Great website built using Youtube technology

Checking the 2010 Andy awards winners, I come across this new website www.booneoakley.com that has been built using Youtube technology, see the video below. The results are pretty amazing and it got amazing buzz. This is one more way to use social media technology. At rsitez we helped some customers to built their social networking sites around video concepts and maybe this is what is coming next…I like it! good job Boone Oakley! Check it out

Cool Mojito – Social Media Marketing. More Likes, More Leads, More Sales

rSitez – Create your own Social Networking Website

How to Manage your Online Business Brand with Google Alerts

If you have an online business it’s CRITICAL that you know what is being posted about you online as soon as the information is posted.  This includes info posted on blogs, News articles, forums and even social networking sites.

You want to know if someone posted something positive about you so that you can respond in like to start creating a relationship with the individual or organization that made the post.  These relationships can yield great results as you continue to build your brand.

Likewise, if there was a negative post about you online, you should know about it and respond appropriately to minimize the impact.

You should also track what your competitors are saying and what is being said about them so that you can react as needed to this type of competative news.

The process of monitoring, tracking, and responding to information that affects your brand is called Brand Management or sometimes Reputation Management.

Cool Mojito – Social Media Marketing. More Likes, More Leads, More Sales

rSitez – Create your own Social Networking Website

You can use Google Alert (http://www.google.com/alerts) to monitor and track your online brand. It takes only a minute to configure this and it’s free.

You can enter any search keywords that affects your business and ask google to monitor it.  This could include your business name, competitors business names, search keywords or other items of interest.  Google will monitor these keywords in news, blogs, videos and discussions and send you an email each time it finds newly posted content regarding this.

Example: If the Washington Post include your business name in a new article online, Google would send you an email with the link of the article without you having to search for it.  You will be able to click on the article, read it, and post relevant comments.  This enhances your online presence, creates backlinks for Search Engine Optimization, and helps with your ongoing effort to create a solid online brand.

You can configure these email notifications to be received as the news happens, daily, or weekly – depending on your preference.

Once you have turned this feature on you will be able to keep track on your online reputation for your business and continue to build a lasting and powerful online brand.

About the author

Rohan Hall is the Founder/CEO of rSitez, Inc. (www.rsitez.com), a technology firm that helps entrepreneurs create custom, revenue-based social networking sites.  He is the author of Stop Working, a book that teaches entrepreneurs how to use technology, globalization, and networks to build a global business.  He has developed technologies for a wide range of entrepreneurs and Fortune500 clients including HP, Corning, Oracle, Honda and various others.

When on Defense, Be Aggressive

When the competition comes out with a new product or service, it’s easy to feel a little defensive.  Will our customers be so impressed with the idea of a new, updated version that they’ll dump us like the proverbial hot potato?

One company in that situation recently took a different approach.

When Microsoft released Windows 7, rival computer maker Apple decided to be aggressive with a new commercial.  In it, a woman is deciding whether to stay with her current PC and upgrade to Windows 7 or switch over to a Mac.  Her dilemma?  While Windows promised wonderful new abilities, the last upgrade, Windows Vista, had provided PC users with more headaches than solutions.  In contrast, Mac had a proven reputation for reliability and simplicity.  In the end, the woman decides to go with a Mac, despite the newness of Windows 7.

What lesson can small business owners and entrepreneurs take from this? If your product or service is good enough, you can go toe to toe with any new competition.  Don’t allow your competition’s positive publicity be the only thing your current and prospective customers hear.  Know what your value proposition is, and make sure your customers do too,

Since most of us don’t have Apple’s advertising budget, we may not be able to put ads on TV, but we can get our message across by marketing through social media.

Cool Mojito – Social Media Marketing. More Likes, More Leads, More Sales

rSitez – Create your own Social Networking Website

Use Facebook fan pages to talk about your product and services.  Make sure your website has clear, updated information. In each case, make sure you tell your readers how your product or service can solve their problem.

With Facebook fan pages, however, you are competing with all of the other companies on the site.  You can differentiate yourself by developing your own social networking site, like the ones offered by rSitez.com. It’s a way to stay ahead of the competition, reach your audience directly, and not get lost in the fan page crowd.

Be sure you don’t neglect your current customers in your quest to attract new ones.  If you already have a community of customers, fans or followers built up, remind them of how you can help them do business more efficiently. If you have established customers on your own social networking site, like rSitez, it is easy to develop blogs and forums that are tailored to their needs and that encourage their interaction.

Remember, though, that establishing relationships through social networking takes time.  It is not something that can be done as a quick fix.  But the benefits of making connections with your customers are also long lasting.

Everything I Needed to Know about Social Media, I Learned in Kindergarten

When we start marketing and networking on social media sources like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, we sometimes forget some of the simple rules of engagement.

In his book, “Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten,” author Robert Fulghum reminded us of the basics of getting along with others. Although it was originally published in 1989, his observations are timeless.

Even in our high tech world, we can look back at some of the lessons we learned in elementary school, and see that it applies to establishing successful relationships online.

1. Don’t be bossy. If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur, chances are you are bursting with excitement about your product or service. You want to shout its praises from the rooftops. But when you are building tenuous relationships with others, especially across the Internet, you need to take a more subtle approach.

Instead of delivering a heavy handed sales pitch, focus on your customers and what they need. What problems are stumping them? What is costing them time, energy and efficiency? Then, let them know how your products or services can help.

Cool Mojito – Social Media Marketing. More Likes, More Leads, More Sales

rSitez – Create your own Social Networking Website

2. Don’t say anything you don’t want your mother to hear. Although social networking has a casual element, keep in mind that you are building a reputation online for your business. Be careful before disclosing too much personal information or getting caught up in controversial discussions. If someone posts a negative comment on your blog, don’t immediately shoot back a flaming response. Mom wouldn’t like that.

3. Listen to others. The whole purpose of social media is to get others to interact with you. That means you have to create an environment where people want to respond. If you have your own blog, you can do this by asking questions. You can visit other blogs and find out what others are thinking and join that discussion.

If you have your own social networking site, like ones offered at rSitez, you can start a community discussion through blogs, forums, and chats. Once you’ve gotten your readers talking, listen to them and let them know you appreciate their interests.

It sounds simple, but how many times have you clicked on a website looking for information and been inundated with heavy sales copy? Or read a blog where the author dismisses comments that contrast his? Or see where someone says something completely inappropriate on Facebook that diminishes your view of him?

By remembering the basic social rules that you would use in establishing face-to-face relations, you’ll have success in creating relationships online.

Advertisement in Niche Social Networking Sites? Looking Good!

Can Niche Social Networking Sites get some of the Mass Market Social Networking sites action?

According to Three Minds, Niche Sites have a bright future. Of the $920 million spent this year to advertise on social networks in 2007, 8 % went to niche sites. Initally, Emarketer forescated this amount to grow to 10 % in 2008 and now it’s going to be closer to 34%. For 2009, even in a tough economy, eMarketer research is forescasting a healthy 10% growth. And inside Social Networking sites, niche sites are growing even faster.  At rSitez this is obvious but for the general public is becoming obvious too. We have seen niche networks being used as tools in the 2008 election and pretty soon we’ll have every local politicians using them. Niche is big!

With our Social Networking Software we focus on make possible Niche Sites exactly like  our customers wanted them. Unique features and feeling are key to create new Niche Social Networking Sites, specially if you want to make a living out of it.

Clearly, there is a growing case for the success of niche social. However, how much user base and marketer dollars will it attract? Let’s examine the benefits of niche social networks versus niches in big social networks for both the user and the marketer.

What’s In It For The Users

NICHES IN BIG SOCIAL
The experience of participating in social network sites like Facebook and MySpace promises users several things above a niche social network. Ultimately it is largeness and “mass appeal” versus a custom-tailored approach.

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rSitez – Create your own Social Networking Website

Pros
– Connect with existing friends
– Platform for self-expression to large audience
– Large variety of groups, content, and applications

Cons
– Interface tailored for everybody, not “me”
– Valuable apps and groups lost under clutter
– Hard to find relevant content
– Difficult to evaluate how much other members are really interested in a subject

Another thing that gets lost in the noise is history. I’m not getting an idea of what my friends have been up to in the past week, but what people are up to at this moment in time. The lack of easily accessed historical information makes it hard to build a sense of “culture” around Facebook. It’s easy to see why for communities with a purpose, such as the Obama campaign, Facebook might be the way to attract new people, but ultimately the niche social network is where the bulk of event-planning and community-building takes place.

NICHE SOCIAL NETWORKS
By centering the underlying community strategy around a specific “social object” (Yatch Owners and Crew members, Latinos, Small Businesses, specific industry professionals, etc) or a target audience (55+, moms), design and functionality can become more customized and more in-tune with the ideal user.

Pros
– The easier a tool is, the more likely I’ll use it
– Design tailored for specific age, taste, or culture
– Information architecture based on niche content

On a music community, my actions will likely be focused on browsing and matching up with people with similar tastes in order to discover new music. On a political or a career community, my connections to people become far more important than any other activity in the system. It’s important that Niche sites custom their features to their audiences and it’s importan that your Social Networking Software is flexible enough to allow you to do it.

The major downside of niche social networks is a smaller user base and smaller development funds.

Cons
– Can’t find those long-forgotten school buddies
– Without critical mass, interaction just isn’t as exciting

Ultimately, it depends on the purpose of my interaction. But even then the picture can sometimes be fuzzy… Would I be more successful organizing an online Rock Band meet-up on my Facebook channel with more access to friends or on a Rock Band social network where we all share the same interest?

What’s In It For The Marketers

NICHES IN BIG SOCIAL
The obvious advantage of big social networks for marketers is that there are lots of active, engaged users. The community is alive and healthy, and so there is no fear of investing a huge amount in creating something new only to have people not join.

Pros
– Fish where the fish are
– More options for marketers
– More robust analytics packages

Cons
– Your competitors are also there
– Hard to break through the clutter
– Mixed in with unofficial brand pages
– Analytics not custom-tailored to your needs
– Messages need to be generic more than specific

There isn’t going to be an easy way to extract product-specific information like: What cars do my users drive? What footwear do they prefer? Ultimately big social networks prove more useful in creating awareness than collecting customer insight or inspiring action.

But, is the audience really brand-receptive? A participant in a product-focused community might come in with an understanding that they are going to see some marketing. Whereas the Facebook community has expressed annoyance to ads and outright distrust over the Beacon project.

NICHE SOCIAL NETWORKS

The numbers might be fewer in niche social networks, but the messages and activities can become more targeted. The data collected in profiles can become more aligned with the user information the brand is trying to collect. Something can even be said about the need to develop your own analytics package giving brands the opportunity to really evaluate how to measure community success, rather than banking on what data Facebook or MySpace have decided as relevant.

Pros
– More specific and targeted messages
– Possibility to define data to collect with Niche Site so data collected is more relevant
– Audiences and profiles better defined to tailor messages
– Less competitors

Cons
– Fewer users
– Need to deal with several Niche sites instead of just one Big site

Finally it’s worthy to remember that a smaller amount of qualified leads is far better than a large amount of useless ones. The disadvantages of banner ads and traditional marketing campaigns in social media are growing. Finding, enabling and growing that brand community, wherever it may be, is the key to success. The future is niche!

Why companies should care about Social Networking? Part 2

Time to continue with the post published on Nov, 20th

In the first part I focused on generic information about corporate social networking technology, in this second part I am going to focus on giving more specific reasons of “Why companies should care about Social Networking?”.

Instead of focusing on the marketing and sales potential of Social Networking technologies or what is also called Social Media, I like to focus more on the strategic reasons why corporations should consider Social Networking Technologies.

That’s the main list,

The Top 10 ways businesses, associations and organizations can benefit and use social networking

Customer and Member Relationship Development
Customer satisfaction is at an all-time low, perhaps as a result of reduced business focus on actual relationships, and an increased focus on “customer relationship management” systems emphasizing management of data rather than personal connections. Online social networks allow a prospective customer or prospective member to easily facilitate a real, human level connection with individuals within an organization. This enables genuine business relationships to form and puts an authentic human face on the interaction, changing the external perception of an organization from a sterile, faceless behemoth into a collection of individuals who are ready to help.

Customer support (connecting the customer with the right resource)
Successful customer support achieves a number of goals. Basic customer service includes, of course, assisting customers when they have problems or questions about an organization’s products. However, online networks enable exceptional customer support that goes beyond the basics, allowing customers to connect with experts inside and outside of an organization who have deep knowledge in a particular area. Similarly, a strong online network enables experts within an organization to be alerted when a problem that requires their knowledge comes into the customer support queue, and facilitates the creation of strong communities in the form of valuable user groups and member networks.

Use the network to find an expert or locate implicit knowledge
Only a fraction of an organization’s “knowledge” exists in databases. Another fraction exists in the form of explicit documents and reports
that may be found on an organizational intranet. The vast majority of organizational knowledge, however, exists only in the heads of its members. Inside an organization, online networks with even basic profiles of its individuals’ experience, location and interests can greatly reduce the time required for organizational problem-solving, through enabling faster connection between a questioner and the person who has solved similar problems in the past.

Ease post-acquisition integration
Even though acquisitions were on the upswing, a majority of mergers and acquisitions fail within three years of inception. The most common cause of failure is lack of alignment and understanding between individuals in the acquiring and acquired organizations. Online social networks,
giving a view to the “real” individuals within the organizations, aid in the creation of understanding between both parties by allowing members of both organizations to view each other as a collection of individuals, rather than an amorphous “them.”

Provide the “whole product”
It is rare that a single organization can provide all the pieces needed to meet a customer’s entire need. For example, even though a real estate
agent aids in the process of buying a home, an entire network of other service providers (including title companies, banks, insurance agents,
contractors, and others) is required in order to fully meet the customer’s need. By creating a strong network of complementary providers with
similar philosophies and business practices, a single service provider can provide a much greater value proposition to a prospective customer than an individual working without the benefit of the network.

Understand and visualize the actual communication paths within the organization
While an organizational chart may show the reporting or budgeting hierarchy of an organization, the connections in an online social network
create the actual flow of information for an organization. Explicitly creating a social network within the organization can help all members better understand how information gets shared and highlights the areas within the organization that are truly responsible for effecting change, turning the “company directory” into a living, breathing knowledge network.

Supercharge meeting facilitation and preparation
The unfortunate part of meetings and conferences is that it always seems that you don’t connect with the people you really want to meet until
the final day of the event, when you meet them randomly in the buffet line. A dedicated online social network created before the event enables
attendees to use their time at the event more efficiently, by determining with whom they want to connect before leaving home.

Increasing the value and extend the “shelf life” of conferences
Similar to the above point, creating an online social network of event attendees extends the “shelf life” of a conference, enabling the attendees to
remain connected and take action on the items discussed at the event. This can evolve a meeting, event or conference from a “one time” occurrence into the catalyst of a community that more effectively achieves its goals. Check rSitez Conventions solutions.

Share knowledge
By connecting an social network with basic subscription technologies (such as RSS, or “Really Simple Syndication”), an individual can easily
“subscribe” to updates from customers and colleagues. This enables a straightforward way to stay abreast of the goings-on in projects of interest, as well as a way to share knowledge within an organization without additional effort. It also addresses the issue of email overload, as knowledge is pulled by those who have a need or interest for updates, rather the updates being pushed to those who may have only tangential interest in an issue.

Pull together the “All-Star Team” that’s right for this customer
Having the right skills and culture are both key to creating a connection with a prospective customer, especially in service organizations.
An internal social networking system enables the individuals responsible to creating relationships with prospects to pull together the “right” team to meet both the prospective customer’s needs and, at the same time, pull together the unique group of individuals who will resonate with the prospect at a personal level as well.

Differentiate your service with brand you
In a number of industries, the fit between customer and service provider is the differentiator. If a customer can easily identify his or her areas
of commonality with a prospective service provider such as a financial planner, real estate agent or insurance provider, that customer can have
some assurance that the service provider will understand the customer’s point-of-view, and provide the type of service that the customer expects and supports.

Prepare for coming demographic changes in business
Although online social networks are relatively new to business, the MySpace and Facebook generation has grown up with them. For these
individuals entering the workforce, online social networking is simply be a part of the fabric of business. Accordingly, the organizations that have determined how to best integrate social networking into their operations will be the ones that are most successful.

Comments? Any questions about what social networking technology fit your company, don’t hesitate to contact us at rSitez

What’s your revenue model for your Social Networking business idea?

Too frequently software providers offer a 1-stop-solution for all their customers with no hope of adjusting this model. We see this with different social networking software providers. You can use their solution to generate revenue as long as the revenue is Google advertising.  But really, tell us ‘what’s your revenue model?’, I asked a client on the phone.  ‘You’re gonna think this is crazy, but …’, she continued.  This was the beginning a great relationship.  Since then we have provided unique revenue options for her that meet her specific business and client needs.

 

At rSitez (www.rsitez.com), we understand that each client may have their own vision of their business and different ways to make money with their business but may not have the technical expertise needed to make this happen.  This is why we provided services to help you bring your vision to reality.  We work with our clients to have a deep understanding of their business, define revenue options, create the technology for them, and help them to manage and market their site.  We’re a full service provider with features and services to meet our various client needs.

 

With the United States in a recession for the last 12 months, unemployment rate at a 15-year high, and 533,000 jobs lost in November, 1.9 million jobs lost since the time the recession began 12 months ago, more and more individuals and entrepreneurs are seeking new ways to stay ahead of the crisis.  A social networking online business is clearly one way to gain additional income to get through this recession.

 

‘I don’t want to have just another social networking site’, was another client response.  ‘Great! Tell me about your business.’ was my response.  Again, we create a unique customer experience to fit the client business model with revenue options per his specifications.

 

So, what’s your revenue model for your social networking business idea?  How do you plan to make money online? Let us know so that we can help to make your vision a reality.  Please visit us at www.rsitez.com to learn more about our social networking products and services.

 

Rohan Hall is Founder/CEO of rSitez (www.rsitez.com), a leading white label social networking platform for entrepreneurs.  He is also the author of Stop Working a business and technology book. 

Social Media Consultans – Can you trust them?

Is your company looking for creative ways to reach your customers?
Do you just find out that your competitors’ last Press Release is about a Social Media campaign?
Is a Social Media Consultant telling you that he/she can establish your company’s presence on specific social networks for a mere $150-$500/h?

In a post by Jennifer Leggio in ZDNet, Social media consultants: snake oil or value add?, Jennifer explained why you should not believe everything that a Social Media Consultant is telling you. This is some parts of her post:

“Social media consultancy, for the most part, has gone the way of the snake oil salesman. While there are many qualified business consultants who can help a company leverage social networking as part of its overall strategy, there are far too many who are selling their services based on the ability to help establish a company’s presence on specific social networks. Many of these consultants have been successful building their own personal brand, however, prowess for personal brand building does not prove an understanding of enterprise business needs.

Companies need to stop believing the hype that social media is an “everything drug.” It’s not. It’s a strategy that needs to be considered and tailored to fit specific business needs.”

That’s right on!

At rSitez, we have worked with Consultants that understand the value of Social Networking as part of the overall strategy of a brand and this realtionships were great. Unfortunately, we also have worked with Consultans that completely mislead their customers in what a Social Network can do for them.

In order to help, let copy some questions from Jennfier before you hire a Social Media Consultant,

Ask yourself:

• What is the profile of your ideal customer / sales prospect?
• Where are these ideal customers / prospects spending their time online? (Note: It might be worth purchasing a market research study on your customer demographic and Web presence before hiring a consultant)
• What are other companies in your space doing? Can you get your hands on success metrics?
• How educated is your management team when it comes to Web presence and Internet branding? If you push them hard to sell the concept, what measures must you take to prove value?
• Can you do any of this for free? Are there people on your team or other teams who are social media savvy who would love the visibility of a cutting edge project?
• Can you really measure the ROI of what is being recommended? If it’s not clear, how else will you measure success?

You need to realize how Social Networking fit in your overall startegy and be willing to give part of your marketing control.  Are your ready?  Any anecdote with Social Media Consultants?

Twilight vampire books – How authors use social media

On his last number, Business Week presents a great article about the Twilight Vampire books and how author Stephenie Meyer used online social media to reach her fans and create a huge online marketing spiral. Her great success will be reflected with Breaking Dawn, the last of the four-book series, that came out on Aug. 2, this release is expected to surpass all her previous efforts, with an initial print run of 3.2 million copies.

What is important about this article is that explain that Meyers success isnt due simply to her vivid imagination for vampire romance. She also figured out before almost anyone in the book industry how to connect with readers over the Internet and inspire them to build on her work. Since Meyer published the first Twilight book in 2005, she has reached out to readers on social networking sites, such as MySpace (NWS), and participated in online discussion groups. Fired-up fans have championed her books on Amazon.com (AMZN) and set up their own sites, such as Twilight Lexicon and TwilightMOMS. That has helped propel sales of the series to 7.5 million books. “Other authors have pockets of fans online, but nothing to this extent,” says Trevor Dayton, a vice-president at Indigo, Canada’s leading bookseller. “Stephenie Meyers Twilight series is the first social networking best seller.”

Executives in the book industry have long understood that the Internet can help authors connect with fans, of course. Major releases are usually backed by author videos, a Web site, and interviews with influential book bloggers.

But Meyer, a 34-year-old mother of three from Phoenix, went well beyond standard marketing. She engaged with online readers to answer their most detailed questions about the star-crossed lovers, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. She put up her own Web site, in addition to the one by her publisher, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, posting her personal e-mail address and family photos.

Meyer’s readers have responded by creating an entire world of Twilight on the Web. Cousins Chris McElvogue and Georgina Tena launched Twilighters.org last year to discuss the books with other readers.Inspired online marketing is key to the astounding success of Twilight, a series of vampire novels.

Is Meyers a marketing guru? Maybe the book industry thinks so, I don’t. I believe she just see the benefit of social networks to be in touch with her readers and her readers respond positively to this human approach. The ability of touching millions of people is making social networking a powerful tool that relies in the fundamental principles of human nature.

If you are an author, try to answer these questions:

Are you afraid to know first hand what people think about your work?
Are you afraid to let people use your work to create parallel histories?
Are you afraid to see your work spreading in unexpected ways?

If the answer is : NO

You should consider to create your own social network site, let your fans interact with you, let your work to be share by millions and the best…have fun doing it.

Will you be at Forrester Groundswell Awards 2.0?

For those not familiar with Social Media and web 2.0, there is a book that become a reference in this industry.The book is Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff.   

Charlene and Josh were Forrester’s analysts at this time (Charlene left Forrester this year) and their insights are just brilliant. Last year, they started the Forrester Groundswell Awards, which recognize excellence in accomplishing business goals with social applications. They received 78 fascinating submissions and recognized the winners at the Forrester Consumer Forum in  Chicago.

This year they do it again,  nominations are due by September 9, 2008. Winners will get a free ticket to Forrester’s Consumer Forum in Dallas on October 28 and 29, where they will be recognized for excellence. They’ll also get to show our awards badge on their Web site.

For software providers, the social network industry is having an exciting year as more and more companies are building social applications. At rSitez we have been very busy with our own upgrades and customers requests. We don’t see this trend slowing down. It’s really exciting to see how our customers are taking advantage of out plattform in ways that we could not imagine. We’ll be suggesting to some of our customers to sbmit their social sites as we believe they represent excellent and effective use of social technologies to advance a corporate or social goal.

Watch this space for more details.