Tag: social media
Accessories For The Social Media Savvy
As a small business, we’re constantly looking for new gadgets and accessories for the office and at home. As official social media addicts, we’re always looking for objects that scream social. Usually we lean towards the super functional but sometimes it’s ok to break the mold! What follows is a list of some really cool social media related accessories that any addict would be proud to own!
Facebook Like And Dislike Stamps
It seems like there’s always documents to review, copy to edit and decisions to be made. Why not take some pressure off yourself and invest in these like and dislike stamps? There’s no doubt that they’ll change the way you revise just about anything. Be warned though, recipients may not be thrilled with a page that’s filled with dislikes. To Buy: Urban Outfitters $14
Custom Twitter Mug
Have you ever wished your Twitter followers were around 24/7? If so, this customized Twitter mug is your new best friend. Interested buyers can sign in using their Twitter account and then select up to 108 friends whose profile pictures will be plastered across the white china mug. Potential buyers should be aware that the photos on the mug are permanent, unlike most followers on Twitter. To Buy: Crowded Ink $15
You “Tube” Socks
If you love Youtube and you occasionally wear socks, this is your lucky day! Proclaim your passion for the video search engine behemoth by sporting these super nerdy tube socks. Wear them with capris or shorts to receive the best possible reaction. To Buy: Google Store $6
Android Cookie Cutter
Everyone loves cookies, especially when they’re shaped like the adorable Android mascot! Chocolate chip, shortbread, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, the options are endless! There’s no guarantee that they won’t burn, but you can guarantee that your friends and family will appreciate the tasty Androids. If you’re Steve Jobs, you may want to bake the Android shaped cookies and then destroy them violently in a fit of rage. To Buy: Google Store $8.80
Social Media Clock
Being on time can be difficult, especially when you’re super busy catching up with all your friends on Facebook, followers on Twitter, blog posts on WordPress and videos on Youtube. With this social media clock, you’ll never miss a meeting or forget to check your social networks again! Stay prompt and keep your walls looking fabulous. To Buy: walldecoration shop on Etsy $30
Windsor Star Reader Report: Social Media Day in Windsor
The Windsor Star
BY JASON VIAU/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
June 30th 2011
WINDSOR, Ont. — Social media has increasingly become a necessity for businesses in Windsor to achieve optimal client engagement.
Many local entrepreneurs are utilizing free online tools — such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn — to attract clientele, connect with consumers and stay competitive in both the local and global markets. Social Media Day marks its second annual event Thursday and encourages social media gurus all over the world to celebrate and interact with other likeminded web enthusiasts.
Known on Twitter as hashtag, #SMDay, the concept was created by Mashable — a news, technology and web culture source — and designed to foster the use of advanced technology and promote the ability to send real-time information around the globe. Last year’s event encouraged more than 12,000 tech fanatics to celebrate social media technologies at over 600 venues in 93 countries. The success of the gathering lead Victoria, B.C. to declare Social Media Day an official holiday. Human beings aren’t the only ones to attend communal events — an alpaca, the most social animal on the planet, pranced into the Social Media Day party in Cleveland last year.
Last minute efforts to assemble Windsor’s first Social Media Day came to fruition after Daryna Kulya, a business and computer science graduate from the University of Windsor and a local tech-savvy social networking advocate, supplied a location and promoted the event. Prior to this, the nearest location to celebrate the occasion was at Motor City Casino in Detroit, which is expected to attract 1,000 techies.
“I thought it would be good to increase awareness, have people connect and put Windsor on the map,” said Kulya.
Social media is one component of a business’s success and many seasoned entrepreneurs strongly encourage new startup ventures to integrate this marketing strategy into their business plan.
“I think with social media we are starting to see a lot more startup (businesses) and entrepreneurs especially in the younger generation,” said Jessica Apolloni, co-founder of Blab!Media, a Windsor-based company that assists other businesses with social media development.
Katie Stokes, co-founder and CEO of Blab, said companies who don’t take advantage of social tools to market their business on the World Wide Web are “missing out.”
Ali Al-Aasm, co-founder of Red Piston, a company specializing in building applications for mobile devices in Windsor, said he surmises social media to be a new advertising concept, one where others advertise for you even though they may not realize it.
“People will push products to succeed if they feel a connection with the company,” said Al-Aasm.
The amount of time spent on social media websites will dictate the return on your investment and Pina Ciotoli, co-founder of WindsorEats, a company which showcases local eateries, refers to social sites as an “invaluable” resource. Although they are free, she says, you’re essentially paying with the amount of time spent socializing and interacting with your followers.
“I definitely don’t say that having a social media account for your business is free. Sure, the application is free for you to use but you have to input the time and the energy to keep it going. It’s not something that you just create and leave on its own and think ‘I’m done with that,’” said Ciotoli.
Ciotoli’s brother, Adriano Ciotoli, is the co-founder and has been the “face” of WindsorEats since its inception in 2004. He said applications such as Facebook and Twitter have been essential to achieving truthful and honest feedback from his patrons but cautioned that if used improperly it can lead to a loss of traffic to any business.
“A lot of the things we do is through feedback that we’ve gotten from people through social media.” said Adriano
“If you use (social media) as a one-way communication it’s almost certain you will fail. You really have to leave it open for dialogue. It has to be a two-way street and you have to give as much as your taking but you can’t think of it as traditional advertisement where your just pushing a message,” he added.
When selecting specific tools, social media whiz Stokes says companies shouldn’t spread themselves thin and attempt to use every platform but instead track down an audience, seek out competition and assess which programs best suit the businesses’ needs.
“I think it’s important to note that just because there are hundreds of social media networks does not mean that every business needs to go out and open an account on every single one of those,” said Stokes.
“Social media is not the be-all (and) end-all. You can’t just have social media accounts and expect your business to have sales through the roof. It’s more so apart of a successful marketing strategy … if you choose to ignore it you’re ignoring a place where you can interact with your customers.”
Large corporations such as Kodak are taking note of the growing trend and realizing the importance of social media as it has become more prevalent in recent years by employing a chief listening officer (CLO). Beth LaPierre is Eastman Kodak’s first CLO and compares herself to an air traffic controller as they are responsible for safe and efficient flow of air traffic; she is at the helm of ensuring the efficient flow of social media data.
“As far as importance goes you’re seeing large corporations now creating positions called CLOs … it just goes to show how serious that businesses are taking it and rightly they should be,” said Adriano
Social media use amongst small businesses has doubled over the past year from 12 per cent to 24 per cent and one-fifth actively used social media as a snippet of their marketing strategy according to a study sponsored by Network Solutions, a company with the sole objective of providing resources to small businesses, and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. The study also revealed that 75 per cent of small businesses surveyed have a company page on a social networking site. Firms in the education, health and social services sectors rely more heavily on social media to convey their message.
“It’s really neat to see the kind of scope that social media does bring to a small business who can’t afford to pay the regular prices for advertising. It’s hard for me personally to front that cost until my business gets to a point where I can really really justify it. Social media is my primary source to get out there,” said Shane Potvin, founder of a locally-based web design, branding and illustration company.
He added that the vast majority of his business comes through referrals, whether it be word-of-mouth — which he describes as “old school media” — or social networking sites.
Potvin said he utilizes his iPhone as a mobile social tool and interacts with clients via Twitter and Facebook and responds to emails, all while waiting at the dentist’s office. He said he believes the future of social media will be a lot more automated and hopes it will promote more entrepreneurship.
We’re still dealing with the old way of things and the new way of things. I’m tired of not being able to do everything in one place. I hope it moves towards a world where business people can latch on in a certain way and personal can latch on and there is some division,” said Potvin.
“Moving forward we’re going to get so heavily connected …”
To see the original article click here
Can I Be Your Friend? Viral Video Promotes English Opera
Every once and a while a viral video on Youtube makes a big impact. Just last week I came across this promotional video for The English National Opera. The video is being used to promote a new opera entitled Two Boys and the performance is said to “lift the lid on the risks of life online.” To spread their message, they created an entertaining video that features one man roaming around and approaching strangers in public to ask them questions. The video is intended to open our eyes so, as social media users, we become aware that the way we’ve been conditioned to act online isn’t necessarily normal or safe. Sometimes it takes a video to make us realize that online interaction does not translate to human interaction as seamlessly as we’d like to think. Watch the video below and let us know what you think.
Class of 2011: If Social Media Were a High School
We’ve all been there, flipping through the high school yearbook, drawing devil horns, speech bubbles and hilarious things over the photos of our fellow classmates. Take a second and imagine if social media were a high school. Would Facebook be a jerk? Would Twitter ever stop talking? Luckily for us, the vast world of social media comes with it’s very own stereotypes and this entertaining info graphic reviews them all.
See the original blog post here
Windsor-Essex County Celebrates National Foursquare Day!
Saturday April 16th is National Foursquare Day! Hundreds of cities around the world are making plans to celebrate Foursquare and Blab! Media wants Windsor-Essex County to be one of them! We’re both fellow Foursquare users and I must say, we take the competition pretty seriously. In the past year there has been a significant increase in the number of users in our area. I’m always delighted (somewhat haha) when I go to a new place and check-in to find that there is already a well established mayor. There are even times where I’m forced to fight for my mayorship by checking in more frequently. The one thing that Windsor is missing is the incentives to keep the competition going! If more local businesses took the time to explore Foursquare and see how it can work for them, it would be a win-win situation. As a user, you need motivation to sign up and to use Foursquare religiously. If businesses offered incentives to mayors or for a certain amount of check-ins, you can bet that users would appreciate the acknowledgement. That’s not to say that Foursquare is the single and only way to drive traffic to your business, but when used appropriately with an effective marketing strategy, it can really change things!
It’s for these reasons that we wanted to get involved and show Windsor-Essex how Foursquare works and why it’s so great for businesses and customers alike. Blab! Media is inviting the community to a local swarm party sponsored by Lakeshore Cinemas and Pepsi-co on April 16th. Foursquare users who check-in to Lakeshore Cinema between 1pm and 4pm will receive a special deal that includes admission to any matinee playing between 1pm and 4:30pm, a Pepsi product, and a small popcorn for just $6! You can also enjoy a free Foursquare Day cupcake provided by Brittany Hazelton! Who doesn’t love a great movie deal on a Saturday afternoon? Bring some friends, family or just your smart phone and help support a local businesses that’s ready to take a serious look at social media!
This national day was created by fellow Foursquare lovers and has now grown into a grass-roots celebration of social media as a positive force within the community. Foursquare has helped businesses succeed and created an awesome experience for users that has friends and complete strangers battling it out for badges and mayorships. April 16th is a chance for users to declare their support for Foursquare by taking some time to explore their neighborhood and it’s also a chance for non-users to get acquainted with the concept and learn more about why Foursquare is an excellent addition to a marketing strategy.
If you haven’t heard of Foursquare, this is the perfect time to expand your knowledge. Foursquare is a location based application that lets users “check-in” wherever they go, leave tips, suggestions, win badges, connect with friends and explore the world they live in. From a business aspect, Foursquare is a seriously valuable tool for generating new business, creating incentives for potential customers and rewarding loyal customers. As a business, you can offer customized deals that are rewarded at any check-in, after a certain amount of check-ins, or only to the mayor. You can see how many people are checking into your business and most importantly what they’re telling other people. Foursquare also has a mobile app so smart phone users can check-in or leave tips anywhere, and at any time.
For users, nothing beats the sense of competition. You’re pitted against your friends on a public leader board, scoring points for check-ins, and your profile proudly displays the amount of mayorships you’re currently holding and how many badges you’ve unlocked. The badges are an exciting reward system for users that keeps the application fresh. There is a badge for checking into the same place 3 times in one week, for taking 10 trips to the gym in 30 days and even for finding three venues with a photobooth. The best part about celebrating Foursquare day is the special badge users will receive for checking in on April 16th. But that’s not all, if 50 users check-in within three hours at the Foursquare Day event sponsored by Lakeshore Cinemas and Pepsi-co, they will also be the proud owners of a Swarm Badge, which is an impressive achievement!
Blab! Media is proud to be partnering with a local business that’s so excited about this opportunity. There are so many businesses in Windsor that have a presence on Foursquare and aren’t even aware yet. That’s what this day is all about, creating that awareness and encouraging these businesses to dig deeper and see what the application can do for them. All we want to achieve is the chance to inspire some local businesses and bring the community together for a fun afternoon at the movies!
For more information about the event, check out our Facebook page!
Twitter Celebrates Five Years!
Happy fifth Birthday Twitter! It seems almost preposterous that the social media behemoth has already survived 5 years and in reality, things are far from slowing down! Just like any successful business, Twitter has a story to tell so it only seems fitting to take a look back, see how Twitter started, and how it became the platform it is today.
Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone, all programmers at Odeo Inc in California, were the creators of Twitter. They were looking for a way to send messages on their cell phones while trying to re-invent a dying company and thus Twitter was born. On March 21st 2006 Jack sent the first tweet “just setting up my twttr” and in the blink of an eye, a communications revolution had begun. The name was originally inspired by Flickr and was chosen over other alternatives including FriendStalker and Dodgeball. The dictionary definition of Twitter is “a short burst of inconsequential information.” According to Jack it was the perfect name because that’s exactly what the product was.
Fast-forward today, 200 million users later, and an early tweet in 2006 by Dom Sagolla stating “Oh, this is going to be addictive” seems quite accurate! Almost 460,000 new twitter accounts are started each day and more than 140 million tweets are sent out on a daily basis. Twitter has exploded from 8 employees in 2008 to over 400 and still growing. Because Twitter is a private company, their sources of revenue are not completely clear, but they list their revenue at a modest $150 million annually. They also license their stream of tweets to Microsoft, Google and Yahoo. Twitter is said to be worth about $4.5 billion dollars. The possibilities for the future are endless. Twitter could start selling traditional ad space on their site or even start charging for premium accounts that push business to their sites. The only thing we know for sure is that Twitter is no fad!
The 140 character “tweets”, which are the heart and soul of the site, are a length that was chosen for a reason. The founders knew that the limit for SMS was 160 characters so they figured 140 characters would leave enough space left over for a username. At first, typing in 140 characters seemed outrageous to a person with a lot to say like myself, but the micro blogging platform is one you become used to and it forces you to focus on what matters instead of wasting characters on nonsense.
These 140 character updates have ultimately changed the media, business and even the world of politics. News has a new medium with live tweeting and updates, political messages are now widespread and no longer controlled by a single group of leaders, and businesses are re-defining customer service and employee communication. The future seems bright with Twitter as new technological advances and creative uses of the platform are popping up everyday. So, in honor of five years, it only seems fitting to honor the social media giant that started a communications revolution and has allowed us to declare our cereal addictions, bad habits and personal preferences to the world since 2006. Cheers Twitter, may we celebrate many more years in the future!
How Social Networkers Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
The internet is buzzing with updates and party plans surrounding this Thursday’s big celebration; St. Patrick’s Day! It’s no secret that some of us go all out with green outfits, face tattoos, and beads galore, while others simply prefer a visit to McDonalds for a Shamrock Shake. Take a look at what social networkers have to say about the day of the Irish and see how your opinions vary from others.
Infographic courtesy of Lab42
Networking With Your Smartphone
It seems like the process of networking has changed a lot over the past few years with the development of new technology. Gone are the days of filing business cards and keeping business contacts on blocked social media profiles. Things have changed and the wide world of mobile apps has a lot to do with it. We’re using our smartphones to make our lives easier in every aspect so why not use them when we make new connections? Take a look at our top three mobile apps to help push your networking practices into the 21st century.
Hashable
Described as the “ultimate networking app,” Hashable offers a unique user experience that takes it roots from the check-in craze. Sure, all your friends are checking in to restaurants and TV shows, but have you ever considered the concept of checking in with a person? Luckily for us, Hashable has! As a user you can track your meetings, calls and other events either privately or publicly which makes it easier for you to remember who you spoke with and why. You can type in another persons email address or Twitter username to exchange contact information directly with them and you can even expand your network by watching who your friends connect with.
One of the great things about Hashable is it allows you to connect and network on the go through your smartphone so if you make a connection in an unexpected place, you don’t have to worry about not having a stack of business cards on you. What Hashable focuses on is tracking your strongest relationships and in a world so heavily dependant on constant communication, this free app makes the stress of networking and keeping in touch less of a burden.
CardMunch
Have you ever lost an important business card and in turn, an important contact? If you answered yes then this app is definitely for you! CardMunch allows you to take a photo of a business card and it then pulls important information like the name, phone number, email, website, and address, and creates a new contact on your phone in seconds so you’ll always have that contact’s information no matter where you go. Business card enthusiasts can leave their binders at home because this app will save you a lot of storage space! With a simple flip of your phone you can also view all the business cards you’ve snapped photos of in a beautiful rolodex style.
If you’re a fond user of Linkedin, you’ll be happy to know that CardMunch is owned by Linkedin so scanning a contact’s business card and adding them to Linkedin through the app is only a one-click process. As a user you’ll also have the option to use the search function if you’re looking for someone but can’t quite remember his/her name. As for storage, CardMunch can either add your contacts to your iPhone address book or create a separate CardMunch address book to keep you more organized; the choice is yours. On top of all these features is peace of mind. CardMunch automatically backs up all the contacts you’ve added through the app on your web account so you can log in anytime, anywhere, and retrieve lost data.
I think the best part about this app is that it’s completely free! As networking professionals, we’re always looking for tools to make mundane tasks easier and to integrate social media into our every day lives so CardMunch is definitely worth it!
Quora
Networking online can be a difficult process. It’s never easy to find the right people in the right place and as a business person you never want to scare them away with a sales pitch. The folks at Quora must have asked themselves, “Why doesn’t the internet have a place where professionals of any ranking can ask business questions and participate in conversation?” After some intense brainstorming and planning, Quora was born! As a networking professional, using your skills online is important and Quora helps connect you to a vast array of people including CEO’s of major North American companies and even business enthusiasts who just want a place to connect and talk.
Using your knowledge on a specific subject to help another business person in need, is better than any hard sale tactic that would typically drive them away. What Quora does is give you an opportunity to show others what you’re made of and have intelligent discussions about topics that are near and dear to you. As a user you can ask or answer any questions you want, you can follow topics that interest you, communicate through messages, add connections and create a biography. You can log in via the website or through the free app for your smartphone. This is one social network you can’t afford to miss out on!
Blab’s Social Media Oscars 2011
After spending a few hours watching the Academy Awards and catching up with the red carpet gossip on Twitter, we couldn’t help but wonder what the Oscar ceremony would be like if instead of actors and actresses, the crowd was filled with brands and businesses vying for the top spot. Imagine McDonalds rubbing elbows with American Express, and Chapters walking down the red carpet with Ford. In honor of the yearly event we’ve decided to nominate businesses that truly deserve a Social Media Oscar for their dedication and creativity.
The Best Interactivity
There’s nothing better than visiting a social media fan page and being able to truly interact with the brand by sharing content and helping to build the community online. This Oscar belongs in the hands of Mountain Dew. Their wall is filled with posts giving suggestions on new flavours or campaigns, people confessing their love for the product and sharing photos, videos and stories of their experience with the brand. You can’t fake brand loyalty like that.
The Best Sense of Humor
It takes a lot to convey a joke through a status update but the people over at Skittles seem to be doing just fine. There’s nothing quite like a good giggle and there are no shortage of them on the Skittles fan page. Silly updates, questions, and just plain crazy antics cover their wall and their fans can’t get enough. Skittles has a quirky brand personality and it shows in their advertising and their social media efforts, which makes the brand not only entertaining, but cohesive across all platforms.
The Best Promotions
Everyone loves a great deal, especially when it’s available to a social media community. For quite some time now, Chapters Indigo has been rewarding their online fan base with exclusive savings that deserve a standing ovation! They’re always adding new tabs with discounts online and in-store that you only get if you become a fan on Facebook. It’s a great way to spark some conversation within the group and get people talking about what they plan to use the coupon to purchase. Partially rewarding loyalty and partially learning more about their customers buying habits, it’s a win-win situation!
The Best Creative Use Of A Platform
It’s all about what’s happening next, what’s trending next and what else is possible in the future and that’s why this Oscar goes to Threadless for outstanding innovation! As a Facebook user you can check out their new t-shirts, let your friends know what you think, and order them in your size right from the Threadless Facebook page. They also have a frequently asked questions tab built in to address user concerns about things like shipping and returns since they can buy directly from the page. It’s the integration of this technology that earns Threadless the top spot for creative use of the Facebook platform. Plus who doesn’t love t-shirts?!
The Best Overall Community
Winning this award was not an easy task but Mashable deserves it! In our opinion, the definition of the best overall community is a place where we can go to interact with other users, share opinions and comments freely, keep up with current news and most importantly, educate ourselves. With tons of resources and a great user environment, Mashable never fails to impress. Congratulations to the social media giants for winning over The Academy this year.
Which companies do you think deserve awards for their social media efforts?
Tim Hortons To Roll Up More Winners After Social Media Frenzy
This past Monday marked a milestone for Tim Hortons as they started yet another Roll Up The Rim event. This year was different though, the company was determined to change things and this sudden reaction came from a serious backlash through social media platforms in 2010. There were blogs simply dedicated to keeping track of how many coffees were winners, there were angry social media status updates and countdowns which undermined the company by stating that the odds were horrible and the contest simply wasn’t worth it anymore. With people all over the country getting fed up with Tim Hortons, the company knew they had to make changes fast for the next Roll Up The Rim event; and that’s exactly what they did.
As of 2010, Tim Hortons claimed that the odds of winning a prize were 1-in-9 and that these odds are audited daily when producing new cups for the contest. The number of available food prizes are part of the changes Tim Hortons made to the Roll Up The Rim contest this year. Last year there were 31 million food prizes and this year that number has been bumped up to 47 million to increase the overall odds to 1-in-6 and boost the number of winning cups by about 50%.
Tim Hortons has also decided to offer social media users something extra in hopes of drowning out the complaints. They created a photo builder on their Roll Up The Rim page that allows users to upload a photo of their choice with a frame and multiple statement options such as “I ♥ RRRoll Up!” They’ve even added a RRRoll up the Rim Roulette game on their website that gives registered users an extra chance to win every day by spinning the wheel for a $25 Tims card or the grand prize of free coffee for a year. If you’re a big fan, don’t forget to enter into the Longest Rolling RRR contest. All you have to do is record your longest rolling RRR right on the Time Hortons website and upload it with a photo. Your entry is automatically entered and posted to Facebook for fans to view. Who knew coffee could be so interactive?
It seems like the coffee giant has really taken a lot of things into consideration. I’d like to congratulate them on being so proactive by taking the time to listen to their customer complaints, researching their online brand reputation and using this information to move their business forward. This is a great case study for businesses of all sizes! Sometimes it’s difficult to research all the negative comments and feedback, but in the end, the more you know the more changes you can make to improve customer experiences and repair any damages your brand may have encountered online and offline.