Featured posts
Being won over by Google+ Communities
Despite being well aware of the inevitability, I still had my doubts that it would actually happen in reality. Today, I must confess that I have wholeheartedly adopted use of Google+ There's no doubt that this is due in part to the implementation of Google Authorship (click through for a more on this elsewhere), but I could just as easily treat my G+ account as a static placeholder required for SEO purposes… so there's more to it than this alone. In truth, the real reason I've found myself … [Read More...]
Three Online Photo Editing Apps Reviewed
A huge part of creating good content is creating good images, or at least creating entertaining images. I have Photoshop on my work computer but am far too cheap to put it on my laptop (especially with Adobe's latest subscription model). And for me, Photoshop is a bit over-complicated for what I want to do anyway. Here are some great web-based apps for creating and editing snappy dapper photos when you only have a few minutes to spare. Picmonkey Seattle-based Picmonkey has been a favourite … [Read More...]
What is Social Proof and How Do I Use It?
When you want to buy a new washing machine, 9 times out of 10 you don’t just go out and buy the first one you come across. You ask your friends and family for recommendations, you search the internet for reviews and you search sites to see what the top sellers are – why? Two reasons – 1. Because you don’t want to make an uninformed decision that will spectacularly backfire on you and 2. Because (and this is where it gets a bit psychological – so hang on!) you want to assume the … [Read More...]
Friday Freak Out – Stop The Desperation to Blog About Facebook
Did you hear the major news about Facebook during the week? No, Mark Zuckerberg's perpetual smug look on his face hasn't waned, they've not reached 100 million uses on Mars and they haven't managed to find a way to stop people whinging about their utterly miserable lives via status updates. No, this news is much much bigger. They made a change to the admin panel No, your eyes are not deceiving you! This revolutionary change will make your Facebook Page experience so much better. No, it … [Read More...]
Top 6 Tips for Generating Leads via Social Media
Is your business still struggling to use social media to generate leads? Businesses need to choose either a direct sales approach, leading straight to a sale with no need for further endorsement, or self-promotion, showcasing their knowledge and skills to generate leads and do the selling bit later, the traditional way - face-to-face. In most cases social media is best used to generate leads, or send traffic to your website where you get a chance to do this again. Producing great content … [Read More...]
Friday Freak Out – Stop Stealing My Freakin’ Blog Posts!!!
I blog here on The Social Penguin and also over on the blog for my consultancy, Velocity Digital. Last week, one of my posts on the Velocity blog made it through the Social Media Today filters and appeared on the popular site. I was happy with that as SMT gets great traffic and can only be good for my 'personal brand' awareness. Yes, I did just say 'personal brand', you can slap me next time I see you. Since that happened, the search I have set-up for my name (a must have thing for all … [Read More...]
Who wants to be an Internet celebrity?
Remember when spending time online was considered a waste? Increasingly, the extent to which we have established an online identity is being given 'real world' importance. Standing alongside other tenets such as practical experience, or expertise on a particular topic, a wide-ranging and well connected network is often seen as an almost equally significant indicator of somebody worth paying attention to. You and whose army? This is evident in the way in which individuals and organisations … [Read More...]
5 Brands Making Great Use of Instagram
Instagram can be a hard nut to crack for brands. Done well, it can be a great and direct route to an eager audience. Done badly, and it can make your brand reek like a dumpster situated out the back of a nappy testing facility. Here are five brands that are making great use of Instagram. 1 - Sharpie Sharpie is a fantastic example. For one thing, they are actually using their product to create some really creative content, yet it doesn’t feel like they’re forcing marketing messages down … [Read More...]
Friday Freak Out – Instagram Eyeburners!
'Hey man, you on Instagram? Awesome, I'll follow you, can't wait to see your shots, bet they are super-arty and creative! Rock the hell on man.' Instagram is pretty neat. Big audience, cool features, hell, it has even had the pre-requisite privacy controversy. You do see some pretty awesome shots on there, scenery, fixie bikes (!) and buildings. The filters allow us all to be that little bit creative, even 'quirky'. So why in the name of the big man floating in the sky, use it to punish our … [Read More...]
The Social Penguin Blog is Back!
Yes, we are back. We've got a new team of writers with the drive to make The Social Penguin Blog a force once more. I had to slow things down due to big changes in my career and personal life, but with the help of my fellow Penguins, the future for Dave and his blog is bright! You can read all about our team here. What will we be bringing you? The blog has always been about delivering easy to absorb, practical and helpful content spanning the world of social media, content and digital … [Read More...]
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