0 to Social in 60 Minutes

When I started a new blog recently, I knew that the best way to kick-start it would with me being social online, I think I was right and I’ve had some great results. With that in mind this is a guide into getting yourself prepared for the Social Web in Under 60 Minutes.

Why Should You Care

If you already understand the power of being Social Online then feel free to skip this section. However, if you are new to this like everyone was at one stage then read on. The web has came a long way since static sites that were rarely updated and did little more than provide an about page and a contact form. These days, the web is being used for interacting and ‘getting involved’ whether it be with those that have fellow interests on forums and Social Networks or enjoying the best news on Social Voting sites (Digg) and Suggestion Sites (StumbleUpon).

The reason that being Social is getting more important is no more than the simple fact, this is where your market is. If you have a website then it’s a fact that you have an ideal target market, in the past you would have to market offline in order to reach these people online. Now you can simply go to the sites they visit, comment on the blogs they read and discuss topics on the forums they follow. Being Social is not just a phase; its a beginning.

0 - Let’s Go

Register

• MyBlogLog - Even if you aren’t a blogger there’s a big chance that you will read some form of news on sites that just happen to be blogs. If you are a blogger then this is even better. MyBlogLog allows you to be ’seen’ when you visit a blog by a handy little widget blog owners use. By registering with your name and uploading an image you can be seen by all a sites visitors after you’ve stopped by.
• Yahoo - There’s multiple reasons to sign up for a Yahoo account. First of all you will be able to access Flickr, a popular image sharing website and also Yahoo Answers, a source for a wealth of information. Hosting images on Flickr can be a good idea as it drives traffic to your site. If you answer questions on Yahoo Answers with a quality reply then add a link to your site in the sources.
• StumbleUpon - Your going to need to have an account on this site if you want to utilise some of the best Social Traffic out there. StumbleUpon also gives the opportunity to make new friends and contact like-minded people from your niche
• Del.icio.us - The most popular social bookmarking site and arguably the best. Not only does it serve a very useful purpose you can see what the rest of the world is enjoying.
• Technorati - Claim your blog and allow people to favourite it. Rise up the rankings and keep track of the latest from the blogosphere. It only takes a minute to register and you can ‘claim’ your site pretty easily.
• Social Sites - If you want to take advantage of the biggest social networks out there then you should think about setting yourself up a profile on the likes of Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn.

Time: 10-20 Minutes

Take Part

MyBlogLog - Login and go visit some blogs, comment on people’s profiles. It’s wise to upload a picture of yourself so people can recognise your site, name and image, creating an overall brand.

Yahoo Answers - Search for questions relating to your niche and go answer them. Provide helpful comments then you can also add a link to your site in the ’source’ option. This can give you some traffic and increases your points on the system.

Flickr - Flickr can be a great site to host your pictures. Not only do you save on bandwidth but Flickr can also send traffic your way via site visitors and search engine referrals. The community side of Flickr is friendly and welcoming so look around and have some fun checking out the pictures, commenting on some.

StumbleUpon - It’s important to note that you should only submit your own sites or stories if they are quality information. Take time to submit to the correct category, add a review and put in some tags. You can also be-friend people who also stumble your stories for more site leverage.

Del.icio.us - It’s only recently that I’ve discovered the beneficial part of Delicious and that is organising my bookmarks exactly how I like them. Not only that but you can gain a lot of traffic and high PR backlinks. Don’t miss out on any new sites with the hot page showing the recent community favourites.

Technorati - First of all you should ‘claim your blog’ so that you are recognised as the author. A popular attraction for those using Technorati is to ask their website visitors to favourite them. If you favourite some of your preferred blogs you are likely the author will do the same for you if you ask them.

Facebook - Facebook is quickly gaining ground and traction over MySpace and is one to be watched. You can create a profile on Facebook to show your services and show that you and your company understand the Social Web. You can also hire a programmer to create a cool tool to take advantage of their API.

MySpace - MySpace is another place where you can create a profile and interact with those who show a clear interest in your niche via messaging and commenting. Although you could use Youtube for this, we recommend you create some videos and upload them to the site. Something that has the potential to go viral probably will.

LinkedIn - LinkedIn is more about showcasing yourself as a person rather than as a website. You are able to connect with others in your industry and find new friends. The site encourages detailed information about yourself and can certainly be used as an online CV.

Time: 40-50 Minutes

Conclusion

Everything you have read here is using the services to the minimum of their potential. It will take much more time to really reap the benefits of being an active community user in all these sites. However, it’s not hard to focus on one at a time to build up your credibility and traffic to your website. Being Social on these sites isn’t to ‘manipulate’ them but to enjoy them and then benefit from them. I hope this guide takes you from nothing to something in a short amount of time and gives you a good solid base of information to build upon. Maybe you already class yourself as a social person online and just found a few new sites, if so then that’s great too.

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