For this week’s Social Media Spotlight, we are proud to introduce a niche social network that pertains to business executives who play golf. World Golf Network is a community of golfers who use the site to grow their personal database by inviting people they know or those they would like to get to know through the membership portal. The members of the site have access to different golfers in multiple states, golf retailers, golf clubs, golf schools and much more! Users also have the ability of creating mid to large-sized golf events for 60-144 people by inviting other members. We had the opportunity to speak to Dan Pincus, the founder of World Golf Network, on their social media marketing strategy, and here’s what he had to say:

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How would I describe Klout? In my opinion, Klout is comparable to a credit score. Credit scores increase if you’re on time with paying a credit card bill and decrease if you missed a mortgage payment. Klout is the social media version of this system, per se. Klout monitors your engagement, posts and other metrics to determine a score. The higher the score, the more influence you have in the social world. The more you interact, post and engage others on different social media platforms, the higher your Klout score will be. Business professionals have begun looking at this ranking system for hiring social media managers. Is it the perfect way to gauge your social media expertise? Probably not, but it can give good insight into how much you interact with others, and if your content gets shared around the web. That may be a good indicator of how well you will manage their social media campaign.

But digging deeper into Klout, we will look at the different metrics, what they mean and possible ways to increase your overall Klout score.
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Using a blog as a part of your social media campaign is a great way to supply important news, information and advice to your target market. Blogs, unlike other social networks, give you the ability to have a greater reach within an online community because there are no character restraints. There is no limit on your press releases and articles about new products. Continue reading…

In the world of social media, updates are a common occurrence. I mean, how can anything stay relevant and popular if it is stagnant in development and design? People today are attracted to what is popular; it’s what some would call the “Jones Effect.” Every heard of the Jones’s? Another way it is said is, “keeping up with the Jones’s.” If your neighbor down the street just bought a new car, you will think about buying one yourself, or even go out and do it. If you see your neighbor just put in a pool, chances are, you may wish you had one yourself, or even sign the contract to have one put in. The Jones Effect is, in other words, keeping up with the tide, staying relevant and modern without being left in the past. I know, a bit of a rant that may seem off topic, but look at social media today. Every social network is constantly updating its features, either mimicking already working functions or creating new and exciting features for their users. They are keeping up with the Jones’s.

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On this week’s Social Media Spotlight, things get a little wet with an extreme sport: kiteboarding. An explanation to what kiteboarding is, well, it’s a form of sailing that takes bits and pieces from multiple sports and combines them. Kiteboarding can be done on water, land or snow! The hardest part of kiteboarding, I can presume, is managing to stay balanced while keeping the kite in the air to pull you forward. Interested in kiteboarding but not sure where to start? A good place would be Good Breeze Kiteboarding in Cocoa Beach, FL. The best way to learn is to take lessons, and when teamed up with world renowned Ron Jon Surf School, you can’t go wrong. We had the pleasure to speak with Billy Bosch, owner, operator and instructor at Good Breeze Kiteboarding. Here is what he had to say about their social media…
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Once upon a time, the only way to show support for anything was by showing up to an event and showing it in person. Nowadays you can do it in fewer than 140 characters, and in as little as 20 seconds. This isn’t to say that people don’t show up to events, because they do. The only difference is, in today’s society, more people are showing support for causes and events because of their ability to do it from home. Aside from people being lazy or stuck at work, often times the events take place far from where they reside. For instance, when Japan was hit by a Tsunami, people from all continents were showing support on Facebook and Twitter hoping for the best. Yeah, it might be just words, but when the world can unite to show support for a country hit by a huge disaster it makes you wonder, why did we have 2 World Wars?
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If you are an avid user of today’s social media networking sites, you are aware of the battle between Facebook and Google Plus for the supremacy of the social network industry. In round one, Google released the first wave of beta testing to select individuals, to test out the newest platform in Google’s arsenal to compete with Facebook. So far, all the reviews have been great and it seems as though Google has one-upped Facebook in terms of innovation and ease for its user base.

Except, there are two problems. One: Google is still in the trial phase and has not gone live for the general public since it is a closed testing. Two: Facebook has just fired back a combination of hits straight into the heart of Google Plus – video chat and group chat.
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If you belong to a social media network and are currently employed, then there is no denying that at some point you have logged on to check or post an update. Whether you are viewing social media sites using your mobile phone or your computer, staying connected has never been easier. The accessibility of our personal social sites may be a godsend for some, it can also lead to the end of something great – your job.

More and more stories are hitting the web about people being fired or asked to leave a job because of content posted on their social media profiles. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or a blog site one writes in their free time, the Internet is a global tool. With the proper knowledge of search engines and enough time, you can find almost anything you set out to, including employee profile pages or comments. This new uproar is no surprise; more and more businesses are joining in on the social media bandwagon to better their brand’s image and name.
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Just like when anything has a rise in popularity, those sticking to their guns on the sidelines always have to raise controversy. So now that social media is the newest and hottest form of marketing and advertising, that must mean there is a bubble? A social media bubble you say? Like the dot-com bubble, right? Wrong. I mean, everyone is entitled to their own opinions on the validity or effectiveness of using social media. Most common arguments claim you can’t measure ROI, or that social media relationships are fake, or whatever people will say to negate the power of social media. The arguments are a dime a dozen and rarely backed with any good juicy information. I also read an article about this “social media bubble” on the Harvard Business Review, stating social media is creating artificial connections. This article is to those skeptics who see no true value in social media and or claim there is a “bubble” inflating…

Now I am not trying to call out this one article in particular, it is very well written with great points. The writer may just lack further insight into social media as a whole, as most of his arguments are based on opinion. Continue reading