Social Media Leads To Better Search Engine Results... But You Have To Be Social! - Click here http://bit.ly/i28fvb for full article

 

Click here http://bit.ly/i28fvb for full article

Microsoft's often lauded search engine "Bing" is currently making its first foray into the social search game. For a long time now prime competitor Google has been making use of Twitter, allowing its users to see real time updates as to what common people have to say about a particular search term. Though highly praised, from a business stand point it can be easy to see why the Google and Twitter partnership may make getting internet exposure for your business difficult. The sole fact that there needs to be an ongoing and active discussion on your product or company already for it to show up in a social search engine is what makes businesses nowadays wonder "Why Bother?".

Small businesses and producers can rest easy for the time being, since Bing has just partnered up with Facebook to provide its own series of real time results. The results generated will be based on the amount of "Likes" a Facebook page receives in relation to the search query. This itself opens up a whole wealth of networking opportunities. Unlike the Google and Twitter partnership, one can simply network the old fashioned way and get consumers to press the "Like" button on their Facebook page, and Bing will present their page as the most relevant result.

This seemingly small move however has much greater implications than one may imagine. In fact, Microsoft and Facebook's partnership has just clearly defined the two social search giants. Bing and Facebook, versus Google and Twitter. Now, experts have said that this is a very cunning move on behalf of Microsoft, as this could potentially lead Microsoft to present even more relevant search results than Google could.

The partnership was announced in late October of 2010 and was headlined when C.E.O Mark Zuckerberg appeared on stage alongside Microsoft executives to discuss how social tools could magnify generalized search results. Lawrence Kim, head developer of Microsoft's social search team had this to say: “This is the first time in human history that people are leaving social traces that machines can read and learn from, and present enhanced online experiences based on those traces." If Microsoft's approach proves to be successful, this could be the first of many increasingly unique and useful tools that businesses and consumers can take advantage of when performing a simple internet search. In any case, this partnership is a real game changer.

How businesses can benefit from this:

If companies want to increase their search engine presence, they are now going to be forced to participate in social media. The good news is that the more social you are the easier it will be to appear in search results. This means you will no longer need to pay SEO companies $5,000 a month to “guarantee” top rankings which will take about 3 months! To learn more about this please contact New Media Plus and ask how social media will help your Search Engine Optimization efforts.

Killer Blames Social Media - Click here http://bit.ly/dFjhz0 for full article

Click here http://bit.ly/dFjhz0 for full article

On April 15, 2009, teenage Rachel Wade murdered Sarah Ludemann in Pinellas Park, Fla. In Wade’s testimony and other official statements, she claimed it was an act of self-defense. She now blames social media, talking about how the two had been fighting over MySpace, email, texts and voicemail. They both had been dating the same boy, Joshua Camacho, and for six months prior to the killing, the two traded threatening messages back and forth.

These messages were largely through the social networking platform, MySpace. The messages ranged anywhere from arguments and words to full-blown threats of violence. Fighting and arguing through social media lets people become meaner, more violent and less likely to hold back anything, according to Jay Herbert, Wade's lawyer. When fighting through technology instead of in-person, people are more likely to say things they would likely not say face-to-face.

“It's almost like you can threaten something or say whatever you want and possibly scare them and you don't have to face them at that moment," Wade said in an interview with WFTS-TV in Florida.

These messages are not only hurtful, and sometimes extremely disturbingo they are saved forever on the Internet as pieces of time that cannot be undone.

During her conviction, voicemails from Wade to Ludemann were submitted as evidence, one specifically saying, "I’m going to fucking murder you, Sarah." Herbert has said he was convinced the voicemails were the reason for her conviction.

Wade is appealing her conviction while Herbert travels to schools to talk about the dangers of the Internet and using social media as an outlet to fight, and the consequences.

"I never really took any of that seriously," Wade has said. "I never thought I would be confronted with the situation where we would actually fight."

 

Debt Collectors are Getting Creative With Facebook - Click here http://bit.ly/hl66Cx for full article

Click here http://bit.ly/hl66Cx for full article

Most people know about debt collectors and their techniques. They use phone calls, mail and other forms of communication to collect the debts owed to them or their clients. The phone calls can be annoying and even harassing, sometimes multiple times a day, and the mail seems to just be a waste of paper. But now, debt collectors are trying a new tactic to try and get you to pay up. Social media! Yes, your Facebook and other social media profiles may be accessed and used by debt collectors to try and force you into establishing communication with them and make your payments.

In one lawsuit in St Petersburg, Fla., a judge ruled that it was a violation of privacy laws and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to use social media in collecting debts. This act provides protection against contact at work or on a work number; contacting an employer, neighbors or family, other than to get or confirm the debtor’s location; and other harassing techniques. These are just a few of the protections, but surprisingly, the act does not have a clause for social media ... yet. Debt collectors are using this loophole to contact friends and family through social media, asking for them to have the debtor contact the agency. In the St. Petersburg case, many of the plaintiff's friends and family were contacted with embarrassing demands from the collection agency.

Some of these agencies are going so far as to creating fake profiles, become friends with debtors, and then post on their account and message them repeatedly. In one case from Chicago, a man accepted a friend request from a profile with a picture of a woman in a bikini, only to have her (the debt collector) post on his Facebook wall, “Pay your debts, you deadbeat!”

With social media, and especially location-based applications like Gowalla and Foursquare, debt collectors have access to some of the most private and detailed information about our lives. Whether you’re at home or the grocery store, when you post this information to your profile, the collectors also have that information and can confront you, and even embarrass you in front strangers.

There are a couple ways to combat this if you are being pursued by a collections agency, or even if you aren’t and just want to ensure your privacy.

One, make sure you only accept friend requests from people whom you actually know. Two, set all of your privacy settings to the highest possible levels so your information and updates are only visible to those whom you trust.

Recently, there was another case in Florida in which a Melanie Beacham was contacted on Facebook for an unpaid $362 car loan. Beacham stated that the debt collection agency contacted her friends and family to contact her and let her know about the debt. Beacham's attorney said the debt collectors violated Beacham's privacy and also Florida's consumer protection law, which restricts debt collectors from harassing people. With the case open since November 2010, Judge W. Douglas Baird finally ordered the collection agency to avoid contacting Beachman, her family and and friends on any social network.

Collection agencies have plenty of tools at their disposal to try and recover debts but social media techniques should be left out of their kit.

What Bunisses Can Learn from Charlie Sheen - Click here http://bit.ly/hHu7xh for full article

Click here http://bit.ly/hHu7xh for full article

The "speed"iest man in Hollywood today, Charlie Sheen, has somehow managed to make his dismissal from the top comedy show, "Two And A Half Men", yesterday's news. College counselors be forewarned lest your best and brightest miss the opportunity of a lifetime: to work with Mr. Sheen as an intern in his company. The tenure for employment is set at eight weeks. On his Twitter account, he posted his ad for an intern: "I'm looking to hire a #winning INTERN with #TigerBlood. Apply here – http://bit.ly/hykQQF #TigerBloodIntern #internship #ad"

Charlie has to be the most wanted celebrity in a five-planet radius at this point in time, and so the need for some administrative help, read a personal lackey, is certainly in order. He is currently launching a Web show on top of his many public relations appearances, and the blitz will most likely have the lucky intern wheeling and dealing with the biggest names in media and entertainment. And your perspective on Charlie's personal issues notwithstanding, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

As a matter of fact, every business could learn something from how Mr. Sheen is handling his current situation. Among the many lessons are the following:

1. Public relations mastery. Finish the following quote: "All press is good press ..." The answer: "if you make it good press." Many a lesser business has faltered from executive scandal. Charlie's include a high-profile divorce from Denise Richards, a public child custody battle, and getting fired from the best job on television. What does Mr. Sheen do? Use the resulting media firestorm to focus the general attention of the public squarely on him and build his business into an empire.

2. Brand management. Unlike Janet Jackson, who apologized for her "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl instead of using it to further her already sexy image (and paid for it with dwindling record sales), Charlie Sheen has managed his freewheeling, inebriated brand into a personal iconoclast. Yeah, he can't be promoted by Pepsi or Coke anymore, but there are plenty of companies that can still sponsor and pay him because his image is straightforward, clear and easy to sell. Think about it: What would you think of Hugh Hefner if he apologized for all the sex he has undoubtedly coerced from his sizable harem? Use your opponents' criticisms to find your niche and strengthen your hold on the people who want what you offer.

3. Monetize publicity. Just because a business is able to gain its audience's attention does not necessarily guarantee profits. Once the eyes are on your business, you have only a short window of time to draw the money in. Strike while the iron is hot and get the advertisers, sponsors, investors, etc. on your side. The biggest mistake that even the best investors make is judging future returns by past or present performance. Use this to your advantage if you are looking to expand.

Angry Palazzo and Venetian Gamers Turn to Facebook - Click here http://bit.ly/eMVOEi for full article

Click here http://bit.ly/eMVOEi for full article

With economic woes hitting every corner of our country, the gambling and tourism industries are no exceptions. Two widely known Las Vegas hotel and casino resorts, The Venetian and Palazzo, both owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corp., have found a new way to try and cut costs in departments and raise revenue.

In a conference call with Wall Street analysts on Feb. 3, Sands chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson, reportedly announced, "We've essentially cut all of our comps except our most highly-rated players. No more comped rooms. No food and beverage. No showroom credits. We're selling rooms. We see it's resulting in a substantial increase in cash income."

The days when being a gold or platinum players club member would secure you a room or a few show tickets have all but disappeared at The Venetian and Palazzo. This has turned into a $30 million jump in cash flow from the fourth quarter of 2010.

With everyone feeling the pain of the down economy, one could see this change of policy as a business trying to do anything it can to maintain profits and keep its doors open. Unfortunately, while the Venetian and Palazzo have done this, they also have burned quite a few of their gamblers in the process.

The Sands began calling customers with reserved comped rooms to inform them, sometimes with little notice, that the free rooms were being revoked. According to The Palazzo's and Venetian's Facebook pages, guests started speaking out against the Sands' decision in the beginning of February. A response from the properties' social media marketing personnel was slow in coming but did appear on March 2:

Thank you for your continued support of The Venetian and Palazzo. As you are aware Las Vegas was hard hit by the economic recession and continues to be impacted by its lingering effects. With this in mind, we conducted a thorough review of our comp policy and have subsequently made changes to it. We appreciate your understanding and continued loyalty and we look forward to seeing you at The Venetian and Palazzo in the very near future.

Players have taken to Facebook, creating a page to urge people to boycott the properties.

Other establishments in Vegas have noticed the uproar, and in some cases, are offering these players deals with rates and other specials to entice them into spending their money with them, instead. According to the administrator of BoycottPalazzo on Facebook, Bellagio is offering disgruntled Sands customers half-off room rates, and after ensuring the guests are gambling, will provide further discounts and comps. And, Myra Lynn Alicea, regional director for Caesars Entertainment, posted on The Palazzo's Facebook page that her company stood ready to offer players the treatment they are used to.

If there's one lesson everyone can take from this is that social media has given power to consumers to not only vent frustrations but also to band together, and if not effect change then at least to discover other opportunities. It's a valuable realization for businesses, as well.

NewMediaPlus in the News - Click here http://bit.ly/f90Fa3 for full article

Click here http://bit.ly/f90Fa3 for full article

 

The Las Vegas Valley's oldest and most respected business publication, Las Vegas Business Press, just published a story about NewMediaPlus and its founder, Brett Pojunis. The award-winning weekly newspaper goes out to 64,800 business owners, executives and upper-management professionals each month. "To glimpse the i-entrepreneur of the future, equipped to survive any recession, look at Brett Pojunis. He dropped out of high school to become a stockbroker at age 18, launched his own brokerage firm at 19 and took 14 companies public during the dot-com boom.

"Now, his Las Vegas-based social media firm, NewMediaPlus, aims to help small businesses create and implement online strategies, from social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook to Web development and online advertising."

To read the full article, including Tips for Entrepreneurs, click here.

4 Tips for Company Blogs - Click here http://bit.ly/f3a7lq for full article

  Click here http://bit.ly/f3a7lq for full article

Launching a company blog is one of the essential steps a business should take to stamp its presence on the Internet. Not only is it an effective means of communicating and interacting with suppliers, customers and other affiliates, it also can be an important survey tool on different business fronts. With this in mind, it's important to consider a number of things before launching your company blog.

What information should be posted?
The primary aim of having a blog is to pass information along to suppliers and consumers. This should be done in a consistent manner. Apart from simply announcing corporate events, product launches and other self-promotion activities, provide tips on using your products or services and let readers comment on your posts. Interact with the readers by commenting back. This will build a solid virtual relationship that will be a plus for your company.

How accessible is the blog?
You want your blog to be accessible to the audience you are targeting at any time. Therefore, you have to consider technical issues such as where you should host the blog, the type of hosting you should get and browser compatibility, among others. Get a good web hosting package that will not limit your website's accessibility. This is particularly important if you anticipate a wide readership.

What content should you post?
Most businesses will be tempted to thump their chests on their blogs. While this can be done once in a while, you should strive to give value to your readers. Do not over-focus on what your company is providing. Instead, approach your readers by showing them how they can improve their lives. For instance, show them why your solutions or products will help them. Mix the content with other great related news from the Internet. Readers frown upon blatant self-promotion, and posting related news from other sites will have a positive, diluting effect.

Who will be the lead editor?
Your corporate blog should have a lead editor who will be selecting pieces to be posted, editing guest posts and determining the direction of the blog in line with the company's objectives. Readers get used to a particular voice on blogs and make a connection easily. Having multiple editors can lead to a jumbled blog in terms of the news stories, commentaries and editorial voice.

When taken into consideration, the above four points will make your company blog have a great impact and enjoy regular readership from your connections, suppliers, consumers and affiliates.

Military Looks to Create Fake Online Personae - Click here http://bit.ly/hYHput to see full article

Click here http://bit.ly/hYHput to see full article

Have you been inundated by marketing offers on your social media sites like Facebook and Twitter? Most users have. But did you know that some of it may soon be coming from the U.S. military?

The U.S. Air Force has requested bids for something referred to as "Persona Management Software," giving 50 user licenses for 10 identities per user. In other words, 50 users will be able to operate up to 10 different identities each, for a total of 500 new fake people on the Internet. These fake personae will be used to open social media accounts and interact with the public.

The contract requires that each identity is complete with background and supporting details that are geographically and culturally realistic and consistent. The service should include a real-time data feed that allows the user to be aware of local information for each of the identities he or she operates.

It further requires that each of the 50 personae be able to be manipulated to appear to be coming from different areas of the world. The actual locations of use for the proposed software would be the MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and bases in Baghdad, Iraq, and Kabul, Afghanistan.

The exact purpose for these fake identities remains speculative. It could be something as innocent as being able to manage several official personae of the military from one convenient workstation.

The U.S. military is no stranger to employing propaganda, and this is undoubtedly at least part of the purpose for this program. It may also be used for antiterrorism activities or to keep track of employee and military personnel online activities.

Some have proposed a darker purpose. Since the Air Force has indicated intended use of this software in Middle Eastern war zones, could they be gathering embarrassing pictures and personal information from enemy soldiers' Facebook profiles? Could they be influencing foreign press polls, creating an illusive consensus of opinion? As one blogger put it, "... a fake mob can be really effective."

 

The bids were requested in June. This means these fake personae could be roaming the Internet already.

Do you know who your friends are?