| Social media, specifically focusing on the social | | | | Scour the internet for areas where you can create a |
| networking sites, is rapidly becoming the staple form of | | | | presence. You don't necessarily have to be an active |
| content online - user generated content is also some | | | | member, but by creating profiles with your chosen |
| of the most valuable, as it is the honest voice of the | | | | keywords you can claim the online address before |
| public. | | | | someone else does and increase your search engine |
| Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and | | | | visibility while you're at it |
| YouTube are among the more popular and profitable | | | | Share and Share Alike |
| social networks. They're freely available for anyone to | | | | Everything you do online should be easy for users to |
| use, and are challenging the convention of traditional | | | | share. Chicklets are the little buttons which are inserted |
| media. Social media optimization, or SMO, involves | | | | added to blogs and websites making social |
| using this new form of media to increase your web | | | | bookmarking possible at the click of a button. Use |
| presence and overall credibility. | | | | them in your content, and bookmark your new blog |
| Clever Content | | | | posts. We will be looking at how to use social |
| Optimize for your keywords, but always try and use | | | | bookmarking sites to increase your web presence in |
| fresh content rather than replicating old copy across | | | | the future, so remember to keep an eye out on this |
| the internet. Include the appropriate keywords, but not | | | | blog. |
| so much that the reader finds it repetitive. | | | | Interact and Be Part of the Gang |
| Blog Above All Else | | | | Possibly the most important aspect to SMO is social |
| Blogging is the best way to create content on an | | | | discussion and commentary. It's no good being silent or |
| ongoing basis, as there is always a new angle to take | | | | stagnant online - the internet is way too interactive for |
| or industry news to relate - it's not like setting copy into | | | | that. Comment on blogs, ask questions, provide |
| stone on your formal website; it has the potential to be | | | | answers and generally just use your pulpit wisely. |
| much more personal and interactive than that. | | | | Manage Your Online Reputation |
| Micro-blog! | | | | If you don't have any online reputation management |
| Even more uncomplicated, personal and interactive, | | | | services, it may be a good idea to invest in - or at |
| micro-blogging platforms such as Twitter are great | | | | least set up some simple reputation management tools |
| ways to increase search engine visibility through the | | | | like Google Alerts, Yahoo! Alerts and Twitter |
| community of users. | | | | notifications to inform you of any content containing |
| Create Profiles Across Social Networks | | | | your keywords. |