Digital Marketing Specialist, Social Media Consultant,
and Tech Geek at Heart

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The Life Cycle of a Social Network

September 6, 2011

This is a guest post by Babu M. Varghese.

The launch of Geocities by Yahoo marked for some the beginning of a new revolution in the online media called social networking. Later, several other websites such as Classmates.com and Friendster contributed to the development of social networking to help reach our present day scenario, where we see the domination of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. From an evolutionary standpoint and through historical data, there have been several milestones that have been reached that can help us formulate a true life cycle phenomenon in the social networking space.

Every product or service has a product life cycle, and despite the popularity of social networking in this day and age, even social network sites have a product life cycle scenario. Thinking about it in a different way, humans also have a life cycle beginning at birth and ending at death. They go through infancy, growth, maturity, and death. Likewise, social networking is also subject to several stages of its own life cycle.

For social networks, the life cycle appears to fit these stages:

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Google+: The New Kid on the Block, but is it Too Little, Too Late?

August 11, 2011

This is a guest post by Shannon Evans Suetos.

We live in a time where we learn more about our friends and family through Facebook updates than through any other form of communication. Twitter usually scoops news outlets like CNN, and LinkedIn can open the door to your new dream job. In June, comScore reported that one out of every six minutes is spent on a social network. Think about that; you spend more time on Facebook than if you ran a half marathon.

The newest social network de jour is Google+. Available by invite only (for now), Google+ has taken the social networking scene by storm. Live for just over a month, Google+ has already hit 10 million+ users, and it’s still not open to the pubic.

Shiny New Toy

For those of us who spend more time online than the “normal” user (i.e. Internet marketers, PR pros, tech journalists, etc.), Google+ is like a shiny new birthday toy. Not only does it have the exclusivity factor, but Google+ also is Google’s third attempt at a social network. Wave and Buzz were nice efforts, but at a first glance, Google+ seems to be Google’s best shot. After all, they say third times a charm, right?

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The Importance of Networking on the Internet

July 27, 2009

This post is a little personal in nature, but I’m sure if you read through the end, you’ll enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed telling it. In fact, I’ve been meaning to tell this story for nearly two years.

In the last few years, I’ve taken the liberty of doing more than just blogging — I’ve been trying to get to know the people who have inspired me most (and that list isn’t cumulative!). I don’t necessarily expect to meet with those folks immediately; often, these powerful relationships are formed online, and I then try to learn what I can about the blogger himself/herself and follow up, normally at a conference or industry event. I do my best to put a face to a name — a face that I can see beyond just a digital format.

But sometimes there are surprises in every single meeting.

I decided one day to read more about self-improvement and marketing blogger, Jonathan Fields (and author of Career Renegade). The date was December 12, 2007, and I was excited to hear that Jonathan was a New Yorker like me. According to his blog’s “About” page at the time, you could find him simply by screaming his name in the very large Bryant Park in Manhattan. You know, with 8 million people living in NYC, you’d think this is no big deal, but there’s more to the story.

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When is Brand Evangelism a Crime? Exploring the Royal Caribbean Promotional Marketing Strategy

March 12, 2009

My husband Brian, who knows firsthand how much I eat, drink, and sleep social media, pointed me to an interesting critique by ExpertCruiser on a 2007 social media marketing campaign by Royal Caribbean.  That year, the cruise line launched a brand ambassador program.  Using market intelligence, Royal Caribbean identified supporters of the cruise line via social networking sites and took the opportunity to give fifty of the most ardent supporters, called Royal Champions, special privileges, including free paid cruises and invitations to special events with company executives.

In my upcoming book, The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web (Amazon link), which is slated to be released in late Spring, I talk about the importance of brand evangelism as part of an effective community management strategy. Individuals who are passionate and who have never been previously incentivized to promote your product are already talking positively about you on the web. If they’re already raving about your awesome product and promoting your service for free, why not show them that you appreciate all they are doing and offer them additional perks? Why not encourage the spread of goodwill?

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The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook

December 10, 2008

Hi Bing visitors! Like this post? Hire me for social media consulting.

Social media mimics real relationships — in many cases. Would you do the following within real face-to-face relationships?

  • Jump on the friendship bandwagon without properly introducing yourself?
  • Consistently talk about yourself and promote only yourself without regard for those around you?
  • Randomly approach a friend you barely talk to and simply ask for favors — repeatedly?
  • Introduce yourself to another person as “Pink House Gardening?”

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may need a refresher course on social media etiquette — and perhaps real-life etiquette also. Here are some egregious sins that you must not perform on social media sites. Avoid these violations and learn how to manage and maintain online relationships on a variety of popular social media sites.

Facebook

  • Adding users as friends without proper introductions. If you’re looking to make friends, tell people who you are. Don’t assume they know you — especially if they, well, don’t.
  • Abuse application invites and consistently invite friends to participate in vampire games. Many call this spam.
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