It took 40 days and 40 nights for Noah to see dry land back when his Ark was the only thing on earth above water. Google+ literally weathered the storm of past failures by becoming the fastest social network to reach 25 million users in history. It took Facebook nearly three years to reach 25 million visitors and Twitter taking roughly 30 months to reach the same visitor amount of visitors.

I first highlighted G+ when they hit the 10 million users in 10 days. Since then, I have all but abandoned Facebook and my Twitter use has dropped to next to nothing. For those of us who have been  using Google+ from almost day one, we have already seen the light and its getting better one circle at a time.

So If you still think Google is just a ship passing in the night. Check out the video below by Epipheo Studios. Enjoy.

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I have to say I am very impressed with Google+ so far. It has a lot to offer technogeeks like myself. But can it go mainstream like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  Before being invited to try Google+ I spent most of my time on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, in that order.  Now the order is more like Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Here is a great visual aide on how to explain Google+

Facebook+ Twitter+ Tumblr = Google+

What I like most about Google+

Something so simple yet so amazingly complex is ones circle of connections to people and to the world. We all have many circles relationships we come across  in our daily lives. Google has made this shape the backbone of its social network. These circles serve as a visible way to organize, share and secure information with only the people you identify. You can create and name as many circles as you like, yet none of those whom you put in these circles knows what circle you have placed them in. They also don’t know that they have been placed in the same  or different circles.  With this concept you don’t have to worry about mistakenly sharing the wrong information with someone who may not like it or may take offense by it. If you really look at it, it’s kinda like Social Segregation at its finest.

What I like least about Google+

There may be 10 million plus using it now but they are still limiting it to invitation only. Google has done this with almost all of it’s services, and I kinda understand it but that does not mean I have to like it. The invites are also currently limited to those who have a gmail account. So if you have anything else you will be forced to create a Google profile that requires you to have a Google gmail account.

What I think still needs some work

Google has taken video conferencing 2 the next level with their new “Hangout” service inside Google+. Creating a Hangout was very easy and made you take notice of how cool it is to get together with some of your friends face to face via the Internet.  The audio was impressive but the video was a little choppy and delayed.  You also only get to speak to 10 people at once. I say this only because 10 is currently the maximum number they have right now and I can’t really fathom video chatting with more than 5 people at one time let alone 10. Can you imaging a video conference session with say more than 20 people?

What I think will make Google+ even more appealing.

Google launched a native Google+ mobile app for all of its Android users right around the same time they launched the service. The app makes Google+ even easier to use and even adds a group chat service called “Huddle” to the mix.  Most smart phones still don’t have a front facing camera so I understand why the “Hangout” service is currently not on the Android app.  Although I do think they will add this feature when they release the mobile app for the iPhone and iPad. Google+ is probably working on integrating their Hangout service with the iOS “FaceTime” feature.  When this happens I think Google’s mobile subscribers to Google+ will skyrocket, taking that 10 million plus number in 10 days to record heights.

Why I think you should try it once you get invited.

Google has put a lot of thought behind this new social network. They have definitely learned from their many mistakes and failures of the past. (see: Why Is Google Not Afraid To Fail?) Google has also seen what has worked successfully for other social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. All of this work by Google has allowed us all to benefit from what Google+ has brought to the table.  Is Google+ a “Facebook Killer”? only time will tell.  I suggest you check it out for yourself and make your own comparisons. Google+ is by no means the perfect social networking site, especially with the current invite limitations. Yet I can’t help but think that some of the ex employees of MySpace who currently work for Twitter or Facebook are secretly thinking, “OH SH**, Not AGAIN!!!;-)

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This is a more up to date but shorter version of the Original video on the Social Media Revolution. I have to say I like the new song but I do think they could have added some of the major events that happened in the middle east as a result to using Facebook. Part of the world’s most watched Social Media video series; “Social Media Revolution” by Erik Qualman.

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Clarence Wooten has done it again. Mr Wooten has taken the location based social networking service 2 The Next Level. Just like he did with his Groupsite service back in 2008. I just watched the video presentation of Mr. Wooten’s newest creation at the TechChrunch Disrupt event in New York City. I am originally from New York so am highly upset that I was not able to attend this years Disrupt especially because Mr. Wooten was presenting.

If you are familiar with location based social networking services like Foresquare and Gowalla then you will definitely understand why Arrived is on point to make noise in this space.

With the Arrived app you can select a place, and add people to notify when you get to the specific location. The people selected can either opt in to be notified or to notify you upon their arrival to that specific location. Combining geo-fencing, auto-checkins, and notifications Arrived wants to provide value consumers without requiring them to change any behavior patterns or check-in.

Here is how Clarence Wooten described “Soft-Plans”

So if you’ve ever said to a friend, “Let’s hang out the next time you’re in town,” raise your hand. Right, a hundred percent. Well you may not have realized it at the time but you were making soft plans, and soft plans are casual plans with no set date and time. They revolve around a place as opposed to a set date and time.

Introducing Arrived, make soft plans and spontaneously meet up when timing is right.

Take a look at the video below and see for yourself. Arrived has all the makings of a social application that can help you keep track of, and organize your day to day event calendar.  Without even trying this app can do more with just one event by merging the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Meetup and Foursquare. What’s event better is that it can keep it all public or got incognito by using its “Pause” feature.

Check out Mr. Wooten’s comment about “Arrivalytics”

So we created Arrivalytics. Arrivalytics is our proprietary recommendations algorithm that leverages machine learning to analyze your sociograph and make Arrival recommendations, based upon the shared interests, locations and travel pattern of people in the network. We think this is big. The reason it’s big, is because there’s not a technology that exists today that will help you manufacture serendipity, bring you face to face with people in your network when both time and place right.

All in all I am looking forward to using this app once it is officially released.  All the best with your new venture Mr. Wooten and continue to be one of the leaders in taking business 2 The Next Level using technology.

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How do you define and measure your social media influence? Klout rates your online influence on a scale of  1 to 100 and suggests that the higher your score the more you have to offer as an influencer.  I think influence is made up of a combination of quantity and quality variables.  There is so much more to ones influence than just playing a numbers game with social media.

Social media monitoring software company Radian6 dedicated a month long blog series and an ebook to this highly sought-after subject matter. Community Manager, Teresa Basich has done an excellent job at creating a collection of blog post that will educate and engage you.

Ms. Basich starts out with “The 4 Most Important Elements of Influence” where she talks about how Trust, Authority, Value and Connection play an integral role in building influence. She goes on and talks about the complexity of developing and maintaining key business relationships over social media with, “Managing and Interacting With Your Social Media Influencers“. She next takes the discussion of social media influence to another level by comparing popularity to influence with, “Does Popularity Ever Trump Influence?” Ms. Basich concludes the series exploring how to bring influencers into the fold of your business: “5 Key Considerations for Developing a Successful Online Influencer Program“.

Last but not least analytics expert Chuck Hemann helps Radian6 ask the question, “How can you, as a company, find the right group of people –large or small – to make that desired impact on your business?” in their January ebook “Defining and Measuring Influence”.  This ebook is an awe inspiring manual of how businesses should use social media as a tool to leverage their greater market and bolster their immediate community of influencers.

I highly suggest that you read all of the blog posts in this series and download and read the ebook. I also implore you not to just read these works but that you put them into action with a social media influencer program of your own.

I look forward to hearing your comments on how social media has influenced you as a solopreneur and business owner.

Defining and Measuring Influence by Radian6 - Download (396) - 1.09 MB

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If you have not heard it yet Facebook is launching a redesign of their profile page. The announcement on 60 minutes to everyone by storm. If you didn’t get a chance to see it here is the full story via 2 videos from Mark Zuckerberg interview with Leslie Stall. Take a look at let me know your thoughts on the new layout.

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Come join us as we give you the insight to all that goes on at this years Lift B2B Social Commerce Summit LIVE!!!

Click here for the full schedule. The first session starts at 8:30am est.

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If you are a fan of Social Media and you have not seen the now famous Social Media Revolution video on Youtube yet then you may have been hiding under a rock.  This video has been viewed over 2 million times and has turned its creator, Erik Qualman into a Social Media Rock Star. I first wrote about Mr. Qualman’s video back in September of 2009 “How Fast Has Economics Turned Into Socialnomics?” I have even used this video in some of my presentations to demonstrate the power of Social Media.

Well now, through the help of Ilona Olayan with Social Strategy1 I will finally get a chance to meet Mr. Socialnomics himself.  Strategy1 is the “One Stop Shop” in outsourcing online business management using revolutionary social media technology to monitor and analyze the web.  Social Strategy1 is also one of the title sponsors to this years Lift: The B2B Social Commerce Summit.

Eric Qualman is just one of the many Social Media powerhouses that will be speaking at this event. One of the speakers happens to be a good friend of mine.  Michael Thomas is a Principal with Effective Engagements, a Social CRM Consultancy and Director of Social CRM Strategies with Social Strategy1. I have known Michael since he and another good friend of mine Brent Leary started CRM Essentials back in 2003.

The LIFT: B2B Social Commerce Summit is an all day event starting at 7:30am on Thursday, September 23, 2010.  This event’s attendees have a wealth of experience and knowledge in the fields of social media management and social commerce. Lift Summit will show you how to improve and execute a successful social strategy, and connect with savvy bloggers, entrepreneurs, and other business professionals.

So if you are in the Atlanta area and you want to Learn How to Monetize Your Social Media Efforts, I highly recommend you attend this event.

All the best and I hope to see you there

JB

Click Here to Register and Use the discount code LIFT2010 for 10%

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Ok so the tech world is a Buzz.. no pun intended about this new communication service by Google. Google Buzz was release with very little fan fair and a lot of quirky bugs. No one really new what to expect from the announcement and many were puzzled at first with what they saw. Was this new service going to replace Google Wave? Or was it something that was going to challenge the social media behemoths of the world like Twitter and Facebook. Answer.. A little of both.

Google Buzz has made most of us wonder why it was not released instead of Google Wave oh so many months ago. By the way have any of you actually used your Google Wave accounts since being able to use the service? I used my account all of 3 times. It was way to advanced and complicated for me. I especially didn’t like the feature of having people see exactly what I was typing in real time.

Buzz is inside gmail which is a good and not so good thing.  Unlike Twitter, Facebook and even linkedIn you don’t have a Google buzz web address. You can get to someones buzz account through your Google profile address. Mine is http://www.google.com/profiles/jbrath

At first getting someones Buzz stream was a complete chore because of all the threaded replies and comments. They have since fixed that and most of the other privacy issue problems.

I for one am almost Buzzed out. The thrill is gone and I really don’t care to buzz anymore.  I currently have just over 56 followers who are really not that buzzed as well. I click on the buzz link in my gmail every once in a while but I am not really getting anything more than I am getting from the other social networking services.

So what’s your take on Buzz?

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I have been a Facebook enthusiast for about 2 years now and was really happy with my growing legion of friends. I was well on my way to having over 4000 friends until a huge revelation came over me. I did not know who 90 percent of my Facebook friends were!

I like most of you, bought into the program that the more friends you have the better. I believed this whole heartedly up until this past Christmas. What happened to me this past Christmas you may ask? Well I got a new smart phone that had a special software included to keep me up to date with most of my Social Networking services like Facebook and Twitter.

MOTOBLUR is the name of the service created by Motorola.  MOTOBLUR will push Facebook and Twitter updates to my phone without having to download an application or go to their websites. It is a great feature to have when you want to keep up to date with all the people you follow on Twitter or have as friends on Facebook. This was a feature I thought would be a great asset to having this new smart phone. Boy was I right and wrong.

Too Much of a Good Thing.
Some times too much of a good thing is just that, TOO MUCH.  After setting up MOTOBLUR to grab both my Facebook and Twitter something strange happened. My cell phone got really slow and sluggish in responding. At first I thought it was just a defect of the phone but I then realized that it was the thousands of updates downloading to my MOTOBLUR service. It got so bad I almost thought I made the wrong choice in cell phones.

Mass Exodus Deletus
After getting all these status updates from people I didn’t even know or care about I finally made the decision that this was ridiculous and trying to keep up with all these people on my phone made no sense at all. It was bad enough trying to keep up with all of them online with my computer. So I decided to delete all unknown friends. This took me a few days because Facebook does not have any kind of mass delete button. You have to delete each person one at a time.

Quality Not Quantity
I am currently down to about 650+ friends and I am still finding some that I don’t know. I will continue to delete these friends that I don’t know or that don’t directly know someone I know. Some of you may have already figured this out and will keep your friends to a minimum. Those of you who are currently stockpiling friends as though they were a heard of cattle should think twice on what you are doing.  Facebook should be used to build and maintain quality relationships between family and true friends not be a free for all numbers game.

Facebook Fans vs Friends
Now that I have my Facebook Friends under control I am now looking to build up my Facebook Fan pages. If you would like to know more on why you should create a Facebook Fan page over another Facebook profile please see my blog post “The Facebook Insider’s Guide to Viral Marketing is a Solopreneurs Dream Come True“. In the mean time please join one of my two fan pages. One is geared toward using Web 2.0 technology optimization to better your business. The other “JB Speaks” is centered around my love of speaking and training.

How many Facebook friends do you have?

Are you Facebook friends just numbers, or are they true friends?

Do you have a Facebook Fan page? If so, please list the url in our comments below.

If you don’t have a Facebook Fan page and would like one for your business, please email or call us to assist you in setting one up.

All the best

JB

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