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Social Networking has evolved and grow rapidly online, providing huge potential for businesses to market online in a different manner, cheaply and effectively. Those that have used social marketing has proven to improve their business performance online.Social networking sites allow different individuals to communicate with each other and share information.  The social network is filled with individuals and links that connects them together.  It can be a group of family members spread around the country, to governments and even professional groups.  Here are some of the ways that you can profit from using social marketing sites.Social networking allows for several people to communicate, and one of the fastest modes of advertising is through word of mouth.  If one person gives another a good review of your website, product or service, this second person in turn may stop by to visit your site.  By getting involved with networks that are have similar interests as your product offer is that you can use this social media communication to your advantage.The difficult part of social networking is finding the sites that cater to your interests that will still allow you to make money from.  Choose a topic that is too broad, and you are sure to have a lot of competition.  Choose one that is too narrow, and you will not have a broad enough customer base to profit on.  You need to find the balance of exclusivity and popularity.Social sites are also a great place to find new potential clients.  Finding the right customers for your product or service is half of the battle of promoting your product.  Since people that have similar interests tend to stay together, but may operate in different interest circles.  You can use this to your advantage in two ways – one, you already have a core group of potential cleints to start with.  Plus, if they find liking your products or services, they will share with friends in other circles as well, expanding your sphere of influence like ripples on a pond.Social networking sites also allow your customers to get the feeling that they are in touch with you – and people tend to buy items from people that they know or that they are more comfortable with.  In order to use this most effectively, you have to be a prominent character on the social network site.  Be an active poster in good standing and keep your name as one of the leaders of the group.Along similar lines, you have to remember that the most successful social networking relationships are long term.  If you want your social networking to be effective, you need to develop lasting friendships with the people in your social networking groups.Another positive about social media sites is that it allows you to get in touch with consumer wants and desires.  Who better to get ideas from of products to sell or services to offer than the people who will actually purchase them from you?  You may get ideas of products and services to offer that are different than what you currently offer, or ways that you can improve your products and services to stand above the rest of the competition.You will also find that using social media sites are one of the more cost effective ways of building your customer base.  While you can always find a one time only customer online, your priority of making money is through repeat business, since you do not have to spend more on marketing to attract someone else.  You can use social sites as a strategy to improve customer relations and prove your reliability to your customers.Moreover, social media sites will continue to thrive and become more popular.  Places like MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter and Friendster attract new members everyday, giving you access to new and potential customers daily. Not to mention social network sites like Squidoo which actually encourage you to Profit from Squidoo Social NetworkThere are many other social networks available online and catering to different interest groups and markets. If you want to make use of social sites to build your business, it is important to know which ones are suitable for your market. You can download a Free copy of Social Networking Directory of over 400 Social media sites for your reference and learn how you can make full use of these social media sites with Internet Marketing Strategies to enhance your business performance online at www.BOBmarketing.com

My name is Roger Preston, and I am a journalist for various publications in upstate New York, as well as the New England area.I recently had a chance to interview the fine team of professionals at WebBusinessSecrets.com whose flagship product is entitled “Get Google Ads Free.”In April of 2007 “Get Google Ads Free” was launched, and the effect was nothing less than equal to “the shot heard around the world!”Within just weeks people everywhere were talking about it, and other top-notch online marketers were scurrying to sell it as an Affiliate for the company.But here’s a little insight that 99.9% of everyone the world over doesn’t know:The Product’s greatest endorser is none other than Google itself!That’s right. As shocking as it may seem, Google has NO problem with the course that reveals how anyone can get ads on their search engine for Free!Now, at this point I know you must be curious as to how such a thing is possible, as Google gets its M0NEY from the sale of both AdWords (PPCs) and AdSense (where webmasters allow Google to show their ads on their pages).One might think that any information that revealed how an advertiser could get their AdWords pay-per-clicks free would be damaging to Google, and therefore Google would not want anyone finding out about it, right?WRONG! It seems that the secret system developed by the retired native New York doctor contains an interesting “twist” that while allowing advertisers to eliminate their AdWords costs, it does not reduce a single D0LLAR in AdWords revenue for Google.In fact, just the opposite!I cannot give away the secret here because that’s why it’s available in the first place.But I can tell you that with the application of what’s inside “Get Google Ads Free” that: - Google loses NO money - Google actually can produce even more M0NEY! - Advertisers gain an instant almost unfair advantage over anyone   not knowing what’s inside “Get Google Ads Free!” - Advertisers can now afford to outbid their competition! - Advertisers are not at risk any longer as their advertising   budgets N0 longer matter!Wow! And this is just the beginning!Now, where’s the definitive PROOF that Google endorses the amazing system shown in “Get Google Ads Free?”I asked this question to company spokesperson and Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Mr Todd Coutrin, to which he responded:  “We started our launch like we always do with any product online,  using Google AdWords to offer our Product.  “We used keywords that contained the word ‘free’ so we  anticipated the usual HOLD these keywords usually cause any campaign using them to experience.  “But when our campaign was paused by Google for a tad more time than what we regularly anticipated, then we got concerned.  “I actually placed a call directly to Google at 1-866-2-GOOGLE  and spoke at length with a customer services rep who said she’d check into what was happening.  “She returned my call 16 hours later and informed me that due to the specific nature of the Product in question (i.e., the ebook ”Get Google Ads Free!”) their team at Google secured the product, read it all the way trough, and then realizing it would NOT hurt their *revenue* but actually increase it, they   immediately un-paused and resumed our ads”  —Amazing! They actually got what amounts to a Signed Certificate ofAPPROVAL from Google itself!Therefore, anyone who questions the truth or legality concerning”Get Google Ads Free!” need not fret at all.Yet, the usual “naysayers” seemed to ignore the obvious fact thatif Google had a problem with “Get Google Ads Free!” then we allwouldn’t be seeing all the PPC ads at Google each time we type inthe keywords and phrases:  – free ads  – free advertising  – “Get Google Ads Free”  – free ppc  – free adwordsAnd so forth!Yet, there are many very stubborn, even foolish, among us … > The “Crybaby Syndrome To be fair, I must also inform you of those who seem to be out toget the company for sharing their amazing secret with the world.In what seems nothing more than a ploy to get attention, a UKonline firm operated by two “wanna-be” law students have a Blog thattalks the usual trash about the Product.The Blog’s owner, Rob Scott, talks a big game by claiming thesecret system to be nothing short of a scam! He even recklesslythrows around the potentially libelous phrase  ”.con (Ooops, Imeant .com)” as an attempt at childish humor in order to bash thefirm’s name.What’s shocking is that this individual is actually a student oflaw (at least that’s what he claims) so one would think that heshould perhaps check out the facts before proceeding with suchcareless remarks.After all, he admits severally that he “never even ordered theebook” so how could he truly know one way or the other if it was avalid system – not to mention it is assumed he’s at leastreasonably intelligent since (according to him) he got into lawschool, that he would be able to see for himself the firm’sAffiliates’ ads all over Google, and therefore reason that Googleitself is perhaps the firm’s chief supporter.But stubbornness abounds, I suppose.Ironically Rob says that the only reason he attacks the firm isbecause “it’s a no brainer that this must be a scam,” and he got”tired of seeing all those little AdSense ads on his page thatpeople kept clicking on” (which by the way only stood to get himlots of M0NEY!) — yet he accepts D0NATIONS on his site as a poor,struggling law student in need of paying for his education, andrather than legitimately earn an INC0ME from AdSense with anAPPROVED Product.Sadly, Rob actually censors most of his Blog so that others who wishto post POSITIVES concerning “Get Google Ads Free!” can’t even doso. (*But what would you expect from a “wanna-be” lawyer?)He even posts what appears to be an actual response by the firm’slawyer, but which is perhaps nothing more than his own postsdisguised and designed to make himself look better (as anyone cansee that the dialogue appears “manufactured” instead of genuine).What some people will do to project themselves as “Savior to therest of us” and “The People’s Advocate.” How ridiculous indeed.Despite the “crybaby” from across the pond, Rob Snot (Ooops! I musthave meant “Rob Scott!”) has failed miserably to put even a dent inthe firm’s sales!Plus, traffic is on the rise shooting up from an average of 14,OOOvisitors daily to now well above 2O,OOO visitors daily (a jump of42% in daily traffic alone! — Keep up the good work, Rob!!)Anyway, don’t be dissuaded in your decision to build your onlinebusiness by eliminating your Google AdWords costs, as the course”Get Google Ads Free!” not only reveals precisely how you can dothis, but it goes 10 steps further by giving you all kinds of otheramazing strategies I can’t even begin to allude to here.Plus, the e-Course comes with countless resources that go far beyondthe usual variety of instantly-clickable extra values!Lastly never forget that even though quite elderly now, Dr JonCohen has even set new records finishing ahead of himself by nowhaving:  – Grossed over $4OO Million in revenues!!  – and SAVED over $1OO Million in Google advertising costs!!  – attained a personal wealth above $8O million…all due to his own system!  *NOTE: Rob Scott is broke and demands D0NATIONS! (Ha!) Talk about putting your M0NEY where your mouth is!!

A recent study by Comscore, the Internet information provider, indicates that over 20% web users have visited Facebook in December 2008.  Comscore has also noted a gradual demographic shift from college students to professionals aged 35 years or older in the number of Facebook users. Majority of these users are using Facebook for professional and business networking.

Facebook is blooming into a platform to conduct business deals and professional meetings. Hundreds of professional Facebook groups are created every day for online marketing and customer-centric   public relations campaigns. The line between social and professional networking is slowly blurring.

If you’re planning to use Facebook platform for professional networking, follow the 7 steps outlined below to separate your Facebook social life from the work life in the virtual world.

1. Create a professional profile. This is your second resume. Use resume writing techniques to polish up your existing Facebook profile. List your expertise and accomplishments in the “Write something about yourself” section. Uncheck everything in the “Looking for” section except Networking. 

2. Use business related information in the Personal Information section, including the business book that you have recently read, some quotes from top business leaders in your field, your favorite business related TV show , and business magazines that you frequently read.

3. In the About Me sub-section of the Personal Information section, elaborate on your past achievements and list skills that you used in the past to solve business problems.

4. Remove all beer drinking pictures with your college buddies and fun poking applications from your profile. If you were a speaker in some seminar and you have pictures, upload them to your profile. If you have pictures with business leaders or intellectuals in your professional field use those pictures instead of your spring break surfing pictures unless you are looking for networking with surfing professionals.

5. If you want to keep your Facebook social life, create a second profile for your work life. People who are migrating from college life to professional career will find it beneficial to keep the two profiles separate so that they can poke their college buddies and make business deals at the same time using the Facebook platform.

6. Start reading and publishing contents related to your industry in various online magazines and post links to interesting and informative online contents and tools in Facebook status. If you already have a blog, publish your blog RSS field in Facebook’s My Notes.

7. Select only a few dozen friends and keep in contact with them using Facebook email and chat. Check out the Facebook group they subscribe to and join those groups. Post thought provoking comments in those groups to make yourself more visible. Help others by offering solutions to their problems.

The important thing to keep in mind is that whatever you share in your Facebook account, it is visible to everybody in your network. So be careful about how you professionally project yourself to the world while using Facebook. While there are dedicated professional networking sites like LinkedIn, you can still use Facebook for establishing professional relationship and conducting business deals.

Facebook is the second largest social network on the web, behind only MySpace in terms of traffic. Primarily focused on high school to college students, Facebook has been gaining market share, and more significantly a supportive user base. Since their launch in February 2004, they’ve been able to obtain over 8 million users in the U.S. alone and expand worldwide to 7 other English-speaking countries, with more to follow. A growing phenomenon, let’s discover Facebook.

Facebook’s shares have already gone up significantly since the company’s early days. According to filings with the California Department of Corporations, Facebook’s common shares were priced at 78 cents in January of 2006. By May of that year, they had jumped to $8.05. In August of this year, they were $6.61. Incorporation filings in Delaware show that Facebook split its shares 4-to-1 in July of 2006 so on a split-adjusted basis the shares were priced at 19.5 cents in January 2006. That means Facebook’s sense of its own worth has risen by more than 33-fold in less than two years. Facebook hasn’t filed the price of its common shares following the Microsoft investment. But on October 18, if filed with the State of Delaware to split its stock four for one again.

History

Facebook is a social networking website that allows people to communicate with their friends and exchange information. Launched on February 4, 2004, Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, a former member of the Harvard Class of 2006 and former Ardsley High School student. Within months, Facebook and its core idea spread across the dorm rooms of Harvard where it was very well received. Soon enough, it was extended to Stanford and Yale where, like Harvard, it was widely endorsed. Before he knew it, Mark Zuckerberg was joined by two other fellow Harvard-students – Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes – to help him grow the site to the next level. Only months later when it was officially a national student network phenomenon, Zuckerberg and Moskovitz dropped out of Harvard to pursue their dreams and run Facebook full time. In August 2005, the Facebook was officially called Facebook and the domain facebook.com was purchased for a reported $200,000.

Availability

Unlike its competitors MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, hi5, Bebo, and others, Facebook isn’t available to everyone — which explains its relatively low user count. Currently, users must be members of one of the 30,000+ recognized schools, colleges, universities, organizations, and companies within the U.S, Canada, and other English-speaking nations. This generally involves having a valid e-mail ID with the associated institution.

Business & Funding

Given the situation other social networks on the web are facing, Facebook is in a good position financially. While it hasn’t managed to get acquired like its rival MySpace (despite some rumors about an $800m deal with Viacom), it’s been quite lucky in most aspects. For its initial funding, it received $500,000 from Peter Theil, co-founder of PayPal. A few months later, it was also able to get $13 million from Accel Partners, who are also investors in 15 other Web 2.0 startups, and $25 million from Greylock Partners, making their overall venture equal to approximately $40 million.

The Future

Facebook is a massively successful social networking service that grew to prominence in virtually no time. It’s not hard to see why: its features and tools are highly appealing, and Facebook users are extremely well networked in real life. Rumors of an acquisition continue to circulate, with some estimates putting the price in the billions of dollars. In the short term, however, Facebook plans to go it alone, continuing to build out one of the world’s most successful social networks.

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A couple of years ago, Web 2.0-based social networking was very much a consumer-only affair. It was a way for people, kids, mostly, to find out what was hot and what was not. More recently, of course, businesses have gotten into the act. Many companies have blogs and Facebook pages, and more executives are using Twitter as time goes on. 

Industry observers say a new phase is dawning as enterprise social networking begins the maturation process in earnest. And, like everything else, that evolution is being colored by the financial crisis.   Organizations are recognizing the vast power of enterprise social networking and that it’s relatively inexpensive. They are beginning to understand the difference between consumer and business social networking and to systematically assess what works and what doesn’t. They are looking at how specific tools work in a variety of contexts. 

“Until about six months ago – it depends on the enterprise – they were starstruck,” says Vanessa DiMauro, the president of Leader Networks, a company that helps organizations with their social networking and online community initiatives. “They were looking at social networking as a cool new tool, but they didn’t know what they were doing. They had no effective processes. Now they have more agile organizations. They have stepped back and have enough experience. They now understand that social media is not a tool or toy, it’s a strategy.” 

Now more than ever, organizations are interested in low-cost tools with the fastest possible return on investment (ROI), and social networks fit the bill perfectly. Michael Cochrane, vice president of Information Technologies for The Palladium Group, a consultancy, says that platforms are starting to mature. Some are measuring “tonality” as a way to determine the attitude of people involved in the social-networking session or process. Other tools can do such things as measure Twitter tweets and track how many times a particular topic comes up in a social-networking encounter. DiMauro adds that companies are developing lagging and leading indicators for the effectiveness of various tools. “It is beyond the shiny and new phase,” Cochrane says.

Two Platforms

Enterprise social networking is evolving in two directions. Older platforms and applications are aimed at employees and closely track unified communications initiatives. More recently, companies have begun to more directly reach out to customers and prospects. 

“The way we look at the market is to segment it into inward- and outward-facing,” says Will Zachmann, an analyst for Wainhouse Research. 

Though the technologies overlap, the goals of the inward and outward types of social networking are quite different. While inward, employee-based social networking is about finding new ways to more efficiently get clearly delineated tasks accomplished, dealings with consumers are by definition far more open-ended. The tools have to be able to satisfy the sometimes-fickle public. 

“It does not matter what they do when they get there, but you want to bring them in and keep them there,” Zachmann says. 

A further shift is ongoing, DiMauro says. Organizations, now more sophisticated with both the ethos of social networking and with the tools at their disposal, are shifting from traditional one-to-many to more one-on-one approaches. 

“The biggest thing we are seeing and the biggest change that we are noticing is the use of social media is moving away in some regard from interactive marketing to engagement. Engagement is everything,” she says. 

The key is that the relationship between the consumer and the company – at least those consumers who are on the leading edge – is irreparably changing. 

“You [formerly] put up blogs, had commenting. But it was still one-to-many engagement. Here it is an ongoing, sustained conversation. It is about a community of practice around a business issue or thought leadership initiative,” DiMauro says. She adds that the engagements that are purely about marketing are not likely to be successful. 

New Limits 

There are a number of interesting issues in the near future. Many stem from the fact that business and consumer activities are different. For instance, the role of the user, whether he or she is a consumer or an employee during a particular social-networking session, will affect precisely what they can do and what information is available. 

For legal and competitive reasons, companies must be more circumspect in the way they handle employees, both in terms of who they allow to speak to each other and what information is available to them, than when consumers are involved. 

“The expectation of wide sharing of information is unrealistic,” says Sumner-Smith. “The challenge is to get the benefits of the tools while taking account of the practical reality that enterprises simply can’t share everything.” 

The enterprise social-networking scene has a Wild West element to it. The big players are there, of course, and they have helped end users. 

“The vendors have some really interesting and laudable success stories with products and platforms, but it is not like everyone is doing it quite yet,” says Charles King, the principal analyst at Pund-IT. “It is still fairly early in the adoption curve for this type of solution. I expect more organizations and companies to pick it up over time.” 

King says that IBM Lotus Connections suite was the first product from a major vendor to include enterprise social-networking features. Microsoft followed eight or nine months ago with features in SharePoint. Both are introducing features aimed at customers as well as employees. 

“A next step that we are seeing more frequently now is an effort to widen the collaborative circle to include players outside the primary organization,” he says. 

It will be interesting to see what role the economy plays in the inevitable weeding out process. To a great extent, of course, the drivers of social networking are small vendors and service providers. In any era, a good number of such organizations would likely shut their doors or be acquired. The shakeout is likely to be more extreme and quicker during a deep recession. 

This matters to more than just the vendors themselves. An organization can combine best-of-breed tools into an elegant social-networking platform – only to see the progenitor of a key element disappear. Sumner-Smith says organizations must pay attention. 

“That is going to challenge enterprises,” he says. “They may have to compromise on the technology choice to go with a company that has a greater breadth. They need a reliable vendor and supplier because they are going to invest in it internally.” 

That’s one side of the coin. The other is that the poor economy is accelerating the move to social networks because it’s an inexpensive way to do business. 

“We’re really seeing an uptick in business these days,” DiMauro says. “It’s moved out of the fad and into the business-mandate stage. It is actually viewed as providing a competitive edge. People now understand that it’s a race to the future and are looking at modern ways of reaching the customer.” 

The next phase, perhaps predictably, will be about control. “Who owns it: IT, marketing or sales?” DiMauro asks rhetorically. “It crosses everything. It is similar to the battle over Web sites. It is one thing I am watching with amazing fascination.”