From pcmag.com:

Microsoft Confirms Hotmail Phishing Attack

These days it seems like everybody is talking about “social networking” and using websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. But exactly what is social networking? Is it just a passing fad or is it an idea whose time has come and is here to stay?  More importantly, can it be put to good use in your business?

What is Social Networking?
Online social networks are services meant to create communities of people on the Internet who share common relationships, interests, and activities. In a typical social networking site, users create profiles of themselves which they use to connect with other users and create a network of “friends.” These networks are typically organized around the user’s social relationships, life circumstances, lifestyles, organizational affiliations, ideological and political beliefs, commercial interests, and many other traits.

One benefit of creating these networks is that it allows users to keep track of each other within their network more easily. It also allows them to leverage the connections of others in their social circle – greatly expanding the network of people they would ordinarily have. Beyond creating their own social networks, things become interesting when users are able to share information and pursue activities online together, thereby allowing greater communication, collaboration, and co-creation of ideas, products at a scale and speed which simple was not have been possible before.

How Can I Use Social Networks for My Business?
If you are a small business owner, opportunities in social networking are readily available. The ability to create a network of employees, customers, prospects, and partners is one benefit, along with the ability to leverage their networks to expand your own. The potential capability to mine the amazing amount of user-generated demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data among a network’s members is also very valuable.

Here are some samples of ways you can put social networks to work for your business:
1) Use it for Marketing. Create a community of your current customers where they can more easily hear from you and you from them. Use their networks to attract new leads to your business. Follow their activities to gain insights into who they are, what they want, where they congregate, and how best to reach them. Let them use social networks as an avenue to let others know how good you are. Create exciting new opportunities for them to get to know your business, reach out to you, and create a relationship with you.

2) Use it for Customer Service. Gain valuable feedback into how they feel about your product or service in real time. Create an important new channel to reach out to customers and to get information out to them quickly and efficiently.

3) Use it for HR. Create a community of current and ex-employees. Use it as a cheap Intranet, like what this company is doing with Facebook. Gain insight into the social profiles and behavior of your employees. Use it as a tool to attract new recruits.

4) Create new opportunities for learning and innovation. Tap social networks to learn from like-minded people. Find and discover social networks in your business, industry, or your profession. Learn from fellow entrepreneurs, customers, or partners. You can even tap communities to help you innovate faster and more cheaply. With social networks and an active community of people behind them you can co-create new products or services, link up to gain greater bargaining power, or share information and intelligence more easily.

These are just some examples of how you can apply social networking to your business. For more information, contact us to learn how we can help you get started today!

Related articles:

• Marketer addresses social networking for businesses issues … (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
• To friend, or not to friend: That is the workplace question (seattlepi.com)
• Social Media: Embracing the Opportunities, Averting the Risks Webinar Presentation (slideshare.net)
• Social networking is about people, not technology (jonggunlee.tistory.com)

Social Networking websites are usually associated with consumer services such as MySpace and Facebook. But did you know that there are literally dozens of social networking websites out there specifically targeted toward businesses? InsideCRM.com’s editors have compiled a list of the top “50 Social Sites That Every Business Needs a Presence on” which is available online at their website.

This list is divided into five categories:

1. Social-Media or Social-Bookmarking Sites, which allow users to share their favorite websites or track and vote upon various online articles and resources.
2. Professional networking sites, which allow networking among organizations and individuals for business purposes.
3. Niche sites, which target a specific community of users in a particular industry, profession, or with specific shared interests.
4. General social media sites, which have business applications such as the popular Twitter service.
5. Job sites, which are geared towards recruitment and talent management.

Head out to InsideCRM.com to find out more.

Related articles:

• Social Networking And Your Business (smtusa.com)
• Social Networking and Technical Communicators | On the Write Road (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
• B2B Social Media: Got Your Toe Wet, Now It’s Time to Swim (socialmediatoday.com)

From the heavyset computing devices of Charles Babbage to today’s simple novelty items, electronic devices and gadgets have become smaller, more functional, and more integrated into our daily lives. With mobile phone calls, SMS, and email we are seemingly in constant need to be in touch with other people electronically.

And therein lies the problem. Many people seem to put such a high priority on immediately replying to electronic communication that they often unintentionally offend the people they are actually physically with. For example, how does that colleague doing the “Blackberry Prayer” during a meeting – hunched over a handheld device, texting and emailing – make you feel?

Here are a few etiquette tips when using our electronic devices:

• When in meetings, turn your phone off – or at least put it in silent mode.
• Check your messages and return calls and emails after meetings, not during them. It’s much more polite to explain to a caller or email sender that your response was delayed because you were in a meeting rather than explaining to everyone with you that the person on your phone is more important than them.
• If you are expecting an urgent call you must take, inform others about it before the meeting begins. When your phone vibrates, excuse yourself quietly and take the call outside.
• Never wear an earpiece while in a meeting.
• Don’t use your mobile phone or PDA while you are talking to somebody – it gives the impression that the person you are talking to is unimportant and insignificant.
• Loud ringtones are inappropriate for certain settings, so make sure they’re off at the right times.
• If you need to use speaker phone, ask the person on the other line for permission first, and announce who else is in the room with you. Many people are (understandably) uncomfortable not knowing who else may be listening to them.
• While in video conferences, treat the people on the other end of the line as if they were actually in the room with you. No discreet playing of Plants vs. Zombies on your iPhone while the brand manager from the other end of the line is giving his sales report – regardless of how boring it may be.

Remember: electronic correspondence can never replace actual human interaction and conversation. Even though we’re in the electronic age, the old saying still applies: “Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.”

A recently released a report entitled “Voice of IT: State of SMB IT”, detailing  purchasing, technology usage, and IT staffing trends among small and medium businesses worldwide. The report surveyed over 1,100 IT professionals working in SMBs, 80 percent of whom were decision makers or influencers within their respective companies.

Not surprisingly, a substantial number (39 percent) of the companies surveyed cut their IT budgets in 2009, with an average cut of 22 percent from 2008 levels. Among the areas where companies are saving money is hardware, with the average planned lifespan for machines such as desktops, laptops, servers, and switches increasing by 26 percent.

Despite this, a significant number (31 percent) report that budgets remained flat, while as many as 30 percent reported an increase in budget in 2009 from the previous year. Among the areas where companies are investing money is in software, specifically security software. 46 percent of SMBs indicated that they plan to invest in antivirus and antispam software, while 38 percent plan to put their money in data backup and recovery software. A growing trend is virtualization, with 30 percent of participants planning to invest in virtualization solutions.

How does your company compare? Do you think your company is investing enough in IT security? Contact us now to see how we can help you invest your IT budget where it brings the most value.