Part 2 of 2

Social networking online means that we are now at least able to keep in contact with more of the people we have met throughout our lives through moves, job changes, lifestyle changes and so on. It’s highly probable that people whom you would previously have buried deep at the bottom of your memory, relegated to dark corners of your mind as the years pass, are remembered more easily due to reminders of who they are when they post pictures/status updates/links/discussion points. Just checking your feed will bump your memories on those who are posting at that time and their relationship to you. Even so, it’s your choice whether you reach out for contact regularly. Only a true social butterfly will make use of this feature on every social site they visit.

Read the rest of this entry »

Part 1 of 2

The online community phenomenon is radically changing who we meet, our friendships and our ability to stay in contact. So has online social media really given a massive boost to the real and virtual social networks of each of its users?

The much discussed 1992 anthropological paper by Professor Robin Dunbar estimated a set number of individuals who we can have as a stable social network, as dictated by the size and ability of our neocortex. This study indicates that we don’t have the capacity to have a social network of any greater size despite increasing social network abilities within our everyday lives. Are we really limited to the number of relationships we can monitor with our neocortical neuron numbers?

Read the rest of this entry »

It has become apparent that there are many ways in which you can become educated. Skills provided by education can also be gained through real life experiences which help you to adapt to situations and effectively achieve your goals. Having a school education is focused on your achievements through certificates, diplomas, passing tests and achieving good grades.  Read the rest of this entry »

Last week I had to venture into a well-known furniture store to pick up a new desk to accommodate the growing team at White Hat Media. In my haste, I picked up the wrong size desk and had to go through the tedious rigmarole of returning the first item before collecting the second. I had a little trouble locating the Returns desk. It got me thinking about store layouts, and how customers need signposts, and what happens when someone decides to take a shortcut. Exactly the same thought processes are needed for designing navigation on your website.
Read the rest of this entry »

Coming from a marketing degree and now interning at White Hat Media, it becomes apparent that companies in the industry are in a constant battle trying to define and prove their status as ‘social media experts’ against the online world throwing the term around so loosely.

As social media grows, more people are calling themselves a social media expert without any real knowledge.  In 2009, 15,740 users on Twitter claimed to be social media experts. As social media is growing so quickly and with no official social media expert certification, it can be difficult to build a name for yourself as a true expert rather than just a well informed enthusiast.

Read the rest of this entry »

Having worked for a leading email service provider the methods and effectiveness of email as a marketing channel has always been held in high regard by me. Having preached and taught all my clients about best practice, great techniques and how to utilise email marketing to it’s full potential, it dawned on me that a lot of these principles can be implemented through your messaging on social networks like Twitter.

Read the rest of this entry »

As well as brand recognition and exposure, having a podcast of your own can bring some unique benefits to your business. These include gaining trust and influence, engagement with a focused community of enthusiastic listeners and establishing your business as a trusted advisor, leader and expert in your industry.

Here are four questions to ask yourself to see if podcasting could be a good fit for you in your marketing and communication strategy.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are so many reasons why project management is one of the foundations of web marketing and development, but here are three key ones to think about:

Focusing on the “What”,”When” and “Why”. The Project Manager makes sure everyone (client and development team, marketers, stakeholders etc) know what’s being done, when it happens and why it’s happening. It’s what makes planning and specification documents so key to a successful project. Read the rest of this entry »

April 2010 has been a busy month in search and social media, so I cherry-picked six news stories which should be of interest to online marketers among which, a report on Facebook advertising; Facebook dropping the fan button; Ning becomes paying; and Google introducing site speed in search ranking. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you more likely to “like” a brand or organisation that your friends on Facebook are connected to? And are the paid advertisements equal to or more/less effective than endorsements from your friends? These are questions that marketers from across the board are asking themselves when devising their Facebook and social media strategies: What is the best approach to take, Facebook CPC or relying on “earned” mentions?
Read the rest of this entry »