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	<title>Social-ism.biz</title>
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		<title>Spokesme Round Three, and we Really Hope This is All She Wrote</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/spokesme-round-three-and-we-really-hope-this-is-all-she-wrote/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/spokesme-round-three-and-we-really-hope-this-is-all-she-wrote/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 15:27:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=510</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I sent Jay Wright a link to my post, Spokesme Part Two, The Final Word Here is his reply: &#8230;are u insinuating that those other posts originated from me or my computer? I can tell u with absolute &#38; complete honesty that they did not originate from me or with me having any knowledge of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I sent Jay Wright a link to my post, Spokesme Part Two, The Final Word</p>
<p>Here is his reply:</p>
<p><em>&#8230;are u insinuating that those other posts originated from me or my computer? I can tell u with absolute &amp; complete honesty that they did not originate from me or with me having any knowledge of them, for many reasons but one measure of proof is that I would never type SpokesME as Spokesme or SpokesMe for clarity and consistency of branding, and my iDevices even already autocorrect now and I consider it a sin to write it that way&#8230;</p>
<p>I can&#8217;t spell out every point of value &amp; claim of results on a public blog or anywhere else publicly for that matter bc we have a sizable investment in our IP portfolio related to our business. &#8216;Public claims&#8217; really cloud that process and I do not mean to sound pompous or aloof or whatever but that&#8217;s the advice I&#8217;ve been given by people I trust&#8230; They are local as well.</p>
<p>Anyway, I would like to &amp; hope U would reciprocate the desire to see if we can get a re-start on a different level somehow. Did u know I reached out to James on a FB direct message offering to buy lunch to reach out to u guys to potentially develop a relationship to see if there was any possibility of collaboration the SAME WEEK u guys posted ur blog? And I did not say anything negative about former staff, I said &#8216;may or may not be disgruntled&#8217; &#8212; that&#8217;s fairly open ended.</p>
<p>Jay </em></p>
<p>To which we replied:</p>
<p><em>Jay<br />
James and I will be available at Vintage Coffee at 10:30 AM this<br />
morning. If you would like a chance to restart, and perhaps provide<br />
some explanation for how these posts came from your IP address, please<br />
be there. We have been very interested in your project from the<br />
beginning,it shows a lot of potential.</em></p>
<p>His response</p>
<p><em>While I am thankful for the invitation and would like to meet in the future I have two problems with meeting this morning, 1 is I am scheduled to have a client appointment at 10 that will stretch to 11 I imagine.</p>
<p>And 2, I have no interest in meeting under the pretend conspiracy scenario that the other posts on ur blog came from my computer or me when no one has had access to my computers other than me, and I had no knowledge or other participation in those other posts.</p>
<p>Quite frankly, I am floored that you suggested that in ur 2nd blog, and am equally surprised you are continuing to put that forward as fact&#8230; It is simply untrue, and meeting under that false presupposition is not a healthy restart by any means, as it continues the legitimate &amp; rightful basis for defensiveness and distrust.</em></p>
<p>My final reply to him was as follows:</p>
<p><em>Jay<br />
I understand scheduling. We would love to speak with you about this,<br />
but understand this, we have your IP address directly connected to<br />
these posts. It was recorded by WordPress, and we have no way of<br />
linking those posts without it. Both of the young men whose identities<br />
you borrowed deny knowledge of this, and you just told me that no one<br />
else has used your machine, that only leaves one option. Your<br />
continued refusal to answer questions directly leads me to believe<br />
that you have a lot more to hide than we are even aware of. This<br />
email, along with the other that you sent outlining your &#8220;misspelling<br />
of spokesme&#8221; defense, are now part of my blog post. Any further<br />
harassment from you will result in my turning all of it over to the<br />
FBI under a complaint of identity theft. If you would like to<br />
apologize, or explain that can be done to this email address, I will<br />
gladly post any explanation or apology and immediately reverse my<br />
position if you will answer the questions we have brought repeatedly.<br />
Trust me, I did not go into this with the hope of taking your clients,<br />
in fact, you are poisoning the well, even for people who did not try<br />
your service. I have been told no to social media management by<br />
someone who had a friend that &#8220;got caught up in that spokes-thing<br />
scam&#8221;. Not only that, but taking a position this public may not be<br />
good for my business in the short term, but it is the right thing to<br />
do.</em></p>
<p>And with that, I will leave it up to you, dear reader to determine the truth. I know that this style of addressing issues is not always popular. Some of you may be ready to stop reading my blog now, but know this, if you are an honest business person, just trying to make a living, I am on your side. If you are a shark, looking to take advantage of same, I will make it my business to let my friends and neighbors know, even if it makes me unpopular.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Spokesme Round Two, Our Final Word</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/spokesme-round-two-our-final-word/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/spokesme-round-two-our-final-word/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 03:03:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Customer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jay Wright]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[linkedin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spokesme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=500</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This last week I posted a blog entitled, Who Needs Spokesme? Introducing FB Deals. I did not expect to get much response from it. That is not exactly what happened. Within a couple of hours, there were a few short comments, saying they agreed that the Spokesme app was less than stellar, a point that [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This last week I posted a blog entitled, Who Needs Spokesme? Introducing FB Deals. I did not expect to get much response from it. That is not exactly what happened. Within a couple of hours, there were a few short comments, saying they agreed that the Spokesme app was less than stellar, a point that we did not even think that relevant, since programming can always be improved.  We took the post down temporarily, due to some suspicious responses we received. For those who emailed about where it had gone, it is back.</p>
<p>We also received a couple of posts from someone labeling themselves as &#8220;Mr. Spokes&#8221;. We honestly thought that we had posted everything this individual, who turned out to be <a class="zem_slink" title="Jay Wright (basketball)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Wright_%28basketball%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Jay Wright</a>, Spokesme&#8217;s founder, had sent. Later I did find a rather lengthy post, which was different in tone than the subsequent posts. It did not, however, answer any of the questions we had about the company. Here is what we would have posted, had it not gotten caught in our spam filter.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>Well, hello there! SpokesME is constantly focused on improving our user experience and the <a class="zem_slink" title="Value proposition" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_proposition" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">value proposition</a> we bring to our customers, both of which are top priorities as we pioneer a new industry we call Incentivized <a class="zem_slink" title="Social advertising" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_advertising" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Social Advertising</a>. TM</em></p>
<p><em>I will refrain from using similar logic and methodology used in this blog to be critical of the SpokesME platform to similarly critique the value proposition and pricing ($300-$1500/month) of outsourced, 3rd party <a class="zem_slink" title="Social media" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social_media" rel="wikinvest" target="_blank">social media</a> management model that social-ism’s squad and countless other social media entrepreneurs employ. The refrain isn’t for lack of evidence for valid critique but because without being your customer ourselves we couldn’t FAIRLY ascertain the differentiated value that you may bring to the table versus the random craigslist ad offering a similar service for $300 – $500 a month. Without knowing all the factors, it wouldn’t be a fair comparison, as I am sure you take pride in the value that you provide your customers and intend to provide a win-win for people who trust you enough to pay you their hard earned dollars for your service. We would hope for a similar deference moving forward.</em></p>
<p><em>Of course, we could just sit back and watch what happens in the marketplace and hope that the big social media players, big advertisers and marketers, and social media guru’s would come up with something that ACTUALLY HELPED <a class="zem_slink" title="Business" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">BUSINESSES</a> GROW NEW <a class="zem_slink" title="Customer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">CUSTOMERS</a> &amp; REPEAT BUSINESS. But the marketplace has been producing WIN-LOSE <a class="zem_slink" title="Proposition" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">propositions</a> like the daily deals industry, where the business LOSES, and the consumer and the daily deals company wins.</em></p>
<p><em>Instead we choose to charge ahead! To pioneer. To charge forward with an original concept and navigate the choppy, unchartered territory. We expect criticism, and most things, including SpokesME rightfully deserves some criticism along the way, and we do feel that this blog was respectfully honest and in good spirit, just lacking all the facts to make the claims it made.</em></p>
<p><em>~ It would be impossible know the value proposition of the SpokesME platform without having full access to our merchant backend, SpokesME.biz<br />
~ It would be difficult to understand where we are headed as a company without a peek at our <a class="zem_slink" title="Intellectual property" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">IP portfolio</a>.<br />
~ It is a silly notion to believe that any one <a class="zem_slink" title="Social network" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">social network</a> behemoth, fb deals in this example, could be as adroit in incentivizing customer behavior as a non-affiliated 3rd party. Do you really see fb incentivizing a twitter ‘follow’ or a tweet containing a specific hashtag? What about incentivizing direct referrals via other direct communications channels?<br />
~ It’s similarly silly (now, that is fun to say) to think that a big social network is going to help a business communicate directly to a group of people that claimed a deal to get them back in the business to fill up a dead time or liquidate inventory, or finish the month strong, etc.</em></p>
<p><em>Mr. Spokes certainly doesn’t want any local social turf wars as we feel like we will have a sizeable target on our backs from plenty of out of town competitors and clones over the coming years as we scale. We believe there is enough room for all of us, so long as we are honest, well intentioned, and working to deliver the maximum value to our customers. I hope we have that in common.</em></p>
<p><em>Respectfully,<br />
~ Mr. Spokes</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Again, I apologize for not having posted this. We also received a couple of other comments that claimed to be from two unrelated individuals. They are very similar in tone to the comments we posted from Jay, subsequent to this one. Here they are. This first one was labeled as being from a TS Clin*** (name obscured for reasons that will become obvious)</p>
<blockquote><p><em>A few thoughts: </em></p>
<p><em>It&#8217;s one thing to show concern about a product, but to then compare it to a product (FB deals) that you admittedly don&#8217;t have experience running, given how new it is, is absurd. </em></p>
<p><em>In your response to Angela, you mention &#8220;since you called us out&#8221; &#8211; when in fact she didn&#8217;t call out anybody. She said there is more to a product&#8217;s value than price itself. You agreed, then proceeded to call SpokesMe a fraud, since she &#8220;called you out.&#8221; Clearly you had a message about SpokesMe that you were desperate to get out. A bit unprofessional.</em></p>
<p><em>Then you claimed there may have been &#8220;technical glitch&#8221;, while minutes later claiming that in fact you chose not to approve the comment, then minutes later claiming that you had approved/posted &#8220;EVERY comment.&#8221; Might want to get your message straight.</em></p>
<p><em>Speaking of fraud, you claim to be social media experts yet, between the 2 of you, you&#8217;ve tweeted less than 700 times. Total. One of you doesn&#8217;t even have a profile pic for your <a class="zem_slink" title="Retweet" href="http://www.techopedia.com/definition/23699/retweet-rt" rel="techopedia" target="_blank">Twitter</a> account. You still have an egg. I&#8217;m not sure you should be calling people out as frauds. </em></p>
<p><em>http://twitter.com/#!/markrmorris2</em></p>
<p>There are two accusations here. First, that the responses to the comments were inconsistent, that is true, James and I both answered this, after conversing, but not agreeing as to who would respond. So, yes, we did say there was a technical glitch, which I assumed, then James corrected that to say that our comments are moderated. The truth is, the comment referred to was caught in our spam filter, unknown to us. We have now posted it to be read in its entirety.</p>
<p>Second, the comment on our Twitter presence. It is true, we do not focus that much on Twitter to build our personal reputations, but if you look for us on <a class="zem_slink" title="Facebook" href="http://www.techopedia.com/definition/4941/facebook" rel="techopedia" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, or <a class="zem_slink" title="LinkedIn" href="http://www.techopedia.com/definition/26940/linkedin-li" rel="techopedia" target="_blank">Linked In</a>, you will find it is a different story. Secondly, were I to give you all the twitter handles, Facebook pages and Linked In profiles that I manage for clients, you would also see a much different story. I also ghost pen more than a dozen blogs each week. We spend the bulk of our time and energy promoting them, instead of ourselves. Recently, we have come to understand that both are important, and we are moving to build that up. Not all experts exert their prowess on their own behalf, as the old saying goes, &#8220;It&#8217;s the Shoemaker&#8217;s children who have no shoes.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>One other minor detail, the remark about the use of the term &#8220;called out&#8221;. Upon reflection, I would have chosen a better phrase, perhaps, &#8220;since you asked&#8221;, would have been better.</p>
<p>Here is the other comment I mentioned, one that we originally posted to the blog. It reportedly comes from Andrew, no last name, although we tracked it back through the website that was mentioned. (which I have removed from the comment, for reasons you will soon understand)</p>
<blockquote><p><em>What an amazing, immature exchange between a bunch of people who don&#8217;t know how to act professionally! </em></p>
<p><em>I don&#8217;t blame Spokesme for trying to protect its brand, that&#8217;s for sure. It seems like the people on this site, especially Mark, are giving a prime example of how not to act online. Calling out another brand in the market for no real good reason. Propping up a Facebook feature that isn&#8217;t even 100 percent cooked. Backtracking on what was obvious sales pith to Spokeme.</em></p>
<p><em>Dishonesty, attacks and updates that go on and on and on and on are no way to &#8220;lift up the entire market.&#8221;</em></p>
<p><em>It&#8217;s pretty clear that Mark and James posted this blog to get any attention to an otherwise struggling social media venture. Their clients barely have a presence on Facebook, let alone any of the mention they are calling out Spokesme about.</em></p>
<p><em>And if Social-ism is doing so much greater, who&#8217;s talking about them? Their 2,000 spammy Twitter followers?</em></p></blockquote>
<p>What the poster of these and other comments should have been familiar with was the ability of WordPress users to view the IP address of the comments posted. In other words, the exact Internet Protocol address of the network the comment came from, identifying the machine used to make the comment. In this instance, that IP address, claiming two other names, and two legitimate email addresses, (not created for the purpose of posting, but actual, in use addresses) came from the same computer that was used to post the comments with Jay Wright&#8217;s name and email address attached. We have contacted those people. They did not use Jay Wright&#8217;s computer to post those comments. In fact, they denied any knowledge of the comments whatsoever. We will leave the conclusion as to who posted these &#8220;unrelated comments&#8221; up to you.</p>
<p>As to the &#8220;unprofessionalism&#8221; of our original post, which some of you may have found distasteful, we apologize. We have been watching this situation unfold and becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the number of our friends and acquaintances that were becoming involved either as sales people or customers. This was not an issue of professional jealousy, since we do not offer the same services, and were invited to join the Spokesme sales team on more than one occasion, and in fact, spent a good deal of time going over the &#8220;back end&#8221; Mr. Wright referred to with his then sales manager, with the thought in mind of joining them and offering the product alongside our own services as a natural fit.</p>
<p>We have yet to hear of a single report of any success from Spokesme&#8217;s clients, although there may be some, and as &#8220;long&#8221; as my replies were, Mr. Wright, you have yet to answer a single, specific accusation as to the shortcomings of your product, or the way you have run your company.</p>
<p>Social-ism.biz is far from perfect. But, we are not the struggling, vindictive company that Mr. Wright attempted to convince others that we are. In fact, we just recently posted a lot of content revolving around a six figure project that one of our clients landed based solely on a Facebook interaction that we instigated, and it is not the only example. Our client roster has been growing steadily (although like all businesses, we can always use more) and we are extremely grateful to all those who have used our services.</p>
<p>James and I feel strongly that if we lose business to stand up for our friends and neighbors, that is an acceptable loss. Please understand that this circumstance was isolated and has been coming to the surface over the course of several months. It is not our standard operating procedure to publicly comment on the business of others, unless we feel strongly that that business is harmful in some way. We have turned over all of the information regarding these postings to the individuals whose email addresses were involved, and it is our intent to say nothing further on the matter. Thanks for reading this, I hope you all can see what we intended here.</p>
<p>If you have any questions regarding this, or anything else I write, or do, please contact me @ Mark@social-ism.biz, and feel free to contact me for any help you need with any of your online marketing or social media. We don&#8217;t know everything, but what we do know we share.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Who needs Spokesme, Introducing FB Deals</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/who-needs-spokesme-introducing-fb-deals/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/who-needs-spokesme-introducing-fb-deals/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 20:16:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Social-ism</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Betting in poker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jury]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing and Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mobile application development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Communities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spokesme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=470</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Over the past few months here in Okc, there has been a lot of buzz about a new social media startup, called Spokesme! Many of you have asked our opinion, and until recently, the jury was still out. In short, we cannot recommend that any of our friends, or fellow business owners invest in this [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Over the past few months here in Okc, there has been a lot of buzz about a new <a class="zem_slink" title="Social media" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social_media" rel="wikinvest" target="_blank">social media</a> startup, called Spokesme! Many of you have asked our opinion, and until recently, the <a class="zem_slink" title="Jury" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">jury</a> was still out. In short, we cannot recommend that any of our friends, or fellow <a class="zem_slink" title="Business" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">business owners</a> invest in this platform unless substantial changes are made to make it possible to deliver a value higher than the cost. Wheww, glad that&#8217;s over, now for the fun part!</p>
<p>Some of you are asking, &#8220;What is Spokesme?&#8221; Glad you asked. It is a <a class="zem_slink" title="Mobile application development" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_application_development" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">mobile application</a> that shares offers from local businesses, via FB posting and an interactive map. While the idea is solid, the cost, we feel, is much too high for any business to see real monetary gain from it. But what if I told you there will soon be a way to offer &#8220;groupon&#8221; style deals, that you create yourself, to your FB audience for &#8220;<a class="zem_slink" title="Betting in poker" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betting_in_poker" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">checking</a> in&#8221; with you once in a while? Okay,  now, what if I told you that this same service, that Spokesme has offered for hundreds a month, was going to be free??</p>
<p>What I have just described is a new beta being rolled out to limited pages on <a class="zem_slink" title="Facebook" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/facebook?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. Using this built in application, built by the Facebook team, businesses can offer discounts, freebies and specials in return for word of mouth from their fans! That&#8217;s right, pretty cool, huh?</p>
<p>So, why have you not heard about it? It&#8217;s brand new, that&#8217;s why! In fact, we found out from a friend who manages social for a medium sized corporation. He stumbled upon the option hidden in his settings and shared it with us.</p>
<p>Right now, not everyone is able to access this awesome tool. Bummer, right? And, with all things Facebook, they are not saying a lot about when that will happen. But for right now, you can spend some time educating yourself as to the benefits and function of this soon to be super huge (we are convinced) tool!</p>
<p>To find out if you are eligible to begin using deals today, simply check your page. Go to your Facebook page and open the admin panel. Select the &#8220;edit page&#8221; option. Scroll down to the bottom of the list. If you see the &#8220;deals&#8221; options, congratulations, you&#8217;re one of the cool kids. If not, keep checking back, as Facebook typically rolls things out in waves and your &#8220;deals&#8221; might become available at any time.</p>
<p>We will share more once we have a little first hand experience with running deals, but for now, follow this link to a downloadable pdf guide describing the app and its usage! Let us know how it goes!</p>
<p><a href="http://ads.ak.facebook.com/ads/FacebookAds/EMEA_partner_deals_businesses_EN.pdf" target="_blank">http://ads.ak.facebook.com/ads/FacebookAds/EMEA_partner_deals_businesses_EN.pdf</a></p>
<p><a href="http://social-ism.biz/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/facebook-deals1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-491" title="facebook-deals" src="http://social-ism.biz/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/facebook-deals1-300x295.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="295" /></a></p>
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		<title>You are being graded on this, so pay attention!</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/you-are-being-graded-on-this-so-pay-attention/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/you-are-being-graded-on-this-so-pay-attention/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 19:09:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Social-ism</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Plus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Klout]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[linkedin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=453</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I posted a link to an article on Klout, I had no idea it would be controversial, well, not &#8220;pitch a fit&#8221; controversial, but mildly controversial. It seems that some people do not like the idea of being graded, since the standard takes into account certain aspects of social media, but not others. For [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When I posted a link to an article on <a class="zem_slink" title="Klout" href="http://klout.com" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Klout</a>, I had no idea it would be controversial, well, not &#8220;pitch a fit&#8221; controversial, but mildly controversial. It seems that some people do not like the idea of being graded, since the standard takes into account certain aspects of <a class="zem_slink" title="Social media" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social_media" rel="wikinvest" target="_blank">social media</a>, but not others. For me, that is kind of the nature of standards, tests and ratings, they are always arbitrary to some extent, but are they valuable?</p>
<h4>I took a look at what Klout considers in creating your Klout <a class="zem_slink" title="Film score" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_score" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">score</a>, (and yes, if you are on <a class="zem_slink" title="Facebook" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/facebook?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a class="zem_slink" title="Twitter" href="http://twitter.com" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a class="zem_slink" title="LinkedIn" href="http://www.linkedin.com" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Linked In</a>, or <a class="zem_slink" title="Google+" href="http://https://plus.google.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Google Plus</a> you already have one , whether you know it it or not) so that I could give you my honest, professional opinion.</h4>
<p>Several people mentioned that Klout was a new thing, but unfortunately, they may not have full information when stating this. The man behind Klout, Joe Fernandes, has been keeping tabs on us longer than we may be comfortable with. You see, Klout scores have been in development longer than many of the biggest platforms in social media, since 2008. The idea came to Joe during a period in 2007. With his jaw wired shut following surgery, he relied almost solely on Twitter for communication, and it became apparent to him that not only was word of mouth going digitally viral, but for the first time in history, it was actually <a class="zem_slink" title="Measure (mathematics)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measure_%28mathematics%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">measurable</a>.</p>
<h2>Klout doesn&#8217;t try to measure everything</h2>
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<p>Klout doesn&#8217;t try to measure everything. It focuses on three factors: a person&#8217;s &#8220;true reach&#8221;, the number of people who are actually reading your content online, or at least on the platforms that Klout measures; &#8220;amplification&#8221;, the number of people your content is shared to; and &#8220;Network&#8221;, the <a class="zem_slink" title="Measurement" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measurement" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">measurement</a> of how often the biggest influencers in your sphere share and respond to your content.</p>
<p>Through platform metrics, such as Facebook&#8217;s &#8220;insights&#8221;, Klout keeps score of your influence through these three factors, but that is where it ends. Klout cannot, for example, measure how many of the local chamber of commerce members a person knows by first name, and it does not measure website traffic, book sales, or email newsletter subscriptions, all viable measurements of business influence. For some, this is a point of contention. They see that there is more that Klout does not measure, than it does.</p>
<p>This is true. But, it may not matter. More and more reports are being published that share examples of Klout scores being used to give preference to customers, extend invitations to high profile influencers to &#8220;<a class="zem_slink" title="Very Important Person" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_Important_Person" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">VIP</a>&#8221; websites and services, and even influencing job interviews. This is where the rubber meets the road. Whether Klout scores are a valid measurement of influence, or not, the perception that they are may be enough to shift focus onto those who play the game well.</p>
<h2>So, what is my opinion?</h2>
<p>So, what is my opinion? The things that Klout measures, while limited, are clearly valuable measurements of influence in today&#8217;s social economy. The same things that will increase your Klout score are likely to increase your actual influence, build stronger business connections online, and create strong personal branding that can be leveraged into new opportunities. While I would not advise anyone to take their Klout score too seriously, (unless your business plan includes publishing a book on how to get a perfect Klout score) it may pay to focus on some of the things that add up. After all, if a higher Klout score might be the key to your next job offer, or promotion, who cares if the measurement means a lot or not?</p>
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		<title>&#8220;He who fails to plan, plans to fail&#8221; -Winston Churchill</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/he-who-fails-to-plan-plans-to-fail-winston-churchill/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/he-who-fails-to-plan-plans-to-fail-winston-churchill/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 02:29:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Social-ism</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rate of return]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Winston Churchill]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=370</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You Need a Plan When it comes to social media more time is wasted to &#8220;make it up as you go along&#8221; posting than almost any other issue. &#8220;Going viral&#8221; is not a marketing plan, and you desperately need one. Every plan needs three things in order to succeed. First, you need to know where [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>You Need a <a class="zem_slink" title="Marketing plan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_plan" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Plan</a></h2>
<p>When it comes to <a class="zem_slink" title="blogging" href="http://www.zemanta.com/is-bloging-still-relevant-media-for-web-audience/" rel="zemantacom" target="_blank">social media</a> more time is wasted to &#8220;make it up as you go along&#8221; posting than almost any other issue. &#8220;Going viral&#8221; is not a marketing plan, and you desperately need one. Every plan needs three things in order to succeed. First, you need to know where you are starting, in other words, you need a measurement of your current success, the size of your <a class="zem_slink" title="Audience" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audience" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">audience</a> and how many people are talking about you. Second, you need a story to tell. This can be a description of  your product or service broken down into daily segments, or it can be more complex, using articles, blog posts and other <a class="zem_slink" title="Content (media)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_%28media%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">content</a> to educate your audience about your product or service. Last but not least, you need a <a class="zem_slink" title="Goal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goal" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">goal</a>. This can be a number of fans, a certain number of responses to your content, or a specific dollar amount increase in sales, any goal will do, but any plan without one is destined for failure.</p>
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
<p>Once you have established the three parts of your plan, implement it. Select two or more platforms for your content, set up a posting schedule, then stick to it. Stay on top of your posts by watching for responses. Make sure to respond to each fan that interacts with your content, at least a thank you. If the door is open for further conversation, walk through it. Engaging your audience in public is, after all, what social media is all about.</p>
<h2>Measuring <a class="zem_slink" title="Rate of return" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rate_of_return" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">ROI</a></h2>
<p>While you may, or may not care about a specific dollar amount in benefit, it makes sense to keep track of your results. Almost any consistent content posting is sure to see an increase in activity on your social media profiles. Look for posts that garner a larger portion of the attention than others and write more like it.</p>
<p>Look at where you started, and calculate how far you&#8217;ve come. Now compare this to your goal, how close are you? This will give you a good idea of when you can expect to meet your goal. Once the goal is met, set another and repeat!</p>
<h2>Tips</h2>
<p>Here are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, stick with your plan long enough to see if it works. Next, don&#8217;t be afraid to try new things. Last but not least, pay attention to what works and repeat it, discard what doesn&#8217;t!</p>
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		<title>All you need is Love</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/all-you-need-is-love/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/all-you-need-is-love/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:33:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Social-ism</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EdgeRank]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Likes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[YouTube]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=331</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Beatles knew it, and poets down through history have been bringing us back around to the same idea, what really matters in this world, is the love we share with others. This, of course, takes on many forms, from a kind word or smile between strangers, to the most intimate of relationships. What does [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="mceTemp">The <a class="zem_slink" title="The Beatles" href="http://thebeatles.com" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Beatles</a> knew it, and poets down through history have been bringing us back around to the same idea, what really matters in this world, is the love we share with others. This, of course, takes on many forms, from a kind word or smile between strangers, to the most intimate of relationships. What does this have to do with <a class="zem_slink" title="blogging" href="http://www.zemanta.com/is-bloging-still-relevant-media-for-web-audience/" rel="zemantacom" target="_blank">social media</a>? Well, I am glad you asked.</div>
<h2>Popularity</h2>
<p>When it comes to attracting and holding an audience in social media, one of the key ingredients of all networks is that networks popularity, to those who have, more will be given, and from those who do not, even the little have will be taken. That sounds harsh, but it is the reality. To understand this better, let&#8217;s focus on just one platform, the grand daddy of them all, The <a class="zem_slink" title="Facebook" href="http://facebook.com" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. (<a class="zem_slink" title="Yes (band)" href="http://www.yesworld.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Yes</a>, I know they took “the” out of the name a long time ago, I&#8217;m being ironic)</p>
<p>On Facebook, (see, I told you I knew) interaction is the key to more interaction. In my last post, I discussed Edge Rank, and showed you a few ways to improve yours. Hopefully it helped and your numbers are on the way up, well, I am here to simplify that even more.</p>
<h2>Likes</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035749109@N01/5133070639" target="_blank"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured alignleft" title="Like" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1367/5133070639_e19172367b_m.jpg" alt="Like" width="232" height="240" /></a>All you need is “Love” and on Facebook, that comes in the form of “<a class="zem_slink" title="Likes" href="http://www.briansolis.com/2009/03/i-like-you-emerging-culture-of-micro.html%20" rel="homepage" target="_blank">likes</a>”. This is where it gets confusing, there are two kinds of “likes”. There&#8217;s the “I like your page, Like” that gets people enrolled as a fan, and then there&#8217;s the, “I really like what you shared, Like” that can be given by clicking on the “like” button on any given post. This second one is the one we want to focus on today. These “likes” are like currency, the more you have, the better off your page will be, so, how do you achieve this state of “likedness”?</p>
<h2>You ask for it</h2>
<p>Easy! You ask for it! It may seem cheesy, or even be a no brainer, but most of us have heard this at least once, probably from our mothers as they were pushing us out the door toward our first <a class="zem_slink" title="Job interview" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_interview" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">job interview</a>, “You never know until you ask!” That&#8217;s right, it is that simple. Statistics show that posts that ask for a “like” by saying “Click “like” if you agree” (or other words to that effect) get a lot more response. In fact, nearly ¼ more “likes” are given to posts that ask, than posts that expect you to know what to do!</p>
<h2>So, start asking.</h2>
<p>What can it hurt? The more “likes” you manage to get, the more of your existing fans will see you, and the more they will have to interact with! Start the conversation and see what happens! That&#8217;s all for now! Thanks, and come back often! In fact, go find our facebook page under social-ism.biz and “like” the link to this post! Thanks!</p>
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		<title>How Edge Rank Works</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/how-edge-rank-works/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/how-edge-rank-works/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:58:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Social-ism</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Audience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comment (computer programming)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Content (media)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EdgeRank]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web feed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=320</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the quest for Facebook dominance, everyone talks about gaining “fans”, or “likes”. It is believed that a larger audience will magically make all of your content viral and your hotcakes will sell like hotcakes so that you can retire in style. This is only partly the case. As you may have noticed, not everyone [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the quest for <a class="zem_slink" title="Facebook" href="http://facebook.com" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Facebook</a> dominance, everyone talks about gaining “fans”, or “likes”. It is believed that a larger <a class="zem_slink" title="Audience" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audience" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">audience</a> will magically make all of your <a class="zem_slink" title="Content (media)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_%28media%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">content</a> viral and your hotcakes will sell like hotcakes so that you can retire in style. This is only partly the case. As you may have noticed, not everyone sees everything you say on Facebook, nor do you see everything that your friends and fans post.</p>
<div class="mceTemp"></div>
<p>The secret code that dictates which of the posts you write show up in the “<a class="zem_slink" title="Web feed" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_feed" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">news feed</a>” (that mind boggling stream of information along the right side of your <a class="zem_slink" title="Web page" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_page" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">page</a>) is called Edge Rank. Here are the basics of how it works. Each post (quote, picture, video or link) that you put up is called an “object”. Upon creation that “object” gets a score, called an “edge”. It is assumed, and Facebook is not commenting, that they rank by type (pictures are best, video second, links third and written posts without any of the other elements included ranking last) and topic.</p>
<p>Once the object is part of Facebook (and please be aware that they own partial copyright to everything you post) a new edge is assigned for every interaction. (like, <a class="zem_slink" title="Comment (computer programming)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comment_%28computer_programming%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">comment</a>, share, or tag) The more “edges” an object has, the higher its Edge Rank,and the higher the likelihood that it will show up in the news feed.</p>
<p>One other factor that plays into this equation is each fan or friend&#8217;s affinity for your page or profile. People who interact with you regularly are much more likely to see your content on their page.</p>
<p>So, what can you do to ensure that your vital marketing messages or funny cat videos reach the widest possible audience? Here are some suggestions that may help improve Edge Rank.</p>
<p>First, create high ranking content. Use photos, videos and links. Post stuff people want to read, watch and learn more about.</p>
<p>Then optimize your content by sharing it yourself, liking your page posts with your personal profile, even leaving a comment from your personal profile to your own page, anything to get it started. Share your posts into groups, on other accepting pages, and onto the profiles of friends who are interested, the wider you broadcast the better.</p>
<p>Next, invite others to comment, like and share your content. Try asking a question that everyone has an answer to, such as their favorite in a specific category, or their choice for winner of an event, contest, election, whatever.</p>
<p>Offer an incentive to those who share by installing a fan appreciation app that keeps score. ASK them to share it, like it and leave comments.</p>
<p>Use your fanpage profile to comment and leave links in other places to create more traffic. The more people see your content, the higher its edge rank becomes, the more likely your audience will see your content.</p>
<p>Build subscribers. Each profile and page can be subscribed to by any fan or friend, which allows them to see all, or most of your posts. Ask your fans to subscribe to your page. Go here for more information: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=246210718757459">http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=246210718757459</a></p>
<p>To gauge how you are doing, watch your “talking about” number. The higher this number, the higher your edge rank. No matter how many “likes” you have if this number is zero, that is the reach of your content. Work to get this number up above 25% of your “likes” for a page that will grow.</p>
<p>For an even better picture of what is working, explore “insights”. There are dozens of stats showing how your content effected your audience. Work on creating more content like the posts that get you the most attention!</p>
<p>If you need more help with your <a class="zem_slink" title="blogging" href="http://www.zemanta.com/is-bloging-still-relevant-media-for-web-audience/" rel="zemantacom" target="_blank">social media</a>, we offer training and management services for networks of all sizes. Contact me at Mark@social-ism.biz.</p>
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		<title>Consistency</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/consistency/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/consistency/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:44:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Social-ism</dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing and Advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=315</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One thing is sure, one hundred percent of the marketing you don&#8217;t do, will fail to make sales. That is something that is sometimes hard to remember. (he says, sheepishly adding to his own blog for the first time in months) Here at Social-ism.biz we have been busier than a one legged man in a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>One thing is sure, one hundred percent of the marketing you don&#8217;t do, will fail to make sales. That is something that is sometimes hard to remember. (he says, sheepishly adding to his own blog for the first time in months) Here at Social-ism.biz we have been busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest and, like the shoemaker&#8217;s children who have no shoes, sometimes our blog and website are the last to get attention. To be fair, we have been rather busy lately, what with <a class="zem_slink" title="Trade fair" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_fair" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">trade shows</a> for clients and all.</p>
<p>That being said, consistency is the most important factor in any <a class="zem_slink" title="Marketing" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">marketing campaign</a> and that is doubly true when it comes to <a class="zem_slink" title="Social media" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social_media" rel="wikinvest" target="_blank">social media</a>. When fans see you making a consistent effort to converse with them, they appreciate and respond in kind.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t believe me? Try a little experiment. Look through your “insights” on your facebook page for periods with a lot of traffic. In most cases you will notice that periods of higher traffic will correlate with periods where posting consisted of both frequent and high quality posts. Giving people something to talk about is key to getting them talking.</p>
<p>Many times we are prone to complaining about a lack of contact from others, when all along the fault lies with us. One hundred percent of the posts you thought about, but did not implement will fail to start conversations, so get posting!<a href="http://social-ism.biz/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Consistency1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-316" title="Consistency1" src="http://social-ism.biz/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Consistency1.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em;">Related articles</h6>
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		<title>Which Social Media User Are You?</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/which-social-media-user-are-you/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/which-social-media-user-are-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:11:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chicken or the egg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Interaction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Rookie (2002 film)]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=290</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Being in the social media business, I have interactions with a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners on the topic of social media for business. Through those conversations, I have come to classify them in five major categories according to their understanding and usage of social media. They range from avid users to those who [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="CENTER">
<p align="CENTER">Being in the <a class="zem_slink" title="Social media" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social_media" rel="wikinvest" target="_blank">social media</a> business, I have <a class="zem_slink" title="Interaction" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interaction" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">interactions</a> with a lot of entrepreneurs and <a class="zem_slink" title="Business" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">business owners</a> on the topic of social media for business. Through those conversations, I have come to classify them in five major categories according to their understanding and usage of social media. They range from avid users to those who are still skeptical about the benefits of social media. As you read this, find yourself, honestly, and assess your current social media efforts. Our aim is to encourage more businesses to get the full benefit from their social media interactions.</p>
<p align="CENTER">The Pro</p>
<p align="CENTER">This is the user that has grasped the benefit and intends to wring out of it everything they can get. The pro will be invested in multiple networks and have multiple posts going out five to seven days a week. They know that social media works for them and can point you to the stats to prove it. Which comes first, the <a class="zem_slink" title="Chicken or the egg" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_or_the_egg" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">chicken or the egg</a>? In other words, are they seeing success because they use it, or are they using it because they see success? The answer is yes, both and. The real question is, does it matter which came first? To find out if this works for you, you have to try it! Take our thirty day challenge coming up November First and see what a difference it makes!</p>
<p align="CENTER">The Gifted Amateur</p>
<p align="CENTER">This is a true networker. They may run a one person show, or at least manage most important things themselves. They work social media as they have time. They believe in the benefits and are well invested in at least one network. While they may not post multiple times every day, they are working toward that goal and say things that add value to their fans lives. They are more likely to spend time directly engaging on other pages as well, and know the value of replying to fans that comment, like and share their posts and other info. They are well on their way and already seeing benefits.</p>
<p align="CENTER">Rookie</p>
<p align="CENTER">This is the beginner. They see some value and maybe have some small success with social media. They want to do more, but as we all know, business demands a lot of time and switching hats all day long can leave little creativity or time for being witty on <a class="zem_slink" title="Facebook" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/facebook?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. The Rookie likely posts multiple times each week, and has at least some relevant posts that attempt to share value with their audience.</p>
<p align="CENTER">Promoter</p>
<p align="CENTER">Promoters are the car <a class="zem_slink" title="Sales" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">salespeople</a> of the social media world. They work hard at promoting their real world events, sales and other happenings. They see social media as a tool to gather crowds and drive traffic. They primarily use old media tactics, such as announcing sales, posting items and sending invites to the big event! This type of user will only ever see limited results, even if they don&#8217;t recognize it as limiting. Their approach has a tendency to alienate a modern audience which really wants to come away with something from each interaction, more than a good price on clearance merchandise.</p>
<p align="CENTER">Pessimist</p>
<p align="CENTER">The <a class="zem_slink" title="Pessimism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pessimism" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">pessimist</a> is the business owner who has a facebook fanpage, but it “doesn&#8217;t work” for their business. Typically, one look at the page will show you why. They may have spent some time at the very outset in a half hearted attempt to get fans and start conversations, but most of the time it has been weeks, or even months since the page was last used. Social media is like health supplements, they only work if used daily over an extended period. It takes time and persistence to build audience.</p>
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		<title>Eating Toads and the Fine Art of Growing Up! (sucks, don&#8217;t it?)</title>
		<link>http://social-ism.biz/eating-toads-and-the-fine-art-of-growing-up-sucks-dont-it/</link>
		<comments>http://social-ism.biz/eating-toads-and-the-fine-art-of-growing-up-sucks-dont-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:21:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[article article article content business content facebook marketing facebook timing Google google algorithm I amlegend internet marketing linked in marketing linked in timing marketers media networks ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[article article content business content facebook marketing facebook timing Google google algorithm I amlegend internet marketing linked in marketing linked in timing marketers media networks Online o]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bowling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cane toad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Driving range]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[I amlegend]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Overtime (sports)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media networks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://social-ism.biz/?p=279</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some times growing up sucks! This is true for companies as well. Although Social-ism.biz is still in its infancy, we are experiencing growing pains and find ourselves constantly running to get caught up. We have put some excellent systems in place to ensure that our clients networks are being efficiently served, and I wanted to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;" align="CENTER">Some times growing up sucks! This is true for companies as well. Although Social-ism.biz is still in its infancy, we are experiencing growing pains and find ourselves constantly running to get caught up. We have put some excellent systems in place to ensure that our clients networks are being efficiently served, and I wanted to share a few ideas with you about how you can do that as well. So, here are five things we think every business should consider. If you implement them, please let us know how it goes.</p>
<p align="CENTER">There&#8217;s an old saying that goes a little something like this, “Eat a live toad every morning for breakfast and you can be assured that the rest of your day will seem easy after that.” Now, this may seem silly, or gross, but the fact is, if we are brave enough to tackle the jobs that we really don&#8217;t want to do first, then by the time we really hit our stride, we can do our best work where it really matters. So, how about it, eaten your toad yet today?</p>
<p align="CENTER">After conquering the necessary evils, try greasing the squeaky wheels. You know, that one client or employee who always demands a little <a class="zem_slink" title="Overtime (sports)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtime_%28sports%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">extra time</a>. Spend a few minutes solving any minor issues that are turning into major headaches to clear the decks for real work. By getting this out of the way, you can reduce your stress and improve productivity. Here is a link to some more great information on <a class="zem_slink" title="Stress management" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_management" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">stress reduction</a>!</p>
<p align="CENTER">In every relationship that is worth having, there is going to be periodic friction. When the inevitable happens and you and your business partner (s) are at each other&#8217;s throats. (figuratively speaking, I hope) try to stop and take a breath. ( not in ear shot of a client, preferably) Figure out exactly what it is that bothers you in the situation and just say it, honestly, and with as much candor as possible. Don&#8217;t pull punches or sugar coat, but there is no need to go out of your way to decimate the other person either. Remember, treat them the way you want to be treated when you screw up. After all, they probably did not intend to ruin your day. Once you have cleared the air, say what needs to be said in terms of apologies and move on.</p>
<p align="CENTER">Divide your labors intelligently. Don&#8217;t shirk duties onto others just because you don&#8217;t like the grunt work, divide the dirty work evenly, but try to let each team member play to their strengths as much as possible. Just because your original job description says you have to. doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean it has to stay that way. Try trading duties every now and then to widen your experience and develop a better understanding of your team members.</p>
<p align="CENTER">Take some time to play. Everybody needs a break. The next time you are just about to go nuts, take your lunch at the <a class="zem_slink" title="Bowling" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">bowling alley</a>, or <a class="zem_slink" title="Driving range" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_range" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">driving range</a> and let off a little steam as a team. Laugh together, tell a joke, enjoy each other as <a class="zem_slink" title="Human" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">human beings</a>, then come back and see what has transpired. You may find that a little relaxation puts you in the perfect frame of mind to realize the solution to a problem, find the right idea, or give you the extra bit of oomph you need to finish a long haul!</p>
<p align="CENTER">Last but not least. Social media got you down? Lots of fans, but no real response? Maybe you know what to do, but just don&#8217;t have the time? Rather than let it get to you. Call us, we can help! From setting you up with a training schedule, to taking it over entirely, Social-ism.biz can help you achieve your <a class="zem_slink" title="Social media" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social_media" rel="wikinvest" target="_blank">social media</a> goals. Contact me at <a href="mailto:Mark@social-ism.biz">Mark@social-ism.biz</a> to set an appointment.</p>
<p align="CENTER"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-280" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial;" title="growing-up" src="http://social-ism.biz/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/growing-up-295x300.jpg" alt="" width="295" height="300" /></p>
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