Facebook Helps Brands and Personalities Turns Visitors in Fans http://ow.ly/gRZQ

@peterkim Being Peter Kim: Help! I’m trapped in a social media position.

By Erik Qualman, Search Engine Watch, Jun 29, 2009

A lot has been written about what to do within social media (this column included). As a refreshing change of pace, let’s look at some things to avoid.

1. Not Every Company Needs a Big Social Media Presence

Every social media tool isn’t appropriate for every product or service. Most of the common mistakes are happening within Facebook and Twitter because of all the media publicity these platforms are receiving. Executives think, “Wow, all I hear about is Twitter and Facebook, let’s make certain we get on those ASAP!”

But, as has been discussed in this column several times, sites such as Digg, Delicious, and YouTube may be more appropriate platforms or best first steps for companies, rather than the latest media darlings.

A good reality check: not too long ago, Technorati, Friendster, and MySpace were about to conquer the world. Today, you’d be hard-pressed to find any news about these companies at all. That should show you the fickleness of online media.

Companies sometimes go for the latest “shiny object” because the younger personnel within agencies and companies have fun designing programs within social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

While it’s fun for the employees to implement these initiatives, it may not make the most sense from an ROI standpoint. Almost every under-30-year-old uses Facebook every day, and hence they have an affinity to do a program with something they know. Not every 20-something knows how to adjust a Wikipedia entry, set up a company LinkedIn profile, or use Delicious.

The shiny object syndrome is illustrated by this example, when I saw an advertisement ingrained on a table within the food court of a mall in Cambridge, Mass. This table was some prime offline advertising real estate, and promoted that the mall now had a Facebook Fan Page.

Why on earth would I want to be a fan of a mall? If anything, I’d want to hear from the merchants in the mall — Apple, Anne Taylor, Taco Bell, etc. My guess is the mall FEARed (False Evidence Appearing Real) they were going to be left out.

2. Companies Overinvest Rather Than Keeping Things Light

Social media is changing faster than you can say swine flu, and it’s tough to spot the trends, even for the experts. That’s why it’s important to keep your investments as light and as nimble as possible.

Imagine if you’d invested heavily two years ago in MySpace development. This might be a little unnerving because MySpace just laid off 30 percent of their U.S. employees and more than 60 percent of their international employees. However, if you invested light and fast, then you aren’t in such a precarious position.

Even take a look at Facebook. Just a few years back, companies had to pay Facebook $150,000 for a sponsored group, which Facebook then changed to free fan pages, which then again were changed earlier this year to fan pages that resembled profiles.

3. Companies Believe Social Media Efforts Must Tie Into Existing Systems/Databases

This relates to keeping investments streamlined, particularly scarce internal IT resources.

I recently worked with one of the world’s largest cruise operators. And for their singles cruises, people wanted to meet before they departed. The cruise operator had hundreds of cruises that went to similar destinations at different times during the year.

Their internal system had the ability to identify which passengers were on which cruise, based on the assigned trip number and if that passenger was listed as single. Hoping to help reduce cancellations, they wanted passengers to meet prior to their cruise and the passengers also desired this “meet-up” functionality.

The cruise operator thought it would be best if their social media applications tied into their existing backend systems by this trip number. There were three main problems:

1. Customers often didn’t know their trip number, hence this was a barrier to entry for the social media application.
2. The system could only tell 90 days out who was specifically on which trip.
3. It was going to be costly and time-consuming coding to allow the various systems to speak to one another.

This forced the cruise line to do what they should have done in the first place: think creatively. Companies don’t hold all the answers/information anymore. Hence, the cruise line simply allowed the travelers that were interested in meeting singles to tell where they were going and when they were going.

Some simple coding within the social media application then matched the travelers up. It also allowed travelers to see everyone going on the “Greek Paradise” cruise throughout the year, not just those users on their particular ship. This type of creative thinking saved the company time and money and delivered what the passengers wanted.

Everyone should “do” rather than “deliberate” in social media, by making light, smart investments that allow for flexibility. At the same time, make certain that the social media strategy is right for your particular company, not because everyone else is doing it. One size doesn’t fit all.

Submissions are now open for the 2009 Search Engine Watch Awards. Enter your company or campaign before July 17, 2009. Winners will be announced at SES San Jose.

by Sydney Jones, Research Assistant and Susannah Fox, Associate Director, Pew Internet & American Life Project
January 28, 2009

Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the “Net Generation,” internet users in their twenties do not dominate every aspect of online life. Generation X is the most likely group to bank, shop and look for health information online. Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online. And even Silent Generation internet users are competitive when it comes to email (although teens might point out that this is proof that email is for old people).

Internet use and email

The web continues to be populated largely by younger generations, as more than half of the adult internet population is between 18 and 44 years old. But larger percentages of older generations are online now than in the past and they are doing more activities online, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project surveys taken from 2006-2008.

The biggest increase in internet use since 2005 can be seen in the 70-75 year-old age group. While just over one-fourth (26%) of 70-75 year olds were online in 2005, 45% of that age group is currently online. Much as we watch demographic and age groups move up in “degrees of access” on our “thermometers,”1 we can probably expect to see these bars become more level as time goes on. For now, though, young people dominate the online population.

Instant messaging, social networking, and blogging have gained ground as communications tools, but email remains the most popular online activity, particularly among older internet users. Fully 74% of internet users age 64 and older send and receive email, making email the most popular online activity for this age group. At the same time, email has lost some ground among teens; whereas 89% of teens said they used email in 2004, just 73% currently say they do.

Teens and Generation Y find entertainment and social networks online

Teens and Generation Y (internet users age 18-32) are the most likely groups to use the internet for entertainment and for communicating with friends and family. These younger generations are significantly more likely than their older counterparts to seek entertainment through online videos, online games and virtual worlds, and they are also more likely to download music to listen to later. Internet users ages 12-32 are more likely than older users to read other people’s blogs and to write their own; they are also considerably more likely than older generations to use social networking sites and to create profiles on those sites.2 Younger internet users often use personal blogs to update friends on their lives, and they use social networking sites to keep track of and communicate with friends.3 Teen and Generation Y users are also significantly more likely than older generations to send instant messages to friends.

By a large margin, teen internet users’ favorite online activity is game playing; 78% of 12-17 year-old internet users play games online,4 compared with 73% of online teens who email, the second most popular activity for this age group. Online teens are also significantly more likely to play games than any other generation, including Generation Y, only half (50%) of whom play online games.
Older generations use the internet as a tool for research, shopping and banking

Compared with teens and Generation Y, older generations use the internet less for socializing and entertainment and more as a tool for information searches, emailing, and buying products. In particular, older internet users are significantly more likely than younger generations to look online for health information. Health questions drive internet users age 73 and older to the internet just as frequently as they drive Generation Y users, outpacing teens by a significant margin. Researching health information is the third most popular online activity with the most senior age group, after email and online search.

Internet users ages 33-72 are also significantly more likely than younger users to look online for religious information and they are more likely to visit government websites in search of information.

Generation X (internet users ages 33-44) continues to lead in online shopping. Fully 80% of Generation X internet users buy products online, compared with 71% of internet users ages 18-32. Interest in online shopping is significantly lower among the youngest and oldest groups; 38% of online teens buy products online, as do 56% of internet users ages 64-72 and 47% of internet users age 73 and older.

Generation X internet users have also maintained their edge in online banking, as they are significantly more likely than any other generation to do their banking online (67%). As Generation Y users grow older, however, they have become much more likely to bank online as well: The percentage of online Generation Y who do banking online rose from 38% in 2005 to 57% in 2008. There has been no significant growth among older generations when it comes to banking online.
Video downloads, online travel reservations and work-related research are now pursued more equally by young and old

A few online activities previously dominated by either older generations or younger generations are now being done more equally across all generations under 73 years old. One such activity is downloading videos, an activity that in 2005 was significantly more popular with teens and Generation Y than with any other generation. Generation X is catching up, as 31% of that generation claim to download videos as of 2007, compared with 38% of Generation Y. Generations on the oldest end of the spectrum also became significantly more likely than they had been two years before to download videos. Some 13% of G.I. Generation internet users (age 73+) reported downloading videos, up from 1% in 2005, and another 13% of the online Silent Generation (ages 64-72) say they download videos, up from 8% in 2005.

Perhaps less surprisingly, Generation Y is also gaining significant ground in some activities previously dominated by Generation X and older. In addition to becoming more likely to do banking online, Generation Y has also grown more likely to make travel reservations online. In 2005, half (50%) of Generation Y internet users had booked travel arrangements online and in 2008 that number rose to 65%. During the same period, the percentages of Generation X and older generations to make online travel reservations remained about the same.

The workplace online network is expanding to include more Generation Y users.5 Internet users 18-32 are going online more than ever to do research for their jobs. In 2007, 51% said they used the internet for their jobs other than for email, compared with 44% of the same group in 2005.

Broadband access has doubled for many age groups, tripled in oldest groups

Since 2005, broadband access has increased dramatically in the United States across all age groups, but older groups are still largely unconnected to high-speed internet. For Americans ages 12-24, broadband access has increased by about half; for 25-64 year olds, it has about doubled; and for seniors 65 and older, broadband access has more than tripled. The percentage of the oldest age group to have broadband at home is still very low, however, at just 16%.

Always-on, high-speed connections make it more convenient for internet users to participate in online activities, and broadband users are significantly more likely than dial-up users to do almost all major online activities.6 When looking at internet users who go online from home in 2008, broadband is more equally accessed by all age groups; 70% of home internet users older than 75 years old have high-speed access. As broadband access continues to increase for all age groups, perhaps we will see increased internet activity, particularly among the trailing older generations.

View a series of charts for more analysis at pewinternet.org.
Notes

1. “Degrees of Access,” Pew Internet & American Life Project, May 2008.
2. “Adults and Social Network Websites,” Pew Internet & American Life Project, Jan. 2008.
3. “Teens and Social Media,” Pew Internet & American Life Project, Dec. 2007.
4. “Teens, Video Games and Civics,” Pew Internet & American Life Project, Sept. 2008.
5. “Networked Workers,” Pew Internet & American Life Project, Sept. 2008.
6. “Home Broadband 2008,” Pew Internet & American Life Project, July 2008.

http://www.10e20.com/blog/2009/04/01/niche-social-media-news-websites/

Author: Thursday Bram

Finding a way to contact someone has gotten a lot easier: just type their name into Google and follow a few links. For many people, you’ll quickly find a profile on Facebook, a blog or even an email address you can use to get in touch. But a Google search doesn’t turn up good results for everyone. Maybe the person you’re trying to reach has a fairly common name. You may need a tool a little better than a simple Google search to find him.

1. 123people

123people provides a good start when you’re looking for someone online. You can type in just a first name and a last name and get pictures, phone numbers, email addresses, Amazon wishlists, websites, documents and more. It turns up a lot of search results for relatively common names — or names that refer to someone famous in addition to the person you’re looking for. The only drawback to so much information is that it can take a little while to search through it all and find the specific person you’re searching for.

2. Pipl

Pipl is a free search tool, although it brings in results from several other sites which do charge for access to particular records. Between those various sources, Pipl turns up a good number addresses and phone numbers, along with links to public records, online mentions and other useful pieces of information. Particularly helpful is Pipl’s ability to search withing a specific city, state or zip code. If you know the geographic location of the person in question, you’ll be able to narrow down search results to that area.

3. YoName

If you’re confident the person you want to find has a profile on some social networking site, a good search tool is YoName. The site searches across a whole list of different social networking sites

, from big names like MySpace to less common options like Webshots. The results can take a little time to look through, but the process is made easier by the fact that they’re laid out in a table — you can browse through it quickly.

4. Zoom Info

Zoom Info is particularly useful if you’re looking to connect with someone at their job. Search results include job titles and employers, along with locations. The site offers a ‘contact this person’ button, but requires you to sign up for a free trial in order to use it. After the free trial, using that button and some of the site’s other features cost $99 per month. If you’re willing to do a little more legwork by calling up the company listed and seeing if you can ask for a direct number or email address, you can generally skip paying that fee.

5. Jobster

Jobster’s main focus is searching for jobs, but it also offers a tool to search for individuals. In most cases, it’s used for employers and recruiters looking for leads — but it can offer up some contact information that can help your search. A few other job sites offer a similar opportunity, as well.

6. Inmate Search

Unfortunately, you may find yourself in need of Inmate Search — while the site isn’t pretty, it includes a list of contact information for each state’s system for finding inmates, as well as the federal system. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of options for searching all states at once, but if you know the state the person you’re looking for might be incarcerated in, you can speed up the search process.

7. Intelius

To access most of the information available through Intelius, you’ll be asked to pay a fee. The site offers everything from phone numbers to complete background checks and actually can have useful information. I have purchased information from Intelius in the past and it did lead me to exactly the person I was looking for. However, I know the price tag (often starting around $40) can be off-putting, especially if you’re only casually searching or if you need to find information on a long list of people.

8. Zaba Search

I know many people who swear by Zaba Search when it comes to searching public records for free. I’ve had minimal luck on it myself, but if you’re having some difficulty, it may be worth a try. The reverse phone look on Zaba Search is particularly problematic — the site actually uses Intelius to look up phone numbers, which charges for the information.

Other Options

There are more than a few other options for searching for people out there. These eight are just options I’ve actually used in the past. There are also a lot of specialized search tools, like if you’re trying to find a person’s criminal record or you want to look for someone who works for the US government. You can also check social networking sites individually — most search tools that cover social media focus on larger sites, and ignore the smaller ones, along with forums and message boards. Unfortunately, there’s still not a particularly good tool for searching such sites — even if you’re willing to pay. You’re left with essentially searching those sites by hand.

The drawback to the options listed above is that they all primarily focus on the U.S. I’ve had little luck finding resources for international searches. If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments.

Thursday Bram blogs about a variety of topics, from personal finance to small business. She is the author of an upcoming book on the tools and tricks you need to build a career you can take with you during long-term travel. More information about Thursday and her book, Working Your Way Around the World, is available on her personal site, ThursdayBram.com.

http://www.selectcourses.com/

Twitter is an excellent resource for learning, especially those who are building a business. You can learn about marketing, news, and more, and see what other successful young entrepreneurs are up to. Check out this list to find 100 feeds young entrepreneurs should watch on Twitter.

Groups

These groups on Twitter cater to young entrepreneurs.

1. Mediabistro: Mediabistro is a great community for news, opportunities, and more for media professionals.
2. @yeos: If you’re a young entrepreneur in Sweden, be sure to follow @yeos to learn about networking, inspiration, and idea exchanging.
3. @texasventures: Texas Ventures is an entrepreneur network and student organization for Texans.
4. #yep: Tweeters taking part in #yep are young entrepreneurs and professionals on Twitter.
5. the_pitch: You can learn a good deal about pitching from this contest for entrepreneurs.
6. @thestartupeu: @thestartupeu represents a group that supports startups, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and more.

News & Advice

Follow these Twitter feeds to find news, advice, and more.

1. @EntMagazineAmy: Amy Cosper is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur Magazine.
2. @guykawasaki: Check out Guy Kawasaki for news in business and more.
3. @digg_frontpage: Find out what’s on the Digg front page from this Twitter bot.
4. @smallbusiness: Follow @smallbusiness to get updates on small business news.
5. @entrepreneurpro: Follow Ben Lang’s Twitter to learn about teen entrepreneurs.
6. @JohnChow: John Chow is a great person to follow if you’re interested in learning how to make money blogging.
7. @WebWorkerDaily: Follow WebWorkerDaily, and you’ll learn about better using the web for work.
8. @ginatrapani: Gina Trapani is the founder of Lifehacker, and guru of all things productivity.
9. @JasonCalacanis: Jason Calacanis shares news and more about social media, blogs, and online entrepreneurship.
10. @StartupGuru: Brian Tsuchiya’s feed is full of useful startup news links.
11. @IncMagazine: Follow @IncMagazine, a magazine for entrepreneurs.
12. @College_Mogul: @College_Mogul reports on startups, entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology.
13. @EntMagazine: Follow Entrepreneur Magazine on Twitter here.
14. @barefoot_exec: Carrie Wilkerson aims to educate, empower and encourage entrepreneurs young and old.
15. @wiredmag: Get the official news feed of Wired magazine here, especially useful if you’re a young entrepreneur into technology.
16. @onstartups: Read about startups from the founder and CTO of HubSpot.
17. @teenbizcoach: Check out Shonika Proctor’s feed to learn how to use your talents for business.

Marketing

If you’re interested in learning how to better market and brand your business, be sure to check out these Twitter feeds.

1. @zappos: Follow @zappos to learn a thing or a thousand about good customer service and marketing.
2. @missrogue: Tara Hunt is a great person to follow if you’d like to learn about marketing that works.
3. @mashable: @mashable will help you make sense of the social web.
4. @chrisbrogan: Chris Brogan is the president of New Marketing Labs, a social media agency and education company.
5. @adbroad: Helen Klein Ross shares information about social media and more.
6. @WillieCrawford: Willie Crawford is an excellent resource for learning about Internet marketing.
7. @eMarketing_Tips: Get tips for emarketing, social media, and more from @eMarketing_Tips.
8. @problogger: Follow Darren Rowse to learn how you can more effectively use your blog as an entrepreneur.
9. @nichelady: On @nichelady’s feed, you’ll learn how to make payday come every day.
10. @smmguide: Social Media Guide shares information about social media marketing.
11. @darrenmonroe: Darren Monroe shares lots of tweets about leadership and web marketing.
12. @marketingwizdom: Follow Robert Clay to learn about low risk/high return marketing strategies.
13. @adhustler: @adhustler is all about affiliate marketing.
14. @wbaustin: Bill Austin shares news from Internet marketing and beyond.
15. @oudiantebi: Oudi Antebi is a social marketing expert and entrepreneur.
16. @MrSocial: Mr. Social is a marketing guru and social media expert.
17. @ScottAllen: Scott is an expert in social media, and loves to help entrepreneurs.
18. @TYSONtheQUICK: Tyson is a marketing student and COO of Meisab Labs.
19. @Debbas: Check out Debbas to learn about promotional items and printing from a professor of marketing.
20. @brianadrian: Read Brian Adrian’s tweets to learn about social media and web 2.0 marketing.
21. @DiyanaAlcheva: Diyana is a marketing specialist and Internet network marketing business coach.
22. @danschawbel: Dan Schawbel of Personal Branding Blog will help you brand yourself and your business.
23. @BrandKarma: Check out @BrandKarma to learn about branding for your business.

Coaches

Follow these business and life coaches who can help you get a better handle on what you’re doing.

1. @sacca: Christ Sacca offers advisement to startups.
2. @mariaandeos: Check out Maria Anros to learn how to attract a following and new clients.
3. @socrates_soc: Socrates is an Internet marketing expert and coach.
4. @MariSmith: Mari Smith is a friendly social media trainer that loves to help others grow their business.
5. @RonDavies: Follow Ron Davies to get coached in making the most of Twitter.
6. @AndrewWindham: Andrew Windham is a professional speaker, entrepreneurial and business coach, and more.
7. @GabeStrom: GabeStrom is a coach inspired to help you reach your full potential.
8. @Rob_Moshe: Rob Moshe is a life success coach that can help you with attraction marketing.

Entrepreneurs

Get inspiration, ideas, and more from these entrepreneurs on Twitter.

1. @randfish: Rand Fishkin is the CEO of SEOmoz, a search optimization and Internet marketing firm.
2. @richardbranson: Chairman of Virgin Group, Richard Branson is one of the most recognizable and successful entrepreneurs on Twitter.
3. @boutiquegirl: Maiken Jepsen is a work at home mom, designer, and the owner of a boutique clothing shop.
4. @RobMcNealy: Rob McNealy is full of inspiration for new entrepreneurs.
5. @tferriss: Tim Ferriss is the author of #1 NY Times bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek.
6. @kevinrose: This founder of Digg is full of random ideas.
7. @r27: Rajesh Pancholi owns and operates the creative UK studio known as R27 Creativelab.
8. @TEDchris: Chris Anderson and his organization share ideas worth spreading.
9. @tonyrobbins: Get inspired by @tonyrobbins.
10. @teenceo: Patricio Quezarda shares the details of being an emerging teen CEO and digital media mogul.
11. @StaceyMonk: Stacey Monk is an entrepreneur and dogooder.
12. @calbucci: Marcelo Calbucci is the founder and CTO of Sampa.
13. @IncSpring: Wes Wilson’s IncSpring is a social marketplace for entrepreneurs.
14. @stanleytang: @stanleytang is a 16 year old internet entrepreneur and best-selling author.
15. @davesnyder: Check out Dave Snyder to learn about search and social media marketing.
16. @sumaya: @Sumaya is a founder of The Cultural Connect, and has been recognized by Business Week as a top young entrepreneur.
17. @nlw: Nathaniel Whitmore is the founder of Assetmap.org and a founding organizer of Change.org.
18. Jeremy Schooley: Jeremy Schooley is the COO at Digital Labz.
19. @gotmelik: Melik Yuksel is a 14 year old blogger, web and graphic designer, and entrepreneur.
20. @sundaycosmetics: Beverly Davis is the entrepreneur behind Sunday Cosmetics.
21. @rseanlindsay: Sean Lindsay wears the hats of entrepreneur, creator, connector, technologist, and builder.
22. @darbydarnit: Petri Darby is the “Chief Darn Officer.”
23. Joann Sondy: Joann is a seasoned entrepreneur and owner of Creative Aces.
24. @netgeek06: Thomson Chemmanoor is the founder of Digital Labz.
25. @chrispund: Chris Pund writes a blog for young entrepreneurs and even manages two web-based companies of his own.
26. @RickM: Rick Myers is the founder and CEO of Talent Zoo.

Finance & Venture Capital

These Twitter feeds will teach you about economics and funding.

1. @freakonomics: Get more of the goodness found in the Freakonomics blog from @freakonomics.
2. @mintdotcom: Learn about finance, money tips, and more from Mint.
3. @turbotax: Check out Turbo Tax to get the tax help every young entrepreneur needs.
4. @planetmoney: @planetmoney will help you get a handle on the global economy.
5. @vctips: Get a look into the minds of venture capitalists from @vctips.

Blogs & Writers

Check out these Twitter feeds to find excellent advice from bloggers and writers concerned with young entrepreneurs.

1. @YoungGoGetter: @YoungGoGetter will keep you up to date on the latest for young entrepreneurs.
2. @Retireat21: This blogger is all about helping young entrepreneurs make money online.
3. @TPEntrepreneur: The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur will help you go from aspiring young entrepreneur to industry leader.
4. @socialentrprnr: If you’re an entrepreneur focused on social change, be sure to check out @socialentrprnr.
5. @yarostarak: Yaro is a professional blogger full of advice for bloggers and Internet marketers.
6. @garyvee: Check out @garyvee to see how social media can improve your business.
7. @shoemoney: Jeremy Schoemaker is a blogger that can help you learn how to make money with your blog.
8. @Gladwell: Malcolm Gladwell’s Twitter will have you always thinking about success.
9. @venturehacks: @venturehacks aims to be a business school for entrepreneurs.
10. @MattWilsontv: Matt Wilson supports entrepreneurs under 30.
11. @doshdosh: @doshdosh is a great resource for Internet marketing and making money online.
12. @copyblogger: Brian Clark will teach you about new media content.
13. @thebizguy: Find tweets from Adam, a cofounder of YoungEntrepreneur.com on @thebizguy.
14. @penelopetrunk: Follow Penelope to learn about the intersection of work and life.
15. @ramit: Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to Be Rich and PBWiki is a goldmine of knowledge for young
16. entrepreneurshttp://www.selectcourses.com/blog/2009/100-terrific-twitter-feeds-for-young-entrepreneurs/

Is the jury still out in your mind as to whether social media matters in business? If so, a recent survey might make you change your mind. In fact, it may cause you to re-think your entire marketing outreach, especially if you market to women.

The study found that 42 million women in the United States (roughly 53% of the 79 million adult women in the United States who use the Internet) participate in social media at least weekly. As they spend more time with social media, women are spending correspondingly less time with traditional media: 39% less on newspapers, 36% less time reading magazines, and 30% less time watching TV.

That’s according to a recent social media survey by BlogHer, the women’s blog network, along with iVillage and Compass Partners.

Of course, the flight from traditional media to social media has been reported before and may not be startlingly new to you. But this particular survey digs much deeper. There are 3 interesting findings that I would like to point out, that are worth spending time considering:

Interesting Finding #1: Social Networks Like Facebook Get the Most Usage

More women use social networks like Facebook and MySpace than anything else, with blogs their second choice. Forums and discussion boards come next, with Twitter bringing up the rear (remember that the next time you’re tempted to think Twitter is THE be all and end all of your marketing). Here’s a slide (slide 8 ) from the research study that shows usage:

If you were looking solely at raw numbers, you’d conclude the most important place your brand needs to be seen is over at Facebook or MySpace, right? Well … not necessarily.

Interesting Finding #2: Blogs Wield the Widest Influence

It’s not just about how much time is spent in an activity, it’s what women do in that activity and how much that activity plays into their purchasing habits. This slide (slide 10) from the survey shows the difference between reach and influence.

The way I interpret this slide is that you would get the maximum reach in sheer numbers from social networks like Facebook (narrow point of the inverted pyramid), but you would achieve the widest influence from blogs (widest part of the inverted pyramid).

The women who post to blogs are the most actively engaged. They spend the most time online. Over 80% also participate in social networks like Facebook, and over one third of bloggers also participate in Twitter. But more to the point, those who blog are more likely to be tech savvy, on the leading edge of trends, and invest time searching for new products online. Those who participate in social networking sites like Facebook are motivated to spend time there more as a matter of staying in touch with family and friends.

Interesting Finding #3: Women Look to Blogs for Business, Politics, Cars and Technology

The slide below (slide 20) tells the tale of the difference in type of advice and information sought, and how the different types of social media come into play. Women are more likely to go to social networks for beauty, entertainment and dating advice. But for the majority of other categories they look to blogs.

Depending on the nature of your business, it might be worth it to focus on Facebook or MySpace — if, for instance, you are in the entertainment business. But for most things, such as if you are in a B2B business or selling technology, blogs could give you more influence.

Read the entire survey, which you can download here (PDF), along with the press release. It was released at the end of April 2009, and surveyed 2,821 women in the general U.S. population, 1,008 women from the BlogHer network, and 788 women in the iVillage network.

This is definitely one survey worth checking out, as the insights dig deep beneath the surface.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/05/05/optimizing-improvig-conversion-rates-less-effort-more-customers/