1. "Being highly visible in the new world of social media" A presentation by Jared Evans Copyright © 2009

2. Your blogs reputation: Why bother at all? Many hours spent creating posts on your blog. Many hours spent creating posts on your blog. You want people to easily find your posts and benefit from your insights. You want people to easily find your posts and benefit from your insights. Making a good impression on your visitors can lead to new opportunities down the road. Be offered work contracts Be offered work contracts Make new friends. Make new friends. Get tapped for interviews or presentations Get tapped for interviews or presentations In these difficult economic times, referring to your blog may help give you an edge over other candidates when looking for jobs.

3. How to shine on your blog Interesting information/discussion? Stimulating and thought-provoking Interesting information/discussion? Stimulating and thought-provoking Useful and solves a problem? Blogger did the hard work and found a solution for me Useful and solves a problem? Blogger did the hard work and found a solution for me Original and creative? Entertainment Original and creative? Entertainment Exclusive or hard to get information? Blogger had the access or knew the right people Exclusive or hard to get information? Blogger had the access or knew the right people Timely? People like to read about hot current events Timely? People like to read about hot current events

4. Optimize your blog for… The #1 search engine 66% (2/3) of all searching on the Internet! Its Googles Internet. If a website isnt found on Google, it may as well not exist. (who would be able to visit?)

5. Attracting the clicks Eye-catching title and attractive summary quickly tell potential visitors why they should visit. Eye-catching title and attractive summary quickly tell potential visitors why they should visit. Search results only show the title and a short summary, so make the best use of these valuable pieces of text! Search results only show the title and a short summary, so make the best use of these valuable pieces of text! Use relevant keywords in your title. This is most important! Many potential visitors may look at only the title to determine whether or not to click and visit your blog. Use relevant keywords in your title. This is most important! Many potential visitors may look at only the title to determine whether or not to click and visit your blog.

6. >>The revenge of the non-bloggers! >The revenge of the non-bloggers!<< Blogs can be hard to setup and maintain! Time consuming to gather, research, and review information to make sure the post is well written or signed. Blogs can be hard to setup and maintain! Time consuming to gather, research, and review information to make sure the post is well written or signed. Many dont bother. Many dont bother. Facebook simplifies almost all of the work. Facebook simplifies almost all of the work. Sign up, connect with friends, and start posting! Can do quick status updates, photos and video clips.

7. Facebook Easy for users to start using Facebook by finding and connecting with friends right away. Easy for users to start using Facebook by finding and connecting with friends right away. I was able to easily find 580 friends on Facebook and some people have 1,000 or more friends! I was able to easily find 580 friends on Facebook and some people have 1,000 or more friends! A closer look at relationships inside Facebook shows they are symmetrical. HUH??? The type of relationship has big implications on how well a social media site can reinforce bloggers.

8. Symmetrical nature of Facebook friends Before two people can share with each other, both of them must approve the other as a friend. Before two people can share with each other, both of them must approve the other as a friend. This is a 1-to-1 symmetrical relationship. This is a 1-to-1 symmetrical relationship. Results in clear user identities. Everyone on Facebook actually uses their real names! Results in clear user identities. Everyone on Facebook actually uses their real names! In contrast to the anonymous nature of Internet where people may have no or odd usernames that have nothing to do with their real names. Your Facebook friends are people you know personally or are acquainted with. No strangers lurk around your profile. Your Facebook friends are people you know personally or are acquainted with. No strangers lurk around your profile.

9. symmetrical relationships lead to… More focus on the personal relationships with your friends More focus on the personal relationships with your friends Whats popular on Facebook: Whats popular on Facebook: Pictures of friends, parties, weddings, trips, newborn babies, family, etc. Pictures of friends, parties, weddings, trips, newborn babies, family, etc. Facebook sharing tend to be positive and leans towards superficial details about daily life. Facebook sharing tend to be positive and leans towards superficial details about daily life.

10. What do symmetrical relationships look like? My Facebook friends are mostly deaf. Deaf community is small and many friends know each other. Its a small world. My Facebook friends are mostly deaf. Deaf community is small and many friends know each other. Its a small world. What if could draw lines between friends if they know each other? What if could draw lines between friends if they know each other? Get an idea of what the interconnectivity of the Deaf community looks like? Get an idea of what the interconnectivity of the Deaf community looks like?

11. Graph of symmetrical relationships The interconnectivity of the Deaf community: The interconnectivity of the Deaf community:

12. Implications of symmetrical relationships To recap about Facebook: Easy to use Easy to use Easy to find friends Easy to find friends Clear user identities Clear user identities No strangers or anonymous users No strangers or anonymous users Easy to post/view photos and video clips. Easy to post/view photos and video clips. So whats not to like?? So whats not to like?? High level of interconnectivity ensures that information travels fast within this tight-knit group of friends. High level of interconnectivity ensures that information travels fast within this tight-knit group of friends.

13. Implications of symmetrical relationships Your sphere of influence is limited to one degree. You cant reach outside this circle. Your sphere of influence is limited to one degree. You cant reach outside this circle. Facebook doesnt have a strong culture of re-sharing items with their friends. Facebook doesnt have a strong culture of re-sharing items with their friends. More difficult to break out of this circle to spread your information to other users who arent your friends! More difficult to break out of this circle to spread your information to other users who arent your friends! Facebook can be a double-edged sword, especially for blogs. Facebook can be a double-edged sword, especially for blogs.

14. Implications of symmetrical relationships Large degree of overlapping within this set of friends. Large degree of overlapping within this set of friends. Many friends will see the same information again if re-shared by other friends. Many friends will see the same information again if re-shared by other friends. Example: All those VRS service announcements that show up several times if re-shared by friends. Example: All those VRS service announcements that show up several times if re-shared by friends.

15. What about Facebook groups? Facebook groups for nearly everything and many causes. Allows you to join other users outside your circle and talk about the cause. Facebook groups for nearly everything and many causes. Allows you to join other users outside your circle and talk about the cause. Despite some groups having thousands of users, have not seen any concrete examples of success in affecting political changes in the real world. Facebook Groups are similar to online petitions. Easy to sign up but rarely any further action is taken. Despite some groups having thousands of users, have not seen any concrete examples of success in affecting political changes in the real world. Facebook Groups are similar to online petitions. Easy to sign up but rarely any further action is taken. Not clear yet, if at all, how Facebook can be used effectively to push for changes. Not clear yet, if at all, how Facebook can be used effectively to push for changes.

16. Is Facebook helpful for blogs? Facebook too comfortable of a place to bring up thorny political issues or activism? Facebook too comfortable of a place to bring up thorny political issues or activism? Only a place to go and see updates about your friends? Only a place to go and see updates about your friends? When limited only to your circle of friends, its difficult to start a wave of action on Facebook and it easily dies out. When limited only to your circle of friends, its difficult to start a wave of action on Facebook and it easily dies out. Facebook may not offer strong reinforcement for bloggers. Facebook may not offer strong reinforcement for bloggers.

17. Starting to gain steam within the Deaf community Unlike Facebook, Twitter is based upon asymmetrical relationships. Unlike Facebook, Twitter is based upon asymmetrical relationships. Twitter is more open than Facebook and allows more ways to interact between users: You can follow anyone. You can follow anyone. Anyone can follow you. Anyone can follow you. You can see anyones updates before following them. You can see anyones updates before following them. You can send a message to anyone. You can send a message to anyone.

18. Unlike Facebook, there is no need to approve people to follow you. Unlike Facebook, there is no need to approve people to follow you. No limits for number of followers. No limits for number of followers. Some people have thousands of followers. A few celebrities have millions of followers! They can get attention of many people instantly. Some people have thousands of followers. A few celebrities have millions of followers! They can get attention of many people instantly. Following on Twitter

19. Two things make Twitter a powerful communication medium: Tweeting and Retweeting (RT). Two things make Twitter a powerful communication medium: Tweeting and Retweeting (RT). When you update your Twitter status, you are tweeting to your followers. When you update your Twitter status, you are tweeting to your followers. If some of your followers liked your tweet, they can retweet (RT) and spread your tweet to their followers. If some of your followers liked your tweet, they can retweet (RT) and spread your tweet to their followers. Tweeting and ReTweeting

20. Tweeting 250 followers Retweeting 800 users total with 4 retweeting

21. Important thing to remember: Tweets can only be 140 characters or less. Just sufficient for a single thought or comment. Important thing to remember: Tweets can only be 140 characters or less. Just sufficient for a single thought or comment. Hence, they cannot replace blogs. Still need blogs for content with in-depth coverage. Hence, they cannot replace blogs. Still need blogs for content with in-depth coverage. Twitter can be used to pass along links to blog posts. Twitter can be used to pass along links to blog posts. Twitter and blogs work very well together. Twitter now #1 source of traffic for some blogs. Twitter and blogs work very well together. Twitter now #1 source of traffic for some blogs. Can Twitter reinforce blogs?

22. Recent example of how Twitter and blogs worked together for the Deaf community. Recent example of how Twitter and blogs worked together for the Deaf community. How Twitter and blogs conquered Netflix in 14 days May 29, 2009: The annual Netflix shareholder meeting May 29, 2009: The annual Netflix shareholder meeting Blogger Matt Rafat asked CEO Reed Hastings about adding captions to Netflix movies online. CEO: Other sites don't caption their online video and technology isn't ready yet. Adding captions isn't an active agenda item. DVDs are good enough. Basically, Netflix lied to deaf customers after "promising" captions for over two years.

23. Within minutes: First shots fired by blogs Within minutes: First shots fired by blogs How Twitter and blogs conquered Netflix in 14 days Two bloggers, Jared and Jamie Berke, blogged their disgust about CEOs remarks. DeafRead publishes and draws the initial attention to the blog posts. Two bloggers, Jared and Jamie Berke, blogged their disgust about CEOs remarks. DeafRead publishes and draws the initial attention to the blog posts. Set off additional comments about this event on other relevant blogs. Set off additional comments about this event on other relevant blogs. Some people publicly cancel their Netflix accounts. Some people publicly cancel their Netflix accounts.

24. Within hours: Ignition on Twitter Within hours: Ignition on Twitter How Twitter and blogs conquered Netflix in 14 days Aggressive outreach to Twitter users by pointing them towards the blog posts and comments. Aggressive outreach to Twitter users by pointing them towards the blog posts and comments. A twitter user with 2,000 followers tweeted about it. She is well-known in high-tech Silicon Valley (where Netflix is based). A twitter user with 2,000 followers tweeted about it. She is well-known in high-tech Silicon Valley (where Netflix is based). Frequent retweeting by several small-time Twitter users with lower number of followers to keep on spreading the news to others. Frequent retweeting by several small-time Twitter users with lower number of followers to keep on spreading the news to others. Marlee Matlin, at this time, has only 1,000 followers and doesnt yet know about the Netflix event. Marlee Matlin, at this time, has only 1,000 followers and doesnt yet know about the Netflix event.

25. Next few days: continued pressure Next few days: continued pressure How Twitter and blogs conquered Netflix in 14 days Several more blog posts about the lack of captions on Netflix Several more blog posts about the lack of captions on Netflix One deaf blogger talking about Netflixs lack of captions gets 4,400 views via DeafRead. One deaf blogger talking about Netflixs lack of captions gets 4,400 views via DeafRead. Many tweets continue inside Twitter about Netflix Many tweets continue inside Twitter about Netflix

26. June 4: The tide turns June 4: The tide turns How Twitter and blogs conquered Netflix in 14 days Marlee Matlin catch the wind of the protest and goes on a rip about Netflix and the lack of captions. At this time, she is up to 5,000 followers. Marlee Matlin catch the wind of the protest and goes on a rip about Netflix and the lack of captions. At this time, she is up to 5,000 followers. Her star power packs an extraordinary punch. Her star power packs an extraordinary punch. Marlees constant tweeting and retweeting, including the subsequent retweeting by her followers starts the #caption trend on Twitter. Marlees constant tweeting and retweeting, including the subsequent retweeting by her followers starts the #caption trend on Twitter. Netflixs own twitter account is aggressively targeted by many tweets. Netflixs own twitter account is aggressively targeted by many tweets.

27. June 11: Increasing the pressure on Netflix June 11: Increasing the pressure on Netflix How Twitter and blogs conquered Netflix in 14 days Marlee Matlin gets Kirstie Alley to retweet about Netflixs lack of captions to her 51,000 followers. Marlee Matlin gets Kirstie Alley to retweet about Netflixs lack of captions to her 51,000 followers. Marlee experiences a big increase in followers and grows to 10,000. Only seven days earlier, it was at 5,000! Marlee experiences a big increase in followers and grows to 10,000. Only seven days earlier, it was at 5,000! Marlee continues to tweet about Netflix and encourages her followers to spread the word by retweeting and complaining to Netflix directly. Marlee continues to tweet about Netflix and encourages her followers to spread the word by retweeting and complaining to Netflix directly.

28. June 12: Victory? June 12: Victory? How Twitter and blogs conquered Netflix in 14 days Netflix caves in and openly promises on their official blog that online captions will happen within a year. Netflix caves in and openly promises on their official blog that online captions will happen within a year. The overall bad PR for Netflix brought in over 8,000 letters and calls about the lack of captions. The overall bad PR for Netflix brought in over 8,000 letters and calls about the lack of captions. This real world example shows how Twitter and blogs can complement each other to push for real results.

29. Having a celebrity with thousands of followers take the lead was probably the most significant contribution to a successful outcome. Having a celebrity with thousands of followers take the lead was probably the most significant contribution to a successful outcome. Asymmetrical relationships on Twitter made it possible for Marlee Matlin to have thousands of followers. This would be impossible on Facebook. Asymmetrical relationships on Twitter made it possible for Marlee Matlin to have thousands of followers. This would be impossible on Facebook. Today, Marlee has 14,000 followers but she is only following 80 people. Today, Marlee has 14,000 followers but she is only following 80 people. Value of asymmetrical relationships What is special about these 80 people? Here, Twitter again shows the value of those relationships. What is special about these 80 people? Here, Twitter again shows the value of those relationships.

30. Thank you all for coming!