Alberta Business Marketing

Are you attending an event?  Putting on a show?  Twitter now has a feature which enables your posts to be identified with your location.  Not your exact location unless the third-party application like Foursquare or Yelp.  Twitter’s location service will identify the community or public building you just tweeted from.

In order to use this feature when it comes to Canada, you must turn “Add a location to your tweets” on within your profile settings.

So far this feature is only available in the United States.

What do you think about all this location aware stuff happening with social media services?

For more information on how this service effects Twitter for business in Calgary or even your hobby tweets visit http://twitter.zendesk.com/forums/26810/entries/78525

Tags: Blog hosting services, Calgary, canada, Entertainment/Culture, foursquare, Online social networking, Real-time web, Social Issues, social media, social media services, Twitter, Twitter Inc, United States, web 2.0, World Wide Web
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Has this ever happened to you?  You go to your Chamber of Commerce luncheon or networking event and out of the blue some guy in a slick and shiny suit gives you their business card for no reason at all telling you to call them if you need to buy whatever they have to push.  I have to ask, why are you giving me your card and what makes you think I will do business with you in the first place?

I have been following some of the networking tips shared by Bob Burg over the past little while about networking etiquette and what is acceptable bahaviour when it comes to handing out your business card at events, lunches etc.  Well, according to all the experts and networking gurus they state “never give out your card until someone asks for it”.  Good advice in my opinion.

This same approach can spill over to the online world.  Especially one of my favourite business to business sites, LinkedIn.  Why do some people reach out to you when you really have no relationship?  There are legitimate people out there looking for help or advice, great this is what social networking is all about.  Some maybe looking to sell to you, this is what social networking is not about.

Therefore, if you are reaching out to sell something using online social technologies, don’t.  If you are looking at linking up with some to build a network, share experiences, share client needs or seek help or advice….make sure you state that in your request.  You will have a better chance of successfully building your online and face-to-face networks.

Don’t through your card in someone’s face…wait for them to ask for it.

Tags: bob burg, Business/Finance, collaboration, Human Interest, linkedin, LinkedIn Ltd, online and face-to-face networks, Online social networking, online social technologies, Social information processing, Social Issues, Social network service, social networking, social networking sites, social technologies, Stuart's ramblings, Technology/Internet, World Wide Web
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I sometimes feel like I am drinking from a firehouse or hearing the guy next to me shout with his megaphone (that isn’t you Dave) when it comes to social media and the importance of having an effective social media strategy in business.

Before I start with strategy I need to figure out the social landscape. Has it really changed?  I want to say it hasn’t but my gut keeps telling me it has.  What are we trying to achieve with our business in the online, digital connected, everyone googles and searches for information world that we live in.

I think Chris Brogan is right, trust is the cornerstone

Trust has to plays  crucial role in all business interactions including the online world plus when we meet at the Chamber of Commerce, our networking clubs or in the lineup at Calgary CO-OP.  Trust in an amazing thing win your grant a trusted relationship, from you guys reading this blog to the folks that are calling your business after reading a blog post you have crafted.

Is it social media?  Or is this plain ole business acumen?  What has spurred the flurry of interest in social media in the past 6 to 18 months?  Is it the availability and the free tools which is driving?  Would we have this amount of interest if you had to pay $10 each month for a Twitter account?  Kinda goes against our “free mindset” in today’s world.

Over the past few days I have been trying to figure out the social online landscape and perhaps I am a further step ahead since I spoke at the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce about social media in Airdrie and social media in Calgary.  Each day I feel that I am another step closer to figuring this all out.  Oh yeah, thanks Leslie for your help.

What is the Social Landscape theory?

• Social Media
• Social Networking
• Social Technologies
• Social Currency

My goal is over the next few days to expand on these areas.  I am continuing to have a number of A-HA moments as my mind begins to focus on how businesses can use the entire social landscape to win new opportunities in the marketplace, become a voice in the community and share knowledge and information.

The big question that I still get asked is, how does business monetize when using the social landscape?  Not sure if this is small thinking though and the bigger question is how can our business become the thought leader, the online connector and the place people come for information.  Will social currency reap ongoing rewards?  Can we practice online what my good friend Bob Burg mentions in his “Endless Referrals” book?

More thought is needed….

Tags: Airdrie Chamber of Commerce, Behavior, Behavioural sciences, bob burg, Business/Finance, Calgary, Chris Brogan, online connector, online world, Psychology, reputation management, Social information processing, Social Issues, Social Landscape, social media, social media strategy, social online landscape, Social psychology, trust, Twitter Inc, USD
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