For businessesThis information is specifically for businesses. Individuals can use them too, of course, but these applications benefit business by providing "rewards" for frequent customers and providing consumer-friendly reviews of various businesses.
Every major social media network started out as a small dog hoping to take on the big dogs, and there seems to always be a new dog in the fight. As we’ve seen play out so many times, some make it and some don't." When it comes to the state of social media, the past year could be summed up in a few words: real-time marketing, content, video, and mobile. In a space that’s continuously changing and technology that's advancing quickly, it can be a challenge to know where you should be spending your social media efforts. Remember: your followers are looking for content that is helpful or entertaining. And if you're interested in sharing your email address, a group is offering a free ebook. You might want to check out 42 rules of social media, billed as a modern survival guide to effective social media communications and the answer to the question, "What do I do with social media?" (Thanks for the link, Dick!) And here's an interesting take on Hitachi's social media guidelines for employees. It's an online course, so take a look at the first few minutes. Good stuff. FOURSQUARE
Many observers express concern about privacy issues. Nevertheless, as of April 2012, the company reported 20 million registered users. It is an international loyalty-based program. It is a geographical location-based social network that incorporates gaming elements. Members share their location by "checking in" at venues and note their locations with a smart phone; they can connect their Foursquare account with Twitter and Facebook, which update when a check-in is registered. Locations are based on GPS hardware or network location provided by the application. Check-ins award the user points. By checking in a certain number of times, or in different locations, users can collect virtual badges. In addition, users who have checked in the most times at a certain venue will be named "Mayor" until someone surpasses their number. Venues sometimes offer special deals to users who are "mayors". Foursquare apps are available for iPhones, Android, and other phones. TECHNORATI
Real-time search for user-generated media (including weblogs) by tag or keyword. Also provides popularity indexes. HARO (Help a Reporter Out)
No such thing as free publicity? There is with HARO. Help A Reporter (a paid service) connects news sources with journalists looking for their expertise. You can sign up to become a news source and receive real-time media opportunities from journalists on deadline who need a source. What a great way to get your name (and company) out there! CONFIDE
This free app for Apple devices is like Snapchat for business. It allows users to send (totally encrypted) emails to only their contacts. It may be viewed once and then disappears so there's no worry about screenshots. The added security is that text is blocked out; recipients must run their finger over it to reveal text underneath. According to the company, there is end-to-end encryption so only the sender and receive see a message. YAMMER
It's a leading enterprise social network used by more than 20,0000 companies. It helps employees collaborate across departments, locations and business apps. It is not free. |
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