From the ADvise Media Group Blog...

Social Media Users: Today’s News Reporters (And What the Asiana Airlines Crash Has to Do With It)

July 10, 3013

You wake up in the morning.  You take a selfie on Instagram (or at least, I do).  You tweet about your coffee not being strong enough (…I do…).  You update your Facebook status about your daughter's tap recital.  (Congratulations.)  Social media is great to update people on all these riveting aspects of your life, but the users frequenting the social media sites of the World Wide Web are more regularly taking on a new role these days: news reporter.

It became even more evident this past Saturday when an Asiana Airlines flight coming from Seoul crash landed at San Francisco's airport.  The plane was eventually enveloped in smoke and fire, forcing the passengers to make a run for it.

photo by photo by Aero Icarus

While all of this was going on, where were the news reporters?  They were on the tarmac and in the airport: the passengers and witnesses watching from inside — documenting everything on their cell phones.

Obviously, the news media outlets weren't able to be there when the tragedy struck; they probably wouldn't have been able to get on the tarmac and up in the action anyway.  However, it wasn't even needed.

Passengers and other observers caught it all and posted it to Twitter–like passenger David Eun, former president of AOL Media and Studios.  He began tweeting updates to his followers and even included a photo.   His message was retweeted 32,700 times and his number of followers skyrocketed.

Meanwhile, nobody is retweeting my tweets about my ventures in gardening.

These happenings provoke an interesting question: Have the media come to rely on everyday social media users like you and me? In many cases, YES!  Until they can get on the scene, the tweets and status updates ARE the news they're reporting.  While there are many reasons for the media outlets to remain skeptical about personal accounts of events like this, we can no longer deny that in several situations, the only reason news gets out is because of Joe Schmo posting a video on his YouTube page of everything that's going down.

Sree Sreenivasan of Columbia University makes a very interesting (and warranted) observation: There seems to be a rebirth of social media every time something newsworthy hits the pages of Facebook and Twitter first.  Each time, we're reminded of just how crucial these personal accounts are, as that's often all we have. It also addresses the issue of the media slanting news reports due to hidden agendas, as personal accounts might provide for a clearer reflection of what's really happening — but we'll save that for another day…

Internet Marketing Boo-Boos: 7 Twitter Mistakes People Are Still Making

July 8, 2013

Today, promoting yourself is largely about social media. If you're going to attempt to connect with thousands (or more) of people on Twitter, make sure you're avoiding these seven things!

(1) Using Twitter Blasts

There are websites you can sign up with that allow you to follow hundreds of people at once. If you think this is incredibly spammy, you're right! And it WILL lead to Twitter suspending your account. Then you have to email them begging them to unsuspend it because every time someone goes to your page, it doesn't exist and it's super embarrassing. Not that I know from experience or anything…

(2) Tweeting a Link with No Message

If you tweet a link and that's all–or even if you tweet a link with the message, "Click here!"–no one's going to do it. In this day and age, would YOU click on a mysterious link? No. It could very well redirect you to a picture that will haunt your dreams, and some things just can't be unseen.

(3) Tweeting Personal Things

No one needs to know that your daughter's boyfriend cheated on her or that the rec center pool gave you a rash. Keep it professional.

BUT at the same time, people need to know that there's an actual person behind your account. Make sure you're interacting with your followers and responding to them as a human being. Don't underestimate the power of quality content.

(4) Using Auto-Direct Messaging

One of the most annoying things on Twitter is following someone and then getting that unholy automated direct message back: "Hey there! Thanks for following my account. Don't forget to go to my Facebook page and click the like button!"

Not only will I NOT like your Facebook page, but I'll probably write a status making fun of you and then tag you in it, report you to every social networking site you're on for abuse, and then call your mother to tell her you're a disappointment.

Skip the auto-generated direct messages.

(5) Tlkng in Abbrvs

We get that Twitter limits how many characters you can tweet, but ditch talking in abbreviations. You'll look like an unprofessional illterate, and nobody likes those people.

(6) Thinking It's All About the Number of Followers

Do you have 4,000 followers? Good for you. But if people aren't retweeting your schtuff, you're a big fat zero. Sorryyyy!

(7) Not Jazzing Up Your Page

Twitter allows you to change your avatar and background for a reason. Quit being a Debbie Downer and make your page look pretty.

Does Your Social Media Need a Facelift? (Yes.)

June 19, 2013

We understand. It's not easy. Why not let someone else do the dirty work for you? Our social media company will get you lots of internet marketing love. We specialize in SEO and SEM and a bunch of other acronyms most people don't understand.

Don’t Let Panda Get You: How Website SEO Can Protect Your Site

June 11, 2013

You knew it was coming, and now it's here. Actually, it was here about two years ago. But the rules are more stringent than ever. It's awesome news for quality websites, as all the cruddy ones full of fluff and spammy happenings are lowering in rankings.

Not-so-awesome news for the cruddy websites full of fluff and spammy happenings.

Pandas are normally cute and furry. Not this one. He's watching you. Lurking. Waiting. Judging. How can you panda-proof your website?

#1: Ditch the dupe content. 

It's best not to do it in the first place; but if your site contains duplicate content, get rid of it. Like, yesterday. How? Websites like Screaming Frog help you identify the pages. Or hit up Webmaster Tools to remove URLs. Remember, duplicate content could put your whole site at risk — not just the page with the duplicate content. THE WHOLE SITE! And Panda has taken down thousands of sites. He's a feisty fellow.

#2: Write gooder. 

Are you publishing content every single day because you want to keep the site fresh and readers engaged? It's not and they aren't. In fact, you might very well be hurting your chances substantially. A better approach is to publish less frequently and make sure the content is of the highest quality. Sound vague? Yup. But just remember these points:

(1) Is the content informative?
(2) Will readers learn from it?
(3) Is it easy to understand?
(4) Is your SEO top-notch?
(5) If you were a reader, would you link to it? If you were a reader, would you share this with people?

If you answered no to any of these, it's back to the drawing board.

#3: Don't ignore the directories. 

Some websites have thousands of them, and they're very often considered low-quality content. Can you hear Panda? He's somewhere in the vicinity. These pages are superb for hyperlinking and help readers find their way to more important stuff; so you DO need them. But how can you make them of a higher quality?

(1) Add pictures and videos.
(2) Encourage reader engagement by letting them submit reviews.
(3) Commit to adding about a thousand words of original, amazing content.

 It's a lot to tackle. But you can do it. So can we. AND our office has Nerf gun wars. Call us today at (702) 951-7581 so we can make your blog pretty. Now, enjoy this picture of a panda hiding behind a tree*:

*Pandas can't be good at everything.