1. Social Media By : Khawar Nehal Applied Technology Research Center http://atrc.net.pk http://Dubai-Computer-Services.com khawar@dubai-computer-services.com Date : 5 January 2014. InterNations Dubai Technology Discussion Meeting on Social Media

2. Tumblr#1: Tumblr is Great For SEO Because Tumblr is indexed, and contains lots of social sharing it has the power to attract a ton of traffic to your websites. 3. Tumblr#2: Microblogging on Tumblr Tumblr allows you to microblog, which means that you can share your posts quickly and easily with your social communities. 4. Tumblr #3: Shorter Posts on Tumblr Tumblr allows bloggers to post small snippets of content for the world to see. Its a great platform to use if you only have time for 250 word blog posts. 5. Tumblr#4: Post Mixed Media as They Are If you use Tumblr, you can post images, videos, links and more, directly to the platform without having to add in any content. 6. Tumblr #5: Use Tumblr To Source Great Content Tumblr can be used as a research tool, where you can find great content in a matter of minutes. Just browse through the blogs on offer, in your select category. 7. Tumblr #6: Content Curation on Tumblr Using Tumblr allows you to curate content, or collect it, by reblogging or reposting blogs on your page that youve enjoyed. This is great for traffic and SEO. 8. Tumblr#7: Tumblr is 100% Free Unlike WordPress, which can cost a bit of money to put up properly Tumblr is a completely free platform that doesnt require any financial outlay. 9. Tumblr #8: Track Your Progress With Analytics You can connect your Tumblr account to Google Analytics and actually track your progress. This will help you improve your blog, your SEO and your brand visibility. 10. Tumblr#9: Build Interactive Communities Tumblr was built to encourage interaction, like a real social networking site. Youll find that getting people to respond to you is a lot easier here. 11. Tumblr #10: Improve Your Business Network Youre guaranteed to find some of your niches biggest bloggers using Tumblr. Theyre super simple to become friends with, and that means better business networks. 12. Facebook Facebook is considered a social networking site and, if used as such, can be a good way to make connections with people with similar interests and goals. Facebooking can be a way to connect with or "meet" people that a person may not have had the opportunity to before-including other people, staff, and acquaintances 13. Facebook Thanks to Facebook, meeting someone in person has become a thing of the past. Making friends is as easy as "Facebooking"-it can create new friendships and renew old ones. Thus, meeting people and staying connecting with collegues and friends is a major benefit of Facebook. 14. FacebookFacebook can be a great way to understand and stay connected to one's community as a whole. 15. Facebook Facebook offers advertising to its subscribers. Whether a person creates a "party" for an upcoming event or pays the $5 for 10,000 "hits" for an ad, Facebook is a GREAT way to advertise as an organization, club, Greek chapter, team, etc. 16. Facebook Most importantly, Facebook offers people the opportunity to create a positive self-image. Facebook profiles gives people a chance to create the image of themselves that they want people to see by putting their best qualities "out there." This shows that a people care about their reputations and (to a certain extent) what people think about them-whether its their peers, managers, or future employers. 17. Facebook risksPeople can be stalked by strangers (or even acquaintances) because of the detailed and specific information people post on Facebook such as phone numbers, addresses, class schedules, social plans, etc. 18. Facebook risks People are getting in trouble with companies for incriminating and inappropriate information or pictures on their Facebook profiles that are violations of company policy or the code of conduct. (note: managers are not monitoring Facebook; however, if information or pictures on a person's account that violate policy are brought to their attention or are reported to them, they will follow up and investigate further.) 19. Facebook risksPeople are being turned down by employers for jobs, internships and even interviews because of the information employers are finding out about students on their Facebook accounts. 20. Facebook risks Compromising and inappropriate pictures, statements or other information on student Facebook accounts can hurt peoples' chances to gain (or even be considered for) employment. Employers take the images that people are portraying on Facebook very seriously as a reflection of personal character. 21. Pinterest benefits Pinterest is beneficial for visual businesses such as interior designers, fashion companies and lifestyle magazines to promote their products and inspirations. By creating mood boards around their different influencers or projects, these companies can engage with their potential market and drive interest to their corporate website. 22. Pinterest benefitsPinterest is also a great tool to use when you are planning an event and want to collate a variety of elements in one place. 23. Pinterest benefits Unlike certain social media tools, Pinterests early adopters appear to have been women with mainstream interests like design, fashion and travel. They are not geeks who are continually looking for the latest technie craze. They are genuinely engaged and hopefully will stay interested in your brand. 24. Pinterest benefitsIn addition, Pinterest is both attractive to look at and easy to use. It can be a valuable book marking tool and it is a simple way of way of creating mood boards. 25. Pinterest consWhilst the benefits to creative and retail companies are clear, the business case for many organisations is not. Pinterests growth has been rapid and as a result, successful cases are limited. 26. Pinterest cons It is definitely, at this stage, more relevant to companies selling products and in someways creates more of a catalogue than social experience. It can be used as a tool to record things that interest you and to support your personal blog at this stage. 27. Pinterest consAlthough the signs are positive, its still early days for Pinterest, so we dont know yet whether the popularity craze will endure. Proceed with caution. 28. Pinterest cons You also need to ask yourself the question, Does your company have the time and resources to devote to yet another social media channel?. Although even if you dont its still worthwhile creating a profile and protecting your brand identity on the site. 29. Pinterest cons There are potential privacy concerns because Pinterest forces you to link through either your Twitter or Facebook accounts. Pinterests current privacy policy is not crystal clear when it comes to how information they share with your other social media channels. 30. Pinterest cons The bigger that Pinterest grows the more issues the site faces with images that are copyrighted. They face a growing backlash from media owners and users over their somewhat vague attitude to copyright. Pinterests Terms of Use put the emphasis on the user to make sure there are no copyright or licensing violations so it could be the user who would be sued. 31. Google+ Benefits 1. Get an SEO Boost: Bob Shirilla, director of marketing at Simply Bags, says that his business joined Google+ because he relies on Google search referrals for sales conversions. "Google+ influences search for all the people who have included my business in their circle," he says. "We have also put a +1 button on each product page. This is a great way to get free promotion from people who like the product to people with similar interests." 32. Google+ Benefits 2. Host a Hangout: "Hangouts offer an amazing opportunity for businesses to engage in a highly personal way with clients, customers and industry thought leaders," says Roger Friedensen, president and CEO of Forge Communications. "Plus, employees in remote locations can hold team meetings to brainstorm with one another from an interface that affords them immediate and easy access to share and collaborate on most of the information materials they might need, such as documents and spreadsheets." 33. Google+ Benefits 3. Expand Content Distribution: Phyllis Khare, the social media editorial director of iPhone Life magazine, says that Google+ is a great platform for expanding the publication's content distribution. "It took us almost a year to get 1,000 Likes on our Facebook Page, and three days on G+ to get that number to Circle us," she says. "We are gearing up for Hangouts with some of our writers in 2012 to answer iOS questions and a few other fun things with contests and giveaways." 34. Google+ Benefits 4. Connect with Early Adopters: If your business falls in the Internet or technology industries, Google+ could be a great place to connect a tech-savvy audience. "The people that are on Google+ already are most likely going to be early adopters of other technologies and marketing channels," says Jason Pinto, CMO at interlinkONE. "When we look at what defines an 'ideal customer' for our products, that criteria is certainly high on our list." 35. Google+ Benefits 5. Segment Your Audience: "The obvious benefit of Google+ is that it allows us to share select content with specific audiences," says Chad Udell, managing director of Float Mobile Learning. Google+ makes it easy for businesses to segment their audiences and share content directly with those certain groups of followers. 36. Google+ Benefits 6. Use Google+ to Network: David Greenberg, president of Parliament Tutors, says that his business does not have a Google+ page, but that he uses his personal Google+ page to network and gather contact data and research the "personal side" of relevant contacts, such as journalists and potential clients, so that he can better create a connection with them. He adds that the "About" section of a contact's Google+ profile is usually a great start. 37. Google+ Benefits 7. Just Explore: Netronic Managing Director Martin Karlowitsch says, "We currently use Google+ for exploratory purposes. It is still a niche platform, but quickly growing and with a platform giant behind it. Knowing the impact that Google has on the way people find relevant information on the web, Google+ soon can become significant by combining social and search. I want to start early using this platform to be prepared when this inflection point arises." 38. Google+ Cons1. Administration is Difficult: "The pages need to be created from an individual's Google+ account, and you cannot add admins or any other users to manage the account," says Jason Donaldson, an account executive at Formic Media. "Depending on the size of the business, this may not be an issue. 39. Google+ Cons For example, if you only have one or two employees, there probably isn't an issue accessing the page from a personal Google account. The problem becomes more exaggerated with businesses that don't have a dedicated social media manager (unlikely with small businesses), because of the need to give out personal account information for users to post on the business page." 40. Google+ Cons 2. Facebook and Twitter Reign: Many of the small businesses we spoke with pointed out that they maintain engaged audiences on Twitter and Facebook, but most of their customers and clients don't use Google+. So, the platform isn't much of a priority for their business. In the words of TwiloPR President Chris Heuwetter, "The true value is in Facebook, where we see a nice return on our efforts. Google+ seems like a ghost town [for many small businesses]." 41. Google+ Cons 3. Social Dashboards Don't Integrate Google+ Yet: While more progressive social media dashboards, like Hootsuite, have integrated Google+ into their products, many social dashboard services on the market do not enable users to post to Google+. For businesses that manage their social presences from one central location, the lack of Google+ integration is a huge barrier to Google+ usage. 42. Google+ Cons 4. Google Side Projects are Unreliable: James Beswick manages online marketing for a bar in San Antonio called Drink. He looked into creating a Google+ page for the bar, but decided against it, since he's not certain that the social network will pan out. "Google keeps starting and shutting down products Buzz, Wave and Hotpot, to name a few and I'm not entirely convinced the same thing won't happen with Plus," he says. "Given the time and cost of engaging followers, I think the effort is better spent on Facebook." 43. Google+ Cons 5. Growth Is Small: Tara Parks, senior marketing administrator at Convergence Networks says that she sees potential in Google+, but that growth has been small for her company. "The biggest drawback to Google+ so far is that it's hard to grow a fan base, since businesses can only add other businesses to their Circles, and not individuals, the way you can on Twitter (until they add you, that is)," she says. "It will definitely be a lot more fun once more people start using Google+." 44. Myspace benefits Why do businesses rely on MySpace? It could be because there are millions of members, or because of the immense popularity. Either way, people seek use MySpace as a place to promote their business and services daily. The promotion is often hidden in blog posts and bulletins with links to an affiliate site or landing page. 45. Myspace benefitsThe key to the businesses success is the friend base, which is often stacked with thousands of other people who are looking to promote a business for their own well being. If everyone is running to MySpace to promote, how is there any real benefit in the site? 46. Myspace benefitsThe only real benefit that can be assumed from business promotion on MySpace falls into the realm of cross promotion. If a business person is on MySpace and they are trying to promote a site, a freelance writer may be able to step in and offer their services to the webmaster or business owner. 47. Myspace benefitsIf a beauty shop uses MySpace to connect with clientele, a print company may be able to connect with the beauty shop offering a special deal on flyers or postcard printing. These are just "maybe" possibilities, and therefore require you as the business owner to decide for yourself. 48. Myspace cons If you look beyond the spam and the annoying blog postings and bulletins, there is one aspect of MySpace which may be beneficial for the business--the contacts. Contacts are the source of email marketing campaigns and with a targeted email list being a hot commodity, what better place to collect potential new clients than a community of people looking for the same connection? 49. Myspace consThe history of MySpace began with great intentions as a social network. People can connect with people, but businesses will not increase their organic traffic or their organic sales from MySpace promotion enough to concentrate on it with major time efforts. 50. Myspace cons This is all a matter of opinion, and will depend on your particular business or service. If you believe the benefit will outweigh the security risks (phising sites, spam, etc.) and take the time to dedicate to its use, then by all means, make it work. If you do not believe it will be worth your time, move on to another social networking option. 51. Myspace Overall, it is not tremendously beneficial to a business, though small businesses in need of a local target audience will probably see a greater benefit, because of the connections. The recent launch of a promotional program similar to Google AdSense may change the face of MySpace for business, but with the program still in beta, it's hard to say. 52. LinkedinLinkedIn is a new social networking website which allows people to find business connections and solicit their services. Of the sites reviewed in this series, LinkedIn most certainly has the best contributions to business purposes, and should certainly be used. 53. Linkedin LinkedIn is the most business appropriate social network in this series of social networking websites. Though people may connect with old classmates, profiles here allow people to showcase their skills and work experience in order to find new business connections and jobs. This site will help individuals find jobs and has a recommendation feature to allow users to vouch for each other virtually, so as to help in the real world. 54. Linkedin Companies may also create profiles which are listed in a directory for users to search through just as the personal profiles are. With a company profile, businesses can let people looking for jobs know who they are, what they do, common job titles they work with, who else listed on LinkedIn works with them, and more. 55. Linkedin Unlike the other social networking websites in this series, LinkedIn does not aim to help businesses find customers and address the target audience issues; it serves to help businesses find each other, along with helping individuals find business connections to find a job, or develop a deeper relationship with--such as investing. 56. Linkedin With company profiles, people will be able to see new hires and position changes/promotions within the company to learn about it. Some consumers may come from this information through connections on the network--say John Doe works for company profile A, and Jane decides to purchase services from company profile B, the company John worked for before accepting the position at A--because Jane saw John's profile on LinkedIn, and chose to check out the companies. This is a possibility, though a long shot, as it is not particularly the aim of LinkedIn. 57. LinkedinDifferent account types allow for different experiences on LinkedIn.The screen shot below is a comparison of the account types, directly from the LinkedIn website. 58. LinkedinThe account type chosen will impact the experience a user has on the website, though starting with a free personal account will help a user decide if upgrading is necessary. There are no frivolous features with LinkedIn like photo or video sharing present in other networks. 59. LinkedinUsers may choose to elect to participate in market research studies related to their field, though this participation is completely voluntary. 60. Twitter Twitter is a social networking website which allows users to type a message no more than 140 characters in length about what they are doing. People may follow other users, and people who are not "following" each other cannot see updates. The services SMS updates along with being able to keep updates private, meaning the updates will not be indexed in the search engines. 61. Twitter Benefits The main benefit to Twitter is being able to connect to your consumer audience and announce specials, sales, and other promotions. You may also be able to connect to others in related fields to expand your service base or be able to offer discounts to your customers. An example would be a web and graphic designer who finds a printing company and an internet marketing specialist. When the three of them work together, they can all offer extra business for each other. 62. Twitter BenefitsThe "tweets" or "twitters" as they are sometimes called are short blurbs used to direct traffic to a particular URL, such as a product page, an article, or a blog post. These "tweets" are a great source of traffic, but shouldn't be the center of an internet marketing campaign. 63. Twitter BenefitsIt's also a great way to see what people are talking about so one can find out about the market, or see if their product or service is being discussed. Business owners can get an inside glimpse into the minds of consumers and learn about competitors, too. 64. Twitter BenefitsTwitter provides a code for each account which may be pasted into the HTML code of a website in order to link the two together. Use this to gain followers on Twitter who find the website first, and to fuel visitors to the website from Twitter. 65. Twitter ConsUsing Twitter may become addictive. It is very tempting to sit and refresh the page over and over to see what others are saying. Sometimes, people may find themselves posting more "tweets" than they should be, and losing time they should be using to focus on other tasks. 66. Twitter ConsThough there are not really any direct security issues, one should consider limiting the use of the program at work, or installing an application like TweetDeck help employees so they do not have to constantly refresh the page to see who's saying what to who and when. 67. InstagramMany of us have seen photos that employ the use of Instagram technology to achieve a desired look. Often times, this method revolves around slightly modifying the brightness, contrast and hues of a photograph to display a weathered and classical appearance. 68. Instagram Since the launch of this technology into the mainstream public just over one year ago, Instagram has enjoyed a massive amount of success in social networks and other photo sharing communities. Thus, some of us may be wondering as to whether Instagram for social media marketing campaigns is effective. Let us take a quick look at some of the benefits and pitfalls of utilising such a technology. 69. Instagram Benefits We are all well aware that the success or failure of a marketing campaign revolves just as much around the presentation as it does the product itself. This is the reason why advertisers are always trying to push the envelope a bit further to capture the attention of a certain audience. Instagram can aid in such an appeal; offering a unique platform that can grab the visual attention of a viewer. 70. Instagram Benefits Also, the varying themes that this platform offers can be matched with the feel of a certain product or service. For example, a travel agency may wish to slightly modify their pictures to emphasise the cerulean blue waters of a beach landscape. Similarly, a law firm may choose to highlight tonalities of grays and blacks; stressing a no nonsense approach to their litigation cases. 71. Instagram Benefits Finally, Instagram tends to appeal to younger crowds who are more well-versed throughout the Internet. This growing demographic represents a powerful audience that should be proactively targeted. A company that uses Instagram can be considered hip and modern in times that are defined by an increased amount of competition. 72. Instagram ConsWhile the aforementioned benefits cannot be overstated, it is important to appreciate some aspects of Instagram that can be considered slight disadvantages. The most primary concern is the fact that some view this platform as a mere trend and nothing more. 73. Instagram ConsThis may indeed be the case, for it does seem that nearly everyone has jumped on the virtual bandwagon in recent times. The danger here is the fact that if every company uses Instagram for social media marketing, the technology will quickly transform from unique to banal. 74. Instagram Cons Secondly, Instagram is certainly not for every company. Not every picture should be modified. There may even be times when an altered photo will detract from the marketing campaign itself. In essence, such advertising may actually do more harm than good. Finally (and has been witnessed on social media sites), it is quite easy to modify a picture much more than is considered appropriate. The result can be transforming what could have been a catchy visual advertisement into an obtrusive and clumsy piece. 75. Instagram Cons While Instagram obviously offers both pros and cons to the user, it is nonetheless a powerful advertising tool that should be considered in any successful marketing campaign. Should one wish to experiment, there is no harm at altering a handful of pictures and gauging any responses from the audience. By employing Instagram properly, valuable success can be potentially added to any robust sales and marketing campaign. 76. TaggedTagged is a social networking website originally aimed at junior high and high school students but is now open to people of all ages. Despite a convoluted design, complaints about inbox spam and excessive bot spam, Tagged's popularity has grown over the past year. 77. Tagged ProsOne of the fastest-growing social networks Customizable profiles Users can 'tag' each other with pictures A growing number of applications including games like Poker and Mafia Wars 78. Tagged ConsQuestionable behavior leads to inbox spam Advertisements not exactly kid-friendly Lacks enough protection against spam bots Convoluted design 79. TaggedTagged is one of the fastest growing social networks, which means it will provide plenty of opportunity to create a community of friends and meet new people. With the ability to customize your profile, write on walls and tag friends with pictures, Tagged provides a fun atmosphere. 80. TaggedTagged also has a growing number of applications and game like Mafia Wars, a game where you become a Mafia Don and gather together a gang of thugs. 81. TaggedBy far the biggest complaint about Tagged is their behavior in sending out email spam. Tagged is known for sending multiple emails to a member's address book, spamming friends and family with invites. 82. TaggedTagged also has a convoluted design which can make it difficult to navigate and a confusing registration process that can end in a never-ending loop asking for personal information. The need to ask for a street address and mobile phone number is also of concern. 83. TaggedTagged has been overrun with spam bots that grab user profile information and spam user walls. These spam bots can also lead to more inbox spam. 84. TaggedWhile Tagged was originally targeted at junior high and high school students, the questionable advertisements make it not exactly kid-friendly. For this reason, there are parental concerns with Tagged. 85. Tagged While Tagged is quickly becoming one of the more popular social networks, it still lags behind Facebook and MySpace in design, functionality, popularity and community. Add to this the negative aspects of inbox spam, questionable advertisements and spam bots, and it is difficult to recommend Tagged over other social networks.