What is Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Del.icio.us, Flickr, Squidoo, and all the others?
By: Amber Ludwig, Internet Marketing Coach
You’ve heard about Twitter and Flickr, Digg and Facebook, right? But maybe you have no idea what they do, or why so many people care about them.
The whole point of the sites below is to build and expand your ONLINE network. Similar to going to a conference or “belly to belly” networking luncheon – These sites are a way for you to login to a website to create that same experience – but on a much larger scale. At a luncheon, you may get 10-15 business cards? Online, there are people that have a network of over 100,000! Seek these people out once you get an account and create your profile, and learn from them.
- Twitter – www.Twitter.com – Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. You
can type posts of up to 160 characters (called “Tweets”) about what’s on your mind (about the weather, your business, sports updates, anything!) - StumbleUpon – www.StumbleUpon.com – StumbleUpon lets you “channelsurf” the best-reviewed sites on the web. When you “StumbleUpon” a great website, you can tag it for others to view.
- Digg – www.Digg.com – Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. Users will actually mark they like (or “Digg”) a site, post, article, anything. You want to get Diggs.
- MySpace – www.MySpace.com – A social networking site where you build a profile and network of friends, family, co-workers, etc. – and then you can link to those people’s networks to expand your own.
- Facebook – www.Facebook.com – Also a social networking site – but the most popular one to date with almost 200 million users.
- YouTube – www.YouTube.com – A site that allows people to easily upload and share video clips. YouTube is the leader in online video.
- Flickr – www.Flckr.com – The best online photo management and sharing application in the world.
- PhotoBucket – www.PhotoBucket.com – Another premier site on the Internet for uploading, sharing, linking and finding photos, videos and graphics.
- Reddit – www.Reddit.com – A social news website where users can post links to content on the web.
- Metacafe – www.MetaCafe.com – One of the world’s largest video sites, attracting more than 40 million unique viewers each month.
- Del.icio.us – www.del.icio.us.com – A social bookmarking site (meaning you can bookmark sites, content, etc. to and share your “bookmarks” with others).
- Propeller – www.Propeller.com – A social news aggregator operated by AOL-Netscape. Similar to Digg.
- Linked-In – www.Linked-In.com – LinkedIn is an online network of more than 30 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.
- Google Videos – http://video.google.com – A free video sharing and video search engine service from Google.
- Yahoo Videos – http://video.yahoo.com – Offers features to upload, share, rate and watch videos.
Do I have an account at all of the sites listed above? No.
Should I? Well, if I want to gain exposure quickly online, then yes. *I need to get on it!* 
In future posts, I plan to go in-depth on a few of these sites to tell you how to maximize your potential in getting online traffic to your site or blog, without wasting all day sitting on the computer cruising these sites! For now tell me what sites you have an account at – I’ll seek you out and become your friend!
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Comments
I think #1 of your comment is extremely important. example:
I just recently bought some new SCUBA gear (the expensive stuff). There is a dive shop 20 minutes from my house, however I bought my gear from a shop that is over an hour away. Why? They are real friendly and NOT all business business business with me. When I talk to them they ask about stuff going on with me. Where as the shop 20 minutes from my house asks if I am interested in a class they are offering. To bring it the internet its the same way with my web host. Are there cheaper places than the one I use? Of course! However we have developed a rapport, and very rarely in any of our conversations does web hosting come up.
It could be just me that lives like that, but I doubt it.
Hey Sandy. First, thank you for the comment – I’m a sucker for them!
Second, a few tips for social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook…
1. YOU MUST loosen up on these sites. So many people (I am at fault here too) login to these sites and talk all about their business success or updates – and THAT’S IT! It is a major no-no in the social networking world. Imagine going to a party and meeting a great potential client…are you only going to talk about business? or are you going to warm them up, build rapport, etc.? Build rapport (a relationship) online with people.
2. DON’T be shy! Why would you? The chances of you ever meeting these people are slim to none. Might as well put yourself out there and have some fun, right?
3. Try not to be SO CAREFUL about everything you write. People aren’t judging you as much as you think you are. The Internet takes some getting used to for sure. You need to warm up to the idea of putting your thoughts and ideas out there for other people to see. BUT, the early bird catches the worm. Don’t let someone (your competition who feels more comfortable) take your clients because you couldn’t loosen up. Of course, these are general answers and not specific to your situation Sandy.
4. PRACTICE (and REPETITION) MAKES PERFECT. The more you log on and update your status or “tweet” or make a “post” the more people will notice you and REMEMBER you…
5. BE YOURSELF. The people that hang around social networking sites are definitely potential clients you want to target. Just don’t underestimate them because they spend so much time on these sites. When you make a post, be yourself – the you that draws clients to you like a magnet. Find ways to build your confidence — that absolutely shines through on your posts!!
So, yes, I made quite a long reply…but I don’t want to short-change you. This whole “social networking” “social media” “social bookmarking” wave takes a little getting used to. Just like the first time you tried a sport. DON’T GIVE UP! Hang in there, practice — it will pay off for you!
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Amber, I have a questions for you. I know you mentioned going in-depth on how to be successful with these site later, but any chance for a few tips on Twitter or facebook right now? Much appreciated.
Absolutely Jeff. That reminds me… the other day, one of my good Internet Marketing buddies asked, “In Business… How important is HEART???”
I thought this was a very cool questions to ask – and I was very curious what people would write. “If your business is people, PRICELESS!!!” … “Everything! No Matter WHAT your Business.” … I said, “It’s the difference between a long-term client and one that will get scooped up by your competition.” … “Critical!!!!” …
The owners or workers who are ALL BUSINESS, I think could use are lesson from the entrepreneurs who take time to have a conversation with their customers … those are the winners!