IT Media

Conversation.

Yep- that is what the core focus is in Social Media.

Ok- let’s get REAL. If Social Media marketing is about conversation, then should there not be words that fit in to what the culture of social media is all about? Should not you paint a picture with your words? Should your words not elicit feelings and emotions?

Of course they should.

Words are a marketer’s tool box. Here are 11 you need

1) “YOU.”

There is nothing more powerful to a person reading a message or conversation that has the word YOU in it, over and over. Many people have an “I” mentality, and in social media, you are not the deal. The other person or side of the conversation is.

There are 2 forms of conversation in social media::

a) “Contribution” and b) “Distribution.”

” Contribution conversations” contribute to the whole, and add Value to the conversation. “Distribution conversation” distributes the message/agenda you want- and has little inclusion of someone else. Contribution words use YOU many times. Distribution words use “I” or ‘Me” many times. Use the word YOU and become a Contribution Agent in social media, not a distribution rookie.

2) “A Person’s Name.”

Duh. There is nothing more beautiful to a person than their name. This is a given. I am surprised how many tweets, notes, and messages i get and also read that do not say the person’s name. Use their name at least once in every communication and message as it adds to the conversation.

And also, a person will retain almost 70% more of what a message says, if their name is within the first 3 words. Chris Brogan is a master at this. I have seen and studied him, and every time he tweets or sends a message- ususally the name is the first word.

Smart. VERY smart. we all should follow that lead.

3) “Connection.”

This word is an indication that you want to connect and start a relationship of some kind and create an ongoing conversation. Many folks use the phrase “get together” or “meet up” or “network.” Thise words are good- but CONNECT has a power within the word.

Electricity us usable when you connect to it. Same thing as a battery in a car which powers the car. And idea is only powerful when you CONNECT to it. The Power is in the Connection-when 2 things come together. It is the same in new relationships- it is all about CONNECTION.

4) “Tribes.’

This is an interesting word. Seth Godin has a cool book called “Tribes.” I suggest that you read it. But as far as a word for the social media arena, it is a word that helps define that you are within the culture and understand the community aspects of what social media is about.

In tribes around the world, it is all about community and belonging to that community. It is the same in social media. Recently I described the community we are building within a project as an “empowered tribe” and some people got it- and well’others did not.

Make sure if they do not understand the concept of tribes, then you explain it.

5) “Transparent.”

In social media, being REAL is critical. And part of being REAL is being open and transparent. I love it when I read statements like “full disclosure” and people are disclosing that they have an interest or are on some board of a company they are talking about. THAT is so rocking hot. It shows that they are being transparent and nothing to hide and telling the truth.

And that is what social media is about in many respects- TRUTH about you- and what you are and do. THAT is transparency. Use that word when talking about the truth. Just being “transparent” – that says a lot in one word about you.

6) “Strategy.”

Social media without a strategy for it, is like building a house without a blueprint. You need to develop, plan, start, and execute a strategy for your social media success. We call it a “Social Media Path.” What PATH do you plan on developing for your business, and how will that fit into your current model of business? What will be your Primary social media Platform, and what will be your secondary platforms?

PATH stands for “Purpose- Actions-Tracking-How.” what is your PURPOSE for integrating social media into your business? Marketing? Prospecting? Client communication? Customer service? What ACTIONS will it take? Videos? Blogs? Podcasts? Social Networking? What TRACKING system will you use to keep the platforms at maximum pace? And HOW are you going to Execute the Actions? Through employees? Through outsourcing? Through a combination?

Strategy is a word that you just talk about. You need one. And so do others that you know as well.

7) “Branding.”

This word has been around for a while. But you still need it in your focus and communication. Branding is a word that you need to utilize not only in your messages, but your focus as well.

YOU are the Brand is a popular way to discuss social media marketplace image making. But that is not totally true. The PERCEPTION of you is the brand you are building- good or not so good. So make sure that if you use this word in social media this year, you realize that PERCEPTION Rules in Branding.

Brand yourself in the marketplace. But make sure that you focus on the VIEW and FEELINGS people have of you and experience when they think of you—and what you do- and not just some catchy slogan or icon.

8 “Trust.”

You need to be an Agent of Trust. Chris Brogan has a book coming out called “Trust Agents.” Should be a rocking hot book. What about you? Are you an Agent of Trust? Just like a Real Estate Agent markets real estate, you market Trust in all you do. That is the real estate of the heart.

I like to get that word out there quickly-as i believe that people i do not know, that is on their mind. “Can I trust this guy?” And I usually message something like, “Our company helps build leaders and businesses through concepts and ideas that people can trust and feel good about.”

THAT is using the word Trust- to build trust.

9) “Family.”

Some people use “network.” Some use “team.” Some use the word “community.” Some use the word “friends.” I like the word “Family.” it is personal, powerful, and paints a picture of what social media really is building- a family that can help, be there for each other, educate, equip, and empower for greater good.

One thing that I do- and again- just an idea’I welcome everyone on facebook or twitter or youtube or any other social connection with “Welcome to the family!” This says so much more than “thanks for following me” or “appreciate the connection.” We ARE family- and I hope and pray it stays that way.

10) “Value.”

It ia ALL about Value. It is all about the VALUE that YOU bring to the table. It is all about the VALUE of your conversations and contributions.

And it is ALL about the VALUE that you help others see within themselves. Edify. Encourage. Empower. And become a “Carrier of Value” to everyone you meet in social media and GIVE some Value to them.

11) “GIVE.”

This is the MOST important word. GIVE. Why? In social media, it is not the same ol business methodology. It is Biblical- if you will. “Give first- and what you give- you reap.” Giving is the culture of social Media. Why do you think that people give so much rocking hot info on their blogs?

Giving is a Power. It is something that not only is part of the evolving culture of social media, but also the CATALYST of much of what social media has already become. if you are a marketer, New Marketing can be almost threatening to you as it flys in the face of traditional marketing- or does it?

No- not really. It is simply marketing that puts PEOPLE FIRST- not profits. It put RELATIONSHIPS FIRST- not results. And it puts GIVING FIRST- not grabbing for their checkbook.

These are the 11 Critical words that I believe should be included in 2009 in your :

1) Social Media Philosophy. r/>
2) Social Media Conversations.

3) Social Media Marketing Actions.

4) Social Media Core.

If you do, your Success should be rapid in social media marketing.

blessings…doug firebaugh

Social Media Basics

Every single business online must sustain itself with traffic, even if the service and goods it sells are good. A good looking and easy to navigate website won’t help a business succeed if no one is visiting it. There are lots of other ways to plug your business, but its more important to deal with web surfers who are just browsing the web for a good or service your site has. Most surfers use social media sites thanks to the fact that they give many options that include multimedia features and communication. These features make it easy to share info. It is straightforward to draw in folks in selected areas by following these tips.

Complete your Profile ( s ) before beginning

All social media sites have control panels. These control panels let users fill in different fields so the visitors get a greater understanding about who they are working with. On these internet sites one should fill the fields out honestly. The fields include personal information, personal interests, and different websites. With an internet site field you can tack on your website and its interests. The interests can then be changed into keywords that may increase your companies exposure. For every social media website you only have to fill in this information once. After filling in your basic details on a social media website you can focus on revising and updating your profile as time rolls by.

Due to the multimedia features on a few of these websites you can load videos and audio content as well as use text and pictures that spice up a profile and increase interest in you and your business. If you are associated with other websites selling their products and services, you can use their resources to add banners, videos and different graphics to your profile. Make sure you add these resources but make it simple because it isn’t straightforward to navigate a cluttered web site.

Join and play a role in groups concerned in social media.

The greatest social media sites have groups created by its users that have hundreds or perhaps thousands of folks inside them. Each group is category and theme specific. Simply join a category that fits your market or interests to help increase traffic to it. Don’t try too hard to put your self out there as if you used to be a spammer, because people generally hate spam advertising and it could get your account shut down.

Assuming you followed the directions above all you must do is increase traffic to your web profile

Create a link to your net profile.

Social media not only increases web site traffic, but also increase increases your conversion. Thanks to the interaction and personalization of the medium. With the use of profile buttons, sharing resources, and widgets offered by the network you allow the visitors to easily interact with you. If these folks are educated and entertained it can help drive up sales.

Social media selling can hugely increase your web reputation when your business first starts out.

Social media marketing also helps in dominating search engines in your local market. To find additional info find how social media marketing is archived.

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I thought I broke my laptop. I popped in a VCD, which was automatically read by VLC Player Download, and watched the first frames wiggle. The wiggling frame was just one of the effects of the media player that the last user forgot to turn off. Ignorance sometimes visits me and this instance told me to explore the technology I use.

I do know enough to understand that the first plus point of the VLC Player Download is its ability to play a whole slew of video formats. Take your pick: MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, DivX, AVI, Indeo, MJPEG, Sorenson, WMV, Theora, QuickTime, and then some. This is on top of your usual DVD and VCD formats.

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However, a few more tinkering around the VLC Player Download has led me to some interesting features:

1. It crosses regions. DVD regions, that is. Ever faced with that inconvenience of not being able to read that rare, subtitled art film simply because it was in a different DVD region? VLC totally ignores this and plays it for you without complaints. Quality does not suffer.

2. Subtitles are available for most videos on SVCD, DVD, DVB and MPEG4, among other formats.

3. It takes clean snapshots. I know that there are other photo capture software that you can download. However, the VLC Player Download takes clear and sharp captures and saves you the effort and system resources of getting a separate tool. The snapshots are saved on the desktop as .png files. Put the player on slow motion to nail that single shot that you love then get on with the rest of the video.

4. There are little fun toys that you can play with. The VLC Player Download has a few image enhancers up its sleeve, beside the usual contrast-hue-color slide control. Filters include the image clone (view the video on two separate screens), distortion (remember the wiggle episode?), image inversion (which flips the colors to its opposite values), cropping, blurring, and transformation (to vertically-oriented image). I still have to figure out what I’ll be needing these for. But for the moment, I’ll categorize the filters under “nice to have when you want to play and fake work.”

5. You can choose aspect ratio and crop the video to fit the particular ratio you prefer. The player provides you with six options for both cropping and image resizing: 1:1, 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, 221:100, and 5:4.

6. Plays like a book. The VLC Player Download comes with a bookmarking feature that lets you put a finger on the scenes you like or where you left off. No need for fast-forwarding or scanning around the movie (bad if it’s a three-hour feature). The bookmarks alleviate this task, which ought to be left to the 80’s, the time of Betamax and VHS tapes.

7. Great audio quality. The newer versions of VLC Player Download come with DTS support. This will take you to great movie viewing sessions even if you’re on a laptop using the built-in speakers. Even better is the fact that the video quality does not suffer because of this enhancement.

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