dhollings's Xanga

New! (BETA) Retweet Feature to share tweets by Twitter

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:50:19 GMT

Just noticed this new "retweet feature" at Twitter.

What do you think?

Hi there, you're part of a beta group receiving this feature, which means you may start seeing retweets in a new way. People who don't have this yet will see your retweets prefaced by "RT".

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Twitter Be Nimble, Twitter Be Quick: Twitter Tips, Help & How-to Training

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:37:48 GMT

Twitter Be Nimble, Twitter Be Quick,
If you don't know Jack, try these Twitter Tricks.
Twitter Tips, Help & How-to Training by Dan Hollings

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OMG Flyvertising? - No Fly Swatters, Please!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:27:58 GMT

Flying by the seat of his pants, Jung von Matt just invented flyvertising. At a recent Frankfurt book convention he attached advertisement banners on to 200 flies (yes, you know, like green flies) and set them loose to do their jobs as miniature sky ads around the convention center. In German, it's called a Fliegenbanner.

Worry not... No flies were harmed during this promotion. But a lot of people laughed.

The banner itself was attached with a string and some sticky stuff that allowed it to eventually fall off without harming the fly. The weight of the banner kept the little soaring advertisers from flying too high and they seemed to love landing on visitors.

Maybe next time they'll create a "buzz" using banners on bees.

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Impressive PeopleBrowsr Toolset Now In MyTwitter Toolbar

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:41:09 GMT

MyTwitterToolbar.com is the most popular "Twitter Toolbar" on the web, benefiting thousands of Twitter users daily.

Recent updates include direct access to an impressive suite of PeopleBrowsr tools:

Personal Social Network Dashboard
Social Search / Twitter Search
Research Trends & Sentiment
Monitor Brands & Engage Customers
Social News Editor
Conference visualizer (Create & Broadcast)
Analytics, Graphs & Reports
Personal Relationship Manager (PRM)
Create widgets & Blog pages
And more...

MyTwitter Toolbar is a free download (no cost / no spyware / no email required) and it works on Mac or PC (IE, Firefox or Safari)

If you are not using MyTwitterToolbar, you're freakin' weird. Well, perhaps that's a bit over stated... but, you I can't think of another explanation

Get your Twitter Toolbar today:

MyTwitterToolbar.com

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The ROI of Twitter Marketing, One Slice at a Time

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:12:55 GMT

I've shared many different ways to use Twitter for marketing over the past years. Yet, there are still many people that are naysayers. In fact, I spoke at a recent conference where it was proclaimed by other "experts" that because there was no solid analytical evidence that Twitter produced real results, it should be "back burnered" as an almost useless marketing avenue. Then we see examples like what AdAge is talking about... A pizza place in New Orleans, which has delivered much more than fresh hot Pizza (@NAKEDpizza).

In April, Naked Pizza launched an exclusive Twitter campaign that accounted for 15% of its business in a single "measured" day. All phone calls were tracked, each order was tallied based on where the customer came from, and it told revealed very quickly that Twitter is driving a lot of hard-dollar profits. According to Naked Pizza Co-founder Jeff Leach, "There's the brand marketing and getting-to-know-you stuff ... But we wanted to know: Can it make the cash register ring?"

Abbey Klaassen, AdAge author on this piece stated:

Twitter's real-time messaging service is turning out to be a boon to local establishments, who are starting to get onboard -- mostly because the message pops into users' Twitter feeds and they're close enough to act on it. For Mr. Leach, who is targeting people within a three-mile radius of his store, that's key. He's gone so far as to erect a billboard outside his store publicizing Naked Pizza's Twitter handle...

The fact is that Twitter reaches mobile users - something that is often incredibly beneficial to local businesses. You can always find Twitterers by city too with a service like Twellow. Combine that with Twitter search to see who's talking about what you offer, and you'll no doubt begin brainstorming a solid campaign that will work for you.

Naked Pizza took integration of Twitter even further by adding their Twitter message (and username) on their billboard. This assures people are aware of your Twitter presence. Adding "follow us on Twitter" to your website is obvious, but for brick and mortar businesses, why not feature your Twitter account prominently on all your marketing materials - signage, coupons, business cards, or shall we suggest... your PIZZA box (or packaging).

You can not expect to find success using Twitter as a marketing tool if people do not know that you're on Twitter. And if you are on it, don't just stay on it, but get creative and use it to drive brand, traffic and sales. The ROI in Twitter is definitely there, perhaps a bit harder to calculate, but without question for those that are pro-actively using Twitter and fully integrating it into their campaigns and marketing materials... it's shouting out ROI loudly and proudly.

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FTC Blogging Guidelines (or How-To Lose 129 lbs. and $11,000 Fast)

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:58:08 GMT

FTC says bloggers must disclose payments from ad companies AND celebrities will be held to account for promotions.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Federal Trade Commission is going after bloggers, celebrities and tall tales in the first revision of its rules for endorsements and product reviews in nearly 30 years.

The new guidelines, which go into effect Dec. 1, are designed to adapt to a new world in which blogs and social media Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter have quickly become go-to destinations for consumers to get an opinion about a product. The last FTC rules revision was in 1980.

An existing FTC rule that states product reviewers must reveal any connection they have with advertisers was extended to bloggers. Companies will often distribute free products to bloggers for their review, and sometimes advertisers offer payment for endorsements. The FTC said that endorsements on blogs appear to be "word of mouth," but that is not always the case -- sometimes companies create their own blogs that can give the aura of objectivity.

The new rules also clarify that celebrity endorsers of products must reveal their relationships with advertisers when making endorsements if they are pushing a product on a blog, social network or television talk show.

"The test here is, if the relationship were known between the blogger and the advertiser, would that affect the credibility of the endorsement?" FTC assistant director of advertising practices Richard Cleland told CNN. "That question has to be determined on a case by case basis. What we have produced is a general guidance that says in certain cases receiving a free product is not any different than being paid directly for an endorsement."

The FTC also targeted testimonials in ads that convey atypical results for a product. For instance, many weight loss supplement ads will show people who have used the product and have lost large amounts of weight, with a disclaimer at the bottom that reads "results not typical." Under the new rules, the company must disclose the results that consumers should usually expect.

The existing rules carry a fine as high as $11,000 if product endorsers and reviewers don't comply.

"This is great for consumers," said Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with Yankee Group. "There's some doubt about blogs now, because you don't really know whether they're unbiased or not."

"We've gotten to a point where blog rumors could move stocks," said Kerravala. "There have to be some stricter regulations of the Internet. It's long overdue."

But enforcement could prove difficult. Cleland said the FTC won't be hiring new personnel to monitor blogs, creating a "game of whack-a-mole" for regulators, given the numbers involved. As a result, the FTC said it is more likely to go after advertisers rather than bloggers to ensure ad companies are giving product reviewers proper instructions about disclosure compliance.

-- source CNN

COMMENT: Rest assured if you want a DIET plan that really works, go tell a "tall tale" on your blog, wait to get fined $11,000 and then within 30 days (or less) you'll be a skinny as a rail because you can't afford to buy any food. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE... these "results not typical," in fact typically when folks lose $11,000 they jump off cliffs, hang themselves, or start living under a viaduct. I think I've covered my butt here, if not look for me under a viaduct.

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PeopleBrowser Business Tutorial Introduction

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:41:30 GMT

"PeopleBrowser Business" is for the serious business user. If knowing what people are saying about your business or brand is important to you, this version is for you. When people are talking about you thee's always an important opportunity to make good or to make more of that conversation. Features you’ll find in business class include, but are definitely not limited to:

Build campaigns and track keywords
Manage large numbers of tweets with an Outlook-style navigator
Add a note to and/or assign an item
Rate posts as positive, neutral, or negative
Get email notifications for keywords, replies, and DM’s
Tweet via email

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PeopleBrowsr Advanced Tutorial INtroduction

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:26:35 GMT

PeopleBrowsr Advanced provides access to advanced features like custom themes, groups, and OneStack view. You also gain the ability to link contacts between Twitter and Plaxo, email tweets, and view reports like “recent followers” and “people retweeting me”. "Reports" are found under MORE TOOLS in top menu and when clicked, the report you desire becomes a new stack (column).

The Advanced mode is basically for power users more interested in not only see what their contacts are up to, but also leveraging those contacts to their maximum potential. Many people are in need of a way to manage everything "Social" in one place and this advanced PeopleBrowsr option can do just that.

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PeopleBrowsr Lite Tutorial Introduction

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:22:43 GMT

PeopleBrowsr Lite is probably a good place to start. It encompasses all the features you’d expect to find in the most advanced Twitter clients:

Reply, DM, or ReTweet in one click
Saved searches
Multiple accounts
Threaded conversations

Of course there is much more, but you'll see this in the video. Your Social Media activity is separated into “stacks”, much like columns in Tweetdeck or Seesmic Desktop. In addition, you can add stacks from numerous other services including, but not limited to: Facebook, Identi.ca, YouTube, FriendFeed, and Flickr.

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The Synchronized Reggae Kitten Octuplet

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:08:58 GMT

Download now or watch on posterous

kitty.m4v (7325 KB)

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