Search giant Google “gets” the power of Social Media with its Google Friend Connect and upcoming Google Wave. Astoundingly, Google still doesn’t quite get the “Party” aspect of Social Media! In fact, its new browser tool SideWiki is a potentially devastating example of “crashing the Social Media Party!” Read on if you want to understand why…

The brouhaha and controversy surrounding this particular Google experiment is fascinating to watch. On one side, some people state that the potential hijacking of sites by this new tool (aka Big Brother Google) is way overblown. Supporters believe it’s a great way to “spread the wealth” (Google? been drinking the coolaid?) of information, opinion and content throughout the web. Opponents decry the obvious (except to Google, apparently) massive opportunities for abuse by scammers, spammers, competitors and freaks.

What is Google SideWiki? It’s a browser toolbar plugin for Firefox and Internet Explorer. It allows anyone with the plugin installed to make comments on any site that is not password protected and view the comments of others. But it differs from comment capability on most sites, especially frequently updated sites like blogs. Blog comments can be moderated by the blog owner, eliminating 90% of spam comments and attempts to hijack affiliate links through comment spamming, keeping articles and comments useful for the site visitor. SideWiki comments cannot be moderated by the site owner, though the website’s webmaster can make highlighted comments on the comments appearing on the SideWiki comments next to their site.

While others have addressed the issue of potential legal issues, and hijacking of traffic by Google through SideWiki from site owners who paid Google for AdWords traffic, and the proliferation of spam throughout the SideWikis, I’d like to address a very important element of what makes Social Media so powerful: the Party itself.

As one prominent Social Media guru said: Social Media is like a party. One of the realities of any party is that you just don’t breeze in the door uninvited, butt into every conversation with self-promotion and marketing messages, and expect a warm welcome. If you DO, you’ll quickly get the reactions of party guests to your hijacking of the party, probably getting booted from the party. Yet this is exactly what Google is doing with this move. Unfortunately for website owners, at this point there is no way to boot Google’s SideWiki out of your party.

Have an opinion, a question, a solution? Leave a comment.

Expect success!

Stevie Knight

I wrote yesterday about how I’ve been using Twitter for my network marketing company, Global Resorts Network and its luxury travel membership. Today, it’s been 12 days since I signed up for Twitter. Now lest you think that I’ve turned into a Twitterholic, I have to say that I try to dip in and out of Twitter throughout the day, as time and focus allow, rather than staying there all day long, watching the Twhirl screen (a program that helps keep track of all those you are “following” and contribute to conversations rather conveniently) roll by like a slot machine.

Twitter, like most social networks, takes a few hours/days of intense focus to get a feeling for what is acceptable, appropriate and welcome so that you don’t trash your reputation like a loud drunk crashing a party ! So I have spent considerable time there in the last 12 days, but having some experience with forums has made the transition to Twitter fairly easy.

So, to the question at hand…should you be using Twitter for your Network Marketing business, especially with Global Resorts Network? It all depends on you and your goals.

If you can take a “big picture” approach to Twitter (and any other social network for that matter) and understand that its primary benefits are personal and business branding, professional networking and relationships, you can have a blast with Twitter, and grow your business in the process. Marketing on social networks takes time. It’s an investment in tomorrow and the future, not usually today. It can also be a opportunity to develop communication skills and contribute to others in ways you might not think of at first glance.

If, however, you are looking for instant results, immediate sign ups and loads of product sales today, you (and Twitter! LOL!) would be better served by focusing your time learning pay-per-click or other forms of lead generation. Twitter won’t ban you for spam, but people who are following you can un-follow very quickly, and those you follow can block you so that they don’t have to read what you say. It’s a self-policing community whose rules (mostly unspoken but quickly learned be the observant) you must be willing to abide by if you want to really enjoy its benefits.

Regardless of your perspective, I’d like to share a couple more things to help you consider Twitter as a valuable portion of your online marketing efforts for your Network Marketing business.

Today I was looking for a new solution to record some upcoming (very cool…watch for them) telephone interviews that I’ll be doing with some top internet marketers whose perspective I really value and would like to share with you. So I tweeted, briefly requesting some suggestions from other tweeps (tweeps=Twitter+peeps!). Within 2 minutes I had a reply with a great suggestion. Within 5 minutes, I had several more and was able to quickly decide which solution best fits my situation! And these suggestions came from people who really know what they’re talking about. Amazing!

That was a great surprise for someone so new to Twitter. But there was something more important that I observed, even experienced, today. It took me a while to really notice it, though when I did, it did make me wonder for a moment if I had stepped into the Twilight Zone (or in this case, the set of the Waltons…an old TV show about a small community and a large family). Throughout the day, there are people coming into the Twitter stream and saying “Good Morning…getting a cup of coffee and checking in” and, simultaneously, others saying “Good Night…off to bed. See you all tomorrow.” Twitterers (or Tweeters, or Tweeps, as they are also called) are from all over the world. Tonight, as I left (saying goodnight…not required but fun in a slightly goofy, slightly fabulous way!), people responded with their own “goodnight” and “see you in the morning,” like one might experience going in and out of a coffee shop or the local diner or friendly bar in a small town.

Tonight, I let it all sink in and I let it truly amaze me. As I tried to explain my Twitter experience to my dear husband, it was a challenge figuring out how to explain how all these strangers/friends/followers/followed people interacted in such a way that I saw the evidence that deep needs were being met, those cravings we all have for meaningful connections with people who matter, if we’ll allow ourselves to acknowledge the need in the first place. Cynics will say that community is dead, but I know better. I see it on Twitter every day!

Follow me on Twitter: @stevieknight

Have something to say? Leave a comment!

Expect success!

Stevie Knight

If you haven’t heard about the “Maven Marketing Matrix,” I’m thrilled to be the one to give you this tip. I just got a copy of this phenomenal ebook. Now, you have to wonder about any ebook that starts off with a comparison to the movie “The Matrix”, but I’m not using the word phenomenal lightly. This 88 page ebook will turn everything you’ve heard about marketing online and the years it can take to become the “go-to-Gal” or “go-to-Guy” in your industry upside down. Some are going to think that Rich Schefren and Jay Abraham, the co-authors of the “Maven Marketing Matrix,” are just trying to sucker in the internet newbies…making them think they can have huge success without “paying their dues.”

It’s really not like that. Anyone who’s promoting anything online knows that there is a learning curve to getting good at it and becoming well-known. Robert J. Ringer, author of the fabulous (but much maligned for the title of the books!) “Looking out for #1″ and “Winning through Intimidation” would be proud of these guys. Mr. Ringer was well-known for promoting the idea that it was possible and preferable to leapfrog over one’s competition. The Maven Marketing Matrix could be the how-to manual for Robert Ringer’s why-to-do that very thing and become the authority in your niche.

Rich Schefren and Jay Abraham have something to offer to speed up the process, of course! But if you just read the free ebook and implement what they suggest, you will have a head start on everyone who just thinks about it.

Here’s an extra tip…download and print the ebook out and put aside an hour to go through it right away. The special offer available through my link is particularly enticing this week, and when you read the book you’ll see why. If his special offer is not right for you at this time, read the book anyhow. You need it…your business needs it…and your competition will weep (ok…that’s a stretch! …but they’ll be sorry if you figure this out before they do! Mark my words!).

As usual, if you find my promotion of this material outrageous or fantastic, leave me a comment!

Expect success!

Stevie Knight

There’s a lot of attention paid to information overload these days. I suffer from it. So do you. So do your prospects.

So perhaps you’ve been wondering how your marketing message is going to get across to your prospective clients when you’re not sure how to get through all that digital noise. Well, if that’s the case, then you’re going to love this report I’m recommending.

You know I only recommend the best tools, training, opportunities out there. So make sure you get your copy of the Attention Age Doctrine II at www.93pages.com There’s no charge. Go get it. You can thank me later.

Don’t just get it and add it to all the ebooks gathering pixel dust (not pixie dust!) on your hard drive. Go get the Attention Age Doctrine II for free, download it, print it out, study it and then come back and tell me what you’re going to do about it! (and don’t worry about part 1…this is what you need to know now to get your customers’ and prospects’ attention now!)

Expect success!

Stevie Knight

Rich Schefren’s blog presents absolutely cutting edge information for today’s entrepreneur. (http://www.StrategicProfits.com/blog/ ) I read it often. Most of what he says will help the serious network marketer.

Consider this fact: it takes a while to learn how to get people to your material. It’s another thing entirely to have them like it so much you leave them wanting more when they’re finished reading.

Let me share a secret with you…good copywriting leaves you wanting more and I know few who know how to do it like Rich Schefren.

I was perusing his site today again and stumbled across a great report on copywriting phrases that help readers want to stick around long enough to get your “good stuff”. Go get it now. You can grab it here.

Study it. Learn it. Use it to lead into great content. It’ll improve the “stickiness” of your blog and you’ll have readers coming back for more.

Expect success!

Stevie Knight