Archive for the ‘social media’ Category

An awesome resource created by http://www.facebook.com/DreamStyler

This article and list was posted almost 2 years ago, but it seems that it has been updated from time to time — either way, you may find some gadgets that will be good for you :)

Twitter Tools
Below is a list of various tools for twitter, there are many many more. Please add your comments with tools you use. This list is meant to cover as many utilities as possible. A special thank you to the twitter users that gave me their recommendations, a list is at the end. Add to Delicious – Click Here.

 Desktop Applications for Twitter

twitter seesmic Seesmic allows monitoring of multiple accounts, both on Twitter and Facebook
twitter twhirl Twhirl allows monitoring of multiple Twitter accounts
twitter snitter Snitter – for Mac and Windows
twitter twitterific Twitterriffic – for Mac OS
  MadTwitter – for windows
  Spaz – open source twitter client
  Tweetdeck – deck of tweets? haha

Twitter Organization 

Manage Multiple Twitter Accounts 

Twitter for Companies 

Firefox Plugins 

Send Messages to Twitter using Voice 

Blackberry Client 

iPhone Twitter Apps 

Twitter on any Mobile device 

Twitter on Windows Mobile 

Post via Mobile 

Send via eMail 

Counter to show your twitter followers 

Enhance your Tweets 

Un-follow Someone for Just a Few Days 

Find out who Stopped Following You and Why 

Manage who Follows You and Who You Follow, Recommendations Also 

Top Twitter Lists 

Visual Map of Twitter Posts 

Share Files, Pictures & Videos via Twitter 

Share Quotes and Bits from Webpages 

Monitor Twitter for Keywords & Whats Hot 

Monitor Conversations 

Monitor Trends 

Autoresponder & Setup Automatic Tweets 

Autopost your Blog entries to Twitter 

Evaluate your Twitter Profile 

Twitter Statistics and Graphs for a Twitter Account 

Twitter Dictionary 

Twitter Directory 

  • Twellow – Twitter yellow pages
  • Twibs – Business directory

http://www.longest.com/2008/10/28/top-twitter-tools/

I was a fan of guerrilla marketing – long before I knew it had been given a name. And, I’ve kept an eye on any new Guerrilla marketing articles or books for years. So – I noticed this post and had to share it here —

What is Different about Guerrilla Social Media Marketing

I have been asked by a number of people what the difference is between most brands and a brand that employs guerrilla social media strategies. Today I thought I would share an excerpt from my upcoming book that answers that question.

An excerpt from “Guerilla Social Media Marketing” by Shane Gibson and Jay Conrad Levinson

What is an authentic guerrilla brand?

  • It makes promises and statements that can be backed up today, tomorrow and indefinitely.
  • It is customer-focused and sells and markets to the customer what they need and want.
  • It is consistent, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in any geography or language.
  • It doesn’t take shortcuts for short-term gain; the guerrilla brand builds customers for life.
  • It is, however, fallible; all brands have imperfections and weaknesses, and a guerrilla brand does not shovel these things under the rug. It takes feedback and improves the customer experience.
  • It is accessible. No executives are in an ivory tower; no labyrinths have been built to keep out the unhappy customer.
  • It is focused on a distinct area of true competency and expertise, and that is why people gravitate to the guerrilla brand.

Join our Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/guerrillasocialmediamarketing

Originally posted here – http://www.closingbigger.net/2010/08/guerrilla-social-media-marketing-tips/

I just read this and had to share — great points : ) See – and I started with the 12 benefits to social media :)

20 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Social Media

Written by jeffbullas on August 10, 2010

Social media marketing for business is new and not for everyone. It is being implemented by the innovators and the early adopters that love to lead the pack. It is also a very different way of communicating your brands message and with that comes challenges, opportunities and threats.

There is also the joy of learning new ways of marketing, with that there is often the accompanying pain of mistakes that comes along for the ride.

So maybe you should not use social media because it is not for you just yet!

Here are 20 reasons not to use social media

  1. You are a traditionalist and value the “good old days”
  2. You don’t want to be found
  3. You don’t want to be heard
  4. You have shares in the “Yellow Pages”
  5. You like spending thousands on media you can’t measure
  6. You highly value your perceived privacy
  7. You don’t want to hear what your customers are saying
  8. You don’t want any new customers as you are already too busy
  9. You’re afraid people might say nasty things about you
  10. You want to give your competition a head start
  11. Its a waste of your valuable time
  12. Because its only a fad and it will go away
  13. I like to keep things simple and it’s all a bit complex with Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and all that stuff
  14. I am a real person and I don’t believe in those fake online social networks
  15. Social media sites are largely populated with people who have nothing better to do with their time
  16. Social media is at an evolutionary stage I will wait until it is more mature
  17. I don’t want to be overexposed
  18. If I subscribe or join I will be spammed
  19. There is something better around the corner, I can afford to wait
  20. Social media will reduce real face to face opportunities because I would waste my time online

Are there any other reasons you shouldn’t use social media?

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/08/10/20-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-use-social-media/

How to Scout Whales on LinkedIn

Are you one of the many executives who think social media is frivolous, trivial, and unrelated to your business? Think again! In this article, I explain the value of just one of the social media tools to find a personal introduction into a new large account prospect, to locate employees and past employees that you “didn’t know you knew,” and other valuable information about your prospects.

In The Whale Hunters Process™, once you have completed a Target Filter and created a Whale Chart, it’s time to research those key targeted companies that seem ideal for you. From your research, you create a Scouting Dossier about each potential prospect (download a free dossier form here – http://thewhalehunters.com/free-stuff/46). The dossier contains information you will need to score each company against the Target Filter criteria to determine which prospects will be best for you.

An important component of the dossier is a list of contacts–names and titles of people that you need to meet. In a whale-sized public company, you can find the names of key executives in the annual report and SEC documents. But in a very large company, you are not going to meet the CEO. You need to meet some key executives at one corporate location, or in one division, or in one functional area such as marketing, manufacturing, quality control. That information is harder to find. And once you identify key contacts, you need to find an introduction to them.

LinkedIn, the leading social media tool for building professional connections, allows you to identify and connect with the right people. Here’s how it works for me.

1. Suppose I am a salesperson for a marketing firm, and I want to introduce my services to wedding retailer David’s Bridal. I log in to LinkedIn and search “companies” for David’s Bridal. More than 500 employees of the company are members of LinkedIn, and one of them, the director of eCommerce, is in what LinkedIn calls “my network.” She is directly connected to a person who is directly connected to me, a person that I actually know very well. I can ask my connection to introduce me to the director of eCommerce at LinkedIn. And from that person, who is likely one of the key people I need to meet, I can find other key people at David’s Bridal.

2. Now suppose I represent a software development company that introduces its products to manufacturers. On my Whale Chart is a company named Aethercomm. 37 employees of that company are LinkedIn members, one of whom, the director of business development, is in my network. Now I can request an introduction to that person from the person to whom I am connected.

3. What if I own a print company, and I want to learn how to do business with the National Football League? My LinkedIn search produces more than 500 NFL employees, two of whom are in my network. They are not the right connections for me, however–one is a scout and one is a game official. It’s not likely that they could help me. However, through my network I am “linked,” to five former employees of the NFL. I am not directly connected to these people–rather, in every case, I am connected to someone who is connected to them. It’s a “second-tier” connection. But now I am able to tap my network of immediate connections to request an introduction to someone who could help me navigate the NFL.

And that’s not all. When I did the company search on the NFL, I also uncovered the names and profiles of people not in my immediate network but whom I needed to identify. One of those is the Vice President of Entertainment Marketing and Promotions. That’s a person who could help me connect with the buyers of print services. When I opened his profile, I discovered that I have a “third tier” connection–nineteen of my direct connections have connections to people who have connections to that VP. Once again, I have a network that can help.

In all three of my examples, LinkedIn provides much more than the names and connections. I can learn how long people have worked for the company, where they are located, their job title, where they went to school, and the names of their former employers. In many cases they have online recommendations from people they work for and co-workers. Often I can see their picture. On a company search, you will find information about the company itself. Many companies have their own LinkedIn page. Lots of them also provide a link to their Facebook page, where you can learn even more about their employees and their business philosophy. Former employees to whom you are connected can provide very helpful inside information. When you are researching a very large organization–like the NFL–you’ll find links to each of their divisions or locations, and those links will take you to more connections.

What I haven’t said yet is my most important point: You can’t get any value from LinkedIn unless you become a real part of it. LinkedIn is a powerful research tool for me because I invest time and energy into building my network of relationships within the LinkedIn community:

–I joined LinkedIn and completed an extensive profile.
–I use the site’s internal tools to invite people I meet to connect with me on LinkedIn.
–I receive requests to connect with people and I respond to those requests.
–I join LinkedIn groups and participate in discussion forms.
–The Whale Hunters has a company page on LinkedIn, and I build connections there as well.

As of today I have 559 connections linking me to more than 5 million professionals. 15,000 people within my extended network have joined LinkedIn just in the past three days! Basic membership to LinkedIn is free. I choose to pay a monthly fee for which I get more services– better searches, more introductions, the ability to connect directly with people through “InMail” and so forth. Three levels of premium service are available.

If you are scouting the whales on your whale chart, LinkedIn is a priceless resource. It will save you time and money and it will extend your reach of contacts exponentially.

NOTE – Find us as always at www.thewhalehunters.com. For frequent whale hunting tips and comments, please visit my blog, Whale Hunting with Barbara Weaver Smith.

Whale Hunters Group on Linked IN !  Please join us for news and conversation.

For more information about The Whale Hunters services, please call Juli Yarnall at 888.355.0270 or email jyarnall@thewhalehunters.com.

Saw this awesome article and had to share — http://jimgrygar.byethost12.com/60-twitter-tools-to-track-tweets/

I’ve been finding so many Twitter tools, I want to pass them along that it’s hard to keep track of them all. The Twitter tools I want to keep track of are those that monitor, measure, and analyze Twitterer’s and their traffic. I figured I’d compile them here for your benefit.

  1. Twitter Search – This, obviously, is Twitter’s own search function. You can subscribe to a search via RSS.
  2. TweetBeep – TweetBeep is a “Google Alerts” for Twitter
  3. Tweetscan – Schedule Twitter searches to be sent to your email.
  4. Twist – Like Google Trends for Twitter
  5. TwitScoop – TwitScoop is a real-time tag cloud of Twitter buzz that also allows you to create graphs based on keyword tracking.
  6. MicroBlogBuzz – MicroBlogBuzz tracks the most popular links shared on microblogging services, including Twitter, Jaiku and Identica
  7. Twit(url)y – Tracks popular links and displays them in Digg-like fashion.
  8. Hashtags.org – Hashtags tracks the most popular Twitter posts that include a #hashtag. You can subscribe to an individual hashtag using RSS.
  9. Twemes – Tracks Twitter memes.
  10. TweetGrid – TweetGrid creates a Twitter search dashboard that updates in real time.
  11. monitter – monittor is a real-time keyword-based monitoring service that lets you watch three columns of keyword streams side-by-side. You can subscribe to them using RSS.
  12. ReTweetist – Tracks the most popular retweets.
  13. minn.citytweets.net – Real-time tweets from and/or about Minneapolis.
  14. Qwitter – Qwitter notifies you when someone unfollows you.
  15. Spy – Spy tracks real-time keyword mentions in Twitter, FriendFeed, Flickr, Blog Comments, Yahoo News, Blogs and Google Reader and allows you to subscribe via RSS.
  16. TweetWheel – Finds out which of your Twitter friends know each other.
  17. Twitter Charts – Twitter Charts gives you a visualization of when a particular Twitter user is most active. This is an excellent tool to determine the most opportune time to engage a given person.
  18. twInfluence – Ranks Twitter users’ influence.
  19. TwitterGrader – Grades a given Twitter user according to influence. Includes power users by geographic location; suggests who to follow and allows you to check if someone is following you.
  20. TwitterSheep – Creates a tag cloud of all the words in the bios of a given Twitter user’s followers.
  21. TwitterCounter – Provides stats on a given Twitter user and lets you compare that user to two others.
  22. Twellow – Twellow is a Twitter directory.
  23. TweetBoards – Compare Twitter users side-by-side.
  24. TweetStats – Gives you Twitter statistics about a given user.
  25. TwitterMeter – Twitter Meter allows you to enter a word to graph its use on Twitter’s public feed.
  26. TwitterLocal – Twitter Local is a desktop app that finds Twitter users within a fixed radius of a city or zip code.
  27. Twitter Analyzer – The best Twitter analytics tool I have found to date. Offers a ton of statistics.
  28. Mr. Tweet – A recommendation engine that also provides statistics on your Twitter usage.
  29. Localtweeps – Find Tweeps near you.
  30. Retail Twitter Aggregator – Aggregates the Twitter feeds of a handful of bricks & mortar retailers.
  31. retweetradar – Tag clouds and trends of retweets.
  32. Twubs – Find hashtags.
  33. What The Trend? – Find hashtags that are rising in popularity.
  34. Tagalus – A hashtag dictionary.
  35. Twitclicks – Shortens URLs and tracks clicks.
  36. Bit.ly – Shortens URLs, counts clicks, shows who else shortened a URL and provides metadata about that URL from across the Web.
  37. Tweetburner – Shortens URLs and tracks clicks on Twitter & FriendFeed.
  38. Twittervision – Real-time geographic posts to Twitter.
  39. TweetChannel – Create Twitter channels.
  40. Twitterfall – Real-time monitoring.
  41. Twendz – Real-time Twitter search engine coupled with related keywords & word clouds.
  42. Tweetzi – Advanced Twitter search engine.
  43. Twistory – Pumps your Twitter feed into a calendar application so you can visualize your Tweeting history.
  44. Twitlinks – Tracks most popular tech links from most popular tech Twitterers.
  45. Twitturls – Tracks popular links.
  46. OneRiot – Twitter search engine.
  47. twopopular – Tracks hashtags and keywors in real time or by time intervals.
  48. Tweet Volume – See how often words and phrases are mentioned on Twitter.
  49. TweetEffect – Find out which tweets gained and which tweets lost you followers.
  50. Tweetmeme – Tweetmeme tracks the most popular links on twitter every 5 minutes, categorized by types of content: Blogs, images, video or audio.
  51. Tinker – Aggregates Twitter conversations around topics.
  52. Splitweet – Multi account manager & brand monitor.
  53. Tweetizen – Lets you categorize your followers and then follow only that feed.
  54. Who Should I Follow? – Find new Twitter friends.
  55. FriendOrFollow.com – Find Twitterers you follow that don’t follow you back.
  56. Twitter Friends – Compare your tweeting behavior with other.
  57. Who Follows Who? – Find out the common Twitterers up to five Twitter users have in common.
  58. Socialoomph – Let’s you schedule Tweets and vet followers.
  59. CoTweet – Let’s multiple people manage a single Twitter account in a rational fashion.
  60. TweetDeck – An Adobe Air desktop application for Twitter. I actually use this. It should’ve been on the original list.
twopopular – Tracks hashtags and keywors in real time or by time intervals.

I searched long and hard for a very specific Twitter tool. There are an unlimited number of Twitter gadgets – but I wanted one that I could go to ANY web page – click one button – and create a tweet about it. I wanted this “magic” button to pull the page title, shorten the link and provide a short description. There were many tools and gadgets that did similar things, but none did that for absolutely any page.

Then I found it —

I discovered Twit It. Sounds innocent enough – but its wonderful. I will say up front that I’ve had to “re-install” it several times, but that takes about 2 minutes.

This is the link for this awesome tool -  http://myopiclunacy.com/2007/11/06/microblogging-with-urltea-my-twitter-bookmarklet

This is the explanation that I included in Book Promo 201: Harness the Power of the Internet with Web 2.0 and Social Media Marketing. Twit It is one of over 1200 resource links that I share in this book — you should check it out :)

Here are the instructions to install Twit It -

Twitter has become the place to check out what our friends, competitors and other are doing and what they are interested in. It’s very easy to add content to your Twitter micro blog by using a bookmarklet. I admit it took me ages to find this tool, but it was worth the effort. There are links to all kinds of tools, but I wanted one that would let me submit a link in a click. There is an article about bookmarklets at http://myopiclunacy.com/2007/11/06/microblogging-with-urltea-my-twitter-bookmarklet. Scroll about half way down the page and you will see “Twit It”. Place your cursor on this hyperlink, then drag and drop onto your navigational bar. Next time you want to mark a page, open the page, click on “Twit It” and “submit” and you’re done.

To get more details about Book Promo 201 -

Book Promo 201 – http://bookpromotionservices.com/books/book-promo-201/

Book Promo 201 Reviews – http://bookpromotionservices.com/books/book-promo-201-reviews/

Are you an author with book trailer(s)? You should check out this FB group — http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=126183500747007 .

If you don’t have trailers for your book(s) – you should check out my latest book, its all about using Web 2.0 and Social Media to promote and there are 2 chapters about book trailers – including over 1200 free or low price resource links – many for pictures and music for trailers – http://bookpromotionservices.com/books/book-promo-201/

Below this video, I’ve included the detailed table of contents for the book trailer chapters.

I’ve had a good number of people comment to me that this book is easily worth the cost – just to have all the free and low cost resources that I share — there are over 1200 resource links and over 90% are FREE.  Almost every idea that I share in this book is free – this book is ideal for the budget conscious author or business that wants to use the internet to promote their product or service.

Part Four – Use Audio and Video Multi Media Options

Chapter Thirteen – Book Trailers – What Are They and How Can You Use Them

  • Meet the Requirements For Individual Video Sharing Sites
  • Locations to Post Book Trailers
  • Kyte.tv
  • Preview the Book
  • YouTube
  • YouTube Video Page Content
  • Tube Toolbox
  • Tube Mogul
  • Examples to Help You Learn More

Chapter Fourteen – Creating a Book Trailer

  • Simple Programs to Make a Slide Show
  • Window’s Movie Maker
  • Using Windows Movie Maker
  • The Nuts and Bolts of Windows Movie Maker
  • Free Pictures for Book Trailers
  • Using Pictures to Promote Your Books
  • Free Music for Book Trailers
  • Adding Sound Effects to Your Trailer
  • File Conversion Options
  • Examples to Help You Learn More

After Book Promo 201 was released – I discovered a series of great “bot” programs to add friends and connections to your social media accounts. They all wok well – but I highly recommend the YouTube Blaster program – I’ve switched from Tube Toolbox to YouTube Blaster and am very happy with the way it performs – check this link for more info http://bookpromotionservices.com/blaster/

I just got a new review for my book Book Promo 201 and wanted to share it :)

Nikki Leigh pushes you off the dock into the ocean of the deep web and takes you to a new shore of Internet book marketing. So, get yourself out of your little local pond and let Nikki Leigh show you how to market on the seas of every continent.

Take this book to its highest power and you will be working weeks and weeks to do all the things Nikki Leigh tells you to do, go to all the places she tells you to go, and get a presence on all the sites she says are important to promote yourself to as many people as possible.

Follow Nikki Leigh page after action-packed page and get busy soon after you go to http://www.ebooksonthe.net and buy your download of Book Promo 201: Harness the Power of the Internet with Web 2.0 and Social Media Marketing.

Barbara Garro, MA, NY’s Painter of Flowers
Abstract Synchronism Artist and Author
“From Jesus to Heaven with Love: a Parable Pilgrimage”
Grow Yourself a Life You’ll Love

Call on us to Improve Your Motivation to Paint, Write or
Reach the Weight You Feel Comfortable Weighing

Book Promo 201 Digital Copy – http://www.writewordsinc.com/bookpromo201.html — $6.50

(Kindle Compatible PDF)

Book Promo 201 Print Copy – http://www.writewordsinc.com/bopr20poofin.html — $22.95

I used a very cool tool to unfollow people on Twitter who aren’t following me — FriendAdder — I think. But have been looking for another option lately and preferrably one that is free. There are several that I saw mentioned online – but they seem to “freeze” and don’t appear to work for me.

If anyone has tips to use http://tweetelity.com/ or http://dossy.org/twitter/karma/ feel free to share. I can’t seem to get either to work — kind of embarrassing to admit :)

Today – I found one that seems to work — http://tweepi.com.

You can find all kinds of neat details about people you are following, people who are following you and more.

In little time, it gives you all the up to date information about them and you can easily make the decision whether to follow them or to delete them. One downside is that you have to check every account individually, but still much faster than opening every account and clicking unfollow.

So – what tools have you used to “unfollow” people on Twitter??

UPDATE – March 19 2010

I finally got Twitter Karma to work for me — had to submit the info over and over again, but I did get it to work. Its a nice system and you can pull up just the people you want to unfollow, or several other configurations. I would suggest staying close to the computer and keep resending your request — if you have a lot of followers, it does take time to pull them all up. The accounts I’m working on have over 5000 followers and people being followed, so it is slow. But once the details are gathered, it is very useful :)