Feedback and communication skills training. Producers of audio advertising and business podcasting products and services.

Social media for real beginners

So what is all this about social media? Why's everyone talking about it? What is it for? What could you use it for? What are the dangers? Where's it all going to end?What is 'Social media'?: Stuff that people create and share through online networks.What are 'Social Media tools'?: Software applications designed to allow people to network online and share their own and other peoples' contentWhy's everyone talking about it?: Because pretty much everyone can do it and is doing it. Because the possibilities for marketing products, services - and ideas - through Social Media are dizzyingly immense. What's it for?: Who knows? It's definitely about making money (Social Media people are always talking about ways to 'monetize' Social Media sites and the content produced through them). It's also about connecting people in networks of niche interest. What could you use if for?: You could use it to build or connect to networks of people who might be interested in your and your products and services. You could use Social Media to find out things you need to know from a particular niche (or market). You could use Social Media to add some colour to your persona online so that people feel they know you better and maybe even develop trust in you before they pick up the phone. Or you could use it to keep people in your huge, multinational organisation connected and up-to speed with the latest developments.What are the dangers?: On the one hand, Social Media is an open, democratic network of people connecting with each other and creating and sharing content. Nice. On the other hand, it's all about creating revenue for Google. Why? Because all online content ultimately turns into data for people like Google and Facebook to monetize through online advertising and other people (affiliate marketers and small business bloggers) to monitize through affiliate schemes and other things.What does all that mean?It means that whatever else Social Media is about, it's not primarily about creating a better world of communication for you and your mates. It's driven by people looking to monetize it. Including you, if you're a small business wondering how you're going to use Social Media.Where's it all going to end?: "We'll be successful when you guys stop talking about us" said a Twitter boss recently. Teenagers don't talk about 'Social Media'. To them, it's invisible. They just talk to their mates on it. The people who talk about it are the people trying to make money out of it; whether it's the 'work-at-home' people, the 'get-rich-quick' dreamers, the affiliate marketers, the online developers or just plain, regular businesses. It will all end when people realise that there's no 'get-rich-quick' and this madness dies down. Just as you can't all be at the top of Google for a competitive keyword, very few people can make fortunes out of Twitter marketing schemes either.And just as real-world networking works worst when you try to use it to sell products and services (unless you're a bully or an MLM business), so Social Media networking works worst when you try to make money from it. The problem is, there are literally hundreds of millions of desperate people trying to use Google and Social Media as their way out of hopeless poverty or to beat the system and make their fortune. That alone guarantees that Social Media will be crammed full to the gills of junk content (full of Google keywords) and people spamming you to sell you stuff ranging from the unwanted to downright fraudulent.

Specialist Services

We focus on the feelings involved in feedback and communication at all levels of the organisation. We use simple awareness and emotional intelligence models that allow people to learn as much about themselves as the issues we're working with. Our internet marketing services are designed to bridge the gap between non-technical business people and the specialist service providers they need to use with the aim of empowering them to make better investments in specialist online marketing services (web design, SEO, directory listing etc)

Trading Since

2006