Some of you may think you can’t live a day without updating your Twitter or checking your Facebook Newsfeed, but just a few days ago, social media potentially saved the life of a student. The New York Times reported the story of Jacob Boehm (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/world/asia/22iht-search22.html?_r=1&ref=technology) who was traveling alone in Southeast Asia and went missing for more than a week. His parents, being concerned about not hearing from him, initiated a search, along with his classmates, that included the use of Facebook in order to spread the word of his cause. Facebook, in turn, offered free advertising on its website to help search for the young man and the search spread to other social media sites. After less than 24 hours of their social media efforts, Jacob was located by authorities. (more…)