Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Social Media: 7 Ways to Have a Successful Profile Online

I'm continuing with my social media posts like these ones about foodies & twitter, your twitter goals and facebook & food bloggers.
Now, I want to show 7 helpful points to develop your social profile online and if you're a blogger, to improve your social networking as well.

Social Media and Social Networking for Food Bloggers & Foodies
I was twittering with Rebecca of Chow and Chatter and she changed her avatar recently. This is a good measure if you feel that the new one is better for you. It came to my mind several aspects related, namely:

1. Monitor Your "Brand"
Your presence in diverse platforms is your social profile online, a brand of you (not only companies should have brands) Every movement you do online is registered and stay for a long time. You can monitor your name and possible reactions to it with services like Google Alerts or in twitter with Monitter.

2. Don't Change Your Username Often
Take a moment and think twice before registering in some site and have some coherence if you've other names. The most benefit situation is to have a unique username in every social site. Completely different names can be so confusing.

3. Don't Change Your Avatar Often
Your avatar is your "brand", changing it frequently can damage your online visibility because lot of people cannot recognize you, even can ignore you, due to the fact that they didn't know that you're the same person behind this new one artistic photo, pet or logo.

4. Own Your Domain
If it's your desire to have a long term run into blogging, it's a good idea to have your own domain; the investment is minimal. Also you'd be seen in a better angle from other bloggers and if you want sponsors, this will be an extra bonus.
Some examples that bought a domain lately could be Deeba, ♥peachkins♥, Rebecca, Natasha, Joanne and Susan.

5. More Active More Success
In my experience, the more active (in a constructive way) you're in a social site, the more influence & people will notice you. Buzzing a lot can bring you new friends and find interesting persons in the cyberspace.

6. Make Easier Your Social Experience
Social networking can be time-consuming (and an addiction too), so it can be done intelligently. According to the type of community perhaps there're applications that can be turn on your social experience easier. For example we've:
- TweetDeck that integrates several platforms like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace all together.
- Seesmic with Twitter and Facebook.
- Digsby you can chat with all your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber more - Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn accounts.
- Yoono is a Firefox sidebar which helps you to stay connected with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr, Yahoo IM, AIM and many more, all in one place.
- Flock the social web browser, support between others: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Youtube, Gmail, Digg, Flickr, Delicious, Yahoo IM, WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, etc.

7. You Aren’t the Center of the Universe
As in real life, if you call many times to a friend and you don’t have an answer at all, but you see interacting this person with other people, this is a not good signal for you, something wrong is happening between both.
Technology can translate this type of socializing to the cyberspace and more specific to the blogger stream.
Unless you're an A-top-blogger in your niche (overflowed with emails and comments), it is pretty hard that this blogger can answer and comment on other blogs, but may be this isn’t your case. You'd have certainly this returning-feedback with your fellow bloggers.
In other words, if you've readers that come to your blog and visit you, when you've a bit of time, return the action, making them a visit, commenting, voting for the articles of this blogger, retweeting on twitter worthy articles.
Get you the idea? The blogging relationship is a win - win situation…do to others what you would like to be done to you!

Which points would like to add to this list to enlighten your social journey?





If you enjoyed your read, Subscribe to my RSS feed or get updates by Email!

Photo credit by Intersection Consulting

35 comments:

OysterCulture said...

Good stuff - with all the social media out there its hard to keep it all straight

averagebetty said...

Great post, Gera! Hadn't heard of some of the sites mentioned in #6... could cause my addiction to spiral out of control! Haha!

Sippity Sup said...

Terrific Post! I am going to check out TweetDeck GREG

Joanne said...

Great info. Thanks for posting it.

5 Star Foodie said...

I've been meaning to download TweetDeck but I'm scared to download anything else on my little old laptop that may break any moment now :(

Chow and Chatter said...

oh wow love this post great advice thanks Gera will tweet it and also link to chow and chatter's facebook page Rebecca

Selba said...

Wow! A very informative post! Thanks for sharing the tips :)

Pam said...

Great information.

Fresh Local and Best said...

Great advice Gera. Thanks for sharing!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Thanks for the very precious information! Great tips.

Cheers,

Rosa

HoneyB said...

Great post Gera - I love how you are so full of information for all of us who are internet challenged! I finally use tweetdeck and find it is much easier to tweet now!

B.B.B. said...

Hmm... Why should we be the top? :)
I guess this is another issue, a matter of topic... Yes this can be discussed as well... Why should be the top...

The Cooking Lady said...

Great Information. Thanks for Sharing.

Cookin' Canuck said...

Lots of great points!

Web hosting Brisbane said...

Great information. Thanks for sharing these advices.

Sophia said...

Oh, thanks for this, Gera! They are GREAT points. I thought the last one was pretty funny! tee hee hee!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

They're great tips Gera! I had to laugh at #7 :P I use tweetdeck and it's great!

Nazarina A said...

Thanks for all the advice on how to conduct ourselves in cyberspace! It sure is a great help!
Sometimes the friendly hello ( comment) on some blogs is just not reciprocated. A fellow blogger told me that it is because that they "are just not that into you!" Certain bloggers expect you to always visit them first as if its their deserved right! Wow! this trait really says a lot about them!
On the other hand, a blogger like 5 star Foodie, is one person I would love to meet in person, she is GREAT!

Anonymous said...

Yes, I agree to that. I can't seem to manage all..

Visit my blog - Lutong Pinoy Recepes

Chris said...

Some valid points. I have only recently come to think of my blog as "my brand". I think it has helped me focus on what I want to do and say.

Gera @ SweetsFoods said...

@Joanne
@Selba
@Pam
@Fresh Local and Best
@Rosa's Yummy Yums
@The Cooking Lady
@Cookin' Canuck
@Web hosting Brisbane
@Anonymous
Thanks for your kind comments!

@OysterCulture
Need lot of time!

@averagebetty
Several apps worth :)

@Sippity Sup
TweetDeck is excellent for Facebook and twitter :)

@5 Star Foodie
I understand may be directly on web is better :D

@Chow and Chatter
You're very welcome :)

@HoneyB
With tweetdeck is easier to tweet :)

@B.B.B.
This is the point; you don’t need to stay on the top or not, to have some feedback with your readers.
Blogging is communication no matter of your status :)

@Sophia
@Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
The last point is a bit sociological style :)

@Nazarina A
Thanks Nazarina! I understand that the bloggers with many years and readers is difficult to do it, but you're right, I feel the same of some bloggers that they don’t reciprocate, at least a visit. The rule "don't do to others what you wouldn't like to be done to you" don't apply for them.
I'd like to have a personal meeting with Natasha too :)

@Chris
Your blog with all your opinions and statements are of your own, and then is your personal "brand" :)

Erica said...

Fantastico Gera! Muchas Gracias.
All this social media is makes me crazy :)

Gloria said...

Great post Gera, good information, thanks, gloria

Cinnamon-Girl Reeni♥ said...

Such excellent tips, Gera! You've covered all points very well. Thank-you!

zerrin said...

A wonderful informative post! I didn't know some of the social media tools you mentioned above, I must check them. Thanks for all these tips.

Tangled Noodle said...

#5 and #7 are so important but also the most time-consuming. I've been fretting b/c I haven't been reciprocating comments with my most favorite blogs. I don't want them to think I'm ignoring them!

I've been looking at TweetDeck (although I'm not on any other social-net sites other than Twitter and my blog) but the warnings just before downloading always scare me off! 8-)

Many thanks for these great tips.

Chef Tom said...

Great tips! I use TweetDeck and I just installed Digsby. :-) I recommend them both!

Olga said...

what? i'm not the center of the universe? no way! :)

Phoenix2Life said...

Nice, userful blog post. Good for every blogger and social media dweller out there. While living online in social environment twitter, linkedin, blogger, facebook and other social media, it is very important to strategize your goals to be achieved and a brand to be evangelized. Again do not get Stragize and evangelized get scared to you. But it is necessary to brand you product as an identity and to attract more social participants.

The tools to convert your strategy into real world are various tools like tweetDeck etc. Personally I still use twitter interface but with FireFox Grease Monkey and Trony's Greasemonkey twitter script. It provides me nice interface and quicker way to reteet.

thumbs up !!!!

noobcook said...

great tips! I don't really think I'm active on twitter/facebook though I have accounts though hehe

nora@ffr said...

donno how i missed this great post! sure gonna chek on TweetDeck :) thanx
cheers!

My Little Space said...

What a perfect posting for me! I don't have a twitter nor facebook. So, I think it's time to own one..he he! Poor me! Thank you so much for sharing this.

Soma said...

A whole lot of info, & after reading this i feel I am existing in the stone age.. simply don't get the time to use them all & blog!

Ashley Haywood said...

Great advice. I'd also like to add that Squidoo.com (started by Seth Godin) is a great way to also build pages on a network that can link back to your blog. I'm still building my pages, but I've heard awesome things about having numerous Squidoo.com pages.

Naoko said...

Thanks for the great info. There were many listed that I didn't know about. I better look in to them. Thanks again.
Naoko