Posts Tagged With: networks
· March 18, 2008 at 5:47 am · Hot Web Topics, Interviews
Tags: adam ostrow, gadgets, interview, mashable, networks, social, Web-2.0
I have been a big fan of Mashable since day one, and it continues to be a place I check into daily (as well as a regular RSS subscription too).
So when the chance came up to talk one on one with Adam Ostrow, the editor over there at the social web juggernaut I couldn’t let the chance to pick through a Mashabler’s brain.
Mashable got its start being more based around the social networks out there, and since then has spun off into covering anything that is tech-worthy or Web 2.0ish related. Why the change what I guess you could consider a bigger tent?
Adam: I can’t really speak to our editorial policy pre-early 2007 or so when I joined up with Mashable, but I have to imagine the shift was due to the fact that there is just simply so much more going on in the space than social networking now.
First you had the tools that plugged into social networks – widgets and things of that nature – from companies like Slide, RockYou, etc. This was one of the initial trends that Mashable picked up on. Then, there were applications that integrated on a deeper level with social networks – starting with Facebook and its application platform, and now, most of the other big social sites too. Finally, now we see social features being integrated into virtually every type of Web service – from search, to maps, to mobile. So, I do think there is still a little bit of “social” laced into most of our stories, though, perhaps not as singularly focused on social networking sites.
Read the rest of this entry »
· January 9, 2008 at 6:21 am · Hot Web Topics
Tags: clones, networks, people, search, social, spock
Spock has quickly turned from one of those sites I have never heard of to one that I keep getting requests to from odd enough, people inside of the web hosting industry. Now I have web hosting peeps on MySpace and Facebook too. It seems like there are more hovering towards Spock though than anywhere else. Very odd, yet cool.
I haven’t done much over there just yet - but maybe over the next few days I’ll dedicate some time to figuring out what exactly the hook is to keep me keep coming back. Hopefully it isn’t to answer friend requests.
There are also a few clones of me on the page too.
Give Spock a shot - and feel free to add me to your trusted list of people. You do trust me, right?
Update: Looks like somebody at Spock is a fan of Mitchelaneous. Just noticed they merged my 3 profiles into one… but when you search for me the 3 profiles still show up?
· August 3, 2007 at 7:05 am · Online Tools, Web Development
Tags: add, help-facebook, MySpace, networks, notes, RSS, social, updates
Once reason that I like Facebook over MySpace is that it makes it pretty easy for Facebook to just update itself. I don’t have to step in an actually post things of interest when it reads my RSS feed pretty easily.
To get this done all you need to do is login to Facebook and then find on the left sidebar your “Notes” application. Now you should see your friends’ notes and what they have posted or imported in. Next you’ll need to look for the “Import a Blog” link.
In good ol’ cooking show fashion I have an RSS feed all ready to plug in from our creating an ego feed with Yahoo! Pipes tutorial that has been pushed through FeedBurner. Now put your RSS feed address into the box marked “Web URL”. Click the check mark, hit the “Start Importing” button and you are ready to go.
Now all of your Facebook friends can keep up to date with you via your notes section. Need a friend? Feel free to add me!
· May 31, 2007 at 7:55 am · Personal, Web Development
Tags: advertising, marketing, networks, plugs, promotion, SEO, tips, visitors
If you have several mildly successful Web sites, how can you gain even more attention and readers without doing much work? Well, one technique I have been doing since day one is self promotion. Think of it as loving yourself when nobody else wants to do so.
Learn to Love Yourself
Now we all put links back to our own Web sites and projects. There is nothing new or different about that advice. If you have several dynamic Web sites though, you can plug links in that will lead to real content and not just give you another link or two. Let me explain.
Thanks to a few WordPress plugins here and there, I have at the bottom of my three major Web sites links where you can find “other work” I have done. So if somebody was reading this for an example and thought, “Damn that Mitch is pretty cool, where can I find more of his work?” they have it right there for them.
Thanks to that and to me linking to my other projects - I bring more links into myself than anybody else on the Web. In a way, I guess you could think of me as my own little “network” of Web sites with each one promoting the next one in the circle.
No Super Tool To Help You Here
There is no special extension or super plugin that will help you make this happen. You just have to use a little imagination and the tools that are available to you. Remember you are giving your visitors just a little more content - not an advertisement.
· May 14, 2007 at 9:44 am · Hot Web Topics, Web Development
Tags: list, marketing, networks, popular, Projects, promote, social, tips
Want to be the best of the best? Well if you are ignoring all of the social networking that is being done out there you are missing out on a lot of big chances to expand your audience and bring in a few new customers, readers, or listeners - depending on the business you are in. Here are a few proven social networking tips I have either used myself or seen used by others.
1. Building Your Brand via the Social Networks
If you have a brand that people like, chances are they will want to be your friend on these various different social networks that are out there. There days there are more and more MySpace and Facebook profiles based around businesses, podcasts and important people on the Web.
2. Make Friends With People Like Yourself
Find like-minded people and friends and add them to your lists via the different social networks out there. This way you are building a little network of people who are just like you and probably will enjoy anything you write or post about. Don’t just go adding a million random people just for the sake of adding people. Find people who you think would interested in what you have to say.
3. Share Your Posts and Content Via the Social Networks
Use the message posting and sharing services they provide to your advantage. MySpace has the “Post a Bulletin” where you can pimp your goods. Facebook has the “Share a Link” function that does much of the same thing. Post teaser links (giving a little ‘bit of information) and a link to go back to your own Web site.
4. Use Widgets and Gadgets to Pimp Your Digital Goods
Take advantage of some of the RSS gadgets out there you can add to places like MySpace to spread the word about yourself. You could use FeedBurner’s headline animator or something like SpringWidgets - where you can put a flash powered RSS reader right on your profile.
5. Add a Player for your Podcast Promotion
Podcasters - there are a number of flash mp3 players you can use as well on MySpace and other social networks that let you plug in custom code. One of my most favorite ones is the one that Odeo produces. Check out my list of the five best podcast players to get a couple of more suggestions.
6. Watch the People Watching You With MyBlogLog
One of my favorite networks out there, MyBlogLog provides you with a little widget you can put on your Web site that shows other MyBlogLog members who are visiting your Web site. Not to be one to show the trap door in the hat that the rabbit is being pulled through - but this is a good trick to make yourself look more popular than you really might be.
7. Add a Link to your Forum Signature
Forums are those social networking tools before social networking had a name. Adding a few link to your signature (if allowed via the forum rules) is a good way to get some links coming back into your Web site too.
8. Add Your RSS Feed to Facebook
On Facebook you can plug your RSS feed right into your profile. Just edit your “Notes” section and include that they should be importing from your RSS feed of choice. Word of warning though, if you post like 20 messages a day you could be getting yourself into trouble. Might just want to include your “light” RSS feed here.
9. Stumble Yourself on StumbleUpon (and get others to stumble you too!)
Make sure you get your most popular content and Web sites listed on StumbleUpon in one way, shape of form. They will deliver you a boat load of traffic (if you content is good) and they also have a pretty cool advertising service as well.
10. Always Digg in Moderation
To digg or not to digg - is that really a question? Now I am not going to tell you to submit everything you do to Digg. Most people find that very annoying and it could get you blocked from the service. It is good to have an account there though so you can meet like-minded people and you can also watch (and interact if you must) when something of yours makes it to the top of the list there.
11. Include a URL on Your Profile Picture
Create a profile icon or picture for the services you sign up for that has your URL on it. This might sound like a cheap form of advertisements - but the more often you can get people to see that URL - the more likely they’ll give it a visit or at least have it stuck in the back of their head to use at a later time and date.
12. Add a Link Back to All of Your Various Projects
More likely than not, all of these services allow you to list at least one link back to your Web site or Web project - take advantage of that. Make sure you include your links and give them descriptions as well so that people know what they are clicking to.
13. Don’t Forget Your Subscription Links
When you include your link to your Web site on one of the social networks out there, also make sure that you list your RSS feed as well. You might put that little orange icon next to each link so people know how to subscribe to you content. You might also include the “Add to Google” or “Add to My Yahoo” type subscription buttons as well to make it easier for people look at your link to subscribe via their subscription method of choice.
14. Is Your Project Social Network Friendly?
Do you have something that others might want to share? Online comics like bLaugh are a good example of this. Right on the Web page, you are given an little “embed code” so that people can share your link on the Web via any social networking service.
