Alberta Business Marketing

For travelers, getting advice from someone who has been there, done that has become second nature with traveler advice sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp!, Google Maps and others. But most of the time, we have no idea who those people are that are giving the advice.

Social Networking should be smarter
Is it someone like me? or are they someone with different values, interests and attitudes. I know I’ve seen reviews for places I’ve stayed that in no way reflect my experience.

It’s a foggy area that can make it difficult to interpret the relevance of travel reviews for me.  I want to know how much I have in common with the person leaving the reviewbefore assigning any level of credibility, validity or relevance.

The ideal travel review site would be a little more like LinkedIn and Twitter.

LinkedIn uses business connections to help me find people who are connected to people I know and easily network with people in my industry. Folks I’m connected to there have more in common with me than most, but the nature of my work, doesn’t fully define my interests and attitudes.

Twitter probably does the best job of finding people like me:
I’ve found quite a few people on Twitter, that I’ve later met in person and hit it off with from the get-go. I could have followed almost any early adopter on twitter and I would certainly have found a kindred spirit in the tech area, but these sort of connections clearly aren’t so easy for the non-techie. Twitters new “Suggestions of Users to Follow” tool may be a step in the right direction toward finding people who are a lot like me. Until now, twitter searches, twitter lists, Follow Friday advice has given me really neat, interesting people to follow, but it can be a lot of work. I wonder if Twitters algorithm, using people you follow and the people they follow as a starting point will offer users access to more people who are a lot like themselves.

Facebook integration with Travel Reviews

Many Facebook users I’m connected with have credibility and I trust their opinions because I already know most of the folks I follow there personally.  User profiles, photos, uploads, status updates and activities give me a good overall picture of any Facebook user’s interests and attitudes.

Wouldn’t it be great to connect my trusted sources to my upcoming trips?  Having my Facebook friends, Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections offer travel advice would be much more valuable than a collection of reviews whose credibility is in question.

As if in answer to this half-written blog post, along comes TripAdvisor TripFriends and Bootsnall Traveler Connect app.  Both connect with Facebook to enhance travel experiences.   TripFriends helps me connect with my Facebook friends to get advice from people I already know.  As Steve Kaufer, TripAdvisor founder says, “Get great travel advice from your friends before you go.”  Traveler Connect helps me find other travelers going to the same place I am, or connect with locals living there. According to Bootsnall founder Sean Keener, “I can ask travel questions, arrange to meet for a drink, and create some unique experiences not found in a guidebook.”

What’s Next for Travel Review sites?
I see a future where I’ll be able to get travel advice exclusively from people who share my outlook on the world.   Connecting all my social networks to travel reviews will take time, but these two projects are a great start.  Over time,  I’ll be able to quickly bring into focus the 10% of travel reviews that really mean something to me.

Have you seen any social network that comes closer to finding people like you than Twitter or LinkedIn?  Seen anything to rival the new TripAdvisor TripFriends and Bootsnall Traveler Connect projects?

Tags: bootsnall, Facebook, free web marketing stuff, social networking, traveler connect, tripadvisor, tripfriends
Posted in Social Marketing | | Comments Off

Does Facebook ever stop being in the Canadian news?  I am sure the guys at Facebook head office would wish the Canadian Privacy Commissioners office would just go away.  But, maybe the PR is something they enjoy as well.

Last week I shared with you some information I found in the Calgary Herald on the Canadian Privacy Commissioners latest challenges with the online giant, Facebook.  There is a buzz in the Canadian press right now on Facebook privacy, not sure if it actual real news or simply propaganda generated by the Privacy Commissioner’s office.

Here is what I think about this whole privacy debate.  Facebook still has never come to my Calgary home and put a gun to my head and said “Open an account or die”.  Even since I have been in the States they have never tracked me down to go through this registration ritual.  It is a total voluntary thing.  You open an account, you understand the risks associated, you agree by reading the terms and conditions…and away you guy.  You click upload, you click “like”, you click “share”….you do things, they don’t do things on your behalf.

Why the big mess about Facebook?  I haven’t seen any news in the US Papers this week about Facebook and privacy.  Is it only a Canadian concern?  Perhaps, is it valid…of course to some who have kids and perhaps they share every bit of information about what they are doing online.  Just like many, I am  disgusted that some pervert would take Facebook pictures of kids and post them on some website for him and his buddies to enjoy…but is that a fault of Facebook?

Actually, in a recent Facebook article from Vancouver Sun reporter Gillian Shaw, many online services are mentioned, not just Facebook.  Flickr and the list goes on.  Can Facebook tighten their security, of course…so can Microsoft, Apple and everyone else in the IT world.  But remember, you don’t have to be on Facebook to survive in today’s world.  You still elect to open your account.

I do recommend that you put online the files, pictures or status updates that you feel comfortable with.  This is what you get with a free service.  Want more security, want more privacy…it is time to open your wallet and maybe fork over a few dollars per month to ensure you have the heightened security you are comfortable with.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook has been quoted in the papers and stating he doesn’t believe in privacy.  I think privacy in the free online community is long gone as well.  No one wants to take ownership of privacy, so they leave everything wide open…it is the wild west in the social media world today.  I think we need to get over it or simply turn off the computer.  Like I said, no one is holding a gun to your head forcing you to create an account, post pictures and share information.

Here is an interesting email that came from a friend in the nursing industry in Ontario.  Their licensing agency is also concern professionally about the whole online world…driving professionals underground!

Unfortunately being a nurse and being out here on a public forum don’t always go together. The College of Nurses, the regulatory body, that issues our licenses to us each year sees our professional and private lives as a bit of a grey area, especially when it comes to social networking.  It is for this reason that I have decided to merge my two face-book accounts. I have one under my pen-name and one under my birth name. Now they’ll both be under my pen-name.

Where do you stand with this whole online privacy thing? Would love to hear what you have to say?

Tags: Calgary, Calgary Herald, College of Nurses, Criticism of Facebook, Facebook, Facebook Beacon, Facebook Inc, founder, free online community, Gillian Shaw, Human Interest, Internet privacy, Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft Corporation, nurse, online giant, online privacy thing, Online social networking, online world, Ontario, privacy, Privacy Commissioner, reporter, Social information processing, social media world, Social network service, social networking, Technology/Internet, the Calgary Herald, the Canadian news, the Canadian press, Vancouver Sun, World Wide Web
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off

Is social media right for your business? I really don’t know unless I know what your goals and objectives are for your business.  Also it is important to understand who is your target market is and perhaps the biggest question, are people using social media services looking for what you have to sell?

I recently read an article by a Calgary Social Media Support Specialist on why your Calgary business needs to be on social media.  I have respect for the author of this article however I need to share my views on why the article is leading a typical small business owner down the wrong path when it comes to social media.  I really don’t agree with this article at all and to be honest it is pretty standard for a lot of the junk out there today.  It is this sort of FUD which is leaving many business owners uncertain about social media and the purpose of social networking in their business.

Social Media in my opinion is important but it is not for everyone.  This is where our team at Ulistic helps Realtors, small business owners, IT Professionals and many other types of business understand your entire online marketing strategy.  Not to toot our own horn too much, but we are business people first, teachers and educators second, consultants third and then somewhere deep in the order of priority, guys who understand social media.  We use social media in our business but it is NOT for what many of our peers in the industry will try to tell you.

The author of this article talks over and over about building followers, lists of friends and great connections.  True, social media can do this for the selected few.  But, let’s be real, the average person really only has about 25 followers on Twitter, about the same on LinkedIn and maybe 100 friends on Facebook from their high school and college days.

One other items the author talks about is that your competitors are beating you out of customers because of social media. If you are losing customers it is because of your lack of service or a sales/marketing delivery not because of social media is winning them away.  Yes, a client may read a post and follow a link to an article, but think about it, if you are giving exceptional service what do you have to worry about?

Online marketing is more than social media.

Social media is just one small component of your overall online marketing strategy for your business.  I am not saying you should ignore it as social media does have a place in your business.  However if you focus on your blogs, Google reviews, your marketing website and your own personal network, social media strategies can fit in very naturally and actually support what you are doing in your marketing activities.

This is what we strive to achieve for everyone who engages with us at Ulistic.  Service comes first and our mentoring and coaching program helps every business understand what needs to be a priority and what are nice to have, according to your goals, objectives and desired outcomes.  If some consultant says you need to be on social media or you will go out of business, without sitting down with you and understanding your business first, turn around and run away really fast.

Also, the last myth to squash, social media may help on some search rankings.  A great blog, an awesome website, your business articles and engaging in the online community will help you more than simply sending out a few tweets, putting someone else’s link on your Facebook page or posting a someone else’s story in your LinkedIn group.

Learn the truth about social media for business by contact Ulistic today.

Tags: author, Blog hosting services, Business/Finance, Calgary, Consultant, Facebook, Facebook Inc, Google Inc., LinkedIn Ltd, media services, online community, online marketing strategy, Online social networking, personal network, search rankings, Social information processing, social media, Social network service, social networking, Support Specialist, The Facebook Era, Twitter, Twitter Inc, web 2.0, World Wide Web
Posted in Marketing, Online Marketing | | Comments Off

Over the past couple of days I have had many discussions with people about the importance of having a presence online.  My peers and I understand the importance of having a great blog, a website which attracts conversion and even a Facebook account however one of the other key discussion points is around “human interaction”.  What do I mean by “human interaction”?.

Sure, many will argue that email, Facebook or Twitter maybe interacting with other humans and it is very easy to get sucked into sitting on your laptop 18 hours a day, typing and sending email after email, perhaps you are a supervisor who elects to bark electronic commands to those we lead and maybe you are in sales and would rather send out your quotes via email or some other electronic mechanism never to meet with a client/prospect face-to-face.

Yes, I understand that I am a web marketing consultant and our team at Ulistic understands the importance of having your business online, but aligned with your business requirements and objectives.  It must be balanced.  We have to sometimes get up from our keyboard and perhaps pick up a telephone, go for coffee or simply go for a walk and stop by to meet someone.

I also get lazy from time to time using the Internet, email and social networking to communicate and then think…what would happen if I simply pick up the phone and stop typing?

Tags: Business/Finance, E-mail, Facebook, Facebook Inc, Human Interest, Internet, online activities, Online social networking, Social information processing, Social network service, social networking, Stuart's ramblings, technology, Technology/Internet, web marketing, web marketing consultant, World Wide Web
Posted in Communication | | Comments Off

18 hours per week the average Canadian spend online.

I think I spend 18 hours or more each day online.  Since I work and own a vibrant Calgary Internet Marketing Consulting firm, well I should be online most of my day.  My word processor is online, my email sits in a data centre somewhere in the world and you want to catch up with what I am doing…tune into my online services.

My fellow Canadians are now tuning into YouTube and other online video sources to get their video entertainment, hurting the television advertising industry.  Canadians are shift their viewing to online media vs. cable television and of course fueling a heated debate about a so-called TV Tax we are facing here in Canada.  This unrest in the cable TV community and the traditional television networks such as Global, CBC or CTV are causing many Canadians to review the value of our modern-day television services.

What do you think?

Are you turning to online resources to watch video or even traditional television programs?

During CBC’s National, Peter Mansbridge reported about a family who has completely cancelled their cable service and switched completely to the Internet for their online television or video watching.  Bypassing the traditional advertisers and the parents actually claim they can even control the content being viewed in their home.

Social networking is consuming Canadians time, efforts and attention span.  We saw reports this week about Facebook, Twitter and other services are now part of people’s daily routine.  Social Media is woven into the fabric of almost every Canadians life, many checking Facebook first thing in the morning and just before they go to bed.

Why are we still trying to figure out if Social Media is something we need to get involved with?

Combine this with iPhones and other smart telephones and now…well the world is truly connected.

Tags: Blog software, Cable TV, Calgary Internet Marketing Consulting, canada, Compagnie Generale de Batiment et de Construction, CTV Inc, Facebook, Facebook Inc, Internet, Mass media, online media vs. cable television, Online social networking, online television, online video sources, Peter Mansbridge, Social information processing, social media, Social Media Ventures Inc, social networking, Technology/Internet, television advertising industry, television networks, television services, Twitter Inc, web 2.0, word processor, World Wide Web, YouTube Inc
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off