Do you ever wonder the effect twitter is having on the way we communicate? Speaking in Tweets can sometimes be confusing and obtuse. But in the case of the Museum of Modern Tweets, the result is an entertaining look at what happens when you take the tweets of a weblebrity and illustrate it for the world to see. The Tweet Museum is the brain child of Odessa Begay and more…

The good folks over at the Pew Center’s Internet and American life project along with the Project for Excellence in Journalism conducted a survey to find out where and how Americans get their news. The results that were released yesterday and  splashed all over any website that would sit still (bravo, Pew, bravo!) won’t cause any of  us online junkies to fall out of our chair. As expected, TV is where most Americans still get their news with the Internet running a close second and more…

To some, the word “newsletter” conjures up images of a badly photocopied, multi-colored paper affair that is often seen at schools or community centers. These things have been around since the dawn of time and as long as there’s a bake sale or a fund raising bingo game, newsletters are not going anywhere. To others, the newsletter has morphed into a way to correspond with clients via email in an easy to read format that can be dangerously dry in tone. Surviving the social media blitz as well as more…

It’s been another exciting week in the world of all things Google. The little search engine with the unassuming primary colored logo has generated more headlines recently than American Idol and Obama combined. Let’s take a look at what the world’s most popular website has been up to.

Just yesterday, Google threw their hat back into the social media arena with the launch of Buzz. Google promises that Buzz will be the faster and easier way to share pictures and videos with friends and family who already belong to Gmail. Naturally Buzz is instantly compatible with smart phones and employs the latest in GPS location to gather information from neighboring businesses and hot spots. Its a gutsy move considering that Google has failed to nab the social marketing scene like Facebook has. From a marketing standpoint, Buzz could provide some much needed oomph to the social media marketing game. Buzz’s new features and Google-like accessability are appealing and send the mind reeling into more…

The upkeep of social media marketing can be a tricky thing. A recent article in Ad Week pondered the future of Twitter. With the loss of about a million users last year and the average account updating numbers in a slump, media watchers are quick to bury Twitter in a plot next to Friendster and move on. Digging a little deeper in the article, however, reveals the real truths about all social media, not just Twitter. Those sad numbers are not the entire story as they include only visitors to the traditional website and not mobile users which make up the majority of the Twitterverse. The  general consensus of large and small business alike when it comes to social media marketing is that full-time care is needed otherwise the venue becomes useless. Twitter, like blogs or email marketing or mobile marketing, requires constant care and upkeep. Businesses who stay in contact with their more…

What makes good content? I can wax on and give you the latest ten tips for making great content, but instead I’m going over simplify it because I’m in that kind of mood. Content is just like art. There’s good art and there’s bad art, depending on your perspective. My perspective is I like the kind of art that takes an everyday object and gives it a twist that in turn gets a reaction out of me. Any reaction will do. Here’s an example; I came across a post that documents unique street signs in Lyon, France.   I’ve passed street signs with the international cross-out symbol like these in my travels abroad and here at home as well, yet I have never stopped to take notice of the design. In a matter of milliseconds, my eyes see the sign, synapses fire off registering it as a sign, I may or may not heed the instruction, then the eyeballs get bored and find something else to feed off of. Poof, forgotten seconds after the experience. But these French signs are memorable. There’s a lesson here. Content should be thought of in the same way. Why not approach your next article, newsletter, video, social media campaign etc., with the same kind of goal? Take the everyday concept and put your own personal spin on it. Recycling the same old information that anyone can find on the intertubes is easy. Coming up with a unique angle on a concept takes a heck of a lot more effort and creativity. Do the latter. If you do it right, people may just stop and take notice.

You’ve known that social media was important. You’ve been told countless times. And indeed it is. But this is the first time I think I’ve seen anyone call it hyperlocal.

(Source) The firm also says that even though the web is world-wide, its emerging power is hyperlocal. This is because this is the space where online and offline most often meet. That is a key reason why businesses, particularly local businesses should not ignore social media.

What does hyperlocal actually mean?

Hyperlocal is a phrase that has been around for awhile, but it is usually used in a context referencing other media, rarely social media. I have seen it used in reference to blogs where the hyperlocal blog is described as a blog whose mission and purpose is to serve a specific niche in a local environment or a very small geographic area. But how can social media in the broader sense be hyperlocal?

I think the idea here is that local businesses seeking to connect to customers and potential customers can do so on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn but rather than seeking out connections on a global level, you can seek out relationships on a purely local level. Facebook, with its local networks, makes this easy. Twitter is flexible enough that hyperlocal businesses can make good use of it as well. Other social media can be used in a hyperlocal context as needed.

Just because the term hyperlocal is being used in reference to social media doesn’t mean it’s being used that way - yet. I do see some local businesses making use of Twitter, but there’s still lots of room to grow. Facebook is probably leading the pack. YouTube is growing a strong hyperlocal user base as well.

When it comes to social media, if you’re a local business in a specific geographic area, you don’t have to count yourself out of the social media game. In fact, you can use social media in your favor.  Just be sure that you don’t get wrapped up in the global hype and focus on your goal… to engage your customers and get new ones to try you out.

What if you could help a sick child make a wish come true? Now you can. In a recent PR Newswire release, real-time search-engine LeapFish just partnered with the Make-a-wish foundation to announce “Tweet-a-cause,” a twitter-based campaign that will help a child with a life-threatening disease realize his dream… to go to Disneyland. Here’s how it works. LeapFish will donate 5 cents for every Tweet you to the Make-A-Wish Foundation until $10,000 has been raised to cover the cost of sending Jacob, age 4, and his family to the magic kingdom

“We are privileged to be able to make a difference in young Jacob’s life by helping his dream come true,” said Ben Behrouzi, CEO of LeapFish. “What better tool than Twitter to get the community involved and allow everyone to share in making a difference for someone.”

As of this writing, already over 500 tweets. Why not do your part. For more details on the campaign and how to help, visit LeapFish.com/MakeAWish

Want to learn more about LeapFish? Check out the LeapFish promo video below.

I don’t know about you, but I am constantly going back and forth trying to decide which gets more of my life units–Facebook or Twitter? It used to be a question of Facebook or MySpace, but since MySpace has been relegated to music lovers and individuals going through puberty, it doesn’t seem like there’s much there for an old fart like me. .I have to admit, a few years back my MySpace  was one social networking site that I visited frequently; mostly to listen to music and exchange banter with other music lovers. But then Facebook swept me away and I haven’t looked back since. I have looked sideways, though, at that shiny blue object in the corner of my browser that keeps me tweeting at all hours of the day. So now I split my time between Facebook and Twitter. But should I be dedicating that much time? According to a recent post on ReadWriteWeb. There’s reason to make room for a third slice. Check this out,

“Facebook and MySpace beat Twitter out for the top two spots, but you may be surprised to see who came in at #3: Tagged. Yes, Tagged, the social networking site that’s best known for getting busted in an email invite scam is beating out Twitter.”

So now, to make matters worse, Tagged is coming into the scene . Tagged boasts over 80 million subscribers and their numbers are growing. They probably don’t need one more. I just don’t know if I have the energy to add Tagged to the line-up.

Do you ever wonder how many hours a day the average person spends tweeting? Blogging?Commenting on videos shown on YouTube? Do ever wonder if this has a positive or negative effect. Does it effect your productivity? Does it turn you into a social outcast? How do your tweeting habits compare to the guy in the next cubicle? Well, now you can get all the pros and cons on this subject via a website that focuses in on the issues to create thought, critical thinking and discussion on the subject. ProCon.org created the new website www.socialnetworking.procon.org to explore the core question “Are social networking sites good for our society?” On the site you can read a detailed overview of the issue, over 20 pro and con arguments, fun facts in the “Did You Know?” section, an image and video gallery, a reader survey, and a listing of all sources used. Oh yeah, and if you were wondering, you can also find factoids there like this nifty tid-bit:

“Russians spend more time on social networking sites than people in any other country, an average of 6.6 hours per month compared to the worldwide average of 3.7 hours per month.”

It doesn’t make you feel so bad now, does it?