Biznology

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by Frank Reed
Privacy is an illusion when it comes to Facebook. All of this talk about how Facebook listens and has heard the cry of the dear Facebook faithful is bunk. I hope the world isn’t gullible enough to think that the greater good is the first priority of this company. Honestly, it’s not the first priority of most companies, so why would Facebook be any different? Bottom line is that Facebook is about money. They need to make it and they need to do whatever they have to in order to make it.

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Is your company afraid of social media? I don’t mean merely uncomfortable or inexperienced. I mean white-knuckle teeth-clenching afraid. I frequently talk to companies that live in deathly fear, and they have their reasons. The question for them is what to do. Do they give into their fears and avoid social media or do they plunge in and overcome their fears? Usually, the right answer is neither. Instead, you need to try to let your rational brain break through the wall of fear and take a first step that doesn’t feel so big.

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I’m blessed. I’m the first to admit it. I’ve never been out of work, and although I’d love to tell you that it is due to my superior skills and hard-working attitude, the truth is that I’ve needed a lot of luck over the years. I was on the right side of a lot of IBM layoffs over my 30 years there, and I know many people who are just as skilled and hard-working as me (if not more so), who ended up on the unemployment line. So, I can’t say that I have been in the position of needing a job. But I am going to give some advice to those of you that are. And the advice is simple: Don’t just ask for help from your social network. Provide help. Instead of using your social network, work your network.

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Image by Eddie~S via Flickr

It’s no secret that companies are using Twitter for marketing, but are you monitoring tweets for customer service? Last week, I ran into a striking reminder that companies are increasingly taking Twitter seriously, even when I am joking. Let me explain what happened last week when I slept in a Select Comfort Sleep Number bed and tweeted about my experience the next morning. If you aren’t yet using Twitter for customer service, perhaps this experience I had might give you ideas for how to the make the most of Twitter.

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Have you been hearing about location-based marketing? You might know about mobile phone ads, but have you herd of Foursquare? It’s a neat game that is catching on, especially among the 20-somethings in large cities, and some local businesses, especially bars and restaurants, have been jumping on board. If you’ve wondered how your local business can take advantage, check out my latest post on Search Engine Guide, “Foursquare in favor of location-based marketing.”