This post was written by guest author Sean Haubert. Find out more about Sean below.

Hi, my name is Sean, and I’m an early adopter. I spend way too much money on new gadgets, and pester all my friends to join me on new websites. I sign up for every social site I can find. I try every iPhone app my credit card will allow - much to my wife’s chagrin!

Seriously, it’s a problem, and I’m getting help.

In the meantime, I’ve been trying to throw myself into the world of geo-social location services, Foursquare, Yelp, and now Facebook Places. The problem is, I’m just not getting it. I’m forcing myself to use it, to see if I can start to justify using it at work.

For instance, the other day we took our niece and nephew out for ice cream on Long Island. Perfect chance to take Foursquare for a test drive. I checked in. And I found a deal. $1.00 off at Starbucks. On Friday afternoon. I was 2 days late. Is this thing on? Is there anyone out there?

Who exactly are all the people using these services, and where are they hiding out? I think I need to hire Foursquare’s publicist. They are really doing a lot with their 3 million member audience, certainly they’re garnering a lot more press than they deserve. Or are they?

Now Facebook has joined the fray, as they just launched Places. On the day of the launch, Foursquare announced their busiest check-in day ever. In the week since Places has gone live, I have had one FB friend check-in. It was from his couch. He wanted to unseat his wife as mayor of their living room.

Dennis Crowley, the co-founder of Foursquare, was recently quoted as saying Facebook Places is not that great or interesting.  It’s a pretty boring service, with barely any incentives for users to keep coming back and telling their friends where they are.

To me, the most interesting thing about Places is that it has a potential audience of over 500 million people around the world but that can only be a good thing for location-based services, like Foursquare, as Facebook will educate the masses about check-ins. Plus, take a careful look at their logo. Notice anything unusual? Yes, that red icon is eerily similar to Google’s own Places. And what is the icon placed on? Look at the map carefully, and you will certainly see a number 4 – a direct shot at Foursquare!

Foursquare is probably more concerned than Dennis lets on. As for now, Facebook’s geo-social service is very bare bones. With a ready-made audience of 500 million, it’s hard to believe that Facebook won’t start fleshing out their service, perhaps start offering partnerships with brands and events. Basically, look for Facebook to follow Foursquare’s build out plan.

But Facebook certainly was a little creepy in their rollout. By default, everyone’s Facebook privacy settings were stacked in Places’ favor.

Whether you knew it or not, you had the ability to check-in. And your friends had the ability to check-in. And THEY had the ability to check YOU in. Kevin Rose and Doug Albrecht demonstrated this on Diggnation when they logged on and checked in their vegan producer at a nearby steakhouse. In fact, Facebook got a lot of slack about it, and posted their own video on how to control the manner in which you and your friends’ information is shared on Places.

Can Places win the geo-social war? Only if Facebook changes the default settings to Private and disable the status tagging feature without user opt-in. Facebook needs to give back privacy control to the user.

I get it. Maybe we could do it in a less creepy, big-brother kind of way?

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After a 10+ year career in advertising, Sean Haubert realized the decades old advertising model was no longer relevant. So, he started a Social Media Marketing consultancy to help his clients start a whole new type of conversation between all the stakeholders. Sean is now the Social Media Manager for the New York Road Runners, the world premier running organization. He recently received his MS in Integrated Marketing Communications from Manhattanville College, where he wrote his thesis on how to introduce analytics into SM marketing campaigns. Sean also has no problem writing about himself in the third person. Learn more about Sean on Facebook and Twitter.

*Photo by AshtonPal

To capture the main happenings in the social media world, let’s take a look at some quick blurbs of need-to-know information. We aim to give you as much information as possible in one shot so here it goes…

A new study finds that while social media use is increasing, content creation has reached a plateau.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, is getting a lot of publicity these days, including his own comic book later this year.

You can kiss blogging service Windows Live Spaces good-bye; it’s being replaced by Wordpress.com via a recent deal between Microsoft and Automattic.

Trying to find a job via social networking can be tough but here are ten tips to help you land a new gig using Facebook and LinkedIn.

If you have a brick-and-mortar storefront, it is possible to use social media to boost your influence and customers.

The new version of the Twitter web interface has a lot of people talking; find out the changes.

Celebrities on Twitter have little influence over their followers, finds a new study conducted by Northwestern University.

If you’re looking for a way to gain Facebook fans, read how one band gained over 3,000 fans by spending only $250.

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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 Rosaura Ochoa

Facebook alerts can quickly become overwhelming, especially to a new user. Here’s how to cut down on the amount of alerts you get from Facebook.

At the top right of the screen click on the account arrow and choose “account settings.”

Then click on the “notifications” tab.

You will see a page that looks like this.

Uncheck boxes to stop receiving notifications.

I would suggest you keep these boxes checked:

• Sends you a message
• Adds you as a friend
• Posts to your wall
• Tags you in a post
• Tags you in a photo
• Tags you in a note
• Tags you in a video

Congratulations. you’ve just cut down the amount of alerts you will get from Facebook.

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

This post was written by guest author Victoria Ipri.

Social media marketing has become commonplace. Yet thousands of businesses remain on the sidelines.

Why? Fear. In my conversations with small business owners, I’ve dubbed this fear social media paralysis, aka I-don’t-know-what-to-do-so-I’ll-do-nothing.

Signs & Symptoms

Fear of the unknown, fear of making a costly mistake, fear of doing “it” wrong…these fears consume many small business owners. I’m not suggesting a ‘wait and see’ attitude is an effective strategy. To the contrary, businesses adopting this position will find their competitors passing them by. And customers? Well, they’re already online, looking for you. When they don’t find you, guess who gets the business?

The Diagnosis

Acknowledging you have a problem is the first step in recovering from social media paralysis. Interestingly, some small business owners claim they are waiting for social media to “mature,” so true ROI can be measured. I applaud them for their creative spin on the real reason: social media marketing is downright confusing. It’s also time consuming. If there is one thing today’s mentally and financially strapped small business owners don’t need, it’s one more task in an overflowing day.

The Cure

Fortunately, there is a cure. You may be surprised to learn the remedy for social media paralysis does not begin with “build a profile.” No…businesses new to social media are nowhere near ready for that step.

The cure begins with a plan. And the plan includes defining goals and objectives, understanding what social media can…and cannot…do for your bottom line, designating a “driver” (more on this next week), developing a Social Media Action Calendar, and other tasks that serve as the foundation for any good social media marketing campaign.

After all, if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you get there?

Herewith, then, are three brief, but important, tasks you can undertake right now to put you on the path to recovery:

1. Determine the best platform. Remember: LinkedIn is a cocktail party; Facebook is a backyard BBQ; Twitter is the hot sauce. Often, the best combination is either LinkedIn or Facebook, and Twitter as a complement. Many small businesses selling professional services do well with LinkedIn alone.
2. Define your target market. This takes a bit more time, so grab a clean pad of paper and try to write a sentence about who you’re going after. For example, “Mid-life professionals seeking a career change,” “18-24 year old females purchasing their first car,” or “Young professionals with an income of $50,00 or above.” Knowing your target market is key.
3. Check up on your competitors. Your prospects certainly are, so you should too. Google alerts, organic search results, website review, and various tools can help you keep up. Know your competition, so you can do it better.
   If you’re serious about getting on your social media feet, my best advice is “Don’t wait to get started.” It’s a fast-moving world out there.

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Victoria A. Ipri is CEO of Modello Media, Inc., an e-marketing strategy firm with an emphasis on social media solutions, based in Philadelphia, PA. If you suffer from social media paralysis, visit www.SocialMediaShiatsu.com, or download Victoria’s latest ebook, Social Media for the Clueless. Find out more about Victoria on Twitter.

*Photo by dimshik

“You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself.” – Harry Firestone

Being a successful person doesn’t revolve around money or commodities. It doesn’t even involve great accomplishments on the job or in your personal life. True success and leadership are developed when you take your relationships to the next level, serving others and committing to their success.

You read that correctly.

If you are bent on growing others, you will invest in growing yourself. This is one of the most critical and influential laws of leadership. And, the best part is the social media is specifically designed to help you master this principle.

Developing Others 101

We all play a part in the lives of many different people every day. Whether you’re a boss or a janitor, husband or brother, church leader or Girl Scout mom, you have influence in the lives of others every single day. However, most of us never harness this potential, at least not for good.

Whenever we think about people influencing others, we immediately assume it’s a bad thing. We think that one person is “playing” another and that someone is always getting the short end of the stick. Developing a person is certainly the opposite of taking advantage of someone.

When you are influencing someone to help them, you have their best interests in mind. You are giving your all–your mind, your attitude, and your experiences–to help them have a successful life. As you begin to develop someone, you grow closer to them and become a more significant part of their life. Once you have played your part in their life, they will most certainly reciprocate and help you when you need it. It’s simple; helping others helps yourself.

Social Media and Developing Others

The Internet is the perfect place to begin developing others in order to help you both grow. The advancement of peer-to-peer networking (P2P) has made this leadership principle easier than ever. Websites such as Twitter and Facebook connect you to others and provide you with the means of interacting, which is the fundamental key to developing others.

In order to properly influence and develop others so that you will also benefit, you need to be helpful and understanding in your interactions. Let’s dive into what this could look like…

• Make it a point to routinely connect with others for the sole purpose of developing a friendship. If you have hundreds of friend, connections, or followers, schedule time each day or week to reach out to someone and grow that relationship. Use a quick email, Facebook message, or DM to let them know you’re there.
• Not every attempt at communication is going to bud into a happy-go-lucky relationship so make sure you don’t neglect the people you’re currently close with. These people don’t plan to go anywhere; don’t give them a reason to leave.
• Connect with like-minded people through groups and fan pages. This is going to be critical because you are most likely to continue conversation with someone if you know you have something in common. In a group or fan page, you know what the common thread is and you can use it accordingly to generate conversation.
• Don’t be overly pushy or set on helping every person you contact. It’s not going to happen and don’t force it you don’t see a reciprocated interest. That person may still come around in their due time; don’t destroy that potential connection right now.

Action Steps

Here are three action steps for you to complete today or this week:

• Create a short list of people, maybe five or six, that you will contact to start growing your relationship. Don’t pick the most wealthy people or the most popular. Instead, pick the people who you will connect with the most.
• Determine your best mode of contact. Will you use a Facebook message? A DM? Will you just pick up the phone and call? Try to determine the best way for the other person to chat and use that method.
• Contact someone and begin to develop others. Take a chance and do it! You will begin to reap the benefits shortly…

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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 svilen001

There may have been a lot you missed in the social media world in the course of the last week. To catch you up on the latest happenings, here are some quick one-liners.

“F**ck Cancer,” a non-profit organization determined to help others learn about the disease, has increased cancer awareness through donated Facebook status updates and tweets.

Although Facebook is about you, don’t make yourself look like fool with your wall posts.

An abducted journalist held in Afghanistan was able to tweet his location using his captor’s cell phone.

Reggie Bush and Activ8Social have kicked off a scavenger hunt through New Orleans that runs off of Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare posts.

It’s important to educate yourself on Facebook Places, Facebook’s location-based check-in service.

If you’re having trouble thinking of things to share on Twitter, run through this exhaustive list to see what you may be missing.

Using social media to retain customers can be a tricky process so you must know how to measure your results.

Three new studies have been released that detail Facebook marketing trends and habits of users.

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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 lilinhah

“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong

When things are going great, it seems as if you’re on top of the world. Nothing can hold you back and you can’t seem to do anything wrong. Your confidence is high and your ability to focus is hawk-like. You are leading your people in an extraordinary way, giving them what they want and need to be successful. You are crushing your goals and nothing is out of order. You’re truly the king or queen of the world.

Then something goes wrong and it all falls apart. You fall apart. Your team breaks down and the progress you’ve just made no longer exists.

What do you do?

Tough Times Make You Who You Are

When your world has seemingly come to an end, you need to step up to the plate and become a great leader. Leading when things are great doesn’t really show your character. Sure, it allows for you to exhibit qualities that show you’re a team player but none that make you a concrete leader. When things take a turn for the worse, everyone turns to you for advice, guidance, and navigation. Hard times require you to be decisive, encouraging, and humble–three great qualities of an expert leader.

In Robin Sharma’s The Leader Who Had No Title, he talks about this concept, stating, “It’s the most uncomfortable of conditions that can be the crucible that forges the best leaders.” Without a doubt, it’s time for you to stop playing the victim during change and be the catalyst to make great things happen.

How Does This Apply to Social Media?

We’ve all been there: someone decides to take a shot at your or your business, they get attention, and you’re expected to respond. You’re expected to engage in a war of words with this person or business because they just talked negatively about your business. Human desire tells us to keep up the fighting because we can’t lose our dignity.

Don’t.

Instead, be an authentic leader and speak respectfully about your competition. Make promises to your customers that you will give them the best service possibly. Kill the competition with kindness and with a respect that leaves them wondering what is happening.

How you react during heated moments, the times when things fall apart for you, is what will make and shape your business and clientele.

As a rule, don’t…

• Blast your competition on Facebook or Twitter. No one wants to hear (or read) a war of words via the Internet. Plus, it only shows that you stoop just as low as the other players in your niche.
• React to claims about your company. Instead, respond with authenticity and honesty. If you messed up and someone found out, own it. It will show you are in it for the long run instead of trying to scam others.
• Complain on Twitter or Facebook. If your competition releases a new product, don’t complain that they stole your idea. It will only get you in trouble.
• Deny change. Embrace it. Every business changes and when things begin to take a different shape, it’s the people who respond well that get considered for promotions and big customer contracts later.

Action Steps

Here are a few action steps in order to begin leading in difficult times:

• Think about what recent changes your business has gone through. How can you overcome adversity and lead through change?
• Begin to show “props” and kudos to your fans on Facebook and Twitter. This will show that you’re authentic and appreciate them. When the going gets tough, they’ll run to you and support you.
• Start responding to crisis situations versus reacting to them. Keep your calm and your cool in order to be the better person in the long run.
• Share this article with your network via your favorite social media website.

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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 bjearwicke

In order to save you some time and effort today, here are some quick hits from around the world of social media…

Facebook has just announced that it will be rolling out a location-based feature called Places, which is similar to Foursquare and Gowalla.

Frank Ryan, former celebrity plastic surgeon, was tweeting from his cell phone when he accidentally ran his car over a cliff in Malibu, CA.

In an increasingly technological society, it’s important to make sure that your name is available when you need it.

An eMarketer project estimates that advertisers will spend over a billion dollars on social media advertising before the end of the year.

If you’re a social media manager, there are a few things that you should probably be eating for breakfast.

Sometimes businesses launch social media campaigns and need to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

The illusion that social media measurement is too “out there” is spreading like wildfire. Check out these three free tools to use.

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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 Jan Willem Geertsma

We all want it–the opportunity to give less to a task or progress and to see results that can only come if we give 110%. No one would mind giving less sweat or hard work every now and then and still seeing the results unchanged.

What you think might be a delusional fantasy can actually be a reality, including when you’re working on your various social media marketing tactics. Yes, you can give less effort with the results, and profit, remaining unchanged.

It’s easy–get a team.

“Teamwork can make the dream work.” – John Maxwell

How many times have you thought that doing your job, and the job of everyone else, was too tough. In reality it probably is but that doesn’t mean you need to shoulder all of the burden.

When it comes to producing high quality results, the efforts of individuals are futile. The real action comes with teams of cohesive and highly functional people who are set on achieving a goal.

Charles Lindbergh didn’t fly across the Atlantic on his own; he had countless hours of consulting and navigators who showed him the way. Michael Jordan could never have been the greatest basketball player to set foot on an NBA court if he didn’t surround himself with team players like Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Phil Jackson.

Believe it or not, your success as the social media manager of a big business or Twitter account manager of a mom-and-pop grocery store hinges on working with a team of people who are dedicated to striving for success.

Your dreams and the goals of the company depend on teamwork.

Dissecting the Fundamentals of Teamwork

When working on a team, there are a few things that need to happen in order to spark success. Two, three, or eight people can’t just wear shirts with the same logo and call themselves a team. Critical changes need to take place before success starts pouring in.

Ego Adjustment – All members of the team must adjust their egos in order to work well with one another. A humble approach to every situation is a great quality of a team. If a member of a team feels more entitled than the other members, nothing good can come of working together. You can’t expect to hand off a Twitter or Facebook task and think that the person needs to do it your way. That’s not how it works. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about the team and the end goal.

Free Thinking Environment – One of the best aspects of working on a team is the fact that nothing is off limits. No idea is stupid and everyone goes. Some of the best ideas come when nothing is ruled out. When working on a team, you must be open to new ideas and ideas that might now sound good at first. Have you written off SEO or Google Analytics? Don’t. Not a big fan of Twitter? Don’t exclude it from your ideas. No member of the team can judge another based on an idea because the ultimate purpose of the team is to achieve success, not cut others down.

Shared Workload – One of the primary reasons teams don’t work is because of an unequal distribution of work. In a team environment, one person cannot do more than the others. This will generate feelings of bitterness and resentment, which will poison the team. Don’t overburden others when you’re reaching out to them for help with social media management. If you’re the team lead, make sure that you shoulder most of the tasks.

Higher Desire – The most critical aspect of working in a team is the mentality of every individual. Each person needs to know that they are working toward a greater good or goal and not for personal gain. Yes, personal gain may be a result of working well in a team environment, such as a promotion, but it isn’t the sole reason for joining together with others. Everyone must be clear on your goals and dreams for your social media campaign and they must work toward that each day or you’ll be coming up empty.

Dispelling Your Doubts

Working with teams can create a lot of doubt. Heck, even setting up teams can cause tension, fear, and anxiety for everyone involved. You might even be thinking to yourself, “Eric, my company doesn’t have the resources to put more than one person on the social media team. We’re just not that big.” Sure, your company may not be able to assign anyone else the duty of managing Twitter and Facebook but that shouldn’t stop you from forming a team.

People fear teams because people fear open communication. With teams you need to be honest and you need to work together in a timely manner to produce a desired product or achieve a goal. This requires good communication and people fear communicating. Although communication can be scary, the end result is worth the effort. Remember, think big picture, not “me” picture.

If your company is like most, they don’t have the resources to have a big social media marketing team. They don’t need one. Instead, pull from the resources and connections you have already established. Do you maintain a blog? Could someone else write a post every other week to free you up to do something else? Do you schedule tweets in HootSuite or TweetDeck? Could someone else create the document of all the tweet you’ll send and you can put them in the application? Simple, little tasks can help facilitate a team. Not every member needs a title. If someone else can do something for you, they are part of your team.

Today’s Action Steps

Teamwork is the only way to success. History shows us that nothing great is ever accomplished by one person; instead, a team is needed to pull everything together and produce excellent results. To get you started on forming or managing your social media team, here are some action steps:

- Brainstorm at least 10 ways that other people in your business can help you manage your social media profiles more effectively? Start by thinking of their talents and areas or interest and then move to the skills they want to develop.
- Reach out to one person on your list and see if they’d be willing to partner with you in your efforts. Stay excited and see where the conversation goes.
- Pick up a copy of John Maxwell’s Teamwork 101. It’s a powerful read for anyone who is on a team or leading a team.
- Share this article with other people who can begin to produce the same results, or even better, with less effort.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on teamwork and hear any success stories or tips you may have. Feel free to leave a comment below or email me.

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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 lumaxart

A lot of things happened in the social media world this week and here are a few of the highlights:

Twitter Debuts its own Twitter Button – The ability to tweet and article or follow a business directly from the web isn’t a new concept but Twitter has finally released its official version of the tweet/follow button. Before Twitter was on the scene, most tweeting and following happened via TweetMeMe, a service that came to dominate the niche market. With the development of the official Twitter button, TweetMeMe is taking on a different role. Instead of directly competing with Twitter, they are striking up a partnership. TweetMeMe will offer technical support for Twitter and will link their tool to the official Twitter button.

I think the release of the official Twitter button is interesting to say the least. Although I think its good that Twitter is becoming more involved with user decision making, I have a few concerns. First, is this one of many moves to attempt dominating all things Twitter? What’s next? Also, the partnership between Twitter and TweetMeMe doesn’t seem right to me. I don’t know what is going on in the executive offices but I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this.

Delta Airlines Launches Ticket Sales Through Facebook – Delta has launched a ticket window for users of its Facebook application, allowing fans to purchase flights and share the information with friends. Delta is the first in the industry to have a booking application that keeps its users on Facebook and does not route them to a secure website. The ticket window has become popular since its debut and is even having trouble handling the load of people experimenting with booking flights. Its unclear as to how popular the tool will become in the distant future but for now, Delta is the king of airlines on Facebook.

This is a major step in innovation for the airline industry and any other online retailer. Since businesses can see that its possible to keep Facebook fans on the site while ordering, look for more retailers to move in the same direction. Its won’t be long before business giants Barnes and Noble or Wal-Mart give users access to check inventory and order via a Facebook application. This innovation only makes it easier for the customer to get things done efficiently and in a timely manner.

MySpace Relaunches User Homepage – Earlier this week MySpace redesigned its user homepage, the page where users are directed once they sign in. The once-so-popular social media company is hoping that the redesign will allow users to experience more with greater ease. The new site consists of a stream of information and gives users application and displays things like birthdays and recommendations.

Basically, MySpace just developed its page to look exactly like the Facebook homepage. Although I think its time for MySpace to join the rest of the world again, I think that this was a bad move. This doesn’t show anyone that MySpace is innovative or catering towards its users. They simply wanted to create a site that looked similar to Facebook to attract more people. MySpace better be careful because if they keep trying to play catch up and don’t show up, they won’t be around for much longer.

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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 spanishwor