Tag: facebook

With technology making it easier to connect with one another through social media, the general impression is that we are all coming closer together. However, as Nigel Malone heads off on his first holiday in four years, he considers whether perhaps the reverse is happening -- that our increased social networking capabilities make it harder to leave work behind.

I offered to provide updates on what has ‘worked’ (and what hasn’t) in terms of technology, marketing fundamentals and, most importantly, the campaign's viral effectiveness (i.e. it's ability to self-perpetuate). So, what viral benefits has this item of social media marketing achieved so far? Hmmm... well... without beating around the bush... the simple answer is... Almost none.

I offered to provide updates on what has ‘worked’ (and what hasn’t) in terms of technology, marketing fundamentals and, most importantly, the campaign's viral effectiveness (i.e. it's ability to self-perpetuate). So, what viral benefits has this item of social media marketing achieved so far? Hmmm... well... without beating around the bush... the simple answer is... Almost none.

The 'zing' factor that social media brings to any marketing campaign is the potential it provides for exponential growth. If one person likes the offer and is compelled to invite their friends to also register for the offer, and if their friends, in turn, feel compelled to register and invite their friends to register for the offer, then you suddenly have on your hands a campaign with significant reach, far beyond anything that traditional media can provide.

The 'zing' factor that social media brings to any marketing campaign is the potential it provides for exponential growth. If one person likes the offer and is compelled to invite their friends to also register for the offer, and if their friends, in turn, feel compelled to register and invite their friends to register for the offer, then you suddenly have on your hands a campaign with significant reach, far beyond anything that traditional media can provide.

Everything on the public web gets indexed and cached by Google, so even when we delete something it is still publicly accessible. The crisp click you hear when you hit the Enter key and send personal information into the digital wild is the sound of you relinquishing complete control over that information.

It's been six months since we began experimenting in social media and three months since we made the decision to ditch our ailing Facebook Group in favour of Facebook's Fanpage format. What's been most interesting is the apparent development of several unexpected (yet welcome) mini 'Tipping Points'.

I don't know about you (dear readers) but, whenever I'm stuck for an answer at work, I either look for an instructional screencast on YouTube, pose my question to fellow Anthilians via IM and Skype, request feedback from LinkedIn Groups or simply blog about it.

We’ve seen Facebook’s remarkable growth statistics and we’ve read sceptical remarks in the media. But how do real people actually use Facebook? And is all that tabbing, tweaking, clicking, checking, linking, liking, posting and perusing just part of a self-absorbed quest for attention by lonely people?

There is a popular blog post currently doing the rounds - a list of 25 Social Media Sites for Entrepreneurs. It provides a brief description of 25 tools (including some familiar ones, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) but with very little analysis or commentary on each. Committing to any new social networking tool is time consuming. So, I figured it might be helpful to test each out and share my views on which are useful and which... quite simply... suck (i.e. are ugly, awkward and generally suck time from your day with very little return).

There is a popular blog post currently doing the rounds - a list of 25 Social Media Sites for Entrepreneurs. It provides a brief description of 25 tools (including some familiar ones, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) but with very little analysis or commentary on each. Committing to any new social networking tool is time consuming. So, I figured it might be helpful to test each out and share my views on which are useful and which... quite simply... suck (i.e. are ugly, awkward and generally suck time from your day with very little return).

You’ve heard all the pros and cons for social networking. So, I’m not going there again. If you hate social media, run away. Now. However, for those of you who are hooked, there’s a whole new world of words and phrases that you need to be across. So, I felt it was time for a dictionary for our new, social media age.

Once of the greatest things about social media is that it allows advertisers to target their messages to certain demographics and consumers with identifiable buying habits. Initially, this sounds insidious. However, targeted advertising is largely a boon for both sides of the sales equation.

Once of the greatest things about social media is that it allows advertisers to target their messages to certain demographics and consumers with identifiable buying habits. Initially, this sounds insidious. However, targeted advertising is largely a boon for both sides of the sales equation.

While most published articles about social media as a tool for business development rarely offer more than anecdotal advice, we thought it might be interesting to actually 'crunch the numbers'. As strong believers in the power of experimentation and quantifiable results, we used the exercise to measure and compare the impact of each tool on our web traffic and award nominations. Here's what happened:

Which advertising medium – print or social media – provides more reach and more bang for your buck. It’s a complicated equation. Luke Faccini takes a peek under the hood.

To succeed in social media, you need to stop worrying and learn to love chaos, writes Annie Robinson.

This month, Anthill Online is being added to the Nielsen Online ratings system. In short, we're putting ourselves out there, dropping our digital knickers for all the marketing world to see. And we need your help.

In the social network popularity stakes, MySpace is having its tail handed to it by Facebook. But CollegeHumor.com thinks it has the answer to how MySpace can turn the situation to its advantage - a social network for users abandoning MySpace.

Just being a facilitator won’t satisfy or even make sense to many corporate marketers. I’m not suggesting that you put your head in the sand, but recognise social networks for what they are, and what they are not.