Modeling The True Value Of Social Networks: 2009 Edition
Fascinating report plotting the market value of the main social networking sites. Facebook comes out tops.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/03
The City Of San Francisco Now Lets You Submit Complaints Via Twitter
Some might dismiss this as a gimmick, but it can't be wrong to make it easy for customers to file a complaint, can it? If they feel the process is actually friendly as well, as opposed to "switchboard hell" that most companies seem to employ to deter contact with actual customers, it has to be worth a look. And in practise, it's surprisingly easy to do.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/00
Twitter and Gender: New research reveals different patterns of Twitter use for men and women
An interesting survey of over 300,000 users, but requiring quite a bit of interpretation. For example, that 10% of users account for 90% of tweets I think is simply because many users pipe an rss feed into their twitter account and just pump a constant stream of content from, say, a news organisation. A practise I think adds no value and is to be deprecated. I think the survey might also have usefully filtered out those people who create a twitter account, tweet once, have no idea what to do next, and give up. That gets translated into a statistic that says half the users tweet only once in every 74 days.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/y
"The Ten Ways Twitter Will Permanently Change American Business."
There are certainly some interesting suggestions in this article, but I can't say I agree with all of them. I think the main change is one not listed in the piece, and one that no business will welcome - it will force, oblige, coerce, bully, businesses into action if the crowd will it. In other words, Twitter or whatever comes after it, will give voice to the masses and empower them, bringing about a kind of mob rule and woe betides any business they vent their fury on. The savvy business will need to know how to handle such a situation.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/t
"The Smart Way to Tap Social Media."
It may be called "New Media", but the same old rules apply. The smart way in essence is to survey what your key customers think it important, focus on that, and measure the results.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/s
"Tweeting Your Way to a Job."
This is an interesting insight into how some outstanding individuals use Twitter, and how you could use it too if you're seeking people of similar calibre. I just think the $10,000 a month job to blog about wine tasting isn't a real job, it's another clever marketing ploy, like the beach warden's job on the Pacific island that hit the headlines.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/p
"All Aboard The Twitter Train, SMBs!"
This is a great article and a must-read. It doesn't just wax lyrical about using Twitter, it explains why and how. It covers:
Networking.
Market research & lead generation.
Improving your local search rankings.
Customer service & reputation management.
Take orders via twitter.
Fill last-minute inventory.
Engage in community activism.
Twitter as an extension of local search.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/o
"An Interview With Queen Rania of Jordan On How Twitter Can Help Change The World."
Okay, so you're not gong to change the world, but this story illustrates what enormous impact social media can have, so are you going to use it to shape your brand image? Or are you going to let others shape it for you?
Link to original article: http://griff.in/m
"Just Because You Offer A Free Service, It Doesn't Mean Your Users Aren't Customers."
There's a body of opinion that if you are using a service for free, you can't expect to be treated like a paying customer. That's wrong. There is plenty of debate around about why that's so, but all I wish to say here is that if you have some service you offer for free and you treat those who use it as anything less than valued customers, they never will become paying customers. If it carries your brand name, it should live up to everything that your brand stands for.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/k
"Cabinet Office hires £160,000 Twitter tsar."
A bit of a long-shot, really, this one. At a time when many companies still have no idea who should be in charge of their website (is it marketing or IT?) the idea of appointing someone to be responsible for their Twitter account must seem far-fetched.
"We live in a digital age, and we have to make sure we engage with people," said a Cabinet Office spokeswoman.
A lot of companies, in my experience, have yet to fully grasp that point, which is of course to your advantage if you wish to exploit it. Twitter could be part of your social media mix too.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/j
"Dive into Social Media Now."
The subtitle to this interesting article "Your competitors know that Twitter, Linkedin, and the rest of the social media gang are a communication channel between you and your consumers. Do you?" pulls no punches and they mke a few interesting points.
Here's what I would say: Google your own company and see what comes up, then Google your competitors and see what comes up. Are you happy with what you see?
Link to original article: http://griff.in/h
