9 Predictions for 2010

Where were you when we welcomed the new millennium? It seems quite quaint to look back at that moment and remember our fears. Computerized technology would fail everywhere as it would not be able to adapt and recognize the arrival of the new century. Fast forward ten years and our online lives have changed beyond all recognition. We may not be worrying about the millennium bug when the clocks tick over shortly (although some of us may now be anticipating 2012) but we do anticipate an even more exciting new era as web and technological development gathers even more pace.

What will the new year bring? Here are some peeks into the blogtrepreneur crystal ball:

Location tools proliferate within social networks.
Although privacy concerns continue to be heard in the background, an increasing number of applications will prompt us to reveal our exact location to our friends and followers. These apps have been somewhat slow to catch on so far but as instantaneous, real-time social communications becomes more refined, GPS location tracking through our smartphones is close behind.

Social media will birth business media.
There will be a delineation between widespread office or business use of social networking and a dedicated, similar set of initiatives specifically for the business environment. As Twitter continues to fail to define its true potential and as businesses demand more focused options, commerce will provide social media type platforms for its exclusive use.

Apps will finally make sense of Twitter
If Twitter is to survive as a tool of any value, it must make more sense and present a more usable platform from a commercial perspective. How much longer the network can survive without displaying a meaningful business model is questionable. Application developers have been the savior already. In 2010 they will truly come to the rescue and re-position Twitter in the nick of time.

Microsoft Wave will arrive, but it won’t be a tsunami.
It’s been in beta mode endlessly, but it should break out and splash on the beach anytime soon. In 2010 Google’s new toy will further integrate multiple forms of communication. How long will it be before we only have one real social network, which incorporates all our other playthings. How much longer will we put up with having to automatically update Facebook with our Twitter status, show our Twitter feed on our blog and tag back and forth ad infinitum.

Facebook falls over itself one too many times and stunts its meteoric growth.
Facebook fails to listen to its users time and again and in 2010 this level of dismissal will combine with some game changing missteps. The novelty of it all will start to wear off as Facebook is seen as more of a mainstream activity and the platform will finally find its natural level.

Mobile net will flourish
As we now have some great hardware, good packaging, balanced operating systems and an accepting public we can expect mobile Internet to take hold. Dot mobi sites will enable us to interact with our phones without a constant flurry of pinching and scrolling. Mobile e-commerce may not be too far behind.

Outsourcing and virtual assistance will boom
Efficiency has been a byword of 2009 and it will be embedded in the psyche for 2010. Organizations must be super efficient in everything they do and there will likely be a considerable shift toward outsourcing and the adoption of virtual assistant services. “Just in time” delivery without added overhead will be expected.

Black hat continues to die and great content drives a thirst for education
Internet marketing will finally transition from “smoke and mirrors” and black or gray hat activities, as the thirst for web-based knowledge knows no bounds. Increasingly smart search engine algorithms accelerate the demise of junk websites and pages, as good content is at a premium.

Design technology and SEO catch up with each other.
Traditional methods of search engine optimization tend to favor the static approach. Flash-based websites will soon be able to deliver a great user experience and be viewed as meaningful, searchable, deep, indexable and rich.

Your predictions?

Adam Toren

Facebook Fan Pages

Facebook has always been touchy about members spamming, but in the past year they’ve really opened up opportunities for businesses and professionals to represent themselves on the site.  The best way to make your presence known if you hope to use Facebook for marketing is to create what is called a “Fan Page” in the name of your business or organization.

The main difference between a Fan Page and a regular user profile is that the Fan Pages are public.  For people to view your personal profile on Facebook, they must first register and then request to be added to your list of contacts.  But a Fan Page can be viewed even by non-members.  It does not contain your personal name (unless you want it to), personal photos or other information that you don’t necessarily want to share with the general public.

Another great feature to Facebook Fan Pages is that whenever anyone becomes a “fan” or adds you as a contact; it is broadcast via their profile to all of their contacts, reaching potentially thousands of other people who may not have heard of you before.

So what are the elements that will make your Facebook Fan Page stand out?  Here are five:

1. Use a simple page title such as your business name or something else that clearly describes what you do.
2. Use an easily identifiable logo or profile picture.
3. Keep your page updated, fresh, and interesting without adding a bunch of lame apps to clutter it up.
4. Join in on conversations that happen on your page.  People love to know that a real person is watching and listening to what they have to say.
5. Be willing to make changes and add features that your fans are asking for.  They are major contributors to making your Fan Page successful, so let them participate in its design and operation.

Obviously, the same rules apply to Facebook Fan Pages that apply to all other social networking:  don’t be pushy and don’t force yourself on your friends.  The good thing about Fan Pages, however, is that people who choose to be a fan of your page know that you will be talking about your business or product on there, so you don’t have to worry about them getting indignant at you when you post business-related stuff.

Facebook is now the most popular social networking site in the world, so if you are not using it to promote your business you are simply missing out.  Make sure you have links to your Facebook Fan Page on your blog and your regular Facebook profile so people know it exists.  You may need to do a little bit of promotion when you first start it up, but eventually it will catch on as people see your updates posted in their friends’ public timelines.

Take time to set up your company’s Facebook Fan Page, put some real thought into it, and then use it as yet another tool for generating awareness about your company online.  Do you have a Facebook Fan Page for your business?  Leave us a comment with a link so we can check it out!

Twitter in Plain English

I am still asked on a regular basis from several people: What is Twitter? Well, this short video which is just over 2 minutes is the most concise and easily understood video on Twitter. Hope you enjoy it and dont forget to follow us at http://www.Twitter.com/Blogtrepreneur once you get your twitter account set up!

Twittiquette - The Do’s and Dont’s of Twitter

Twitter has set the social media world on fire.  It is fast, effective, and even the most stodgy internet user must admit that it is pretty fun.  The idea, of course, is that you build your own community of people with similar interests and exchange short 140 character messages with them on any and every topic.  Twitter is going 24/7, it is easily done via mobile devices, and it helps create a ‘human face’ for both online and brick-and-mortar businesses.

However, if you are planning to engage in Twittering (or even if you’ve already jumped in with both feet) there are a few rules of etiquette—or Twittiquette—that you want to remember if you’re going to use the application for your business:

1.     Be willing to engage and follow other people.

The most popular Twitterers are those who open up the lines of communication both ways.  Simply “allowing” people the honor of following you and receiving your tweets is not enough.  The entire point of Twitter is personal contact, so if someone follows you it is a good idea to reciprocate.  A good example is Robert Scoble (@Scobelizer) the tech guru who has over 54,000 followers on Twitter—and follows 57,000+ himself.  There are applications which allow you to organize your followers into different groups so that you can keep up on your favorite contacts without them getting lost in the shuffle.

2.     Don’t chat.

While Twitter is a great way to communicate with people, it isn’t meant to be a chat room.  If you are having a conversation with another Twitterer that exceeds more than just a couple tweets—use the Direct Message feature.  Otherwise, your conversation is equivalent to telling an inside joke in the middle of a party.

3.    Twitter is public.  Duh.

Everyone who follows you can see your tweets.  That means that if you are Twittering as a part of your business networking, you want to represent yourself in the best way possible at all times.  Drunken tweets, excessive swearing, abusive language, off-color jokes—these can all alienate you from your onlookers even if they don’t say anything specifically about it to you.  Good rule of thumb:  Don’t say anything on Twitter than you wouldn’t say on national television.

4.    Take a break.

When you tweet, you may be tempted to send out a barrage of messages all at once.  It’s best to send out two or three at a time, otherwise you appear to be one of those obnoxious people who attempt to dominate the conversation when you’re in a group of people.  And nobody likes that person.

5.    Go easy on self promotion.

Many people join Twitter as a way to promote their business, product, service, blog or other project.  That’s great!  You can make some amazing connections on Twitter which will improve your business and help you form some important relationships.  However, if you are obnoxious about plugging your wares, people will begin to avoid or un-follow you.  New Marketing is about drawing people in, not proselytizing; and the best way to do that is by being interesting and engaging.  Twittering what amounts to self-promoting ads all day is pretty much just spam.  Do you like spam?  Neither does anyone else.

Twitter can be an amazing tool for creating a network of friends, contacts, and resources; but as is true with any community, you must remain considerate of others to be considered a valuable member.   Do you have any Twittiquette suggestions?  Leave a comment and let us know!