Google is the full-service gas station of websites. From search to email and now to social: Google does it all. Aptly named, Buzz is the latest step in Google’s emergence as a social network. Buzz has all the characteristics that you have come to enjoy from your favorite social media websites along with some extra pieces of flair.
- Buzz uses the all important “status update.”
Tell your followers what you’re doing, what you did, what you’re thinking or maybe just to share your latest haiku. The status update has become the crutch for Social Internet. What differs with this status update is the unlimited amount of characters you can enter. No more using weird abbreviations in a struggle to express yourself in under 140 characters. Also notable are the privacy settings, which are decided per post by choosing either public or private. For the forgetful out there be sure to double-check before post. [the default is a public post] Also, Buzz connects with Twitter. So all you Tweeps out there have no fear, you won’t miss a single tweet.
- Content sharing capabilities.
Post links and videos into your updates to share with your followers. Along with Twitter, you can connect your Buzz account to your Flickr, Google Reader, Picasa, and YouTube accounts. The content you post on these other sites become part of your Buzz instantly. One piece that I feel cannot go without mention is the photo gallery. Accessed by clicking an image within the post, the photo gallery appears in light box style and allows for quality viewing and easy scrolling through the images within the post.
- Social Interactions.
Users have the ability to interact with others in your network through commenting on posts, email forwarding, and “liking” [To my disappointment there is still no “dislike” or “stoked” option for posts]. Comments are tracked by also being sent to your Gmail inbox. Other social networks utilize the email notifications but Buzz and Gmail are part of the same platform so you get to save time and browser tabs.
- Suggestive Content.
Buzz includes algorithms to suggest content which the algorithms deem interesting based on your past habits. So if your friends aren’t sharing interesting content, at least Buzz is there for you to hook you up with some good blog posts.
- The @ Reply.
Buzz allows you to send @replys to others’ Gmail accounts. The @reply, popularized by Twitter, is now the newest way to send emails. Simply type @ and then the person’s Gmail address and you’re message is on its way.
- Buzz on the go.
Buzz and Mobile were meant for each other. Some of the mobile features include Buzz knowing your location, searching for people Buzzing nearby and layering capabilities with Google Maps. Buzz mobile is accessible through mobile Google, Google Mobile maps and from buzz.google.com on iphone and android phones.
To become part of the buzz go here buzz.google.com. To watch a video about the buzz scroll down a little bit further. And lastly, to read more more of our cool posts about technology click Tuesday Tech Tango.
We are taught from a young age that sharing is a good thing. We’ve all heard the clever rhyme to induce sharing amongst youngsters: “sharing is caring.” In an age of a hyper-connected social web; knowledge sharing is caring. Your presence online is bolstered by your ability to generate content and share that content. Today I present to you a tool to share your knowledge through slide presentations. Presenting “Slide Share” for our Tuesday Tech Tango post.
Slide Share is a place for businesses to share slideshow presentations with the greater web community. Uploading and sharing slides is just the tip of the ice berg. Other features which may tickle your fancy are the ability to embed audio into the slides and upload general text and spreadsheet documents. Ok so you are thinking: “cool I can upload my documents; how does this differ from just emailing them?”
Social capabilities! Users have their own SlideShare profile page where other users can comment on their wall, create and join groups, follow favorite users, use custom widgets and also have their Slide Share accounts connected to LinkedIN and Facebook.
If your business creates documents for public consumption; specifically slide presentations, then Slide Share is definitely something worth your while. Not only will you have a convenient portal to direct folks interested in your presentation; you will be able to expand the audience for your presentations.
One last benefit of Slide Share is the credibility you can generate for your business. As a business, you are viewed as the expert. The key to growing your perception as the expert is to share that expertise. Slide Share is the key to sharing and becoming a resource for your community.
Enjoy the slides below from a presentation we did on the basics of Twitter. If you are interested in more knowledge via slide shows; visit VQC’s Facebook Page where our other presentations are posted.
Branding, originally a practice for identifying cattle in large pastures, is now an integral and complex marketing concept. Your business’s brand is the base for people’s initial judgments and original connotations, which are established almost instantly. Brand impressions are like first impressions; they happen once and will set the path for future engagements.
Original branding went only as far as having a logo trademarked, which draws from burning cattle hinds with wrought-iron. Lyle’s Golden Syrup lays claim to being Britain’s oldest brand, with their packaging being unchanged since 1885. Around the turn of the previous century, marketers attaching slogans and jingles noticed people developing relationships with products. This led to the building of a brand’s personality and identity; allowing consumers to have a more meaningful relationship with a brand rather than just being aware it existed.
In the time of social media, brands have once again evolved. Brands have the capability to further their personality and identity via direct interaction. The branding process has progressed from displaying your brand to allowing customers to directly interact with your brand.
The 2008 presidential race is a prime example of having a social brand presence. Barak Obama utilized social media to generate a brand for himself that people could interact with. Obama’s Facebook Page is a place for individuals to comment and share their thoughts on his announcements. His Twitter Page shares announcements, thoughts and updates from the 44th president. Obama successfully created a social brand for himself which others could interact with and relate to.
When extending you or your business’s brand to the internet it is important to create a consistent image through your various portals. You should think of your website as the home-base of your web-based brand efforts. Customized websites can be designed in any way you would like your brand to be presented. From there create your Facebook and Twitter pages to resemble your site. Repetition is the key to memory; a consistent brand image will increase people’s recollection of your brand.
With a consistent image; the next step is having a consistent message. Each portal will vary in the way you engage your customers; but all messages should be fueled by a general topic. Keep in mind, you’re not trying to force-feed information to generate sales; you are trying to engage and interact with people. Build a community people can be a part of – your brand acting as the glue binding the community together. Keep this in mind and your social branding efforts will go far. Bust out the wrought-iron: time to get branded!
