Blogging Strategy: Extending Your Voice To The World
Posted on 14. Dec, 2009 by Zahid Lilani. 7
Jeremiah Owyang is very well known social media strategist and was recently in Doha, Qatar for ictQatar. He did a keynote presentation about blogging strategy in general and how to connect to the world.
Owyang’s presentation is insightful and informational. Without getting too political, I would like to outright say that blogging is form of expression and self thought process, it serves it purpose well only when there are no boundaries, freedom of speech.
Though it is interesting to see that countries like Qatar and U.A.E are at the forefront of innovation, it is important to point out that blogging is a step by step process. It has to start at the grass roots and then move to the next level, not the other way around.
Weekly Roundup Of Interesting Social Media News Stories
Posted on 13. Dec, 2009 by Zahid Lilani. 4
Weekly roundup of interesting social media news Stories from around the web. Stories are hand picked and not computer generated. I Hope you enjoy your Social Media Sunday.
Groom stops wedding to update his twitter status – by Lauren V. for Examiner
On my wedding day, I was nervous and was chewing gum to pretend I wasn’t. I am sure I am not alone in this, most people are nervous on their wedding day and really don’t think about “anything” else. Spur-of-the-moment gesture or social media addiction? You decide…
Google, Twitter Woo Small Businesses – by Liz Gannes for GigaOM
No one cares if Dell makes millions of Twitter but if more small businesses started making money on Twitter, there will be an increase in small business paying a premium price to stay connected. Both Twitter and Google are betting on this but Google is doing things differently then Twitter.
Yahoo to Expand Facebook Integration – by Juan Carlos Perez for PC World
Maybe Yahoo! wants to try each and everything under the sun before it gives up to Microsoft. I am sorry if you like Yahoo! but Yahoo’s days are numbered and there is a 10% chance that their new social media experiment with Facebook might keep it afloat for maybe couple more years. In case you don’t know, Microsoft invested in Facebook back in 2007 and though this might sound little far fetched, Facebook will some day have the capability and the market share to swallow Yahoo! with Microsoft’s backing.
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Dip In Blog Traffic During Holiday Season?
Posted on 11. Dec, 2009 by Zahid Lilani. 7
As the holiday season nears, if you are in the U.S and your primary audience is North American then you will see a decline in the number of people who visit your blog. I am sure you know what the reason is, people are busy doing other things.
There is not much you can do about dip in blog traffic then to keep blogging with some regularity. You can also do what I am doing this month, slowing down a bit. It is a good time to reflect at the year that was 2009 and see if you can do things differently next year.
I started this particular blog in September and I have experimented with few posts and have been able to understand my audience. I will soon plan out an entire list of goals I would like to achieve next year. Keep and eye out for that and make sure you follow my lead.
Dip in blog traffic is a cyclical event that is predictable every year. Make something out of it by reflecting and learning. Excellent time to listen and generate more ideas.
Social Media + Yahoo! Answers = Aardvark
Posted on 07. Dec, 2009 by Zahid Lilani. 12
Aardvark is like Yahoo! answers but only better because it uses your social media connections to discover the perfect person to answer your question in minutes. The process is very simple, ask a question and get a response within 5 minutes.
Aardvark can be used on the web, through IM tools (Gtalk, AIM, Yahoo! and MSN messenger), Twitter, iPhone and any email program. There is no tedious registration process, it imports the data from your Facebook profile and in future the service plans to incorporate other social networks.
Unlike Yahoo! Answers, you can be at ease that there is a 99% chance that the person answering the question is a real person and not a business trying to push their product. Yahoo! Answers is infested with SEO service companies trying to answer each and every question in order to plug a link in the resource box for better Search Engine Rankings.
I understand you might say what about privacy, well it is simple. You don’t need to add anyone or open up your profile to anyone you don’t know. Just because someone from your extended network is answering your question doesn’t mean they get access to your Facebook profile.
My Aardvark tool of choice is of course the iPhone app. It has a clean interface and you can get a push notification as soon as your question is answered. I love answering questions more than asking questions, it’s just my personality.
Aardvark is excellent if you want to get answers to common questions like best places to eat, exciting places to visit and so on. I have seen people ask complicated questions and I am sure they have received prompt responses.
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The average time Aardvark has taken to answer my question is 2 minutes. Now that’s really amazing, at least someone has figured out how to use social media to answer common questions effectively.
Yesterday, VentureBeat reported that Aardvark is considering a $30 million-plus offer from Google. In my opinion, $30 million is really vey low for a company like Aardvark considering the potential it has. Google can take it to new heights but with an offer like $30 million, seems like Google just wants to get rid of the people who initially founded Vark (ex-googlers).
In any case, my profile on Vark.
What do you think about the acquisition talk? Do you use Vark?
Weekly Roundup Of Interesting Social Media News Stories
Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by Zahid Lilani. 3
Weekly roundup of interesting social media news Stories from around the web. Stories are hand picked and not computer generated. I Hope you enjoy your Social Media Sunday.
Tweetbookz: Social Media Print Company Looks For A Piece Of The Twitter Pie – by Beth Hodgson for InventorSpot
As everyone tries to capitalize on Twitter’s enormous success, innovating ideas are flourishing. Tweetbookz lets you organize the best of your Tweets into a book. The timing of this product is good, perfect gift for the social media enthusiast in your family.
Where Social media heads next? – by Satinder Kaur for ITVoir
I have seen quite a few social media predictions that are exaggerated or simply wishful thinking but this article gets it right with realistic predictions.
Survey: Social Media Makes Kids Better Writers – by David Worthington for Technologizer
The new generation won’t be as dumb as previously thought, at least not when it comes to writing. Blogging and texting makes them better in more ways than previously thought.
Social Media Case Study Round-Up – by Clark Fredricksen for eMarketer
I talked about a similar article last week that talked about social media case studies and ROI, here is another interesting list.
On PR, Social Media and the Evolution of the Web with Robert Scoble – Brian Solis [VIDEOS]
When a geek meets with a PR person, things get very interesting. WARNING: You should have at least 1 hour to kill, the videos are very long and avoid being around kids, Scoble uses the F word.
The Journalist’s Guide to Maximizing Personal Social Media ROI – by Leah Betancourt for Mashable
The 4 Cornerstones of Social Media Monitoring – by Brian Chappell for Social Media Today
How to Build a Social Media Campaign – by Hilary JM Topper for BusinessWeek
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