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Scientists have taken the leap into social media with a special Twitter site called Sciencefeed.

Providing a place for real-time discussion among scientists, University World News reports in their article, “US: Twitter for scientists launched online” about this new adventure that has brought the world wide web full circle. The Internet was originally created for research result to be easily shared and now with the use of social media, that is even more a reality. Sciencefeed will be compatible with various social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and FriendFeed.

Dr Ijad Madisch, founding member and CEO of Sciencefeed says “We hope that it will become a bridge between online scientific networking platforms, scientific databases, and the wider online science world and enable scientists to conduct breakthrough research.”

The SSN Take: Making research results easily shared also makes them easily searchable.

Melody K. Smith, April 29, 2010

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Third-party software developers became alarmed when Twitter engineer Alex Payne recently boasted on his blog about new features for the company’s website.

“If you had some of the nifty site features that we Twitter employees have, you might not want to use a desktop client,” Payne wrote, according to Mark Milian in “As Twitter improves website, app makers push tweets in other directions” on the Los Angeles Times technology blog.

Software makers fear that Twitter is trying to squeeze them out of the market, writes Milian, adding that Payne tried explaining his way out of the jam, saying that the tweaks are built on top of options Twitter already gave to developers.

Now past the point where Twitter’s developers had to spend most of their time and resources making the site reliable, investors are plentiful, revenue from search deals is flowing and Twitter is building upon its website, says Milian.

He advises that the future of third-party applications will be “where Twitter, the company, isn’t.”

The SSN take: It’s a free market. If you’re going to swim (or sink) with a whale, you have to pay attention to where it’s going.

John Sniffen, March 24, 2010

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As a busy CEO, do you find the time to tweet, blog, and update your Facebook status?

CatchFriday, a self-proclaimed “virtual personal assistant” service, argues that even if you do, it’s sporadic at best, and not the best use of your time. Their recent press release, “Why CEOs Are Better Off Outsourcing Social Media Tasks,” describes a CEO who, in neglect of social media persona, must focus on his other “important tasks in the workplace.” They continue to describe the ROI of outsourcing tweets and blogs, having a virtual assistant or copywriter create good content for your online presence.

Where, may I ask, is the marketing department? And if the persona of the individual CEO is valued, then genuine updates are important (see Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsiesh), not those from a  hired copywriter. CatchFriday may have a use, but look within your company for a solution first.

The SSN Take: Social media relies on honest, open dialogue, so be wary of having others write as you or your brand.

Samuel Hartman, March 22, 2010

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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

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The social networking power of ONE is unbelievably BIG! Now that can be good… and it can be bad. But it is a fact.

Remember movie director Kevin Smith who was thrown off a Southwest Airlines flight for being too fat for the last seat on the plane? (He failed the ‘armrest test’ because, said the airline, he didn’t fit when both armrests were in their ‘locked and lowered’ position.) Well, he ranted on Twitter, the web, his blog, and his podcast… and at the peak of this attention, he reached an estimated 1.65 million followers and spawned 354 Google items. Admittedly, Kevin is a high profile guy. The response to the airline was so heavy (kind of like Kevin) that it reportedly briefly crashed the Southwest system.

So it was just as fitting that Southwest issued an apology on Twitter… which, by the way, was not accepted. Ah, the power of ONE at it’s nastiest.

It works both ways though. A San Antonio man was ‘taken’ by 88-year-old actress Betty White after watching her Super Bowl candy commercial—the one where she was tackled in the mud by a pro football player. It was a funny spot and seemed to highlight the star’s long and entertaining career. Well, the fan started a Facebook campaign to convince Saturday Night Live’s executive producer, Lorne Michaels, to ask her to host an upcoming show. The campaign attracted nearly half a million members.

The result? Betty White will host the May 8^th Mother’s Day show… and become the oldest ever to host SNL. Ah, the power of ONE at its best.

The Israeli military called off a planned raid on a West Bank village because one of its soldiers posted the information on his Facebook page, possibly ‘tipping’ the opposition, which uses Facebook too. (Doesn’t everyone?) Not only did Israel ‘unfriend’ the soldier, it court-martialed him. Ah, the power of ONE at its unsneakiest.

The social networking media is a powerful tool that can be used as a carrot and a stick, a hammer, a recommendation, an advisory or a tell-all. And yes, the “I’m taking a bath” messages have given way to even more ‘over-messaging.’ Just after the minister pronounced a Maryland couple husband and wife, the groom pulled out his phone, updated his Facebook page and tweeted, “Standing at the altar with @ (wife’s name) where just a second ago, she became my wife! Gotta go, time to kiss my bride.” Ah, the power of ONE at its stupidest.

One thing for sure: social media is a tool. Use it wisely and it will tweet… er, I mean, treat you well.

***

According to Harper’s Index:

Number of U.S. States that have banned texting while driving: 27

Number of these states that offer traffic updates via Twitter: 25

Hmmm.

***

My, how things have changed in 10 years. According to Wired Magazine:

Things That Are Too Slow

In 1999—mail, processors and modems

In 2009—e-mail, newspapers and DSL

Contents of a Business Plan

In 2002—sell stuff online, get venture capital funding, sell out to Microsoft

In 2009—get publicity via Twitter, ask parents for money, sell out to Google

Notice a trend here? (Oh, by the way, my spell checker, which is only four years old, does not recognize Google, Twitter (no, not like a bird), Facebook and podcast, to name a few.)

Jerry Constantino, March 16, 2010

Jerry Constantino was President and Publisher of PJS Publications, a group of 20 special interest magazines owned by VS&A Venture Capital and later, Primedia. He now writes fiction and blogs irrelevantly at itsnutsoutthere.blogspot.com.

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A quick look at Morton’s The Steakhouse Facebook page sets the theme for the company’s social media engagement: vast.

As “Morton’s Makes the Most of Social Media” discusses, the company takes a multi-pronged approach to social media, trying to  keep it “organic and not make it too mechanical,” says their senior VP of marketing and communications. The interview highlights several excellent uses: a Burgers for Bloggers event, bringing in online food critics; “Tweet-ups” at various locations, allowing customers to review food mid-dine; and the company’s expansive Facebook page with user-contributed photos, reviews, and a host of featured events by the chain. Integral to their plan is bringing footage of all these fun events into YouTube, enticing potential diners to visit the restaurant.

Morton’s claims they were the “first high-end steakhouse company to dive in to social media,” and attributes the continued success of that to simply listening to their guests.

The SSN Take: Follow  Morton’s example and integrate social media sites into your company’s new marketing plan.

Samuel Hartman, March 16, 2010

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Facts show substantial evidence that customers are being reached via the web through marketing which can be highly successful when done properly.

According to “Social Media increases 82% Worldwide: Nielsen report confirms growing power of Bloggerwave’s Business Strategy,” customers are reading blogs more today than ever for news, facts, and reviews on products/services. Bloggerwave has proven that getting your product or service into a blog and having it reviewed increases your traffic, sales, and credibility within the market. Knowledge is power, and this type of data proves that not pursuing blogs and social media as marketing outlets may be an error in judgment more now than ever due to the rising number of potential customers. Go where the customers go to ensure the biggest bang for your marketing dollars and market presence.

The SSN Take: If you blog about it, they will come.

Belinda Sissom, March 9, 2010

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The fact that social media is an ever-increasing part of a company’s online presence is no secret.

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are a great way to get information to a particular audience. However, Benzinga, in “Capitol Communicator: Beware the Legal Issues of Social Media,” warns of being prepared for the negative that comes along with the positive. The article details how American Airlines lost millions due to an angry customer’s parody song on YouTube and the way a company can squander customer trust by not being fully transparent in its postings. If a social media backlash does occur, a company must be prepared in advance. The speed of today’s information demands that marketing and public relations have an immediate response to negativity. This undoubtedly gives customers an incredible amount of power. Will your business work with or struggle against that power?

The SSN Take: Don’t underestimate chance for backlash.

Patrick Roland, March 9, 2010

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“Building A Blog For Corporate SEO“ would have you believe so. Not only that, but an SEO blog, using in-house SEO, hosted on Wordpress – with little variance from that mold. The case made is solid: by extending your web site to hundreds or thousands of indexed pages, search results, and the chances of users finding relevant information are increased. Downplayed by the author are the “other” social media tools, such as Facebook or YouTube. Sorely lacking is a statement on content, and this applies to any medium. A blog is great, sure, but without great content, it will be skimmed over as quickly as a boring Facebook page. The new social paradigm online demands quick, relevant content for users to glean and then hopefully interact with. Even if your company’s blog comes up first on a search, if there’s nothing worth reading, it might as well be last.

Wrap-up: Investigate all forms of social media, from blogs to social networks, making sure you have interesting content for your customers.

Sam Hartman, Feb. 22, 2010

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PewResearch.com recently released a summary of findings regarding the Social Media & Mobile Internet Use Among Teens and Young Adults. This report is part of Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next, Pew Research Center’s series of reports exploring the behaviors, values and opinions of the teens and twenty-somethings that make up the Millennial Generation.

The report addresses various aspects of social media such as blogging – both macro and micro, mobile web use, PC vs. laptop use, and social media site such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. It revealed some interesting statistics and some surprising trends. For example, though teens are bigger users of almost all other online social media applications, Twitter seems to be the exception with only 8% of internet users ages 12-17 using Twitter versus 66% of teens who text. What does this mean? Do teens want their micro-blogging statements to be more personal and specific to the receiver and not thrown out into the web for all to view? Marketers who target the teenage market should consider these revelations in planning their approach. If teens seem to be more interested in what they can do with their cell phone versus a laptop or PC, how do marketers reach their audience?

Another interesting find was that blogging and blog commenting has decreased by half among teens but increased among adults. PewResearch reported 14% of teens state they have a blog compared to 28% in 2006. Adult interest in blogging has remained steady with roughly one-in-ten online adults maintaining a personal online journal or blog. With the interest in blogging staying the course, there would seem to be a commitment to personal blogging and/or journaling. Since most bloggers do more than write on their own site, they engage with other bloggers by commenting and conversing in forums, marketing should consider advertisements that reach their audience in those style of sites.

The report contains more information, data, and statistics and would be a worthwhile read for those specifically looking for ways to reach online audiences.

Melody K. Smith, Feb. 17, 2010

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