We’re going back to our roots of social interaction. Our online choices are driving the world wide web away from the use of stagnant websites and into offering interactive and personalized experiences.
Since the explosion of the use of social networking sites and online communities, companies have seen the marketing potential of giving their online customers the dynamic experience they are looking for.

What has changed most noticeably this past year?
Conde Naste announced that Gourmet Magazine was ending  publication due to the increased popularity of online recipe sharing (Boston Globe: The Mourning After). 
As more consumers rely on blogs for unbaised information on products, the FTC introduces guidlines on the swank given to dedicated bloggers  (Why the FTC’s Truth in Blogging…).

Still, there are some that are missing this new wave of web presence revitalization.  While major brands and major search engines offer almost every way of staying connected and personalizing web spaces from chat, personal settings and layout to notifications and specialized news alerts – aka Nike.com - smaller businesses, nonprofits and even natural communities like schools and cities are missing the mark.  Even an up-to-date Facebook fan page or Ning free community website could add interactivity and direct communication to the target audience. 

If you’re one of these organization – check out the Top 20 Free Online Tools for ideas on how to make your web presence an interactive space for your audience and consumers.

Pseudonym

In my book, that will always be one of my favorite words, and I think it will increasingly become social media users favorite as well.

Let’s face it – we’re all a little worried about potential business contacts seeing our score from mafia wars or those Saturday night “I only had one drink” photos.

The solution?  Pseudonym.

If you already have a nickname, you’re halfway there.  Create public profiles under your nickname and friend only your friends.  The tough part will be un-friending your friends from your professional profile, but at this point they should already be part of your “exclusive” personal profile.  And if they’re not, well, maybe you’re not all that close afterall… Some friends you may want to keep in your professional profile as they can be your “personal brand ambassadors” (more on them below).

Now, you have two profiles and can relentlessly use them for their purpose.  You’ll find that you’re more likely to friend that geeky club, post the news article on your field of interest and best of all, when your friends tag you, they’ll be tagging your pseudonym.  When you play those internet games, fill out surveys on they type of person you’ll marry or do whatever else is thought up to entertain us through our work days, your activity will be under your personal profile, free from scrutiny of your nosy coworker.

Best of all, you can focus on using your professional profile for personal branding.  Updating your network on your activities, business ventures, related news, special offers, publications, and etc.  And, now that your friends in your professional profile are genuinely interested in your professional ventures, they will be all the more likely to share your posts, acting as your personal brand ambassadors.  Hello free marketing.

If all of this doesn’t motivate you, just think, having both personal and professional accounts can also be a public service action.  You could be aiding in decluttering your coworkers news stream all while maintaining privacy.

So go have fun finding your pseudonym and be sure to add me to your list of professional friends.

-Nicole Hess

You’re organization has an online statement – even if its not online.  How, you ask, is it making this statement?

When someone mentions your organization (or business) to someone else, that person is going to search for you online.  Whatever appears is the beginning of your organization’s online communication.  If the searcher cannot find anything, you’re organization has just made a very bold online statement.

Even if you have a website, if it doesn’t have current information, isn’t easily accessible or viewable on a mobile device, your online presence is still making a statement about your organization.

So why should you care about your online statement?  How do you take hold and direct the conversation of your online presence?  Here are some basic insights to get you started.

I can’t adapt to the technology

Some of you may embrace your anachronistic ways in the technology driven world.  You use a phonograph to listen to your favorite albums and ice cream just isn’t as good as when you churn it yourself.  Yet you know that some people just don’t appreciate your time-honored traditions.

Its just the same when you’re not using online media.

Except it is not only a personal statement as using a phonograph would be, but it is a statement about your capabilities, your organization or your businesses capabilities as well.

Saying, “I’m not online.”  Is saying “I’m not adapting to the globally used means of communication and I have nothing to share online.”  Probably not what you want potential clients or members to think.

You are excluding anyone under the age of 30

With all the online marketing that is focused to the young members of society, these young people think that if your services are geared to them, then they will be able to find out about them online.

For this age group it is also important to have some engagement beyond a stagnant website.  Again, age specific online marketing has developed complex interactive online experiences, this age group expects that you have a calendar of events so they can share the information and invite their friends, and see if what you have been doing is of any interest to them.

I can’t afford any online support

Whether this is true or false, it is better that this is not an immediate assumption of potential online visitors.  You want them to think that you are successful and stable with enough money to have a basic online presence.

For example, Chevy and Ford have recently developed complex online microsites and interactive tools, despite the troubles of the car companies, they understand the importance of investing in an online experience.

See Chevy’s microsite for Latin America “On the Road Again”
This also reiterates why its important to Tweet en Espanol

While you may not be the owner of a billion-dollar company, there are small steps that say “I can afford to be online.”  All it takes is a little creativity.  For instance, there are free calendars that can be added to your website so that visitors can see upcoming or previous events.  How about adding the organization’s twitter feed?  That’s free as well.  Or spend a little money and have a nicely done video collage of presentations, product demonstrations, etc.

And always remember that quality beats quantity.

-Nicole Hess
Online Media Consultant

The crosstown express offers a sordid dance floor.  Its design was to be a skid-proof, slip-minimizing, easy-washing masterpiece.  It was the marvel of other less-adept vehicle flooring, but it offered little splendor for the cortadito salsa. Read more

But why hasn’t it begun already? Let’s begin with some numbers.

According to the 2007 US Census, at least 34 million in the US speak Spanish and another 16 million of these speak English “less than very well”.

So where are all the tweets in Español? Dell may have made an unbelievable amount of money tweeting its deals in English but what company wouldn’t want to earn even more money with a 140-character advertisement in Spanish? (Dell Says It Has Earned $3 Million From Twitter) With the rising purchasing power of Hispanics in America, who would opt to ignore this potential client base?

Here are a few tired arguments that may give some insight to why an entire demographic is being ignored in the social media scene.

• Hispanics are not online.

This is an argument of circular logic error. If a Spanish speaking Hispanic has nothing to read or view in their language, why would they be online? Think about it personally. If tomorrow you awoke to find that many popular Internet sites were in Tagalog, everything from tweets to Youtube videos to product websites, how often would you go online?

Another part of this argument is the “getting online.” Gone are they days when you needed an expensive computer to get online, which was a barrier for many low-earning Hispanics. Read more