Assignment 4 - #5 Twitter & Facebook Social Networking continued

Becoming a friend of Facebook is tool that is enhancing business around the world.  Companies and entities that make money in cyberspace, like 1stdibs.com, Almond Talent Agency, Teal Marie’s Music Page, the non-profit organization Spectrum Human Services, Inc. & Affiliated Companies and Health Distinction are going to be talked about in this post.


I’ll begin with 1st dibs. “When you register for 1stdibs you will be given a portfolio account which will allow you to search and save from 1stdibs, shopAD (new from Architectural Digest) and participating design center web sites.” This is the first part of the user agreement one must read and agree to when registering as a user. I first learned of 1st dibs on the Martha Stewart Show just yesterday. I signed up online. I found a vast choice of furniture, jewelry, and clothing and just about anything I might want of uniqueness. 1stdibs.com is the place to go if you want to find 800 dealers who are dealing products for you and the home. Antiques are sought after here, haute couture items are here – you just need to go to this “Long Tail” of marketing to see for yourself. Go to http://www.1stdibs.com/

The site also has an online magazine, historical information and some generally fun stuff to look at. It is a virtual store but they do deal with actual stores as well. It is a tool for education in architecture and is being used by students in the classroom. It is a democratizing tool because it gives and gets access to people around the world. Check it out – it’s lots of fun!
 
Almond Talent Agency is run by a couple of guys in Los Angeles (one a dear friend of mine whom I helped raise from the age of 8 to 16). Talents from all over the world go to Almond Talent Agency with the hopes to find work in the entertainment industry. Many do. If you go on Facebook you will find Almond Talent Agency. If you do a search in Google you will find them.


If you check out this link to Backstage Message Board, you will find that Kevin Bacon is very happy with Aur-Aelion’s (spelled incorrectly in the post on the site I am referring you to) work at Almond Talent Agency and you’ll even see a post from Al Pacino.

http://bbs.backstage.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6031061/m/667100801


Almond Talent Agency is appealing to the common people via the internet. Some, such as Kevin Bacon have not set foot inside of the agency itself but simply use the democratizing tools of Facebook and Google to do their business with Almond Talent Agency. This little kid who was a major part of my life for 8 years has grown up to become a self-proclaimed millionaire and I am truly proud. (Keyword: self-proclaimed).  Aur-Aelion Israel's webpage for contact information is at:  http://www.almondtalent.com/

Teal Marie is recording music and ze was selling it on www.myspace.com Being a songwriter, guitarist, singer, producer and recording artist Teal finds that, like Josh Woodward that Facebook is a good place to have hir music heard. Hir long list of songs include titles such as Malt Shop, Lemon Aid, Take Me, I’m Leaving, Numb Nutz and others. I found out the link has been disenabled to buy hir music on MySpace but one can buy hir music on iTunes.com at the following link:


http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/just-my-stuff-just-my-style/id301345641

The songs can be purchased for a mere .99 each or just 9.99 for the album of 11 songs “Just My Stuff, Just My Style”.

“Parental Advisory – Explicit Content”.

Spectrum Human Services, Inc. & Affiliated Companies a nonprofit human services organization utilizes Facebook to bring information about their company to anyone interested. The company accepts donations, advertises holiday drives, and offers employment, services to individuals in Wayne County and outlying counties of Michigan. For more information about Spectrum go to http://www.spectrumhuman.org/SHS/AboutUs/WhatWeDo.aspx


I’ve learned from Geoff Livingston, “The Future of the Non-Profit Internet” article that I read on Mashable at this link: http://mashable.com/2010/02/25/non-profit-internet/  that users of the internet have short attention spans and that it is important to have good critical thinking and analytical skills. With these skills one can interpret what is quality information and what is not in a short time span. The developers of the websites of non-profits must be able to present the information effectively and make it easily searchable. They need to “rethink how they operate and what they are trying to accomplish by connecting with people” on the internet. Internet slang is used all the time on the internet and changes rapidly. It is important that the non-profits keep up to date with these changes.

When using Twitter the business owner gets two or three seconds to get to their audience. They have to know their audience and use the “jargon” that motivates them. The strategists need to know and stay in touch with communities and know what technologies and social media tools are changing and then be able to adapt to those changes readily. Non-profits look to those relationships that they trust and those that “speak the loudest” and get the most attention.

Another issue of great importance in the non-profit industry is privacy especially in agencies such as Spectrum Human Services, Inc. & Affiliated Companies who deal directly with children, medical records, financial records, criminal records and other areas that require anonymity and privacy. In order to keep the community commitment to the non-profit openness is also important and the non-profit will need to “weigh this issue on a case-by-case basis.” Transparency about how finances are handled and the way operations are managed are valuable in the non-profit organization. That being said, the privacy and anonymity issues being as they are, the “charitable organizations must take precautions to ensure that their constituents, including staff and volunteers are protected.”

A close friend of mine recently started a new business selling Marine Phytoplankton products and even more recently has set up her business on Facebook. She tells me it is very important to get fans on her site in order to show Facebook that her business is growing. The “How to Market Your Business With Facebook” article indicates that this I important as well. “the average Facebook user has 130 friends on the site … “I shared this article with her. Why don’t you go to her site today and check it out. It’s for your good health and for her future business success.

I learned that when you set your pages up in your Facebook account for your business you need to treat it just like your personal account and be friendly. It’s not all about selling and buying but “more about interacting”. Update it often and add items that are attractive and intriguing. I like the idea of giving something away. I think when you get started you might even offer a give-a-way” item if the fan comes back on a daily basis for so many days in a row and if they refer other people go to the site and then they actually do, give them something. Your fan base gets larger and hopefully you become better known and you learn from others and they learn from you and you become wealthier in the process.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marine-Phytoplankton-Health-Distinction/320944371278?ref=search&sid=1644764634.3470402323..1



Frequensea is the whole food drink that I drink every day. I love the rose flavor of it!

Social media is now and will be the future. It is something that we common people use daily. It is the media that journalists use to get stories out in a timely manner. Here’s one that was posted today on Facebook by Mashable. Chile Earthquake: Twitter Photos Tell the Story [PICS] - http://bit.ly/aWaRGk


Come back and comment often!