Following the US Government’s banning of online scams and the Pakistani Government’s rather humorous attempt to filter out text messages containing words and phrases such as ‘pocket pool’ and ‘honkers’ (use hashtag #PTABannedList on Twitter for more), I started to think about what I would do if I could wave a magic wand and police the digital world in the way I see fit.

Aside from the obvious stuff that we’d all condemn, I’ve come up with five new laws that I’d introduce:

1. Ban the use of 'lol'

I don’t like ‘lol’. I’ve never liked ‘lol’. I can’t even finish writing a lengthy sentence that… nope; can’t do it. What’s wrong with ‘haha’ or ‘hehe’? Did our early character limits in the first ever text-message enabled phones forever rule out the use of a fourth letter?

I don’t think I’d mind so much if it were only used when the typer was actually laughing out loud, but they rarely are. Just wait until someone IM’s you at work with ‘lol’. Jump up out of your seat and take a look at their face. If they’re not laughing out loud, or desperately trying to remain composed and not wee themselves, go over and punch them squarely in the mouth.

2. Enforce proper punctuation in emails and forum comments

If I’m beginning to sound like a grammar Nazi, it’s because I am (runs quick hypocrisy-preventing grammar check in Word). At best, it’s just annoying. At worst, people will misunderstand you.

Let’s look at two examples:

·         Can you smell, Nicky?

·         Can you smell Nicky?

In the first one, we’re asking Nicky if she can smell. In the second, we’re asking someone else if they can smell her. One comma makes all the difference.

We could easily insult Nicky in the above example if we’re not careful. Also, let’s try not to make it LOOK LIKE WE’RE SHOUTING.

I once received an email that read something like this:

hi paul i said id do that thing for you today butshouldnt of things are hectic is it ok if there with you in the morning were having some problems with the trucks in the depow pls reply thanks

If I received that from a member of my team, I’d take a good hour out of my day to buy some card, fold into a conical shape, stick glitter all over it, write ‘fool’ on the front and back (and in reverse in case someone is reading it in their rear-view mirror), put it over their head and then douse them in boiling water. It infringes my moral code.

3. Prevent online giants deciding what I should be looking at

No, Google. I do not want you to customise your search results based upon my search history. If I’d already found what I was looking for, I wouldn’t need to search again. If I do choose to search again, I don’t want to see the same results.

Also, when I tell you not to customise my results, don’t assume that I’ve changed my mind the very next day.

4. Allow cookies, forever

Yes, yes, I know! Everyone complains about cookies and the invasion of privacy. As an online marketing professional*, I have no interest in who my client’s customers are, where they live, what their job is and what they look like. I would, however, like to serve my client’s customers, and only my client’s customers; no one else.

Nobody wants to spend marketing budget showing ads to users who are not interested in them. Cookies allow us to track what’s working and what’s not, cutting out irrelevant ads for those who do not want to see them and maximising our client’s ROI. That way, we keep users happy and grow our clients’ businesses. It’s great!

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

5. Allow me to vote against useless websites

We’ve all seen them. You’re trying to find out the best way to stop cold air leaking in through your old windows, so you do an online search. A range of pages come up from a bunch of random authors and you start clicking through. However, you soon realise that these pages are designed simply to rank high in the search engines and encourage you to click on their AdSense ads. There’s no real information in there at all.

I would like to give these sites a big ‘thumbs down’. Can I have a -1 button, Google?

I’m sure you’ll all agree with these, so vote for Paul as the new Fuhrer of the International Global Association of Worldwide Online Policing of Nations. Lol.

*right?

Pay-per-click advertising, managed well, can still offer businesses exceptional value for money, as well as unparalleled measurability in terms of your return on investment. But, for the time-rich and cash-poor, there are many other ways you can increase traffic and sales. Combined with traditional PPC and SEO techniques, these lesser-known strategies could see your visitor numbers skyrocket...

1. Use social media to engage your audience

By creating Facebook and Twitter pages where your users can communicate with each other, and which they will find interesting and useful, you can build a loyal community of followers for free. Incentives such as competitions and discounts will help to generate interest. Gradually introduce your brand over time so users don't feel too 'marketed to'.

2. Write and submit expert articles online

You can post expert articles on dedicated article sites, using advice and information you already have through experience. These articles link back to your website, thus creating valuable links, effectively for free.

3. Create a blog to engage with your consumer base

Create your own blog (there are free sites to help you do this) to engage your website visitors with what you do, you can then use your blog posts in a monthly newsletter to your list of contacts. This keeps potential clients engaged with the brand and helps current clients feel a sense of community, as well as (hopefully) providing them with useful hints and tips about your sector.

4. Write and submit press releases

Use PRWeb to send optimised news articles about your business straight to Google News and other sites and blogs. We think it's worth paying a little extra to add anchor text links, though this is optional. There are free sites as well which, while they lack some of the advantages PRWeb offers, can give companies on a very tight budget some much-needed PR, absolutely free.

5. Become a source

A journalist in a relevant sector can do wonders for a company in terms of free marketing, providing targeted 'advertising' on a regular basis, ideally both in print and online. All you have to do is prove yourself as a good source for topics they might be writing about.

6. Use local listings

Create a Google Places listing, which will appear on Google when users search for businesses like yours in your area. Eyetracking studies by SEOmoz have revealed how influential these listings are becoming - users gravitate towards them. Optimise the listing for target keywords you know your customer base is typing in, and ask customers to leave reviews there – this will help you to rank highly for local searches. If your customer base is local, you might also benefit by listing yourself on Foursquare, so people can see your location (and any deals you're willing to offer) on their mobile devices.

7. Add your website to directories

Directories can still work for you, if you do it right. Get listed on high ranking free directories, encourage reviews, and benefit from being at the top of the listings. The link itself can also work in your favour as it can potentially help with SEO.

And finally - once you have generated all those visitors, streamlining your purchasing process is the last, crucial step to online success. This is where, in the end, you will need to convert those visitors into sales, and even small changes at this final stage can make all the difference.

We have all heard about how social media is an incredibly powerful tool that has revolutionised the way companies market their products, with the ability to target campaigns at specific customers based on quantitative research and analysis, as well as individual desires.

But you all knew that already didn’t you? Well, it seems that there are some marketing professionals out there who still haven’t acknowledged that social media is an important marketing channel and either don’t ‘get’ it or refuse to accept that it is here to stay.

A recent article in The Telegraph reported on this issue, blaming the ’40-year-old marketing directors’ for being out of touch with modern marketing methods, having not carried on an education in maths past the age of sixteen or been trained in the profession during the digital age.

Whilst this seems a wild generalisation, and I’m sure there are many forty-plus marketers out there who are perfectly adept with digital, it does go to show that social media marketing isn’t as obvious to everyone as we might think. The article also suggests that even when large companies do employ someone to manage online marketing, they do not listen to suggestions made, despite the potential for substantial profit gains.

Why it’s important

Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others have a broad reach and allow information to be shared between millions of people in a matter of seconds. Aside from the ability to place targeted adverts, the power of word-of-mouth and customer feedback is huge.

A bad experience with a product or business can be expressed to the world very easily. Similarly, many businesses know that they can put across a good image of their company or brands and be visible to many relevant users. Yet, is there some sense in the conservative approach to social media by some marketing professionals?

Is social media going to overtake television in terms of marketing power?

Whilst there is sense in embracing social media and all of its offerings, we shouldn’t be too quick to claim that it is now the best way that businesses can market themselves. Another article in The Telegraph reports on research by Deloitte, who find that “A typical Briton…spends 118 hours watching TV each month and just 3.3 hours on social networks.”

Whilst social media marketing is more targeted, I can’t imagine that it is more than thirty-five times effective as television. The report also highlights that Pepsi decided to try moving from its usual television adverts during the US Super Bowl to a social media campaign, and are now choosing to switch back to television for next year’s event due to poor performance.

During my time at atom42 I have been performing client/competitor analysis, and have found myself making suggestions to implement online strategies which complement television campaigns to help build stronger brands. I feel that there is a greater sense of trust when someone uses a website where they recognise a character or theme that has been used in a television advert, and hence a greater possibility of conversion. In this way companies can build their brands by utilising both marketing channels together, rather than having them in competition, as Deloitte’s own research suggests.

The consequences of underestimating the power of social media

A good example of a manager underestimating social media was reported by Wired last week. A man running a poultry-keeping website tweeted: "A bet with my boss. He says Twitter is a waste of time. He will give 50p per RT I get but I give him £10 if I don't get 10...". This received approximately 22,000 re-tweets, but alas the boss backed away from the bet – having learnt a valuable lesson I should imagine. It is stories like this, as well as that of Google making $55,000 revenue in eleven minutes through Twitter, that showcase just how effective social media is.

As YouTube gains more and more importance in the online world, it is necessary for us digital marketers to take it seriously - especially when it interferes with the natural search results!

Research has shown that videos are the most prominent category to be featured in the search engine results pages (SERPS) besides images, news, blogs, shopping and maps.

YouTube SEO will help your videos rank highly in the YouTube search results, as well as in the natural SERPS.

Here are a couple of quick techniques you can use to optimise your videos (perhaps surprisingly, many of them are very similar to traditional SEO):

1. Optimise your title, descriptions and tags with the keywords you are trying to target

2. Ensure that all of the above are enticing, as YouTube takes in to account CTR when determining rankings

3. Build keyword optimised anchor text links to your video

4. Ensure your title and description are relevant to your video, as time on page and bounce rates are relevant factors when determining rankings

5. Have a good preview image: as this image appears in the results page it essential to have an image which stands out from the crowd

6. Use the YouTube Keyword Tool to identify keywords with high search volumes on Google

Well optimised YouTube videos will appear in the natural SERPs, allowing brands to acquire more real estate – for free!

News came from Britain’s police inspection body last week that police forces must adapt to protestors who use Twitter and Facebook to organise demonstrations at short notice.

The report came a week after the Egyptian government chose to shut down the internet for 7 days in a bid to prevent protesters from organising themselves on Twitter. Though Google weighed in to help circumvent the block, the vast majority of the country was totally cut off from all sources of independent information in less than an hour – at the mere whim of a desperate political leader. As Iain posted last week, Twitter also helped the protestors’ cause with their speak2tweet technology.

A Novel Strategy

Omar al-Bashir, president of Sudan, has allegedly been watching the situation carefully and come up with a different strategy: to embrace social media. The dictator has requested that more of the country’s 44 million citizens be connected to the internet so that he can use Facebook to overcome his political adversaries. On the same day, Syrian president, Bashir al-Assad, lifted a country-wide ban on YouTube and and Facebook.

Clearly, there are discussions going on all over the Middle East as governments ask how best to use the internet and social media to gain political advantage over opponents – be they rival political parties or the citizens themselves. But the open internet dilemma isn’t only confined to Middle Eastern countries; it's also widely discussed in Eastern Asian politics.

Online Blocking From East to West

North Korea’s decision is, and always has been, the polar opposite of Sudan’s; they’ve had a country-wide block on the internet in place before they even fully knew what the internet was. Similarly, China closely monitors all internet activity with their controversial Great Firewall of China which not only blocks obscene or criminal sites, but also anything that the government considers politically objectionable or merely inconvenient.

Internet users in the West often look to citizens of these countries sympathetically – but we would be well advised to keep an eye on what is happening in our own back yard.

Internet freedom in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia is comparably much better than many dictatorial countries, but there have been signs that governments are keen not only to be more aware of what is happening on the internet, but to also have more control over it.

In 2008, Australia came under fire by filtering content with their Chinese-imitation black-list which not only blocks sites advocating terrorism, but also material about suicide, racism, cartoons and at one stage, the Wikileaks website. Advocates of free speech panned the black-list.

Earlier this year, the Canadian government implemented usage-based billing in the country; the decision was so controversial that it is being reviewed. If it does get passed, Canadian users will be charged high fees for exceeding meagre bandwidth limits. Though not an outright ban, the policy would limit many users to how much they can use the internet (based on what they can afford) – and greatly limit how they use services like Skype, Netflix and YouTube.

The United States has discussed net neutrality for several years despite huge opposition from user groups. UK users also face a similar battle against net neutrality which, if endorsed, would allow ISPs to regulate which content we have access to – and how much we pay for it.

The British Response

In the mean time, the British police advisors are undoubtedly watching closely to see how Libyan leader Gadhafi's stance against Facebook is working. Libya was disconnected from the internet only days before protestors started to take control of several army bases. They've probably noted with some mirth that his former advisors suggested he resign – via Twitter. (Perhaps the reason that they are former advisors.)

No single political strategy is the right one, and different countries obviously require different internet strategies in order to be effective and maintain their power. But one thing seems certain: blocking the internet is rarely a way to maintain long-term power and content supporters. The only exception seems to be North Korea – but even there lies murmurings of a quiet uprising inspired by the Middle East, being helped along in part by their southern neighbours.

For now, the Metropolitan Police seems content with the state of peaceful protests in London. Their comment: "Met Police happy with current protest".

However, should that sentiment ever take a turn, you will certainly not read about it on Twitter or Facebook. As the new saying goes, "The revolution will not be Tweeted."

I think it might be speak2tweeted, though.

The beginning of 2011 has been one of the most tumultuous periods in recent history for the Middle East, with countries across the region - from Tunisia and Egypt to Yemen and Libya, experiencing political unrest and violence as people take to the streets in demonstration against unpopular incumbent regimes. The history and politics of the area is not something I pretend to fully understand, so I’ll keep this post about the simple but effective piece of innovation that these hard times have brought about, namely Speak2tweet.

Speak2tweet (@speak2tweet), is a joint endeavour between Google, Twitter and SayNow – a company recently acquired by Google which specialises in merging voice technology with social media. It was launched on the 31st of January with the intention of helping the people of Egypt stay connected with each other and the outside world after the Egyptian government shut down internet access in an attempt to disrupt protesters. The service is essentially a voicemail service that allows the distribution of messages via Twitter, allowing people in the affected areas to post and listen to messages without the need for internet access.

So how does it work?

Users simply ring one of three freephone numbers and leave a short voicemail. A link to the voicemail is then posted on Twitter’s designated speak2tweet page with hashtags automatically added to indicate the message’s country of origin. People without internet access can listen to messages by dialling the same numbers. At the time of writing, @speak2tweet had already logged over 2,500 tweets.
 
Soon after the service was launched, the sites Alive in Egypt, and later, Alive in Libya were set up to translate Arabic voicemails into English and transcribe them, giving people around the world an up-to-date account of what’s happening in the Middle East. 

Simple concepts in a high tech environment

Speak2Tweet proves that simple, intuitive innovations are often the ones that gain traction in the online world, much like Twitter itself did back in 2006. The microblogging site’s original concept of sharing 140 character updates with friends was brilliantly simple, arguably one of the reasons it’s been so successful and now has around 200 million users worldwide. 

In my opinion, Google have created an uncomplicated, effective solution in Speak2tweet, and anything that can help people stay in touch and share information under the very difficult circumstances in the Middle East is a good thing.

It seems this time, the search giant that doesn’t always seem to live by their mantra of ‘Don’t be Evil’, deserves a pat on the back.

Facebook has added yet another dimension to its social offering with the introduction of Facebook Deals in the U.K. The model, a clear imitation of the Foursquare concept, is a location-based service which encourages users to check into places or businesses such as shops, restaurants and bars, often offering discounts for those who do. Every check-in generates a wall post which is distributed to friends’ newsfeeds - in Facebook terms that’s generally 300+ people.

Facebook has segmented their Deals into four groups to cater for different customers and businesses:
-    Individual Deals
-    Friends Deals – to be redeemed by a group of people
-    Loyalty Deals – offers based on frequency of check-ins
-    Charity Deals – the business donates money to a charity for each check-in

Will Facebook Deals influence the retail market in the U.K.?
Following the mediocre success of Foursquare the immediate response from many people would be “no”, but Foursquare is no Facebook. The social networking giant has a large and dedicated user base, strong finances and a highly valued brand. Most businesses would welcome an association with Facebook. In just two weeks, we have already seen a number of UK brands jumping on the Deal bandwagon. O2, Alton Towers, Starbucks, YO! Sushi and Debenhams are some of the first retailers to roll out first offers via Facebook Deals, and are so far sticking to the individual Deals, with Alton Towers offering free entry to all customers who check in this Friday and YO! Sushi giving free meals to the first 1,000 customers to check in.

A good indicator for Facebook Deals is the ‘not unless there’s a discount’ mentality which has swept the UK over the last couple of years. Before stepping out for lunch it’s become part of people’s routine check whether there are any meal deals on Vouchercodes or Groupon. Facebook Deals will take this one step further. By showing users where they can get their nearest discounted lunch, coffee or cocktail, not only will local businesses benefit by attracting customers which may have otherwise passed them by, but they’ll also generate powerful social media marketing with a built in brand advocate.

What hurdles will Facebook Deals face?
It might be a great concept (thanks Foursquare!) but it hasn’t been all plain sailing for Facebook Deals. It’s an issue that’s come up time and time again for Facebook, with practically every new feature they launch. Can you guess what it is yet? Yep, privacy. You might assume people would be uncomfortable about disclosing their location in real-time over a social network but it seems not, leading to fears about making it easy for stalkers and burglars when people have declared their location as being away from home.

What’s in Facebook Deals for businesses?
Only the most powerful of all types of marketing – word of mouth. Facebook could not have put it more aptly when they said “The wisdom of friends has taken over from the wisdom of crowds”.  Facebook Deals offers businesses a great opportunity to expand brand awareness via social media, helping them to acquire new customers and enrich their relationships with existing ones. As an added bonus, Facebook Deals will provide businesses with any information which the user has chosen to share on their profile, improving targeting for the future. 

Sounds too good to be true? It probably is. Naturally it will be the larger brands who can afford to give the biggest discounts, therefore capturing the most new customers, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Since the service is free it will also provide a platform for smaller businesses to experiment with mobile and realise the potential of the mobile market.

What’s in Facebook Deals for Facebook?
Facebook are expanding their business model to enter more profitable fields becoming a merchant for retailers, starting big with brands such as Amazon and ASOS. Although Facebook claim that motive behind the launch of Deals was to give customers the total user experience, recent photos of Mark Zuckerberg with dollar signs for eyes suggest otherwise. In addition to knowing demographic information of customers, Facebook's database will expand to include their whereabouts and preferred shopping habits, increasing the value of the already $11.5 billion dollar company.

Love. Such a small word for such a big thing. Something which has spanned millions of years and comes in hundreds of different forms. The inspiration for poetry, paintings and playlists. Something beautiful and sacred, cherished and secret, between two people. Well... until Facebook came along anyway.

Love it or hate it, Facebook has become a crucial part of daily life for 500+ million active users worldwide, and when the key function of the site is to share information about your life it’s inevitable there will be a knock on effect for relationships. In fact for the Facebook generation it’s become just another step of the courtship process: Meet, date, date exclusively, make it “Facebook official”.

But Facebook, it’s not very... romantic, is it? That got us thinking, in a world where paper is increasingly a redundant commodity, what are the most romantic ideas on the web? We’ve come up with 5 ways to say “I love you” online:

1. Put it on an (online) Post-It
Run by Laureen Moyal and Yuliya Gorlovetsky from their lower East Side studio, Iloveyoumorethanblank.com is a more romantic version of postsecret.com, offering users the opportunity to publicly announce what they love their loved ones more than, from the worryingly common “Justin Bieber” to the considerably more romantic “anything”. Suggestion for SEO geeks – “I love you more than Google loves Wikipedia”.

2. Make your lover an online mix tape
What could be more romantic than a mix tape? Whether it’s heavy metal or JLS you’re into, taking the time to create a collection of songs you know your partner will love shows you’re willing to spend time and effort – always a good way to earn brownie points. While there are a lot of *ahem* illegal sites out there which offer this service, a more law abiding way to create an online mix tape would be to open a hypem.com account and fill it with your favourite songs, or share a playlist on Spotify.

3. Share your secret to love (and win dinner at Jamie’s Italian for your troubles)
Ok so it’s a bit of a cop out as it’s one of our campaigns, but it really is very romantic. In a nutshell, Mike and Alanna Clear got married in 2008 and heard shortly afterwards that 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Determined that theirs would survive, they started the Going the Distance project, asking hundreds of couples what they think is the secret to a lasting relationship. You can share your secret online at goingthedistance.co.uk or just enjoy the 600+ secrets that have been posted so far.

4. Send a personalised valentine from Moonpig.com
I’m sure 99.9% of you will have already have heard of Moonpig via their catchy TV advert (moooonpig.com) but in case you haven’t, it’s a site where you can create your own personalised gifts and cards by adding photos and customising the message. They’re then sent out to you or direct to your loved one by first class post. While it’s not strictly digital as you do end up with a card at the end, I’m not sure the women of this world are ready to receive Valentines emails just yet.

5. Set up a website for your lover
What could be more romantic than IloveAndyAtalla.com? Well probably your partner’s name rather than head honcho at atom42, but what an idea! Alright it’s a bit nerdy, but we like that kind of thing here at atom. What you put on your site is up to you, but the usual romantic mush – photos/videos of you as a couple, your favourite songs, mementos of your experiences – are always a safe bet. If you’re feeling even MORE creative, consider using your site as a medium to let your lover know what you have planned for the rest of the day... offline of course.

With the recent release of Hollywood blockbuster 'The Social Network', Facebook has been catapulted even further into the limelight. But being the hottest thing on the web is not all that straightforward and, as Spiderman says, 'with great power comes great responsibility'. Now Facebook’s popularity is leading to increased scrutiny over how the site treats its users.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has published an investigation into the security of Facebook, revealing that apps on the site are providing personal details of tens of millions of users to advertising and tracking companies without their permission. The article notes this is in breach of Facebook’s privacy policy, affecting both those who choose to keep their data private and those who don’t – something we think is a little bit scary.

Why more personal data is becoming available

With the advent of new social platforms such as Foursquare and Unsocial, which encourage users to part with increasing amounts of information, including real-time locations, security is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue online.

These mediums present a whole new and, arguably, desirable stream of data. Furthermore, as these forms of social media grow in popularity, so too does the demand for the data generated from them.

The business of gathering consumer data

Aside from illegal data mining practices, there are numerous businesses that grow a profit solely from the collation, analysis and selling of consumer data gathered online. A recent development comes in the form of a new business model, providing consumers with the opportunity to sell their personal information as a commodity.

In terms of the value consumers place on their privacy, current evidence suggests that there may in fact be a real market for this. Take, for example, the company Everyday Models, which pays consumers to promote one of their brands during everyday activities, for instance on their Facebook profile, or through wearing branded clothing.

The idea of consumers having control over their own data, as opposed to being reliant on unclear privacy policies, definitely appeals.

In support of Facebook

Many of the comments in the WSJ article are supportive of Facebook. One consumer states: “It's kind of funny how people agree to sign up to a free portal (Facebook) and then complain about their privacy... No one is obliging you to be on Facebook, so get out of it if you are not happy.”

This is an interesting attitude for a consumer to have towards their own privacy, namely that information security within social media may be unrealistic.

The future of data as a commodity

So, how highly valued are privacy and security, and do they amount to the same thing? If a consumer were to allow a company to use and sell their data, would the lack of control over what was done with it still leave them in a vulnerable position?

Bearing in mind the multifarious complexities of security, it will be interesting to see if the practice of consumers selling their data takes off, and how sites like Facebook deal with security issues in the future.

With the advent of New Twitter, or '#newtwitter' as it is referred to on the site by users, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at where Twitter has come from and how it has changed over time.

What is New Twitter?

New Twitter comprises a change in the Twitter interface which enables users to view a variety of different aspects of the site at the same time, in the manner of a much more complex web app.

A change such as this is one way to keep regular users engaged and to create a buzz around the site, which may encourage new users to join. However, the fundamentals of the site are still the same.

Where Twitter came from

Now that so many of us tweet on a regular basis, and take our Twitter feeds for granted as the business tools, news sources or amusing diversions they are, it may be hard to remember what we all thought of the site in the olden days.

To find out, I sought the opinion of a rare, non-Twitter using friend, who summed up the standpoint the majority of us probably had when we first heard about the site: "I can understand why people would want to read about celebrities like Stephen Fry," he said, "but why would I want to send everyone a text at the same time, and why would people want to read it?"

The answer lies partly with the enormous amount of timely information the site has gained the ability to disseminate, and allow users to expand and comment upon, as its user base has surged.

Twitter’s journey

With over 100 million users and an estimated 750 tweets per second worldwide, Twitter has increased its reach exponentially since its inception in 2006 by US software architect Jack Dorsey.

As Twitter grew and major events like the death of Michael Jackson came and went, users discovered an unprecedented wealth of information was available to them which traditional news sources just couldn’t keep up with.

That, along with the increasing opportunities identified for businesses to communicate with their customers, and, as more members of the public, superstars and major organisations signed up, the increasing ability to follow the goings on of any individual of interest, has helped boost the site’s visibility and usership.

The future for Twitter

Some commentators have noted the ‘facebookification’ of Twitter as an indication as to where it is going. The planned integration of multimedia into Twitter feeds, plus new opportunities to spend time exploring the site and of altering profiles, for example by creating ‘lists’, are all ways in which Twitter is seeking to increase its following to Facebook’s epic proportions (Zuckerburg’s site is still way ahead with an estimated 500 million users worldwide).

Over time, Twitter will continue to grow and transform to meet its users' changing needs. There’s no sign of this microblogging site going away any time soon.

so•cial

–adjective

1. pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations: a social club.

2. seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly; sociable; gregarious.

3. of, pertaining to, connected with, or suited to polite or fashionable society: a social event.

According to these descriptions of the word ‘social’, on a scale of one to ten, how social are you?

I would say I average around about a five or a six, moving steadily upwards to an seven or an eight if I’m around friends (or the fabulous atoms), perhaps even pushing a nine if alcohol is added into the mix.

Despite this, there are some times when I swing to the other end of the scale – when my social aspirations are closer to a two or a three – when I’m feeling distinctly antisocial. I might be in a hurry, fuzzy-brained in the early morning or towards bedtime, or just erring towards a more solitary existence for a little while.

Safety tips for antisocial networkers

So what becomes of the antisocial brain when confronted with the world of social media? When we stumble, bleary-eyed or cantankerous onto our favourite social network, be it Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or anywhere else? This is where antisocial networking comes into play – here are a few tips to keep your antisocial networking stints healthy and inoffensive.

1. Switch off Facebook 'chat'...

...so friends can’t sneak up on you with an unsolicited IM and prompt a hasty and potentially antisocial response. This is easy – just click on the ‘chat’ box at the bottom right-hand corner, click on ‘options’ and tick the ‘offline’ circle. But remember - Facebook will save this choice for future logins unless you change it back again.

2. Switch on Google Mail Goggles

Some of the most inappropriate messages are sent by people who are under the influence of alcohol. It might seem funny/poetic/of dire importance at the time, but when day breaks the receiver might see the message as distinctly antisocial. Google's Mail Goggles is a breathalyser test for your Gmail. When you enable the feature, it prompts you to solve simple mathematical questions before sending emails you are liable to regret.

3. Commit friendicide

If you’re anything like most social networkers, you’ve accumulated far too many ‘friends’ on every one of your networks – people you struggle to even recognise, let alone want to hear intimate details or inane chatter from. This will only irritate you further if you access your network at the wrong moment. It's vital, therefore, to carry out a regular ‘friend’ or ‘follow’ cull of the more annoying and less necessary connections in your networks. This way, you can expect to find only fresh and interesting messages and updates when you log in, reducing your risk of lashing out in an overly antisocial manner.

4. Step away from the computer

If your efforts at being politely antisocial ever fail and you feel the urge to post a malicious or spiteful message, update or post, step away from the computer immediately – you’re playing with fire. Bad moods don’t translate well onto social media sites and you WILL regret it later. Write down your thoughts on a piece of paper, throw the piece of paper in the bin, and come back and play nicely when you’re feeling a bit more... social.

While businesses are now aware of the potential for engaging with consumers through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and YouTube, many are yet to discover a way to really monetize efforts made in the area. The key for businesses is to find their market and develop the right strategy to enhance overall conversion rates.

The positive aspects of using social media for marketing are sometimes counterbalanced by the negatives. While we do have a captive online audience, keen for information and ready for engagement, we also have an audience who, for the most part, is highly sceptical of being marketed to in anything other than the most discreet and unpressured manner imaginable.

While Twitter feeds and Facebook pages are considered worthwhile, and sufficiently unobtrusive, ways to engage with consumers for many businesses, for others they are simply too costly in time and effort to invest in when they are not seeing any clear monetary gain.

Traditional advertising

Whichever tactic produces a measurable positive ROI will be the one which businesses keep coming back to, and the ability to track traditional advertising models is attractive.

Banner ads remain popular on any social platform which allows them. The difference with more popular social media-based ads is a certain level of creativity and interaction, reflecting the nature of social media itself. Users expect higher and higher levels of added value in return for their clicks through to the advertiser’s site.

Businesses which are able to tailor the appeal of their ads to their users will generally see the best conversion rates.

In-stream advertising

In-stream advertising is a simple way to benefit from the targetability of social media platforms. Users are increasingly wary of any advertising getting in the way of their conversations, though, and responses can be hostile.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t work. Disney and Coca-Cola have both recently tried out Twitter’s Promoted Trends , with Coca Cola reporting that they were ‘pretty pleased’ with the results.

Facebook news feeds are one example of businesses being able to make use of the word-of-mouth aspect of social media which is so effective, integrating the brand into an overall social media structure in what can appear to be a more natural way.

Capitalizing on content

Most businesses with established online marketing strategies will regularly create content for use online. A lot of this content can be used again in social spaces, giving a simple and cost-effective way of solidifying their presence on social networks.

Facebook’s media page suggests reposting articles onto your page, creating a forum for real customer interaction regarding the content posted.

Harnessing UGC

Including user-generated content (UGC) and product reviews in marketing materials is one way of harnessing the powerful nature of social media, without getting into the hair of users while they connect with others online. Many brands find this a safe and controllable way to make marketing emails a lot more engaging, giving increased returns on the initial outlay of their CRM activities.

On-site UGC is another way to improve conversions, and not just by creating an attractive forum for users to engage with one another or have their say. Where on-site UGC increases the amount of product-related content, the improved keyword diversity will help with Google rankings and can have a measurable inpact on inbound traffic.

Going mobile

One of the biggest growth areas at the moment – mobile technology – is driving some of the most innovative social media advertising. Smart phones represent a highly sociable medium with some entirely new opportunities for advertising. Foursquare, for example, can be a powerful way for brands to interact with users in the area, providing tailored special offers, discounts or promotions, thereby giving information which nearby consumers can act on immediately.

Aiming high

Businesses which can be enterprising and innovative with social media opportunities, without pouring too much of their resources into ultimately unprofitable tactics, should be able to find routes into creating worthwhile social media strategies. Being open to tackle the new challenges and opportunities arising is the best way to explore social media marketing potential for the future.

Are you the mayor of your favourite restaurant, coffee shop or building? With Foursquare, you could be. This location-based social networking site and game for mobile devices is currently sweeping media-land in the same way that Twitter did early last year. The site, which cleverly rewards users for ‘checking in’ by granting them special status such as being the ‘mayor’ of any premises they check into the most, is now adding 15,000 users a day, according to founder Dennis Crowley.

But as Foursquare transforms into a major player on the social landscape, what we all want to know is, how can businesses make the most of it?

How Foursquare can work for a business

Foursquare is an example of social media being integrated into the real world and, as such, it can be a great tool for real-life businesses. The competitive elements, such as awards and a leaderboard, make Foursquare fun for users.

The location element allows people to tell if their friends are nearby, but crucially for venue owners to send out promotional messages if they are in the vicinity. And while users are enjoying playing the game, businesses can take the information provided by the game to identify and reward brand loyalists, and to conduct vital customer research.

Examples of businesses making the most of Foursquare

There are already a number of case studies showing how businesses are using Foursquare to their advantage, most famously including Starbucks and their mayoral discounts.

Face of Stupid

Diesel has integrated Foursquare promotions into its ‘Faces of Stupid’ campaign. Diesel store visitors can pick up stickers which say ‘BE STUPID’, stick them onto themselves and send the picture to the Diesel website, along with a ‘stupid story’. By doing so the contestants have a chance to win exotic prizes, like swimming with sharks in South Africa.

And Diesel decided to integrate Foursquare into the mix, using their flagship New York store as a test. Foursquare users within a three-city block radius of the Union Square location were shown the promotion which was happening at the store and, once they checked into the store itself, were given a specially printed t-shirt in purple or red.

During the event, Diesel reported a total of 44 check-ins, 17 tweets and 20,957 aggregate Twitter users reached from those social updates. Altogether, an interesting study in harnessing the real potential of Foursquare – in this case being bringing potential customers into the store who may not have otherwise entered, as well as creating a certain amount of buzz online.

Time for your business to check in

So the message to businesses? Obviously, having a high street presence is a major plus if you want to compete in the world of Foursquare. If you do, now’s the time to get involved and get promoting. If not, there may still be ways to use Foursquare for your business, but you might have to be a little more inventive. But as long as you can really focus on improving customer experience using the site, you’re likely to find it an increasingly profitable tool.

As the old saying goes, there are some things that money can’t buy: love, happiness, and until now – friends. uSocial.net aims to change that last one however, selling ‘friends’ to those looking to boost their online marketing profile.

According to Leon Hill, CEO of uSocial, $87 can buy you a whole load of friends: 1,000, to be exact – and his site offers online friends on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, while also offering a service which can get you onto the front page of Reddit and Digg.

And it’s a business model that works, too. Hill’s business is so profitable that he is simply bored. “I really need a hobby”, the Australian entrepreneur said.

Why we mustn't ignore social media

If the value of social media is doubted by any online marketing agency, they only need to look to the survey which recently found that consumers said they are more likely to buy from brands which they engage with on social networking sites. Users also see companies as ‘irrelevant’ if they have little or no social media presence.

From this it’s clear that a thriving social media profile is a vital part of any online marketing campaign. This is where uSocial supposedly enters the frame: you pay them for friends, and the friends supposedly then become customers.

Can buying friends really work?

There are some who are sceptical of the promises made by uSocial. One customer reported his experience with uSocial’s Facebook package, saying that the company’s online marketing campaign was, "superficially successful, with a large influx of fans joining.”

However he went on to say, “Despite telling usocial.net that we are UK based and wished to have UK based fans, the fans we gained were all American. So while we gained pure numbers, we diminished our relevance and simply wish we hadn’t bothered.”

Any decent online marketing agency knows from experience that a key component of any online campaign is real, organic word of mouth. It’s this authentic element of social media which makes it such a valuable tool for companies; and by simply paying for numbers of fans or followers, you’re most likely setting yourself up for disappointment.

How to tell if your campaign is on track

While the number of followers you have is one indicator of social media success, it shouldn’t be the sole factor by which you measure how well your social media campaign is performing. Some important things to keep in mind are:

•             How much activity are your online followers generating?

•             Are your followers in a country in which you conduct business?

•             Do your followers fit your target demographic?

•             How many visits are your posted links receiving?

The task of any online marketing agency is to enable companies to grow as a result of social media – not simply to feel popular by accruing online followers who are at best, uninterested, and at worst, not even human.

Poor old Facebook. If people aren’t having a go at them for their privacy policies (which happens an awful lot), then it’s for giving people in Teesside syphilis.

In fact, it seems that if you have a problem, no matter how unrelated to Facebook it is – then blame Facebook anyway. An article over at the Telegraph has put together a list of problems that people have blamed Facebook for.

The ludicrous list of problems supposedly caused by the social networking site includes divorce, child suicide, introversion, jealous partners, crime, self-loathing, compromises to national security, the death of traditional sayings and rickets. If you need cheering up, have a browse through and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

But is Facebook really that bad?

Of course, the question is if there’s any truth in the claims. I think not; you can’t really blame Facebook for causing syphilis simply because the number of cases has increased in the last few years. As Facebook puts it: ‘reports exaggerate the comments made by the professor, and ignore the difference between correlation and causation.’

The fact that people put all the blame on Facebook is interesting in the first place. What about MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, LinkedIn, Last.fm and all the other hundreds of other social media sites? Assuming that social media is the cause of such problems in the first place.

When should you not blame Facebook?

People are so quick to blame Facebook, in fact, that they often get it wrong. Enter the usual suspect, the Daily Mail. They got it so wrong, that the apology they offered for accusing Facebook of aiding paedophilia was rejected, and Facebook are now looking to sue.

So, next time you have a problem, think twice about blaming Facebook – it’s quite possible that it isn’t their fault. Instead, I recommend going on Jeremy Kyle.