If you're on Facebook, you've most certainly had to sort through your privacy settings over the past week, as the company changed up the way it manages user content, contact lists, personal data, etc. Frankly, it was a bit of a pain. But why did you have to do it? Wall Street Journal reporter Julia Angwin explains in a recent article:

This fall, Twitter turned its popularity into dollars, inking lucrative deals to allow its users' tweets to be broadcast via search algorithms on Google and Bing. Soon, Facebook followed suit with deals to distribute certain real-time data to Google and Bing. (Recall that despite being the fifth most popular Web site in the world, Facebook is barely profitable.) ... Just one catch: Facebook had just "exchanged" to Google and Microsoft something that didn't exist. The vast majority of Facebook users restrict updates to their friends, and do not expect those updates to appear in public search results. (In fact, many people restrict their Facebook profile from appearing at all in search results.) So Facebook had little content to provide to Google's and Bing's real-time search results. When Google's real-time search launched earlier this month, its results were primarily filled with Twitter updates.

Ah, it all becomes clear. The old privacy settings were interfering with their ability to make money off your content. I think I'll stick with the old settings, thanks. (And more than 50% of users are following suit.)

One final warning from Julia...

But those who want a private experience on Facebook will have to work harder at it: if you inadvertently post a comment on a friend's profile page that has been opened to the public, your comment will be public too.

Sigh.

-posted by Paul

Tags: facebook

Andrew Dumont likes to live life on the edge, whether it's wakeboarding or searching for his next jolt of caffeine. So it's no real surprise that, at 21, he chose to join a startup. As the vice president of marketing and business development for Bellingham-based Tatango with its group text messaging product, he's constantly on the run -- and has successfully grown Tatango's user base from 7,000 to over 400,000, primarily through the use of social media. As part of VOXUS's continuing series of interviews with local entrepreneurs, VCs and marketers, we asked him to share his thoughts on public relations for startups and, more specifically, on how he successfully uses Facebook to promote the Tatango brand.

1) You've publicly stated that you didn't know a whole lot about public relations prior to founding Tatango, yet you've had some incredible success with Tatango's media outreach. What's one lesson learned that you could share with other entrepreneurs?

When working in a startup, you learn very quickly just how scarce cash is. At the early stage of our company, I couldn't justify allocating the resources needed to hire a professional pr agency, although I would've liked to. So, we did what every great startup does, we winged it. Having no prior training or experience in public relations, I had to learn the ropes of the industry very quickly in preparation for the launch of Tatango. Since that day of realizing that we couldn't afford an agency, we’ve earned ink in the Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times, CNN, PC World, TechCrunch and others.

That being said, I am far from a pr pro, but I did learn some very valuable lessons and tips during my crash course in public relations. I went ahead and noted two tips for entrepreneurs looking to get started in pr, as I think both are crucial to a successful campaign.

Ask Questions - This is the best piece of advice I can offer and it applies to every aspect of business, ask questions. Although public relations was completely new to me, there were thousands of professionals that live and breath public relations, all of which have massive amounts of experience in the field. They’ve most likely lived through any issues you’re facing, so pick their brain. When I first started with our pr efforts, I sent out emails to several of the top marketing/pr pros in the Seattle area, simply explaining my situation and asking if I could chat with them about some “best practices” of the industry. I received a response from nearly everyone I emailed and set up meetings with Scott Willoughby of SEOmoz, Eric Berto of Etelos, Jeff Precor of Yapta and Doug Alley of Jott, this was extremely helpful. There is no way I would've been as successful as I was with my efforts without their help (thanks again guys).

Be Real - Many editors get thousands of faceless pitches each day, so what can you do to stand out? It’s easy, just be real. It’s all about transparency. Connect with the people you’re pitching on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, you need to put a face behind your pitch. Personally, I like to connect with all of the editors that I’ll be contacting prior to pitching, this helps add familiarity when your name shows up in their inbox. Not only that, but connecting with the editors on these various networks allows you to really understand what type of person you're pitching. Pr is all about being genuine, find out what their interests are and relate to them.

2) Many entrepreneurs are struggling with the best way to use Facebook because the lines between personal and business information are blurred. On the one hand, it can be a really good marketing tool; it's also a social networking site where people share recipes, photos, etc. You seem to straddle both worlds quite successfully with your Facebook page -- can you share any tips on how others might do the same?

Facebook is one of the best marketing tools available. We've built our business with a zero dollar advertising budget, and I can safely say that without social networks, we wouldn't be here today. For me, the line between my personal and professional life isn't blurry at all, there is no line. This is how it needs to be to utilize Facebook effectively. As with my last point on the pr tips, it's all about being real. Your personal life is a huge asset to the core of your personal and professional brand. If you’re passionate about gardening, cooking, sports, juggling, beer or anything else, it’s likely that there’s someone out there that shares the same interests. With personal attributes or hobbies displayed to the public, a brand becomes more than just an image but an actual living object. By exposing these personalities, you’re opening your brand to a new demographic that may not have been connected prior.

Think about it like a television show, you fall in love with a show because of the characters in it. For me, I’m addicted to the show Entourage because I’ve connected with the character Ari Gold. His outrageous antics and lavish lifestyle has made me envious of him, his character traits have been so well developed to the point where I feel like I actually know him, as if he was a buddy of mine. Because of this connection, when I’m asked about my favorite TV show, Entourage comes to mind without hesitation. The same concept applies to a personal or professional brand. By using these pre-established characters (yourself and your employees), you’re expanding your company's relevance beyond just the functionality of your product, you’re creating an atmosphere that fosters connections on both a personal and professional level. With these types of connections established, your brand will come to mind as the “favorite” and we all know, nothing is more powerful in the world of marketing than word of mouth. I am a firm believer in transparency for businesses, so if you'd like to chat more about it, feel free to message me on Facebook. : )

3) Where do you hope to take Tatango between now and the end of the year?

I've got very high hopes for Tatango in the upcoming months. We've been extremely busy with the construction and implementation of the new version of the site, Tatango 2.0, which was recently pushed live. In the next couple of months I hope to continue growing the Tatango user base, flesh out our revenue model and cement the Tatango brand as the top name in group text messaging.

Blog: http://andrewjdumont.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/andrewdumont
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/andrewdumont

-posted by Rachel

Tags: tatango, facebook

According to Tech Flash, Wetpaint and Altimeter Group today unveiled a new report that attempts to measure the companies that are best using social media, tracking how 100 companies from the 2008 BusinessWeek/Interbrand Best Global Brands survey utilized Facebook, Twitter, wikis, and discussion forums.

While the summary is good. The actual report is loaded with some interesting information. To download, visit here.



-posted by Justin

Tags: wetpaint, altimetergroup, facebook, twitter

A recent study finds that when it comes to embracing new technology like blogging and social networking, the country's top CEOs have significant room to improve.

According to the study from UberCEO, an online publication focused on CEOs, only 19 of Fortune 100 CEOs had a Facebook profile, 13 had a LinkedIn page, two had Twitter accounts and get this NONE HAD A BLOG. But those top-line results may not be reflective of what's really going on with UberCEO reporting that the Twitter feeds of Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and Alan Lafley, CEO of Proctor & Gamble, have not posted anything of significance since being set up.



UberCEO says CEOs being social media slackers leaves the door open them appearing disconnected, especially with a growing number of people using tools like Twitter and blogs. Writes UberCEO's Sharon Barclay:

We're not suggesting that every CEO should participate in every aspect of social media. That's a decision each CEO needs to make as part of an overall company marketing strategy. But we are recommending that every CEO examines their online image and reputation.

UberCEO goes on to speculate that the reasons CEOs aren't using social media is because of fear, lack of knowledge and time constraints.

Although a daunting task both in time and resources, utilizing these avenues to connect with current customers, potential customers, business partners and the public at large seems like a no-brainer especially for CEOs whose corporations still have a stockpile of resources to support such activities (i.e. cash and employees). Are CEOs above such forms of communication?

-posted by Andrew

Tags: facebook, twitter, linkedin

Facebook is now allowing user names for the URL. More info at the following links, along with a few important notes:

First come first served starting Saturday June 13 at 12:01 AM.

Names are NOT editable or changeable; they are permanent to that account even upon deletion.

You can only register user names for pages that existed prior to May 31, otherwise there's a waiting period to prevent squatting.

Companies can also protect their brands/trademarks even if they don't have a facebook page.

General announcement.

Additional info.

For administrators.

Go forth and claim yours...

-posted by Paul

Tags: facebook

I recently sat in on a Webinar about the value of Facebook for business. It was hosted by Mari Smith, Relationship Marketing Guru and Facebook Expert, and co-anchored by Joel Comm (author of Twitter Power). It was an hour well spent and provided a ton of insight -- even for a guy like me who has been using the site for a couple years. Below is a summary of some of that information -- with some additional original insights sprinkled in!

First off, some fun Facebook facts. These shocked and amazed me:

- there are currently more than 200 million active members on Facebook
- by 2011 that is predicted to be more than 500 million
- Facebook is the 5th most trafficked Website in the world
- it is the largest photo-sharing platform in the world (30 million pics posted a day)
- more than 70 percent of facebook users are outside the U.S.
- 1 in 3 canadians are on facebook (ehh)
- the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is 30+ and women
- in social media, Facebook has the most rigorous terms of use (TOS)
- 99.9 percent of the time, the person is who they say they are on Facebook
- there are 52,000 applications on Facebook and that number is rising fast, with 140 new apps daily
- the maximum # of friends you can have is 5,000 (due to server load), possibly increasing soon
- record holder: John Reese added the most friends in the least amount of time (5k in 5 days)
- want to browse pages?

(DID YOU KNOW: you can remove a fan or friend and it does NOT notify them. So don't worry about offending people.)

The #1 reason for a Facebook page = SEO (google indexing). If you don't know what SEO is, or the value, we'll address that in a later post (or you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization for a detailed definition; or visit our SEO partner Point It at http://www.pointit.com). If you're trying to ensure your fan or business page comes up in search engines, Facebook is integrated and your page can drive that ranking (but keep it updated, fresh and use good terms).

The #1 reason people fail in social media: lack of viable strategy! Use Facebook with a purpose. Whether to connect with old friends or drive relationships with prospective partners, customers or employees, one thing remains constant -- you must take the time to use the site and update your pages with good information. Since we're not worried about the "connecting with old friends" application of Facebook, we'll just focus on some business related information.

Here are some steps to help implement a solid social media strategy on Facebook (with the goal of helping to drive sales):
1. Grow a network of hand picked friends up to 5,000 (your first goal should be to get over the 500 person mark). How do you do that? Try listing your top 25-50 people you admire in your industry and find them on Facebook and friend them with a personal message. Also, search and follow others on Twitter.
2. Do more than one page. If you have separate lines of business, perhaps have a page for each. This will help with SEO and indexing.
3. Showcase your best work on the page, not just all your work.
4. Engage in deliberately chosen regular activities (post a thought of the day, tip of the day, image of the day). Drive company news through the page. Highlight good articles. Offer incentives to Facebook users.
5. Be active on twitter with key-word laden tweets, and integrate with Facebook. This can help drive content on your page.
6. Create radical strategic visibility. This is a chance to put aside the stuffy corporate image. Get creative. Try video and more.
7. Finally, think relationships first, business second... but in the end, use Facebook to drive sales and help close deals.

Now, there are some ways to get booted off Facebook. And, unfortunately, once done, it's done. So follow the rules. Here are some little know facts from the TOS. Pay attention, these can get you banned (yes, these are true):

- adding too many friends
- sending out too many emails
- sending too many wall posts
- sending too many group messages
- sending too many messages to your event invitees
- importing too many tweets to your status update
- emailing too many pending friend request peeps
- having too many pending friend requests after maxing out at 5k

Facebook takes time. So, here's how to handle the site in 5 minutes a day. Now go forth and friend!!

1. update your status (most important if not importing tweets)
2. review news feed and comment
3. review requests
4. acknowledge birthdays
5. review notifications
6. review your profile
7. check your inbox

-posted by Justin

Tags: facebook, marismith, joelcomm