Great Social Networking article ! Check it out!

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/090310-082257
 

Social Networking and Blogs Surpass Email in Popularity

With 67% of the worldwide internet population visiting, social networks and blogs are now outpacing email in popularity. They've become the 4th most popular online category, according to Nielsen Online.

"Social networking has become a fundamental part of the global online experience," says John Burbank, CEO of Nielsen Online.
 

 

"While two-thirds of the global online population already accesses member community sites, their vigorous adoption and the migration of time show no signs of slowing. Social networking will continue to alter not just the global online landscape, but the consumer experience at large.

This study explains why."Here are some more interesting nuggets of information on the matter from Nielsen:
 

 

One in every 11 minutes online globally is accounted for by social network and blogging sites.
The social network and blogging audience is becoming more diverse in terms of age: the biggest increase in visitors during 2008 to "Member Community" Web sites globally came from the 35-49 year old age group (+11.3 million).

Mobile is playing an increasingly important role in social networking. Nielsen found UK mobile Web users have the greatest propensity to visit a social network through their handset, with 23 percent (2 million people) doing so, compared to 19 percent in the US (10.6 million people). These numbers are a big increase over last year - up 249 percent in the UK and 156 percent in the US.

Does this mean people will start responding to social media marketing over email marketing? Only time will tell. So will you when you leave a comment below.
 

 

by sandraanncarter

E = Energize the Channel and Community Socially!

Continuing our series on the Angels framework, today, we will discuss "E": how to Energize your channel and your community, one of my favorites!

Check out the video (do these help?) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?=DBUA7_hmi2k&feature=PlayList&p=0270CF7431B8451D&index=4

We look at how to choose the vessels available in social media based on your goals: dialogue, collaboration, sharing, etc. It all depends on your ultimate goal.
* Serious Gaming: Wii, DS: leverage the power of the games, a teachable moment. Example: Innov8, one of IBM's serious games is a great example: it progressed from education to customer interaction to forming relationships with partners.  There is a 80% higher recall from teaching with a game vs. in-class education and the average age of gamer is 33 and 47% are in the 18-49 year old age bracket.

Widgets: a virtual briefcase with a set of channels for demos, presentations, etc. Use it internally and externally with customers. They're great for sharing information and getting feedback on it.

Communities and Social networks: Per IDC, 50% of on-line Americans belong to a social network. Do you create your own or leverage existing ones out there? Both MySpace and Facebook as well as LinkedIn fit in here.

Sharing. I personally love the vessel of Blogging.  Blogging is great way to share information. My favorite of course is microblogs like Twitter. 
Dell created their own Twitter channel to sell excess inventory

There are lots of social tools - to energize your channel and community - here are the key steps to take:

  • Learn about the options
  • Experiment - try things out
  • Leverage them in your current plans
  • Plan and execute your social media vehicles

by sandraanncarter