Enhance your business with these social websites

There are dozens of social media websites that cater for different needs and wants. Some allow you to connect with friends while others provide you a platform to share your opinions. Two of the latest applications that were launched in the last month were myLike.com and Plancast.com. myLikes allows users to list the brands they like and share it with other users whereas Plancast allows you to post up plans you have in the future, whether it be personal or business related.

Below is a list of a few websites that can be used to provide businesses with that extra edge in terms of communication and marketing. The most important thing to remember about using social websites for business is that they should serve as communication tools. Don't advertise, instead engage with customers, partners, board members and staff on a personal level, by sharing ideas and listening to what your clients have to say.

i) Linked In

A social networking tool created specifically for professionals and businesses that are looking to interact with each other. Like Facebook, status updates and emailing are available as well as exchanging contact details. A unique feature includes the LinkedIn recommendation letter whereby users may ask their contacts to promote them. This feature has proved to be popular and credible as well.

It is advisable that both the company and its manager/CEO/director maintain separate accounts so as to engage with other users on various levels. For example, companies may only need to update their status and their information two or three times a week, whereas an individual would do so daily. The reason is that an individual has to create a personal space that represents his or herself as a professional.

ii) Ning

This unique concept allows users to create their own social network space and invite specific people to join so that they can interact with each other. This is similar to creating your very own Facebook website with all the tools for interaction available including chat, email, status updates, blogging and the uploading of pictures and videos – all this within a strictly confined group.

This is perfect for an organisation that either wants to create its own private “social club” with members, clients, customers, board members and directors. However, it works best when an organisation uses it as a space strictly for employees to interact with each other and share information. Administrators can easily monitor the site’s usage and use it as a way of finding out the needs and wants of its employees.

iii) Ping.fm

This is a site that would mostly be used by administrators. Ping.fm centralises all of the organisation’s social websites they belong to. By posting a single message on Ping, all other websites will be updated with that same message immediately. This saves you from having to visit each and every site. However, this is restricted to status updates for now and further improvements to the website will take place in the future. This is perfect for saving time, when you are on the move and need to make brief changes quickly.

iv) myLikes.com

This new, groundbreaking venture, created by Bindu Reddy and Arvind Sundararajan of San Francisco, was launched in January this year. Geared towards businesses, the website allows users to insert a link of their favourite brands and services and share it with other users. The more “likes” a brand or service receives, the more popular it will become. This is a unique feature that has never been featured on the internet. The application can also connect to Twitter, therefore promoting products and services even further.

v) Mixx

A news website that allows the user to upload news and choose the stories they want to view. Mixx has now given the power of news making to the public and businesses, allowing users to create their own realities rather than allowing the news networks of old to condition us. Mixx is effective if you are looking to create an identity abroad.

vi) Facebook

One of the two most popular social networking sites in the world, Facebook was created by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg and was launched in 2005. It gained popularity rapidly because of its ability to connect people from different parts of the globe. It also offers tools such as email, status updates, gaming, instant wall-to-wall messaging, the uploading of articles, videos, pictures and links to other websites that are of particular interest to the user. The “Marketplace” application allows businesses and professionals to interact with each other and advertise their products and services.

The alluring factor of Facebook is that it allows the user/organisation to create their own identity with a page that best represents their character.

In the last two years, Facebook has seen the value in networking for commercial enterprises and they are forever adding new features that try to meet the needs of businesses and professionals. It is an extremely effective marketing tool that allows organisations to engage with their clients, members, board members, donors and customers on a personal level and offers a [controlled] transparency traditional media cannot.

vii) Twitter

Though Facebook is effective, it is not as influential as the ubiquitous Twitter. This online application allows users to follow other members and keep abreast with their up-to-the-minute activities. There are dozens of utilities linked to Twitter that caters for professionals and organisations ie. myLikes and Flickr. Twitter’s greatest selling point is that it forces the user to express themselves in no more than 140 characters; therefore, we are obliged to write short, direct and hard-hitting messages. The biggest mistake any organisation can make is to use Twitter as a platform to advertise events or products. Twitter must mainly be used to engage with fellow entrepreneurs, clients and the public on a personal level, formulating discussions and sharing useful information that could enhance the operating and image of your organisation.

viii) Youtube

This was one of the first websites that allowed the public to share videos and is more popular and effective than ever. Though it is monitored for explicit material, it is still filled with mindless content. Despite this fact it is still used as a platform for prominent politicians, celebrities and businesses to spread important messages. It is effective because it is a multimedia tool that captures all senses.

ix) Zoopy

This application is the South African equivalent to Youtube. Zoopy looks to host professionally made videos. Users can also post pictures and messages on the site. Though it does not possess the same number of members as Youtube, it can still be used to penetrate South African society.

x) Blogs

This is an incredibly effective tool. Bloggers have their own webpage with which they can express themselves in any manner they wish. Blogs are versatile in that a user is able to create the tone and atmosphere of their own page and write on a specific theme. Though the language used by most writers is informal, it is best for NGOs and corporations to a use formal tone and jargon often relating to their products and services. However, the posts must be written simple enough for the general public to grasp. The advantage of a blog is that it can host multimedia applications, allowing the user to add text, pictures and video to their page. In order to keep readers engaged, a blog has to be updated regularly, up to at least once a week.

xi) Flickr

This website acts as a photo database. It allows users to store and share digital photos online. It can be used by professionals or organisations to share pictures of events and subsequently engaging with other interested users as well.

xii) Really Simple Syndication aka RSS Feed

An RSS Feed is a tool that automatically alerts a consumer or user, via email, of any updates made to an organisation’s website, Twitter page, blog, Facebook page etc.

This has proved to be highly effective for organisations looking to keep in touch with their consumers and clients. It is imperative that you regularly update your web data so as to keep the content fresh and give the consumer the impression that the organisation is productive.

xiii) Wikis

Wikis are programs that allow communities to add content to an information database that is centred towards specific themes. For instance, NGOPedia, wiki site catering for South African NGOs, allows these organisations to add an article containing information about their history, past events, vision, mission and their operations. Wikipedia is the most widely known wiki site. It is the largest online encyclopaedia that is structured like most traditional encyclopaedias. Wikiquote is a databse for some of the most famous quotes while the highly controversial Wikileaks publishes government and corporate documents that aim to expose corrupt practices.

Think Smart - Don't underestimate a LinkedIn recommendation letter

I sat staring at the email for almost five minutes. It was a moment of irony. I was being asked by my former employer, a CEO, to write a LinkedIn recommendation letter for him. Initially I thought it’s just a mere letter that would be put up on a social network. No big deal. It’s not an official letter so there’s nothing to panic about.

However, once I did my research, I realised just how important a LinkedIn recommendation actually is. Though it’s possible for an individual to obtain dozens and even hundreds of recommendations on this particular social network, it is by no means worthless.

According to blogger Chris Brogan, LinkedIn is more than a living resume.

“It’s a reputation engine, a visual representation of your business network’s reach, and a place to express your business capabilities,” he said.

Your opinion about a person counts and it will be read by thousands of other businessmen out there. For your friend, it can mean the difference between getting that six-figure salary or another month on the couch. So take your time to write a meaningful letter. Anybody can see when you’ve rushed to complete it and you will lose credibility too.

LinkedIn’s power lies in the number of members it has. There are already 55 million on the network. The more active you are on the network the more you’ll become familiar to other users. When Brogan confessed to having hundreds of recommendations he was asked how he got them.

“I responded with my secret: I asked for them.”

A LinkedIn letter is brief and to the point. Since the reader will be perusing a number of these on an individual’s profile, he or she would scan for the words and examples that have the most impact. So it’s fine to say someone is dynamic, innovative and attentive. However, those words should accompany examples of work you had done with the person. Instead of describing their personality, rather tell a story that vividly illustrates the person’s character. Provide tidbits of personal experiences you had with him or her. Don’t say they’re adventurous; instead, say he or she belongs to a skydiving club that jumps every weekend. Show, don’t tell.

Below is the recommendation I wrote for my previous employer, Yugasen Naidoo. Though my example is a bit too long, it certainly works:

Yugasen Naidoo represents the archetypal CEO of modern times: open, versatile and adaptive.

During my time as a young employee at Praxis Computing he would often invite me to his office to exchange a few words, providing me with invaluable professional and personal advice.

On the days we worked together, he allowed me to share my ideas and encouraged me to follow through with them. For example, when I spoke of creating a newsletter for the company he immediately saw its value and gave me full responsibility for its production and distribution.

Though I worked at Praxis for just a year (between 2007 and 2008), we continue to interact on a personal level.

Under Yugasen’s tutelage, Praxis IT Solutions was founded, a subsidiary that provides labour broking and specialised solutions to the IT industry on a national level.

He was also instrumental in developing the partnership, between Praxis and Cape Town based biometrics company, SuperVision. The partnership continues to flourish. This is indicative of his ability to identify new technologies that have the potential to change the way we live.

Yugasen’s boundless energy, however, is not limited to the workplace. He has taken it to the oceans, obtaining a qualification as a scuba diver in 2002.

His keen sense of social responsibility has motivated him to establish, along with his uncle, a feeding scheme for the needy in the south of Johannesburg.

Being the humble leader, he felt it was richly worded.

For another good example read Chris Brogan’s blog. I’ve attached the link below.

Chris Brogan: Community & Social Media

Click on these links which were used to guide me through the writing process. I trust they will help you too.

Jibber Jobber: How to write an excellent LinkedIn recommendation

Wikihow: How to write a LinkedIn recommendation

Ehow: Write a LinkedIn recommendation