This is a news article heading in the San Jose Mercury Newspaper on June 19, 2010.

A group of privacy advocates, computer scientist, lawyers and others got together the day before to create a “Bill of Rights” for the “social Web” and for social-network users. 

Since Facebook and Twitter are becoming so huge, they could be thought of as representing a nation.  Facebook has somewhere around 400 million users…more than the population of the US.  Twitter has around 75 million.

Users are beginning to feel vulnerable and like they are losing control of their personal information.

And data mining by companies that specialize in people searches are making information readily available that creates risks for people’s safety, especially for people who have been victims of past violence and who are trying to hide from angry past spouses or stalkers.

And of course, a big concern of privacy advocates is the ease of advertisers accessing information and using it without the private citizen’s consent.

So the privacy group has come up with a list of 14 guiding principles.  You can check out the principles at www.facebook.com/CFPBillOfRights and you can vote to support or oppose it.  The list is short and will only take about a minute to read.  There is not much detail in it at this time, but it’s a start.

What you are seeing here is the beginning formation of policy for a system and technology that is having, and will continue to have, a huge influence on our lives into the future.  The time to start having input into how it is used should be sooner not later.

So take a look at the principles and cast your vote. If you approve of the principles, click on the “Like” button at the top of the page.  If you don’t, click on the special link Facebook has provided in the second paragraph on the page.

And, of course, let me know what you think of this whole issue.  Do you think it’s on the right track…does it say enough or does it ask for too much?  Do you think there should be a Bill of Rights for the social Web? Do you see this as having a negative impact on you as an advertiser?  If so, do the rights of the advertiser outweigh the rights of the individual?

Technorati Tags: Facebook, facebook users, privacy, social media bill of rights, social web, Twitter, twitter users

In prior blog entries on social networking, I mentioned how to use it for marketing. Today, I want to go over 3 things that I found people doing on their profile pages that you shouldn’t do.

1. Selling too much. I receive so many emails from the networks I’m on, that are selling. Again, picture yourself at a network event. Someone rushes to you, shoves a business card in your hand, perhaps a brochure and a sales letter as well, and then rushes to the next person. What are your feelings?

Selling too much on your profile or in your social networking activities is much the same thing. The idea behind social networking is building relationships. You build relationships, and the business will come.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t sell at all, just that building relationships and connections should come first. Make sure you keep the relationship-building up when you do sell.

Of course you should talk about your business and describe what you do, but do it in a fun way, that is non-threatening and not full of hype. It should give them an idea of your personality. And don’t forget to include a few personal details so your friends and followers can get to know you as a person and also as an individual.

2. Not sharing enough of your personal details. Social networking is about connecting with people. The way we connect as individuals is by sharing things about ourselves. Make sure you add details about your life, your hobbies, your preferences, etc. Do you have kids or animals? Do you like to travel, cook, or read best sellers or specific topics? These are ideas of items that you could include in your profile.

I also feel that you should make sure your personality comes through. Don’t be boring by listing a dry description that would be better for a resume. Get your personality in there, let people know who you are and if you are someone they would like to get to know better. I am constantly trying to accomplish this in each blog and my weekly marketing tips.

3. Sharing too many personal details. Am I contradicting what I just said? No! If you wouldn’t be comfortable sharing something at a networking event, then you probably shouldn’t be sharing it on your social networking profile. Here is a rule you could use. Imagine having a conversation with a client or customer. What types of details about your life would you feel comfortable telling them. Those are the good ones you should share on your profile. Leave the ones you don’t want your client or customer to know about off of your profile.

I hope you will share some of your profile examples for all of us to view…maybe give us links to view them. Who knows…maybe you’ll get some valuable feedback from your peers. So jump in and comment.

Technorati Tags: profile page, profile pages, Social Media, social media management, social media risks, social networking profile

“Let me ask you this: what would you do, what could you do, if an employee, competitor or customer, hell-bent on destroying you, your company, or client decided to blast you on every conceivable social media platform available? Trust me, it’s already happening. I call them ‘smackers,’ shorthand for social media hackers.”

In addition: “A company that digs too deeply into someone’s personal social media activities can expose itself to privacy violation claims, being accused of something like cyber stalking….. a company that relies on information obtained from social media sites to make decisions in the hiring process, or uses it to manage its employees on a post-hire basis, can set itself up for breach-of-privacy type claims.”

These are excerpts from an article on social media risks written by a friend and colleague, Don Phin of "HR That Works". Don has helped many businesses avoid litigation with his guidance.  

The article brings to light many issues I think every business person needs to understand and address with emerging media in order to not be derailed by our legal system.

I think it best you read the article for yourself.  This is not an affiliate link; there is nothing to buy or sign up for.  It’s pure information. Here is the link to read the article: Social Media Risks Report .

Let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: Social Media, social media legal issues, social media management, social media risks

When using social media, build your group of followers with Focus and attention.

One of the biggest complaints I often hear about Social Media is that the gains are incremental, meaning that it can take a long time to just create 100 followers or friends, and most of you become bored or give up before you reach 1,000 followers or friends.

The thing to remember is that each contact you make is one more notch of visibility for you. You never know who will be able to assist you, so it is wise to cultivate each person as an individual as much as possible. I’m on Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and a few other social web sites and I know how difficult it can be.

At a minimum, respond to direct messages or inquiries. Thank people for recommending you and keep many marketing channels open. Count each new contact as a sign that your marketing is working. If you speak to large groups, invite them to connect with you more personally through your social media profiles.

Do whatever it takes to build a group of loyal fans around you. Once your network gets large enough with at least 1,000 true fans, your business will stabilize.

So keep at it and don’t give up.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Linkedin, Social Media, social media fans, social media followers, Twitter

Again, I was asked this question. And the answer is yes, if you work it well.

The business magazines and newspapers are abuzz with articles and information on the rapid growth of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Businesses large and small are asking themselves whether they need to have a presence on these networking sites and are hastily trying to figure out how to fit social media into their marketing plans.

Do you have a Facebook page? If you haven’t yet built a presence, here are some things to consider before setting up a page for your business. If you already have a Facebook presence, some of this might help you.

Before you begin using social media like Facebook, you should define how you market and what types of marketing efforts have been most successful for your business. With over half of the Internet population using social networking on a regular basis, it is very important for every business to determine whether these are the appropriate media to reach the audiences that you want to reach. You should also determine if they frequent those sites.

You might find Facebook a valuable addition to your marketing mix or decide that it is not appropriate for your business, because it doesn’t fit your model.

As a business owner, you are the face of the business, and the business really reflects your personality. If you are a social individual, a person who makes and stays in touch with large numbers of people, then you probably already have a Facebook page and want to know how to make it more effective.

Facebook is an excellent thing to use to stay in touch in a very personal way with many individuals.

Here’s my suggestion…

Before you decide to use Facebook for marketing your business presence, try setting up a personal page for yourself and get acclimated to using the tools and features that Facebook offers.

While you are getting familiar with Facebook, pay particular attention to learning how to use the tools to manage your identity and keep your personal and business social elements separate.

If you are thinking of using your personal page as your business page, then you will want to carefully separate each sphere.

Let say that you are an avid golfer and run a business. You must decide if it is appropriate for all of your golf buddies to be on your Facebook page, posting pics that don’t project a strong business image. You must not do this. My suggestion is to have a separate identity. One for your personal self and one for building your business.

While you are learning to use the tools and manage your Facebook account, do valuable market research by asking your clients and prospects if they are on Facebook and ask them to join your network.

You can also use the search functions for Facebook to identify other individuals who are already on Facebook that could be your customers.

These are tough economic times, and everyone should be looking for ways to market their business in the most economical way. If you have the time to devote to building and using your social network for marketing, social media may have marketing potential for you.

One of the first things I’d suggest that you do is to learn the Etiquette that is appropriate for social media.

Remember this is your network of friends. You don’t want to loudly broadcast your message as you would with a traditional advertisement, but rather to influence nicely.

Join the conversations, build a personal facebook presence, and you will quickly see what it offers for your future.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, marketing, Social Media, Twitter

At one of my recent talks, I was asked about the new social media websites and whether attendees should sign up, and how can they use the media to enhance their business. 

There are lots of opinions in the press about whether the social media work, or whether they are just time wasters.  Different people report different results. 

Remember, these media are only tools, and the only determinant as to whether you use them or not is whether they increase your bottom line.

Ignore the hype and focus instead on how to make them work for you as the tools they are.  Don’t drop everything else you are doing to pursue them, expecting they are going to make you wealthy overnight, as some claim.  They are not.

Dedicate a portion of your time and budget to learning how to implement them.  But make sure you don’t neglect what’s already working for you.  Just add these tools at a pace that compliments, rather than disrupts, what’s already working.

When you see these new media for what they really are… tools…not miracle workers, it becomes not a matter of whether or not you should use them.  Instead the question becomes how do you best use them to get the results you are after.

Don’t let fear of these new media, or lack of knowledge, stop you.  Begin by focusing on creating systems and processes which are easy to implement, and can be repeated over and over.  This is a great basis for eventually outsourcing the work, so you can put it on automatic pilot.

With social media you now have the potential to spread your message farther and wider than you could before.  Like any tool, you just have to learn how to use it to your advantage.

Besides blogging, your social media efforts should start with Facebook and/or Twitter.  Your profile on these media is an important way by which media users can find you.  So make sure you create a profile pertinent to your purpose for the page.  Use keywords that can help them find you.

Probably, the best possible scenario when using Facebook is to build a Fan Page for your business.  A fan page has a similar feel to your regular Facebook page, but it allows you to create a public profile so that you can share your business and products with Facebook users. You can find out more by going here: http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?pages

Here is a good example of a fan page: http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=mari+smith&init=quick#/marismith?ref=search&sid=1386575769.1132394570..1

If you’d like to learn more about Facebook and Twitter marketing, here is a good inexpensive resource: http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?af=1081671
 
What are your thoughts or experiences with social media marketing?  Let me know in the comment box below.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Social Media, Twitter