Google Plus is a topic that lends itself to great debate amongst people in the socialsphere. Many immediately critique it’s adoption rate and member base as being non-existent. Advocates who point out it’s benefits are often dismissed as “fanboys,” despite their points. No matter what your position, the Google Plus debate is fascinating to explore.  Read more... (624 words, 2 images, estimated 2:30 mins reading time)

Online social networks like Facebook and Twitter are quickly becoming the fastest and most direct way for customers and consumers to share their experiences about the products, services, and experiences that they have. The main reason for this is convenience – customers don’t want to spend time waiting on automated phone lines to explain their situation. Another reason is the public nature of social media – a complaint on a page with thousands of eyeballs on it is more likely to get noticed and resolved then a private issue.  Read more... (604 words, 2 images, estimated 2:25 mins reading time)

The Personal Brand Strategy: If you are looking to have yourself and your name branded as an expert or authority in any niche, social media can help you find people who need your expertise, and explore your products or services. In addition to a main site or blog, managing your personal brand on social media should focus on these cornerstones:  Read more... (842 words, 2 images, estimated 3:22 mins reading time)

• Be Yourself - Honesty goes a long way in on the social web. A person who takes the time to genuinely engage other users gives the appearance of being easily accessible, which naturally leads to being discovered by other users. Additionally,  not all your content has to do with your product or business. By posting about news stories, personal experiences, or general observations about your day, you avoid the risk of being pigeonholed as a one-topic user.

From the day it became popular, Twitter has been a magnet for spammers – users who only create accounts to trick legitimate users into buying products, downloading software, or spreading unwanted material. Twitter has always been proactive in combating spammers, but with the ease of use to create an account, massive userbase, and open source architecture, the spammers have always been one step ahead.

This week, Twitter announced on their official blog that they have filed a lawsuit against software providers who’s programs are used to aggressively abuse the service’s features through automation.  Software providers named in the suit include TweetAttacks, TweetAdder, and TweetBuddy.  Read more... (819 words, 3 images, estimated 3:17 mins reading time)

When it comes to social media success, there are numerous metrics, goals, and forms of measurement that any marketer should consider. You can focus on actions people take – liking a post, commenting on an article, retweeting you. You can monitor growth of connections over time, and relate growth to participation, advertising, or use of software. Additionally (and most logically), you can measure increase to bottom line numbers, such as direct sales, newsletter signups, or downloads.  Read more... (698 words, 2 images, estimated 2:48 mins reading time)

Interesting new survey by office services firm Regus, showed that 47% of businesses successfully used social networks for customer acquisition in 2011, a 7 percentage point increase over 2010. The US followed closely behind the average, at 43%.

China saw the greatest gains in customer acquisition from social networks among all countries studied, increasing from 44% in 2010 to 65% in 2011. That is a massive increase in one year.

The survey had one other interesting finding: Social networks made the biggest impact for companies that are operating in developed markets.  Read more... (230 words, 3 images, estimated 55 secs reading time)