Building A Facebook Page Network

Facebook pages can be effective promotion and network building tools if you utilize them with an effective strategy. Here is a method I have developed which uses Twitter and Facebook together in order to discover, evaluate and link to new sites (and Facebook pages) related to yours.

Over time I have gravitated towards using Twitter as my main interface with the online world – especially when I am searching the web for new sites related to the subject matter of mine. Twitter is a good place to get a lot of quick information and introduction to new content on the net.

I start my workday by logging into my project’s Twitter account and fishing for interesting new profiles which pass through the newsfeed as ReTweets from the accounts I currently follow. Once a new profile catches my eye I click on the profile main page to read the profile description and a few of the recent Tweets. If I like it I click “follow”.

With this strategy the next step is to follow through to the new profile’s main web site where I immediately bookmark the site (in order to return over the coming days to evaluate the site more thoroughly and than (most importantly) click through to the site’s Facebook page (which they hopefully have).

Once I am on the Facebook page I do a quick evaluation for quality of layout and wall post information. If I like it I click “like” to become a fan of the page.

The next important step is to immediately link the new page to my own related site Facebook page. This is easily accomplished by clicking on “Add to My Page’s Favorites) n the lower left section of the page. Then choose which of your pages you want to link the new page to from the dropdown menu and then click “save”.

Now that you have linked the page to your page en effective follow up is to post the following message (plugging in the information specific to your site/page) on the wall of the new page you have linked to :

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hi ___(name of page/site)____.

We have linked your page to ours :

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mortgage-Resistance-Of-America/129482893754605

Feel free to link back help the resistance!

JOIN THE RESISTANCE!
www.mortgageresistanceofamerica.com
www.studentloanresistanceofamerica.com

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The link in the above post will automatically load the logo, description and follower information of your page and display this as a nice link below the post. The new site will be happy that you have “liked” their page while at the same time you get a quick mutually beneficial plug for your page and the possibility that they will link your page back to theirs. It is a win-win situation.

Finally, after you take a few days to evaluate the new site more fully you can decide to follow up with a link request email to the site webmaster in order to potentially link your main sites together and/or discuss other ways of working together for the mutual benefit.

I have found that it is easiest to develop quick, algorithmic tasks when marketing on the web. Otherwise, it is easy to become disorganized. It is also important and helpful to create as many templates as you can (ex. the above “page link” post, introduction email to the new webmaster, etc.) which saves a lot of time and effort.

Try the task outlined here for an easy and efficient method of building your network.

Peace

**The mission of www.transcendingimage.com is to help creative people harness the power of online technology (specifically social media) to promote their projects and bring their virtual ideas to reality. Contact flancieri@hotmail.com with any questions or comments. We are here to help.

Remember : The Cyberworld is made Up of REAL PEOPLE.

With the massive information overload a constant issue for those of us who spend a significant amount of time online and navigating the social mediaverse it is often easy to forgot the most fundamental point that the virtual world is ultimately made up of REAL, (hopefully) BREATHING… HUMANS. I think that the process of looking at a digital screen for hours (that is, especially when you are not watching videos or viewing photographs) may distort our sense of the nature of the producers of the infinite content that makes up the internet. It is easy sometimes to lose touch with the fact that most of that content (especially in the social media realm) is created by REAL people just like you and I. In addition, you will do yourself a disservice by not appreciating that each online being you ineract with is a potentially like-minded person who may very likely be willing to collaborate with you in a way which helps both parties achieve their online goals.

The key to appreciating and harnessing the vast “people power” online is to slow down the process by which you evaluate and intake content. Cognitive psychology experiments have shown that when we are overloaded with information we abosrb and appreciate less of it. Isn’t it therefore more desirable to take in less and enjoy more?

A method that I have evolved in absorbing and getting the most out of the content and people I connect with online is to break the process down into discrete tasks and spread those tasks out over a longer period of time. For instance, one algorithm that I use is to spend 15 minutes at the start of the morning browsing through one of my various Twitter account in order to keep up on the day’s news (especially that news which relates directly to my project). In the process of reading the news stories coming in I regularly discover interesting new Twitter profiles (through searching the Twitter database for keywords related to my project’s research and/or from new incoming retweets from some of the profiles I am following.

The first step I take when an interesting new Twitter user comes to my attention is to go pull up that user’s Twitter profile page and read throught their profile description and a few o their recent Tweets in order to decide if they are the kind of person who will add some spice to my Twitter feed. If they pass the test I “follow” them (if it doesn’t work out you can always unfollow”.

The next step is to go directly to that users main web site (whose address is usually listed in their profile. I give the first page of the site a quick once over (and may even browse through a few pages if the content/presentation are especially appealing and then if I decide it is a site I would like to evaluate further I immediately bookmark it. I then ad it to my list of 4-5 sites which I revisit each following day in order to read through one or two additional pages of the site. If/when I decide that the content of the site is not so interesting as to warrant additional reading I drop it off of list of sites to revisit on my daily rounds.

The good thing about this methodical strategy is that when I do find a site with a hearty amount of content I can gradually become familiar with the content and the owner of the site in the process of revisiting the site and absorbing more content over the following days and weeks. Also, once I decide that value the site content I will send an email to the webmaster to introduce myself and suggest some quick and simple ways in which we may be able to work together in order to help promote each other’s sites (for more on this see yesterday’s blog entry where I describe the content of my introduction emails to other webmasters).

Once I make contact with the webmaster I may offer to link their site to mine if their content is valuable and complementary enough to my site’s content to justify a link. Alternatively, I may supply them with my Facebook, Twitter and/or YouTube pages and request the address of theirs so that we make link up deeper through the social media network. I have roughly ten to fifteen additional tasks which I suggest regularly to facilitate the process of working together with the new member of my social network for the benefit of both parties. In addition, in follow up emails I ask the new contact to feel free to share additional ideas they may think of for ways that we can work together for mutual benefit.

The good thing is that once you complete the process of forming a strong connection with the new contact you can always send them an email when you come up with additional marketing ideas in the future. By working together you both become valuable assets or the means of leveraging each other’s social networks in order to increase the exposure of your projects.

To get back to the main point and wrap up this rather long post the goal is to always be careful to “humanize” the contacts in your network. They are REAL people who are often talented and resourceful (just like you) and by maintaining a regular, comfortable connection you will be able to leverage the “two heads are better than one” power which is a major benefit of establishing contacts.

I also find it very productive to send out a regular email update to my network. The frequency of the update will depend on the nature of the site goals and the network members. By maintaining regular contact the members of your network will keep you fresh in mind and more likely to think of you when as they proceed with their marketing tasks online. In the update email I always try to provide some information and immediately usable information to give my network members some ideas to boost their marketing effort. If they implement this information it also benefits me in the end (as any increased exposure or network building they achieve ultimately returns bsome benefit to me as a member of their network. It is a win-win situation.

The currency of the cyberworld is information. Build a network of quality people and then help them increase their marketing efficiency (as thus yours as well) by helping them build skills which will enable them to increase their command over the power tools available online (specifically in the realm of social media).

Constantly remind yourself that the members of your network are people who want to work together and make progress. Tap into their creativity. Get to know them gradually over time and send them links/resources that you think will be helpful to them as you discover more about their desires and needs as your working relationship develops over time. Cultivate your network and look for every opportunity to put your heads together. The fruits of your combined efforts will pay off exponentially.

TranscendingImage’s mission is to help creative people harness the power of internet technology to expand the exposure of their projects and bring their ideas to virtual reality. Feel free to send your questions and/or comments to : flancieri@hotmail.com . I welcome you all into my network and look forward to collaborating for the higher good.

Peace

Using the Power of Blog Comments In Your Site Marketing Strategy

I left the following comment (for my www.mortgageresistanceofamerica.com project) on an interesting blog article on the “www.economiccollapseblog.com” site :

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/the-one-percent-gigantic-government-gigantic-corporations-massive-wealth-inequality-in-america/comment-page-1#co

My comment is posted under “FrankyFreelance”

This is a good example of how to use comments to provide good information to the other blog readers and then follow up with your site’s call-to-action. As people read your informative comment and become confident that you know what you are talking about, and the more like-minded to you they will be EAGER to click on the links to your main project web site (where they can consequently follow your project’s FB, Twitter, YouTube, email newsletter and other communication tool accounts).

Another very effective element in the effective comment is to include some links to hard and solid resources (ex. articles, YouTube videos, free ebooks (as I have done in the comment used as an example above). When you help readers along by providing links to resources which will further them along in their research they will be very grateful and usually more than happy to click through to your site and follow your accounts for additional information in the future.

Activists on the net are looking for bright people who they can connect (and ultimately collaborate – in various potential ways) with. Look at your comments as ways of reaching out to other like-minded people out in cyberspace.
Look at the information in your comment as a sort of ADVERTISEMENT/PROMOTION of what you have to offer intellectually and spiritually. The right people will naturally be attracted to this and help your effort along in any way(s) they can. As a consequence, you will likely be happy to reciprocate and thus collaboration will begin to grow from there.

Once you make contact with the people who have responded to your comment(so) it is a very good idea to suggest to them a few simple and quick ways that you can work together for mutual benefit. For instance, you may add a link to their Facebook page from yours and then provide them with a link to your page to show them their new link. Add that you do not expect them to reciprocate, but that it would be helpful. Try to also offer additional simple marketing tasks that you and your potential new collaborator can implement quickly to get the working relationship rolling fast and smoothly. Tasks which produce quick tangible results are the best. Try building a list of such tasks that you can present to new contacts. They will feel more confident and interested if they can see that you have thought out your strategy. In addition, directing them to other collaborators who you have implemented similar tasks with will also help build their confidence in you, as well as show that there are other people who have been interested in your efforts enough to help. This also gives the new collaborator a good idea of the size and quality of your network. One of the most valuable things you can offer to new collaborators is a sizable and high quality network which they can tap into and leverage in order to progress toward their own project’s goals.

The key to using the power of the internet is toi

1. FIND those like-minded people who are doing similar thing
2. SHARE information, ideas and resources for the mutual benefit
3. BUILD strong networks which can be leveraged to get your message heard

Remember, online marketing and political activism SURELY cannot succeed by the efforts of individuals (or small groups of people) working in isolation. Victory will come only if people pool their intellectual resources and talents using the internet as the main medium of collaboration. Harnessing the reach of the social network is the most powerful key to success in your online endeavors. All of the tools you need already exist out there in the virtual world. You main job is to harness those tools and leverage your network in order to exploit those tools to their highest potential.

www.transendingimage.com – bringing good ideas to virtual reality. Visit our site to discover more about how to utilize the power of the internet to bring your ideas to a wider audience.

The Ephemeral Nature of Consumer Attention

The vast sea of global information can often be overwhelming to web consumers who have limited time to process it amid the many other offline sources of data that they are bombarded with daily which vies with the time and effort they must dedicate to their jobs, educational pursuits and recreation. The natural response to this dilemma is to filter as much information as possible. There are many filtering mechanisms which we will discuss. Yet even though the technology itself provides an increasing number of automated services which aid in the filtering effort, the consumer will still need to assimilate the information which passes through the filters. The human brain can only process a limited amount of data, and this processing potential fluctuates in response to an array of factors (ex. health, social obligations, etc.). In addition, scientific evidence shows that human mental capacity (ex. attention span, working memory, etc.) actually decreases with the increase of data input coming in.

A simple fact is that people, being dynamic organisms, are constantly changing their preferences. Additionally, situations occur in our lives which promote us to focus on different things. These can be internally or externally motivated processes or events. Some of these are within our control (ex. we read a book which changes the way they think or perceive something) and some are beyond it (ex. a relative gets sick). Ultimately, our preferences are in a contstant state of flux. They exist in the realm of statistics – some preferences becoming more or less strong as others take their place. Preferences can be longer term or shorter term. Some stay with us for a lifetime. Most pass away in time.

When creating and marketing an idea in this information-loaded era it is necessary to take into account this reality that people’s reception to your product is going to wax and wane. Thus the main keys to success involve keeping your product relevant to the needs of the consumer, as well as developing a long-term relationship with potential and current consumers so that your product remains in their increasingly fragile consciousness in the hope that they will remember you when the time comes for them to utilize your service. Your message is competing with the growing amount of information demands being imposed on the consumer. Therefore, a long-term relationship which provides information helpful to the consumer is most likely to earn their trust and gratitude. This trust and gratitude is the social capital which will motivate them to take advantage of your product when the time is right.

Social media is making it easier to get your message out to consumers who are more likely to want it. It is also enabling the more efficient and cost effective development of relationships with potential consumers. In getting our idea from concept to web reality we should utilize as many of these services as possible to develop products which the consumer needs in addition to building long-term relationships which keep our product continuously in the consciousness of the potential consumer.

www.transcendingimage.com

Navigating Through the Vortex of Information

One of the first things that you realize as you dive into the online world is that you are  a small fish in a vast sea of global information. Just when you think you have a bit of  knowledge digested there is an exponential amount of additional data which arises in  connection with it. The knowledge you have taken in leads to further questions, which  creates a more voracious appetite for more knowledge. You utilize search engines to quench  the thirst for your growing number of questions, only to find yourself exhausted after  hours of scouring around the endless database of data – finally realizing that you are  merely chasing your own tail.

The limiting factor in the process is the mere fact that you are a mortal. Your body and  brain are finite machines which require a healthy cycle of exertion alternated with rest.  It defies the laws of physics for you to possibly take in and assimilate the exponentially  increasing amount of knowledge which arises out of the collective activity of the immense  aggregate that is human society. Human genes evolve at a slower rate than the technology  which we have created, and which has taken on a life of its own.

As the sheer amount of information that we are actively seek or have imposed on us  increases the only logical solution is to find a way to filter down to that which is  realistically useful to us.

Herein lies the paradox. The same technology which bombards us with information is also  that which is utilized to increase our processing capabilities. As computer programming  power increases through the aggregation of networks of web services which work in  coordination with each other, information processing becomes more streamlined. Web services  become better able to perform useful functions which alleviate a significant amount of the  strain of information overload. This is what we are seeing progressively happening in the  online world.

A good example of this process is Twitter (www.twitter.com). The core application is a  relatively basic platform for sending short mass (one-to-many) text messages between users.  On the surface it would seem that as one builds their network of followers on Twitter they  would become progressively inundated with messages . In many cases this is actually a  common complaint. However, through the use of third party applications which can be  developed by anyone via Twitter’s API (customizable open source coding system) there has  grown a proliferation of extremely practical web services which take the core Twitter data  and process it into information which enhances the efficiency of the end user. Some  interesting examples would be applications which build visual graphs of members connected  through other members, or analytics programs which provide practical graphical output which  inform the end user about who is responding to their Tweet posts and how they are  responding.

So, the information revolution (fueled by the social media revolution) is a conundrum. The  sheer glut of information produced using the tools of the new technology possess both the  potential to overwhelm our archaic human nervous system processing hardware while at the  same time providing the power to automate the processing of that information via the same  technology.

What does this mean for the average cyber-citizen who lives in a perpetual state of angst  while striving to strike a balance between input and output? It means that the key to  navigating the often chaotic sea of information is to seek out and utilize those services  which automate the processing of information while at the same time outputting user-friendly  information which is practical and efficient for the end user.

The New Online Era of Web Design and Marketing

Over the past year the pace of acceleration of online connectedness is allowing people of all walks of life to get their message out to the world more easily and powerfully. Gone are the days of static web sites which required months of effort with meager reward.

I remember designing and marketing my first web sites when I was a university student in the 1990s. Design was in its infancy and pages were generally basic one-dimensional layouts which were barely dynamic – unless you wanted to spend hours implementing advanced coding – or hiring someone else to do it at a heft price.

Marketing was another grueling process requiring hours of search engine and links site submission, or sending out copious numbers of email in the hope that other sites would agree to swap links.

The social networking revolution has changed everything. Major social networking sites and associated technologies (ex. Facebook, Twitter, Diggs, etc.) are streamlining the entire online process so that anyone with a computer and something to say (or offer) has a chance to get their message out there.

Human civilization is built on the foundation of social processes. Beginning with the written word which arose in the first large societies, our evolution as a species has been based on the ability to communicate and record ideas so that individuals can pool their efforts in order to build larger stuff.

Villages evolved into towns, which evolved into cities and then countries. Each of these phases of social evolution were accompanied by advances in technology. Each of these technological advances improved the efficiency of social communication, making collaboration between people more powerful and efficient.

Computer technology has now extended the power of the human mind and is allowing the processing of information at speeds which are unfathomable in comparison. Although computers have not (yet) reached the point of being able to process information in the same organic way as the human brain, things are moving closer to that ideal.

Now, the enormous power of computer technology is coming full circle as it merges with the natural social nature of mankind. In essence, the technology has evolved in a very logic manner. That is, individual computers (like individual people) has merged together into a “society” of individual computers (aka : the internet).

Social networking is the natural process by which humans evolve into “superhuman” in that the natural capacities of man are augmented by the technology that he has created. As a result of this there are actual changes in the structure of the human mind which are catalyzed by this giant step in information processing. The human mind becomes faster, makes more connections, becomes better able to build and utilize social capital which ones only existed in the non-virtual realm.

What is the real value of this evolution to the humans who are the vehicles through which it operates?

The value of this technology lies in its ability to enhance those higher aspects of human existence which bring us closer to the goal of life. That is, self-realization and enlightenment.

All human pursuits ultimately exist for the purpose of achieving mastery of the external and internal worlds. Business, education, invention, etc. all exist for people to exercise their creativity for the purpose of intellectual and spiritual stimulation.

Now, one can argue that there will always be those who pursue more carnal goals. That will always be the case. That is part of the process of life because people are at different levels of spiritual evolution. There is plenty of online evidence of this in the form of pornography, mundane communication, superficial marketing pursuits, etc.

However, humanity is also equally capable of transcending these carnal motivations and developing the higher pursuits which distinguish us from the more primate organisms.

Although developing our higher pursuits is the ultimate destiny of man, it is only half of the equation. The other half is the ability to share and collaborate on these higher pursuits in order to utilize the exponentially larger power which lies in the collective conscious.

Humanity has the power and potential to create and destroy. The real issue is will we harness our true potential and err on the side of the former.

The main mission of Transcending Image is to help people who possess creative ideas (which are intended to promote human evolution) to be able to tap into the collective activity of global society by harnessing the power of the merger between information and social networking technologies in order to benefit the common good.