A new social network targeted at non-profits is geared to help searchers find causes close to their heart.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy.com recently reported in their article, “Facebook Co-Founder Starts Philanthropic Social-Networking Site” on Chris Hughes’ latest venture, Jumo. This new social network focuses on engaging people with issues and causes that mean something to them, and eventually will donate money towards. Jumo—which means “together in concert” in Yoruba, a West African language, is the latest brainchild of Facebook’s co-creator and is still in the planning stages. However, those that visit the Jumo site now can be part of its development by answering questions designed to determine what will appeal to the users.

The SSN Take: Business is business, profit or not – social media can be a very productive tool for any of them.

Melody K. Smith, March 23, 2010
Note: Post was not sponsored.

With 1.6 billion of us now connected to a computer that is connected to the Internet, social media has formed its own community.

Reminiscent of the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation, social media has assimilated users into reporting live events which often result in changing those events. Forbes.com recently reported on this phenomenon in their article, ‘The Rise Of  The Social Nervous System”. Referencing the Mumbai attacks, Obama’s presidential campaign, and even tracking of the H1N1 virus, the author offers these as evidence of how a single virtual system has connected the physical world. He also points out that this growth has caused a shift in how we view privacy, taking it from a right to a responsibility.

The SSN Take:  The potential for ongoing learning with social media applications continues to grow.

Melody K. Smith, March 23, 2010

Note:   Post was not sponsored.

Ever since Twitter came into the social media scene, there have been Twitter royalty who propagated its existence that resulted in massive followers and popularity.

It is like high school all over again with the cheerleader and quarterback football player being the “in” ones to know – at least that is how Justin Kownacki puts it in his recent blog post titled “How “The Influencers” Use Twitter to Make a Difference”.  In his quest to find out how to be an influencer instead of at the other end of that equation, he requested interviews with 40 Twitter users with followers over 10,000. Fifteen responded and thirteen actually had time to answer the six-question survey.

His initial question was about how hard they had to work to gain the quantity of followers they currently have, or was it accumulated organically? Though the answers varied, the consensus seemed to be that a user needed to provide information found interesting or valuable to others and be sincere in their desire to meet and network with other users.

Another interesting question was if the number of followers affected the quality of their feedback?  The answer was a resounding yes with a few “buts”. It seems you also get more flack mixed in with the feedback, and the users don’t find that meaningful.

To me, the most significant question involved what you could accomplish today with these Twitter followers that you couldn’t before they grew into such a large number? Isn’t that the important question? Yes it is fun to meet people virtually and engage in some interesting conversation and data sharing, but ultimately it comes down to the age-old WIIFM (“what’s in it for me)? The primary answers were informal research – with an audience of over 10,000 you can ask a question and get some interesting answers, though statistically challenging; and the other was access to other great content – finally, we have found the illusive pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. Broadening the breadth and width of your information net can only reap a better selection and hence, quality of content.

Melody K. Smith, March 22, 2010

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Small business owners feel both the results and the time commitment exceeded their original expectations.

TMCnet.com recently reported in their article “Small Business Use of Social Media Doubles” that the number of small businesses utilizing social media has doubled in the last year.  The survey showed small business are using a variety of social media mediums, i.e. blogs, FaceBook, etc. and that 22% of them believed it has positively affected their profit margins. Acknowledging the difficult market conditions, 45% expect their social media investments to be profitable within the next twelve months. Small business owners are realizing the benefits beyond specific profit increases, with enhanced collaboration among suppliers, ease of communication internally and externally, and increased focus on customer service.

The SSN Take: Social media is a great, inexpensive way for small business owners to engage new customers.

Melody K. Smith, March 20, 2010

Note:   Post was not sponsored.

If you are planning a second career, these trends and projections in jobs growth over the next eight years can help chart your course.

Realonlinedegrees.com’s recent article, “The Future Trends of the Job Market” shares a chart of future employment projections based on current trends and data, and with no surprise, technical/scientific jobs top the list of expected job growth over the next eight years.  The chart goes on to compare employment areas that are expected to grow with the education required to reach the level of income you wish to earn. This trifecta of data can certainly lay out a path for those considering their education options fresh out of high school, as well as those looking to start a second career as an adult.

The SSN Take: Whether at the beginning of your career or starting over, these trends can help you make tough career decisions.

Melody K. Smith, March 19, 2010

Note:   Post was not sponsored.

Newly released commandments to guide your adventure in social media marketing might prevent some backfires.

Search Engine Journal’s recent article “Do’s & Don’ts of Social Media Marketing” lists sixteen “rules” that can guide even a novice through the steps of laying out an effective social media marketing plan. Don’t let the number of rules intimidate you as they aren’t difficult nor do they require a doctorate in research sciences. They are straightforward and sometimes obvious steps to remind the user of often overlooked key points or strategies.

For example, number six in the rules points out that to be effective in social media, you need to be social. Though that seems obvious, there are many desktop surfers out there who would prefer to remain behind the keyboard and not interact, even virtually.

The SSN Take: Take time to read the rules; they will be beneficial to anyone whether they are starting out or have been down this road many times.

Melody K. Smith, March 18, 2010

Note:   Post was not sponsored.

After the explosive onset of social media aggregators, they have one by one, or two by two, met their demise.

CNet.com’s recent article, “Why the social-media aggregator has croaked”  blames the disappearances of these “news rakes” on the social media giants — FaceBook, Twitter, and the newest member of the Titans, Google Buzz. Control over when and how much seems to be the real reason for the disinfatuation users have with the many social media aggregators available. With the attention deficits average users have on a particular topic, they want control over the time span they will receive data on a particular subject as well as the quantity that comes flooding in. The overload of data using these social media aggregators has turned most users off and on to features of their social media site, such as FaceBook’s sharing.

The SSN Take: Even data junkies want control over the frequency and quantity of their incoming information.

Melody K. Smith, March 17, 2010

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Newly released research from Nielsen Online determines women are more likely to use social media on a mobile phone.

NielsenWire.com recently reported this not really surprising news in their article, “For Social Networking, Women use Mobile More Than Men”. Though men will always love their gadgets and techie toys, women were found to use their mobile phones to actively participate in social media sites like Twitter and FaceBook 10% more than men. What was surprising was the age group 35-54 had more active social networking users than any other age group. However, it should be noted that this particular age group spanned nearly 20 years while the others were half that. If you broke that down, the 25-34 age group would supersede usage, and that isn’t surprising.

The SSN Take: If you are looking for a primary target market, look to the ladies.

Melody K. Smith, March 16, 2010

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A 10-year study on teenagers’ media consumption and trends diagnoses print in a terminal condition.

MediaWeek.com recently highlighted the findings of this study in their article, “Teens Into Social Media, Not Newspapers”. The study was done by the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California Annenberg School and the findings revealed most teenagers get their current affairs and news online. Discarding the power of advertising and traditional news forms such as newspapers, teenagers embrace the control they believe they have over their lives, and this only continues to grow as they age. This doesn’t mean Facebook is their Holy Grail since adults are permeating those walls as well and it soon may well be seen as old school as well. What will remain is the interest in communities, virtual or otherwise.

The SSN Take: Teenagers spent the majority of their time in front of some type of screen, whether it is television, computer, iPhone, iPod, etc. Marketers targeting that age group should keep in mind it isn’t print materials that reach them.

Melody K. Smith, March 15, 2010

Note:   Post was not sponsored.