OntoSearch

Last week I talked about the importance of doing and embracing the mediums, tools, and applications that our clients and brand’s audience’s are. This week I’ll give you some thoughts and concrete recommendations on how to do this.

Let’s start with Social Networking Service. With any social networking web site you get as good as you give, this indicates once you get began keep going. Each web site has a News Feed, Network Update, etc. that shows what your friends are up to, that indicates they can also see what you are up to. If you just sit on the sidelines and do not do anything you’re successfully sitting in the corner by your self, so take action or as I wrote about last week, do! Construct out your profile, and connect/friend with friends and associates. Try a new application as part of your social networking internet site or join a new group. Certain you can be a lurker but I want you to participate so that you can greater ideate for your brand or clients.
*note I’m assuming you are already on these sites if you aren’t put Join as your first step

LinkedIn
Complete your profile
Add 3 far more associates or friends
Write at least two recommendations for your connections
Facebook
Complete your profile
Add 3 more associates or friends
Add at least two applications and use them

Now you’ve got your base in social networking but we’re going to ratchet it up a little bit by expanding the way you connect with other people. Ways of being socially connected that Adler back in the early 1900′s couldn’t have envisioned.  A lot has been written about micro-blogging or it’s Kleenex posterchild, Twitter. In the short time that Twitter has been around it’s gone from just “what are you doing” to quite informative short notes, conversations and info. Two other similar sites worth searching at are Pownce and Plurk, the former having been around for significantly longer.  There’s also Jaiku but you want an invite to join Typical etiquette is to start posting for a bit and then begin to follow other users, they are a lot more likely to reciprocate and follow you if you page looks fascinating. Nevertheless I want you to start acquiring a excellent learning experience, so:

Twitter
Join and add the following individuals
Guy Kawasaki
Jeremiah Owyang
Robert Scoble

These three twitterati are fairly well known outside of twitter as well. Their 3 feeds range from information you want now to the far more sublime, either way check your twitter stream early and frequently and add in your own Tweets/comments. Oh, and follow some of your friends or encourage them to join in as well.

Building on methods to communicate I’ll also suggest Instant Messaging (IM), yep very good ole’ AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, Skype, etc. This has been around for years yet I’m amazed at how several individuals do not use IM. As in inbox zero follower, I come across IM can be used to answer a big part of emails that just require a straightforward answer or a fast back and forth. Not to mention, utilizing iChat on a mac (with a built in or external video camera) and Leopard OSX your video chat can be a screen share as well.
Best bet here is to get your office mates going or ask around I bet some are already on IM. And use it to replace that short email you had been about to send.

IM
Join and begin making use of
Learn from other people.

1 of the wonderful things about the world wide web space has been the quick and easy way to share understanding and discover from other people. Social discovery and sharing sites like Twine, Digg, and Del.icio.us as Spinal Tap says “go to 11.” Although it’s fantastic to join, and for Twine you’ll have to join to use the services, but just begin taking a look at Digg and Del.icio.us on a daily or much more often basis.

 

Social Discovery
Add Digg and Del.icio.us to your RSS feed or daily bookmarks
Much better yet join Digg and Del.icio.us and begin contributing
Join Twine and start attempting the Semantic web (or what may lead to Web 3.)

What I’m bullish on:
I’m an avid reader of Forrester Study and extremely suggest their analysts and white papers, I never go on a trip with out a stack to read. Make positive you follow Jeremiah Owyang (Twitter) and pick up a copy of Ground Swell from Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff.  Location based social networking. It would take yet another article to cover these but regardless of whether standalone or integrated as apps I’m really interested in where Dopplr, Brightkite, Loopt and others are going.
Mobile applications, see location based above but add in geo tagging on Flickr or Auto Finder on the blackberry. Chumby – Also one for a longer story or if you are wondering what is Chumby.

 

Lastly, aggregators like Friend Feed let you bring all of your content streams together but get began with the internet sites individually very first then make the jump to this site.

And that’s just the begin, as you use these internet sites and tools on a typical basis you’ll discover they lead to knowledge and abilities you didn’t have just before. Add them to your marketing arsenal and keep on participating and learning.