What did 2009 Tweets and Facebook updates reveal about ourselves?

For some it is scary to think that social media has become our social mirror about our likes, interests and fears but wasn’t that sort of the point?

What was your most popular tweet or FB status of the year?

clipped from mashable.com What Twitter and Facebook’s 2009 Trends Tell Us About Ourselves 1. Diseases (Swine Flu) Scare the Hell Out of Us 2. Want a Blockbuster Movie? Sci-fi/Fantasy Is the Way to Go 3. Trends Reflect Differences Between Facebook and Twitter Users First, let’s understand that Twitter and Facebook used different methodologies to come up with their top trends lists. Twitter’s top trends are likely based on words and phrases appeared the most as Twitter trending topics, while Facebook grouped together related phrases and put more emphasis on “bursts of activity” and percentage changes from 2008 to 2009. 4. This Year’s Big Technology Wasn’t Google Wave, It Was Twitter Twitter trends may not have picked itself up as a top trend, but it really was. It scared Facebook enough to change. It became a regular part of U.S. and world culture. Hell, Twitter was even the word of the year. Its momentum may be stalling now, but the 140 character revolution clearly dominated 2009.

5 Ways to Build a Local Business with Social Media

clipped from www.openforum.com Below are five things any local business can do to get more business using social media tools 1) Start a Local Group Online Sites such as Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn and Slideshare all allow members to create and manage groups. 2) Find and Network with Local Bloggers Using tools such as Placeblogger, outside.in, Bloglines you can locate bloggers in your community 3) Hold Meetups and Tweetups 4) Find local leads Finding local prospects or potential strategic partners on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter is pretty simple through the use of the powerful search interfaces built into all. Simply searching by City is a great way to find other people using social media in your community. A service such as Twellowhood or LocalTweeps may aid in your search to find other businesses in your community using Twitter. 5) Enhance Local Search Results Currently Google Maps and Bing Local add these reviews to their local profile database too.

Does your company have a blog?

If so, do they focus on corporate mission or customer trends and hot topics. According to this article, it should be the later. Share your companies blog link by leaving a comment or tweeting us @thirstyfishinfo

Join us on linkedin at http://www.linkedin.com/in/ronhuxley

clipped from smartblogs.com When you’re trying to create great content for your company blog, it’s only too easy to focus on your corporate message first. But the ideas that serve your company aren’t always going to make great, shareable content that gets your fans talking. Thing about your user for a second. What do they care about? Chances are it’s not your company. But they probably care about something related to your company. You can use that interest to create engaging content that your readers will care about, will come back for and will tell their friends about — falling deeper in love with your brand at every step. Falls suggested companies need to find ways to: Be useful. Be controversial. Be insightful. Be entertaining. How are you finding ways to meet your users content needs?

What are you saying about yourself in your social profiles?

There is a lot of talk about social media and transparency. People predict that soon you won’t be able to hide anything. The best choice seems to be being honest and real. Authenticity! What do you think? Can you create a false or misleading self online?

Tweet us or comment back!

clipped from smartblogs.com Does that mean you can just show up in a social space and post the first thing that comes to mind? Not exactly. Try thinking of your social presence as a job interview that never ends. You’re never going to get ahead by trying to be something you’re not — your mother was right about that. But you do get to decide which parts of yourself you’ll emphasize. Pick something that’s undeniably awesome about yourself (or your brand) and make that your cornerstone. Craft a social presence that’s all about the real you in the best possible light. What are you emphasizing about yourself on social media?

How do you get more subscribers to your email list?

I love copywriting ideas because it gives you a feeling of control over your blog/website. I am not sure I get the kind of results these “gurus” say they do but I know it has made a significant difference. What are some of your copywriting tricks? Do tell by tweeting us @thirstyfishinfo or comment below…

Join our creative writing blog at http://creativity-writer.blogspot.com/

clipped from www.copyblogger.com How did you get 6,000 subscribers in 10 months? 1. Make it easy and obvious As I’ve said before in more detail, make your subscription options prominent, offer an email alternative to RSS, and ask for the subscription, preferably at the bottom of each post. 2. Be laser focused focusing on a particular topic 3. Offer a bribe a free ebook, report, e-course or audio series. 4. Use viral ebooks 5. Dedicated subscription landing page 6. Become a guest blogger 7. Start a podcast 8. Post in forums 9. Networking 10. Cross-promotional deals Find a blogger that publishes related, but non-competitive content. Work out a deal where you both promote each other in your RSS feeds, using Feedvertising. If one blog has way more subscribers than the other, work out a ratio deal.

What are you creative habits?

I am not sure which of the 8 habits listed in the article below I have more trouble with…but I think it might “welcoming problems.” What are you habits to keep the creative juices flowing? Which of the 8 below do you have the most trouble with? Tweet or comment!

clipped from www.creativity-portal.com Here are habits of living that all creative people have fostered in themselves: Ask Questions What if? Why? Why not? How? How many of the world’s great inventions or artworks would never have happened if their creators hadn’t asked. Embrace Change It’s happening, whether you like it or not. Might as well love it. Don’t Pre-judge Discernment is important — but only at the end. Let the beginning be a field of open possibility. Look on the Bright Side Does being creative make you positive? Or being positive make you creative? Contrary to popular opinion, the research says: both. Welcome Problems Creative people see problems as natural and normal — they’re drawn to them, wanting to fix them, to “make” a solution. Confront Challenge Becoming more creative means stepping out of your comfort zone — aka your stagnation pool — and s-t-r-r-r-e-t-c-h-ing yourself. Stick at It Successful creatives are all agreed: resilience and persistence were more important to their success than talent. Be Flexible

What puts you in a good mood? A bad mood?

Not sure if I buy this idea that a bad mood can put you in a good mood but I think I get the premise. I have some of my best family therapy when I didn’t feel like putting up with peoples game playing. What puts you in a good/bad mood? Tweet us a reply or comment below!

clipped from clicks.robertgenn.com You may have noticed the odd times when something is irking you, putting you into a bad mood, and you sit down at your easel and do good work. While it’s not as pleasant as when you’re in a good mood and everything is coming up peonies, it works to your benefit in another way. In my experience, a bad mood helps the attention span and the critical faculties–not necessarily to be more creative–but with a wider vision and a sharper focus. Professor Joseph Forgas at the University of New South Wales in Australia has now produced research that shows people in a negative mood are more critical and more attentive than regular happy folks. Sadness, he found, actually promotes information-processing strategies best suited to dealing with demanding situations. Other bad-mood benefits the professor found included less gullibility, improved assessment of others, and memory improvement. No human life is all joy, none is all pain. It may be necessary to have a bit of one to gain more of the other.

How do you Tweet? Use New TweetGlide!

I have been a long time fan of #TweetDeck but I recently switched over to using #TweetGlide. It is very similar in function and look to TweetDeck but with one very important difference: You can use it as an Internet Marketing Tool. Read below for some of the major features but pay particular attention to the section on “Earning Money” with TweetGlide. It looks like there are three ways to make money with it:

1. Refer it to others and get affiliate commission. You can get this only if people purchase the Premium Package. I will explain this later but for now, know that I immediately bought one of these.
2. Sponsored Ads/Tweets. For every five tweets you post, about anything, you get one ad/tweet posted in a special sponsored twitter account. No spamming your own list or any other list. It goes into a special tweet group. People click your ad/tweet and you make a sale. Simple! Become a premium member and get 500 to 1000 paid ads/tweets automatically into your account.
3. Referal

clipped from tweetglide.com The main, or Home Glide. @Mentions Direct Messages you can also create a Glide for Favorites, Filtered Searches, Groups and more. TweetGlide has a built-in short url system that allows you to select between several short url services, including a few of our own. Want tweetglide on your iPhone? No problem! Click above to download.

Who has encouraged you recently?

I rediscovered the web site Spirituality and Health. It is a great resource of information and spirituality building tools. This quote from their Daily Spirit Boosters really struck me. Who encourages you? Who have you encouraged? Share by tweeting us a reply! Pls RT.

clipped from www.spirituality-health.com Encourage More “Those who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than criticize.” –Elizabeth Harrison

Social Media Niches can help build success

This isn’t really anything new in the field of social media but you might find the refresher refreshing!

clipped from www.webadvantage.net Here are 5 tips we hope you’ll find useful for your social media marketing efforts: 1.  Thoroughly explore your options. smaller, lesser-known social media sites can be huge winners, especially if they cater to a very specific topic or niche audience.  For almost any given topic, you can bet there’s a social media site of some sort dedicated to it, even if it’s just a forum or message board. 2.  Vary your message and approach. customizing your message to the many different audiences and communities you come into contact with, or in other words, to “speak their language.” 3.  Track your efforts with custom URLs. There’s no shortage of free URL-shortening services.  Some of the most popular ones are bit.ly, owl.ly, and the longstanding TinyURL.  4.  Seize the moment. 5.  Remember to “keep it real.” Take advantage of the additional opportunities you encounter from day to day, even if it’s not a part of your initial marketing plan.  be genuine