Facebook Blackberry App Not Working? Yep
Today on Twitter, many Blackberry users are complaining that the Facebook app is not working. We cannot update our status and the news feed keeps reading, "No stream post available." People are also pleading on the Facebook App's fan page in several different languages, but no one seems to be managing the page. It's rumored, however, that a fix is on the way.
Pocketberry, a popular Blackberry fan site, reports the following from Facebook:
"“We’re currently experiencing issues with our APIs, and as a result, some users may be unable to access the site from their devices at this time. These APIs are designed to make it possible for mobile partners to provide users with their respective Facebook applications. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.”
I can't be sure where this came from, and there are no updates to the Blackberry App page on Blackberry.com either. So, I suppose we'll all need to sit tight and (gasp) wait until we're in front of our computer screens for Facebook updates!
The sudden interruption in service doesn't really bother me, really. It's the lack of communication that does. Come on, people, it's a Facebook app for communication for over 13.8 million active users. =)
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day
Filter Your Twitter Followers with StopTweet
Do you have a professional Twitter account? If so, are you worried about those scandalous avatars who might just tweet something naughty @ you for your clients to see? Well I have been, and now there's a solution: http://stoptweet.com/
StopTweet allows you to choose block settings based on the likelihood that a follower or friend is spammy.
You can block friends/followers if they have less than X number of tweets. And, you can block friends/followers if less than Y % of people follow them back.
This is good news for our Twitter reputations.
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day
FlashTweet Mass Follow Tool is Evolving to the Target Follow Tool
You may have noticed we have changed the Mass Follow icon to Target Follow. We did this because the term Target Follow better represents the tool.
FlashTweet users maximize their success by target following, not mass following. Target following is not just following anyone and everyone, but following Twitter users who matter to you. (Hey, if you sell frozen meats, why tweet to vegetarians?)
Target following is a way to seek the followers who will contribute most to your online community and ultimately generate more feedback/sales/loyalty/etc.
FlashTweet users target follow using the following proven method:
- Using the Target follow tool, search and follow users who are tweeting about [topic pertaining to you]. Or, search for users who are already following a person in your community of interest. You may even further target by location.
- Wait a few days as those who followed you begin to follow you back.
- After a few days, unfollow the users who have not followed you using the Follower Management tool. These users have chosen not to take interest in you/your business, so there's no sense in following them!
- Repeat while maintaining an active, useful, Twitter account.
If you follow these four steps, we guarantee you will build a successful Twitter account and community. You will find and interact with Twitter users who'll help you grow your word, your business.
Another factor that has sparked this change is our communication with Twitter. Twitter has made it clear that auto-following is not within Twitter regulations. We don't currently use auto-following, but to further separate from this notion, we won't be referring to the tool as Mass Following. And, and boost FlashTweet's most significant use, we will be further evolving the Target Follow tool.
Still, we want our FlashTweet users to know we value your business, and we will continue to make great choices so you value ours. Please feel free to submit questions, comments, and suggestions to FlashTweet.
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day
Google Versus Bing Throw Down: Will Bing Win out on iPhone
Today marks the first day I used Bing. (I dumped Ask Jeeves and married Google eons ago.) I decided to compare Google and Bing, and I did not have too search far:
http://www.google-vs-bing.com/
This website is for the indecisive search engine user; you can check out search results side by side.
My conclusion: I'll stick to Google. However, there are rumors that in the mobile world, Bing just may win out.
"...researchers pointed out that if Google loses its status as the iPhone's default search to Bing, it could mark a massive shift in mobile web superiority. Although Google's Android is growing its market share at a high rate, the iPhone still makes up 54 percent of the increasingly valuable mobile web market," says NewsFactor.com.
To further qualify the massive shift this would have, NewsFactor also cites that, currently, "Google search makes up just more than half of all Internet traffic on the iPhone."
Seems like this could be a strategic move for iPhone. However, if you're a recent Android fan, and you need to be cheered up now, check out this ring tone.
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day
Twitter Experiences Delays While Steve Jobs Announced iPad …Not Surprised
What's the buzz of today? Everyone's tweeting about it! The iPad. This gadget just may revolutionize netbooks.
Apple iPad
- Starting price of $499 a month
- Touch screen key pad
- So sleak, so thin
- Prepaid, unlocked 3G at $30 a month unlimited
- Supports iWork so you can actually use it for presentations, word docs, etc
- Doubles as an e-reader
As people viewed these cool features on blogs and tweets, this announcement was a state of the union. Everyone was watching and tweeting. FlashTweet sure did. Now, hours later, tweets are still clocking 825 a minute. (I just tested.) Most tweets are positive, but some are not so much. (I bet Apple's marketing team didn't anticipate the nickname, iTampon, on Twitter. If I were Apple, I'd respond like Caped Boy Wet Hot American Summer, "I'll take that as a compliment.")
In the tweeting craze, it's surprising and impressive Twitter didn't crash. Twitter did, however, announce delays during the 11 AM - 2 PM time period, which, I guess was due to the iPad.
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day
Wow, Even the Pope Has a YouTube Channel
Since YouTube was founded in 2005, it has become the number one video sharing website and a long-standing pillar in social media. Soon after its launch, businesses began using YouTube as a platform for viral marketing. Recently, though, YouTube channels have become a powerful branding tool.
Businesses such as the Associated Press, Ford, MTV, L'Oreal Paris, College Humor, and CBS have branded YouTube channels. Their channels are customized in appearance, video, and widgets. Why have these businesses chosen to build YouTube channels? Because that's what consumers around the world are watching.
There are over one billion YouTube views a day. The number one searched video on YouTube in 2009 was Susan Boyle - Britain's Got Talent. According to YouTube stats, 120 million viewers searched for this video. Yet, Susan Boyle''s appearance on the TV show, at its height, drew 11.8 million viewers. This little example makes it certain that YouTube's got talent - and power.
Still unsure of YouTube's marketing power? The Pope isn't. In case you haven't heard, the Pope now has his own YouTube channel - The Vatican, to spread the Vatican word.
"The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the Word. In his Message, the Pope says that through modern means of communication, the priest will make known the life of the Church..." says the Vatican channel. The Vatican currently has 1,846,555 YouTube channel views.
So, if you're thinking about how to spice up your online marketing campaigns, consider creating a YouTube channel. Of course, you'll need to follow good old social media tactics for business. And, you'll need to keep the content fresh. Check out this YouTube Channel Complete Guide for a simple introduction on creating a YouTube channel.
Stay tuned, FlashTweet just may fire up a YouTube channel, too.
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day
@billgates @BarackObama First Tweets for Bill and Obama!
This week, two of the world's most successful men just tweeted for their first time: Bill Gates and Barack Obama. Both men joined the Twitter world for a cause.
photo from trashness.com
Obama: "President Obama and the First Lady are here visiting our disaster operation center right now," Yahoo Newsquotes, where President Obama refers to a Haiti aid center.
Gates: "Hello World.' Hard at work on my foundation letter — publishing on 1/25," Seattle Times quotes, where Gates mentions his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
While these men generate entire press releases, there's something pure about 140 characters, straight from their fingers to your eyes. In fact, we are so inspired,
FlashTweet would like to extend a free account to anyone with a charitable cause.
FlashTweet will help you mass follow Twitter users by keywords and location. We'll help you get more Twitter followers. Just send me an email with your Twitter account and a bit about your charity!
To keep on following Bill and Obama, check out @billgates and @BarackObama.
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day
FlashTweet is Proud to Be International
FlashTweet is used in over 165 countries, and we think that's pretty cool.
Tweeters around the world are using FlashTweet to search users by keyword and location, mass follow, and mass unfollow to get Twitter followers. As FlashTweet was born in March 2009, our international growth aligns with Twitter's:
"Whereas in June of last year the U.S. accounted for 62 percent of all active Twitter users, that number has fallen to 50 percent," says Barb Dywad of Mashable.
With this news, we will be on the lookout for a good tweet translator. (Let us know if you find one.) We welcome everyone around the world to try FlashTweet for free!
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day
2009 Defined in One Word… Check Out This Word Cloud!
NPR has recently challenged 5,000 listeners to define the year 2009 in one word and has gathered the answers in a word cloud. A word cloud is a visual depiction of how frequently words appear. Check out the 2009 word cloud below:
I found this an interesting use of a word cloud: to reflect the common emotions/attitude towards something. It's clear from the word cloud that the most commonly used word to describe 2009 is change.
Wouldn't it be cool if each product or brand came with a "quality" word cloud? For example, you wouldn't purchase a glass cleaner with a streaky as its biggest word in consumer reviews. Hey Amazon, get on that!
Word clouds are drifting their way onto most websites, and they are most commonly used to highlight the most sought after content in websites.
Want to create a word cloud with some text you have? Try out wordle and show us your results!
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day
Find B2B Social Media Difficult? Yea, Because You Need a Strategy
If you're part of a B2B marketing team, it's likely you think social media is rubbish. You've created a Facebook page, you've created a blog, and you've created a Twitter account. You haven't seen any returns. Or, you don't understand how to measure your returns. Well, good thing you have FlashTweet here to guide you because, frankly, social media is made for B2B when used properly.
Most B2B business is word-of-mouth referrals. And what is Twitter? A word of mouth search engine - word of mouth on steroids, if you will.
Surely, B2C businesses may have it easier in the social media sphere- because numerous consumers are on Twitter, directly tweeting about their products. As one of the top social media marketing tools, FlashTweet sees this all the time. But, from our successful B2B business contacts and research, here are our tips for increasing your success as a B2B social media:
TIP 1: Start with the basics: Is your website up to par? Per Jeffrey L. Cohen, a successful social media blogger. The practical purpose of social media is to direct users to your website. Your business website should clearly display your top product/services and how to obtain them. If your website has been cluttered with images and widgets over the years, simplify.
TIP 2: Similar to Tip 1, revisit your brand. The overarching reason for you to use social media is to "build brand awareness," says Ayelet Noff of thenextweb.com. In that case, make sure your brand/logo is attractive, catchy, and current - worth building. If you haven't rebranded in quite some time, you should really consider focusing on that before putting time behind a social media effort.
TIP 3: Maintain a blog that shows you are a leader in the industry. Blog about both your company and industry news. For B2B companies, a blog is similar to a job interview: your client wants to know if you know your stuff, and if you're a superstar.
TIP 4: Along with tip 3, make it extremely easy for readers to keep on reading. Add a prominent RSS reader button on each blog. Your job is to hook readers and keep them coming back for more - all while you slip in information about your products and services.
TIP 5: Link up your website, blog, and Twitter in a strategic manner to track your leads. Add analytics to all of your landing pages and really take the time to analyze users' movement. For example, how often do users click a link from your blog to your homepage? How often does a user click from a specific blog to a product page? How many users click from tweets to your blog? Use these numbers to grow in the right places.
TIP 6: Target the audience you need: Your customers. Many B2B companies feel that Twitter is just an ocean of people. If your company sells a corporate phone system, for example, why on Earth would you tweet to a bunch of stay at home moms and high school students on Twitter? You would because in that Twitter ocean, there are IT professionals, business owners, and bloggers who would be interested in reviewing your product - You just need to find them. Find them by using FlashTweet to search key words (e.g. phone system, IT, small business, VoIP) and mass follow these people. Use the mass unfollow tool a bit later to keep a targeted audience.
TIP 7: Along with Tip 6, converse with your targeted followers, show interest, and guide them to your blog/website. You can do this by taking some time to read others' blogs and comment with a link to your blog/website.
TIP 8: Treat your blogger friends like gold. Ask them to review your product and services (even if it means free offers). Friend them on Facebook and LinkedIN. This will allow you to tap into the community they've already built and guide their followers.
TIP 9: Think outside the box and be creative in your content. Research the trending topics on Twitter and think on how your business is affected. This is particularly a tip from us - we got a little burst in hits when we wrote about how Twitter can affect TV Shows like Dexter when Dexter was the hottest topic on Twitter.
TIP 10: Keep your traditional SEM and SEO efforts thriving. (Of course we had to put this in here) Analyze the key word popularity using a key word search tool, and ensure you're sprinkling your website with them. Build your blog title URL's effectively so google can easily find you, etc.
TIP 11: Keep it up and don't expect results overnight. You need to build a community before your efforts show returns. Do this by creating a # blogs & Twitter updates (per week) requirement for your business, and stick to it. Reward your team for their steady pace and increased follower numbers. Think - If you spend 1 month avidly building an automobile and never finish the transmission, you're not going anywhere!
TIP 12: Last but not least, hire a consultant if you don't have a passionate team member or team to support items 1-11! We surely don't advocate all consultants - Find one who is transparent with their tracking methods and regularly reports your ROI. One great example - Mitchell Tyler, LLC.
Good luck and if you have any questions, give me a holler.
Nicole, FlashTweet Blogger by night and Software Project Manager by day