I’m pleased to announce that the Executive’s Guide to Twitter released two free online courses for executives and other time-starved people who want to understand and use Twitter effectively. Twitter 101 shows why Twitter may be important to your career and company while Twitter 201 is the how of Twitter. Each course is divided into several classes which take about 30 minutes each, so you can squeeze them into small weekend, airplane or lunch slots.
Blogging: Ten Tactics to Build Traffic
Most bloggers struggle with “building traffic” or readership to their blogs, so here goes with a very quick treatment of a complex subject. By the way, this post was precipitated by Javis, to whose question I just responded via Aardvark. He asked, “What can I do for my blog to get better visits?”
You may also wonder why I’m increasingly writing about blogging here. In fact, Twitter and blogging are very similar in many ways because the technology is broadcast and enables people to “follow” or “read” your content. The interactivity of Twitter and blogs is largely a matter of intention and practice. That’s why I will be addressing blogs here in 2010. Now, read on for some back-of-the-envelope advice on building a following for your blog. Continue reading Blogs: The Relationship-Centric Approach to Building Readership
In my 2010 Predictions for Web 2.0 and Social Networking, I predicted that, within 3 years, executives would be expected to have their thoughts online, chiefly by blogging. If you do not blog, you will lose opportunities to those who do. Web 2.0′s increasing transparency is raising the bar for the amount of yourself you share online. If you’re not available when people need you, they will call someone who is. It’s that simple.
That’s easy for me to say because I have blogged for years, and I know it can be an overwhelming proposition. For every 100 people I mention this to, 90 say that they intend to start, but they never do because it’s not that easy. This Quick Launch Guide will take the mystery out of it and have you online in less than an hour. You’ll also develop a basic content strategy and a realistic publishing schedule. Ready? Let’s go!
The end of a year and a decade seems an appropriate time to go on the record about something I have felt for a long time: Twitter will prove to be one of the most disruptive and transformational Web 2.0 innovations of the decade. Although I am an experienced user myself and have advised clients on using Twitter, I perceive that there is much more that remains to be discovered, a considerable well of untapped je ne sais quoi. That is a hallmark of transformative innovations, for they challenge ways of thinking, they push once-cherished assumptions out the door. Here I will outline the significance of Twitter’s key features and suggest why you might want to use it to create rare value for yourself and your company.
I’ve got to get this off my chest, as I’ve recommended it to so many people over the past few months. Whether you are a recent graduate or an executive with many years of experience, blogging and tweeting are optimal ways to let the people who care about you to keep in the loop and to help you better. I have also helped people to make more impact among highly connected people by providing “scenarios,” a different package of information that’s easier to remember. Read on for quick outlines of these techniques.
Twitter has shown some promise as a venue for promotions, and advertising, in the name of “sponsored tweets,” has begun to rear its head.
How realistic is advertising on Twitter? I offered a back-of-the-envelope response to that question in a LinkedIn Group, so here are some of the main points:
As I predicted in Web 2.0 Adoption Curve, 2009-2015, a media backlash against social networks is beginning because most people do not know how to use the networks effectively nor how to integrate their activity on social networks with their other activities. The use of social networks is in its infancy and is easy to criticize.
Last week, I took the New York Times’ Facebook Exodus to task as an exceptionally lame example, and here I’ll offer a briefer treatment of a Wall Street Journal article, How Facebook Can Ruin Relationships. Unfortunately, but very predictably, the journalists and editors that are responsible for these articles are not terribly knowledgeable about social networks. Take this into account when reading.
This backlash will discredit social networks in the short term, and you can use this to your advantage by continuing to use them in your business while others are napping. Social networks will remake society because they change the economics of communication and relationships. Those who use them will create a significant advantage for themselves.
Clients and friends constantly ask whether quality or quantity is more important in developing social networks (as if they think there is an absolute answer ,^). We all understand generally that there is a trade-off between quality and quantity. Social network activity can be time-consuming, and it is difficult to understand the return on investment. Here I’ll offer some reflections on how to think about your network strategy for Twitter followers, your LinkedIn network or your group of Facebook friends.
When companies and individuals contemplate Twitter (update: and blogging), some of their first questions are, “What do we write, how can we develop and maintain interest, how do we avoid looking silly?”
When I am advising them on creating a Twitter presence, one of the key tools I use is “Value Vectors” to help formulate the content strategy. Here, I will outline the tool and how you use it, so you can improve engagement in your followering.
Michael Hickins had an interesting post, Making A LinkedIn For Twitter, which posits that LinkedIn blazed the trail for Facebook, from an enterprise adoption perspective. Enterprise adoption is a constant preoccupation over here, and “enterprise Twitter” is an exceedingly relevant topic.
Michael’s is an interesting idea, so here are some mental doodles on enterprise adoption of microblogging.
Continue reading Thoughts on Enterprise Adoption of Twitter
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