Facebook Shares

[rob]

The thing to think of is lots of data, some geo located, constantly going online. Lots of dross, lots duplicate but some good stuff.

For example a search would reveal a human looking for car insurance in the hour or so... Media stuff is very strong as well.

 

[scooter]

Saying that FB is shite may be true for you (I agree with you btw) but if you're developing web sites you need to look past personal opinion and focus on the majority and if that's people like your misses then you need to be using her to see what makes the rest of the World tick.

I totally agree with you but I still do not have to be a part of it.

I sell a product and am just about to launch another. The product lives or dies by what people say about it and if they recommend to their friends. So i'm happy for my customers to facebook, bebo, twitter or whatever they want to use to tell their friends but I still do not need myself. What I need to ensure it is a product they want, the product does what it is supposed to do and customer service is in place should they need it.

I am well aware of its usefullness but on a personal lever, I just don't need.



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[scooter]

The thing to think of is lots of data, some geo located, constantly going online. Lots of dross, lots duplicate but some good stuff.

For example a search would reveal a human looking for car insurance in the hour or so... Media stuff is very strong as well.

I know i am in the minority here and I know it serves me well for my sales, but what you say is the crux of the problem for me. There is probably 5% of good information, the rest is, as you say, lots of dross, lots of duplicate.

I just cannot be bothered to sift through that lot to get to the good bits. For me, I can deploy my time doing better things and still get that 5% All be it slighlty later than I would on twitter. (google news alerts, coming on here being signed up for mailing lists I am interested in. )






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[Blossom]

I use it hourly, cant remember the last time I saw any spam.

I see spam there all the time. Drives me crazy.

It's not just bots either, it's people who I'm interested in tweeting giveaways every other tweet :/

Scooter, I don't know if you develop web sites but for me Twitter works because of things like @smashingmag which is very little banter but lots of very interesting links related to web design etc..

Smashing Mag is quite good on Twitter...except for when there's a book launch and it's constant "Thanks for your support!" and begging tweets to buy the book. Usually ten or so of those in a row is annoying, especially when it continues for a couple of weeks. I don't like the '[statement]. Discuss.' tweets from Smashing either - it's a bit condescending and like a school exam. Plus they don't warn people when they are tweeting links to their sites either; shared hosting is usually trashed by a Smashing mag tweet.

They do have great articles and share good stuff though. And obviously Google likes them or all those paid dofollow advertising links on their homepage would have destroyed their rankings by now

 

[scooter]

Scooter, I don't know if you develop web sites but for me Twitter works because of things like @smashingmag which is very little banter but lots of very interesting links related to web design etc..

Nice site.
Where do all these interesting twitter links go to? their site.

So the only difference is you get the news to tell you a new article is on their site (with a link to it) You get the info quick but to get it you are looking how many times a day?

For me, i would just be going to the site on a daily basis. Saves me having to read the "glad you like the books" tweets and the other irrelevant info. all the good info is on the site. Not the tweets. Duplicate information.



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[scooter]

I stand corrected.
I clicked on the first link and it went straight back to their site. I presumed the rest would be the same. I now see that is not the case.


I can see why you follow. Tell them to stop the dribble and it would be a tickertape of sound info.





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[scooter]

Your criticims really only reflect your opinion of how your "Mrs" uses it. I suggest that your opinion might also reflect how you feel about all those people she "knows" in real life! Not everyone uses these sites in the same way and some people do communicate with interesting and valuable people. Facebook is simply another tool to allow that to happen. The user is reponsible for how they use it.

I agree with you. It all depends on how you want to use. I think my Mrs uses it the same way the majority of facebook users use it. Social networking but I could be wrong.

I suggest that your opinion might also reflect how you feel about all those people she "knows" in real life!
I like her real friends. There's no issues there.


I personally don't feel the need to use at all. If i were to sign up it would be because I was looking for a need for it, which i am not.


I know it is another form of networking. I still like the old fashioned way. You pick up the phone and talk to a human being. Doesn't matter where they are in the world any more, they are all just a Skype away.


Maybe when i find that need, I will sign up.




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[scooter]

It depends on what the "social networking" constitutes. If she was networking with smart, useful, interesting people from all over the world and talking about valuable, productive topics then you might see some value.
She is a housewife with 2 kids to look after. She is not a business woman. I think you are blurring social with business. I think you will also find the majority of users fits her shoes. They use for social banter.


I'd imagine that some of those "real friends" are also "Facebook friends".
Of course they are. They are the majority of her network. I'm not sure what you mean here?


I have found it interesting that those that aren't on Facebook sometimes feel they need to justify why they aren't on it which demonstrates how Facebook has impacted. So when someone you know asks you "Are you on Facebook?" and, regardless of whether you are or you aren't, you don't want to add them so you say "no", or "yes but I don't use it much", and they look like at you like you're being awkward!
Not me. Have you forgotten, i'm not on it. No awkwardness for me
I have ran various retail ventures online since 2002 and i can honestly say hand on heart, no-one has ever emailed/asked if I was on facebook, twitter or any other networking platform.


Voice isn't old fashioned. It's just another method. The trouble is it requires more attention and can often go on for a significant amount of time. It's also "blind". I wish I had more time to dedicate to voice and video but it's not always easy to schedule. I've made voice easier at home through a couple of wireless headsets so I rarely hold a handset. However the person on the other end isn't usually as fortunate!
Again, this hints to me that you are not using facebook for social networking, You are using it for business networking. Just another example how a user can use Facebook


I always make time for a phone call. It is so much more personal.



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[Blossom]

I always make time for a phone call. It is so much more personal.

What would you do if you had 1,000 or 10,000 or 100,000 customers in a field where they wanted to talk to you? Call centre and let your profits take the hit?

What about if you had 100 customers who needed to communicate with you every day or every couple of days?

It's not just about communication - it's about control. People will be saying things about you on Twitter, you just aren't there to see them.

 

[scooter]

I am talking about social networking when i state phonecalls.
Not in relation to my business.

I think you are confusing me with Invincible.
Business is different


...............................


With regards to my business, I am firmly in control.

My customers do not get a phone number. They can contact me via:
site support email
site forum
ebay.co.uk email
amazon.co.uk email
ebay.com email
amazon.com email

They do not need to tweet or leave a facebook message. They have more than enough choice as it is and i have no interest in having to log in to another 2 applications on a regular basis.



People will be saying things about you on Twitter, you just aren't there to see them.
On a personal level, people say things about other people all the time. If i was to start worrying and physically searching for what people were saying I would think I was starting to verge on the paranoid side. People pm other people on this forum to talk about other members all the time. That's just life.


On a business level, i sincerely hope they are talking, as nothing beats a recommendation from someone who has already purchased from you.






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[scooter]

I'm sure facebook and twitter accounts are good for businesses that are in the business of information. Sean's was a great example. That's the best use of a twitter feed i have seen yet. (still too much crap there. They should make it formal and only tweet quality info.)

But I have no need as it is physical stock i sell, not information. It does not suit my business model. I would have no regular news to give them and thus, it would go stale like so many other businesses that feel they must have them as their competition has them.





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[Blossom]

I am talking about social networking when i state phonecalls.
Not in relation to my business.

I think you are confusing me with Invincible.
Business is different

I only read that last post and it wasn't distinguished, so I assumed it was still a business discussion. Sorry.

I don't talk on the phone socially you see, because that just seems weird, like writing a letter

Telling everyone everything individually would take me forever, and I'd never know about half the events and occasions my friends put on and invite people to via Facebook. If they all moved to another system tomorrow, I would move with them; it's not particularly Facebook I like, more the convenience.

On a business level, i sincerely hope they are talking, as nothing beats a recommendation from someone who has already purchased from you.

Recommendations tend to work much better on Twitter when someone recommends you and you step into the conversation and ask if you can help. If you aren't there, your business is simply one of many recommendations from tweeters which is likely to get ignored or passed over, depending on what you sell and the strength of the recommender.

Not to mention you can use recommendations for plenty of things, including testimonials on your website and so on. And of course there's the feedback aspect of it as well; people say things on Twitter they'd never say in an email or phone call directly to you, but it can be valuable input all the same...occasionally

 

[Pred]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18257043

still dropping

 

[Marcoose]

How low will she go? Any predictions? Im going to go for market cap of 50 Billion where the price will remain until the outcome of the legals.

 

[Pred]

well not worth more than single digits at the current time
that is a fact based on earnings and past and future
they also have a lot of legal headaches on horizon (long overdue)
and many competitors

there's money to be made for people shorting etc and I guess will drop to levels, rise a little, then drop etc so people buying large volumes at right time may be able to make money like any share

but personally won't touch with a bargepole and don't think will reach it's true value ever so will always remain overpriced

needs to drop about $25 more imo

 

[scooter]

I don't talk on the phone socially you see, because that just seems weird, like writing a letter
wow! i find that quite sad and alarming. (An email is a letter.) Sad to see the power of speech is going.

I wonder if, in the near future people will be texting and instant messaging around the family home instead of actually talking. :shock:

Telling everyone everything individually would take me forever, and I'd never know about half the events and occasions my friends put on and invite people to via Facebook.
That's good. It works for you and millions of others. As i said, i'm in the minority. I just honestly do not need or feel the need, both in a personal capacity or for business.

ok, ok i'll fes up. It's cause i've no mates :sad:


Recommendations tend to work much better on Twitter when someone recommends you and you step into the conversation and ask if you can help. If you aren't there, your business is simply one of many recommendations from tweeters which is likely to get ignored or passed over, depending on what you sell and the strength of the recommender.
What about f/b? have i to constantly monitor this as well to see who needs help? Youtube? i have vids on there, (comments switched off, just a hyperlink to the site) should I be trawling this also? what about flikr and now google+? where do I stop?

As a retailer, the strength of the recommender has to be good. Always, that's what grows the business.

That's where proactiveness come in.

I am very proactive on customer service. On the day of dispatch all customers are sent a nice email thanking them for their business, an invite to join the forum and a personal offer of help from myself for the lifetime of the product. So support is firmly in place before it even pops through their letterbox.

To me, having a f/b, twitter or any others is just giving myself more work. All I am doing is diluting the support channels already in place and there are plenty of channels open for them.



Not to mention you can use recommendations for plenty of things, including testimonials on your website and so on. And of course there's the feedback aspect of it as well; people say things on Twitter they'd never say in an email or phone call directly to you, but it can be valuable input all the same...occasionally
Below is my feedback for ebay UK. The proof is in the pudding. This is where people can vote with the click of a button. If they are not happy, they don't even have to tell you. They just show it to other people as you suggest they do on twitter. This is why proactiveness wins. Always.

Am I losing sales by not monitoring all social network sites? Who knows but i would doubt it. As far as i'm aware I am number 1 in every google search engine there is for the product name.

Sorry, this old dog aint for budging but If i went in to the press release business, that would be a different story.




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[scooter]

Apologies, i just reread my post and it sounds very pompous. It is not meant to be.




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[Bailey]

Apologies, i just reread my post and it sounds very pompous. It is not meant to be.

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No it dosen't scooter.

That ebay rating says a lot about your focus on customer service. The funny thing about facebook. and I personally really, really like facebook is it's current model (and reason for usage) isn't really built for commercial exploitation.

The current facebook update, of what I've seen shows you where it all goes wrong when you try to place advertising where it can't be ignored (and therefore becomes obtrusive) and a reason not to like facebook

 

[doodlebug]

Currently at $28.14 OUCH

 

[Rob_F]

How low will she go? Any predictions? Im going to go for market cap of 50 Billion where the price will remain until the outcome of the legals.

In the near-term, I reckon it will stabilise around $23. There was a little resistance early on today, before it dropped further.

- Rob