Press Releases Via Twitter

Darn it, I wish I had thought up this idea! Someone has come up with the ingenious idea of a press release Twitter feed. Journalists can sign up by RSS or Twitter to receive releases divided by category by following @pressreleases. Smart stuff!

But, that leads me to an even better idea. Everyone who has a newsroom on their Web site (if you don’t, please leave right now, I can’t even bear it), should now set up a Twitter feed for THEIR press releases, as well as an RSS feed. That way twittering journalists who want to stay on top of an organization’s news can sign up to receive it in a way that’s convenient to them.

More Proof That Twitter is Useful

Check out this post from David Mullen’s Blog on Five Ways Twitter Will Make You Smarter.

One point I missed in my previous post on the usefulness of Twitter, and which is a good one, is the instant feedback you can get on Twitter. I see journalists that I follow asking for sources for stories and they get instant response, or for example, I asked what everyone thought of the new Facebook design the other day and got quick input. Maybe you want others’ opinion on a new logo or how to spell a word or whether it’s raining on the other side of town. Tweet and you shall find out.

Another great one: monitor what twitterers are saying about your company. Go to Twitter’s search function (formerly Summize.com) and type in your company name (or your name for that matter) and get a real, instantaneous view of what people think. Comcast, for example, has a guy out there looking for people having problems with their cable and follows up with them to offer help. Brilliant.

How’s Twitter making you smarter?

Not so Cuil

Why Cuil is not a Google-killer.

It’s fair to say that most search engine news is outside of the mainstream. CNN doesn’t usually cover every algorithm update. So when we have 3 clients contact us within hours of a new search engine launch, we can be pretty sure that it must be generating some buzz.

That is certainly the case with Cuil.

It’s founded by a “trio of former Googlers”. The search index is more than 120 billion pages, “three times the size of Google’s index”. It promises to be “more comprehensive and more relevant (than Google)”. And so on, and so on.

It seems that everyone is so invested in finding a challenger to the virtual monopoly that Google has on search that they aren’t looking at the bigger picture. People use Google not because they have to, but because Google works. Google has been the clear leader since it launched, and everyone else is still playing catch-up. If Microsoft and Yahoo, with all their billions of dollars sloshing around can’t compete (and they can’t) then a new upstart like Cuil has no chance, however many column inches of news they grab.

120 billion pages index might make for good attention grabbing copy, but it’s virtually meaningless. People use a search engine to find things, it’s as simple as that. Cuil fails on that very simple measurement. It may have the largest index, but the results are in many cases, useless. Even in the areas where the results are relevant, they are not *more* relevant than Google’s. So why switch?

I tried some side by side comparisons:

Search term	Google showed	Cuil showed
New York Hotels	A map with hotels marked. A list of local hotels. Both individual and directory sites, all focused on NY hotels	Some individual hotels in NY. Some generic travel sites, like Tripadvisor. Links to the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winners, Vaudeville Performers and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hmmm….
Viagra	The official site. How stuff Works and Wikipedia entries. No spam.	The official site. The FDA home page. A lot of ‘Buy Generic Viagra’/'Herbal viagra’ spam.
Tainan, Taiwan	Wikipedia entry. Weather in Tainan. MyAreaGuide to the city. Walking tour of Tainan.	“No results were found for: Tainan, Taiwan. If you’ve checked your spelling, you could try using fewer or different keywords to broaden your search.”

I can’t see, as it currently stands, any reason why people would switch from Google to Cuil. Maybe I’ll be proved wrong, and I’ll happily admit it if so, but for right now, Cuil is anything but.

Twitter is Actually Useful (Very!)

I must say, in the last couple weeks, I’ve been amazed at what Twitter has been able to do for me. It has, to me, become the most useful social media tool yet.

For starters, I checked the statistics on my blog the other day and found in the last month, Twitter is by far the biggest referring site. Facebook fell second, but was half of what Twitter sent me. If I have a particularly interesting blog post or I think it’s one people might want to discuss further, I’ll post it on Twitter, thus the traffic.

Two, I got a referral to a reporter I needed to pitch for one of my clients by meeting someone on Twitter.

Three, I am getting social media news immediately by following some of the big social media gurus (yes, there are a couple who are bigger than me ) and finding some really interesting article and blogs posts that others suggest via Twitter.

I was invited to and participated in a very interesting live video chat last weekend. Wouldn’t have known about it if it weren’t for Twitter!

I have all kinds of people “following” me from all over the country, and as I hope to take my Step Ahead Web Strategies company to a national level, I think this is a great starting point.

Have I mentioned I love Twitter? Not just fun, but truly a great business tool.

Check out this poll from the Online Marketing Blog and vote for the social media tool that has helped you the most in business.

Oh Knol!

At least that’s what Wikipedia should be uttering right about now. Yes, Google has done it again. The Internet giant has swooped in with what just may be a better version of Wikipedia. They call it Knol.

Just what is a “knol” you ask? Why, it’s a unit of knowledge, of course.

Just launched last week, Knol allows people to write and upload articles on a given topic. Unlike Wikipedia, which has only one entry per topic, Knol will upload many articles by different people on a particular subject. It’s also different because your knol will have your byline, will allow feedback, and no one can edit your knol without your permission (a controversial feature of Wikipedia). Here’s a great introduction to Knol.

So why should you Knol? Two big reasons:
1) It’s Google, folks, so all knols are well optimized in the search engines, thus increasing your search engine visibility on the topic you deem to write about.
2) It demonstrates your expertise in a given subject, helping position you or your company in the way you desire.

Both are similar benefits to writing a blog, but really better, because you’re getting exposure through a national medium.

I hope to write an article this week on Knol and will offer my input on the process. If you beat me to the punch, please share your experience.

Facebook Gets a Facelift

OK, by now I think all of us have been exposed to the new “face” of Facebook. And like all change, this one is tough. But besides the fact that I’m annoyed with having to learn my way around again (I can get over that), I thought I’d offer up what I do and do not like about this new look. And I would LOVE to hear what everyone else thinks too.

Like:

• That there is not so much on the screen. All those apps were becoming overwhelming and too much to sort through on each person’s profile.
• The rotating update status/write note/post photo etc. toward the top. Nifty.
• That you can customize your display somewhat.
• That you can send feedback (read: gripes)
• That you can comment on other people’s statuses.
• That you can set it so your newsfeed tells you more about certain things (ie photos versus new notes) and friends and less about others.

Don’t Like:

• That Pages are buried. I swear it took me 20 minutes to find where they are. I have a lot of complaints about Pages, but the main one is they are tough to promote without paying to promote them. By burying them, you reduce the chance that other people will see what pages you are fans of and thus subscribe to them, as well.
• And should Pages be under the Info tab? Doesn’t make sense.
• It is not as user friendly as the old version. I am still stumbling around trying to figure out where things are. It’s definitely not as intuitive as before.
• It still has some kinks. Why can’t I look through just MY applications to add as a main tab? It gives me like five choices and then sends me to the entire application directory.
• All the white space now; I know generally that’s a good thing, but on here I find it unnerving for some reason.
• Too many categories. I’m getting confused about what’s Info, what’s a bookmark, what’s a box, what’s an application?

Sorry Facebook. I think I disliked more than I liked. Maybe it will grow on me…

Hello Dolly!

Check it out: This blog lets you follow what’s happening on South Padre Island as Hurricane Dolly rolls through. Is there anything we can’t know instantaneously these days?

Why I Love Twitter

I’ll be honest. Whenever I hear of a new ’2.0′ tool I tend to try it out so I can stay up to date, but I’m usually not overly impressed. A few stick for me, Facebook and Jott for instance. Many more don’t – Stumbleupon, Disqus, etc are very popular but they just didn’t grab me. I was highly sceptical of Twitter.

Microblogging? Why? What’s the point? Well, let me share a few things that I like about Twitter:

1. It’s so easy! It takes seconds to set up and you’re up and running. Yes, you can customize your profile page if you wish, but it’s not necessary. Got something on your mind? Just say it!
2. Follow the experts in your field. I read Matt Cutt’s blog but not daily as perhaps I should. On Twitter though, it’s much easier.
3. You don’t feel daunted by a long post which you know is going to suck up time that should be spent working. It’s 140 characters or less. For someone who claims “Brevity is the soul of wit“. Twitter would suit Polonius perfectly “@QueenGertrude I will be brief: your noble son is mad”. Done!
4. It’s not all work, work, work. I follow some people purely for entertainment: SlashFilm for movie news, and Guardian Football for soccer news – chances are, whatever your interest, you can find something on Twitter.
5. Ask the Audience. I’d guess around 10% of the Tweets I get are requests for help with something. And people are usually very happy to help.

What’s the Magic Number?

92, 188, 88 — no those are not my measurements (thank goodness!), but they are my social networking stats. 92 Facebook friends, 188 Twitterers I’m following, 88 connections on LinkedIn.

It seems lots of us get hung up on “how many” when it comes to social networking, but I’ve noticed a lot of discussion going on about quality versus quantity when it comes to connections.

As I am experiencing, when the numbers get too high, these tools start becoming less helpful and more overwhelming. On Twitter, for instance, it’s tough to really engage in much of a conversation when you have some 180 people you are following “tweeting” all day long. And on Facebook your newsfeed becomes tough to stay up to date with because there is so much activity.

So what’s a gal to do? I’m tending to agree with the folks who say stick to connecting with people you truly know and whose content will be meaningful to you. Then you aren’t wasting time paying attention to things that aren’t relevant and are truly honing in on the conversations that are.

Here’s the story of one man who culled the people he follows on Twitter from 1000 to 600 and the result. 600 still sounds crazy to me! Check out the comments, as well.

What are your numbers?

Got Answers? We’ve Got Questions

A great way to expand awareness of your brand online and to position yourself as an expert in a given subject area is to monitor and participate in Q&A sites. There are a host of them out there, with Yahoo Answers being the most famous, that allow individuals to pose questions on any number of topics, which can be answered by anyone who so chooses. LinkedIn also recently added a feature where you can ask and answer questions.

Add to your to-do list weekly to check these sites for questions that relate to your expertise. Wherever you feel you can contribute a meaningful answer, do so. This is a great way not just to get your name on one more site, but to get it in a place that demonstrates indeed you know what you’re talking about. This is one thing I try to offer my clients — not just a way to get your name out there in any way, shape or form, but in a strategic manner that reaches your target audience with the right message. All this goes a long way toward positioning yourself and your company in the way you choose.

Many of these sites will also let you set up RSS feeds based on certain key words. This can make it even easier to check your feeds once a week and answer any appropriate questions. I know you’re just full of answers, so get out there and start helping!

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