Archive for the ‘social networks’ Category

Posted on January 25, 2011 - by Wayne Sutton

The History of Social Networking – infographic

Via: Online Schools

Posted on January 19, 2011 - by Wayne Sutton

29 of your top social media questions answered on Quora

Quora, the question and answers social network that keeps on buzzing remains a mystery to some and a great resource to others. You can blame some of Quora success on all of the social media practitioners who are asking tons of social media questions to either be looked at as a thought leader or they’re just tired of searching google.

Using the PostRank extension for Google Reader to filter the social media rss Quora topic feed, here are the top 29 social media questions answered on Quora in the last seven days.

1. Why does Google fail at social media?

2. For my website, should I chose AddThis, ShareThis or Twitter’s and Facebook’s specific sharing tools?

3. What is a community manager?

4. What are examples of successful “green” social media campaigns?

5. On Quora, why has the quality of the Social Media Marketing topic declined so extraordinarily, so quickly?

6. How do I export the ‘like’ list of a Facebook company/brand/fanpage?

7. What are the biggest mistakes one can make in managing a social media account?

8. What are the issues of scaling Twitter for customer service?

9. What are some ways schools are using social media tools to make the classroom more effective?

10. How relevant is the Klout score?

11. What are the best PR and social media blogs to follow?

12. What is social targeting?

13. What are the biggest legal concerns with using social media?

14. How different is Social Media Strategist from a Digital PR Consultant?

15. Is keeping a locked account in Twitter a good practice?

16. Is it a good practice to duplicate content in Twitter and LinkedIn?

17. What are some recommendations for good social media and/or digital marketing conferences to attend in 2011?

18. What are good ways to become more influential on Twitter using Quora?

19. How can one prove to a more traditional marketer that social media is essential for a food truck’s success?

20. Which universities are effectively using social media?

21. How could the functionality of Facebook Groups be improved ?

22. What if in the future a “Social Scoring” system like Klout or PeerIndex, would determine, just like credit reports do, your job hiring, promotions, life, etc?

23. Is there a social media website to complain about a customer service from an online company?

24. What is a “social object” in social media context?

25. Why might someone want to follow 1,000+ people on Twitter?

26. What are the best practices or interesting case studies about social media for non profit organizations?

27. Why should an established private community switch from a mailing list like Yahoo groups to a microblogging tool such as Socialcast or Yammer?

28. What should Google do to completely overhaul its social strategy?

29. Do I really need Quora in addition to Facebook and Twitter?

Bonus
What is a Social Media Guru ?
How many Social Media Gurus does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

If you didn’t see your social media question listed you can follow all of the social media topics on Quora here: http://www.quora.com/Social-Media

Posted on January 13, 2011 - by Wayne Sutton

The question and answers guide to Quora: How to get the best value out of Quora and look smart at the same time.

To say that Quora the questions and answers site is off to a good year is an understatement. Launched in June 2009 in private beta Quora has seen a massive growth in page views and user registration with many speculating how and why. Some give credit to Robert Scoble and the Scoble affect. Others to MG and the TechCrunch gang for consistently referencing Quora in blog post. All makes me wonder who has shares into Quora but that’s another post.

Regardless if you think Quora is valuable or not, bloggers, social media enthusiast, main stream media and brands are flocking to Quora trying to get a jump on what could be the next big thing. The keyword here is “could be” especially since Quora is not the only questions and answers startup to gain some traction and when you think about Quora is really one big message board/forum with new social integration.

If you’re new to Quora, wondering if you should invest time into Quora and/or wondering what’s all the hype about here’s my questions and answers guide to Quora.

What is my Quora history?

I signed up for Quora shortly after it was lunched in June 2009 via a beta invite from Jolie O’Dell (Thanks Jolie)

How to get the best value of out Quora?

If you’re on Quora, I would suggest not to follow everyone who follows you and only follow topics and people that relate to your industry profession or topics you’re really interested in. Quora is not twitter!

What type of questions should you ask on Quora?

Any type of question you want! For instance my last question was “What are some good tips for first time fathers?” but if you want to be considered as an industry expert on certain topics it’s a common practice to ask, follow and answer questions on those topics.

What are the ways you can look smart and as a thought leader on Quora?

Write the best answers and get people to vote up your answers. Simple.

What are some simple getting started Quora tips?

1. Have an updated Quora bio and profile picture.
2. Decide how you’re going to use Quora as tool for personal or professional reasons
3. Create a list of topics that you would like to follow
4. Search for topics and people on Quora you want to follow.
5. Understand how Quora notifications work when you follow topics
6. You can ask a question and recommend people to answer the question
7. Decide if you want to connect your twitter, Facebook, WordPress.com and/or tumblr accounts to Quora
8. Start following a few topics/people and ask your first question.

How do I search for topics and people on Quora?

You search for topics and people in Quora via the same box where you ask question.

How can brands use Quora?

Currently Quora does not allow branded profiles although you may find a few but brands can use Quora as customer service channel.

Example: The Comcast topic on Quora.

What is a bad example of how not to use Quora?

Read: How Not To Be Influential? Quora Spam On Mechanical Turk

Was Quora better when it was in private beta?

Some would say yes, especially since all the new users have joined. Quora’s goal is to provide quality answers from smart people, not to create another Twitter where users try to get a lot of followers and just look smart to say he look how cool I am by answering questions on Quora.

What should you be doing instead of answering questions on Quora?

1. Email
2. Blogging
3. measuring
4. looking for leads
5. customer service
6. Exercising
7. Reading

Can I use Quora without answering questions?

Yes, by creating an account and following topics in general or by RSS Feeds.

When is it Quora day on Twitter?

I had tweeted a month ago and told Jason Keath @Jakrose it was Friday.
David Armano tweeted last week “I declare Tuesday to be “Quora Tuesdays”. David has more Klout than I do, so I guess David wins.

What is it called when you answer questions on Quora?

“Quora-ing” I made that up for this post. #joke

Do you have to be on Quora?

No and hear’s a great twitter quote from @ConversationAge

What does Quora remind you of?

A big online community forum.

What is an example of a really good Quora Answer?

See, Patrick O’Keefe aka @iFroggy. Answer to the question What are some tips for moderating a panel?

What is a good example of a Quora Question starting a debate/discussion.

See, Jason Keath @Jakrose question: Who are the best female speakers on the topic of social media?

How can I game Quora to look smart?

After you have answered a question on Quora DM your Twitter friends or email them asking them to vote up your answer so it shows up at the top. Read: Is the upvote bias towards more popular answerers a threat to quality on Quora? (It’s happening already but not recommended)

Who are the Quora experts?

No one, please don’t even go there.

Is there such thing as a Quora Ninja?

Yes, Robert Scoble, Sorry Robert. I look up to Robert a lot but Scoble will answer a Quora question with a link to his website or twitter list that may or may not even answer the question faster than a pubhubsubbub feed update. (geek joke). Only Robert can get away with that, = Quora Ninja.

What is the one Quora question/post you should read?

Welcome to Quora. Do Yourself a Favor & Slow Down by Lucretia M Pruitt

Is Quora like Twitter?

Yes, there are some similar features but very different at the same time. Don’t treat Quora like Twitter.

Is Quora like LinkedIn Answers?

Yes, but a different community at this time depending on who/what topics you are following.

Is it ok to leave links to your blog post in Quora?

Yes, but I don’t recommend it all the time. Only if your blog post answers the question or adds value to it.

Is there a Quora button for your website or blog?

Yes, see the Unofficial Quora button

Is there a Quora Google Chrome extension?

Yes, see the Quora Google Chrome extension

Is there a Quora Firefox plugin/extension?

Yes, see QuoraFox

Is there a way to embed Quora topics on your blog/ website?

1. Copy and paste (duh)
2. Quora topics have RSS feeds. Note I said topics and not actual questions:
a. Subscribe to the topics RSS feed
b. emebed feed into a RSS widget or subscribe to the topic RSS feed in a google reader folder
c. copy the widget code and embed or embed the google reader folder into blog/website
Example:

Is Quora the next big thing?

Maybe, NO ONE KNOWS, if they say they do then have them answer the following questions on Quora and email you back when they have completed.
Is Quora the next big thing after Twitter?
What will be the next big thing in social media (besides Quora)?
What are the next big things?
Will Quora be the next big thing?

What are some other blog post to learn more about Quora?

How Quora Works
Everyone’s talking about Quora
API of the Week: Quora Extension API
Ultimate Guide to using Quora for SEO Ranking on Google
How Small Businesses Can Use Quora
Can Quora drive traffic?
Frequently Asked Questions About Quora
How is Quora Able to Auto-Like Posts on Facebook?
How Quora could get interesting
6 ways journalists can use Quora as a tool for reporting, sharing ideas
Why Consumers Love Q&A Sites
How do you hyperlocalise Quora?
An SEO’s Introduction to Quora, a New Social Site
All the Quora post on TechCrunch: http://techcrunch.com/tag/quora/
All the Quora post on Mashable: http://mashable.com/tag/quora/
All the Quora post on RWW: http://www.readwriteweb.com/tag/quora

Is there a dedicated blog all about Quora?

Yes, it’s called Quora Town

Is there a mock site about unanswered questions on Quora?

Yes, it’s called Cwora.

What are other question and answer sites like Quora?

http://stackoverflow.com
http://yoomoot.com
http://www.chacha.com
http://www.mahalo.com
http://answers.onstartups.com
http://news.ycombinator.com

What WordPress themes can you use to create your own Quora / questions and answers site?

AskIt WordPress Theme
Answers WordPress Theme
Instant Q&A WordPress Theme
Themeflicks WordPress Theme

What to be cautious about using Quora?

Bubble talk! The tech/social media bubble telling you why and how you should use Quora.

Is Wayne Sutton on Quora?
Yes at: http://www.quora.com/Wayne-Sutton

Why my Quora profile url is Wayne-Sutton and not WayneSutton?
Because I created my Quora profile with Facebook when Quora was still in private beta and Quora won’t change it.

Source: Quora.

Any questions?

Posted on January 8, 2011 - by Wayne Sutton

Warning: Your tweets can and will be held against you

By now I’m sure you have read and at least heard about some of the tragic news from today. Also in the news at least on Twitter are tweets about music artist coming out about their sexuality and there’s always a debate about religion, race and politics. No matter what your opinion is or how strong you feel about what’s happening in today’s society I always caution clients, friends and family be careful what you say online, especially Twitter as it can and will be held against you. Here are seven post with proof if you don’t believe me.

1. Starting 10/10/2010, Twitter will begin transferring all of your tweets to the Library of Congress for archiving

2. US subpoenas Wikileaks tweets, and why this could affect you

3. Courtney Love Twitter defamation trial starts in Feb; Designer sez crazy tweets ruined her career

4. Man in Twitter bomb threat against airport loses appeal

5. Twitter-Jacking On Trial: Cardinals’ Manager Sues Twitter

6. Woman Sued for $50,000 Over a Tweet

7. DOJ subpoenas Twitter records of several WikiLeaks volunteers

While anonymity remains a goal for some and it still exist for some social networks and web apps the government and other social networks such as Twitter and Facebook are buying to be your online single point of interest as your online identity profile. Of course you can add Google to the mix but this all means it is becoming easier to find you and hold you accountable for your remarks online. This means blog comments, tweets, status updates, videos and more.

No longer can individuals hind behind the computer screen or smarthphone. What you say online is the same as if you said it to someone’s face or in other public media formats such as TV and radio. Therefore be careful what you say especially on Twitter because your tweets can and will be held against you.

Posted on December 31, 2010 - by Wayne Sutton

infographic – Sharing Trends in 2010 via AddThis

AddThis created a sharing trends in 2010 infographic that showed that Facebook leads the web in sharing by 44% and Gmail coming in a close second.

AddThis – The #1 Bookmarking & Sharing Service

From the data in the AddThis sharing trends in 2010 infographic it shows that if have content you want to spread across that web. Make sure it can be easily shared on Facebook and/or sent via email easily.