When Facebook unveiled the ability for web content creators to embed their “Like” feature in third-party websites in April, it had the potential to be a game changer practically overnight.  The concept of directly leveraging Facebook’s user-base to drive traffic to one’s blog was huge.  But would it actually work?

Since in the world of analytics we like to see hard data, this week Mashable reported that after users of blog platform TypePad installed the Facbook “Like” capability on their blogs, traffic to their blogs increased by 50%.  Since most modern CMS’ like Joomla and Drupal (let alone WordPress) are essentially blogs on steroids, it is reasonable to deduce that the same benefit can be seen when implementing the Facebook “Like” feature on a CMS-built website.  Just make sure that the content your are linking via the “Like” feature provides value, entertainment or both….otherwise you will loose trust and harm your online reputation.

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With the growing number of public relations agencies delving into digital & social media, the misunderstanding and misuse of these new technologies and capabilities appears to be the standard rather than the exception.  David Henderson addresses this point beautifully in his post about The Changing Face of PR Leadership.  If these major agencies are to survive, they need to evolve their strategies around these new capabilities rather than cramming their old sqaure tactics through the round hole of digital marketing and social media.

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This morning I happened upon this AP story from CNN.com where the author suggested President-Elect Obama may have to give up his Blackberry handheld because his emails could be subpoenaed and made public, not to mention the fact that consumer cell devices are rather easily tracked.  As a technology expert and enthusiast, I have to take issue this this arguement.

The rule of thumb for corporate America is simple:  do not put anything in a work email that you wouldn’t want to appear on the front page of The New York Times.  The same should hold true for any public official utilizing “official” equipment.  While there are matters of national security to take into consideration, but most electronics manufacturers (let alone contractors to the Department of Defense) offer secure encrypted versions of their regular products for official use.  Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the popular Blackberry handheld offers a secure version of their product.

In the end, it really comes down to judgement.  People should not be afraid to use these technologies  They just need to include common sense with their execution.  It would be a shame fore the President-Elect to cease using his productivity-boosting devices.  His campaign was revolutionary in its communications methods to its supporters, leveraging the best in social media (Twitter & Facebook) and email marketing.  This is a key ingredient in this day and age if his administration whishes to contiune the transparency they’ve touted throughout the campaign.

One key security issue I will agree with is cell signal triangulation.  However, one would think that the military would have figured out ways around that.  After all, that’s their job.

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One of the most popular off-shoots of the Web 2.0 space has been the advent of micro-blogging.  This capability enables users to post short “updates” (usually no more than 140 characters long) in lieu of lengthy blog posts and has means to share this information within a specific community or the internet at large.  While this can be as simple as status updates on the popular social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, there’s more to it than just that.  Micro-blogging sites such as Twitter, Pownce and Plurk take things further and enable users to embed url’s and rich media items (pictures, music, video, etc).

However, just because you have these new capabilities doesn’t mean you’re going to generate SEO gold.  You have to know how to author your content properly.

When promoting url’s via micro-blogging, its important to give the link context as concisely as possible without coming across has being spammy.  Use these resources to share things that you think others will find useful or entertaining.  If you’re promoting a product or service, position the link so that it comes accross as being useful or entertaining to others.

So if you’re going to mention that you really like the content of a particular site, be sure to mention “why” so that your post has context so that Google, Yahoo and the other search engines have something they can sink their crawler’s “teeth” into.

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For all those WordPress users out there, be certain to upgrade to version 2.6 which is out today.  WordPress is certainly a favorite blog/cms platform of ours, for its ease of use it matched equally by its search engine optimization friendly design.

Be sure to check out this video about all the new features and improvments as well as upgrade instructions.  Remember to backup your existing web files and database BEFORE you upgrade!

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Phaseous is featured in this article on Fox Business by Nancy Colasurdo.  This piece is a great representation of our approach to branding, site building and optimization.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/personal-finance/web-site/

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Data is a funny thing. It’s easy to create, but difficult to destroy. Many successful businesses provide data recovery and forensics services. The fact is that even when we think data has been erased, in most cases the data is still floating around somewhere. In the world of blogs, social networking and the syndication of content, this is even more true. An interesting example of this: Back in the year 2000, I was on a business trip in Chicago. While at dinner with friends, I was casually approached and then interviewed by a reporter saying he was covering the 2000 election. Turns out I was quoted in The New York Times, but I had no idea this happened until summer of 2007 via a google alert for my name. This goes to show that anything you say, even many years after it was first published online, search engines are still indexing and serving up relevant information.

Phaseous Phact: When writing an email or posting content online, don’t write anything you wouldn’t want to appear on the cover of the New York Times.

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With booming sites like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, etc., many of my clients have asked for my help in the social networking space. Many are surprised when I suggest that they shouldn’t do anything at all. Sure, its a very powerful area to participate in, and has far-reaching capabilities. The ability to build online communities and manage them from central locations is truly something marvelous. However, to truly take advantage of the benefits that these sites and services offer, it takes time. More specifically, its not enough to just create a MySpace or Facebook profile and say you’re an active participant in the social networking world. Quite simply, you have to live in it and make it a part of your daily routines in order to see the benefit of that space. Nobody wants to see an abandoned MySpace or Facebook profile. No one is going to follow you on Twitter if you never post. No one is going to subscribe to your RSS feeds if you don’t have anything to say. So before you take that leap into the social networking space, consider for a moment if you’re willing to shift the way you work and communicate.

Phaseous Phact: If you want to dive into social networking, designate one person in your company to monitor the pages daily.  This is an ideal task for interns!

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Today I judge a new website or platform by its ability to extend beyond itself. I don’t want to have 10 different sites just so folks can learn about me. However, sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc, do offer some really great services. The key is leveraging the capabilities of these sites all in one place. Whether its through the use of RSS feeds, javascript applications or other means, each of the aforementioned sites provide ways in which I can highlight the content that I have in each of these different places in one centralized location. So whether its your own personal blog or a Facebook profile, each of these sites provide highly effective ways in which to build your own content cloud across the internet and drive traffic to your website.

Phaseous Phact: It might seem like a lot of clubs to join, but consider getting an account with all the aforementioned websites to further your content cloud.  Then streamline all of them!

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Some might wonder what’s the point in having your own webiste, when there are so many free options out there. With all the benefits that Facebook, MySpace and the rest of the social networking sphere have brought to the internet, keep in mind you’re using a free service and you don’t really own what you’re working with. To that point, you don’t have complete control to steer your messaging and influence whatever discussion you’re participating in. This is why I suggest all my clients that want to participate in the social networking space first and foremost establish their own personal websites with professional branding and design. We’re not talking about the glorified online corporate brochures of yesteryear. Rather, this is your platform for begining and controlling the discussion you wish to have. Add all of the SEO benefits of a personal blog site or the like and you’re well on your way to steering the discussion your way. Just be sure you properly optimize your content.

Phaseous Phact: Get your own brand and website first. Then hit the social networks to further enhance your web presence.

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