Using Instagram for Business

It seems like the world of social media has been awash with buzz over its latest darling – Instagram. The trendy photo editing and sharing site has taken hold of the 18 – 24 crowd, and it currently boasts more than 80 million users. That’s precisely the reason Facebook acquired the social network so greedily a few months back. Keeping their enemies closer, you know?

What Does the Google +1 Button Mean for SEO

Google, the internet giant based in California, has had a strangle hold on much of the online market for the past decade. Most would struggle to find a single person in the Western World who is not yet familiar with the Google Search Engine. In fact the search engine is so popular that the phrase 'Google it' has been adopted by many Gen-Yers.

In addition to their massive presence in the search marketplace, Google also commands a large percentage of the online advertising industry, generating revenues in the region of US$35 billion per annum.

10 Biggest Social Media Myths Exposed

Merriam-Webster defines a myth as "a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon."

It's been said all myths are based in fact. Whether or not that's true is debatable. What isn't debatable, however, is like society, Social media also has its myths. This article exposes what I consider to be the 10 biggest Social media myths.

How to Handle Social Media Trolls

One of the unfortunate side effects of social networking is dealing with Internet trolls. These anonymous consumers seem to exist just to spite you. They love stirring up trouble, attacking your brand and lambasting your company on every forum, blog and social network they can find. Maybe they are a former customer with an axe to grind. Maybe they're just looking to pick a fight. Whatever the reason, almost every company is going to have to handle a troll at some point.

Here are 5 ways to help you better manage the social networking trolls:

1. Establish Ground Rules

You want to make sure that the troll doesn't make your company end up looking like the bad guy. Before trolls become an issue, establish a set of ground rules for commenting on your social profiles. Let you audience know what kind of behavior will and will not be allowed. If a troll posts something offensive or abusive on your Facebook wall and you decide to delete it, let your network know that it's because you won't tolerate that kind of belligerent attitude, not because they don't like your company. Just make sure you play by your ówn rules!

2. Don't Try to "Disappear" Them

If someone leaves a comment on your Facebook wall that you don't like, you have the ability as the page owner to delete that comment. Seems like the best way of dealing with a troll, right? Not necessarily. Trying to just "delete" your trolls and their comments might come across like you have something to hide or are trying to drown our dissenting opinions. It may cause your real social network to question your integrity. If things get really heated, find a way to take the conversation off of your social profile without just deleting it entirely.

3. Kill Them With Kindness

It almost néver pays to get into a spitting match with a social troll. They don't have anything to risk by getting involved in an online feud; you do. Your brand and online reputation are up for grabs when you start fighting with a troll on a social networking site. You may not like what they have to say, but don't get angry and use social media to vent. The person who is handling your social media marketing cannot afford to take it personally! The troll isn't attacking one particular employee; they are going after your brand. As long as you stay polite and courteous, your company will come out on top.

4. Reach Out for Support

If you've taken the time to do your social media marketing right, you've probably built up a strong and solid network of brand loyalists. If one troll seems intent on picking a fight, have your social network come to your defense. Ask your Friends, Fans and Followers to post/Tweet/blog or share their opinions of your company. Chances are your social network is more than willing to police itself. Users are smart, and they can tell when someone is trying to cause trouble for no reason. Having that much support shows the trolls that they are facing a much bigger fight then they thought.

5. Actually Listen

This might sound a little crazy, but you do have to pay attention to what the trolls are saying. They might not be the only ones who feel so negatively about your brand, even if they are taking it to an extreme level. Let's say you have 1,000 Facebook fans, but only 200 have commented on your Facebook page. Those 200 comments may or may not represent majority opinion. Sure, you have to take the comments of a social troll with a grain of salt, but that doesn't mean you can't learn something about your audience at large if you dig deeper. Sometimes a troll is nothing more than a very upset customer. You want to make sure there aren't other customers this upset with your brand. Once you understand the problem, you can address and fix it.

Sooner or later, just about every company will have to deal with a social troll. It isn't worth the risk of damage to your brand to get involved in a public fight with one of them. Remember to take the high road and your online reputation won't suffer because of it.

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About The Author

Nick Stamoulis is the President and Founder of Brick Marketing a full-service SEO and social media marketing company. With over 12 years of experience, Nick Stamoulis shares his knowledge by posting daily SEO tips to his blog, the Search Engine Optimization Journal and by publishing the Brick Marketing SEO Newsletter. Contact Nick Stamoulis at 781-999-1222 or nick@brickmarketing.com

Sources; SiteProNews, Fri 8/26/2011

Plus Minus Blackberry vs Android

Diskusi kecil dengan seorang teman, mendapatkan kesimpulan bahwa Blackberry banyak kekurangannya. Dan dengan nada canda pula aku menimpali, kalau gitu sudah saatnya ganti ke Android saja. Cuma, ketika aku ditanya balik, apa kelebihan Android dibanding dengan Blackberry, giliran aku yang kurang bisa menjawab dengan detail. Karena aku memang tidak pada posisi ‘pemakai’ Android ataupun (pernah) mempelajari dengan detail masalah ini.

Agar tidak sekedar dibilang omong doang, aku coba googling tentang masalah “Blackberry vs Android” ini. Hasilnya cukup banyak, tetapi apa yang ditulis di forum kaskus oleh Ardi Widodo  -- yang mengulas alasan-alasan kenapa orang lebih suka pindah ke Android -- ini  bisa sedikit mewakili pro-kontra seputar pertempuran Blackberry dengan Android. Silahkan disimak:

10 Tips Menggunakan Twitter Dengan Baik dan Benar

Twitter merupakan situs mikroblog yang berfungsi sebagai jejaring sosial. Twitter berguna untuk melakukan update berita, untuk mengetahui hal-hal terbaru dari sesuatu atau seseorang yang ingin kita ikuti sehari-hari.

Namun, di luar itu, Twitter bisa menjadi musuh bagi hidup kita. Contohnya, ada karyawan yang dipecat hanya karena tweet-nya di Twitter. Ada pula kasus phising yang merugikan, juga pemblokiran dari pemerintah.

Berikut ini adalah tips untuk menjaga akun Twitter, agar terhindar dari penyalahgunaan, virus, spam, phising, dan juga pemblokiran.

Dampak Positif (dan Negatif) Penggunaan Facebook

Apakah Anda termasuk orang yang gemar meng-update status Twitter dan membuka akun Facebook tiap saat? Jika ya, berhati-hatilah karena menurut penelitian, kebiasaan tersebut bisa mempengaruhi kesehatan Anda. Misalnya saja seperti, kecanduan akan obat-obatan terlarang dan alkohol, hingga depresi dan melambatnya keterampilan kognitif seseorang.

Namun peneliti juga mengatakan bahwa situs jejaring sosial juga memberikan efek positif. Berikut beberapa dampak positif serta negatif Facebook dan Twitter, seperti yang dikutip dari healthmeup.

Banyak Cara untuk Mengakses Situs Yang Diblokir

Jika anda tidak bisa mengakses suatu situs karena dibatasi/diblokir oleh administrator jaringan atau ISP, maka pengguna akan mengalami kesulitan didalam mengakses situs yang di blokir tersebut.

Di bawah ini ada beberapa cara yang dapat Anda coba untuk mengakses situs-situs yang diblokir.

1. Menggunakan alamat IP
 

Apabila aplikasi yang digunakan hanya memblokir nama domain saja (misal: www.google.com), ini dapat disiasati dengan menggunakan alamat IP situs tersebut misalnya untuk google : http://209.85.171.99).