50 Best Websites 2010

From the helpful to the distracting, the big hitters to the unknowns, TIME offers a road map to the best of the Web

Music & Video

• Vimeo
• Movieclips
• Grooveshark
• MOG
• Labuat

Sports

• Sports-Reference
• Rotoworld
• Yardbarker
• Total Pro Sports
• Citizen Sports

Family & Kids

• Design Mom
• Serious Eats
• Babble
• Etsy
• Sesame Street

News & Info

• Guardian
• The Onion
• The Daily Beast
• National Geographic
• WikiLeaks

Financial & Productivity

• Mint
• Wikinvest
• StockMapper
• Springpad
• Wakerupper

Shopping & Travel

• Groupon
• Gilt Groupe
• Rent the Runway
• Stay
• SeatGuru

Health & Fitness

• Keas
• Mayo Clinic
• Walk Jog Run
• Exercise TV
• Fit by Fun

Social Media

• Gowalla
• Foodspotting
• LinkedIn
• StockTwits
• Tumblr

Games

• Kongregate
• Cactus Squid
• Pogo
• Newgrounds
• Games.com

Education

• Livemocha
• Chegg
• MIT OpenCourseWare
• Read Print
• TED

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2012721,00.html#ixzz0y8lrUmqq

Good article to archive on my blog

In the same breath, you can’t run a business without running social media.

Social Media Marketing is big.  And it’s hear to stay.

How can you be relevant?  By getting involved, of course.

And the truth is, it doesn’t have to be foreign.  I’m not going to say it’s easy, but by all means it is doable.

1. Be consistent. You will need to add something online in order to be heard. Just like going on a diet, it is not going to work if you don’t stick to the plan.  So make Facebook posts, Twitter updates, and blog entries all part of your daily habit.
2. Be frugal.Social marketing is the easiest way to reach the target potential customers at the lowest cost, compared to other media options. To keep this cost low in the long run prepare your best before you begin the campaign.
3. Be original. Have something interesting to add to the debate. Do more than just plug your company and offer coupons or deals.  Instead, add value by providing interesting stories, helpful hints, or ways to engage with your company.
4. Be a storyteller. Everybody loves a good story. Especially on the web. Post video content, stories, highlight individuals. Whatever it takes to be interesting and of positive human interest.
5. Be prepared. You want a campaign that is going to reach all layers of the potential market. A campaign that can work offline as well as online.  A campaign that will tie in to the mission, values, goals, and objectives of your organization.  So plan ahead before proceeding willy nilly on the Internet.  Make sure you are working towards a larger campaign strategy.

Your credibility and branding depends on the value you deliver through your social media strategy.

Like anything else in life: the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

It is more than a mere business item – it is an extension of your whole customer service delivery.

And finally, don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  On the Internet, they are cheaper and easily corrected.

All part of a good social media strategy

Social Media Week is a multi-city global conference connecting people, content and conversations around emerging trends in social and mobile media.

Dozens of free events hosted at iconic locations all over the city will bring together CEO’s, entrepreneurs, journalists, bloggers, brand managers, CMO’s, social media strategists, artists, activists and the technology/media digerati. 

Events will  span a vari­ety of for­mats, rang­ing from talks, pre­sen­ta­tions and panel dis­cus­sions, to inter­ac­tive work­shops, sem­i­nars, net­work­ing events and drinks recep­tions. Some will be free, oth­ers will have an admis­sion charge. Some will be put on by mar­ket­ing groups, oth­ers by non­prof­its and social change orga­ni­za­tions.

The media and event partners have included the New York Times, Porter Novelli, IDEO, MoMA, Sony, Time Inc., Razorfish and more.

But don’t read my boring old blog.  Learn more about it directly at the site – http://www.socialmediaweek.org/losangeles

Social Media Week L.A.!

Why should anybody follow you?

I’ll have to admit, I’m always a little shocked/amazed/appreciative/skeptical whenever I gain a new follower on Twitter.  It is not always in that order, but it is true that I love to have the followers, but I wonder why they want to follow me.  What do I have to offer that people really want to hear about?

Up to this point in time, one of the best uses of Twitter is to establish or enhance a brand’s perception by playing the role of an expert. Instead of endless updates about what you’re doing right now, or what you’re thinking right now, you can add real value by providing an interesting link, or an interesting story, or something that people might actually care to know about.

Or you can just be a celebrity. Or an athlete.  That seems to be the surest way to gain a lot of followers.

But the majority of us are not star athletes. Or celebrities. Or even subject matter experts, for that matter.

So how do the rest of us gain followers?

1. Choose to be an expert.  Of course, the first step is the hardest step.  You have to be totally focused on a single subject.  I don’t care what it is.  For people who an interest in  a lot of different things, you will have to make tough decisions.  But if you want to have a voice on Twitter, then you have to have an expert voice.
2. Develop your credibility. Again, this is done by being focused, and being interesting.  Connect with others in the field by following their pages, and by directly commenting on their pages. Try to get them to follow you as well.   Engage in conversation.
3. Be useful. Post to links of interesting articles in your subject field. Add value to the conversation. Even more importantly, start the conversation. Never post about the last meal you ate, or what restaurants you like.  (Unless, of course, you are an expert in food and/or the restaurant business.)
4. Be original. Always post original content.  Always. Why? Because a retweet is an acknowledgment that someone else had something valuable to say. I want people to follow me, and if all I do is re-tweet, then I am the follower.  This is very important. It can be tough to always post original and interesting thoughts in 140 characters, but that is why you are the expert.
5. Be patient. These things don’t happen overnight.  Be patient and persistent and the followers will come.  And good things will happen.  I promise.

So boldly go forth in the land of Twitter, find your voice, gather your followers, and provide everyone with some interesting food for thought.

And if you want more food for thought, here is my twitter page – www.twitter.com/gbcherry

Follow the birdy

2) They are not spammy. Don’t just promote your site links; share something insightful about your company or product. Don’t send out the same message to your community. It is spam…and it is very annoying to them. Even to you. Admit it.

3) They provide value. Value can come in the both physical and mental forms. Effective campaigns provide value in any or both of these regards.

4) They are well branded. Clothe your campaign from head to toe with your company’s identity. Use your logo, your USP or slogans, your colors, and any other thing that defines your business’s identity. Add your brand to every video you produce; don’t add just your website address.

5) They are measured. You need to track your social media marketing efforts. Whether you install Google Analytics on your Facebook fan page or you use Post rank to measure your effectiveness, make sure you work with the data.

6) They have excellent copy. Leave a positive impression in just a few words. Using big vocabulary is not the way to go; making sense is what matters.

7) They don’t ‘sell’. Instead of selling, you should work at generating leads with your social media campaign. Sell to those leads later on.

8 ) They build relationships. Don’t just broadcast. Interact. Building relationships  helps build even more relationships. It also increases the perception of value and builds loyalty.

9) They build trust. Be as honest in your campaign as possible. Trust is very hard to earn back once lost. Your campaign should build and maintain trust in your build.

10) They are innovative. Regular campaigns mostly go unnoticed. Innovation adds ‘flavor’ to your campaign. It is the aroma of your campaign and the one thing that will convince most people to take action.

11) They have ears. Your campaign will not be successful unless you listen for feedback. People may have something to say so listen and show appreciation or let them know you are working on it. Never delete a negative feedback.

12) They are well organized. Your campaign needs to be well planned. It should have a first step and an nth step (where n is the number of the last step). Follow through from step 1 through to step n. Don’t go from step one to step 3 to step 2. Plan your steps well so it is easy to follow through step 1 to the last step.

13) They are maintained by humans. Don’t rely on automation when it comes to marketing on the social web. It just won’t work. Besides, it destroys trust. Put a human being in front of, in-between and behind all your social media campaigns. I want to talk to a human being not a robot.

14) They are consistent. You need to be consistent with your update (or broadcast) schedules and interact with people who leave replies and comments. If you broadcast once a week and change to 5 times a day, people will begin to question your actions. Unless you give them good reason why you have changed your schedule.

15) They have bait. You need to have some sort of bait to convert visitors into leads. Try eBooks, free products, white papers, discount codes, samples, free vouchers, et cetera. Bait them to get them .

16) They use leverage. They leverage the subscriber bases of their communities and other people’s communities. They also leverage their company strengths.

17) They include a blog. I suggest you have a business blog before you start your campaign. Your blog should be the hub of your social media campaign efforts. Make you install social media sharing buttons to make it easier for others to share your blog’s content.

18) They engage other blogs. You can do this too. Apply as a guest writer for blogs in your target market. Read blogs in your niche and leave thoughtful comments (not just a “thank you”).

19) They are not everywhere. If you want your campaigns to be successful, don’t register for an account on every social media site. That will only burn you out and your campaigns will be fruitless.

20) They have humor. Adding humor to marketing is a cool way of saying “we are a friendly business”. It makes your marketing memorable. A priceless result.

21) They share company events. If your company is being bad mouthed, tell your customers about it. Tell them the truth in it and the lies. Don’t give them the chance to second guess your company. If your company is nominated for an award, tell your community about it. If your company wins the award, tell them. If you lose the award, tell them.

22) They integrate offline marketing. Print some T-Shirts, with your logo, Twitter handle, Facebook fan page URL and your slogan on it and give them out to your customers. Send out paper printed catalogs to your online leads. Add your Twitter and Facebook URLs to your contact address. Integrate offline with online.

23) They use the right networks. Even though Facebook supports videos, video campaigns will do better on Youtube than on Facebook.

24) They use photos and videos. Photos and videos leave a lasting impression on peoples’ minds. The best photo you can use is your logo. When you make a video, put your logo on it.

25) They have a call to action. What is the essence of a marketing campaign without having a call to action of some sort? I suggest you use your social marketing campaigns to generate leads before trying to sell anything. By the way, “signup below” and “call us now” are not the only call to action examples. “Click to view our portfolio” is an example of call to action. Your call to actions must follow a sequence; from your homepage to the last page.

What I got was 295 options for social networking sites to bookmark the article to.

295 Options!

Are you kidding me?

Bookmark & Share

Top of Form:

1. 100zakladok
2. 2 Tag
3. 2linkme
4. 7Live7.com
5. A1‑Webmarks
6. Add.io
7. Adifni
8. aero
9. All My Faves
10. Amazon
11. Amen Me!
12. AOL Lifestream
13. AOL Mail
14. Arto
15. Ask
16. Aviary Capture
17. Baang
18. Baidu
19. Bebo
20. Bentio
21. BiggerPockets
22. Bit.ly
23. bizSugar
24. Bleetbox
25. Blinklist

And the list just keeps going and going….

The show will be called Dwaynebook, and it will star stand-up comedian Dwayne Perkins (pictured right), who did a half-hour special for Comedy Central back in 2003. You can see pictures and listen to clips of his stand-up routines for free at his website.

Perkins’s manager Matt Schuler (he’s also sharing executive production duties) compares the show to green-screen talk shows like The Soupand Tosh.0.

Dwaynebook will also have sketches featuring regular characters who are fictional staff members of the show. We’re reminded of The Daily Show’s stable of fake correspondents, but they won’t all be reporters; one character will be “a sexy research assistant who was hired because of her looks and makes the rest of the show’s staff nervous,” according to The Wrap.

Just the pilot has been ordered, so there’s no guarantee the show will air. TV networks order dozens of pilots each season to get a sense of what new shows would be like, but they only turn a few into new series and air them. The pilot will begin shooting on August 29.

From: Mashable News

Dwaynebrook TV Show

Planning and organizing a social media campaign – from conception to delivery – requires several different factors and issues to consider.

1. Who is the target audience? An analysis of the consumer and end user.
2. What are you trying to achieve? An analysis of achievable goals
3. What is the message? Create a compelling story and narrative.
4. What are the methods? In social media, execution is always key.

The underlying principles behind any successful social media campaign still apply – compelling content and an authentic voice.  A campaign can take on many different forms. Here are several popular formats and ideas for online campaigns:

1. Online games – games can range from simple trivia questions, to more complicated applications like Office Max Elf Yourself, which used the JibJab technology of pasting your head on a dancing elf
2. Online contests – like games, contests take on many forms.  With platforms like Facebook, contests are easier to organize, disseminate, and track. These campaigns will vary in success, depending upon the attractiveness of your offer.
3. Free giveaways – they existed well before the time of the Internet.  But because of the rise of social media, especially Twitter, giveaways are easier and more viral than ever before. Nothing spreads faster than a 24-hour giveaway that is seen on Twitter.
4. Customer surveys & soliciting user feedback – once upon a time they used focus groups.  Now with social media applications, companies are soliciting feedback in real time…all the time.  Find a way to organize these forums to elicit constructive feedback.  A survey is still a great way to reach your target users and gain valuable feedback.
5. Align with a higher purpose – there is a great trend towards conscience purchasing, doing good, and pro-social action, especially in the next generation.  Savvy companies are taking part.  Target’s Facebook Challenge was effective in using social media to power social networks for change.

I believe that in social media, the golden rule always applies. “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.” If a campaign isn’t compelling to you, the same goes for your audience.  If it doesn’t feel authentic to you, then others will know as well.  Don’t be sneaky or spammy.  It helps to first share things with colleagues and friends to get feedback before going mainstream.

And don’t be afraid to take chance.  Besides the golden rule, there is another, more common sense rule that applies to social media – “Nobody knows anything.”

I find that to be a comforting thought.

So many campaigns, so little time.

What’s even more amazing is that just two months ago they passed the 15th billion tweet. And if you subscribe to Moore’s Law of exponential growth, then two months from now they will be passing the 30th billion tweet.

According to Twitter, they currently have 105 million registered users, and are expanding by 300,000 users per day. They reported seeing  roughly 50 million Tweets per day, or 600 tweets per second.

In other words, register now if you want any chance of owning a good user name.

And for all of those people out there still wondering what Twitter is all about, you better learn fast, because it is clearly here to stay (for a while, at least).

The whale that is Twitter

I do have some questions about the report though.  When it says social networking, I assume the majority of that time is dedicated to Facebook.  I wonder if YouTube is considered social networking, or if that is considered Videos/movies.  And search is #7 on the list.  And I suppose that makes sense.  I go to the Google site many times each day to conduct search, but I never spend too much time there, while I spend a lot of time on Facebook when I go there.

One thing that this report does not account for is Porn and pornographic material.  Which makes me wonder who is in fact is being studied here.  Because if it is in fact a study of all Americans, then I would assume Pornography would fall somewhere in the Top 10, if not necessarily at the top. As it stands now, this report looks suspiciously like the activity of teenagers, who will play a lot more games and spend all day on Facebook or MySpace.

So the report still remains questionable, although it does spark an interesting debate about our use of the Internet in general.