"Social" Stories

Pre-Teen Poking: How to Keep Under 13s Safe on Facebook

Jan 6th, 2012 Discuss [0]

Facebook: Now More Popular than Barbie and Ben 10

Parents are regularly informed of the dangers that the internet can expose children to but concurrently, kids are absorbing the ideology that Facebook holds much importance socially – the online phenomenon is constantly discussed amongst peers (both young and old) and is increasingly referred to within newspapers and on television.

Despite the fact that the social network’s own ‘Help Centre’ states that no one under the age of 13 years of age is allowed to construct a Facebook profile, this hasn’t stopped thousands of children around the globe from doing exactly this. Many parents have actually helped to create accounts for children too; a survey (included in a recent academic journal as part of a study entitled Why Parents Help Their Children Lie to Facebook About Age: Unintended Consequences of the ‘Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act’) discovered that 76% of parents aware of their children’s underage Facebook-ing had involvement in the creation of their kid’s profile.

You might think that it is pressure from peers alone that is seeing members of the next generation signing up to Facebook before hitting the (less than) big 1-3. There are many parents who feel that using the network is beneficial for children who are growing up in a world that is increasingly driven by computers and online advancements. → Read More

Popular Facebook Games in 2011

Jan 2nd, 2012 Discuss [0]

A recent study of Facebook usage has revealed that approximately forty percent of Facebook’s traffic is the use of Facebook apps. Social games are some of the most popular apps. Below are some of the top Facebook apps that gamers used during 2011.

Farmville and Cityville

These Zynga classics have been popular with Facebook users for a couple of years now. Farmville, one of the most popular Facebook games invites players build and maintain a virtual farm by attending to crops, building storage and feeding farm animals. Farmville players are encouraged to play with their friends and are given the opportunity to grow their rural empire either by paying for Zynga Farmville credits or asking Facebook friends for favors. Also popular is the Zynga game Cityville. Cityville operates along the same lines as Farmville, but with more of an urban twist.

Gardens of Time

This game has recently been listed as one of the most popular Facebook games of 2011. Playdom, a Disney owned company, has created a beautifully designed game where the players are required to find hidden objects in a garden throughout history. The objects eventually give the players clues to a secret society that must be thwarted in order to protect the earth from a sinister fate. → Read More

5 Reasons Business Owners Should Use Automated Direct Messages on Twitter

Dec 21st, 2011 Discuss [0]

As a business, you no doubt understanding the importance of marketing . . . and hopefully you understand the importance of social media in today’s technology-centered market. If you are already making use of popular social networking sites like Twitter, then congrats You are in the here and now, so to speak, and you have a much better chance of staying current in the current consumer market. However, did you know that there are things you can do with Twitter besides just tweeting to take your marketing above and beyond? One of those methods is called automated direct messaging, and if you are not taking advantage of this powerful Twitter feature, your business could be missing out. Here are five reasons business owners should use automated direct messages on Twitter.

Why not just tweet? Automated direct messages are different from tweets in that they are not broadcast for all to see, but rather sent to a follower’s private mailbox in Twitter. In effect, they are like private emails that you automatically send to new followers to say, “Thanks for the follow I look forward to hearing your tweets” (. . . or something to that effect.) → Read More

5 Must-Follow Twitter Etiquette Tips

Nov 23rd, 2011 Discuss [0]

Anyone can sign up for a Twitter account and start merrily tweeting away. But, what are you tweeting about? If you really want to get the most out of Twitter, whether it is for business or personal use, you need to know proper Twitter Etiquette.

Avoid TMI

TMI means too much information. Not everyone on Twitter may appreciate your sense of humor, especially if it is sophomoric. Tweeting, “I just ripped the loudest fart ever” might make some people laugh, but most people with think you’re just a goofball sucking up bandwidth. Don’t post anything on Twitter that would be impolite to announce to a room full of strangers.

Don’t Stalk People

You might be Ashton Kutcher’s biggest fan in the universe, but that doesn’t mean you should respond to his every tweet. An occasional response is acceptable, and might even get noticed, but don’t draw too much attention to yourself. Celebrities and public figures often ignore people who clutter up their Twitter feed because they feel the people are just trying to take advantage of their large following. → Read More

Why You Should Not Use Google+ to Market Your Business (Yet)

Nov 18th, 2011 Discuss [0]

If you are into business marketing, then there’s no doubt you understand how social media has taken business marketing by storm. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have literally revolutionized how the general public interacts, how information is shared, and how businesses communicate with their customers. The latest player in the social networking arena is Google+. Google+ has been getting a lot of attention and, although its membership is steadily expanding, there is still some debate over just how successful Google+ will be. Are you contemplating adding Google+ to your social networking marketing roster? Maybe you should give it some more time. Here’s why you shouldn’t use Google+ for marketing your business (yet):

The “wow” factor. Every piece of business marketing you put out into the public speaks for your brand. After all, it has your name on it and leaves customers (and potential customers) with a taste in their mouths. You want that to be a good taste, right? Well, Google+ Business pages are so new – and oh, so basic – that they really are nothing more than a profile page that you can insert your business logo into. Needless to say, millions who are aware of Google’s on-hand engineering were shocked and disappointed to find the addition of Google+ Business nothing more than a lackluster reworking of the basic Google+ profile page. Want to “wow” your customers and attract new ones? Google+ is not the way to do it. As a matter of fact, a Google+ Business page will probably only put your customers to sleep. → Read More

Blue Nile’s “Manly” Social Media Campaign

Nov 10th, 2011 Discuss [0]

Working up the nerve to propose is hard to do. But imagine working up the nerve to propose in front of the entire world. Terrified?

Blue Nile’s “Are You Man Enough” campaign challenges guys to create a romantic and creative video or essay about why they’re man enough to propose to their girlfriend in front of – quite possibly– millions of people.

The winner of the contest is rewarded with an engagement ring valued at $7,500; a first class flight to New York; hotel accommodations; dinner; spending money and a proposal on Black Friday (November 25th) during the NASDAQ opening in Times Square.

That’s a pretty big deal.

It’s such a big deal, in fact, that it encourages guys to think about the proposal above all else. While other facets of marriage are important, it can be hard to focus on the importance of the proposal with wedding dates, locations, diamond rings or honeymoon plans on your mind.

The Blue Nile campaign serves as an excellent springboard for men to begin thinking about their future and to be bold about love and marriage. This contest gives guys a chance to think about what matters most: love. And everything else will fall into place after that. → Read More

The Seven Cardinal Sins of Facebook

Nov 3rd, 2011 Discuss [0]

Lots of your Facebook “friends” might spend their free time roaming and lurking through your profile and photo albums. Facebook “stalking” is a habit many people have acquired due to wealth of information that is over-shared on the social networking site. They’re enthralled by the things people post, from scandalous pictures to intriguing status updates, and they can’t get enough of it. When you post on Facebook, you should be wary of what you’re contributing. Whether it’s your mom, your boss, or a stranger, anyone you’re friends with can potentially be following your life more closely than you’d allow in person or real time conversation. Too many people post things they’d never do or say anywhere else. To protect yourself from your own over-sharing, be careful to never commit these seven cardinal sins of Facebook.

Pride

Don’t think you’re above the moral code of anyone else and post disreputable photos or updates. When you post that picture of you falling down drunk at the bar, you are telling people you’re proud of it. Having pride over the wrong types of things is a huge mistake to make on Facebook. Anything you post is presumably something you want to share with your friends, so be careful not to brag about your worst moments. → Read More

Facebook’s Timeline: Will it Be a Huge Hit?

Oct 27th, 2011 Discuss [0]

Aside from the fact that Facebook is now getting sued by Timelines.com for calling there new platform “Timeline” (apparently “Timelines” and “Timeline” are the same word when it comes to the law), the hottest social network on the planet seems to be very confident about the roll out of their new feature, which Mark Zucherberg demonstrated at the the latest F8 conference.

If you haven’t heard about Timeline, it is a new feature that Facebook is going to launch that is going to completely change the way people use Facebook. It is more of a “story of our lives” rather than what we are doing at each and every second of our lives. It has the potential to be very addictive…

…Or totally blow up in the users face (doesn’t everything with Facebook usually go like that – think “NewsFeed”).

That being said, I have gotten a chance to begin using Facebook’s timeline feature, which anybody can by following these directions, and I have to say that so far, I have completely no idea how people are going to react to the social network user interface update. At first, I thought it was completely awesome, then I thought it was completely terrible, and then I once again thought it was completely awesome. → Read More

8 Must-Follow Twitter Hashtags for Nonprofit Entrepreneurs

Oct 11th, 2011 Discuss [0]

Twitter has been one of the major hubs of social networking, revolutionizing what was already a new and adapting Internet invention. Not only is the use of rapid updates and user following something brand new, but there the live nature of the website has provided unlimited potential for personal and commercial use alike.

Of all of the features on Twitter, hashtags are perhaps the most useful. They give you a way of searching for topics, conversations and people, or to keep up on news as it is being reported. This is the benefit of their live search options, which make Twitter unique to other websites.

You can use this special algorithm to your own advantage, especially if you are a nonprofit entrepreneur who has to stretch funds to their breaking point. But rather than go on a random keyword search for relevant hashtags, check out these eight that every nonprofit worker should follow. → Read More

Why Should I Join LinkedIn?

Oct 6th, 2011 Discuss [0]

People generally consider Facebook, Twitter and Google+ when discussing social media websites. These websites enable us to remain connected to our friends and family, and to follow up on our interests, hobbies and new. While most Social Media websites may be fine for personal use, as a professional the use of LinkedIn is essential for your continued success in the business world.

LinkedIn is a social media site devoted to professionals. It does not have the real time feed or news capabilities that are on some of the other sites, therefore it is not as appealing to the general public. However, the lack of clutter makes LinkedIn perfect for the business person. The lack of distractions makes it easier for a professional to meet and contact other business people and potential employers. → Read More

← Older posts