Industry News

Facebook Warns Members About Rise in '419' Scam – Business Center – PC World

Posted in: Blog, Facebook, Industry News by SpiderWriters on September 30, 2009 | No Comments

More and more fraudsters are harvesting the log-in data of Facebook members in order to impersonate them and ask their friends for money, according to the social-networking company.

The scammers use phishing techniques to trick Facebook members into providing log-in information. For example, fraudsters often send legitimate-looking e-mail messages purporting to be from Facebook that ask members to visit a Web page and enter their log-in credentials. They also post messages on members’ profile Walls with links to supposed video clips or photos that really lead to phishing Web sites.

Read more from PC World.

Facebook has come under fire more than once for accusations of breach in privacy. It’s always recommended to be careful what you offer online anywhere, not just on social media sites. Take care to note the e-mail alerts you receive connected to Facebook before you click through – not all may be legitimate.

BBC to Focus on Social Media

Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on | No Comments

The BBC is planning a radical relaunch of its website to include more social media.

As soon as this weekend the BBC could add social media applications to its Strictly Come Dancing online coverage.

Read more at The Guardian.

Social Media News Breakdown

Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on September 29, 2009 | No Comments

MySpace link shortener makes early inroads on Twitter

It has only been a week since MySpace launched its two-way sync with Twitter, but already the service has made an impact on the popular microblog.

MySpace’s “lnk.ms” is now the second most used link-shortening service on Twitter, according to statistics compiled by Twitter link tracker Tweetmeme.

Read more from CNet.

Heat telling players: No Twitter at work

Miami players can no longer participate in social networking while at the arena, home or away. Many Miami players are accomplished tweeters, often sending messages to each other at all hours of the day and night. But practice or game times, it’s not allowed.

“We’ll have strict rules on it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Monday at the team’s media day. “The NBA has put in strict rules about it. Social media, we will not accept that in our building during office hours. That’s the way we’ll look at it when we’re coming to practice, to shootarounds and to games. We’re coming to work and we’re coming to get a job done. That’s not time for social media.”

Read more from The Associated Press.

Secret Service probing Facebook poll on Obama

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Secret Service is investigating an online survey that asked whether people thought President Barack Obama should be assassinated, officials said Monday.

The poll, posted Saturday on Facebook, was taken off the popular social networking site quickly after company officials were alerted to its existence. But, like any threat against the president, Secret Service agents are taking no chances.

Read more from The Associated Press.

Twitter Not Quite All-American?

Posted in: Blog, Industry News, Twitter by SpiderWriters on September 28, 2009 | No Comments

Twitter may be the rage on Capitol Hill, but the American public at large is not yet sold on the microblogging site, according to a new poll.

Thirty-nine percent said Twitter is a fad that will fade away, while 43 percent had either heard of it but didn’t know what it is, or had never heard of it.

Source: TheHill.com

Is Twitter a fad, or a valuable component in one’s online marketing strategy? Look around you, at the way communication is relayed. Think of how in just over one century we have evolved from telegraph to radio to television to the Internet. The rules of journalism in the 1970s don’t jibe with action today. Used to be if breaking news happened our television shows would be interrupted for on the spot reports. While that might still occur, social media sites like Twitter get there first.

Before you dismiss Twitter as a fad, learn more about how it can help you reach new clients and customers, and extend the reach of your brand beyond your neighborhood. Community is global now, your business must be, too.

Contact Spider Writers, social media specialists in Virginia Beach, at 757.499.1990 to learn more about how we can help you.

Media Companies Embrace Social Networks

Posted in: Blog, Facebook, Industry News, Twitter by SpiderWriters on | No Comments

At the top of each article on this online resource for Web developers are prominent links inviting visitors to post the story to Facebook and the bookmark-sharing sites StumbleUpon and Delicious. Just in case readers don’t get the message, at the bottom of each article is a handful of other icons, leading to Twitter, Digg, Reddit and several other social sites, along with a little inducement in a bright red font that reads “Sharing Is Sexy.”

Because the blog is new and has few readers, “I need these buttons to encourage referrers to share my articles with their friends,” said its creator, Dicky Lim, who is based in Malaysia.

That’s not to pick on Mr. Lim. Many sites are now festooned with an abundance of ways for readers to post content to their favorite social networks. The Web site of The New York Times, for example, offers links to post articles to Twitter and seven other services, including LinkedIn and Yahoo Buzz. The site of The Wall Street Journal has links to share its stories on Facebook and nine other services, including MySpace and Fark.com.

Read more about “How Sharing Links Has Become Big Business” from The New York Times.

Does your business blog offer links to share material via social media? If you don’t have buttons to allow readers to post your data to Twitter, Digg, Facebook, or elsewhere, you’re missing out on the opportunity to broaden your audience. News is social now, with thousands of links distributed daily through viral means. The more you wait to go social with these sites, the more your competition will scoop up clients and customers.

Spider Writers is a premier Virginia Beach social media group dedicated to assisting Virginia Beach businesses and organizations with increasing visibility and Web traffic via social networking. Let us help put you at the top of Twitter, and give you a great “Face” to show the world. Contact us at 757-499-1990 today to learn more.

Use of Social Media Networks Triples from Last Year

Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on September 25, 2009 | 1 Comment

Americans have nearly tripled the amount of time they spend at social networking and blog sites such as Facebook and MySpace from a year ago, according to a new report from The Nielsen Company.  In August 2009, 17 percent of all time spent on the Internet was at social networking sites, up from 6 percent in August 2008.

“This growth suggests a wholesale change in the way the Internet is used,” said Jon Gibs, vice president, media and agency insights, Nielsen’s online division. “While video and text content remain central to the Web experience – the desire of online consumers to connect, communicate and share is increasingly driving the medium’s growth.”

Click above for the full article from Nielsen.com.

Now more than ever it’s important to evaluate the way you expose your brand via the Internet. With more users turning to Twitter for news and consumer opinion, and Facebook for personal communication, it’s important to stay updated to the trends and let people know where you are and what you have to offer. Build trust by personalizing your brand through social networks – increase communication and opportunity for feedback. Spider Writers, providing professional social media management services, can help. Contact us today at 757-499-1990, ext. 101 for more information.

Search For Homes on Specialized Real Estate Networks

Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on September 14, 2009 | 1 Comment

Don’t be surprised if you log in to Facebook one day and find your real estate agent wants to be friends. As social networking continues to grow in relevance as a primary source for finding news and information, it is logical that businesses and other organizations will use their profiles for product and service promotion. To this end, using sites like Facebook and Twitter are good if you are looking for a new home. However, these are not the only sites one should peruse – there are a few specialized social sites designed for real estate, buyers and sellers.

Where are the best social sites for house-hunting? Here are some recommended networks set up to highlight home listings and Realtor expertise, all of which also feature helpful tips for the first time homebuyer.

ActiveRain: Billed as the largest real estate network in the world, ActiveRain holds an impressive collection of agent profiles with blog space, links to listings state by state, and resources for buyers, sellers, and Realtors. Whether you plan to sell on your own or wish to seach for an agent to help you purchase a condo or other property, ActiveRain provides a user-friendly base.

RealTown: RealTown provides a forum for agents, brokers, buyers and sellers to network and trade information. Home-hunters can search for an agent in their area, and professionals can set up blogging functionality and use the message boards to impart advice on obtaining home loans and purchasing a home out of state.

Trulia: While Trulia functions more as a search engine than a social network, there is still opportunity for localized agents to promote their listings. Agents may claim existing notifications in search or create new ones through their own profile. Homebuyers, meanwhile, will note how simple it is to narrow down the specifications for their dream home in results.

Zolve: A new network to watch, Zolve has the appearance of a wiki which allows agents to contribute information on their respective markets. As the site is built out, it could prove a valuable resource for people seeking particular demographics on desired destinations.

Whether you are searching for a new home or looking to sell, work beyond the general social networks to discover the ones that cater specifically to real estate. You may find you have an easier time finding the right people to work with you.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on homes for sale in Virginia Beach and condos for sale in Norfolk.

Social Media: How Much is Too Much?

Posted in: Blog, Facebook, Industry News, Twitter by SpiderWriters on August 10, 2009 | 1 Comment

The latest trend seems to be making sure you have a presence on many social media Web sites. Web 2.0 elements can put businesses in the driver’s seat, making it easier than ever to communicate with customers and get connected to other professionals in your field. With all of the instant gratifications in social networking, it begs the question: Can you ever have too much social media?

Tuning into a plethora of different social media channels can not only drive you crazy, but it can keep you preoccupied with friend counts and tweets, not focused on the overall goal of putting your business in the spotlight.

Here are a few ways you can optimize your social media presence:

1. Stay social. The purpose of social media is to continuously stay connected. Don’t merely regenerate content on Facebook and Twitter – keep your tweets original and comment on your friends’ walls from time to time. If you use  social bookmarking to post your blog articles, take some time while you are logged into these sites to look around at related articles. Give them a Digg or Thumbs Up. This may direct users back to your articles, giving them more readers.
2. Don’t stretch yourself thin. Don’t register for 10 different social media accounts and let them sit around for a few weeks before logging on again because you are too busy to keep up. Social networking requires some work to keep your friend lists and followers growing. Pick one to three solid social media sites you want to join and focus your attention on those. If you feel like you can handle more, then add more networks.
3. Keep the focus on your business. Remember your main goal: promoting your business and attracting more visitors. This means focusing your social networks around your company’s Web site. Put your company’s logo as an avatar on each of your profiles and provide links to direct people to your business.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

Blog Writing Proves Necessary For Any Business

Posted in: Article Marketing, Blog, Blogging, Industry News by SpiderWriters on August 7, 2009 | 3 Comments

There seems to be many rules about Web site maintenance these days. Twitter this, SEO that — sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Of all of the rules of thumb to obey, one rule stands out above the others: your company needs a blog.

Blog writing is important for many reasons. For starters, generating new content keeps people coming back. For your current customers, think of blogging as a way to write press releases in a way that will engage them and keep them updated on your products and services in a more personable way. Also, continuously writing articles about your business and industry can make your customers (both current and future) feel confident that you are well-researched in your field.

Blog writing also allows your site to be noticed by search engines. By constantly providing new content with specific keywords, it is more likely to move up the results list on Google.

Finally, blogs give you an opportunity to bookmark each entry on a social networking site like Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon or Reddit. By reposting each entry on different sites, you increase the chance of being discovered by different audiences, all of which will be directed back to your company’s home page. Providing the opportunity for site visitors to bookmark each page on each entry also expands your potential audience.

If you need help getting started in content writing or article marketing, look no further. Spider Writers has specialized SEO content writers to provide relevant content for your site, as well as manage social media accounts across the Web. For more information,  contact us today.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.

Increase Search Engine Hits by Improving Article Content

Posted in: Article Marketing, Blog, Blogging, Industry News by SpiderWriters on July 30, 2009 | No Comments

Here are a few scenarios that the average person has more than likely encountered at least once:

• Buying something from an infomercial or store that they couldn’t live without, but the product fell flat
• Finally scoring a date with that gorgeous piece of eye-candy, only to realize he or she is awfully boring
• Going to a restaurant because its food on TV looked so incredibly appetizing, but the commercial and the real thing appear completely different.
• Changing an outward appearance to get a desired result, however the transformation results in no net change, or something even worse

While these categories are pretty general, one scenario that happens all too often is visiting a “pretty” Web site, only to realize that there is nothing else the site can provide for you. All of the flashy graphics might get visitors to the site, but if there is nothing that keeps them there, why stay or ever come back?

Your Web site should be focused on SEO content writing, which uses relevant keywords to get your site noticed by search engines. By writing for these search engines, your site can not only get noticed by more Web visitors, but it will keep your content focused on your products and/or services. Keeping your site visitors focused will impress them, and they might feel respected that you aren’t enticing them by pizazz, but treating them like adults.

Spider Writers offers professional SEO writing services that assist your site in moving up search engine ratings. Specialized content writers can improve your site’s appearance, and can also market articles through social media optimization. Contact us today for more information.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer is specializing in articles about SEO for travel Web sites and social media optimization.