Bye Bye Social Media Networking!

An Oasis · May 3, 2009

Logged into Facebook for the first time this week and what a bunch of stupid drivel.

Youre either a leader or sheep following the drivel inputted by the leadersIve met some interesting people as part of the experiment but its not for me, Id rather be productive. So bye bye SMN, its been interesting but a time soak that I cant be arsed with.

newbeats4u · May 3, 2009

Diffierent people use these sites in diffirent ways. Im only young so I might be accussed of putting drivel up from time to time but essence of it is a great idea. It is nice to find an old friend on facebook that you have lost touch with. Its also handy for organizing events and things.

However I have noticed you get everybody and mean everybody who lives in a 2mile radius of you adding you as a friend and sending stupid requests. The simple main function of facebook is a good and useful one but the added extra's appeal to teenagers and are pretty annoying, its full of spam now aswell.

Im a student and find it quite useful to keep up to date with things but im increasingly getting annoyed with what people put as there 'status' and the continous spam alerts I am getting.

Chris

silvermusic · May 3, 2009

Don't worry OP, you're not the only one that finds Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and the like to be nothing more than a huge waste of time and effort. I refuse to have an account with either, although I do have a blog.

My friends all think I'm odd because I don't have a mobile phone either. In my day mobile phones were big red boxes on the corner of the street which doubled as a urinal on a Saturday night.

Esk247 · May 4, 2009

i've never got the facebook craze either to be honest..and i'm only 23! i have a mobile phone but only one that texts and recieves calls not one of those 'i'm everything you could ever want' phones.

bleh! im not wasting money on stuff like that and i'm not wasting my time on facebook Super Poking someone that lives a hundred miles away and then playing MoleHill Empire and growing sprouts for 14 hours.

JamieM · May 4, 2009

I can understand why you might give up on the social networking side but I have recently found the social marketing on Facebook to be fantastic.

I am no expert but have just written a blog post about my experiences so far. It's just a basic explanation of how the new public pages are great for viral marketing.

Hope someone finds it of interest.

MichaelG · May 4, 2009

Before you join a SNS - be very clear of what you want to get out it.

An Oasis · May 4, 2009

MichaelG said:
Before you join a SNS

Oh a new term - goodie, goodie...but I'll pass.

Bri · May 4, 2009

some sense about facebook. I'm actually meeting old friends by physically contacting them. My theory if you havent kept in touch with someone, either you dont want to or they dont want to. I loathe facebook, twitter and the likes. Yes I'm older gen, but young at heart. My stepdaughter is 23 and even she is backing off facebook now cos stupidly she had past relatives on and they found out where she goes, what she does, who she sees and the gossip machine started and then the tears.

Why do people expose so much about themselves to complete strangers who they never se, never meet, offer them advice, rib them,torch them, and take the pith..........oh yeah thats me here on UKBF

Eagle · May 4, 2009

The key word is 'social'. If you're expecting to get business out of a social network, you have to work extremely hard to do so. Facebook et al are fine if you just want to waste time and have a giggle. Not for serious networking though. Whatever that is?.

Anelly · May 4, 2009

I have accounts on some of these social network sites but indeed it seems that things are not going in the right direction.

Rachael · May 4, 2009

Social Networking can play a huge part in your pr and marketing activities. It really does take a lot of effort though which if you don't have the time or inclination to put in means it just won't work.

At least you give it a go!

May 4, 2009

It would be nice if we had a world where people actually met other people.

Now I suspect that might catch on.?

Earl

adam · May 4, 2009

I use it and I know pubs have used it to great effect with events and a feeling of belonging.

It is good for information but Facebook does need to stop the inviting thing going on. Let people DECIDE to recommend the application to friends if they want.

As it is, sending a round of drinks, asking me to be a ninja or "what car am I?" is really bloody stupid and so I just delete requests in bulk without looking at them!

fisicx · May 4, 2009

Suppose you spend an hour a day 'networking'. That's an hour a day not earning any money. over 300 hours a year that could be better spent doing some real marketing.

I'm sure there are some who have made money using social networking sites but I'd much prefer to meet real people down the pub.

An Oasis · May 4, 2009

If I was in any of the following I'd use it:

PR
Any form of media
Teens products & services
…I'm sure there are loads more

But after tracking the demographics…it does not even come close to our TM.

Gillie · May 4, 2009

sirearl said:
It would be nice if we had a world where people actually met other people.

Now I suspect that might catch on.?

Earl

Strangely enough I manage to do both!! Shock horror!!

Online/offline promotion/marketing/pr/networking etc has to have a strategy, ie dont just go for everything with a scattergun approach, plot, plan and follow it, but also agree that when something is not working, drop it and utilise the time better doing something that does work!

Horses for courses ...

KateCB · May 5, 2009

silvermusic said:
My friends all think I'm odd because I don't have a mobile phone either. In my day mobile phones were big red boxes on the corner of the street which doubled as a urinal on a Saturday night.

hah - so it was YOU - we had the damn red box literally 1 inch outside our garden wall when I was a kid - my mum used to put air freshners in it........it was busy on a Saturday night I tell you!

KateCB · May 5, 2009

I think that the thing with facbook is that all the business peole jmped onto it to try and market/pr their companies to the very large young community with disposable income - it wasn't actually that kind of site to start with, it was more like a teens across the worls unite thing.....now we moan because the very people we tried to market to treat us like their friends and send us silly things, and post silly status messages etc - we can't have it both ways - either be 'cool' and part of the community that has evolved and hope you sell them something, or join PR/Marketing/Sales groups instead where the serious business goes on.

I don't have a Facebook account, there is no-one from my past I am bothered about -re contacting; if they were important I am still in touch, and if they were not important it doesn't matter!

eddavishofbauer · May 7, 2009

I find it difficult to use social media like facebook for socialising never mind marketing but a recent podcast on Boagworld number 162 - really breaks it down.

For bigger businesses willing to invest some time in it then it seems an excellent channel for building brand loyalty for smaller businesses I can see being a excellent research and constomer service tool.

Hope you find it interesting - I recommend Boagworld for any designers who haven't listened to it as it has helped give me the confidence to even think about starting in web design.

Ed

Adam Moore · May 8, 2009

I'm only now revisiting Facebook and applying some of the strategy I've used on Twitter. Twitter is frivolous only on the surface and I've made so many great business connections that I would never have got in any other way.

In the next week or so I'll be posting about strategic approaches to Twitter on selfwinding.net but in the meantime you might want to check out this post which is specifically about Twitter, this one which is about social media for marketing and this one which is about social media for customer care.

So I'm afraid I think you're wrong about social media. I didn't like Facebook as a personal tool I'm finding some use for it as a business tool. I love Twitter for both personally and for business networking but you have to apply some thinking for it to work.

This forum is a social network as are services like Linkedin.

Anybody who wants to catch up with me on Twitter can dive straight in here and I'll be pleased to see you.

fisicx · May 8, 2009

How is twitter going to help the local butcher? Is having a facebook page going to help an engineering company making brackets for shelving?

I have no doubt that social networking is great fun but I'm still not convinced the ROI for people selling or making stuff. Maybe if you make personalised cushion it could help but for someone selling printer paper it's going to be pretty much a waste of time.

Adam Moore · May 8, 2009

fisicx said:
How is twitter going to help the local butcher? Is having a facebook page going to help an engineering company making brackets for shelving?

I have no doubt that social networking is great fun but I'm still not convinced the ROI for people selling or making stuff. Maybe if you make personalised cushion it could help but for someone selling printer paper it's going to be pretty much a waste of time.

You're kidding right? The world's changed since the days when you could just put an open sign on you door and wait. In this day and age that's niaive and arrogant.

You never know where you'll find your customers but the point is you have to find them.

The local butcher can connect with local people in their own homes on their terms, promote special offers, remind them to order in time for Christmas, search for local people planning a BBQ and offer to put together a pack for them to pick up on the day, remind them about why they should visit you rather than the supermarket. I know someone through Twitter who runs a Dominos Pizza franchise - if you like I'll connect you with him and he can tell you what he thinks.

The engineering firm making shelves might be in a real niche but you never know where your next customer will come from or if you need a technician to fix that 40 year old lathe or you want to recruit new staff.

Social networking won't work in the same way or deliver the same benefits for every business but I maintain that it can have benefits for every business. You have to apply some strategic thinking if you want to make it manageable and focused enough to deliver something measurable but it can be done and it's not rocket science.

Sorry for sounding as if I'm ranting (which I might be) but really believe this. I really didn't like Facebook as a personal tool but it's starting to deliver some benefits as a business tool especially if you join it up with your other networks. Twitter I just didn't get for the longest time so I went away and had a think about it and tried a different tack. As a business tool it's fantastic and it's search tools are superb (which is why both Google and Apple are sniffing around it).

fisicx · May 8, 2009

Rant away.

I do understand what you are saying it's just that many small businesses don't have the time or acumen to create the twitters and facebook things you mention. It's great if your business is related and you have the time and skills needed to write and publish but many people just don't have the ability. This is not to say they don't have skills, it's just that writing isn't one of them.

Back to the butcher. I know of one that is on a corner. He puts a board outsite with the day's specials. Most of his customers wouldn't even know what a tweet was so the board really works well.

Adam Moore · May 8, 2009

I guess it depends on what you want to acheive. If you local butcher wants to attract new customers then something like Twitter is free and with the right approach doesn't need to absorb much time.

You could argue that the butcher is in just the kind of business where new approaches to attracting and engaging customers beyond the confines of his shop is essential.

His ability to do that is another matter but if he wants to make more money and increase his customer base then the benefits are clear. Obviously he needs to maintain and please his current customers in the way in which they feel most comfortable.

Health UK · May 8, 2009

Frankly, I spend a lot of time on the facebook site. Although I do not actively surf however I give it a glimpse when I check my email in the morning and frequently again at night before bed. After being in this routine for some time, I reckon facebook is rubbish and just a wastage of time. Most people I know using Facebook are totally clueless about how their market uses facebook. That's just bad business.

enigma1 · May 8, 2009

when I goto facebook it reads:

You are using an incompatible web browser.

Sorry, we're not cool enough to support your browser. Please keep it real with one of the following browsers:
......

Not cool enough... Sorry but I care about my system security way more than to recklessly expose the kind of information they collect...

Adam Moore · May 8, 2009

Health UK said:
Frankly, I spend a lot of time on the facebook site. Although I do not actively surf however I give it a glimpse when I check my email in the morning and frequently again at night before bed. After being in this routine for some time, I reckon facebook is rubbish and just a wastage of time. Most people I know using Facebook are totally clueless about how their market uses facebook. Thats just bad business.

The whole point with these sites is that you have to engage with people and participate. It's like going to a business breakfast and just peering through the window. Unless you go in you won't make any connections.

Remember we're not just talking about Facebook here but more (on the face of it) serious sites like Linkedin. In the same way Linkedin is of no value unless you participate. This forum is a social networking site and you're here and participating because participation adds value.

With any other marketing channel you would investigate your potential ROI. Social networking is free so your investment is time (and there are ways to mitigate that), if the numbers don't stack up then don't do it, but you have to make every effort to ensure that your business intelligence is sound.

Just a suggestion but before you dismiss Facebook out of hand why don't you track down some of the business groups on there and ask their members how they get on? A superb example of a business using social media is Naked Wines.

A slight aside and to demonstrate that this stuff isn't just for kids - the core demographic for Twitter is 35-45yrs old.

Adam Moore · May 8, 2009

enigma1 said:
when I goto facebook it reads:

Not cool enough... Sorry but I care about my system security way more than to recklessly expose the kind of information they collect...

Wow what kind of browser do you use? Though I was cool using Chrome.

I'm not a techy and I don't know if that's down to your technical architecture or not. Quite often these sites are locked down to stop staff wasting time on them which is a whole other discussion. There are other ways to keep control of actual network security and that's down to you.

What I'm talking about here is social media as a tool for business. If you treat this as another marketing medium that is very quickly joining up with more traditional marketing media and you develop a strategic approach to using it there are benefits.

Adam Moore · May 8, 2009

I think I mentioned before that I'll write a post on this subject shortly on selfwinding.net. If you're interested or curious or absolutely convinced that I'm wrong then drop by or subscribe (relax it's free). If you've already made up your mind then don't bother.

I'm trying to use my experience and contacts to help businesses use digital media in better ways. I'm not charging for it and I'm not trying to sell anyone anything.

I'm certainly not going to spend too much time here flogging a dead horse and trying to persuade you that I'm right.

But I am.

wecandobiz · May 8, 2009

It's alarming to read some of the stuff being written here by folk who would probably claim to know something about marketing.

What is the point of internet marketing? It is, for those who don't have a web store, to get you in dialogue with people who may need what you sell. Google, websites, Adwords, SEO, clicks, traffic and all that stuff is all about driving people towards you so you can have dialogue with them, establish their needs and present a solution.

Well guess what social networking is all about? Dialogue with people.

If you are on Facebook expecting to do business it probably won't work, unless you are the sort of person who tries to flog water filters to your friends and family. People are there for fun. They aren't there with a suit on and they don't want to hear marketing messages or sales pitches. You're wasting your time unless you have a consumer friendly brand, in my opinion.

Twitter is something people do get business from. Imagine tweeting that you've just finished a particular (state what) project for a client; or that you've just saved another some money. Or ask questions of your followers to find out what they need. It's not unheard of to be contacted by someone else asking for details or wanting you to do the same for them. A couple of calls later and you could land some business from it.

But you need to be where your target market is. And you need to be connected with them some how. There are methods to do this but if you turn up and expect results when no one knows you exist then you'll have all the success of someone trying to give money away in an empty hall.

Remember there are also sites specifically about business where the networking is all based around needs and wants and no one is there to post holiday snaps or poke sheep. There's real business being done on these.

Writing off social media because you spent 15 minutes on Facebook or Twitter is as short sighted as writing off the telephone as a tool for business because you once had a pointless conversation on one.

And to answer the question "What would a butcher get from Twitter?", think about this. There is a cookie shop in New York on Twitter and every time they bring out a freshly baked batch of cookies they tweet about it. Without fail, within 10 minutes they have a queue of local professionals out the door wanting the cookies while they're hot and fresh. My local pub tweets when it has meal deals on, guest beers, matches on Setanta that most people can't get and other stuff which drags me down there against my will. Any butcher in a populated area could easily tweet on new arrivals or speciality cuts which would bring people in that otherwise wouldn't have known.

Anyone who claims to know internet marketing and isn't doing these things (or advising their clients to do them) needs stringing up!

IH

HeyJimmy · May 8, 2009

I found Facebook more for kids and those who have nothing better to do than hang out on the net for hours. So dropped it like a lead balloon. Many large employers have banned its access via workplace PC's so as business networking tool it becomes a bit pointless.

But the concept is sound if you have more control over the interface and who can actually view your site and post on it. For this reason I have been exploring "white label" social networking hosts who for a small fee allow removal of advertising and empower you to design and customise your site away from the stupid novelty tools that Facebook offer. At the moment ning.com is worth looking at, but be prepared to go through a learning curve. Multiply.com is another alternative.

I am a micro business so marketing through an all singing and dancing website, or glossy mail-shots is not affordable. More important is that my existing customers and key external stakeholder contacts do not forget me and the service I can provide them. Thus I focusing on repeat business rather than new, and maintaining a relationship with those who can influence this.

To make my social networking interesting for those who I want business or influence from, it is linked to my corporate website with restricted access, but is focussed on my social activity of sailing and nautical adventures I experience outside work. Funny thing is I get more responses to this blog than I do in sending out any corporate communication. IT seem to grab the imagination about me as a person, and make a welcome break for them from "business mode". This indirectly fuels the strength of the business relationship so that when I pick up the phone with the latest business offer it is not hard sell.

Personally I think social networking has potential, in a working environment where individuals need a "coffee break" from the madness of their workload, or do not have the time or money to consider an ongoing corporate entertainment programme to support mainstream sales & marketing activity. The concept is sound but this is compromised by Facebook type hosts who just want us to have as many "friends" as possible. I just want existing customers buying my services regularly so I do not have to invest heavily in marketing and securing to new ones.

Adam Moore · May 8, 2009

Yeah. What he said!

fisicx · May 8, 2009

Right, I'm beginning to get the picture now. Good thing I'm not a marketeer, I'd be out of a job by now!

So if I tweet about how a recent project is earning the client gazillions and follow this up with so examples of how his customers have saved a bucket of dosh this could be useful.

wecandobiz · May 8, 2009

HeyJimmy said:
But the concept is sound if you have more control over the interface and who can actually view your site and post on it. For this reason I have been exploring white label social networking hosts who for a small fee allow removal of advertising and empower you to design and customise your site away from the stupid novelty tools that Facebook offer. At the moment ning.com is worth looking at, but be prepared to go through a learning curve. Multiply.com is another alternative.

Ning easily enables you to build your own network, but you then have the issue of getting people to it. I read last week that 80% of networks on Ning (there are 1 million) haven't taken off. Build your own network and you kind if present yourself the same problems that exist trying to drag people to your website. It is easier to engage with them once you get them there though.

I'd suggest searching out the existing networks that already have your target market participating on them. I am sure there'll be a stack within the million on Ning, but also take a look at Twitter (where people are happy to do business), Ecademy and my own site.

IH

wecandobiz · May 8, 2009

fisicx said:
Right, I'm beginning to get the picture now. Good thing I'm not a marketeer, I'd be out of a job by now!

So if I tweet about how a recent project is earning the client gazillions and follow this up with so examples of how his customers have saved a bucket of dosh this could be useful.

Spot on, but also make sure you build your followers on Twitter.

Some ideas for this:

1) Fill out your Twitter bio including as many key words as you can fit in

2) Use Twitter Search to find people who are asking questions or posting about what you do and follow them -- they may follow you back

3) Use Twollo to automatically follow people who tweet on your areas of interest -- you can set it to connect you with up to 100 Twitters on each topic you name and a large proportion will follow you back (I doubled my number of followers in a week)

4) Join Mr Tweet for suggestions on who you should be following. Not only will this connect you with people you may find interesting, but it will also recommend you on to people who may find YOU interesting

If anyone wants to follow me for more of this sort of stuff I am @wecandobiz.

IH

Adam Moore · May 8, 2009

fisicx said:
Right, I'm beginning to get the picture now. Good thing I'm not a marketeer, I'd be out of a job by now!

So if I tweet about how a recent project is earning the client gazillions and follow this up with so examples of how his customers have saved a bucket of dosh this could be useful.

I've just connected a contact made through Twitter (in our spare time) with a web designer that I work with everyday in order to help her business and his.

For you Twitter is a fantastic way to showcase your work and get more.

If you like set yourself up on Twitter and send me a message (remind me who you are - I run 2 accounts with around 900 followers) and I'll gladly introduce you to a few valuable people.

enigma1 · May 8, 2009

Wow what kind of browser do you use?

It's not the browser the problem but the user agent. For some reason the facebook site doesn't like the fact my firewall sends the ua blank. That only happens with facebook though the tweeter site is ok. I found it strange that exposing the o/s patches and/or browser version info is a way of confirming whether I am human or not when at the same time we see all kinds of scripts checking the browsers for weaknesses.

Anyways all this is off topic, but I believe social networking has its uses if it can be controlled in some way so the info is meaningful. But there we have lots of people talking at the same time without anyone listening, other times you read something but you do not know what is all about because you weren't there when the discussion started. Reminds me sometimes of tv zapping, irc things like that.

My opinion is after a while you realize it far more beneficial to gather and exchange information in a forum that targets a particular subject.

I was also checking some open source scripts for tweeter where store owners were placing automated scripts to insert messages based on the front end of the web-store (eg: products or price changes or new reviews) in order to improve SEO. Although it is an interest concept you need to realize how much information in there is automated.

Adam Moore · May 8, 2009

enigma1 said:
It's not the browser the problem but the user agent. For some reason the facebook site doesn't like the fact my firewall sends the ua blank. That only happens with facebook though the tweeter site is ok. I found it strange that exposing the o/s patches and/or browser version info is a way of confirming whether I am human or not when at the same time we see all kinds of scripts checking the browsers for weaknesses.

Anyways all this is off topic, but I believe social networking has its uses if it can be controlled in some way so the info is meaningful. But there we have lots of people talking at the same time without anyone listening, other times you read something but you do not know what is all about because you weren't there when the discussion started. Reminds me sometimes of tv zapping, irc things like that.

My opinion is after a while you realize it far more beneficial to gather and exchange information in a forum that targets a particular subject.

I was also checking some open source scripts for tweeter where store owners were placing automated scripts to insert messages based on the front end of the web-store (eg: products or price changes or new reviews) in order to improve SEO. Although it is an interest concept you need to realize how much information in there is automated.

The Twitter search tool is very powerful and there are tools that allow you to filter.

Some people do a great job with this for example I mentioned virtual assistants in a tweet and 10 seconds later a lady responded offering me virtual assistant services. Had I actually been looking for a VA she'd have got the job there and then for the cheeky and speedy response and I've suggested her to few people since.

wecandobiz · May 8, 2009

Adam Moore said:
The Twitter search tool is very powerful and there are tools that allow you to filter.

Some people do a great job with this for example I mentioned virtual assistants in a tweet and 10 seconds later a lady responded offering me virtual assistant services. Had I actually been looking for a VA she'd have got the job there and then for the cheeky and speedy response and I've suggested her to few people since.

Adam you highlight here one of the things that gets me so excited about social media. I have always had a big issue with having to wade through the utter tripe on Google to find what I want. I remember once searching on "PR company Royston" and getting 24,000 responses. Royston only has 14,000 people in it and there are no more than three PR companies. What use is 24,000 responses? Even if I tsick to teh first page alone, 70% of it I know is utterly useless.

Twitter has a search facility too but what makes the BIG difference is rather than searching through historical records of stuff, you can actually ask your followers for a recommendation of a PR company in Royston. Not only may this bring up a name, but it could come with an endorsement too. Further, it might also bring back information that the PR companies in Royston are all rubbish, but there is, say, a Cambridge based company that is highly thought of that covers that area.

You would be amazed at how many people these days find businesses using their contacts, people they trust, rather than throw the answers open to Google and a bunch of websites all vying to get your eyeballs no matter whether they are relevant or not.

IH

ess-cee · May 8, 2009

What do you think of it?
Has it worked for you?
In which way have you used / utilised it?
What have you achieved through using it?

Any feedback will be interesting

Sam

Cookie Consent

Essential

Analytics

Marketing

Bye Bye Social Media Networking!

silvermusic

Esk247

Bri

adam

enigma1

wecandobiz

HeyJimmy

wecandobiz

wecandobiz

enigma1

wecandobiz

ess-cee