Posts tagged Social Media Lists

3 Things You Need to Know About Social Media Strategy

Jan 14th

href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/social-media-strategy-needs/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/social-media-strategy-needs/” align=”right”/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/strategy.jpg” alt=”strategy image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>B.L. Ochman is a Managing Director of Proof Digital Media; publisher of href=”http://www.whatsnextblog.com” >What’s Next Blog, and co-founder of pet site href=”http://www.pawfun.com” >Pawfun.com. Follower her on Twitter at href=”http://www.twitter.com/whatsnext” >@whatsnext.

Companies large and small are rushing to understand and get involved in social media. But most of the agencies and consultants who are being paid to establish social media campaigns for corporations are afraid to tell their clients three things they don’t want to hear.

1. Everyone Must Work Together />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/hands-in.jpg” alt=”hands in image” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>In most big companies, IT, digital, marketing and sales not only don’t work together, they compete with each other. Until they start collaborating as a team, you will not succeed in social media.

For example, I recently handled social media advertising for a major retail chain’s holiday microsite. The promotion was conceived by the digital department and involved augmented reality. But the IT department refused to allow a link from the homepage to the microsite because the microsite’s design was done by an external agency.

Further, the marketing department refused to allow a dedicated e-mail to go out to the company’s mailing list, and when placed in the company’s normal promotional e-mail, the link to the microsite was lost in a sea of weekly specials.

These hurdles made it very hard to drive traffic to the microsite.

But more than that, this lack of internal collaboration and contact makes any kind of social media involvement virtually impossible.

A company that hasn’t learned to listen to its own employees, and encourage them to collaborate internally, is not likely to succeed in integrating social media tools into its marketing mix, no matter what agency or consultant they hire.

2. Top Management Must Be On Board />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/managers.jpg” alt=”managers image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>If the direction doesn’t come from the very top, managers, who have myriad reasons to fear change, will hang on to the status quo.

Despite the best intentions of agencies and consultants, social media integration is bound to meet huge resistance until top management says it’s OK to spend time and money to integrate it into the company’s marketing and culture.

Example: The marketing team of an international manufacturer of electronics wanted to know how the company could begin to use social media and we discussed the many possibilities.

Listening and responding to what customers are saying about the brand in social media can supply good intelligence and give the company a chance to interact with customers.

“Our management doesn’t want to listen to customers,” the PR director said. “They want to talk to them.”

However, that doesn’t work anymore. The status quo is dead. Any company that isn’t willing to listen to customers and be nimble and quick enough to respond, and, when necessary, change, will soon be unable to compete with smart, tech-savvy companies that can turn on a dime.

Willingness to change is the new bottom line for every business today. But top management has to buy in before change can begin.

3. Don’t Expect Overnight Success />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/point-a-b.jpg” alt=”point a to b” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>Sure there are videos that go viral, contests that attract a lot of buzz, and Facebook pages that get a lot of fans. But what comes after those efforts?

After the tools change (and they surely will) how will social media fit into the company’s overall strategy and help it reach long-term goals?

Example: Smart companies look at the long-term. href=”http://www.fiskateers.com/blog/” >The Fiskateers, now in its sixth year, is the brainchild of digital agency Brains on Fire, for their client Fiskars.

With the scissors brand losing market share to foreign knock-offs, the company enlisted several actual crafters to blog, attend events, and represent the brand to customers as part of a new community strategy.

“If you empower your customers to become your evangelists, you’d better be prepared to continue it,” says Brains on Fire’s Geno Church. “It’s permanent when you engage in this type of marketing.”

Once you have created the community, listen to it. Fiskars made several changes to its products based on what it discovered through its Fiskateers community. Doing so helped build customer trust and loyalty.

Where Should Your Company Start? />

Realizing that employing social media in the marketing mix is a long-term commitment to change, the best way to start is to pick manageable, measurable goals.

Pick a small number of social media goals for the coming year. Some possibilities:

- Turn the company newsletter into an internal blog and give all employees the ability to contribute /> – Establish a social media policy for employee participation in social media on company time and beyond /> – Let employees vote on the best ideas suggested by other employees /> – Resolve to respond to customer service issues within three hours, via social media

Don’t try to do all of these things at once. Pick the ones that are most likely to be possible for your company to start and sustain.

More business resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/social-media-integration/”>The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/12/social-media-contest/”>5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/27/social-media-roi/”>HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/social-media-business-strategy/”>HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/start-page/”>HOW TO: Use a Start Page to Stay Organized

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/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/business/”>business, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/list/”>List, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/lists/”>Lists, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/marketing/”>MARKETING, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/social-media/”>social media, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/strategy/”>strategy

business, Business Lists, contributor, List, Lists, Marketing, Social, social media, Social Media Lists, social networking, strategy

Want to Make Money on Twitter? Take a Look at How Dell Does It

Jan 14th

Posted by Jennifer Van Grove in Social

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href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/money-on-twitter-dell/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/money-on-twitter-dell/” align=”right”/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dollar.jpg” alt=”dollar image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/> rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/technology/article/want-to-make-money-on-twitter-take-a-look-at-how-dell-does-it-jennifer-van-grove” >This post originally appeared on the rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.openforum.com” >American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

Dell is a shining example of a brand that has managed to turn their Twitter presence into both a customer service and sales outlet. Dell may be a big corporation, but the story behind the $6.5 million they’ve raised from their Twitter presence is one that shines a light on a road to success that any company, regardless of size, can learn from and emulate.

I asked Dell’s Senior Manager for Corporate Affairs, Richard Binhammer — otherwise known as href=”http://twitter.com/richardatdell” >RichardatDell — to elaborate on Dell’s Twitter success. The following are principles extracted from that email interview.

1. The Right Motivation is Key />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/richard-dell-tweet.jpg” alt=”dell tweet”>

If you’re simply motivated to make money from Twitter, your heart is in the wrong place. Dell’s strategy is to turn Twitter into an opportunity to build better relationships with customers, which ultimately leads to stronger sales.

According to Binhammer, Dell didn’t initially approach Twitter with dollar signs in their minds, but instead as a listening outpost. “Dell first heard about Twitter at SXSW a few years back and got excited about the listening aspect of Twitter,” he said.

The businesses side of listening was an unintended but welcome bonus to their effective presence on Twitter.

“Dell’s goal has always been to be an online leader and connect with customers wherever they are. It starts with listening and connecting with customers across the Web. This has proven to be invaluable to our business through the years. We see social media connections as a means to further strengthen those direct customer relationships. The added revenue has been a welcome addition to being where our customers are and connecting with them.”

2. Approach Twitter With a Multifaceted Strategy />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/direct2dell-tweet.jpg” alt=”dell tweet”>

Dell’s Twitter presence isn’t limited to a single account or purpose. Instead Dell takes a multifaceted approach to Twitter and attempts to serve niche customer communities and interests all over the world.

If you’re just looking for deals, they’ve got an account for that ( href=”http://twitter.com/delloutlet” >@DellOutlet), if you just want breaking news there’s an account for that too ( href=”http://twitter.com/direct2dell” >@Direct2Dell), and the list goes on.

In Binhammer’s own words, this is how Dell approaches Twitter:

- Direct connections between Dell and customers – listen, learn and engage in direct connections with customers (There are ~ 100 Dell employees using Twitter to connect with customers).

- Subscribe to Dell info – customers can subscribe and get Dell news from our blogs/Ideastorm Twitter.

- Dell offers from businesses – some of our businesses, notably Dell Outlet, publish their latest offers on Twitter.

- More about Dell businesses on Twitter: href=”http://www.dell.com/twitter” >http://www.dell.com/twitter Here you will see various Dell business accounts such as: Small Business, Dell Canada, UK, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Dell Home Sales, Australia, Japan, China, New Zealand, DellOutletIreland and UK and more

If anything, Dell’s all-hands-on-deck approach to Twitter, demonstrates that you need to serve your customers how they want to be served.

For small businesses in particular, Binhammer recommends that you “Make it easy for your customer to talk to you. Do simple things to thank your customers for their business. Ask them for suggestions. Go where your customers congregate, whether it be Facebook or Twitter or elsewhere, and participate in those conversations. Also, listen to your customers in the blogosphere. What they have to say is vitally important to your business.”

3. Don’t Be a Spammer />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/no-spam.jpg” alt=”no spam image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many small and big businesses alike use Twitter as a one-way marketing channel with overly promotional tweets.

Spamming your customers on Twitter is a surefire way to get unfollowed and immediately ignored. Of course promoting sales and products is encouraged, but do so in a way that your customers can be receptive to. If you need help defining what that looks like, just ask your followers on Twitter for input.

Dell’s approach, as iterated above, is to serve customers’ interests. The dedicated Twitter account for deals means that they can promote Dell deals to only those customers who have opted in to the purely promotional tweets.

Binhammer advises, “Be yourself and avoid spamming. Making genuine, direct connections with your customers in meaningful ways can only help you deliver what customers want at the end of the day.”

More business resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/social-media-integration/”>The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/12/social-media-contest/”>5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/27/social-media-roi/”>HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/09/social-media-connect-entrepreneurs/”>HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/social-media-business-strategy/”>HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/start-page/”>HOW TO: Use a Start Page to Stay Organized /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/news-reader/”>HOW TO: Choose a News Reader for Keeping Tabs on Your Industry

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/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/471772-Australia” >Australia, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter” >Twitter, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/business/”>business, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/dell/”>dell, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/list/”>List, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/lists/”>Lists, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/marketing/”>MARKETING, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/money/”>money, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/small-business/”>small business, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/social-media/”>social media, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/strategy/”>strategy, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/twitter/”>twitter

business, Business Lists, dell, List, Lists, Marketing, Money, small business, Social, social media, Social Media Lists, social networking, strategy, twitter, Twitter Lists

HOW TO: Create Custom Backgrounds for Twitter, YouTube, & MySpace

Jan 14th

Posted by Matt Silverman in Social

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href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/custom-twitter-youtube-myspace-backgrounds/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/custom-twitter-youtube-myspace-backgrounds/” align=”right”/>

rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/” > src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/wdd3.jpg” alt=”" title=”webdesigner depot logo” width=”94″ height=”64″ class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-183925″ />This series is supported by Webdesigner Depot, a popular web design blog covering tutorials, design trends, blogging and inspirational posts. You can visit WDD at rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/” >webdesignerdepot.com and follow WDD on Twitter rel=”nofollow” href=”http://twitter.com/designerdepot” >@designerdepot.

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/painting.jpg” alt=”painting image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>If you’re using your social media profiles to promote your personal brand or business, chances are that pre-made themes and watermarked templates just won’t cut it. You need a custom design to make your profile stand apart from the rest and convey important information about who you are. id=”more-183277″>

Some of our favorite social networks afford us this customization, but there are a few tricks that may save you some time and frustration when creating a custom profile background. While none of these can replace the eye of a great graphic designer, they should help you get a sense of the layout you’re after.

Choose an Image Editor />

To start, you’ll need an image editor. Photoshop is probably best suited for the task, but there are plenty of free alternatives on the web.

href=”http://gimp.org” >Gimp is a free, open source image editing and compositing tool that has many of the layering and filtering abilities of Photoshop.

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/gimp.jpg” alt=”gimp image”>

href=”http://aviary.com” >Aviary’s Phoenix is another great free tool that is entirely web based. You can edit and layer images in a Photoshop-like environment right in your web browser, then save the finished product to your desktop.

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/aviary1.jpg” alt=”aviary image”>

href=”http://photoshop.com” >Photoshop.com also offers a free, “lite,” web-based version of the popular editor.

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/photoshop.jpg” alt=”photoshop image”>

Once you’ve chosen your tool, it’s time to get to work.

Twitter />

A great Twitter background makes an impression on potential followers. It should communicate who you are and what people should expect from your tweets. Here are some examples of great Twitter backgrounds:

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter-background1.jpg”>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter-background2.jpg”>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter-background3.jpg”>

Dimensions: The column that contains your tweets and profile information will always take up about 760 pixels of screen real estate. What’s left for the background will be determined by the user’s monitor. Everyone viewing your profile will see it a little differently, depending on the resolution of their screen. A safe bet to ensure that your background will not be cut off or tiled at most resolutions is a 1680 x 1200 pixel image. The image resolution should be web standard 72 dpi.

Maximum File Size: 800 KB

Layout: Accounting for the 760 pixel center column, the space left over on either side will depend on the visitor’s resolution. The space at the top for the Twitter logo will remain constant at about 65 pixels, and a good rule of thumb is to leave about 200 pixels at the left for your design. This will accommodate most monitor resolutions.

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter-dimensions.jpg”>

Twitter aligns the background image to the top left, so it is important to focus your main content in that area as shown. The further to the left an element appears, the least likely it will be cut off on a low resolution monitor.

There are a few tools that may help you determine what your layout will look like at different resolutions. To quickly determine your own resolutions as a reference point, jump over to href=”http://www.whatismyscreenresolution.com/” >whatismyscreenresolution.com.

For FireFox users, the href=”https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60″ >Web Developer add-on will resize your browser to fit common monitor resolutions so you can see what your layout might look like for other users.

href=”http://www.screen-resolution.com” >Screen-resolution.com is also a handy tool for popping URLs into resolution-specific browers windows.

Design Tip: Don’t clutter your background with too much information. Because URLs are not clickable in a background, this space is better suited for logos, photos, or other clean graphic elements that express who you are. If you’re encouraging people to connect with you outside of Twitter, make sure the one URL in your profile links to your contact information.

Also, be sure to choose text and link colors that compliment your background.

How To Add It:

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter-background-tutorial.jpg”>

YouTube />

A branded YouTube channel is a great way to identify yourself to viewers when they land on your video pages. Here are some examples of great YouTube channel designs:

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/YT-channel1.jpg”>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/YT-channel2.jpg”>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/YT-channel3.jpg”>

Dimensions: YouTube channel backgrounds work similarly to Twitter backgrounds in that they must account for the fixed width of the channel content. The area that displays your videos and profile information is 960 pixels wide. Note that the top area that displays the YouTube logo and search is not taken into account with regard to your background. Your background image will begin below the white YouTube bar, so all content should be started near the top of your image.

Like Twitter, screen real estate depends on monitor resolution. A good image size to work with is 2000 x 2200 pixels total.

Maximum File Size: 256 KB

Layout: It is important to understand that YouTube will center your background image behind your channel content. This means that your important image content should appear just to the left and right of the 960 pixel center column. It also means that people with large or widescreen monitors will see much more of your image stretching out to the right and left of their screen. This is why it’s good to use a very wide image (2000 pixels, in this example).

Whereas your Twitter background should be focused as far to the left as possible, the content in your YouTube background should be as close to the central 960 pixel column as possible without going behind it. Again, test different resolutions with the tools above to see where viewers might be cropping your image and adjust accordingly to account for variation.

Design Tip: Because widescreen monitors may view much more of your image on the left and right, it may be useful to incorporate a fade to a solid color on each end. Then, make the page background that same color to avoid an unsightly “break” in the design.

Also, be sure to implement complimentary box and text colors.

How To Add It:

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/youtube-background-tutorial.jpg”>

MySpace />

Though MySpace has fallen out of vogue in recent years, it is still a viable platform for younger users and a destination for many bands and music sharers.

If you’re looking to make a statement with your MySpace page, a well-tailored background could do the trick.

Here are some impressive ones:

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/myspace-background3.jpg”>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/myspace-background1.jpg”>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/myspace-background2.jpg”>

Dimensions: MySpace’s “Profile 2.0″ customization is actually very flexible and allows a few options. You can change your content size between 960 pixels, 750 pixels, or 100% (which wipes out the background entirely). Decide which layout you like best and build your background to match. The full size should account for large monitors, so something in the neighborhood of 2000 x 2200 pixels should work here as well.

Maximum File Size: Any, but best to keep it under 500K for quick load times.

File hosting: Unlike Twitter and YouTube, Myspace will not host your background file, but simply reference it from a URL. If you don’t own web space, there are plenty of places you can host an image for free, including href=”http://photobucket.com” >PhotoBucket and href=”http://imageshack.us/” >ImageShack. Upload your image to one of these sites and paste the image URL into MySpace’s layout editor.

Layout: Again, MySpace is surprisingly flexible, and the advanced layout editor allows you to align your background against any quadrant of the screen, or center it. It’s up to you how you want to approach the layout. Simply account for your content column (750 or 960 pixels) and design around it. Then position your image accordingly. The best designs fit their graphic elements snugly against the content column so that they’ll be visible at any resolution.

How To Add It:

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/myspace-background-tutorial.jpg”>

Others />

The two other big dogs of social networking, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/facebook”>Facebook and href=”http://mashable.com/tag/linkedin”>LinkedIn, don’t offer background customization options. While this may be a disappointment to some, many would argue that the clean, uniform look of these sites has contributed to their success.

Do you have any tips, tricks, or resources you use when designing a custom profile? Share them in the comments below.

/>Series supported by Web Designer Depot />

rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/” > src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/wdd.jpg” alt=”" title=”webdesigner depot logo” width=”150″ height=”100″ class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-183897″ />

Webdesigner Depot is one of the most popular web design blogs in the world. It covers tutorials, design trends, blogging as well as inspirational posts. It’s run by Walter Apai, a web designer from Vancouver, Canada. The blog is a great resource for both beginners and advanced designers looking to expand and improve their knowledge. The site is visited by Fortune 500 companies and is used as a reference by many design schools. Visited by almost 2 million readers per month, WDD is a prime resource for both graphic and web designers. Visit WDD at rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/” >webdesignerdepot.com. Follow on Twitter: rel=”nofollow” href=”http://twitter.com/designerdepot” >twitter.com/designerdepot. Subscribe to RSS feed: rel=”nofollow” href=”http://webdesignerdepot.com/rss.htm” >webdesignerdepot.com/rss.htm.

More social media resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2009/05/04/twitter-designers/”>85+ of the Best Twitterers Designers Should Follow /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/03/16/design-inspiration/”>100 Great Resources for Design Inspiration /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/21/social-media-fashion/”>5 Ways Social Media Changed Fashion in 2009 /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/09/5-tips-online-friendships/”>5 Tips for Building Lasting Online Friendships /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/13/social-media-book-review/”>Top 5 Must-Read Social Media Books /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/15/world-changing-social-media/”>Social Media Can Change The World Through Common Ground

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/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/337484-GIMP” >GIMP, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/337065-ImageShack” >ImageShack, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/337623-LinkedIn” >LinkedIn, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336652-MySpace” >MySpace, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/337064-Photobucket” >Photobucket, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393947-Photoshopcom” >Photoshop.com, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter” >Twitter, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336658-YouTube” >YouTube, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/customization/”>customization, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/design/”>design, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/how-to/”>how to, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/myspace/”>myspace, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/photoshop/”>Photoshop, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/social-media/”>social media, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/twitter/”>twitter, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/twitter-background/”>twitter background, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/youtube/”>youtube

Customization, Design, How-To, Lists, MySpace, Photoshop, Social, social media, Social Media Lists, social networking, twitter, twitter background, Web Design, youtube

5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest

Jan 13th

Posted by Clay McDaniel in Social

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src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/social-trophies.jpg” alt=”trophies image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>Clay McDaniel is the principal and co-founder of social media marketing agency, href=”http://www.springcreekgroup.com/” >Spring Creek Group. Find him via href=”http://twitter.com/springcreekgrp” >@springcreekgrp on Twitter.

One of the best ways to drive engagement and build word of mouth traffic about your brand is to run a contest via social media channels. Not only does it engage consumers with your brand in a fun and exciting way, it results in a treasure-trove of customer information, preferences, and feedback you can then mine to improve your business. And, best of all, launching an online contest can be very inexpensive.

However, there is a subtle art to social contests. Your brand needs to appear neither too “cheesy” nor too “salesy,” and you must deliver a prize that people really want. This can be a standard product or gift card, or a “notoriety” prize, such as publishing a winner’s video. What’s more, the contest itself has to be fun and easy to participate in. Few prizes are worth doing something extremely boring, monotonous, or complicated.

Here are five specific strategies you can follow to launch and manage a social contest, and leverage it to deliver real business value.

1. Define Your Marketing Goal />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/goals.jpg” alt=”goals image”>

Every contest you launch should meet a specific marketing goal. Do you want to drive awareness of a new product or service? Collect a list of customers interested in a specific product segment? Encourage new participants to use your company’s social networking channels? There are many valid reasons to launch a contest, but it’s important to know ahead of time what you’re trying to accomplish. This goal will set the tone for your contest strategy.

2. Get Creative />

Here’s the fun part: Creating your contest. The sky’s the limit when it comes to the type of contests you can launch. Here are a few ideas:

– A video contest inviting users to create a new commercial for one of your products /> – A user-generated content contest that awards the best ‘personal experience stories’ /> – A photo contest related to your product or service /> – A product invention contest with a large cash prize

Of course, your contest can be short and offer a small prize, or longer and more involved. Check out the href=”http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100″ >Startup Nation Home Based 100 business creation competition that received thousands of entries and high-profile sponsors for an idea of just how big a contest can become.

3. Leverage Social Channels />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter-search-contest.jpg” alt=”twitter contest search”> /> The best part about online contests is how easy it is to take them viral, encourage participation, and link them into your social marketing activities. Promote your contest via Facebook, Twitter, your company blog, and all other social channels, as well as via traditional marketing channels such as print, e-mail, and in-store signage.

Just search the word href=”http://search.twitter.com/search?q=contest” >contest on Twitter to see hundreds of contests going on right now. The best contests are intensely social by nature, because people like to play games and contests together, and most people love to share the chance to win a cool prize with friends and family. Ensure your contest is easily sharable by embedding “share this” links on the contest site, on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and everywhere else people will come across it.

Use a social media tracking tool like href=”http://www.meteorsolutions.com” >Meteor Solutions to see which people and sites are sharing your contest, then promote your contest more heavily to those communities. Make sure your contest spreads like wildfire by encouraging easy “copy/paste” sharing using the href=”http://www.bit.ly” >Bit.ly URL shortener for the links to your contest location online. Most importantly, allow the contest participants to vote to choose the winner, which keeps the audience interacting with one another and engaged long after each person has submitted their entry.

4. Finish the Contest />

Everyone loves a winner, so make sure you don’t let your contest drag on too long. A typical social contest runs about four weeks –- longer, of course, if it’s more complex (e.g. programming a software algorithm or inventing a new product). When the winner is chosen, do a PR push to publicize their win. Of course, use Facebook and Twitter to promote the winner like mad. Go back to your social media tracking software and find out which people and social sites are talking most about the winner, then post comments on those networks to drive even more interest in the winner.

5. Measure the Contest />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/social-stats.jpg” alt=”social stats image”>

Of course launching a contest wasn’t just for fun, it was to achieve a specific marketing goal. So after the contest is done, you need to measure the impact it had on brand engagement, clickthrough to your site, conversion, and bottom-line sales. Again, you can use your social media tracking tool to measure all of these success metrics. Find out whether your contest drove as much traffic to your site as you had hoped, and whether this traffic resulted in conversion, however you may measure that (e.g. purchases, newsletter subscriptions, Twitter followers, etc.).

Many brands have done a great job with social contests. Spring Creek Group, for example, created a social media contest to drive interest and traffic during the launch of the Microsoft Bing search engine last summer. Bing launched href=”http://mashable.com/2009/07/20/bing-jingle/” >The Bing Jingle Contest, and invited people to upload user-generated video “jingles” about Bing to their official YouTube channel. Bing then promoted the videos via its Facebook Page, Twitter updates, and other social channels. The video with the most views and highest ratings would be crowned the winner, with the creator receiving a $500 gift card.

Overall, the contest garnered 27 video entries, over 238,000 views, 550 comments on the videos, and 2,200 tweets. The word of mouth generated by the contest was phenomenal, and was covered by many top blogs. The contest took on a life of its own, generating both defenders and detractors over the href=”http://mashable.com/2009/08/05/bing-goes-the-internet/”>winning video.

More Great Contest Examples />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/moonfruit-contest.jpg” alt=”moonfruit contest image”>

Marin Software’s href=”http://biggestsearchgeek.com/” >Biggest Search Geek Contest: This is a fun and very popular contest, now in its second year, that pits smart search marketers against one another for a free pass to SMX West — double points for creating a cool B2B social contest.

#TriviaTues: Fancast, Comcast’s competitor to Hulu, promotes href=”http://twitter.com/search?q=%23triviatues” >#TriviaTues, a weekly trivia event where Twitter users who follow href=”http://twitter.com/fancasttrivia” >@FancastTrivia and answer twenty trivia questions can win free DVDs, movie tickets, and t-shirts.

Moonfruit’s Win a Macbook Pro Everyday for 7 Days: Moonfruit, provider of do-it-yourself web site building tools for small businesses, recently completed this href=”http://mashable.com/2009/07/01/moonfruit-macbook/”>hugely successful contest. You can see results and entries href=”http://www.moonfruit.com/macbook-pro.html” >on their web site.

More business resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/social-media-integration/”>The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/27/social-media-roi/”>HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/09/social-media-connect-entrepreneurs/”>HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/social-media-business-strategy/”>HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/start-page/”>HOW TO: Use a Start Page to Stay Organized /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/news-reader/”>HOW TO: Choose a News Reader for Keeping Tabs on Your Industry /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/09/30/small-business-strategies/”>5 Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393174-Bing” >Bing, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/337063-Hulu” >Hulu, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter” >Twitter, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336658-YouTube” >YouTube, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393944-bitly” >bit.ly, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

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Zen and the Art of Twitter: 4 Tips for Productive Tweeting

Jan 12th

Posted by Soren Gordhamer in Social

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src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/zen-rock.jpg” alt=”zen rock image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/> href=”http://twitter.com/SorenG” >Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the href=”http://www.wisdom2summit.com/” >Wisdom 2.0 Conference, which brings together staff from tech companies with neuroscientists, Zen teachers, and others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when href=”http://www.wisdom2summit.com/Register” >registering.

Tweeting is easy. Tweeting and using social media with balance and effectiveness — not so easy. Zen teachings have much to offer those of us who wish to make our time on social networks more rewarding and productive.

We all have days when we engage social media with a focus and sense of direction that enriches our work and life. We find useful content and have good communication with friends, while also attending to other tasks we need to accomplish. We have other days, however, when we lose focus, and get overwhelmed and lost on social media, and find ourselves at the end of the day usually with more stress, and wondering what we actually accomplished.

Below are the top four Zen lessons to help you get the most positivity and productivity out of your social media experience.

1. Approach With a Beginner’s Mind />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/meditation.jpg” alt=”meditation image” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>“In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s, there are few.” – Zen Master Suzuki Roshi

It seems that more and more people are claiming to be experts of one kind or another, and many of them are using social media. In fact, recent reports suggest that there are now href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/27/social-media-experts-twitter/”>over 15,700 people claiming to be social media experts on Twitter.

There is nothing wrong with experts. I am sure many who claim to be are quite skilled and knowledgeable. However, the question is not only how much we know, but how much are we willing to learn from our time on social media?

The person who thinks he “knows” or is an “expert” is often less open to new learning. In the age of social media, things change so fast that what we knew about a subject yesterday may not apply to today. What matters is less about what we knew in the past, and much more about how open we are to learning today. This applies especially to social media.

Lesson: Rather than focus on what you know when engaging in social media, focus on what you can learn.

2. Give What You Want to Receive />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/passing-baton.jpg” alt=”baton image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>Zen student asks, “I am very discouraged. What should I do?”” Zen teacher responds, “encourage others.”

There are countless ways that social media can help us with everything from our business to our social life. However, while there is much to gain from social media, we could also say there is much to give to social media too. From a Zen perspective, it is important to give what we wish to receive. Want to find more customers for your business on Twitter or Facebook? Help others find customers for their business. Feel like you deserve more praise online? Praise others more. Want more people responding to your tweets? Respond to their tweets more. Tired of reading meaningless tweets? Make the effort to post meaningful ones yourself.

If we approach social media focused exclusively on what we can gain or what we think we should get, we set up a division in our relationships, one that often ends up preventing us from receiving the very thing we seek. When we give what we want to receive, it changes the dynamic such that, ironically, we are more likely to get what we seek.

Lesson: Focus not only what you can gain but also what you can give.

3. Only Add Useful Content />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/speak-no-evil.jpg” alt=”speak no evil image” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>“Do not speak unless you can improve on silence.” — Zen saying

The tools of social media give us countless ways to share content with people across the world. They do very little, however, to ensure that content is useful or purposeful. There is often the belief that to be active and effective on social media one has to post consistently, letting people know throughout the day what we are doing and thinking.

However, just as great music is in part the relationship between sound and silence, we could say that for Twitter and Facebook updates, what matters is not just the content of our posts, but also the amount of space between them. I am sure we all likely follow people on Twitter who may not tweet everyday, but when they do, we are excited to read what they post. It is the quality of their tweets that matters more than the quantity of them.

Lesson: Post not to fill empty space, but to add value.

4. See Differently />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/vision.jpg” alt=”vision image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>“Look out from the frameless window of a long pause. Let the images come to you rather than chasing outward after them…. If you want to see differently, you’ll have to look differently.” — Ji Aoi Isshi

A key element to Zen is to focus not only what exists in the external world, but to also be attentive to the internal lens from which we view it. If a cup is filled half way with water, one person could see it as half empty, another as half full. The cup, however, is what it is.

In the same way, we can have a million followers on Twitter, then look at href=”http://twitter.com/aplusk” >Ashton Kutcher who has over 4 million, and think, “I am way behind” and approach the service with the desire to “catch up.” Or we can have 20 followers, and think, “Cool, twenty people want to read my tweets,” and engage with Twitter from a positive state of mind. The number of followers we have often has little to do with the positive or negative attitude with which we approach the service. What matters is less about our number of followers, and much more about how we “see” or “look” — the mental approach we take.

Lesson: Focus more on the mental approach you take, and less on comparing yourself with others.

Conclusion />

Of course we are going to use social media, but the real challenge is doing so effectively. There is an old Zen story about a man riding a horse that is galloping very quickly. Seeing him, a woman asks, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” To which the man replies, “I have no idea. Ask the horse!” There are likely days that if someone asked us what we were doing, we might reply, “I have no idea. Ask Twitter and Facebook!”

When we let the horse, or social media, direct us, we get overwhelmed and unfocused, and our time is not spent well.

Twitter and Facebook are incredible tools, but making the most of our time on them requires paying attention to the mental approach we take. When we engage them with a beginner’s mind, a desire to give, a focus on adding useful content, and a positive state of mind, we will likely have more days guiding the horse than the opposite.

More social media resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/the-tao-of-tweeting/”>The Tao of Tweeting /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/07/social-media-changed-us/”>How Social Media Has Changed Us /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/10/educators-social-technology/”>3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/09/5-tips-online-friendships/”>5 Tips for Building Lasting Online Friendships /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/05/effective-online-networking/”>4 Steps for Effective Online Networking

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6 Foursquare Apps We’d Love to See

Jan 11th

Posted by Shane Snow in Social

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src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/foursquare-logo.jpg” alt=”foursquare image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>Foursquare is one of the crucial new social networks to keep tabs on, and for entrepreneur types, the recent href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/16/foursquare-api/”>release of its open API is big news. It may be time for developers to start shifting away from Twitter and start tinkering with something a bit more Square.

Here are 6 Foursquare apps we’d like to see developed. What other location-based apps would you like to see take advantage of the Foursquare API? Let us know in the comments.

1. MenuSquare />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/menu.jpg” alt=”menu image”>

When you check in at a restaurant on Foursquare, you can see what feedback your friends and others have left. Usually it’s recommendations –- “Try the lobster ravioli!” –- or warnings –- “The green curry is wicked hot!” But wouldn’t it be great to be able to see the actual menu from your phone? We’d love to see an app that allows the crowd (or zealous programmers) to add a list of every menu item, perhaps even with prices, to every popular venue. Want to plan your meal while waiting for a table or a slow waiter? Maybe you’re just trying to decide where to eat? Just fire up “MenuSquare.”

2. OrderSquare (a la SeamlessWeb) />

Building on the aforementioned menu idea, how about being able to order food from your smartphone, using Foursquare as the backdrop? The API makes it easy to grab all the nearby restaurants’ info, which will give this app a leg up in a lot of areas. The app could also be used to broadcast to your Foursquare friends what you actually ordered, leaving a record for everyone’s sake and encouraging reviews on individual dishes.

3. TextSquare />
/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/texting.jpg” alt=”texting image”>

Not all our friends are on Foursquare, and many of yours probably aren’t either. Could be they’re just not hip, but it’s also likely they just don’t have the right smartphones. How about an application that allows you to send selected check-ins as text messages or e-mails to non-Foursquarers that you’d like to meet up with. Invite those technoramuses to the party, too.

4. SquareDeck />

We don’t generally sit around tapping refresh on our phone to see where everyone’s at on Foursquare. We’d like to see a desktop application or widget that shows a feed of friends’ announced Foursquare coordinates and shouts. This way, we could see what we’re missing out on while we’re at work, or what gig we should get to. Integrate this app with Twitter and the rest of our social networks, and we’d never be lonely again.

5. EventSquare />
/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/concert.jpg” alt=”concert image”>

Teens and party-going twenty-somethings have plenty of disposable income to make this app worthwhile. Build them an application that shows where the nearest parties, concerts, or events are going on at any moment, based on their location. Great for those bored Friday nights, this app could really help you find something to do any time you want.

6. GroupSquare />

Sometimes you may check in and only want certain friends to know — you can’t always invite everyone. That’s why we’re proposing an app (or a built-in feature) that lets users categorize their Foursquare friends and then choose which ones to alert upon check in. It shouldn’t be so hard to implement (says the writer to the programmers), and it would definitely enhance the experience.

Conclusion />

Foursquare’s API makes it easy to tap into location data for virtually every venue in most big cities, and now that Foursquare has href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/05/foursquare-anywhere/”>opened up globally, this information will start flooding in from smaller locales as well. Developers: Now’s the time to get in on the app-building action early. With the right foresight and a bit of ingenuity, the possibilities are endless.

More Foursquare resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/10/fourquare-tips/”>6 Tips for Getting the Most out of Foursquare /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/25/foursquare-gowalla/”>Foursquare vs. Gowalla: Location-Based Throwdown /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/19/twitter-foursquare-2010/”>The Twitter of 2010: Foursquare as Next Year’s Breakout Hit /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/31/2010-location-predictions/”>Location, Location, Location: 5 Big Predictions for 2010

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3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology

Jan 10th

Posted by Greg Ferenstein in Social

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src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/education-laptop.jpg” alt=”education image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>The modern American school faces rough challenges. Budget cuts have caused href=”http://blogs.columbiaspectator.com/newsroom/?p=562″ >ballooning class sizes, many teachers struggle with href=”http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/05/dropout.rate.study/index.html” >poorly motivated students, and in many schools a war is being waged on href=”http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/4267073/detail.html” >distracting technologies. In response, innovative educators are embracing social media to fight back against the onslaught of problems. Technologies such as Twitter and Skype offer ideal solutions as inexpensive tools of team-based education. /> /> Pockets of experimentation are emerging all around the world, and I hope to inspire my fellow teachers with some stories of success. From cell phones to social media, below are three schools that have chosen to go with the flow of popular technology to turn the tide for education.

Skype and Language Learning />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/skype-hola.jpg”>

Why force students to yawn over a textbook when a real-life native speaker is only a Skype call away? At Marquette University, Spanish students hone their foreign language skills with frequent href=”http://www.unews.com/channel/index.cfm?event=displayPressRelease&synid=121676″ >webcam chats with their English-learning counterparts in South America.

“I absolutely fell in love with this program,” wrote one student. Professor Janet Banhidi, the brains behind the virtual language exchange, said Skype conversation gives students a surprisingly authentic experience. As a teacher (and fluent speaker), she can only give her students limited 1-on-1 attention. With Skype, every student has weekly access to a free personal tutor.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of using Skype is the radical increase in motivation. A whopping 85.3% of Janet’s students kept in touch with their digital pen-pals outside of the classroom through Facebook. “In the end, the best part of this exchange was gaining a friend who I still today talk with on Facebook” said one student. Additionally, though some of her students enroll to simply fulfill a language requirement, many participants have gone on to major in Spanish from the experience. Students who go href=”http://www.springerlink.com/content/w2257468151383p3/” >above and beyond mandatory assignments will be more likely to remember class material and apply it when they get out into the working world.

Mobile Phones />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/students-mobile.jpg” alt=”students mobile”>

While many schools around the country have declared all-out war on mobile devices, href=”http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/12/10/bring-your-cell-phone-to-school/?test=latestnews” >Wiregrass High School took a decidedly different approach, integrating cell phones into the entire educational experience. Students exchange questions and answers with their teachers via SMS and browse classroom blogs for additional instruction. Moreover, as an efficient collaborative tool, students can quickly trade notes or take a snapshot of the blackboard for later studying.

Like with any tool, students do misuse the privilege, but according to the school’s principal the number of cell-phone related infractions is “minuscule.” Perhaps this is because the policy permits students to use cell phones socially between classes, giving them a much needed digital fix throughout the day. Wiregrass’s experience pairs nicely with similar workplace-related research which shows that giving employees periodic down-time with the Internet actually href=”http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/workplace-web-bludging-good-for-productivity-20090402-9ktm.html” >boosts productivity. In the end, fighting pervasive technologies may just sap the energy of everyone involved.

Twitter />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/homework-tweet.jpg” alt=”homework tweet”>

Many universities have internal e-mail systems and message boards. But getting students to routinely check these systems for updates can be a chore. As a college teacher myself, my students have been required to participate in group message boards, which is a poor substitute for genuine intellectual curiosity. As a solution, Leicester University in the UK turned to Twitter, hoping that the popular micro-blogging technology would encourage collaboration outside of class. Students were provided with an iPod touch, given instructional materials, and told they had to make a few academic-related tweets a day. Soon, a thriving community grew, complete with @replies and hashtags flying back-and-forth between participants, tutors, and even members outside of the program. Additionally, the study has become an unexpected marketing boon for the university. The Association for Learning Technology noted in its href=”http://newsletter.alt.ac.uk/xrctg5ovlfkimsphpsy77s” >newsletter:

“One year ago, a Twitter search for ‘University of Leicester’ revealed little of interest. More recent searches reveal a growing volume of conversation between existing students, often across institutional boundaries, and also from prospective students, commenting on perceptions of the University and Higher Education in general.”

The university was impressed by the experiment and has begun collaborating with teachers and staff to extend participation throughout the campus. Leicester University joins the growing ranks of major universities, such as href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/us/13physics.html?_r=2&pagewanted=print” >M.I.T., that are preparing students with technological and cooperative skills essential to real-life scientific experimentation.

Conclusion />

As social media becomes ubiquitous, students prepared for technological collaboration will graduate with a much-needed edge on the competition. Fortunately, in these economically turbulent times, social media is a free and popular alternative to traditional instruction.

More social media resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/09/5-tips-online-friendships/”>5 Tips for Building Lasting Online Friendships /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/13/social-media-book-review/”>Top 5 Must-Read Social Media Books /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/15/world-changing-social-media/”>Social Media Can Change The World Through Common Ground /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/16/social-media-changing-lives/”>5 Ways Social Media Is Changing Our Daily Lives /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/10/local-news-social-media/”>How Social Media is Taking the News Local /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/the-tao-of-tweeting/”>The Tao of Tweeting /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/09/05/sports-and-social-media/”>Sports and Social Media: Where Opportunity and Fear Collide

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/337627-Skype” >Skype, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter” >Twitter, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/education/”>education, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/higher-education/”>higher education, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/ipod-touch/”>iPod Touch, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/language-learning/”>language learning, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/learning/”>learning, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/list/”>List, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/lists/”>Lists, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/mobile/”>Mobile 2.0, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/skype/”>Skype, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/students/”>students, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/trending/”>trending, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/twitter/”>twitter

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