A fair number of people tend not to do something unless they are rewarded in some way.  They want to get compensated for their efforts or at least get a small token of appreciation.  Unfortunately, Facebook and Twitter don’t hand out rewards to their subscribers simply for using their service.  Although nothing tangible is given, there are still a few reasons why embracing the Web 2.0 culture isn’t such a bad thing.

1.    Get connected.

Fact: In 2008, 1-in-8 married couples met via social networking websites. (Qualman, 2009)

Every human since the dawn of time has yearned to be part of a group and to connect with others.  Connections create communities.  Hoffman notes, “A community, whether virtual or real, is defined by the relationships that exist between its members.” (5, 2007) The components of Web 2.0?blogs, Facebook, iTunes, news feeds?are quick and easy ways to connect with others. (Barbaro, 2008) The world isn’t slowing down and it’s becoming tougher to create and maintain relationships.  Stay in touch using Web 2.0.

2.    Break loose.

Fact: There are approximately 37,500 new blog posts written each hour (or 10.4 posts per second) (LIS Education 2.0 Project, 2009)

Web 2.0 allows for a person to break loose from typical day-to-day activities and move into a different, and exciting, culture.  A person’s day no longer needs to consist of simply going to work, sitting in traffic, and grabbing McDonalds for dinner.  With the resources of Web 2.0, he or she can write about something interesting, read and respond to thoughtful articles, and participate in online videoconferences – all before bedtime.  Break the mold.  It’s easy.

3.    Stay up-to-date

Fact: Between 2:15pm and 3:15pm on June 25, 2009, the day of Michael Jackson’s death, CNN.com received over 20 million pageviews. (CNN)

Sharing information has never been so easy.  Most blogs display an icon that allows a person to share content with their friends on Facebook and Twitter.  Since content is constantly being recycled and passed on, information consumption is on the rise.  Breaking news spreads rapidly and social networking sites are often the first to report critical pieces of information.  Web 2.0 is a metropolis of data.  Embrace it.

4.    Become valuable.

Fact: Approximately 80% of companies use LinkedIn as a primary recruiting tool for new jobs. (Qualman, 2009)

Web 2.0 isn’t only for the people; it’s for corporations, too.  Companies have realized that social networking websites would be a great place to raise brand awareness and sales.  Although many companies want to embrace Web 2.0, they can’t because their employees don’t know the first thing about Twitter marketing or blogging.  Become a resource on all things Web 2.0 and it might lead to a promotion.

5.    Learn and grow.

Fact: There have been over 9 billion Twitter updates (also called tweets) to date. (Reed, 2010)

With all of the blog posts, Facebook updates, and tweets out there, it’s nearly impossible not to learn something new each day.  Web 2.0 is a great place for self-education, both formal and informal.  Maggiani notes that social networks in particular, “capture the essence of the community members and their backgrounds and expertise.” (20, 2009) The Web 2.0 world is full of things to learn.  As Einstein said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying.”

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by firehawk77

The point of social networking is to connect with people, whether it is family, friends, co-workers, or clients.  A lot of businesses have started to use Twitter to connect with customers because it is easy.  They can type a message of 140 characters or less and hit the send button.  Done.

There is a misconception that Facebook isn’t the network for interacting with fans or customers.  That’s not the case.  It just takes a different approach.

Here are 14 ways you can connect with your Facebook fans:

1.  Ask a question on your fan page.
2.  Request feedback about your brand or product on your page.
3.  Upload images relating to your brand and ask for funny captions.
4.  Make a commitment to update your fan page status three or four times a week.  Start today.
5.  Record a “thank you” video for your fans.
6.  Participate in conversations taking place on your fan page.
7.  Give away a prize.
8.  Post coupons.
9.  Create polls and surveys.  Make sure they aren’t too bland.
10.  Ask your fans for new product ideas or for topics of discussion on your page.
11.  Develop a VIP list for fans who want to get inside information before everyone else.
12.  Send individual fans messages telling them that you value their business and partnership.
13.  Randomly select one day per week to receive some free gear.
14.  Create a Facebook Group for your business or join an existing group and invite your fans.

See?  Connecting with your Facebook fans isn’t too difficult!

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by clix

I’ll be honest – there is a lot to know about social media. I consider myself to be a social media connoisseur but it is hard for me to keep up with the world of Facebook, Twitter, and blogs from time to time. However, when I do come across an interesting or valuable article, I’ll bookmark it to refer to at a later date. I might use it for inspiration, reference, or sharing. Throughout the past few months, I’ve created quite a collection. Now it’s time I share my collection with you.

I have included five articles on social media below. They are in no particular order; each article has just as much valuable information as the next. It is my hope that you will find these articles helpful and relevant to your social media campaign.

HOW TO: Manage Successful Social Media Promotions (Mashable)

Tags: Twitter, Facebook, Social Media Marketing, Promotions
Description: Many companies are using social media outlets to promote sales offers and discounts for their brand or product. However, it’s tough to get social media promotions work properly. If you’re interested in improving the success of your brand on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets, this is a great article to read.

How To Blog With Passion and Purpose (Jeffbullas’s Blog)

Tags: Blogging, Passion, Purpose, Content Creation, Stats
Description: In a world where everyone has a blog, what separates the ideas of one person from the ideas of another? Passion. When you blog with passion and purpose, you create instant credibility for yourself and your words. Communities and formed and lives are impacted when you begin to blog with passion. If you want to have a greater impact with your blog or social media campaign, this article will offer you some guidance.

How to Develop a Niche Blog Content Plan (ProBlogger)

Tags: Blogging, Content Creation, Purpose
Description: People are often disappointed in the success of their blog. Most individuals and companies think that their blog will be an instant hit but that is far from the truth. A “hit blog” takes time, effort, and a community of dedicated readers who are willing to share your content with others. This article posted on ProBlogger will help you transform your blog from a regular website to a site that has meaning.

Twitter Tips: 5 Proven Ways to Get Retweeted (ComputerWorld)

Tags: Twitter, Retweets, Marketing Strategy
Description: Twitter is a tough community at times. If you have used Twitter for any length of time, you know that it is an honor to have a post retweeted. Whether it is a fact, question, or blog post, having your content retweeted gives you a great feeling. However, retweeting doesn’t simply happen. In fact, there is a bit of a science behind retweeting. If you’re looking to step up your Twitter campaign and want to have your content shared, this is an article that will be helpful.

What’s Working for Social Media Marketers? (eMarketer)

Tags: Social Media, Marketing Strategy, Facts, Facebook, Twitter
Description: There are numerous ways to market to customers through social media. However, do you know how effective your marketing strategies really are? According to this article, buying targeted ads and tweeting regularly will only get you so far. This article is a great source of relevant and helpful data that could have a huge impact on your social media campaign.

What are some articles that have proved useful in your quest to make the most out of social media?

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by dhammza

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.  Federal buildings were left in ruin.  People were crushed by falling debris.  Thousands of Haitians were homeless.  The effects of the earthquake immediately broke the hearts of people and nations around the world.  A country was in need and citizens of all nations united to give aide.  The Haiti Movement began.

How Is This Disaster Different?

We’ve seen this type of disaster response movement before in recent years – the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, just to name a few.  So, how is this relief effort different?

The prevalence of social media in relief efforts has never been as involved as it is with the Haiti Movement.  In 2004 and 2005, social media was just beginning.  At that time, MySpace was the ultimate social network and Facebook was only for college students.  One of the world’s fastest growing social networks, Twitter, didn’t exist.

The Haiti Movement has been spurred on by compassionate and dedicated citizens using social media to reach others.  For example, people are using their status updates and tweets to state the American Red Cross number for donations.  Individuals have donated over $3 million through text messages alone.  Businesses on Twitter and Facebook have decided to donate a percentage of proceeds to Haiti relief.  The list could go on and on.

Social media isn’t merely revolutionizing the way we communicate with one another; it’s changing the way we help each other.

What Can We Learn From This?

The Haiti Movement can teach businesses and non-profits a number of things.  First, it teaches that social media does work.  For every person in favor of using social media for businesses, there will be one or two people who disagree.  But the proof is in the pudding: social media spreads the word.  Without the dedication of social media users, the Haiti Movement would not be as successful as it is.

Second, the Haiti Movement teaches businesses that social media produces real-time results.  From the moment the earthquake hit, Facebook and Twitter users were tracking the events as they unfolded.  This needs to be the same way a business approaches its social media campaign.  In order to properly gauge the impact on the community and consumers, businesses need to be constantly aware of what is being talked about on the various social media platforms.  Without the real-time knowledge, you might be stuck in the shadows instead of the limelight.

Finally, the compassion campaign for Haiti shows that becoming like everyone else isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  When you join a movement, whether as a business or individual, you are showing the world that you care about others and creating positive PR for yourself.  Who do you think will make the bigger impact on the community this weekend – the bar down the street that is giving all of its proceeds to Haiti relief or the bar that is treating Friday and Saturday nights like any other night of the week?   Becoming involved in a movement of change can help raise awareness for the cause, awareness for your business, and a dedicated customer base.

A terrible thing happened in Haiti but the world is coming together to turn a disaster into a mission of compassion.  Social media has played a big role in the level of success for the Haiti Movement and it can create just as much success for your business or non-profit.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by Mark Brannan

A lot of speculation has arisen lately about social media’s place in the office.  Some say that social media access should be unrestricted because workers feel more comfortable.  If employees know they can tweet and stay connected through Facebook all day, they’ll feel at home and productivity will increase.  Others say all social media access while on the clock should be eliminated.  If employees are given access, they will do nothing but surf the Internet all day.  So, which one is the perfect solution?

Neither.

The pros and cons of both arguments point to one goal – creating a highly effective work environment.  Therefore, there is not one correct method that must be followed.  Each business is different.  What works for corporation ABC most likely will not work for non-profit XYZ.

To help decide what policy would best suite your organization, there are a few consideration points below.

Beware – these questions will not lead you in one direction or the other.  You must decide what is best for your organization.  The overall goal of any company is to be effective.  Whatever your company needs to do to achieve its goals is the direction it should go.

• Do you have any current office policies that might tackle the issue of social media in the workplace?  How do those policies impact productivity? If your office already has pre-existing rules or directions for social media in the workplace, consider analyzing their effectiveness on morale and productivity.  Do employees simply tweet or access Facebook from their mobile devices instead of a browser?  Would access to social networking sites reduce time on cell phones and iPods?  Does restricting Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, aide or hamper productivity?

• What messages do you want to send to your employees?Restricting access to social networking doesn’t mean you are a horrible boss but your direct reports might think so.  Have you made it clear to your employees why social media sites are or are not blocked?  Mutual understanding is critical for a productive and creative work environment.

• Do you have performance metrics or standards in place?Solid performance goals and expectations that are enforced will keep your employees on track, with or without social media sites.  Ensure that your employees are aware of your expectations.

• What can you learn from the past? Oftentimes, similar situations have occurred in the past.  Remember the YouTube craze?  Did your employees watch videos all day or did they do their work?  What was the final outcome with fantasy sports websites?  Most of the time you will find that a past decision or situation can lead you in the proper direction.

There is no right or wrong answer for social media in the workplace.  Social media can prove to be an aide in some offices and a burden in others.  Reflect on the past, analyze your work staff and their performance, and decide what is best.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by: ydhsu

Using social media to find a job online can seem like a dark art. To some it comes easier than others. But there is power in using LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools when searching for a job.

We put together a 5-part series on using social media to find a better job that lays out some basics.

• Have A Personal Website Or Blog – The first step to find a better job online is to create and maintain a personal website and presence. We recommend using a free blog to get started.
• Make Yourself Seen Online – Your career is now in your hands. You can make or break your own success by how you use or don’t use free online tools to get the edge on your competition.
• Expand Your Network Before You Need It – If you are looking for a better job, there has never been a better time to expand your network. Start now and use the free social media tools available.
• Connect Offline – Learn to use social media tools during your offline networking and job hunting and you will set yourself up for success.
• Help Others Get Jobs – You will get what you want (a better job) if you help enough people get what they want.

There you have it. Do you have anything you think is critical to job hunting success with social media? Let us know.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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Expand your network before you need it.

Sounds obvious right? But so many professionals get lazy and wait until they are laid off or out of work to network. Don’t be like one of them. Network now.

Think back to your college days. Remember how many people you met? Many of these people you still know or may even work with. College is a great time to network. Everyone is making big changes in their lives. People are finding themselves, looking for lovers and testing out career options. Everyone in college is networking (even if only for pure social reasons). A few years after college the networking stops. Well almost… there is still the awkward business card exchange at mixers.

In the current economy many have lost their jobs, spouses or worse. People are once again finding themselves and testing out new career options. Add to this the explosion of social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook and…BAM! You have the perfect opportunity as you look for a new job.

The greatest networking opportunity in the history of the world

Just like college, everyone is fighting to reinvent themselves. Right now, there is a brief window in the current economic climate where 95 percent of the working population is VERY open to meeting new business people. Networking is on the forefront of everyone’s mind, and you now have tools to help you do it faster and cheaper.

Tools you say?

Yes. Facebook – LinkedIn – Twitter… among others. You can connect with business people from all over the world from the comfort of your desk. There is NOTHING that can compare to a face-to-face interaction with someone, but don’t overlook the power of social media.

As you begin your new job search, I recommend focusing on two primary social media sites, Facebook and LinkedIn. Both of these sites are useful for networking professionally.

Starting Tips

Chances are you’ve already signed up for one or both of these services. If not, go and do that now. I’ll wait….

Hint: Be sure to use a personal email address to sign up for these services.  You don’t want to get laid off or quit your job in the future and have an account listed under an old work email.

Okay. Good. Now that you’ve created your accounts – be sure to import your email contacts and find other people in your contact list who are using these services. Send all of these people a connection/friend request and begin building your database.

On Facebook, segment your friends into lists so that you can keep your business friends separate from your family and personal friends. This will serve you well later if you want to keep business friends from seeing that photo of you sitting on the floor Christmas morning in your PJs.

Login to your LinkedIn account and search for groups in your industry. Join a few groups and begin entering into some discussions around the topics that you know about.

Action Steps

1. Spend 10 minutes on Facebook organizing your “friends” into lists. For example: “friends,” “family,” “business associates,” “past clients,” “colleagues,” etc.
2. Invite all your Outlook, Yahoo Mail and Gmail contacts to connect with you on LinkedIn.

If you are looking for a better job, there has never been a better time to expand your network. Start now and use the free social media tools available.  Now go take action.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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As a business owner you should be using free online tools to promote your business.

Assuming you’ve got the basics covered like a blog, podcast and Twitter here are four more that I think will help you market and promote your business.

Google local search

I am shocked at the number of businesses that don’t list themselves on Google. It’s free and easy. Visit the Google Local Business Center and enter your business info. Google will take care of the listing you when someone searches for your business locally.

Facebook pages

These days it seems that everyone in the world is on Facebook. And they are, for the most part.

And if you think Facebook is only for youthful collegians – you are very wrong. Facebook is growing in use by older professionals.

I recommend starting a Facebook page for your company. Be sure to put real people behind it with real profiles. Don’t make it a corporate front.

Squidoo page

Squidoo is a website that allows you to create a free page centered around a topic. These are called lenses.

Lenses in the real world focus light. On Squidoo, lenses focus attention on topics. You can use a Squidoo lens to focus on your business or industry.

LinkedIn group

LinkedIn attracts professionals from every industry. Set up a group and begin to invite people in your space. LinkedIn is the perfect place to meet and interact with other professionals in your space. But more than “hanging out” with your peers on Facebook – spend you time hanging out with your potential customers or clients. You will be building relationships with the very people who are inclined to purchase from you.

This is a cursory overview of a few social media tools to help you market your business. By no means is this comprehensive. Stay tuned for more articles diving onto specifics of how to market online using these tools.

Also – I would love to hear from you. What are your challenges, questions or concerns while using social media to market and promote your business? Ask your questions on our Facebook page.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter.

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Get the book “21 Days To Twitter Leadership” The Step-By-Step Guide On How To Twitter, Get Twitter Followers And Position Yourself As The Leader In Your Industry In Less Than 10 Minutes Per Day.

Here are the tips that we posted this week on Twitter about using blogs for your business. You can use Twitter Search to look these up. For the future – follow @FolkMedia to stay up to date with online Twitter discussions and tips.

1. Blogs are dead. At least as ends in themselves. Remember they are platforms just like Twitter – Facebook – etc.
2. Does your business really need a “blog?” you could use a Facebook Fan Page for the same purpose.
3. A Facebook fan page gives you great social features and essentially acts like a blog.
4. So what is a blog? The way info is posted or the platform used?
5. At Folk Media we use Worpress (platform) to manage our site. But we treat it like a CMS. Is our site a Blog?
6. Some businesses use a custom CMS to post current dynamic info. Is this considered a blog?
7. We (Folk Media) use the word blog to mean short updates in chronological order – regardless of platform.
8. Technically Twitter and Facebook Fan pages are blogs.
9. It seems like the whole notion of what a blog is has come into question. Platform or protocol?
10. Does it really matter what a blog is? Do we even need the word *blog*?
11. Think of a blog as your own personal or business media channel.
12. List three people in your life that you know who blog. Make it a point to buy them coffee and pick their brains.
13. CEOs and other executives who blog seem to get it. Does your CEO?
14. List five ways you can involve the higher ups at your company in social media. Now implement.
15. Up and coming blog platform Tumblr. They really make it fun to post.
16. According to Harvard – only 10% of Twitter users create 90% of the content. Where does your organization fit?
17. Ever consider linking up with other bloggers is your industry? You know – write for each other’s sites and cross promote.
18. Don’t think for one minute that your competition isn’t watching you online.
19. What is the call to action on your business website or blog? You should make it very clear.
20. Your competition is looking for any chance to use social media to steal your business. Beat them to it.
21. Not a good idea to have too many options for your readers/listeners/viewers – keep one simple call to action the focus.
22. Remember – blogs aren’t just text. They use audio – video – and photos too.

What social media business tips would you add to this list? You can post them below in the comments or join the discussion in real time on Twitter.

Subscribe to the Folk Media Insider eNewsletter. It’s a free monthly newsletter packed with tips, tools, strategies and resources to take your business to the next level online.

It’s tough to keep up with social networking.

Websites are constantly cropping up and it’s difficult to determine whether every site is worth joining.  However, one truth can be said – Twitter and Facebook don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.  But, how can a blogger or a startup business use these two social media giants to their advantage?  The answer lies in post automation.

Post automation is a pretty simple concept.

Basically, your blog posts and website updates are automatically sent to Facebook as notes and to Twitter as linked tweets.  Not only does this save you a lot of time, but it can also generate a lot of exposure and site traffic.  Personally, I’ve seen some great benefits from the post automation process.  Many people who wouldn’t know about my site are able to see my updates and content just by being my friend or following me.  You never know who your blog post is going to reach so why not utilize the tools available to you?

Facebook is probably the easiest place to begin the post automation process.

Once you have a Facebook account and are logged in to your main home page, or news feed, select the “Applications” box in the lower left hand corner of the window.  Once the menu has expanded, select “Notes.”  This will take you to your notes application and you will be able to see the notes that your friends have posted.  Towards the right side of the window near the top, you will see a box that is titled “Notes Settings.”  Click on the option to “Edit import settings.”  Enter your website URL in the “Web URL” section and check the box agreeing that you have permission to use the content and it is not illegal or obscene.

Once finished, press the “Start Importing” button and you will be good to go.  From now on, any new post to your site will be detected by Facebook and a new note will be created and posted with the new content on your site.  Pretty simple and effective, huh?  Now, let’s move onto Twitter.

As the title of this post states, I am going to be showing you how to create linked tweets from a WordPress blog.

If you are using other tools, such as Blogger, then you will have to research the plugins and applications available to accomplish this task.  WordPress has made this task fairly simple for us to accomplish, but it does include more steps than the Facebook automation process.  Once you are logged into your WordPress blog, just as if you were going to create a new post, select the “Plugins” option that appears on the left side of the page.  After you are in the plugins menu, scroll to the bottom and select “Plugin Browser/Installer” under the Get More Plugins section.

Under the “Search” section, type in “Twitter Tools.”  There are other plugins to accomplish this process but I have found Twitter Tools to be the most reliable and manageable.  Once the search results are displayed, click “Install” next to the first search result, which should be a plugin called “Twitter Tools.”  After the smaller window appears, select the red “Install Now” box.  You will be asked for your blog credentials and once you have put them in, click the “Proceed” button.

After the plugin is installed, select the “Plugins” option on the left menu once more.  In this menu, you will see “Twitter Tools” listed and then click the “Activate” button for the plugin.  Once you have activated the “Twitter Tools” plugin, we have a few more steps to complete.  Scroll to the bottom of the left hand menu, and under the “Settings” section, select “Twitter Tools.”  At the settings screen, input your Twitter username and password.

After your Twitter credentials are entered, simply select “Yes” for the next two settings.  All other settings can be set to your specifications and don’t have anything to do with the post automation process.  We’re now finished with the Twitter post automation process!

As I noted before, post automation can have a great impact on the success or failure of your blog, especially if the process isn’t working the way you expected or hoped. That being said, make sure to double check every now and then to make sure both post automation processes are still functioning properly.  Never forget – The more mediums you use to get your information out to the world, the better.

Eric Alpin is a social media enthusiast, blogger, and creative genius.  When he isn’t maintaining his website, ericalpin.com, Eric enjoys editing and shooting video, traveling, hanging out with his friends and girlfriend, and playing sports.  Eric works full-time for a telecommunications company and is currently seeking his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies.

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*Photo by luc legay