I rarely use hootsuite but there is a good chance I might be using them soon. I logged in this morning and was surprised to see a little “plus” sign next to each tweet. That plus sign is your gateway to finding what the URL is all about. If you see a link, whether it’s the actual link or shortened URL, hootsuite now gives you a preview of the link. Whether it’s an image, video, article, etc. can all be seen before you click on the link.

The problem with shortened URL is that you don’t know what the source is. With this new upgrade, you’ll be able to see the main source of the link and whetyher or not it’s safe to click. That’s one of the reason why many people are more likely to click links on Facebook than on Twitter because Facebook gives you a preview.

I am really glad to see this feature and it certainly sets them apart from other twitter clients. The only reason I don’t use Hootsuite is because of their frame they use when shrinking links through their service. But they seem to be rolling out some cool features, so will see if I’ll make the switch. They have also rolled out some other features such as wordpress integration and more. Visit their blog to learn more about other features.

What do you think about this new feature? I love it!

Image source

Tags: Microblogging, Social Media, social media marketing // Add Comment »

As usual I got up this morning, turned the computer on and started going through the news feed on Facebook. I saw Mashable’s update and almost had a heart attack. This is why :

They have changed the title since then, but the Retweet button on that post is still pushing the same misleading title on Twitter.

And on Digg,

Do you see why I am going crazy over that title? That title straight up implies that both “Twitter” name and “Twitter.com” domain belongs to MSNBC. That was a lame move. I mean come on. Anyways, they got what they deserved from their community. Check out the comment on that post . They have now posted an apology on their facebook page in regards to that title. However, the misleading message is going around on the web through many different platforms.

For a site that has that big of a following and an editorial guideline and what not, that was pretty low. Lame move Mashable, lame.

Tags: Social Media // 4 Comments »

At least on 43things.

I was just browsing the web and thought I would stop by 43things to see what was going on that side of the internet. They have a nice little list set up which shows the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions of 2010. I guess a lot of people are planning on losing their virginity. Some of the other popular resolutions are “lose weight,” “fall in love,” and other things that most people will forget starting next week.

But wait, that’s not all. There are 1,277 people who want to “do this” and there is also an article on how to lose my virginity.

I don’t know, I just find these kind of things as “too much information.” Some things are just meant to be shared with people that are close to you, behind closed doors and not publicly on the web (maybe I am too “old school”). Whether you are using your real name or fake, you can be traced one way or the other. My only prediction in 2010 at this point is that, this year we will be seeing a lot of people getting divorced, fired and what not because of their Facebook updates, tweets, etc.

Compare this to the list above. It just goes to show people are getting comfortable sharing private and unnecessary information much easily than they were in the past. When it comes to social media, we are so used to hearing all the good stuff, but there’s a downside to it as well. We’ll be seeing the flip side of social media and transparency quite often this year, I am sure.

Tags: Rant, Social Media // 1 Comment »

My apologies for using such a strong word but it is what it is. I remember back in the day when things used to be private. We shared only so much information and with only so many people. Today everything we do, from drinking a cup of coffee to taking a shit is either being updated on Facebook or sent as a tweet. We are social animals. We like to connect and interact. And different social networking channels have made is much easier for us than what it was a couple years ago.

It’s hard to imagine a time when there was no Facebook, no Twitter, no YouTube, WordPress and many other platforms that we find hard to live without. And it’s unbelievable to know than when we entered the 21st century, these services weren’t there. Yet, after 10 short years here we are, a society that can’t live without socializing with the unknown. I am quite active on many different platforms. My first choice is Facebook, second Twitter and all other platforms come after those two. My social participation mostly consists of links to articles and then at times my personal stuff. You know the kind where we all share what we did today, what we are going to do tomorrow and what we have plans for the next year and so on and on.

We are a society of attention whores. These different channels give us a chance to gain that 15 second fame which wasn’t possible a few years ago, few as in 5-7 years ago. When a home made video on YouTube hits a million views, when an article lands on the frontpage of digg, when your tweets are retweeted many times, we are asking for attention. Some use that attention solely for work and some use it to network and the worst are those that use it to fuel their ego.

The only thing we had yet to share publicly on the web could be our purchases. Well, that will soon be taken care of as Blippy comes out of private beta. All in all, although as harsh as it may sound, we have become a society of attention whores. When I tweet and update my Facebook status, I am asking for attention. When you update your blog, you are asking for attention. It’s hard to label ourselves as that but in a increasingly social web, that’s who we all are – attention whores. We have all become marketers, seeking attention of those that are willing to give and in some case going out of our way to seek from those who are not as willing.

2010 will be an interesting year to watch. It will be fun to see how we will turn out by the end of the year. Hopefully, we don’t sell ourselves so hard that by the end of the year the social web turns into traditional media, you know the one that we ignore. Let’s stay on track folks and let’s make sure while trying to garner this attention we don’t forget our roots, the roots that remind us to give first and not just ask.

I’ll admit that I am an attention whore. If I wasn’t I wouldn’t be on Twitter, Facebook, Digg, LinkedIn, Scribd or anywhere else. What about you? Are you saying you are not?

Tags: Rant // 1 Comment »

If you’ve been following this blog, you already know I have three projects in the pipeline for 2010. Well, one of them is is ready and I just couldn’t wait two more days. I am horrible when it comes to being patient, especially when they are ideas that are ready to be executed. The other two projects that I am planning on won’t be ready for quite some time. I am shooting one for March and the other one is a big project, hopefully I can get that one out by the end of 2010.

Anyways, I just wanted to quick let you know about the one I launched. There are just too many links floating around on the web. Each day millions of articles are written and it is hard to differentiate between good and bad by just looking at the title. My project that I launched is related to social media and search engine optimization. I felt there was a need for a service that would bring you the best in both social media and search, as they are both critical to success on the web.

I am very happy to announce that Social Media and Search News is live, and ready to serve you with the best content in social media and search. All the links shown on the site are hand picked by me and a few others. There are no algorithms and it’s not automated at all.

Check out Social Media and Search News. If you have any suggestion or feedback, please let me know.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. I’ll see you guys in 2010

Tags: News, Social Media // Add Comment »

As many of you know I had abandoned this blog for quite some time. After a little over a year I ended up kicking my ass to finally get it going. Although I haven’t been able to churn out as much content as I would like to, I plan to commit much more to this blog in the coming year.

While working with clients, I recommend starting a newsletter at the very beginning. It’s funny it took me so long to implement such an important and critical aspect of personal communication on my own blog. Anyways, if you look at the sidebar you’ll see a small box where you can enter your name and email address. You can fill that out to sign up to my newsletter. I’ll be using the newsletter to share case studies, interesting tips and a bit of insider information with my subscribers.

I am not an affiliate marketer so you’ll never see any affiliate links or anything of that sort. I have a few personal project in the pipeline and I will be using the newsletter once in a while to let you know about these projects. Besides that, it’s just one more way for us to connect, but at a much more personal level. I would appreciate if you subscribe to my newsletter. 2010 is going to be big. I am unleashing many ideas and making them a reality and I would like you to be a part of it.

You can use the form below to sign up. Let’s get 2010 rolling from the get go, together.

Tags: News // Add Comment »