Build Business through social networking

Business owners across the country are beginning to see a new marketplace: Online social networks. They are pulling in new clients, servicing current clients, and making money through the use of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This attention to new technology greatly increases the image of the brand, provides faster and more effective service, and allows for a high-level of targeted marketing.

Many businesses have used Facebook to pull their fan base, customers, and potential customers together. Facebook provides tools that allow users to play videos and allow businesses to send marketing messages directly to targeted audiences. One of the greatest benefits of utilizing Facebook for business is its viral effect. If any person becomes a "fan" of your page, a message is sent to all of that person's friends telling them about it, providing a great channel to get your message out to many people over a short period of time.

Even if your business is not on Facebook, you can see how Target, Microsoft, and President Obama utilized the power of Facebook to attract tens of thousands of fans, push their brand and products, and ultimately profit from these strategies.

Last year Comcast started utilizing Twitter to quickly respond to customer complaints, and the company has received significant media attention for this strategy. As a result, Comcast has saved numerous customers on the verge of dropping their service.

If your business is not actively pursuing a social networking strategy, you are likely missing out on a huge opportunity to find the clients you want and to service the clients you already have. Even if you do not have a Target-sized marketing budget, there are many tactics you can use to help you increase business.

My next post will examine some of the strategies and tactics that can be used to generate new business from each of these social networking tools. Because each of these tools operates differently and has its own set of goals, the specific tactics will vary greatly for each of the sites. We will cover each of them with increasing depth over time.

Written by Tyler Olsen

Stephen Fry given a lift by Twitter fans

COMEDIAN Stephen Fry kept spirits up while stranded in a lift by posting a series of quips on the website Twitter.

Fry also posted a photograph of himself smiling with four other men who were also trapped 26 floors up in London's Centre Point.

His fans responded to his running commentary on the site, which is used by celebrities including Jonathan Ross.

Fry posted on Tuesday: "Ok. This is now mad. I am stuck in a lift on the 26th floor of Centre Point. Hell's teeth. We could be here for hours. Arse, poo and widdle."

Posting a photo of a message saying: "This lift is not in use," Fry joked: "No s*** Sherlock."

Fry also told his fans: "Your brilliant comments are keeping us all (hysterically) cheerful."

Around half an hour after his first message, he let them know: "We're free!".

The QI host said champagne had been laid on, saying he was allergic, but the thought was nice.

He added: "Thank you to all those who kept the Blitz spirit alive."

Taken from "The Scotsman"

Microsoft targets its own smartphone store

Microsoft will today seek to counter the rising popularity of Apple's mobile "App Store", one of the surprise hits of the consumer technology world last year, with the announcement of plans for a similar service to make it easier to get applications on to smartphones.

Speaking today at the opening of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, is also set to announce a new user interface for devices running Microsoft's software, including "touch" features to rival some of the functions of Apple's iPhone.

However, with the Microsoft version of an App Store still some way from being launched, and a more complete overhaul of the Windows Mobile platform delayed until next year, the announcements will do little in the short term to counter Apple's early lead in the latest generation of mobile technology.

"Apple has raised the bar for other device makers and platforms," said Andrew Lacy, co-founder of Tapulous, maker of the popular Tap Tap Revenge game for Apple's iPhone.

His comments were echoed by other developers who have flocked to the Apple platform in recent months.

The App Store, launched on iTunes last summer, acts as a store front through which developers can either sell or give away their software, with Apple keeping 30 per cent of any sales. Thanks to its unexpected early success, Apple now makes the App Store a centrepiece of its marketing for the iPhone and the iPod touch, which can also be used to access the store.

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Google Earth Now Maps the Ocean Floor and Mars in 3D

Google just released a major new update to Google Earth that now includes the rumored maps of the ocean floor. Google unveiled this update at an event at the California Academy of Sciences. After installing the latest version of Google Earth, you will be able to explore the ocean floor in the same way you browse the Earth's surface. Besides mapping the oceans, however, Google has also added three more interesting new features to Google Earth: easier access to historical imagery, the ability to record and narrate fly-through tours with the new 'touring' feature, and a 3D map of Mars.

Thanks to the new layers for the ocean floor, you can now dive below the surface and explore the seafloor in 3D. Google has also added a large number of additional data points with videos and still images to these new layers.

The new 'historical maps' feature allows you to see how the geography of a certain area has changed over time. Just click on the new clock icon in the toolbar and a new slider appears that lets you move back and forth in time. Google is able to draw upon a rich database of historical images, though how far you can go back in time depends on the specific region you are looking at. At least of the U.S. and Europe, we were often able to go back twenty or more years, but for other areas, the data often didn't go back much further than five or six years.

Another new feature in Google Earth is the ability to record your own tours while browsing the maps. After clicking the new record button, all your movements in Google Earth will be recorded and you can then play them back later or share them with others.

Also new is a 3D map of Mars, which includes high-resolution images from NASA, 3D terrain data, and annotations for landing sites and other interesting features. Google already offered a version of Google Maps for Mars and the Google Earth user community has been offering a Mars layer for Google Earth since 2006.

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Workers 'stealing company data'

Six out of every 10 employees stole company data when they left their job last year, said a study of US workers.

The survey, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, said that so-called malicious insiders use the information to get a new job, start their own business or for revenge.

"They are making these judgements based out of fear and anxiety," the Institute's Mike Spinney told BBC News.

"People are worried about their jobs and want to hedge their bets," he said.

"Our study showed that 59% of people will say 'I'm going to take something of value with me when I go'."

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Warning of infected auction tool

A third-party add-on for eBay used by thousands of sellers is being flagged by Google as potentially malicious, after it became infected with a trojan.

Auctiva provides tools for sellers on the popular auction website.

The company confirmed a virus had attached itself to files on its servers but remedied the problem soon after.

However, Google continues to warn users searching for the site that it "may potentially harm your computer".

The trojan, called Adclicker, is classed by security specialist Symantec as a "very low risk". It is designed to "artificially generate traffic to certain web sites" and is used by malicious hackers to boost clicks to online banner adverts or to inflate web statistics.

On its community forum Auctiva said that it had "initiated a request with Google to have our site cleared from being reported as a malicious site".

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Sky to replace 90,000 HD boxes

Thousands of Sky+ HD customers are to have their boxes replaced after a fault was discovered by manufacturer Pace.

Ninety-thousand people, about one in 10 HD customers, will be affected.

Sky says the fault involves the internal cabling and the quality of the connections between components but is not a safety risk.

Anyone affected is also being given three months' free subscription to Sky's HD pack, worth £29.25, when they have their box replaced.

The 90,000 boxes in the first batch from Pace are model numbers 9F3001, 9F3002, 9F3003 and 9F3004.

Sky says the replacement programme will take about three months.

A statement on the Sky website said: "The assembly flaw does not involve a faulty component, such as a hard drive, or a software problem.

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