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	<title>GoSocial.us : Building Brands with Social Media and Online Marketing News &#187; Social Media</title>
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		<title>Does Your Digital Marketing Contain These 5 Building Blocks?</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/does-your-digital-marketing-contain-these-5-building-blocks/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/social-media/does-your-digital-marketing-contain-these-5-building-blocks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>Do your digital marketing plans incorporate these five crucial building blocks? The proliferation of technology platforms and marketing options can be confusing when plotting your business’ course. The newest shiny business tool can sometimes blind marketers. As a result, it can be difficult to ensure your marketing plans contain the most relevant and effective components. To help you keep your digital marketing on course to achieve your firm’s objectives, here are the five major elements to integrate into your plans and why you need each one.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/digital-marketing-building-blocks/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://heidicohen.com/digital-marketing-building-blocks/&amp;source=heidicohen&amp;style=normal&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" /><br />
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<h2>5 Digital Marketing Strategy Must-haves</h2>
<p><strong><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/building-blocks.jpg#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6360" title="building-blocks" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/building-blocks-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>Do your digital marketing plans incorporate these five crucial building blocks?</strong> The proliferation of technology platforms and marketing options can be confusing when plotting your business’ course. The newest shiny business tool can sometimes blind marketers. As a result, it can be difficult to ensure your marketing plans contain the most relevant and effective components.<span id="more-6357"></span></p>
<p>To help you keep your digital marketing on course to achieve your firm’s objectives, here are the five major elements to integrate into your plans and why you need each one.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Website. </strong>Every business, regardless of size, needs a online home base. While acting like a business card, in today’s wired world, your website must go beyond being a few static web pages. Smaller businesses may be able to leverage blogs cost effectively. Others may need to integrate a blog to expand their content marketing so that it’s search optimized.</li>
<li><strong>Search optimization</strong>. Just as customers looked up businesses in the telephone book in the pre-Internet days, they now turn to search, whether it’s on their computer or mobile device. To this end, it’s critical you show up for the words prospects use when and where they look for your business or services. This translates to thinking beyond just search engines. Include mobile search and search-like offerings like Yelp, TripAdvisor and Zagats. You must consider where people look for your products and how they’re reviewed. Don’t overlook the power of Amazon for providing this information.</li>
<li><strong>Social media</strong>. Social media is the 900 pound gorilla of digital marketing. It’s where people spend their time. Further, an effective social media marketing strategy supports search optimization and leverages content marketing making it synergistic with the rest of your digital marketing mix. This doesn’t mean that you should jump onto every social media platform. Rather start by using the <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-content-format/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">format(s)</a> that’s best for your brand or product. Understand that social media isn’t free and that you can expand your usage over time.</li>
<li><strong>Communications. </strong>Regardless of the type of marketing you use, communications are the glue that keeps you connected with your prospects, customers and the public. On digital platforms, email is often the communications format of choice since it’s cost-effective and quick. But don’t overlook landing pages, automated responses, chat and old-fashioned phone calls as well as social media options. With the introduction of social media, <a href="http://heidicohen.com/does-your-medium-match-your-marketing-message/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">communications have expanded beyond one-to-many and one-to-one to include many-to-many.</a></li>
<li><strong>Mobile. </strong>With an increasing number of people using smartphones, adding a mobile component to your offering is critical. (Depending on your business, it may also be useful to consider how your digital marketing appears on tablets (aka iPads.)) This is particularly important for merchants and other local businesses that people look for on-the-go. (Here are the <a href="http://heidicohen.com/mobile-marketing-basics/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">six must-do mobile basics</a>.) Remember customers <a href="http://heidicohen.com/mobile-goes-shopping/">check your website and your competitors for more information while they’re shopping</a> in a retail establishment.</li>
</ol>
<p>Regardless of the size of your marketing budget and the complexity of your business offering, what’s critical when using these five digital building blocks is to ensure they’re integrated and work together seamlessly. Further, your brand should be consistent throughout your online marketing.</p>
<p>Is there anything else that you’d put on a must-have digital marketing list? If so, why would you add it? Please add your suggestions in the comment section below.</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related articles of interest.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/4-pillars-of-digital-marketing/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">4 Pillars of digital marketing</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/mobile-marketing-must-have-facts/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">56 Must-have mobile facts.</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/what-is-social-media/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">What is social media?</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/zscheyge/49012397/sizes/m/in/photostream/" >Holger Zscheyge</a> via Flickr</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/digital-marketing-building-blocks/" rel="bookmark">Does Your Digital Marketing Contain These 5 Building Blocks?</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 15, 2011.<br />
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		<title>Google+ Users Are Nearly All Male</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/search-engine-news/google-users-are-nearly-all-male/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/search-engine-news/google-users-are-nearly-all-male/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2011 02:26:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Search Engine News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&#38;url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/"></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/&#38;title=Google+%20Users%20Are%20Nearly%20All%20Male&#38;related=true&#38;style=true"></a> <a target="_blank" type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/&#38;src=sp"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/&#38;service=bit.ly"></a> Here&#8217;s an interesting tidbit from the Google+ stats trackers: Three quarters (or more) of <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/google-plus">Google+</a> users are male. <a href="http://socialstatistics.com/" target="_blank">SocialStatistics</a>, a thi&#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" ><div><div style="float:right;margin-bottom:10px;"><a  href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/stumbleupon.png" align="right" /></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/&title=Google+%20Users%20Are%20Nearly%20All%20Male&related=true&style=true"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/diggme.png" align="right" /></a> <a  type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/&src=sp" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/fb.jpg" align="right" /></a> <a  href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/&service=bit.ly"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" width="51" height="61" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/" align="right"/></a></div><div style="float:left;margin-bottom:10px;"><img src="http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/googleplus1.jpg" alt="" title="googleplus" width="50" height="50" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-669481" /></div><div style="clear:both;"></div></div><br/></a><span class="intro"><em>Already using Google+? Follow <strong><a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" >Mashable News</a></strong> for the latest about the platform&#8217;s new features, tips and tricks as well as our top social media and technology updates.</em></span></p><p><img src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Googleman.jpg" alt="" title="Googleman" width="225" height="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-679059" />Here&#8217;s an interesting tidbit from the Google+ stats trackers: Three quarters (or more) of <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/google-plus">Google+</a> users are male.</p><p><a href="http://socialstatistics.com/" >SocialStatistics</a>, a third-party site that gathers data from select profiles, pegs the percentage of male users at 86.8%, while <a href="http://findpeopleonplus.com/statistics" >FindPeopleOnPlus</a>, which curates information from about a million users, says men constitute 73.7% of Google+.</p><p>FindPeopleOnPlus also discovered that 95% of the Google+ users who say they are &#8220;looking for love&#8221; on the site are male. Some 25,000 users in their sample identify themselves as single, versus 19,000 married and 12,000 in a relationship. The vast majority of the million users sampled don&#8217;t say what they are.</p><p>With around 60% of users identifying themselves as web developers or software engineers, that paints a fairly stereotypical picture of Google+&#8217;s userbase: nerdy guys who have deep understandings of technology and who don&#8217;t mind killing some time setting up Circles of friends.</p><p>It&#8217;s true that the early adopters of any new technology are usually male. But Google+ will have to appeal to a mainstream audience if it&#8217;s to reach mass adoption anytime soon. Consider the gender breakdown for Google+&#8217;s biggest competitor, Facebook. The social network is <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/07/22/facebook-500-million-infographic/">close to a 50-50 split</a> between men and women. And some of Facebook&#8217;s most addicted, most enthusiastic users <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/07/07/oxygen-facebook-study/">are women</a>.</p><p>Meanwhile, Google is about to stop <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/13/google-plus-gender/">requiring users to input their gender</a> &#8212; meaning we may get less accurate stats as time progresses.</p><hr /><h3>Screenshots: Inside Google+</h3><hr /> <br/><h4>Google+ Logo</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/#18171Google-Logo"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Logo" src="http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/google-plus-logo-640.jpg" /></a><br/><br/><p>This is the Google+ logo.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Icons</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/#18169Google-Icons"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Icons" src="http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/google-plus-icons-640.jpg" /></a><br/><br/><p>The Google+ icons. Starting top left and circling to the right: Circles, Hangouts, Home, Sparks, Profile, Photos.</p> <br/><h4>New Google+ Navigation Bar</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/#18161New-Google-Navigation-Bar"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="New Google+ Navigation Bar" src="http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/sandbar_one.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>All Google sites will sport the new Google+ navigation bar. It includes notifications, profile information and content sharing options.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Stream</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/#18159Google-Stream"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Stream" src="http://8.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/gplus_stream.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>This is the Google+ Stream, where users share content and see what their friends are sharing. It is similar to the Facebook News Feed.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Circles</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/#18163Google-Circles"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Circles" src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/gplus_circles.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>Google+ Circles is Google's version of the Facebook friend list or the Twitter List. Users can select multiple friends and drag-and-drop them into groups. This makes it easier to send stuff to friends, family or the entire world.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Circles Editor</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/#18165Google-Circles-Editor"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Circles Editor" src="http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/gplus_circleeditor.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>This is the Google+ Circles editor in action. Google has created unique animations for adding and removing friends through HTML5.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Sparks</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-male/#18167Google-Sparks"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Sparks" src="http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/gplus_sparks.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>Google+ Sparks is Google's content recommendation and discovery engine. Users can search different topics and find relevant articles, videos and photos. Users can then share that content with their friends.</p><p>More About: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/gender/">gender</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google/">Google</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-plus/">Google Plus</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/sausagefest/">sausagefest</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/trending/">trending</a></p><p style="margin-top:10px;"><i>For more <a href="http://mashable.com/social-media/">Social Media</a> coverage:</i><ul style="margin-top:0;" class="xoxo"><li><a href="http://twitter.com/mashsocialmedia"  rel="nofollow">Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.socialmedia"  rel="nofollow">Become a Fan on Facebook</a></li><li><a href="http://feeds.mashable.com/mashable/socialmedia"  rel="nofollow">Subscribe to the Social Media channel</a></li><li>Download our free apps for <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/mashable-android-app/" rel="nofollow">Android</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-mac/id412390413?mt=12" rel="nofollow">Mac</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable/id356202138?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPhone</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-ipad/id370097986?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPad</a></li></ul></p>
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		<title>Can Google+ Sustain Growth Beyond Early Adopters?</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/twitter/can-google-sustain-growth-beyond-early-adopters/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/twitter/can-google-sustain-growth-beyond-early-adopters/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:27:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[social networking]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&#38;url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-growth-early-adopters/"></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-growth-early-adopters/&#38;title=Can%20Google+%20Sustain%20Growth%20Beyond%20Early%20Adopters?&#38;related=true&#38;style=true"></a> <a target="_blank" type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-growth-early-adopters/&#38;src=sp"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-growth-early-adopters/&#38;service=bit.ly"></a> Give credit to Google: Its strategic and orchestrated launch of <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus/">Google+</a> has been nearly flawless. <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus-review/">Early reviews</a> were positive but reserved, th&#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" ><div><div style="float:right;margin-bottom:10px;"><a  href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-growth-early-adopters/"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/stumbleupon.png" align="right" /></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-growth-early-adopters/&title=Can%20Google+%20Sustain%20Growth%20Beyond%20Early%20Adopters?&related=true&style=true"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/diggme.png" align="right" /></a> <a  type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-growth-early-adopters/&src=sp" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/fb.jpg" align="right" /></a> <a  href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-growth-early-adopters/&service=bit.ly"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" width="51" height="61" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-growth-early-adopters/" align="right"/></a></div><div style="float:left;margin-bottom:10px;"><img src="http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/googleplus1.jpg" alt="" title="googleplus" width="50" height="50" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-669481" /></div><div style="clear:both;"></div></div><br/></a><span class="intro"><em>Already using <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/google-plus">Google+</a>? Follow <strong><a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" >Mashable News</a></strong> for the latest about the platform&#8217;s new features, tips and tricks as well as our top social media and technology updates.</em></p><p><img src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/google-plus-yellow-360.jpg" class="alignright"/ width="275" height=""><em><a href="http://mashable.com/tag/the-social-analyst/">The Social Analyst</a> is a column by Mashable Editor-at-Large <a href="http://mashable.com/author/ben-parr" >Ben Parr</a>, where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space. You can follow the author on <a href="http://twitter.com/benparr" >Twitter</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/" >Google+</a>.</em></span></p><p>Give credit to Google: Its strategic and orchestrated launch of <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus/">Google+</a> has been nearly flawless.</p><p><a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus-review/">Early reviews</a> were positive but reserved, thanks to <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/12/28/tech-win-flop-surprise-2010/">Google&#8217;s failure with Google Buzz</a>. Like clockwork though, technology celebrities like <a href="https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts" >Robert Scoble</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/110318982509514011806/posts" >Kevin Rose</a> starting flooding Google&#8217;s social network and singing its praises. Taking a cue from Gmail, Google <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/29/google-plus-invites/">released invites in small bursts</a>, sparking a <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/29/google-plus-invites-contest/">clamor for invites</a> across the web.</p><p>The result of Google&#8217;s carefully planned campaign is an estimated <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/12/google-10-million/">user base of 10 million</a> in just two weeks. More importantly, engagement on Google+ is extremely high, with many reporting they get more responses on Google+ than they do on Twitter or Facebook. It&#8217;s clear that Google+ has momentum.</p><p>That&#8217;s nice, but the momentum is starting to blind Google+ users and the press to reality.  Here&#8217;s the truth: Google+ is dominated almost entirely by early adopters. And early adopters, while important, are not great predictors of the success of a social network.</p><p>Let&#8217;s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some social media services that have been embraced by early adopters. What has happened to them and what it might mean for the future of Google+?</p><hr/><h2>The Technology Adoption Lifecycle</h2><hr/><p><center><img src="http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/DiffusionOfInnovation.png" width="640px"></p><p></center><br /> <em>Image courtesy of Wikipedia, Natebailey</em></p><p>Many of you have probably heard of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_adoption_lifecycle" >technology adoption lifecycle</a> and Rogers&#8217; bell curve. It is a sociological model developed in the 1950s to predict the normal distribution of technology adoption.  Innovators and early adopters make up the first 16% of any given population that accepts a new technology. They are more risk-oriented, tend to be community leaders and aren&#8217;t afraid to try new things. However, that still leaves 84% of the population to adopt a new technology.</p><p>Let&#8217;s put these percentages in the context of Facebook and Google+. Zuckerberg said last week that he believes <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/06/zuckerberg-on-google-plus/"> Facebook has hit critical mass</a>. He also announced that <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/06/facebook-750-million/">Facebook has 750 million users</a>. For the sake of argument, let&#8217;s assume that&#8217;s the potential market for the adoption of a social media service. If we do the math, that means that <strong>the first 120 million users are early adopters</strong> for social networking. That&#8217;s a long way from the current 10 million.</p><p>Whether you agree with my math or not, it&#8217;s clear that Google+ is dominated by an early-adopter crowd. Only early-adopter crowds could make <a href="http://socialstatistics.com/?include=statistics&#038;id=141" >Robert Scoble</a>, <a href="http://socialstatistics.com/?include=statistics&#038;id=427" >Leo Laporte</a> and <a href="http://socialstatistics.com/?include=statistics&#038;id=172" >Kevin Rose</a> among the top ten most popular users on Google+. I even have a term for this phenomenon: The Robert Scoble Effect.</p><hr/><h2>A History of Early Adoption</h2><hr/><p>There&#8217;s nothing wrong with early adopters &#8212; you need them to test and evangelize your products. Every product starts with early adopters, though some start with a different crowd than others (remember, Facebook started out as a social network for college students).</p><p>However, early adopters shouldn&#8217;t be used as an indication that a technology product is destined for success. Let&#8217;s look at what has happened to a couple of technology products that either are or were once hot with the early adopter community:</p><blockquote><p> <strong>FriendFeed:</strong> In 2008 and 2009, FriendFeed was all the rage. Its real-time stream and long comment threads were the precursors to the technology now standard on Facebook and Google+. The tech press <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/02/23/connect-friendfeed-community/">wrote</a> <a href="http://mashable.com/2008/02/08/friendfeed-i-think-i-get-it-now/">about</a> it constantly, predicting that <a href="http://mashable.com/2008/07/16/friendfeed-competition/">it would beat out the competition</a>.</p><p>FriendFeed gained a cult-like following, but it never broke out into the mainstream. In 2009, <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/08/10/facebook-acquires-friendfeed/">Facebook acquired FriendFeed for $50 million</a>. It was a nice exit, but with companies <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/02/groupon-ipo/">like Groupon</a> and <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/01/breaking-zynga-files-for-ipo/">Zynga filing for IPOs</a> that could be worth more than $20 billion, FriendFeed never turned early adopters into a mainstream audience.</p><p><strong>Quora:</strong> At the end of last year, <a href="http://www.google.com/trends?q=Quora" >nobody could shut up</a> about Quora, the social Q&#038;A startup co-founded by former Facebook CTO Adam D&#8217;Angelo. It was in the middle of <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20027210-36.html" >a perfect storm</a>.</p><p>Since then, discussion of Quora has dropped off tremendously, and so has usage of the Q&#038;A site. Follower growth <a href="http://www.quora.com/Following-Followers-on-Quora/Which-Quora-users-have-the-most-followers?q=most+foll" >has stalled</a> since May. It also suffers from the Robert Scoble Effect, as the technology enthusiast is still Quora&#8217;s most followed user.</p><p>Let&#8217;s be clear: it&#8217;s still too early to make a final judgment on Quora, but the Q&#038;A site is a good example of the fickleness of early adopters.</p><p><strong>Twitter:</strong> On the other hand, Twitter is a good example of how an early adopter product can go mainstream. Twitter was dominated by early adopters for the longest time. It wasn&#8217;t until Ashton Kutcher, <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/04/21/oprah-impact-on-twitter/">Oprah</a> and Shaq joined that the social media service&#8217;s <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/03/16/twitter-growth-rate-versus-facebook/">growth shot to the moon</a>.</p><p>Now Twitter users <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/30/twitter-200-million/">generate more than 200 million tweets per day</a>, and its most popular users aren&#8217;t Robert Scoble or Kevin Rose: it&#8217;s Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Barack Obama.</p><p><strong>Buzz:</strong> Let&#8217;s not forget that Google launched a social product last year, one that received <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/beware-the-buzz-about-google-/51555" >a ton of accolades</a>. We all know <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/12/28/tech-win-flop-surprise-2010/">how that turned out</a>.</p></blockquote><p><center><img src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/google-plus-comic.png" alt="Google Plus" title="Google Plus" width="640" height="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-679075" /></p><p></center></p><p><i>Image courtesy <a href="http://findchaos.tumblr.com/" >A. Stiffler</a></i></p><hr/><h2>Google+ Hasn&#8217;t Truly Been Tested</h2><hr/><p>Let&#8217;s be clear: We&#8217;re not trying to predict the future of Google+ after just two weeks of use. Overall, <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus-review/">we like Google+</a> and think it brings some new ideas to the table. In fact, we&#8217;ve been surprised by the engagement we&#8217;ve received on Google+ thus far.</p><p>Still, all of this can be attributed to the early adopter effect. Is your mom using Google+? Is your sister using Google+? Have your friends in finance or medicine joined the Google+ revolution yet? We bet the answer is a resounding &#8220;no&#8221; in the vast majority of cases. At least your grandma has heard of Facebook.</p><p>So while Google+ may be riding a tidal wave of momentum at the moment, it&#8217;s still a toy of the early adopter. And until it can prove that it has a place in a world dominated by more mainstream networks, we suggest not abandoning your Facebook profile just yet.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: A quick look</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xwnJ5Bl4kLI&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xwnJ5Bl4kLI&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>Google provides an overview of the entire Google+ project.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Explore Circles</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ocPeAdpe_A8&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ocPeAdpe_A8&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>Google+ Circles is Google's take on the friend list or the Twitter list.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Explore Settings</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vnv1Mbj1jKw&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vnv1Mbj1jKw&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>In this video, Google explores the different settings available on Google+.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Explore Mobile</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N8gvHaX1cwY&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N8gvHaX1cwY&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>Google+ will launch with an Android app. In this video, Google explores the app's features.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Explore Hangouts</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QN38vHZjWXw&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QN38vHZjWXw&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>Google+ comes with a group video chat feature called Hangouts. This video explains how it works.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Explore Sparks</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0DoAl4JXhQo&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0DoAl4JXhQo&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>In an attempt to get users to share more content, Google+ includes a feature called Sparks. It provides recommended content based on keywords or topics.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Circles</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BeMZP-oyOII&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BeMZP-oyOII&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>In this video, Google talks about the impact of friends and social groups.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Hangouts</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tku1vJeuzH4&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tku1vJeuzH4&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>Google talks about spontaneous hangouts in this video.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Huddle</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iA22daAstNg&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iA22daAstNg&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>Google introduces Huddle, the company's group-texting feature.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Instant Upload</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6y_xKVSRAy8&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6y_xKVSRAy8&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>Google+ for mobile includes an instant upload feature for photos and videos. They're uploaded to a private album where they can then be shared from the desktop.</p> <br/><h4>The Google+ project: Sparks</h4> <br/> <object width="642" height="408"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MRkAdTflltc&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0" name="movie"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/> <embed width="642" height="408" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MRkAdTflltc&amp;border=0&amp;rel=0&amp;loop=0"/> </object><p>Google talks about exploring interests through Sparks in this video.</p><p>More About: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/column/">Column</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/facebook/">facebook</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google/">Google</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-plus/">Google Plus</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-network/">social network</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-networking/">social networking</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/the-social-analyst/">The Social Analyst</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/trending/">trending</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/twitter/">twitter</a></p><p style="margin-top:10px;"><i>For more <a href="http://mashable.com/social-media/">Social Media</a> coverage:</i><ul style="margin-top:0;" class="xoxo"><li><a href="http://twitter.com/mashsocialmedia"  rel="nofollow">Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.socialmedia"  rel="nofollow">Become a Fan on Facebook</a></li><li><a href="http://feeds.mashable.com/mashable/socialmedia"  rel="nofollow">Subscribe to the Social Media channel</a></li><li>Download our free apps for <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/mashable-android-app/" rel="nofollow">Android</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-mac/id412390413?mt=12" rel="nofollow">Mac</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable/id356202138?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPhone</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-ipad/id370097986?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPad</a></li></ul></p>
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		<title>Google+ Users Share 1 Billion Items Per Day, Says Larry Page</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/search-engine-news/google-users-share-1-billion-items-per-day-says-larry-page/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/search-engine-news/google-users-share-1-billion-items-per-day-says-larry-page/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:19:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Search Engine News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mashable.com/?p=678979</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&#38;url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/"></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/&#38;title=Google+%20Users%20Share%201%20Billion%20Items%20Per%20Day,%20Says%20Larry%20Page&#38;related=true&#38;style=true"></a> <a target="_blank" type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/&#38;src=sp"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/&#38;service=bit.ly"></a><span><em>Already using <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/google-plus">Google+</a>? Follow <strong><a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" target="_blank">Mashable News</a></strong> for the latest about the platform&#8217;s new features, tips and tricks as well as our top social me</em></span>&#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" ><div><div style="float:right;margin-bottom:10px;"><a  href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/stumbleupon.png" align="right" /></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/&title=Google+%20Users%20Share%201%20Billion%20Items%20Per%20Day,%20Says%20Larry%20Page&related=true&style=true"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/diggme.png" align="right" /></a> <a  type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/&src=sp" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/fb.jpg" align="right" /></a> <a  href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/&service=bit.ly"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" width="51" height="61" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/" align="right"/></a></div><div style="float:left;margin-bottom:10px;"><img src="http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/googleplus1.jpg" alt="" title="googleplus" width="50" height="50" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-669481" /></div><div style="clear:both;"></div></div><br/></a><span class="intro"><em>Already using <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/google-plus">Google+</a>? Follow <strong><a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" >Mashable News</a></strong> for the latest about the platform&#8217;s new features, tips and tricks as well as our top social media and technology updates.</em></p><p><img src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Larry-Page-Image-Mashable.jpg" alt="" title="Larry Page" width="225" height="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-679009" /><a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/google-plus">Google+</a> already has 10 million users who share 1 billion items every day, and Google&#8217;s +1 button is being hit 2.3 billion times per day, Google CEO Larry Page said Thursday.</p><p>Page, speaking to analysts during Google&#8217;s <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-q2/">second-quarter</a> earnings conference call, also said that 550,000 <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/android/">Android</a>-enabled phones are activated every day and 160 million people use Google&#8217;s <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/google-chrome/">Chrome</a> web browser.</p><p>Page was careful to put those stats, some of which had <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/12/google-10-million/">already been reported</a>, in perspective. Since Google draws the vast majority of its revenues from advertising, products such as Android, Chrome and Google+ are viewed as long-term investments. They can &#8220;generate huge new businesses for Google in the long run,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Nikesh Arora, senior vice president and chief business officer for Google, said that Android&#8217;s growth has acted as &#8220;an accelerator to our mobile [advertising] efforts.&#8221;</p><p>Page slices Google&#8217;s business into three categories including search/advertising; products that are having strong consumer success, like YouTube, Android and Chrome, and new products like Google+ and Commerce and Local.</p><p>Somewhere outside of that are products that Page calls &#8220;speculative,&#8221; like <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/03/03/google-self-driving-car-video/">driverless cars</a>. &#8220;We may have a few small speculative projects happening at any given time, but we’re very careful stewards of shareholder money,&#8221; said Page. &#8220;We’re not betting the farm on this stuff.&#8221;</p><p><em>Image courtesy of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.istockphoto.com/mashableoffer.php">iStockphoto</a>, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=314995">sx70</a></em></p><hr /><h3>Screenshots: Inside Google+</h3><hr /> <br/><h4>Google+ Logo</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/#18171Google-Logo"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Logo" src="http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/google-plus-logo-640.jpg" /></a><br/><br/><p>This is the Google+ logo.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Icons</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/#18169Google-Icons"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Icons" src="http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/google-plus-icons-640.jpg" /></a><br/><br/><p>The Google+ icons. Starting top left and circling to the right: Circles, Hangouts, Home, Sparks, Profile, Photos.</p> <br/><h4>New Google+ Navigation Bar</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/#18161New-Google-Navigation-Bar"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="New Google+ Navigation Bar" src="http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/sandbar_one.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>All Google sites will sport the new Google+ navigation bar. It includes notifications, profile information and content sharing options.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Stream</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/#18159Google-Stream"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Stream" src="http://8.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/gplus_stream.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>This is the Google+ Stream, where users share content and see what their friends are sharing. It is similar to the Facebook News Feed.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Circles</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/#18163Google-Circles"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Circles" src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/gplus_circles.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>Google+ Circles is Google's version of the Facebook friend list or the Twitter List. Users can select multiple friends and drag-and-drop them into groups. This makes it easier to send stuff to friends, family or the entire world.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Circles Editor</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/#18165Google-Circles-Editor"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Circles Editor" src="http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/gplus_circleeditor.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>This is the Google+ Circles editor in action. Google has created unique animations for adding and removing friends through HTML5.</p> <br/><h4>Google+ Sparks</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/larry-page-google-plus/#18167Google-Sparks"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="Google+ Sparks" src="http://9.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/introducing-google/gplus_sparks.png" /></a><br/><br/><p>Google+ Sparks is Google's content recommendation and discovery engine. Users can search different topics and find relevant articles, videos and photos. Users can then share that content with their friends.</p><p>More About: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/android/">android</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google/">Google</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-chrome/">google chrome</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-plus/">Google Plus</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/trending/">trending</a></p><p style="margin-top:10px;"><i>For more <a href="http://mashable.com/business/">Business &amp; Marketing</a> coverage:</i><ul style="margin-top:0;" class="xoxo"><li><a href="http://twitter.com/mashbusiness"  rel="nofollow">Follow Mashable Business &amp; Marketing on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.business"  rel="nofollow">Become a Fan on Facebook</a></li><li><a href="http://feeds.mashable.com/mashable/business"  rel="nofollow">Subscribe to the Business &amp; Marketing channel</a></li><li>Download our free apps for <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/mashable-android-app/" rel="nofollow">Android</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-mac/id412390413?mt=12" rel="nofollow">Mac</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable/id356202138?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPhone</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-ipad/id370097986?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPad</a></li></ul></p>
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		<title>How 9 Food Trucks Use Tech To Drive Business</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/twitter/how-9-food-trucks-use-tech-to-drive-business/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/twitter/how-9-food-trucks-use-tech-to-drive-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:24:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/feature/2011-truck-tour/" target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&#38;url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/high-tech-food-trucks/"></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/high-tech-food-trucks/&#38;title=How%209%20Food%20Trucks%20Use%20Tech%20To%20Drive%20Business&#38;related=true&#38;style=true"></a> <a target="_blank" type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/high-tech-food-trucks/&#38;src=sp"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/high-tech-food-trucks/&#38;service=bit.ly"></a><em>The <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-savvy-food-truck-series">Social-Savvy Food Truck Series</a> is supported by the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/feature/2011-truck-tour/" target="_blank">Ben and Jerry&#8217;s Scoop Truck</a>. For more information on the scoop truck and where it s</em>&#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/feature/2011-truck-tour/" ><div><div style="float:right;margin-bottom:10px;"><a  href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/high-tech-food-trucks/"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/stumbleupon.png" align="right" /></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/high-tech-food-trucks/&title=How%209%20Food%20Trucks%20Use%20Tech%20To%20Drive%20Business&related=true&style=true"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/diggme.png" align="right" /></a> <a  type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/high-tech-food-trucks/&src=sp" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/fb.jpg" align="right" /></a> <a  href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/high-tech-food-trucks/&service=bit.ly"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" width="51" height="61" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/high-tech-food-trucks/" align="right"/></a></div><div style="float:left;margin-bottom:10px;"><img src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Ben-and-Jerrys-logo-100.jpg" alt="" title="ben and jerry&#039;s logo small" width="125" height="43" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-648323" /></div><div style="clear:both;"></div></div><br/></a><em>The <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-savvy-food-truck-series">Social-Savvy Food Truck Series</a> is supported by the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/feature/2011-truck-tour/" >Ben and Jerry&#8217;s Scoop Truck</a>. For more information on the scoop truck and where it stops, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/feature/2011-truck-tour/" >click here</a>.</em></p><p><img src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/food-truck-ipad-360.jpg" class="alignright" width="275" height="" title="iPad Food Truck">We know <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/23/food-trucks-twitter/">food trucks are embracing social media</a>, but there&#8217;s more to running a food truck than marketing on <a href="http://mashable.com/category/twitter">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://mashable.com/category/facebook">Facebook</a>.</p><p>There are trucks all over the country that are going high-tech to launch, build and manage their businesses.</p><p>Here&#8217;s a look at how food trucks are innovating with marketing tools, productivity apps and the truck design itself.</p><hr /><h2>1. <a href="http://evernote.com" >Evernote</a>: <a href="http://ricepaperscissors.tumblr.com/" >Rice Paper Scissors</a></h2><hr /><p><center><iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fQZHAMWuiR4?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p></center></p><p>Friends and street-food vendors Valerie Luu &#038; Katie Kwan founded Rice Paper Scissor, a pop-up food cart in San Francisco. Dealing with the logistics of finding locations, planning a menu, marketing and finance means they need to stay organized, and they use notetaking app Evernote to do so.</p><p>On the Evernote blog, they write, “We snap photos of potential locations with <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/evernote">Evernote</a> on our <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/iphone">iPhone</a> &#8212; we can then review and discuss potential locations later.” The women also create shopping checklists on the app and religiously check off items and tasks to stay on top of things and within their budget.</p><p>“The cool thing about Evernote is that it’s this amazing business tool for us, but it’s also a place to store and track all sorts of ideas. We keep track of ideas for home decor, writing projects, and conversations with interesting people,&#8221; they say.</p><hr /><h2>2. <a href="http://squareup.com/" >Square</a>: <a href="http://www.meatyballsmobile.com/MB/Home.html" >The Meatyballs Mobile</a></h2><hr /><p><center><img src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/square.jpg" alt="" title="square" width="480" height="770" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-677803" /></p><p></center></p><p>In the world of merchant processing, <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/square">Square</a> has quickly become a rising star. Just ask the team behind one of the many food trucks that employ the credit card reader on their mobile devices. &#8220;We use Square over a traditional POS because it&#8217;s simple and we don&#8217;t need anything else,&#8221; says Angus Gorberg of The Meatyballs Mobile. &#8220;The ubiquitous nature of the smartphone means that we don&#8217;t have to train new drivers on how to use the app because it&#8217;s easy to learn.&#8221; Plus, Gorberg says the fact that there are no monthly fees or commitment guidelines and that Square has &#8220;tremendous&#8221; customer service means Meatyballs won&#8217;t be switching from Square any time soon.</p><p>As gourmet food trucks knock down the preconceived notion of &#8220;street meat,&#8221; digital tools like Square make running a mobile business much easier and more efficient, since you don&#8217;t have to waste time counting cash or getting change from the bank. &#8220;It adds a great tech element to the experience, and we would be super disappointed if we couldn&#8217;t get our balls into the mouths of the cashless,&#8221; says Gorberg.</p><hr /><h2>3. <a href="http://www.intuit-gopayment.com" >Intuit GoPayment</a>: <a href="http://www.chilantrobbq.com/" >Chi&#8217;Lantro BBQ</a></h2><hr /><p><center><img src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ipad-intuit.jpg" alt="" title="ipad intuit" width="640" height="501" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-677555" /></p><p></center></p><p>Korean BBQ joint Chi&#8217;Lantro went digital just in time for this year&#8217;s <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/sxsw">SXSW</a> conference. Like Square, <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/intuit">Intuit</a>&#8216;s <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/gopayment">GoPayment</a> offers a free card reader (with no monthly fee) that works on more than 40 mobile devices. Intuit worked with the popular Austin food truck, which hit up various SXSW hotspots, offering 25-cent tacos to those who followed the truck on <a href="http://mashable.com/category/twitter">Twitter</a> and paid by credit card.</p><p>Jae Kim, owner and founder of Chi&#8217;Lantro BBQ, says the promotion was a win-win and is proud that his food truck uses iPads and Androids as credit card machines, which is convenient both for the business and the customer.</p><hr /><h2>4. <a href="http://mobilemeteor.com/FoodTrucks.php" >Mobile Meteor</a>: <a href="http://www.fryingdutchmen.com/" >Frying Dutchmen</a></h2><hr /><p><center><img src="http://8.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/fryingdutchmen.jpg" alt="" title="fryingdutchmen" width="640" height="419" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-678527" /></p><p></center></p><p>Mobile Meteor is a company that helps businesses create mobile websites. The <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/06/16/food-trucks-social-media/">rise of the food truck</a>, though, has expanded their business, and now it has functionality that works with a food truck’s existing Twitter account. Food trucks, such as New York&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Frying_Dutchmen" >Frying Dutchmen</a>, for example, send a tweet to <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/mvendor" >@Mvendor </a>with “#open” plus the truck’s address, and a pin automatically appears on a map on the business’s mobile website. Tweeting with &#8220;#closed&#8221; removes the location on the map. Truck owners can also use a web app and their smartphone&#8217;s internal GPS to update the truck map, without having to log in to Facebook or Twitter. <a href="http://prezi.com/bigh_az3_6l1/mobile-meteor-truck-tracker-map-widget/#embed" >Click here to see a Prezi</a> that explains how Mobile Meteor works.</p><p>Since Twitter and Facebook are blocked at a lot of businesses (especially at financial firms in neighborhoods like Midtown Manhattan), Mobile Meteor provides another way for trucks to share their ever-changing locations with hungry customers &#8212; on their smartphones.</p><hr /><h2>5. <a href="http://www.paperlinks.com/" >Paperlinks</a>: <a href="http://austinfoodcarts.com" >Austin Food Carts</a></h2><hr /><p><center><img src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/paperlinks-copy.jpg" alt="" title="paperlinks copy" width="640" height="243" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-678557" /></p><p></center></p><p>Another SXSW food truck and tech integration came from <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/qr-code">QR-code</a> startup Paperlinks &#8212; apparently digital-food partnerships happen when digital natives are crammed into a food truck mecca for a week. By scanning a branded QR-code sticker for Austin Food Carts, SXSW-goers could access a list of truck locations, a Twitter feed and information about the Austin food truck scene.</p><p>Paperlinks provides QR-code marketing solutions for individuals and businesses &#8212; the company has a self-serve online platform for creating a QR-code, a QR-code scanning app (although the codes scan with any QR-code reader) and design and printing services for designer QR-codes and large-scale campaigns, like the one at SXSW. Paperlinks is in talks with other food carts in L.A. and San Francisco.</p><hr /><h2>6. Make Your Own App: <a href="http://schnitzelandthings.com" >Schnitzel and Things</a></h2><hr /><p><center><img src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/schnitzel-things-app.jpg" alt="" title="schnitzel things app" width="640" height="318" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-677561" /></p><p></center></p><p>Looking to order your favorite food truck dish? There&#8217;s an app for that. In fact, some food trucks make their own app for the customer&#8217;s convenience. Digitally savvy New York food truck Schnitzel and Things has an app on which you can place your schnitzel order and find out where to pick it up, since the truck location changes daily.</p><p>Looking to make your own app? Here are <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/10/27/build-an-app-for-your-smb/">some tools</a> to help you do so.</p><hr /><h2>7. <a href="http://mobimunch.com/" >Mobi Munch</a>: <a href="http://mobimunch.com/link/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.nomnomtruck.com" >Nom Nom Truck</a></h2><hr /><p><center><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/22867804" width="640" height="390" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p></center></p><p>Mobi Munch is a one-stop shop for would-be food truck entrepreneurs. They can purchase mobile food infrastructure, learn how to use social media tools, design a menu, have access to human resources tools and get tips on how to scout and reserve locations. The package has a $125,000 price tag, which is apparently a reasonable price for a food truck concept. Like we said, it&#8217;s a one-stop shop, and several prominent food trucks were built on the structure, including <a href="http://mobimunch.com/NomNomTruck" >Nom Nom Truck</a>, one of Los Angeles&#8217; most popular snack mobiles.</p><hr /><h2>8. Digital Menu Board: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MunchieMobile" >Jack in the Box</a></h2><hr /><p><center><img src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/digital-menu.jpg" alt="" title="digital menu" width="640" height="368" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-677823" /></p><p></center></p><p>While many food trucks keep it simple and write a chalk menu each day &#8212; perhaps even changing menu items daily &#8212; one food truck has the deep pockets to finance something a bit snazzier. Fast food chain <a href="http://www.jackinthebox.com/" >Jack in the Box</a> has a 34&#8242;-long Munchie Mobile food truck that boasts a 47-inch digital menu board. Obviously the advantage of a digital menu board as opposed to a chalk one is that the images can change. So what does Jack&#8217;s digital display show? Spokesperson Brian Luscumb admits that it&#8217;s pretty static and lists menu items, pricing and food shots. However, if the Munchie Mobile is at an event or running a promotion &#8212; like when the truck team was giving away free tacos at a March of Dimes event &#8212; then screen can be updated to reflect the offerings.</p><p>There&#8217;s a lot of potential for digital menu boards, as a food truck can display Twitter feeds, YouTube footage, truck locations and photos of the staff <em>and</em> consumers &#8212; it&#8217;s a blank canvas on which food trucks can get really creative and ramp up branding efforts.</p><hr /><h2>9. <a href="http://www.tapviva.com/" >Tapviva</a>: <a href="http://www.lacocinasf.org/" >La Cocina</a></h2><hr /><p><center><img src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/tapviva.jpg" alt="" title="tapviva" width="640" height="382" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-677557" /></p><p></center></p><p>Tapviva&#8217;s three co-founders lived in the Bay Area when they got fed up with waiting in line for ten minutes at Starbucks. It occurred to them: Why can&#8217;t we order and pay ahead of time on our phones, pick up our coffees and go? Basically, they wanted their food to wait for them, not the other way around.</p><p>Tapviva is currently running at <a href="http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/LpATwioj24Y/lacocinasf.org" >La Cocina</a>, a non-profit that helps mostly low-income Latina women start food businesses. Beginning next week, the Tapviva mobile ordering solution is going live at several La Cocina-affiliated carts and kiosks in the San Francisco area. The Tapviva platform will be onboard a grilled cheese cart that&#8217;s opening in Central Park this summer &#8212; Manhattan yuppies can have their grilled cheese prepped for them without having to pause their frisbee game. Tapviva&#8217;s pre-ordering system is reminiscent of the <a href="http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/LpATwioj24Y/www.zinglenow.com/" >Zingle</a> text-message ordering service, which will also be launching on New York food trucks later this year.</p><p>What other digital integrations have you seen on tech-savvy food trucks? Let us know in the comments.</p><hr /><strong>Series Supported by Ben and Jerry&#8217;s Scoop Truck</strong></p><hr /><p><center><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/feature/2011-truck-tour/" ><img src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Ben-and-Jerrys-logo-200.jpg" alt="" title="ben and jerrys logo large" width="220" height="75" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-648379" /></a></p><p></center></p><p><em>The <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-savvy-food-truck-series">Social-Savvy Food Truck Series</a> is supported by the Ben and Jerry&#8217;s Scoop Truck. In New York City or San Francisco and want a free scoop? Follow <a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/benjerrystruck" >@BenJerrysTruck</a> and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/benjerryswest" >@BenJerrysWest</a> for details!</em></p><p><em>Images courtesy of  Flickr, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inkyhack/5164802753/" >Patrick Giblin</a>, and <a href="http://www.jackinthebox.com/corporate/press-room/photo-gallery/categories/restaurants/" >Jack in the Box</a></em></p><p>More About: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/evernote/">evernote</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/facebook/">facebook</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/gopayment/">GoPayment</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/intuit/">intuit</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/mobile-apps/">mobile apps</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/paperlinks/">paperlinks</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/social-savvy-food-truck-series/">Social-Savvy Food Truck Series</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/square/">Square</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/tapviva/">tapviva</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/twitter/">twitter</a></p><p style="margin-top:10px;"><i>For more <a href="http://mashable.com/tech/">Tech &amp; Gadgets</a> coverage:</i><ul style="margin-top:0;" class="xoxo"><li><a href="http://twitter.com/mashabletech"  rel="nofollow">Follow Mashable Tech &amp; Gadgets on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.tech"  rel="nofollow">Become a Fan on Facebook</a></li><li><a href="http://feeds.mashable.com/mashable/tech"  rel="nofollow">Subscribe to the Tech &amp; Gadgets channel</a></li><li>Download our free apps for <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/mashable-android-app/" rel="nofollow">Android</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-mac/id412390413?mt=12" rel="nofollow">Mac</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable/id356202138?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPhone</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-ipad/id370097986?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPad</a></li></ul></p>
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		<title>How the Web &amp; Daily Deals Have Changed Coupons [INFOGRAPHIC]</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/how-the-web-daily-deals-have-changed-coupons-infographic/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/social-media/how-the-web-daily-deals-have-changed-coupons-infographic/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:44:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Mobile Web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mashable.com/?p=678375</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<a target="_blank" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&#38;url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/daily-deal-coupons/"></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/daily-deal-coupons/&#38;title=How%20the%20Web%20&#38;%20Daily%20Deals%20Have%20Changed%20Coupons%20%5BINFOGRAPHIC%5D&#38;related=true&#38;style=true"></a> <a target="_blank" type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/daily-deal-coupons/&#38;src=sp"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/daily-deal-coupons/&#38;service=bit.ly"></a>There&#8217;s no denying it: The advent of the daily deal has changed the way bargain hunters shop. In the tech and social media world, <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/daily-deals/">daily de</a>&#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div><div style="float:right;margin-bottom:10px;"><a  href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/daily-deal-coupons/"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/stumbleupon.png" align="right" /></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/daily-deal-coupons/&title=How%20the%20Web%20&#038;%20Daily%20Deals%20Have%20Changed%20Coupons%20%5BINFOGRAPHIC%5D&related=true&style=true"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/diggme.png" align="right" /></a> <a  type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/daily-deal-coupons/&src=sp" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/fb.jpg" align="right" /></a> <a  href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/daily-deal-coupons/&service=bit.ly"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" width="51" height="61" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/daily-deal-coupons/" align="right"/></a></div><div style="float:left;margin-bottom:10px;"><img src="http://8.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/daily-deals.jpg" alt="" title="daily-deals" width="225" height="141" class="alignright size-full wp-image-678405" /></div><div style="clear:both;"></div></div><br/>There&#8217;s no denying it: The advent of the daily deal has changed the way bargain hunters shop.</p><p>In the tech and social media world, <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/daily-deals/">daily deals</a> have become a bandwagon of sorts &#8212; something every other startup has been tacking onto their offerings to start generating revenue.</p><p>And generate revenue they do. These web-based coupons are the sole business of <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/groupon/">Groupon</a>, which just saw an <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/groupon-ipo/">astoundingly profitable IPO</a>.</p><p>But where did consumers&#8217; love for daily deals come from? After all, we&#8217;ve come a long way from our coupon-clipping heyday in the 1960s, when around half of American consumers clipped paper coupons from grocery store circulars.</p><p>And although the use of digital coupons, including web, mobile and other innovative media types, has skyrocketed, daily deals have continued to make great strides since their 2004 launch with <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/woot/">Woot</a>, the site that started the daily deal craze.</p><p>Here&#8217;s a <a href="http://www.creditscore.net" >look</a> at the changes coupons have seen, along with data on the rise of daily deals.</p><p><em>Click image to see larger version.</em></p><p><a href="http://www.creditscore.net/online-deals-couponing/"><img src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/online-coupons.jpg" alt="" title="online-coupons" width="640" height="3091" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-678409" /></a></p><p><em>Top image courtesy of <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/mashableoffer.php" >iStockphoto</a>, <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=555372" >webphotographeer</a></em></p><p>More About: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/coupon/">coupon</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/daily-deals/">daily deals</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/infographic/">infographic</a></p><p style="margin-top:10px;"><i>For more <a href="http://mashable.com/business/">Business &amp; Marketing</a> coverage:</i><ul style="margin-top:0;" class="xoxo"><li><a href="http://twitter.com/mashbusiness"  rel="nofollow">Follow Mashable Business &amp; Marketing on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.business"  rel="nofollow">Become a Fan on Facebook</a></li><li><a href="http://feeds.mashable.com/mashable/business"  rel="nofollow">Subscribe to the Business &amp; Marketing channel</a></li><li>Download our free apps for <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/mashable-android-app/" rel="nofollow">Android</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-mac/id412390413?mt=12" rel="nofollow">Mac</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable/id356202138?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPhone</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-ipad/id370097986?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPad</a></li></ul></p>
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		<title>5 Chrome Extensions That Improve Google+</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/search-engine-news/5-chrome-extensions-that-improve-google/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/search-engine-news/5-chrome-extensions-that-improve-google/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:01:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Search Engine News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mashable.com/?p=676495</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&#38;url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/"></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/&#38;title=5%20Chrome%20Extensions%20That%20Improve%20Google+&#38;related=true&#38;style=true"></a> <a target="_blank" type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/&#38;src=sp"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/&#38;service=bit.ly"></a> Google+ has launched to great aplomb, but its &#8220;project&#8221; status means some tools have yet to be developed. While Google works on add&#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" ><div><div style="float:right;margin-bottom:10px;"><a  href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/stumbleupon.png" align="right" /></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/&title=5%20Chrome%20Extensions%20That%20Improve%20Google+&related=true&style=true"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/diggme.png" align="right" /></a> <a  type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/&src=sp" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/fb.jpg" align="right" /></a> <a  href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/&service=bit.ly"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" width="51" height="61" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/" align="right"/></a></div><div style="float:left;margin-bottom:10px;"><img src="http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/googleplus1.jpg" alt="" title="googleplus" width="50" height="50" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-669481" /></div><div style="clear:both;"></div></div><br/></a><span class="intro"><em>Already using Google+? Follow <strong><a href="http://bit.ly/mashgoog" >Mashable News</a></strong> for the latest about the platform&#8217;s new features, tips and tricks as well as our top social media and technology updates.</em></span></p><p>Google+ has launched to great aplomb, but its &#8220;project&#8221; status means some tools have yet to be developed. While Google works on adding more features, some available Chrome extensions can fill the functionality gap.</p><p>Whether you want to get better notifications, enjoy improved sharing options, or scroll through your stream more quickly, there&#8217;s an extension available &#8212; for free &#8212; to help.</p><p>Take a look through the gallery for five tried and tested picks that will help you be more productive on Plus. Let us know in the comments about other Chrome Extensions <em>you&#8217;ve</em> found useful &#8212; they may end up in a future gallery.</p> <br/><h4>1. <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dcdelcombiokflhgdlmdcfbdfogaplij" >G+ Count in Title</a>: Add a Notification Count to Your Google+ Tab</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/#203571-G-Count-in-Title-Add-a-Notification-Count-to-Your-Google-Tab"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="1. &lt;a href=&quot;https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dcdelcombiokflhgdlmdcfbdfogaplij#&quot;  Count in Title&lt;/a&gt;: Add a Notification Count to Your Google+ Tab" src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/chrome-extensions-google/01-count-in-title.jpg" /></a><br/><br/><p><p>A simple but useful option, this extension adds a counter to your Google+ page tab so you can see at a glance how many new posts you have to view.</p></p> <br/><h4>2. <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nafbdgpajdhkjnaeafkboodleapnpjbg" >G+ Extended:</a> Add Shortcuts</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/#203592-G-Extended-Add-Shortcuts"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="2. &lt;a href=&quot;https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nafbdgpajdhkjnaeafkboodleapnpjbg&quot;  Extended:&lt;/a&gt; Add Shortcuts" src="http://8.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/chrome-extensions-google/02-extended.jpg" /></a><br/><br/><p><p>Simple and very unobtrusive, this extension adds more shortcuts, as well as offering one-press "+1" options, when a post is highlighted you can press "e" to expand all the comments or "s" for quick sharing options.</p></p> <br/><h4>3. <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hehfpbphnjppmganambkgdnkfliaipgd" >Helper For Google+</a>: Get Desktop Notifications</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/#203613-Helper-For-Google-Get-Desktop-Notifications"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="3. &lt;a href=&quot;https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hehfpbphnjppmganambkgdnkfliaipgd#&quot;  For Google+&lt;/a&gt;: Get Desktop Notifications" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/chrome-extensions-google/03-helper.jpg" /></a><br/><br/><p><p>This extension has tweaked search and also lets you share to Twitter. Helper gives you desktop notifications for new Google+ posts with a little pop-up window or an audio alert option. There's also a "translate" button, which some may find useful.</p></p> <br/><h4>4. <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mnhiknfpdlpmmgmecadnffgmgpgaldlo" >+Comment Toggle</a>: Hide Comments</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/#203634-Comment-Toggle-Hide-Comments"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="4. &lt;a href=&quot;https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mnhiknfpdlpmmgmecadnffgmgpgaldlo#&quot;  Toggle&lt;/a&gt;: Hide Comments" src="http://4.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/chrome-extensions-google/04-comment-toggle.jpg" /></a><br/><br/><p><p>If your stream is busy, then this extension will save you some precious scrolling time. It automatically hides all comments on a post, reducing the on-screen info to a simple comment tally (which you can choose to expand if you wish.)</p></p> <br/><h4>5. <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/oenpjldbckebacipkfbcoppmiflglnib" >Extended Share For Google+</a>: Share Plus Posts to Other Networks</h4> <br/> <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/google-plus-chrome-extension/#203655-Extended-Share-For-Google-Share-Plus-Posts-to-Other-Networks"><img width="400" style="border:none;" title="5. &lt;a href=&quot;https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/oenpjldbckebacipkfbcoppmiflglnib#&quot;  Share For Google+&lt;/a&gt;: Share Plus Posts to Other Networks" src="http://8.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/chrome-extensions-google/05-extended-share.jpg" /></a><br/><br/><p><p>This handy extension expands your sharing options. It adds a "Share on..." button that gives you the ability to quickly and easily share a Plus post to Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.</p></p><p>More About: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/chrome/">chrome</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/chrome-extensions/">Chrome Extensions</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google/">Google</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-chrome/">google chrome</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-lists/">Google Lists</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-plus/">Google Plus</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-plus-lists/">Google Plus Lists</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/list/">List</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/trending/">trending</a></p><p style="margin-top:10px;"><i>For more <a href="http://mashable.com/social-media/">Social Media</a> coverage:</i><ul style="margin-top:0;" class="xoxo"><li><a href="http://twitter.com/mashsocialmedia"  rel="nofollow">Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.socialmedia"  rel="nofollow">Become a Fan on Facebook</a></li><li><a href="http://feeds.mashable.com/mashable/socialmedia"  rel="nofollow">Subscribe to the Social Media channel</a></li><li>Download our free apps for <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/mashable-android-app/" rel="nofollow">Android</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-mac/id412390413?mt=12" rel="nofollow">Mac</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable/id356202138?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPhone</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-ipad/id370097986?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPad</a></li></ul></p>
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		<title>How to blog like a dieter (and vice-versa)</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/how-to-blog-like-a-dieter-and-vice-versa/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/social-media/how-to-blog-like-a-dieter-and-vice-versa/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:13:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/?p=16052</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Earlier this year I went on a diet and lost about 25 pounds in 10 weeks. Maybe that doesn&#8217;t sound that impressive in the age of &#8220;Biggest Loser&#8221; &#8212; but I was proud, because it was something I&#8217;d never had much luck with before. When I thought about why I was successful this time when [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/files/2011/07/scale2.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-16797" src="http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/files/2011/07/scale2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>Earlier this year I went on a diet and lost about 25 pounds in 10 weeks. Maybe that doesn&#8217;t sound that impressive in the age of &#8220;Biggest Loser&#8221; &#8212; but I was proud, because it was something I&#8217;d never had much luck with before. When I thought about why I was successful this time when I&#8217;d failed so often in the past, I realized that running this blog had taught me a great deal about what it takes to diet successfully. And I&#8217;ve become convinced that reverse is also true: If you can understand the principles behind a diet, you can understand how to run a successful blog.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m not saying the two are exactly alike &#8212; but running a blog and sticking to a diet contain a lot of the same challenges. At their hearts, each is a game of discipline, patience and self-knowledge.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>You&#8217;ve got to know what you really need. </strong>I gave up meat in 2002. Dieting is hard; dieting  with a supplemental food restriction is a cruel cosmic joke. But it also means that I need to pay attention to the amount of protein I eat. That means I have positive goals each day, instead of just worrying about making a mistake. Too many new bloggers (and dieters) focus entirely on the negative. <em>What if I eat too many carbs? What if I write a lame post and everyone laughs at me? </em>The answer to both is the same: You&#8217;ll wake up tomorrow and you&#8217;ll try again. But the only way you&#8217;re going to have the strength for that second attempt is if you focus on what you really need to do, instead of worrying about what you need to avoid. Get your vitamins; eat your fiber. Engage with your community and show a little thought leadership. I&#8217;m not suggesting that fat and typos don&#8217;t matter. But if you focus on what you need to get done, you&#8217;ll feel better and you won&#8217;t sweat the mistakes as much.<span id="more-16052"></span></li>
<li><strong>You&#8217;ve got to have goals for every stage. </strong>Someday, I&#8217;d like to be a famous writer who weighs less than he did in high school. Today, I&#8217;ll settle for being a guy who lost a few ounces and wrote a blog post you shared with all your friends. Both those sets of goals are important, but they&#8217;re not the most important. People who <em>only </em>say &#8220;Someday, I&#8217;d like to &#8230;&#8221; never do. If you only think about the end result &#8212; whether its sales leads or a slim waist &#8212; everything else feels too  daunting. People who <em>only </em>say, &#8220;Today, I&#8217;ll settle for &#8230;&#8221; never do any better. You keep yourself from building momentum and taking advantage of strategic possibilities. You need a medium focus to help keep you on the path to success. The goals in the middle are the ones that keep you accountable and keep  you on the road to &#8220;someday.&#8221; Make those intermediate promises to  yourself. Write them down. Tell friends who are going to nag you about  them later. Have goals for every stage and stick to them.</li>
<li><strong>You&#8217;ve got to measure, but not too much.</strong> I used to weigh myself every day and check the click rates for this blog every free moment I had. I wanted to know if I was winning or not. But here&#8217;s the thing about measuring progress: It can only help you with decisions you&#8217;re going to make, not the one&#8217;s you&#8217;ve already made. Checking to see if a post is doing well won&#8217;t change the quality of that post &#8212; and weighing myself every morning won&#8217;t change what I had for dinner last night. Now I only weigh myself once a week, right before I go grocery shopping. And I check my clicks when I&#8217;m sitting down to think about my editorial plan for the next week. I measure when there&#8217;s a chance that the information can help me make good decisions and not when it will just stress me out.</li>
<li><strong>You&#8217;ve got to take a balanced approach</strong>. I&#8217;ve met fat vegans and chubby aerobics instructors. These people are walking testaments to the fact that diet or exercise alone can&#8217;t get the job done. With blogging, the false choice is between content creation and promotion. You can&#8217;t just hit &#8220;publish&#8221; on your post and then walk away. You&#8217;ve got to be willing to work it a little bit and promote your content through other social media channels. And the reverse also holds true: If your blog doesn&#8217;t have enough great content on it, no amount of hype is going to draw people in.</li>
<li><strong>You&#8217;ve got to do it your way.</strong> I&#8217;ve walked 100 kilometers in a single day. But if I sound like someone with even an ounce of willpower it&#8217;s only because you&#8217;ve never seen me confronted with pie. Or cake. Or anything even a little chocolaty.  The point is, I have strengths and weaknesses and so do we all. Social media types love to talk about the importance of authenticity &#8212; but that&#8217;s really putting the cart before the horse. Before you can be true to yourself, you&#8217;ve got to know what you&#8217;re working with. Know what kinds of content are a natural fit for you and  play to those strengths.</li>
<li><strong>You&#8217;ve got to commit. </strong>We&#8217;ve all seen the spiral before: There&#8217;s a flurry of blog posts and self promotion &#8230; then fewer posts &#8230; then a break, followed by an apologetic post promising more updates soon &#8230; followed by eternal silence. You&#8217;ve seen the same thing happen with yo-yo dieting friends, I&#8217;m sure. In both case, consistency is what wins the war. You have to make your new project &#8212; whether its a blog, a diet or anything else &#8212; a priority and stick with it. You&#8217;re not going to triumph with one great post or one super low-cal day. You probably won&#8217;t see results today or tomorrow, but you&#8217;ve still got to keep plugging away. The good news is that if you do it right, a project like a blog or a diet isn&#8217;t a chore you can&#8217;t wait to finish. It becomes a inseparable part of your daily life.</li>
</ol>
<p><em>Image Credit: <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=698331">evirgen</a>, via iStock Photo</em><br />
<h3 class='related_post_title'>Related Posts:</h3>
<ul class='related_post'>
<li><a href='http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2010/09/01/what-every-blog-needs-to-be-great/' title='What every blog needs to be great'>What every blog needs to be great</a></li>
<li><a href='http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2011/06/09/andys-answers-how-hr-block-uses-social-media-to-help-customers-through-the-stress-of-tax-season/' title='Andy&#8217;s Answers: How H&amp;R Block uses social media to help customers through the stress of tax season'>Andy&#8217;s Answers: How H&amp;R Block uses social media to help customers through the stress of tax season</a></li>
<li><a href='http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2011/05/31/from-blogworld-how-to-futureproof-your-blogs-seo/' title='From BlogWorld Expo: The secret to futureproofing your blog&#8217;s SEO'>From BlogWorld Expo: The secret to futureproofing your blog&#8217;s SEO</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Social Media Marketing for Small and Medium-sized Businesses</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/social-media-marketing-for-small-and-medium-sized-businesses/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/social-media/social-media-marketing-for-small-and-medium-sized-businesses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heidicohen.com/?p=6348</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><strong>Are you so focused on your business that you don’t have time to assess how to expand your reach through the use of social media marketing, let alone implement those strategies?</strong> If so, you’re not alone. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) tend to have more limited personnel and financial resources. This translates to the need to be more creative in how your business approaches social media to ensure it attains its objectives of raising awareness, expanding market share and improving customer loyalty. Here are ten points to get your social media marketing strategy on track. They’re worded as questions to get you thinking about how to apply these to your business.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-marketing-for-small-and-medium-sized-businesses/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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				<img src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://heidicohen.com/social-media-marketing-for-small-and-medium-sized-businesses/&amp;source=heidicohen&amp;style=normal&amp;b=2" height="61" width="50" /><br />
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<h2>10 Ways to Develop Social Media Strategies Cost Effectively</h2>
<p><strong><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Strategic-Plan.jpg#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6349" title="Strategic Plan" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Strategic-Plan-300x183.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="183" /></a>Are you so focused on your business that you don’t have time to assess how to expand your reach through the use of social media marketing, let alone implement those strategies?</strong> If so, you’re not alone. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) tend to have more limited personnel and financial resources. This translates to the need to be more creative in how your business approaches social media to ensure it attains its objectives of raising awareness, expanding market share and improving customer loyalty. <span id="more-6348"></span></p>
<h3>10 Ways to develop social media marketing strategies for small and medium-sized businesses</h3>
<p>While <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-definition/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media</a> marketing isn’t free, it’s a useful, cost effective addition to every small or medium-sized business’ plans. Here are ten points to get your social media marketing strategy on track. They’re worded as questions to get you thinking about how to apply these to your business.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Does your business lend itself to</strong> <strong>showing off its work?</strong> Strutting your stuff brings to mind visual portrayals, like photographs and video, although it can include other presentation formats. Social media is very useful for businesses where prospects perceive there are high risks. Many <a href="http://jenniferdavisphotography.com/blog.cfm" >bridal photographers</a> use blogs to highlight their work while many bakers use Flickr to show off their masterpieces. Show real patrons using your services with before and after photographs. Don’t forget to get patron’s permission to use their likeness.</li>
<li><strong>Can you give prospects information they find useful?</strong> Think in terms of small bite-size chunks of content. Twitter is great for providing a tip of the day whether you’re an accountant or a massage therapist. Clothing stores could provide an outfit of the day. Think outside of the box when it comes to information. How about food recipes or scrap-booking?</li>
<li><strong>How do you solve people’s problems? </strong>At the core of most marketing is fulfilling prospects’ needs. Therefore, create content that helps people with their problems. For example, if you’re a financial advisor, why not give out tips on budgeting so that prospects have money to invest. Here&#8217;s some advice to <a href="http://heidicohen.com/turn-professional-blog-into-lead-generating-machine/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">create a professional blog</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Does your product lend itself to some form of education? </strong>This is a great way to win prospects over. Teach them! Not the old-fashioned school marm but the fun stuff. Think: how to add memory to your computer or how to apply makeup. You can use videos, webinars or ebooks.</li>
<li><strong>Can your business disseminate entertaining content?</strong> This information doesn’t need to be your business’s main focus. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/curebadbreath?v=nFeb6YBftHE&amp;feature=pyv&amp;ad=6692806685&amp;kw=orabrush" >Orabrush</a> built its brand with the use of entertaining videos. Is there something funny or engaging about your product?</li>
<li><strong>Are there targeted or niche communities where your prospects and customers naturally congregate?</strong> While this doesn’t apply to all businesses, where it exists, it’s a useful way to participate in the community. You can participate in the social media community and advertise to targeted prospects. For example, yarn shops participate and socialize on <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-marketing-for-small-and-medium-sized-businesses/ravelry.com/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed" >Ravelry</a>, a knitting community.</li>
<li><strong>Does your business tap into people’s passions and/or hobbies?</strong> When it comes hobbies and special interests, participants often make different spending tradeoffs. The strength of these interests is great since your customers want to share their share their hobbies and special interests using photographs, videos and blogs. This can apply to fishing as well as it can to quilting.</li>
<li><strong>Does your business provide reasons for people to gather in real life? </strong>What’s better than getting folks into your establishment, especially if they like your product offering? Use <a href="http://www.meetup.com/">Meetup</a> to help with the social media conversation and reminders. Wine and cookware stores have tastings, while bookstores have readings. My local yarn store uses Ravelry to arrange a monthly meetup.</li>
<li><strong>Do major blogs cover your business’s area of expertise?</strong> Instead of building your own blog following, contribute to blogs in your category by commenting and actively participating in the social media conversation. Write a regular column for one or more of these blogs to leverage their audience.</li>
<li><strong>Does your offering lend itself to creating a small online community and/or bulletin board?</strong> Before you think that you must build an expensive community, consider creating a small, targeted group such as LinkedIn groups for business-to-businesses or Yahoo Groups for smaller local communities. The benefit is that these groups can choose to meet offline as well as interacting online.</li>
</ol>
<p>Regardless of where you start, what’s important for small and medium size businesses when they begin using social media marketing is to ensure that the content you create is optimized for your search keywords and integrated into the rest of your business plan.</p>
<p>Do you have any other suggestions that you’d add to this list? If so, please include them in the comments.</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related stories.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/budget-social-media-marketing/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">How to do social media on a budget.</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/blogs-heart-social-media/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Why blogs should be at the heart of your social media.</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/21470089/sizes/m/in/photostream/" >Jurvetson </a>via Flickr</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-marketing-for-small-and-medium-sized-businesses/" rel="bookmark">Social Media Marketing for Small and Medium-sized Businesses</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 14, 2011.<br />
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		<title>Are You Maximizing Your Content Reach?</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/are-you-maximizing-your-content-reach/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/social-media/are-you-maximizing-your-content-reach/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:00:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heidicohen.com/?p=6266</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Chances are your potential audience is smaller than it could be. Like many content creators and bloggers, you consider you’re finished once you hit the publish button. The reality is content creation is only the first step in getting your content widely distributed to the people most interested in it. Without further action, your content, social media or blog post will languish with lackluster readership unless you write for an established media entity with a large reader base. Here are 13 tactics to grow your audience.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/build-content-reach/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<h2>13 Ways to Build Content Distribution</h2>
<p><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/get-word-out.jpg#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6268" title="get word out maximize audience" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/get-word-out-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>Chances are your potential audience is smaller than it could be. Like many content creators and bloggers, you consider you’re finished once you hit the publish button. The reality is content creation is only the first step in getting your content widely distributed to the people most interested in it. Without <a href="http://heidicohen.com/blog-marketing-tactics-blogworld-expo/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">marketing</a>, your content, social media or blog post will languish with lackluster readership unless you write for an established media entity with a large reader base.<span id="more-6266"></span></p>
<h4>Cautionary note</h4>
<p>Before distributing your content, you must have <a href="http://heidicohen.com/killer-blog-post-titles/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">killer titles</a> and amazing content. Without these two elements, your content won’t attract readers and/or gain word of mouth velocity.</p>
<h3>13 Ways to effectively expand your content distribution</h3>
<p>To ensure your content gets the largest possible readership, follow these thirteen steps to distribute your content cost effectively.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Deliver posts by <a href="http://heidicohen.com/email-expand-blog-reach/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">email</a></strong>. While you may consider email boring and old school, it’s great for reaching those members of your community who want to get your posts without thinking so that they can read them at their leisure.</li>
<li><strong>Provide RSS feeds</strong>. Although RSS (or really simple syndication as it’s known by geeks) usage is on the decline, there’s still a hardcore group of users. Make it easy for them to consume your content the way they want to.</li>
<li><strong>Automatically distribute content to social sharing sites.</strong> Set up automated feeds to deliver your content.  Focus on the major options, specifically Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Personally, I prefer to share hand-crafted links on Twitter.</li>
<li><strong>Encourage readers to <a href="http://heidicohen.com/increase-content-sharing/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">share your content</a></strong>. Make it easy for visitors to share your content on major social sharing and bookmarking sites such as Reddit and StumbleUpon. It’s helpful to have a <a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-to-grow-your-social-media-tribe/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media tribe</a> to help your promotion. Of course, they’ll expect you to promote their content in return.</li>
<li><strong>Send a broader weekly newsletter</strong>. Keep in touch with readers with a weekly emailing that goes beyond your own content. Include links to your posts in case recipients missed a post. Include original content to entice readers to open your email.</li>
<li><strong>Curate content</strong>. Use a curation service like Paper.li to highlight content of interest to your followers. Include your posts in each issue. These services allow you to tailor content to your micro-market.</li>
<li><strong>Create a Facebook page for your content. </strong>Place a widget on your website or blog to encourage followers. It’s useful to expand your engagement to get followers to visit<strong> </strong></li>
<li><strong>Start a LinkedIn Group. </strong>Build a following on LinkedIn around your area of expertise. Also, use other people’s groups as a forum for delivering your content more broadly.</li>
<li><strong>Highlight content on internal media</strong>. This works well for businesses that have physical mailing lists, websites and packages as well as offline media to reference and share content.</li>
<li><strong>Allow other sites to have second publishing rights to your site</strong>. This is a great way to expose your content to another existing audience. I recommend waiting about ten days until your content is indexed on the search engines.</li>
<li><strong>Leverage other people’s media</strong>. Expand your reach by allowing another business or organization to link to your content with a short blurb. This is a win-win since you get exposed to another audience and they get to offer your content.</li>
<li><strong>Syndicate your content on other people’s sites</strong>. Expand your reach on other people’s websites through the use of a widget. This is similar to letting others link to your content. The goal is distribution without marketing expense.</li>
<li><strong>Promote content in your signature file</strong>. While this may sound minor, it can yield results. Further, it’s a great way to reach people without cost beyond setting up your signature file. If you’re part of a larger organization, create a centralized signature file that everyone must use.</li>
</ol>
<p>While some of these thirteen content distribution tactics may not apply to your content or target market, it’s useful to assess all of the options to see which ones work for each piece of content you create. Also, bear in mind that each of these methods yields greater results as your audience grows.</p>
<p>Do you have any other suggestions that you’d add to this list? If so, what are they?</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related articles of interest.</p>
<p><a href="http://heidicohen.com/content-marketing-reach/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Is your content spreadable?</a><br />
<a href="http://heidicohen.com/do-your-corporate-communications-miss-the-mark/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Do your corporate communications miss the mark?</a></p>
<p><a href="http://heidicohen.com/content-marketing-metrics/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Content marketing metrics</a></p>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stignygaard/450640129/sizes/m/in/photostream/" >Stig Nygaard </a>via Flickr</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/build-content-reach/" rel="bookmark">Are You Maximizing Your Content Reach?</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 8, 2011.<br />
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