Tweet Etiquette

Posted on February 29, 2012 by E. Riley-Adams

Twitter has quickly become one of the most-used forms of social media around. It’s an online platform that allows people to connect via 140-character posts. It is quick, streamlined, and a fantastic way to make professional connections. If you’re new to the service, you may not be aware of the basic Twitter guidelines. So, we’ve put together a quick and dirty list of dos and don’ts:

Do state your profession in your bio. When you follow people, you do yourself an easy favor by mentioning your job in your Twitter “headline.” If your workplace has a Twitter handle, link to them. For example, you might write, “Account Planner @favoriteagency,” in addition to whatever defining characteristics you choose to mention. If your Twitter objective is professional network expansion, you may decide to keep your bio simple, with only your job title. That can be enough, just make sure you’re giving potential followers a point of identification from the get-go.

Do follow accounts related to your field. If you’re all about video games, follow Kotaku or Ars Technica. If you’re an organic farmer, check out The Community Farm and Organic News. Chances are, there will be a long list of fellow businesses and individuals that connect you to your desired field. When you follow them, you’ll be instantly informed on your professional world as soon as you log on to Twitter!

Don’t overdo it. Aim to tweet three to four times a day. More than that, and you clog your followers’ feed. Less, and you become irrelevant. But still, less is better than more. Consider your audience, and avoid bombarding them with your thoughts.

Photo © TheSupe87 – Fotolia.com

Business Trends For 2012

Posted on January 21, 2012 by J. L. Eisenberg

As we get in to the first months of the new year, many websites and companies have released their predictions for what will be big in the new year. Not surprisingly, the continuing expansion of personal technology as well as the growth of online everything tops the charts.

For small businesses, the increasing consumer expectation to be able to interact with merchants online means that they will have to allocate more and more of their budgets to online marketing. As a subsidiary effect of this, many business owners will begin to rely more heavily on technology to help to run their business.

For job seekers, it’s more important than ever to have a solid grounding in computer science and online marketing before applying for a job. Jobs that don’t require the ability to interact with online media in some way, shape, or form are becoming further and further between, and certainly less lucrative.

Furthermore, previously unheard-of positions will be created as companies continue to expand their social media presence. Things like “Twitter Manager” and “Facebook Content Developer” will become real and increasingly important positions within companies’ overall marketing departments.

One benefit (or downside, depending on how you look at it) of businesses moving increasingly online is an increased flexibility in working hours. If you’re sick of your 9-5, cubicle-based job, know that change may be rapidly on the way. Recent studies have shown that productivity increases when a certain amount of flexibility in hours and location is allowed; so many companies are looking to become more adaptable in their scheduling practices.

For the average worker, 2012 will be a year of internet-based projects and methods that will necessitate an increased awareness of the social media landscape.

Social Media And The Job Search

Posted on September 3, 2011 by R. A. M.

People aren’t really people anymore. They’re numbers in a fast moving universe of billions and billions of information characters. From Twitter to FaceBook to LinkedIn to web sites, dating sites, blog sites, commercial sites, pet sites, political sites (anything worse than this?), humanitarian sites and beyond, we’ve become sedentary globetrotters, armchair entrepreneurs who live, feel, and do business in ways even our parents, and certainly our grandparents never dreamed of.

Employment success in this global community requires a competent grasp of what is really going on. One needs to be able to Skype with charm and equanimity. One must be able to dance across multiple platforms and open windows with grace under pressure. The employment battlefield of today isn’t a lot unlike the now archaic battlefields of World War I; it’s just that the warfare is all in cyberspace.

To get good at this (if you aren’t already), take advantage of the number of on line courses and workshops being taught by Social Media experts. They can mentor you in getting the most out of your connections, links, and browsers. They can help you beef up your website, improve your graphics, and eliminate dead space you may not even be aware of. There are even companies online that claim to be able to restore your reputation if you need that done, and Google may have recently entered the reputation field with rumors of a new service called Google Me.

It’s a new world for workers, one in which we’re more isolated than ever and also more connected, more in each other’s face. Getting better at navigating this world is a must if you want to keep working.