Flowtown – Social Media Marketing Application

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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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It has been 4 long years since I had the ability to call my cell phone anything but smart. Today I was fortunate enough to be given a brand new smart phone. Why does it seem such a surprise it has taken me this long to finally get with the program and get one of these remarkable devices.  Well, without going into detail I guess I was waiting for just the right one to come along and give me everything I ever wanted in a smart phone.  Believe me it was a long and drawn out quest to find this phone.

I like most of you toyed with the idea of going First Fruit Phone but I have been a PC man for so long I just new there was something out there for folks like myself.  Then came HTC and the Android operating system by Google and I was hooked. HTC came out with so many great looking phones to rival the First Fruit of Phones and the Android operating made me take notice even more. The HTC G1 was a  huge draw to me and I was 2 minutes from jumping into the deep end of the smart water pool when that first G-phone just looked so darn bulky and down right ugly compared to Mom’s Pie Phone.

It finally took an oldie but goodie cell phone manufacture to get me back. Motorola, king of the cell  phones back in the 80′s. Did you know that In 1969, Neil Armstrong spoke the famous words “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” from the Moon on a Motorola Radio? And who could forget the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, AKA the “Brick Phone”.

Well Motorola is back with a vengeance and it has taken their new Android powered phone the CLIQ with MotoBlur to bring me back into the smart phone fold for good. Please see my blog post “Social Media Meets Motorola MOTOBLUR” for additional information on this spectacular smart phone.

This Christmas Santa brought me a smart phone that can connect me to my social media network without missing a beat. I watched my first Youtube video, downloaded my first smart phone application, updated my status on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin all while I chatted via Google Talk with two of my best friends.

Motorola I solute you for bringing me back to life when it comes to mobile technology.

All the best and Happy Holidays

JB

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Do you have a touch screen phone yet? I don’t. I have been debating whether or not I actually need one at this time.  Even with all of the iPhone craze, I still have not been tempted to have a touch screen phone. Well I have finally found a touch phone that I have literally fallen in LOVE with. What makes this lovefest so amazing is this new touch phone is not even on the market here in the USA yet.

The new Motorola CLIQ with MOTOBLUR won’t be available until the first week in November. Why am I raving about this phone, you may ask? Well this touch phone puts Social Media in the forefront of its main functions. MOTOBlUR gives you the ability to see your Social Media updates on the phone without having to log into each individual website. Not only can you see your Facebook and Twitter updates but your can also respond or reply to these updates.

The Motorola CLIQ uses the Google Android platform. If you are not fond of  having  just touch access on your phone the CLIQ also has a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out of the bottom of the phone. I am really excited about the potential of this phone. My only problem is that I would be looking at going back to a 2 year contract with T-Mobile. I currently have a month to month payment plan with my cell phone provider that has worked very well for me up till now.

After taking a look at the above video please give me your thoughts in commenting on this new phone and let me know what made you switch to your current touch screen phone.

All the best

JB

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(ATLANTA) – September 29, 2009 – Atlanta Tribune : The Magazine will host its first annual Social Media/Technology Day on October 1, 2009 at Clayton State University from 8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine recognizes in today’s social media–driven society, it is imperative for businesses to learn how to use social media as a highly effective marketing tool.

Sessions featured in Social Media/Technology Day include:

• Strategically Social-Tips and Tricks for Maximizing the Effectiveness of LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter
• Blogging for Dollars  – The Best Practices for Business Blogging
• Analyze This! Five ways to measure The Impact of Your Social Media Activities
• Working Lunch: Real Talk about Social Media
• Five Technologies to Help You Build Your Brand and Connect with More Customers
• 5 Ways to Use Social Media to Attract Customers

Brent Leary, co-founder and partner of CRM Essentials, has assembled a skilled team of social media and technology experts to serve as moderators; including Six Apart’s Andy Wibbels, award winning blogger, social media trainer, and author of “Blogwild; John”ColderICE” Lawson, president, 3rd Power Outlet; and Jeff “JB” Brathwaite, 2 The Next LEVEL, Inc.

Registration is free and includes a free breakfast sponsored by MetLife Securities, starting at 7:45 a.m. For more information, visit http://atsocialmedia-techday.eventbrite.com.

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If you have not seen this video yet you are in for a treat. The creator of the video, Erik Qualman is also the author of the book Socialnomics: How social media transforms our lives and the way we do business.  Now be prepared the video goes at a fast clip and you may need to pause it or watch it more than one time like I did.  Even if  you have to watch it over and over again it is worth it because of the astounding statistics it give on the comparison of social media over traditional media.

The video stars by asking you a simple question. Is Social Media a Fad? It then goes on to inform you of some amazing figures about social media. My personal favorite: If Facebook were a country it would be the worlds 4th largest behind the United States and ahead of countries like Indonesia, Brazil and Pakistan.  Facebook’s growth rate in 9 month, more than doubles what the television did in 13 years and  the Internet did in 3 years.

So what does all this mean for Solopreneurs like you and me? Well, for one it means that we can reach more people with a viral Youtube video and a free Twitter account than all of the viewership of last years baseball World Series. By the way I watch more baseball games via the MLB TV channel on the Internet than I have watched my whole adult life as a baseball fan.

I watched today’s Yankees/Rays game and was able to connect with Yankee fans via Twitter who were watching the game and Tweeting at the same time from all over the world.

Baseball may seem boring and not as exciting as some of the other sports like Football and Basketball but they are sure using some of the social media tools in order to bring even more eyeballs to their product. I even met a new friend on Facebook who shares the same passion as I do for my beloved Yankees yet he lives farther from the Bronx than I do.  Nate is a family man with a wife and kids just like myself.  We share the adoration of our Yankees but we also share another passion in using social media and the Internet to promote ourselves and our businesses.

Nate has an online store that sells shoes and accessories for people who have a love for clogging. What is clogging you may ask? Well according to Wikipedia Clogging is a type of folk dance with roots in traditional European dancing from the British Isles, early African-American dance, and traditional Cherokee dance in which the dancer’s footwear is used musically by striking the heel, the toe, or both in unison against a floor or each other to create audible percussive rhythms. Why do I tell you all of this? Its because while Nate and I have only met and known each other through Facebook and Twitter I was fascinated by his use of social media to promote his Clogon.com store.

Nate is a true case study of how one uses and embraces Socialnomics. All Nate did was make a comment on one of my famous Facebook updates saying that the Yankees won again and now I am writing this blog post about him and his business. I currently have over 2800 friends on Facebook but it only took one comment from Nate to get me to his profile that lead me to  his website that then lead me to his blog and to my amazement lead me to the reading and viewing  of more information about clogging.

I don’t know if I will ever meet Nate in person and I am almost sure I will never put on a clogging shoe but our shared love for the Yanks and social media will keep us connected. So if you are still stuck in the rut of traditional economics I suggest you follow Erik Qualman @equalman and Nate @mollermarketing on Twitter and get with this Socialnomics program.

All the best and GO YANKEES..;-)

JB

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I had a great time with the members of the Dekalb Chamber of Commerce last week. We had a packed house and a very eager audience who really wanted to know more about social media. I only had 90 minutes to give them a better understanding on how to use Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin in their businesses. The pressure was on but I was up to the challenge. Here are some of the comments I received after the event.

Jeff,

Great presentation on Social Media Marketing. I thoroughly enjoyed the information you presented and am currently focusing my attention on this area of marketing to provide as a service to my clients. Your presentation helped in making everything more clear for me.

Thanks for everything,
Sharla Bell
Triniti Business Concepts
A Virtual Assistance Company

Jeff,

It was great to meet you at the Dekalb Chamber of Commerce today.

I am already taking some of what you talked about to heart and will apply them to my blog TheSocialSet.blogspot.com.  I’d also love to talk to you about wordpress.

Sincerely,

David

David S. Cohen

Social Media Copywriter

JB

Attended your seminar today — it was FABULOUS!!! Let’s connect

Jennifer Whitaker
Executive Coach and Management Consultant

I want to say a special thank you to all of the staff at the Dekalb Chamber of Commerce for allowing me to speak before their members and the staff of the Dekalb Convention and Visitors Bureau for the use of their great facility. Please go to both their websites to learn more on how both their agencies can help your business.

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What are some Web 2.0 services you couldn’t live without? This blog post is inspired by one of my all time favorite blogs TechCrunch.  Here is my list of Web 2.0 services I would recommend to all the Soloprenuers and Small Businesses. Life would not be the same without these services may they never cross into the deadpool.

• PayPal
• Zoho CRM
• GrandCentral (GoogleVoice)
• iContact
• WordPress
• Google Reader
• Mint
• Twitter
• Hulu
• Facebook
• Linkedin

PayPal

PayPal.com: I have been using PayPal for almost 9 years now and still can’t do without it. Point blank if you are a Soloprenuer or Small Business owner and don’t have a PayPal account you are clearly missing out on  major revenue streams. Please check out my blog post PayPal.com Makes Ecommerce Easy for Solopreneurs and 10 Great PayPal Tips for Solopreneurs and Small Business Owners

Zoho CRM

Zohocrm.com: Clearly one of the best CRM’s for Small Business. I was at one time a very heavy Salesforce user until I found Zoho. Been using Zoho for over a year now and my Free version is still going strong. Check out my blog post Zoho.com Gives Solopreneurs a Suite of Successful Business Tools then go and get yourself a Free ZohoCRM account and let me know what you think.

GrandCentral/Google Voice

GrandCentral.com: One phone number you can have for life. Most of us have multiple ways to be contacted by phone.  We have a home number, work number, cell number and in many cases a second home office line.  I, only give out one phone number my GrandCentral number and it automatically forwards my calls to any one or all of my other numbers. Please read my post, Solopreneurs Stay In Touch With One Number From GrandCentral for more information on this great service.

iContact

iContact: Email marketing has come a long way from just gathering email addresses in Outlook and sending them through your local Internet Service Provider. The key to  using a service like iContact is taking advantage of all the broadcast email features like Open and Clickthrough Tracking, Message Scheduling and List Segmentation. Yes, there are many other email marketing services on the market like Constant Contact and Vertical Response but iContact is by far the better bang for the buck.

WordPress

WordPress: I have been using WordPress to power this blog and many others I have created. I used to use the Joomla CMS for my blogs but decided to move them all to the WordPress platform and have never looked back. Although both platforms were what I was looking for in Open Source, I was really impressed with the amount of plugins and themes WordPress had to offer. Please check out my post WordPress 2.7 Is Finally Here!.

Google Reader

Google Reader: Google has many great tools to choose from and all of them are good. Google Reader is one of my favorites because it helps me manage and keep track of all the blogs I enjoy reading on a regular basis. As long as the blog has an RSS feed I can bring it into my Google Reader. I can also create Blog topic folders to help keep the 100 plus blogs I subscirbe to in order. If you are new to using a RSS reader for all you blog reading I highly recommend Google Reader.

Mint

Mint: With all that is going on with the financial challenges of our nation and the world many of us need to make sure our current finances are in order. Mint is the ultimate way to keep track of almost all  your finances online. I have been using it for over a year now and it has made a big difference in my financial bottom line. Please check out my blog post Web 2.0 Solopreneur Site Of The Week: Mint.com out how it can help you and your small business.

Twitter

Twitter: @jbrath is officially on the Twitter bandwagon and suggest you all come ride it with me. Twitter is a micro blogging service that is currently taking the Internet by storm. And when I say storm I mean it literally has helped people navigate storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and in my personal case house fires. See my blog post Twitter Gives First Response News On House Fire In The Bronx Everyone now wants to look like the Twitter interface with Facebook and just recently FriendFeed changing their look to imitate Twitter. I currently have just over 1100 followers and have had my Twitter account for almost 2 years yet @Oprah just got on Twitter 2 weeks ago and will have one million followers by the end of 2 months.  Now that Oprah is on Twitter we can be rest assured that Twitter will have a way to make profit soon.

Hulu

Hulu: I don’t watch much television anymore but I really don’t have to with Web 2.0 video services like Hulu. I was one of the first beta testers of Hulu thanks again to TechCrunch and have been a huge fan ever since. Hulu allows you to watch some of your most favorite TV shows on-demand for FREE. I watch past episodes of  shows like Burn Notice, The Family Guy, Lie To Me and Rescue Me. Hulu’s mission is to help people find and enjoy the world’s premium video content when, where and how they want it. I still own a TV but Hulu makes it so much easier to watch quality programing on my computer.

Facebook

Facebook: Like everyone else on Facebook I am pretty hooked. I don’t spend as much time as I used to on Facebook but that’s because my business keeps me on another social networking site that I will talk about next. Facebook is great for keeping up with all my high school and college mates. I have also recently used it to invite many of my Facebook friends to attend a teleseminar I held.  Facebook is awesome for keeping track friends and family members without having to call them on the phone or sending them an email.

Linkedin

Linkedin: LinkedIn has over 40 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world. A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and about half of our members are outside the U.S. Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members. I have been concentrating me efforts on Linkedin for the past few months because I feel it is the best social networking site that meets the needs of most profesionals.  Soloprenuers should create a profile on Linkedin and start making connections. Take a listen to the Teleseminar I did with Linkedin Expert Lewis Howes.

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I have to give credit where credit is due but this post is a little more personal when it comes to the subject matter. You see I got a call from my sister at about 1 am on January 28, 2009, she was crying and screaming so loud I could hardly understand what she was trying to say to me. At first I thought the worst and feared someone had died or was injured severly.  I then told her to calm down and to please tell me what was wrong.  All she could say at first was that mom is okay.  After reasuring me that our mother was ok she then told me the devistating news that our childhood home in the Bronx went up in flames that night.

After speaking to my mom who reassured me that she was ok and on her way to the hospital, I then took to the Internet to find out any information on how this unfortunate incident could have happened.

I first tried to get the news from several websites of the local television station in New York. I then tried to get a local New York news radio station. Both proved to be very confusing and had no news about what happened to my mother”s house.

I then did a Twitter search on “Bronx Fire” and came up with the below results. All of which gave me more information on what happened to my mother’s house.

These search results not only gave me what I needed in more information but they also gave me up to date video coverage of what happened with the fire.

NYP and they were able to give me more detailed information on the damage of the fire.

As much as I am sad that my childhood home has gone up in flames, I am truely thankful and blessed that my mom was not seriously insured. I am also thankful to those who used Twitter that night and gave me the updates I needed to fill in all the blanks I was getting from traditional media.

The power of Twitter has become very real to me these past couple of days since the fire. I am now using Twitter to find out more on fire insurance and how to deal with public adjusters.

I will keep you all posted on my findings. Stay strong in this economy Solopreneurs.

All the best

JB

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