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.

.

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

I am often asked by business people “what is the best video sharing site for my business?”

The answer depends on your video goals, but I’ve outlined a few sites and their uses.

Blip.tv

I am impressed with Blip TV and the way they are focused on matching their content creators with advertisers and sponsors. Their goal is to enable producers to create awesome content while they handle the business details.

This is a great platform if you are an independent content creator, but probably not the best option if you are a business.

Viddler

Back in 2007 I got to meet the guys who own and run Viddler at a conference I was speaking at in Philadelphia. They are a great group of people and have a passion for their online community. Author and businessman Gary Vaynerchuck, host of Wine Library TV, uses Viddler to power his very popular video site.

Revver

Revver pays you a percentage of any advertising they run against your videos. As a business, you probably won’t generate enough money to make this a legitimate income stream, so it is really just a token payment. You also have to generate a lot of views to make any money.

Vimeo

I picture Vimeo as the hipster of online video sharing sites. Expect to find videos by filmmakers, artist and musicians posted here – all in glorious High Definition.

But don’t expect the Vimeo community to be welcoming toward your business. They make it very clear they are more interested in art over commerce.

This is still a great site however, and in my opinion has the best looking HD videos around.

Howcast

I personally think Howcast is the best video site on the web.

Why?

Because every video teaches you how to do something. As more and more people go online to search for information – video will become increasingly important because of it’s demonstrative capabilities. Howcast is the leader in this space with a nice head start.

YouTube – The 15,000 pound elephant

Ever since Google paid an obscene amount of money to acquire this video sharing site in 2006, YouTube has been the biggest player in the online video space. Many people actually see YouTube as the only place to watch online video.

The biggest benefit of using YouTube for your business is it’s audience size. It attracts a daily audience in the millions. Even the newest computer users know and use YouTube to consume online video. It has tons of features that are begin improved daily.

Other video sites

Then there a bunch of other sites like Veoh (Hollywood and entertainment focused), Dailymotion and Metacafe.

Also, don’t discount MySpace, Facebook and Yahoo Video.

The best strategy would be to get on all these sites. But that would be a lot of busywork. Can you imagine uploading a video to each site one by one?

Fortunately there is an easier option with Tubemogul.

Tubemogul is my number one favorite video site and they don’t even host videos. This is an online site that allows you to upload a video one time then automatically post  that video to multiple sharing sites at once. They post to just about every one of the sites mentioned above.

Action Step

Sign up for a Tubemogul account and begin posting video to as many sites as possible. Don’t forget to offer your viewers value in each of your videos.

Video is becoming very popular online and growing by the day. Millions of people are turning to their computer screens to watch video. Will your business have a presence here?

.

Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership and How To Use Social Media To Find A Better Job. 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.

.