Blogging

You should be able to plan an editorial calendar so that you can use the same information in multiple platforms in the manner best suited for that platform. Here’s an example.

• Write a blog post
• Tweet a link to it in the morning
• Share it on your LinkedIn status
• Add it to your email newsletter
• Post it on Google+ in the morning, and in and Facebook later in the day

If you plan all that ahead of time, you can get quite a bit of mileage from one item. If you’re just writing and tweeting randomly, you’re wasting time. That said, I don’t recommend posting the same exact information (for instance, a tweet in Facebook and LinkedIn). You still have to vary the message to fit the platform.

For bloggers, I think you have to be everywhere. That’s why it’s so important to plan content and how and when to distribute it. You really need to stretch those postings as far and wide as possible.

Personal Branding

Let’s say that you don’t have a blog, but you want to build your professional reputation nonetheless. Here are some ideas for you.

• Answer a question in a LinkedIn group once or twice a week – but not more than once per day. And not in the same group. You don’t want to overdo it in LinkedIn. Don’t be a know-it-all in the groups or take over your connections’ newsfeeds. While it’s important to be visible in this platform, be careful so as not to wear out your welcome. Make each post worth people’s time. Don’t put anything out just to have something. Be picky. Would you rather be known as someone that talks relentlessly and aimlessly just to be heard, or do you prefer to have people listen in when you say something because you don’t always do so, and when you do, it’s great info to help them as well as their companies or followers. To me, this is an example of perhaps having a better ROI by not posting all the time. While you might need to be everywhere on multiple social platforms, you don’t have to be everywhere all the time. That saves you time right there. It’s not all-or-nothing on all platforms.

• Read blogs relevant to your industry and periodically leave thoughtful, helpful comments. Bloggers usually make their posts and comments available via RSS feeds, so your comments may be shared that way. If a blogger has an email newsletter, they likely include their blog posts. I’ve also seen people tweet that they’ve commented on a post and provide a link to the blog post. That also benefits the blogger, and not just for traffic. It shows that their blog is worthy of review and comment. Look for ways to make your various social postings a win-win for multiple people. Do you want to post just anything, or post something that potentially helps someone else as well?

• Tweet articles of interest to your followers throughout the day. Focus on the morning, though. Post your best content then and include a hashtag. That way, you’re more likely to be included in someone’s daily Twitter paper. Find one that you’d like to be in periodically and see when it publishes. Then post your best links at least an hour before it publishes. Catch all the time zones for your topic or industry, but find out the best times. You can schedule these ahead of time. So set aside an hour or so a week to research and find articles to tweet. Look for share-worthy content. Find content that others will want to RT: help make them look good to their followers. You can find all these and schedule tweets to go out automatically at a time and day you specify. So, are you going to tweet just anything, or find something of value that people can share or perhaps get you visibility in someone’s paper? Twitter, I think, benefits from daily work. This one is worth putting time into each day.

• Post the best of your best tweet content in Google+ several times a week. Facebook is more geared for general interest, I think, while Google+ has more of a business audience. I think of G+ as Facebook for business, essentially. That’s my take, anyway.

In this case, is Facebook really necessary? Pinterest? Perhaps not. Quora: perhaps. For personal branding, I’d focus primarily on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. Perhaps at some point, a YouTube channel might also be helpful. Facebook really depends on the situation. I wouldn’t rule it out entirely.

All Scenarios

If you are just randomly tossing information up on the web, you are wasting time, my friend. Be smart. Be strategic. Plan, analyze, and then plan some more. Then start implementing your strategy.

I have more thoughts on this topic. You can find them in these posts:

Content Strategy for Blogs and Social

7 Critical Factors for Determining a Twitter Strategy

POP3 Email

Post Office Protocol 3

If you run Outlook or something similar on your computer, you’d likely set up your email accounts as POP3 accounts. When you access email that way, you download the email from your webhost’s server whenever you send and receive messages. There is an important option to consider when configuring your POP3 accounts: whether or not to leave a copy of email messages on the server.

• Do not leave a copy on the server

When you access your email, all the messages are downloaded to your computer. Once that occurs, they are deleted from the server. The only place you’ll find those messages, then, is on your computer in Outlook or a similar program.

If you choose this option, be sure to back up your email file periodically. Once your messages are off the server, they’re gone.

• Leave a copy on the server

When you access your email, the messages are both downloaded to your computer and saved on the server. This provides you with double coverage. Also, it enables you to access older emails if you’re away from your computer or accessing email from a device such as a tablet or phone.

There’s one thing to remember with this option, however. If you use both a POP3 account on your computer and access email through the web, you should take note of where you compose messages to send. They won’t show up in Sent Mail folders in both places. That is, if you send an email from your computer POP3 account in Outlook, it will be stored in the Sent Mail folder there. It will not show up in the Sent Mail folder on the server (webmail), as it didn’t orginate there. And vice-versa. Messages sent in webmail are stored in that Sent Mail folder, but not on your computer.

Tip: One thing I do to get around that is to send a copy of the message to my email address. That way, it’s in both places. This is also an excellent option if you have multiple people using the same account. By sending responses to something and including a copy to the email account, everyone can see that message no matter where they are, no matter what device they’re using to view the message, no matter the location from which the message was sent.

IMAP: Server-based Webmail

Internet Message Access Protocol

With webmail, you can access your email account from anywhere. From any device. Your phone, a tablet, your computer, your laptop – whatever. You log in to your email via the Internet.

Messages are stored on the webhost’s server.  They remain there until you delete them, or download them to you computer without opting to save them on the server. A host may have other space requirements as well, so that’s something to look into.

Some hosts offer several options for reviewing webmail: SquirrelMail, RoundCube, and Horde.  Some hosts have their own interface set up. For some  hosts, you may also have to pay extra for spam filters. That usually doesn’t cost too much.

All hosts should and likely have webmail access available. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t, but if they don’t, look for a different host.

…………

Those are the two main configuration and access options. Webmail is just there, ready to use. You’ll have to configure some settings, but you shouldn’t have to purchase any software to use it. POP3 on your computer likely requires purchase of software. Just keep in mind that if you use POP3 in an app on your computer, be sure you have your server settings as you want them: to save or delete messages from the server. Happy reading!

Before you make any decision, however, review everything I’ve listed here and do some research.  If you already have a business name, but haven’t yet set up any websites or social platforms, you should still review these items I’ve listed below.  It’s important to look at as much as possible and think about the future before making a decision.

This is something you really can’t ignore. You need to get your name out there and establish yourself online before someone else does.  If they have a similar name and do all the social media research I’ve listed below, and you’re not there, guess what? They may set something up and essentially be able to claim names everywhere. You’d end up being the one that has to adjust your name in Twitter and other places instead of them. That would limit you, no doubt. I’d like to clarify: I’m not advocating name-squatting. I’m suggesting that you be proactive and establish your existing company in various online platforms. Be ready to go, and once you set up accounts everywhere, start using them.

Business Name

If you don’t already have a business name, you’ll need to come up with one and research it to see if it’s in use or not. Also, think about trademarks and companies with the same or similar names.

Domain

Look it up. If there’s already a company with that name that also has an extensive online presence, you’ll want to know that before making your decision. See what their company provides. You also need to know if it’s something very different from your product or service, which would confuse any potential customer looking for what your company provides. You also need to see what another company’s online reputation is.  In this day and age, with the danger of social media mistakes very high and potentially extremely damaging to a company’s image, you need to know if someone else has a similar name or the same one in case it might reflect poorly on your company at some point in the future. You absolutely need to be proactive here.

• Check in Google and the search engines.
• Type in a URL with that name in the browser. Try .com, .net, and .org. Type in a similar name. If you don’t purchase all those domains, someone might swoop in and use your name under a different extension.
• Check Whois. Even if a domain doesn’t have a website, it may be taken. Always check Whois for current information, and to see when a domain might expire. Whois is (pronounced Who-is) is the ICANN domain record. ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It’s the ruling body of domain names.

Twitter

This is one of the more important social platforms, I think. There are also some important considerations to keep in mind.

Character limit: 15

Considerations: Make the name as short as possible to make it easier to include on retweets. Longer names take up much more space in a tweet. It’s not always possible to go with a short name, but do the best you can.

There are two parts to Twitter names: the username and the name. The username is the @name listing. The name is the listing that accompanies it. For example, here’s my Twitter profile. The username is @TailoredThought. The name is Tailored Thoughts.

There’s an ongoing great debate in the Twitterverse about what name to use where. For example, if you’re a small business, the question is this: do you put your company name as the name, or your own? Do you put a picture of yourself there, or a logo? An argument you’ll hear from one side is that people think it’s impersonal if there’s a logo and not a picture. The thinking is “I want to do business with a person, not a company logo.” I think it’s fine to use a logo and company name. It depends on the situation, IMO. I’ll explain with a few examples.

A tale of two of my Twitter accounts

• 2moroDocs: I set this up with same name in both places. I use a logo instead of a picture of me. So, over time, I’ve built a brand. It’s for my blog name, not me personally. While people came to know me as the person behind the account, I elected to keep the logo in place and used it for both the username and name.

• Tailored Thoughts: This is my company. I set up the site and Twitter account later. For this one, I use my picture instead of my logo. Plus I use the company name in both spots. One reason is that the 15-character limit forced me to shorten my name. After much agonizing, I decided to go with the company name in both. I want to build name recognition for that, not for me – particularly since I’m already and also known for 2moroDocs. There also was not an easy way to shorten the username. I wanted to get the actual company name in my profile, so put it as the name. By using my picture instead of logo, though, it puts a more personal edge on my profile.  I also include my name in the bio on all my Twitter accounts, so people should be able to search for and find me – and all my accounts and sites. I may replace my photo with my logo at some point, though. I’m not sure I like seeing my picture all the time. So that’s another consideration.

Other situations and examples

• It’s just you. Your Twitter account is one piece of your personal online presence.
• You’re a one-person business that provides services geared toward individuals

In this case, it might make more sense to use your name and photo. If you are your business, then by all means, go with that. Think about business people that are considered experts in their fields and are well-known speakers. If you’re building your own presence outside of your company, then use your name and photo. (In this situation, you probably would want to add a disclaimer such as “these tweets are my own and don’t reflect my employer’s opinions.”

• You have a company that you’re building a brand for.
• You might hire employees at some point.
• You plan on expansion at some point.
• You’ve designed a snazzy logo that you want people to recognize at a glance.
  

In these situations, I’d definitely go with a logo and company name in both places. Why tie your brand and Twitter account to one person when you’ll likely expand? There are also examples of people that established quite a following and reputation while tweeting for a company. When they left the company, they took their huge number of  followers with them. In one situation, this even went to court. Would all the trouble have ensued if that person had tweeted under a company logo and name instead of their own? Who owns the account? That’s a very serious question you need to answer. Remember: it can take a very long time to build a following in Twitter. So determine your plan before you set up the account. Make sure that your brand’s online presence doesn’t walk out the door when an employee does.

Tip: Search for existing names in Twitter.com itself. Then you can search and see if the name is in use. This is critically important, as there may be a similar name in use (or a variation of yours) that differs in values from your own. Of course, if it’s your business name or your personal name, there’s not much you can do, but it’s best to check anyway. If you have a business name already which is fairly long, you can perhaps abbreviate it somehow in Twitter. If the name is taken, you can create one with an underscore.

It doesn’t work as well to search in an app such as Hootsuite, as a list of accounts with potentially the same name as yours, or one similar, isn’t possible to see.

Changing your Twitter Names: Unlike Facebook, you can change the username and name at anytime. However, a username change could cause much confusion with your followers. You retain all your followers, but you’d need to let them know of the change.

Facebook

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. (She says, shaking her head a bit.) It’s always tricky. Facebook makes feature changes continually, often without notice. However, over time, I haven’t noticed any major changes in page name requirements. Assume nothing, though. Be sure to do your research, as noted below.

Character limit: None that I find

Name requirements: Facebook has many rules for page names. For instance, at the time of this writing, you can’t use symbols. There are also capitalization rules and requirements regarding use of acronyms. Because requirements can change, as can page links, I advise you to look it up in their Help system before setting up a page. Just type in “page names” or something similar, and you’ll see topics listed.

Research Required: See if the name is taken. Facebook displays a list of pages and groups that have words in use on existing pages. Check that, and always check See More Results at the bottom of the list, and then select Pages from the list of options on the left.

Warning: There are also two page names in Facebook. One is the username (used in the URL). The second is the page name (the name on the actual page).  While you have fewer than 200 fans, you can change the page name. However, you can change the username only once. Be extra careful when creating your page. People have been know to misspell it when entering it, or you might just change your mind. Be sure of the name before you set up the username.

For further research, go to the Facebook help and type in “page username.” Then read everything there. Do the same for “page name” and review everything. Be sure you understand the requirements and differences between the two before you set something up.

it also may not be possible to “claim” your exact name for your username, as it may already be taken in Facebook. You won’t know this for sure until you try to claim it. You may have to select one with a number appended, or use hyphens, or something similar. So even after all the research, your username might differ slightly from what you intend. However, the correct page name should be Ok for searches. It might not be perfect, but you do what you can.

Until you get your 25 fans and can claim your username, your page URL will be very long and include many numbers. Try and get those page fans and claim your name as soon as possible.

Google+

I can’t find any information about character limits or any kind of requirements. I’ve set up a few pages and have never had an issue as far as naming goes. I suppose you may if one is already taken. That’s something you might find if you searched for a name and Google+.

YouTube

Definitely research here and see what’s there already. As video becomes increasingly important, YouTube is something you’ll need to have at some point.  YouTube generally ranks high in search results, too. If you have a fairly common name for your business or online presence, you might want to set up an account here as soon as you can. Check the requirements note below before you do so, though.

For current information, search for Username Policy in the help section.

Character limit: None of which I’m aware. I’ve seen some very long YouTube channel names, though.

Considerations: Use the full name if possible. Google owns YouTube, so it’s best to use the same name if possible. The name is longer, though, as “channel” is appended to each name.

Requirements: There are basic requirements such as no profanity and that sort of thing. They also prohibit what they call “namesquatting.” Basically, you have to use the account once you set it up or risk closure. If you have a fairly common name for your business or online presence, you might want to set up an account here as soon as you can. If you do so, be prepared to upload videos periodically. You don’t have to make your own. You can add some from other channels.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn has company pages. You’ll want to set one up for your company. This is another place to research your company name.  See if there’s a company page already set up. Also, run an advanced people search, and type in your potential business name. If there’s a company in existence with that name, people may already have that listed on their profile. Might that be confusing? Or does it even matter? Only you can determine that. Definitely check it, though. Definitely see if your competitors are in LinkedIn. This is a business network, and is very important. You want your company listed in LinkedIn, for sure.

Once you have a name selected or have one in existence, create a company page for your company.

Pinterest

There are two names: username and your page name. Like Facebook, the username is the URL. Depending on your business, Pinterest may be a very important platform to consider. For instance, if you sell products, Pinterest can be an excellent way to generate sales. Some companies have made quite a bit of income from that.

Username character limit: 15 characters

Summary

Do your best to use the same name in all platforms. Focus on your domain first. Social platforms may come and go, but your domain and site should be your mainstay.

While it may be Ok to abbreviate in Twitter some, try and be consistent in username in Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest. You want people to be able to search for you and find the same set up as much as possible in as many places as possible. If you’re late to the online and social media game, this may not be easy or possible. Just do what you can. LinkedIn will just be whatever your company name is.

Like anything with getting your business online, research name choice from all angles. It could save you much time and work in the future. Get it right the first time. Once you start building your brand and presence online, it’s difficult to change. Not in terms of changing account names here and there, but in the time it takes to rebrand your company or image.

Types of Hosts

I think there are two basic types: those geared toward a more general audience, and those for more tech-oriented customers. Which you choose is totally up to you. It depends on what you need now, what you might need in the future, and how much maintenance and management work you’ll need or want to do. It’s not a question of which type is better in general, it’s which type works best for you. What’s best for one person or company may not be for another. The only way to determine which to use, I think, is to thoroughly review your requirements and research a number of hosts.

You may also hear webhosts described in different terms. They’re also referred to as resellers and ISPs (Internet Service Providers). A host might also be a registrar for domains. There aren’t as many registrars as there are resellers. So your host may process your domain on your behalf through an accredited registrar. Some hosts are also registrars.

Hosting Scenarios

Keep in mind that there are three main parts to hosting your website:

Domain name registration: processed through an ICANN-accredited registrar
Website hosting: provided by a reseller, aka ISP or webhost
Email hosting: provided by a reseller

These can all be in the same place. Or you can host your site and email via one reseller and a separate registrar. Or, you can have separate resellers for your site and email, plus a separate one for the registrar. It’s completely up to you.

ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. There’s quite a bit of information on their site if you’d like more details about domain names.

Minimum Requirements

When I research hosts for people, these are the items I start with. They’re what I consider critical.

Privacy Enabled

This prevents personal information from showing up in your domain’s Whois record (pronounced Who – is, as in: who is this?). If you’re a small business owner that works from home, you probably don’t want your home address listed. That’s what this does. The address of the host is usually provided instead. I always recommend setting up privacy. There’s usually a minimal cost for this. It may be called something other than privacy, but if you’re asking, just say you want to hide personal information from Whois and they’ll know what you’re talking about.

Depending on the country you’re in, privacy requirements may vary.  For Canadian .ca domains, for instance, there isn’t as much information provided in Whois, so privacy may in effect be taken care of. Check, though.

Whois, by the way, is the official record for ICANN. If you look up a domain in Whois, you can see the contacts and domain expiration dates and other information. Just search in Google or another search engine for Whois and you’ll be able to find a link to look up a domain.

Your host will ask you periodically to review your ICANN – Whois information to ensure it’s current, and update it if necessary. When that happens, just do it. Right away. Always keep your Whois information up-to-date. That’s my thought, anyway. Why risk it? You don’t want any administrative problems with your domain, website, email, or host, do you? Here’s a quote from ICANN:

“The willful provision of inaccurate or unreliable information, or a willful failure
to update information provided to a registrar or a failure to respond for over 15 calendar days to your
registrar’s inquiries concerning the accuracy of this information, constitutes a material breach of your
contract with your registrar and can be the basis for cancelling your registration.”

Source: ICANN Beginner’s Guide to Domain Names

That’s an excellent document to review if you’re setting up a new domain, and I recommend that you take a look at it.

Update: August 7, 2012
I came across this post today. It underscores the need to set up privacy on your domain. Definitely read the “Privatize Your Web Registration” section.
Apple and Amazon Hacks: How to Minimize your Risk

Locked Domain

This ensures that someone else can’t swoop in and move your domain & site to another host. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous people in the world. Always lock your domain!

I can’t imagine a host not providing this option, but if it’s not available, cross them off your list and look at another host.

FTP

You absolutely need this. I assume all hosts have it. If they don’t, look at another host. The thing to look for is the number of FTP accounts you can have. You probably don’t want a gazillion FTP accounts, as you’re essentially giving people access to your site. But you’ll probably want more than one. It totally depends on your requirements and how many people will be maintaining the site – and who you trust with it. FTP (file transfer protocol) enables you to upload and delete files from your website, so be judicious with your choice of FTP account owners.

There’s also a secure FTP option you might want to ask about. You may also hear about “anonymous” FTP access. I recommend that you don’t set up anonymous FTP access to your site, because anyone could connect anonymously to your site. So, to me, this specific feature doesn’t matter at all, since I’d never use it. But it might be something you’d need. Research that more to see what you need.

When you create an FTP account, you have to create a password. When you configure your FTP client (such as FileZilla) you can require that the person accessing your website provides that username and password. That’s the way to handle FTP, in my opinion.

Questions for FTP:

- How many FTP accounts can you have?

- What secure FTP options are available?

- How do you handle anonymous FTP? (Some hosts may not even support it.)

Password-Protected Directories

At some point, you’ll want to have files that have limited access. This is a critical feature, IMO. If a host doesn’t have this functionality, look somewhere else.

Domains
Some hosts provide a domain registration at no cost. Others charge a fee. There are also parked and addon domains. See how many of those are included. You’ll need parked or addon domains if you purchase a .net or .org in addition to your .com, for instance. If you think you’ll add a domain for something like a book you wrote or a training package you put together (like CDs, books – that sort of thing) then you’ll want extra domains. So just check and see how many you can have, and check the costs for them.

Note: Always ask a potential host about domain ownership. Make sure that you are listed as the registrant. In other words, make sure you’re the owner of your domain – not the host. That’s a critical question, as people have tried to move their domain to a new host, only to find that the host is listed as the owner and then are prevented from moving it. If the host doesn’t explicitly say that you retain ownership of your domain, keep looking.

Also, when researching a domain name to see if it’s taken, always check Whois. Someone may own a domain already, but not have a website up. Don’t assume that a name is available just because you can’t find an actual site when you type in a URL.

Email

This, to me, is absolutely critical to review. It’s one of the first things I check. It’s one of my make-or-break features. If a host doesn’t provide enough mailboxes, or charges much extra for additional mailboxes, I usually move along. Here is some basic information.

Number of Mailboxes

Some have a limited, small number. Others have unlimited mailboxes. Others are somewhere in between. What I recommend is that people think far into the future. Even if you don’t think you’ll need many, you might. For instance, you might want a Sales mailbox for inquiries. Or perhaps you’ll host webinars at some point and want to have a mailbox just for that. Or an email newsletter. Or a mailbox that several people can access. If you might have employees at some point, you’ll need to be able to set up mailboxes for them. The more mailboxes you can have, the greater the flexibility in the future.

I have multiple domains and an unlimited number of mailboxes available – which I absolutely love. If I had a limit of say, 10 mailboxes, I would have already exceeded that and have to be paying more for the additional mailboxes.

Really take the time to look at this. Think far ahead in the future. You can move email or move a host, but I don’t think it’s the sort of thing you want to do very often. Also, you can host email and your website separately: email with one ISP and website with another. So you don’t have to have everything in one place. That’s another option.

Webmail

This is critical. Most hosts have this, so it shouldn’t be an issue. I can’t imagine a host not having that option. If they don’t, then cross that host off your list and look elsewhere. Really, what to look for here is the application available to access the webmail. If your host uses cPanel, you may have several options. Some common ones are RoundCube and SquirrelMail. Of those, RoundCube is my favorite. It has a nicer UI (user interface) than the others. That means it’s easier to use, IMO. Think about asking what app they use for their webmail. You might even be able to see a sample.

You might also think about asking about server limits for email. There might be a limited number of files that your host allows you. Or, perhaps ask them what the “mailbox quota” is. They may have an unlimited amount of email you can store for each account, or maybe a limited amount of space.

Important: your email is stored on your webhost’s server. You can download those to your computer via an app such as Outlook. In Outlook, you have the choice of leaving the emails on the server as well, or deleting them from the server once you download them. This is important to keep in mind. If you elect to delete them from the server, they’re gone forever from your host. In that case, you should definitely back up your Outlook email periodically. If you keep them on the server after downloading to Outlook (or other app), you’re covered in both places. I do both: download everything and keep copies on the server. Plus I back up my Outlook mailbox periodically. Because of this setup, though, deleting messages from my Outlook doesn’t mean they’re deleted from the server. In such a setup, you may have to periodically go in and delete messages from the server as well. Also, if you have multiple devices (desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.) and you have an app such as Outlook installed on several, and you delete files from the server when you download files to Outlook, you might have email all over the place and not know what’s where. That’s another reason why I always keep a copy on the server. Then I can also access my email using webmail and see everything – no matter what device I’m using or where I happen to be at that moment.

Update: August 7, 2012
Microsoft recently announced that they’re renaming Hotmail to Outlook.com. This is different than the Outlook I mention in the previous paragraph. Above, I’m talking about the Outlook application you’ve installed on your desktop or laptop computer. It’s “owned” by you. There won’t be any ads or anything like that. Hotmail (now Outlook.com) is web-based and managed by Microsoft. They’re totally different. Use of your own domain and webmail through your host is just yours, so is more private – and far more secure, IMO. The ISP hosts it just for their customers, not the entire world and gazillions of email accounts like Hotmail/Outlook.com does. There’s really no comparison, in my mind.

SPAM Filters

See what options they have. If there aren’t any spam filters included with email packages, see if they have additional options you can use. This is an important feature to look into, obviously.

WordPress has comment spam filters as well. Look into those, because you can’t believe the volume of spam comments that comes through – but which are quarantined so they don’t end up on your site.

Forwarding, Autoresponders, and Mailing Lists

You’ll likely want these. Make sure they have them, and how many available for use.

My advice:

- Keep copies of email on the server when you download to Outlook or whatever email app you’re using on your computer, and back those files up periodically.

- Clean out your email on the server once in a while.

- Check with your potential webhost to see if they have limits on the mailbox quota, or if it’s unlimited.

- Look far into the future and determine how many mailboxes you might need

Support

There’s quite a variety of support options. This is a very important consideration. The main options I’ve seen are: phone, email, or chat support, plus knowledgebases and tutorials. Support availability can be 24/7, weekdays only, or phone support during the week and email on the weekends, or some other combination. It really depends on the host. Take a look at their social media accounts, too. Do they use those? Do they respond to inquiries in a timely manner?

Look at this closely and determine what will work best for you. If you can, call your host finalists at different times and just see how they respond. That can tell you a great deal, and may make the difference between selecting them or a different host. Support matters!

Reputation

Always research extensively online to see what people are saying about the hosts you’re looking at. See what their reputation is. Definitely check out their social media accounts, too, to see what people are posting and tweeting.

Shopping Carts

See what options they have. Even if you don’t think you’ll need one, at some point you may.

Dedicated IP server

You will want this option available. You may not use it right away, but you’ll want the option to be there if you want to use it. Especially if you plan to or already have a shopping cart. A dedicated server provides your own server instead of having your domain in with everyone else’s. If I had a shopping cart, I would just set up a dedicated server right from the start. For me, I started out with the basic setup, but now have a dedicated IP. It really depends on you.

Something to keep in mind with this is cost. This can have a higher cost to add than something like privacy, for instance. So if you’re a small business and are spending much to get everything purchased and set up, this is something you could wait on for a few months. You can add this at any time (or you should be able to). When researching hosts, make sure it’s available and see what the cost is.

Analytics

All hosts should provide server logs and stats for you. A common one is Awstats. You’ll also likely want Google Analytics for the site. Your host might provide that and set it up for you. Or, more likely, if you’re using self-hosted WordPress, you add that yourself via a plugin. You’ll need to set up a Google account to use GA.

Websites

Many hosts provide templates you can use to create your own sites. Others provide options such as WordPress that may require more technical skill. Here’s some information on WordPress, which is my favorite option.

WordPress

This is important to have, IMO. You should have the option to set up a self-hosted WordPress site. The more tech-oriented hosts usually have this. For the more general-audience hosts, there might be slightly different WordPress setup options. So really look at that.

WordPress uses databases. So you’ll need a host that provides a number of databases. Check to see how many you can have. Maybe having three or four databases will work just fine for you. Or maybe you’ll need many more. It depends on what you’re doing. With WordPress comes mySQL databases and all that goes with, including phpMyAdmin. Also, you’ll need PHP. Look for UNIX hosting. If you’re going to have multiple domains, you’ll probably need more than just a few databases. Ask about that.

An important aspect of a self-hosted WordPress site is you’ll have to make updates to both WordPress and the plugins you use. They come out all the time. It’s usually up to you to do that. You’ll also need to add security features. While yes, you can easily install WordPress, you still need to configure it. If anyone offers WordPress packages, find out exactly what they’re providing. Are they updating for you? What security plugins and features do they add? Will you be able to add any plugins you want? What about Google Analytics? Do they add that for you? In any case, there’s quite a bit to hosting WordPress sites. I love WordPress, and wouldn’t use anything else, frankly.

This type of WordPress hosting is different than what you find on WordPress.com. If you’re a business, you really shouldn’t be on WordPress.com. Plus functionality is more limited. The option through hosts is called self-hosted WordPress.You can go to WordPress.org to find out more about it. Take a look at the Plugins section to see the different functionality you can add.

Intangibles

Location

This is an interesting aspect to consider. Have you a preference for geographic location of the host – and the server locations? If so, add it to your list of review items. Perhaps you want a host local to your immediate area, or your state or province or similar type of area, or your country. Maybe you’d like to support the economy of a specific area. It’s completely up to you, of course.

Keep in mind that you’re looking at two location considerations: location of the host itself, and where the servers are. A company may have its headquarters in one place, but servers located all over the country or world. So look at both. Maybe it matters to you. Perhaps it doesn’t. It’s just something to think about.

BTW, I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing to have servers located in multiple locations. That can actually be a positive. It provides something called “disaster recovery” to ensure that if something happens in one place, the other servers could take over so there isn’t downtime. That’s another aspect to review for hosts: what redundancy and disaster recovery options do they have? If you have a big site and shopping carts, for instance, you’d probably want a host that has servers in multiple locations.

Advocacy

Some hosts use and boast of their environmentally-friendly setups. Some may support local charities. If that sort of thing is important to you, take a look at that, too.

Summary

I realize that I’ve covered quite a bit of information here. Some may still be confusing. It’s not everything, but I hope it helps. In the end, it really depends on your requirements. It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all situation. Do your research! If you have questions about any of this, or would like assistance in reviewing your requirements, contact me.

There are several main phases and details for each phase. I’ll list them here along with links to specific posts as they are written. If it isn’t a link, it’s in the process of being written. In the meantime, you can see the general process and timeline for setup.

Phase 1: Set Up Infrastructure

This phase requires much research. It’s worth all the time you put into it. Decisions made in this phase affect everything else. It’s the foundation and should be set up carefully.

Get Online: Select a Webhost

Get Online: Naming Considerations

Get Online: Email Configuration Options

Phase 2: Create Social Accounts

You can start setting up your presence while your website is in development. There’s no need to wait. In fact, because your online presence takes time to build, it’s best to get started as soon as possible. Definitely review the Naming Considerations post before setting everything up. You really should consider all the social platforms as much as you can right from the start.

Components of an Online Presence

Get Online: Account Setup Overview

Phase 3: Create Website

This will likely take the most time. While you may hear periodically that blogs are becoming less important, they’re still a critical piece of your online presence. That’s because you “own” that more than any other platform. Blogs are also often referred to as the “hub” of your online presence; all social accounts can point people back to your site. It also provides a way to potentially generate more income. Plus audiences are more likely to look for a site for you, I think.

Get Online: Website Options

Get Online: WordPress

Phase 4: Manage Online Presence

Once everything is set up, the real work begins. You need to maintain your presence and update as frequently as possible. You also have to monitor it to make sure it remains a positive reflection of your own or your company’s reputation. Here are some posts that may help you with your planning and determining a strategy.

Maximizing Time and Effort in Managing Social Media

7 Critical Factors for Determining a Twitter Strategy

Content Strategy for Blogs and Social

The Art of the Tweet

I may add or change topics as I go, but these are some basics.

This is my question of late.  I’m in the midst of reviewing everything and upgrading everywhere. As I’ve been delving into everything in more detail, I’ve come up with some thoughts and plans in planning my editorial calendars. Here goes …

Known

Here are just a few items to consider.

- Video is great for SEO.
- Video and pictures can increase the number of shares and likes on a Facebook page, therefore possibly increasing EdgeRank.
- It’s becoming a more visually-oriented world, so it’s good to include pictures and video in blog posts from time to time.
- With Pinterest here now, and the fact that it’s been experiencing the largest growth of all the social platforms, pictures need to be included everywhere.
- “Pictures” can take various forms: actual photos for example, infographics, or other graphics.

Publishing

Again, just a few notes.

- Different platforms have different optimum times for posting.
- Requirements and etiquette differ for social platforms (for example, you really shouldn’t repost tweets).
- You have to be everywhere, so it can be tricky to manage your time and provide the presence needed.

So, how do you get the most content out in the most expeditious manner without requiring much time on your part?

Ha! The million-dollar question, right?

Not so fast. I’m coming up with a plan. I think it’s not only possible – it’s workable. Here goes …

Content Strategy

Here’s an example.

Let’s assume that you have the following:

- Blog
- Twitter account
- Facebook page
- Google+ page
- YouTube channel
- Pinterest account
- LinkedIn profile
- Email newsletter

That’s a lot of social to manage and fill with content, isn’t it?

 A Plan

- Make a short video of something
- Write a blog post related to that, and include the video in the post. Or, just make the video the post in its entirety.
- Add the video to your YouTube channel
- Add a status item to both your Facebook and Google+ pages that includes the video – or links to the blog post
- Tweet a link to the blog post or the video on your YouTube channel: whichever you’re trying to promote the most at that moment
- Add a link to the post or channel as a LinkedIn status

Most important: plan the content ahead of time. That’s what your editorial calendar is for. Don’t just think “hmmm. I think I’ll make a video about this” and then just upload that to your YouTube channel and do nothing else. You won’t get much mileage for all that work.

The Key: When to Post Where

Timing is everything. With all the requirements for each platform, this is what I would do with that one video and post. I used to think that you had to post everything everywhere on the same day. Now I’m thinking otherwise. Why not spread it out? Otherwise everyone will see the same content in all your platforms on that one day. Or, mix it up a bit. Post all on one day sometimes, and spread it out other times. See what works best.

- Publish the post on Friday (often a good day for posting) or on Monday morning (to start the week)
- Time the post publishing so it coincides with your email newsletter. If the newsletter is weekly and you send it out on Fridays, then post it on Thursday or Friday, for instance.
- If you have written a series of blog posts, time that such that they publish sooner. Don’t spread those out, as readers may lose interest. I’d publish a post in the series each day.
- Add the video to your YouTube channel at the same time you publish your post. Subscribers will get that in an email.
- Tweet a link on Monday morning (Mondays are always slower tweeting days than Tuesday. So get it in on Monday if possible.)
- Post to Facebook and Google+ on Tuesday evening. Or perhaps on Monday evening if you’re thinking of promoting the post.
- Add a link to the post as a status item in LinkedIn on Monday.

Added Bonus

- Make your series posts into ebooks or whitepapers (a tip I found in Three Key Steps to Take for Marketing Automation).
- Offer those for free to those who sign up for your email newsletter. Voila! A sales tool.

In Closing…

I definitely think that there are ways to streamline content production and get it out to as many social platforms as possible without much additional effort. Just plan the content ahead as well as posting times, and I think that everything will run more smoothly. That’s my plan! What about you?

There are many, many factors and variables that go into a Twitter strategy. Not only do you have to think about the tweets themselves, but you likely have to also tie them in to a number of activities and platforms. Some examples include blog post publishing, company online materials, other social platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn, marketing campaigns, brand marketing, and personal online presence management. It’s a convoluted mix of considerations. In this post, I’ll break them down for you so you can cut a clear path. Read on. Determine how to set up your own Twitter strategy.

1: Determine What Factors Apply to Your Business Twitter Needs

Before you venture very far, take inventory. What do you have in existence that your Twitter feed will be part of or support in one way or another? Here are a few.

- Personal blog post publishing
- Company documentation, blog publishing
- Company websites
- Other social platforms used, including Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn
- Marketing campaigns
- Large events applicable to many, such as holidays
- Time zones in which your audiences are located
- Hashtags used for the topic for which you tweet
- Use to maintain and elevate the online presence for yourself or your brand

Think of all the ways you might use your Twitter feed. Then you can begin analyzing it and building a plan. Details on different aspects for these items follow.

2. Determine Your Audience and Purpose

Determine what you want your feed to stand for. What’s its purpose? What’s the main topic? Who are you tweeting to? How are you going to help them? If you can’t answer these very basic questions, your feed will wander and people won’t know why or if they should follow you. It’s critical that you determine your goals and audience before traveling very far in the Twitterverse.

One of the main benefits of Twitter is that you can follow experts in various subjects. Keep that in mind. A number of your followers may be following you because they consider you to be an expert in your field. Tweet accordingly. Share information like the industry expert you are, and people will come to regard you in that exact manner.

Twitter is also used for tech support by many companies. Needless to say, a support feed will vary considerably from a company marketing one, or someone’s personal brand feed. Support feeds would be more likely to be heavy on engagement, with links back to company documentation or other online materials. That’s very different than sharing information with followers, which is what other types of feeds are about.

For those types of feeds, I think it’s better to dig for information and find one quality article to tweet out that helps people rather than quickly churning out ten tweets linking to articles with less substance. Don’t waste your followers’ time. Don’t waste your time. Find the good information that helps your audience. Solve their problems. Find information they didn’t even know they needed. Give them something to think about.

Those are just a couple of examples. There are others out there. Find a feed that’s similar to what you have in mind and follow it. Watch it and analyze what they do. What content, what hashtags they use. All sorts of things. You just need to know who you’re tweeting to, and why.

There are a gazillion folks to follow out on Twitter. Think about what will make your feed unique and compel people to feel they must follow you.

3: Review Hashtags That You’ll Use

You have to determine the best tag to use for your tweets. The only way to do that is to watch the tags. Find multiple tags for the same topic and see how they flow. What you need to determine is which one will provide the most exposure. Even that is a fine line, though. Pick a heavily-used tag and your tweet might disappear as quickly as it published. Choose a lesser-used, yet robust one, and your tweet might have more staying power. The only way you can know is to watch the tag, try a few postings, and see what happens.

Example: in Twitter, look at the following hashtags: #socialmedia #social #socmedia. I use Hootsuite, and can easily set up columns for each. Then you can compare side-by-side and check refresh rates and real-time pace of the tag usage. Of these three tags, #socialmedia gets the most use. However, tweets go so quickly that I don’t always post to that one. I’m also starting to use #social more, as it frees up tweet space, and “social” is now being used in lieu of the longer “social media” term.

Take a look at this sample for a moment. I let this run in Hootsuite for a few minutes without refreshing. Look what resulted. Check the numbers in the red circles at the top of each column. For #socialmedia, 30+ tweets had come in since the last time it was refreshed. For #social, there were 16 new tweets in the same time period. For #socmedia, there was nothing new. In fact, checking the timestamp, it had been about four hours since the last tweet to that tag.

Review 1

I would not use #socmedia. The usage doesn’t appear to be very high.

Review 2

Check the content of the tweets.

What types of articles are being referenced? Is that the type of information you want to share? Or find? That would help your followers? Would it possibly expand your reach and enhance your or your company’s online presence?

Is the hashtag used more for sharing of information or for conversation? How does your planned tweet content fit into that? How can you combine the two?

Once you’ve done those quick reviews, repeat this research over a period of time. Check it at different times of the day – over the course of a few days. Does the tone of the tag change after a certain hour of the day? What about global use? Is there ever really a down time? How does flow fluctuate day-to-day, hour-by-hour? There’s one tag I follow that changes audience completely after office working hours. It’s a totally different demographic and used in an entirely different manner. So it pays to do the research on a tag before using it extensively.

4: Plan Ahead

For some of your content tweets, ideally, plan some of your tweeting as far in the future as you can.  For instance, if you have an upcoming marketing campaign, your tweets would likely be an important piece of that effort. The same goes for a product launch or some sort of event that you want to publicize. You know: what the event or whatever is, who it’s for, what hashtag you’ll post to, will there be a new hashtag you’ll want to create and use just for that, do you need to publicize that beforehand, or write companion blog posts to generate buzz? Those sorts of questions. Planning is definitely needed.

Perhaps there’s even some large event that you want to be ready for or be part of. Holidays are prime examples. That’s a major social event, not just a company or personal event. If you’re not part of it somehow, how much might you lose?

If you have or run a personal or company blog, tie your tweets to your editorial calendar. Work out a plan for different types of blog posts and plan your tweets to support your work. The planning ahead is for the BIG items. You’ll still have day-to-day responsibilities, but don’t forgo the larger picture.

In all of these instances, your overall strategy should be in place. Then you can just apply it to whatever situation you’re planning.

5: Plan for Real-Time

The beauty of Twitter, of course, is that it is real-time. That, in fact, is a major point to keep in mind. People are out there through the day, tweeting content, offering thoughts, discussing topics, and interacting with people and brands. It’s absolutely critical to have real-time needs accommodated in your strategy.

Real-time is what makes Twitter unique. Don’t forget that.

Ignore real-time at your peril. Really. Brands have to monitor what’s been said and be able to respond quickly if need be. Individuals need to monitor their online presence. If you’re trying to help your followers or customers, you want to be there real-time. People want information and answers now on Twitter. You have to respond. The same can’t be said as completely for Facebook and other platforms. Yes, it’s true somewhat for Facebook, but not as much as Twitter.

With regard to sharing content, find something new every day to share. You want to have “fresh” material shared as much as possible. Don’t schedule so much that all you’re sharing is yesterday’s news. Yawn! Be particularly careful of this on hashtags. You need a mix of content.

Also, probably 90% of your engagement is real-time. This, of course, is a major requirement. If you just broadcast info and don’t talk to people, you’ll go nowhere. This is discussed in multiple places, so I won’t say more about why engagement is needed. Just plan it only to this point: tweet through the day when you can, converse with your fellow tweeters as you have time. Have fun! If you’re not engaging with others, you’re really missing out, IMO. Twitter isn’t all business, after all. Lighten up your day a bit and get to know some more colleagues or those with which you share an interest.

You can’t really plan for it or schedule it; engagement just has to flow. Don’t force it. Don’t fake it. Just be yourself and tweet away…

With real-time, all I can suggest is this. Know that you need to be on top of it throughout the day, and that it’s unpredictable. Just make sure it’s in the schedule, and monitor it out of the corner of your eye if you have to. Find fresh, timely content. Interact with others as much as you can. Just always be ready…

6: Determine Integration with Other Social Platforms

Well, now, this is the really tricky part. Twitter feeds can be embedded everywhere or repurposed and reused in another social platform.

- Feeds can be embedded in blogs and websites. You can embed multiple feeds, actually.

- Tweets can be set up to stream in Facebook as status items on your page.

- Tweets can be added to your LinkedIn profile so they stream

This is one area in which you want to be careful, though, IMO. Be careful of overexposure. Think: are you flooding your followers? Will they see the same information everywhere they go? Will you risk alienating them? What might be a timesaver for you could actually hurt you in the long run.

Personally, I prefer not to stream my Twitter feeds into other platforms. I prefer to adapt the information I share to the platform. For instance, here’s one way I use Twitter with Facebook. I pick one item from a particular day, often something I tweeted that day, and add it as a status item. It allows me to add commentary to provide more information about why I think it would be helpful to people. You can also ask for people to add comments as well. I believe that providing a bit more information in Facebook status items helps build community, more so than just repeating tweets. But, that’s my interpretation.

Sometimes, I’ll tweet about a specific topic throughout one day – something timely for that day. (This is following the real-time, fresh content strategy.) On my Facebook page, I’ll then add one status item for the topic and include the link tweets as comments. Then a person can just go to my page and see all the key tweets and articles for that topic. They wouldn’t have to scroll back through tweets. It also provides a way to share more background information and thoughts. Here’s an example from my 2moroDocs page:

It also provides a way to share more background information and thoughts.

With Facebook, you also have to keep the EdgeRank algorithm in mind. You don’t want to throw off your page’s inclusion in news feeds. Nor do you want folks to hide your page. That would be counter-productive, would it not? If there’s one place in particular marketers want people going, it’s Facebook. Don’t scare people away. I actually hid the page of one of my favorite social sources. They were posting many items daily, straight from tweets, no doubt. It was flooding my news feed. Again, it’s a balancing act. You need to know how each platform works before you start blindly streaming tweets everywhere.

Now, with all the Facebook factors in mind, take another look at my example. I’ve grouped a number of tweets into one status item. So instead of multiple tweets rolling by a news feed as separate status items, fans see only one item. They don’t have to scroll back through tweets or status items, either. It’s one neat little package, packed full of helpful information, presented only once.

With regard to integrating tweets in LinkedIn, I do have a preference. I’d rather not see a lot of them there. LinkedIn has a different purpose, and my LinkedIn updates can get clogged with people’s tweets. While, admittedly, I have found some good information through them once in a while and have clicked a few items, I’d still mostly rather be able to see what everyone’s regular updates are and what topics they’re discussing in groups. After seeing it in use for a while, and having clicked on a few links, I think I will try this myself some, but will be careful about what I post and how often.

The different platforms serve different purposes. If you try to use the exact same information in the same manner in all the platforms, you won’t benefit from the unique aspects and roles of each, and your followers/fans/customers may grow weary of your content.

Don’t serve up the exact same information in each place. Give your customers and followers something to look forward to – or wonder about what they might miss if they don’t check out your Twitter feed, Facebook page, and Google+ page. If you’re giving them the same info everywhere, they might pick only one, or get bored and never return to any, or get the feeling that you’re spamming them to some degree. In any case, they would know that you’ve just automated everything to post everywhere.

You can’t “dial-in” social.

Make a little extra effort to tailor your information to your audience and platform, and I think that people will notice. And keep coming back.

Embed tweet streams on your blog or website, most definitely, but think carefully about adding them verbatim in Facebook, LinkedIn, and other platforms. That’s my opinion. You have to be everywhere, no doubt, but try to mix it up a bit.

7: Break Out Your Twitter Feed into Separate Accounts

When I started, I had only one account: @2moroDocs. I used it mainly for tweeting for the technical communication field, as that was also the focus of my blog. As time went on, that feed expanded to information about social in general, and advocacy for concussions. Those are three different focuses and audiences, although the social tweets apply to tech comm as well. Eventually I changed the focus of my blog. It’s now about using social, not tech comm per se. It became clear to me that it was time to create some new accounts and split the information.

Now, I have three different accounts. @2moroDocs, which I use for social, primarily, but still tech comm as well. That’s also been in existence for several years, has more followers, and some brand awareness. I set up one for my consulting company: @TailoredThought. On that account, I tweet about social and business, primarily. Finally, I set up another account for my concussion advocacy.

Having three accounts for very different purposes enables me to target my audiences and hashtags more easily. It helps me sort my tweets and makes sure I don’t send information to followers in which they may not be interested.

When I tweet to the #social or #socialmedia tag, I often use @TailoredThought. I’m building that as a source for information on social and have blog posts on my website for that topic. I often post the exact same tweet on @2moroDocs. However, I don’t repeat the #social or #socialmedia tag on @2moroDocs. For these reasons. First, it would spam the tags, I think. Second, sometimes I include the #techcomm tag for @2moroDocs, dependent on the tweet content. Sometimes I do use @2moroDocs for the social tags. It really depends on the content. It’s one or the other, but never both. I try not to flood tags whenever possible.

So that’s another strategy item to consider: determining what to tweet on different accounts, and which hashtag to use (or not) when you duplicate tweets. Also, if you find that one Twitter feed has morphed into multiple topics, consider creating some new accounts. It will benefit your followers and make your life easier.

Closing Thoughts

As an overall Twitter strategy, this is my recommendation for basic tweeting. Have a mix. Research ahead and schedule good information for your followers. Spend some time every day to find information to tweet about that day. Engage through the day. Add tweets to articles during or after a real-time conversation which would then be helpful and relevant to the discussion. Incorporate tweets into varied social networks at varied times, but tailor them to the network, forum, and audience.

Remember: Twitter will get the word out quickly. Carefully timed, carefully worded, carefully placed tweets can provide maximum exposure for your topic. With a little research, some testing, and some planning, you can get the most out of your Twitter feed and be able to help your followers and customers in the best, most efficient manner possible. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

These are only some of the factors to consider. If you’d like a review of your tweeting strategy, I’d be interested in spending a few hours to analyze it for you. Until then, I’ll see you in the Twitterverse! Follow me on these feeds: @TailoredThought (business/social) and @2moroDocs (using social and tech comm).

Updated: December 26, 2012

Blogs

Hub of your online presence

• You own it, essentially; you’re not building on someone else’s platform over which you have no control
• Include blog posts of varying types
• Can provide comprehensive, detailed information
• No limit on number of words
• Include reference materials
• Long-term: information easily available indefinitely
• Posts archived and easily accessible
• Can plan content strategy and editorial calendar to support launches and such
• Can be indexed in Google
• People can leave long comments, which generates more discussion
• Can set up an email newsletter

Facebook

Build community

• Can share information that’s longer than tweets, shorter than blogs
• People can easily comment
• Comments are short, not lengthy like blogs
• People can “like” a post in Facebook, which their friends can then see (viral)
• Longer staying power than tweets
• Delivers information right to fans that like your page
• Can include Like links in blog posts
• Can set up an email newsletter
• Facebook pages rank high in search results
• Can use promoted posts option to get your message in front of target audience
• Can buy ads to increase number of page fans, with ability to drill down to a specific demographic

Twitter

Real-time sharing of information, engaging with followers

• Use to “push” information to followers, such as links to blog posts, reference materials, news items
• Send out news from your blog, get followers back to it
• Share expertise and establish yourself as an expert in a discipline
• Short length (<140 characters) make it easy to scan information
• Used as a news source
• Use to “engage” followers – to have conversations with people. A critical aspect. You cannot talk only about yourself or your products.
• Use to build a network: retweet (RT) what others are saying and share their news and information
• Short-term: tweets fly by and are gone. You can use hashtags to capture some, but tweets are gone within 24 hours, at best.
• There is a Twitter etiquette that must be followed; very important
• Can make Twitter newspapers that pull in information from hashtags, or from your followers
• Can attend Twitter chats for real-time discussions with multiple people
• Can place ads on Twitter

YouTube

Easily share information in visual format, which in increasing in use

• Can set up a YouTube channel
• People can subscribe to the channel and receive emails when new videos are uploaded
• YouTube is the second largest search engine, and ranks high in search results
• Video is definitely increasing in use and should not be ignored

Google+

Build community

• Similar to Facebook in content
• Networks can be more business-oriented than Facebook
• Supports AuthorRank and enables you to tie posts and items to your personal profile: becoming increasingly important
• Becoming more important, as businesses are scaling back participation on Facebook to some degree due to ad changes

LinkedIn

Professional network and B2B resource

• Build network with professionals
• Personal, one-on-one
• Share expertise in groups and establish yourself as an expert in a discipline
• Can place ads there
• Can build company pages which people can follow
• Can set up groups to help build your presence and obtain contacts
• Known for B2B interactions and source of leads

Pinterest

Share information; evolving and increasing in use

• Significantly increasing in use
• Has potential to increase revenue
• Visual medium, which is very important now
• While audience has been primarily women, it’s expanding for use by businesses
• Company pages now available
• The visual design is now being used by other sites and companies: it’s definitely now a trend
• Serious copyright issues, so be aware of that!

Quora

Crowdsourced Q&A

• Can answer questions to share expertise and establish yourself as an expert in a discipline
• Important to watch, and determine whether you want to spend time on it or not

Setting Up Your Online Presence

We can get you set up and help manage your online presence. For details, see Social Media Packages.

………………

What are your thoughts? How do you use these components?

Updated: December 28, 2012

Basic Requirements

There are some basic requirements to maintaining a Twitter presence, a fact upon which I believe there is general agreement. There are posts online that continually point out the following items.

- Tweet consistently – daily if possible

You have to be out there, active in the community. You have to continually be visible.

- Provide quality content to your followers

Establishes your reputation as an expert, and helps you stand out from the crowd. It’s also been noted that the quality of your content matters over the number of followers.

- Engage your users

It’s not enough to broadcast information, particularly information only about yourself. You must engage in conversation. Start up some conversations. Share some info. It’s fun. Why miss out on that?

Between the Lines

After tweeting for almost two years, I’ve noticed a few things. There are some considerations you might want to consider when tweeting. This is where art takes over science. Review the sections below for examples.

Use Positive Wording

Every word counts. One way this true is whether you’re including positive or negative words. This, like everything else these days, is analyzed and tracked. Once I found this particular tracking item, I’ve watched what I say very carefully. I’ve even gone so far as to stop retweeting items linking to posts that have negative terms in the title. I also now make sure my own post names include only positive terms. (Not that I generally have negative terms in post titles. I’m just much more aware of content.)

Why? I want to keep my tweets categorized as either “positive” or “neutral” on socialmention.com, one of a number of Twitter analytics apps. Two examples follow. They’re for my 2moroDocs Twitter feed, and selection of “microblog” from the top of the page.

Positive Example

Do you see the little green buttons? That means the tweet has been ranked as positive. No color means neutral. Red means negative. I rarely get a negative, but have included an example below so you can see the type of term to avoid. The small chart to the left shows your rating.

Negative Example

I had to dig to find one, but here it is. From what I can gather, I believe the word “trouble” in the tweet flagged it as a negative. That’s a guess. In actuality, “trouble” in this instance was actually a positive thing (you want to have busy Twitter chats). However, some algorithm is looking for certain words. So here it is, tagged as a negative.

One More Thought

This is a free app. Anyone can look up a Twitter feed or other online presence item here. Would you like a potential employer to see that you have more negative tweets than positive? If you’re a company, would you hire someone to represent you online that uses negative terminology frequently?

Watch your wording! Look up your own Twitter feed (and others) and see what gets flagged as positive or negative to get some insight into how to word your tweets. At this point, I don’t focus on including a certain number of positive terms in tweets; there’s no need to try to increase some numbers of some sort or anything like that. Just tweet normally and avoid negative terms.  Personally, I really don’t think about it much. I’ve never focused on writing negative tweets anyway; I keep things as positive as I can. It’s just something to keep in mind. Review your listings once in a while, see how your words are received, and make adjustments from that point on if need be.

Choose Your Bio Description Carefully

Your bio wording in Twitter is very important. This isn’t the time or place to be clever. Why? Demographics. One app I review is TwitterAnalyzer.com. A main reason is because I can check demographics of my audience. It uses information and titles listed in Twitter bios in the calculations. Here’s a screenshot for my 2moroDocs account for Groups > Groups by Occupation. You can see how my followers are categorized and percentages for each. After seeing this, I went back and changed my bio to include terms under which I wanted to be found and categorized. Note that this is a free app. While I can’t say how other apps track demographics, it would not surprise me in the least to find that they use the bio for information.

After checking demographics of my followers, I’ve changed tweet content strategies to ensure I was providing useful content to all my followers, not just one group. As my follower count increases, the demographics change some. This is something I check regularly.

Update: November 29, 2011
TwitterAnalyzer.com no longer exists. However, I’m leaving this screenshot here so you can see how analytics programs can track and use your information. I’m sure there are other apps that review the same information in the same manner.

Final Note

What really strikes me with just these examples alone is how many places tweets show up and how many ways they’re analyzed. If that doesn’t give you pause, nothing will. Remember that one tweet can cause much damage. Always, always, always keep wording in mind.

Go to these apps and type in your account name. See how you’re analyzed and presented. You may be surprised! Check out some competitors. These are very useful apps.

We Can Help

These are just a few examples of what I’ve learned. I have others as well. I can apply what I’ve learned to help you present yourself in a positive manner. If you’d like, I could set up a review of your existing accounts and make suggestions for ways to tweak your content.