Facebook Privacy: How to Protect Yourself on Facebook
Dear Rich,
Recently someone left an inappropriate response to something I posted on my Facebook page. This person isn't a friend of mine, but is apparently in one of my networks. I deleted it, but I didn't even realize anyone but my friends could see what I post! I'm kind of freaked and concerned about posting anything else.
How do I block this person from my Facebook profile, and how do I better protect myself going forward?
--Creeped Out In Cranberry Isles
Online Video and the Entrepreneur
I have a pile on my desk. You know the kind. The kind where you put important but not urgent material. Of course, over time those items become more and more urgent...and then irrelevant.
I could tell how long it had been since I sorted through my "important but not urgent" pile because I found an article from the Wall St. Journal I had printed up on 12/26/07. It was called "Lights! Camera! Sales! How to use video to expand your business in a YouTube world." (Since this link was up as of today, I'm hoping it'll be around for a while.)
It's a great article by Raymund Flandez who profiles a number of entrepreneurs and small businesses talking about how they've used video to enhance their marketing and sales. From individual artists to an all natural soda company located in my home town of Scarborough, Maine, to a blender manufacturer, companies are creating videos that are driving demand for their products.
We've seen some success with our own clients who are posting videos online. Eli Newberger has posted both his tuba performances and his speaking gigs at the White House on the YouTube channel we created for him. He has 20 subscribers and has gotten over 5,800 channel views as of this post. That's driving a lot of additional traffic to his Web site.
Sabre Yachts and Newcastle Square Realty have also recently launched YouTube channels as well.
Keyword rich content may help with search engine rankings, but video engages customers in a way that text by itself rarely can.
Rich Brooks
As Seen on YouTube
Tourism's New Math: What Maine's Tourist Economy Needs Now
There's a front page article in the PPH today about a new method of calculating tourism's impact on the Maine economy, and a lot of people aren't happy about it. It's hard to know what the impact will be, but as the article notes,
If tourism promotion doesn't appear to be generating as much
bang for the buck as previously thought, [Vaughn Stinson, chief executive officer of the
Maine Tourism Association] said,
lawmakers could be less supportive of continued funding. His
concern is heightened by the state's budget shortfall.
The bottom line is that companies involved in the tourist industry here in Maine may be getting less support from the MTA, because there's less money to be spent on tourism marketing. This impacts ski resorts, hotels, B&B's, snow mobile rentals, restaurants, and a thousand other businesses that are part of or support the tourist industry.
If I were in tourism I would be planning ahead. Hopefully the funding will still be there, but the possible slack must be picked up by individual businesses. No surprise, but I'd be blogging, developing one or more email newsletters, budgeting money for search engine optimization, and reviewing my Web site based on my analytics. I'd be creating a presence on Facebook and MySpace. In short, I'd be preparing for the worst.
Even if the funding comes in at last year's levels, businesses that are marketing themselves--especially in a recession--will be in a better position to take advantage of it.
Rich Brooks
Web Marketing for Maine Businesses
12 Web Marketing Ideas to Jump Start Your Business
You know those "new" episodes of your favorite TV show when a character gets hit by a car, and then all their friends gather by their bed side and retell their favorite stories through a series of clips?
Welcome to my clip show.
Here's a quick list of the 12 articles we published in flyte log, our monthly Web marketing ezine:
- Your 2008 Web Marketing Plan
- How to Use Social Media to Reach New Customers
- Business Blog Success: 10 Tips for a Profitable Blog
- Increase Your Search Engine Visibility: Three Things You Can Do Today
- Nine Indispensable Online Tools for Your Web-Based Business
- Four Tips to Maximize Your Email Marketing Results
- The Secret to a Web Site That Sells
- Six Blogging Myths That Are Holding You Back
- The Dangers of Relying on Google for Business
- Holistic Web Marketing: An Integrated Approach to Online Success
- Tracking Conversions: Does Your Web Site Turn Suspects into Prospects?
- Informational Products: Selling Your Knowledge Online
There's oodles of ideas in these articles that you can use to jump start your business and build it over the next year. If you'd rather not miss any new articles, please subscribe to flyte log in the box below.
Social Media Segment on 207
207, the evening news program for which I play "tech guru" has begun putting clips from their show on their Web site.
Sadly, because of corporate rules they can't add them to YouTube which would make it easier for me to embed the video of my recent segment on Social Media here in the blog.
Rob Caldwell and I talked about Facebook, LinkedIn, and Ning.
Still, you're just one click away. (Windows Media Player required. Sigh...)
Rich Brooks
The Camera Adds 10 Pounds
Social Media Tech Segment on 207 Tonight
Social media describes Web sites where users can create profiles, upload photos and videos, and connect with friends, family, and people who share similar feelings on Barack Obama, windsurfing, or Spider-man.
Chances are your kids are spending time there, some of your co-workers are there, and your prospects and customers are there, too.
Why not get a 5-minute introduction to some popular social media sites on tonight's episode of 207? Yes, I'm back on, tackling Facebook, LinkedIn and social-media-platform Ning tonight (Monday, December 10, 2007) at 7pm on WCSH-6.
While you're waiting, you can read this recent article, How to Use Social Media to Attract New Customers.
Rich Brooks
Social Media Butterfly
Your 2008 Web Marketing Plan
There's light fluffy snowflakes falling outside my window this morning as I polish off another issue of flyte log, our Web marketing email newsletter...the last for 2007.
Rather than look back on 2007--as good as it was--it's time to look forward to 2008 and start making plans. Web marketing plans, that is.
Today's issue of flyte log is Your 2008 Web Marketing Plan, a month-by-month, itemized list of what you need to do to succeed in 2008.
Your Web marketing plan includes ideas on search engine optimization, blogging, social media, Webinars and more.
Why not take the first step in improving your chances for success in 2008 by signing up for flyte log now, so you never miss another issue?
How to Promote Your Event on the Web
How do you leverage a the Web and Internet marketing to promote your upcoming event? There are so many channels of distribution, the possibilities are almost endless. Here's a checklist of what I did to promote an upcoming workshop I'm teaching at flyte called "How to Plan, Build and Promote a Business Blog."
- Published the event on the Web Marketing Seminars page on my Web site. This is a no-brainer and the first, essential step.
- Added the event information (including a link to the online registration) on Facebook, both on my page and as part of the Portland, ME network so that other local people could find it.
- Sent out an email alert to the people who have signed up for my Web Marketing Alerts email newsletter. (You can sign up for this when you sign up for flyte log, our free, monthly email newsletter.)
- Added it as an event on MaineToday.com, the online presence for the Blethen newspapers.
- Added it as a class through Craig's list.
- Added it at MaineBiz's event calendar.
- Submitted to Maine Public Broadcasting Network's event calendar.
- Posted it to my Internet Marketing 101 blog at MaineToday.com (at least twice.)
- Posted it to my flyte blog: web marketing for small business blog (again, at least twice.)
- Posted to Eventful.com, which sends to several other sites including Podbot, Google Calendar, del.icio.us/events, Ping-o-Matic, Technorati, and Upcoming. Several of these sites extend that reach even further through their own network. (Found through Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound, through Denise Wakeman tip.
- I also learned about EventCrazy.com that way.
I also plan on submitting this event to the print versions of MaineBiz and the Portland Press Herald.
Will I do this for every event? Probably not, but I will try and track which channel is bringing me attendees, by asking everyone at the event.
Your Turn: What tools do you use to promote your events in this 2.0 world? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below.
Rich Brooks
Business Blog Expert
Can Social Media Help You Reach New Customers?
Social media is an umbrella term that often covers a lot of the new social networking Web sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. If you thought these were hangouts for kids and teens who were just wasting time online, you're missing a great opportunity.
Social media sites allow you to connect and communicate with your customers in ways you may have never imagined.
In many ways, social media offers as profound a change in marketing strategy as when the Web first took off. It changes the way we communicate, socialize and perhaps transact online and off.
I don't pretend to have all of the answers, but I've created a primer of what social media is, how to get started with it, and how you might utilize it for your business in "How to Use Social Media to Reach New Customers," this month's featured article in flyte log, our monthly email newsletter. (Yes, I know it's a couple weeks late...I'm blaming jet lag.)
If you've been avoiding Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and the like, this is your chance to join the party. Just don't come empty handed. If you can't bear to join in, be sure to send a co-worker who feels comfortable networking in this Web 2.0 world.
Rich Brooks
Social Media Butterfly
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