Friday 2.0 is hosting the first ‘Blog-Off’ Competition for blog owners in Central Virginia and Roanoke. 

77% of active internet users read blogs. 900,000 is the average number of blog posts in a 24 hour period, according to Business Week.

LYNCHBURG, Virginia. – May 5, 2009 – A ‘Blog-Off” competition will be held on May 22nd at The Muse Coffee in Wyndhurst at 9:00 in the morning. Local business networking group, Friday 2.0, has put together a panel of four judges to evaluate the main criteria that makes an effective blog. Submission deadline is May 15th.

Lynchburg Blog-Off

The purpose of the event is to evaluate the effectiveness of local bloggers, while educating local business owners that those who fail to embrace social media technologies for business will be left behind. Through the month of May each judge will get a chance to share their criteria for blog sexiness, usability, search engine optimization and community engagement.

In a Coleman-Parkes Research study, companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

• Improved Feedback 78%
• Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%
• Improved Customer support 71%
• Increased Sales 40%
• Improved public perception of company 75%

The panel of judges include ShoutOut LLC’s director of marketing, Andrew Potter, Marketing-Helper.com’s Jennifer Bailey, BrowseLynchburg.com’s Phil Tucker, and Nannette Saunders from RE/Max. 

“More and more companies are using social media and blogging to position themselves as industry leaders in their fields,” said Marketing-Helper.com owner Jennifer Bailey. “A lot of companies are afraid of this thing called social media, but the truth is that if we can learn how to adapt in an effective way then we can not only cut our marketing costs but increase sales leads.”

Those interested in learning more about the competition can visit The Blog-Off Fact Sheet >

About Friday 2.0
Friday 2.0 is a local Virginia networking group who meets on Friday mornings at 9:00 a.m. at The Muse coffee shop in Wyndhurst. Friday 2.0’s goal is to get educated about social media tools and opportunities. The most passionate and curious professionals attend this un-meeting as a way to connect with like-minded individuals and discuss the topics and trends relevant to technology, social media and the future of social media. Everyone from the freshly-minted twitter-er, to the tech-advanced executive managing 500 people are encouraged to attend and participate. All voices are equal and welcome at Friday 2.0! Join our Facebook Friday 2.0 Group.

Other Resources:
Coleman-Parkes Research Findings
Definitions of Social Media

There is a lot of talk about our social responsibility to social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. 

…what do you mean, “Social responsibility?” Don’t I only have a responsibility to MY organization, MY cause, and MY paycheck? 

And even I never really got past the fiscal goals of social media (costs less, increases sales), until I talked to @joegerstandt and @appomattox_news over the weekend at the Social Media Seminar. 

“The way we approach leadership is shifting and that part of the future and part of the crossroads we are at now is that we are shifting away from relying on the “experts” at the top of the organizational charts and relying more on groups of people coming together regardless of title to share ideas, information, perspectives and to drive positive change.” (via @joegerstand on the Social Media River)

Imagine if you could double your donor base in a year? Imagine how many people you could reach with your cause message if you had 1,000 twitter followers… who all had 1,000 followers. Imagine if you could rally all of those people and their friends around your cause and your message to drive that positive change you have been working so hard for? 

GuideStar gives us some more practical reasons, here.

I will admit, I do like to waste my time. Sometimes I waste it on YouTube, or Facebook… looking through humorous bumper stickers. I waste mine – and other people’s time – on twitter, talking about useless facts and details of my life. 

But I don’t waste time on Myspace. 

I would like to do a survey on the type of consumers that still use myspace (besides the registered… and unregistered… sex offenders who, according to the lawyer I listened to at Wired Wednesday, pose as teens.)

Who are they? Mostly Generation X and younger (mostly younger). Kids who want to get online for entertainment purposes? 

I used to waste my time on Myspace

And goshdarnit I cannot seem to delete my myspace profile. I remember in the very beginning when everyone thought Tom was Jesus and the t-shirts came out and everyone made it a priority to have the best-looking background theme. Unfortunately… Myspace hasn’t developed into its potential.  

Myspace hasn’t graduated to become a business network

There are two types of internetworks: social networks, and business networks. Many networks aren’t even put in one category over the other… because they serve both purposes. 

For example… LinkedIn is considered a business network. But while Facebook used to be considered a social network, it is quickly graduating to combine business and personal relationships. 

I always tell people that each social network has a different purpose… Facebook is for friends and family, Linkedin is for businesses, and twitter combines them all. But the networks are changing. 

Facebook is BETTER anyway

Easier to use. Cleaner. Prettier. Better applications. Does nobody disagree? 

…

Other thoughts?

Pete Hollier of The Wizards Blog, posted some statistics and surveys indicating that the majority of North American companies believer that their companies can’t survive without social media. 

A recap: 

• 60% of American citizens used Social Media.
• 93% indicated business should have a Social Media presence
• 85% indicated businesses should interact via Social Networks with their customers

Consumers surveyed indicated businesses should use Social Media to:

• Solve Problems – 43%
• Obtain user feedback on product and services – 41%
• Enable consumers to interact with the company brand – 37%
• Market to consumers – 25%

Barriers to initiating Social Media Programs:

• Lack of understanding by Senior Management 58%
• Negative impact on employee productivity 49%
• Fear of unknown technology 58%

Companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

• Improved Feedback 78%
• Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%
• Improved Customer support 71%
• Increased Sales 40%
• Improved public perception of company 75%

Within the survey completed for Avande were some general statements which must be considered:

• 52% of respondents stated “Companies that fail to embrace social media technologies for business purposes will be left behind “
• 78% of respondents stated “As we enter a possible economic downturn we need to focus on new ways of communicating with customers which add real value.”
• 77% of respondents stated “If they did not initiate a Social Media Program Social Media would enter the company by stealth”

Nannette Saunders coined a new phrase “You Had Me at Follow.” She is, of course, talking about what Twitter has done for her business.

As a realtor Nannette has really been hit by the economy. If it wasn’t for the networking she’s been able to do through Twitter she would be even more effected by the recession. 

So, what can Twitter (and other social media) do for you? 

Create a whole new referral network where 6 degrees of separation is turning into new and instant connections across the globe. 

Remember the term “information superhighway” in the 90’s when the World Wide Web exploded? The Internet was defined as an electronic “cyberspace” of infinite data that could connect the world together. 

It still is. But now it is less of a theory… we are actually doing it. 

The scale is tipping from a place for just information to a world of social interaction and connections. We have a global village at our disposal where 6 degrees of separation is turning into instant connections with new and extended networks. 

And while these infoways (information highways) are being built to connect our infinite cybervillages, average Joe who is still here on earth is left to try and comprehend it all… 

The truth is I can preach social media all day to every business in town… but it comes down to the ultimate question that I get almost daily: 

“Is it worth my time?”

The answer that small business owners want to hear is, “Yes, it will lower your marketing cost and bring you instant new clientele.” 

The answer that I have to give is still “yes” – but I have to add, “If you do it right.” 

The truth is that I know entrepreneurs and small business owners who use social media in a way that it has brought them extensive new business opportunity and continues to do so… but those are the catalysts and pioneers for this new industry called social media. They are the forerunners who spent unlimited hours testing the infoways and finding the right combinations to create cybervillages. 

You aren’t meant to be an expert in the social media field. But you can continue to be an expert in your own field, and use social media experts to make a smooth transition from traditional marketing to the infinite possibilities of publicity that the internet offers. 

Social Media Optimization (SMO) is a defined by Wikipedia as “a set of methods for generating publicity through social media, online communities and community websites.”

Stay tuned for information about Which social media tools are better for small businesses, and why?

My realtor, Nannette Saunders, opened my eyes. I have been using Twitter for a few months but never seriously… never with intention.

As stated on the Twitter wiki: “Twitter is a way of life. It’s living with a publicity policy. It’s friends, Romans and country people the world over engaged in timely snippet conversations that fit into 140 character chunks.)

How does it work? 

All you have to do is sign up at Twitter.com, find your friends and colleagues, link it to your cell phone, and text “40404″ every time you want to update your “status.” So, this morning, I changed my status to: “Working from home for a few hours… the rain helps me concentrate.” 

Now, this isn’t some profound or instructive marketing statement. Then what is its value? 

Sometimes informative and useful tips are good, too, but I want my target to know that I am a real person! I want to help you understand that I am a trustworthy and accountable person… and I want to build a relationship with you.

Nannette was right: this is a new LEVEL of social networking. Tools like Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter allow us as professionals to build better referral networks in months than we could do in years. By keeping connected with the world at all times.

When we were looking at homes yesterday (hoping to buy before the end of October), she made a fairly profound statement, that went something like… “I used to do a lot of direct mail… now I don’t have to do any.” 

Of course, there is strategy to be learned in using online social networking tools. Here are a few tips that I have picked up to use with Twitter:

1. When choosing people to follow, ask yourself: what kind of professionals would I want to follow, who would want to follow me, and who would refer others to follow me? Then, follow all of them. Hopefully they will return the favor. 

2. Connect Twitter to your cell phone and update consistently. Don’t go a day without Twittering!

3. Look for ‘Tweetups’ – which are local gatherings of people who Twitter… supposedly a great networking opportunity! 

4. Don’t forget to signup and follow me: jamills