Of course living here in Indianapolis, Indiana it’s impossible to really see first-hand what is going on in other parts of the world.  You have to rely on outside sources to keep you updated.  But still I get the feeling that people and businesses are finally starting to get it.  I can definitely say that I have seen a huge shift in my connections toward people becoming less resistant.  More are really starting to embrace this powerful tool we call social media.

I see people posting a new Facebook status every day that I never thought would be wanting to share updates with the rest of the world.  Why?  Because these are the same people that I was working with a year ago that ran for the hills when anyone mentioned Facebook.  I, of course, did my best to explain the value but for a lot of people it’s really just a matter of time.  Now they are making new connections every day and many share with me their surprise that it’s actually beneficial.

I see businesses every single day joining Twitter to find out what their customers are really saying and keep up with the latest news.  Some are even running contests to grow their following and expand their network.  They realize that this will later benefit them when those people are making purchasing decisions.

I see people creating events and promoting them through social media.  They realize that it’s one of the best tools to increase awareness and attendance.  Most seem to even realize that the people they meet at these events will eventually be their best friends and business partners.

Being in the Internet marketing/social media industry, I understand that not everyone will understand the full potential and that everyone will use it differently.  I also realize that my small sampling of people is not reflective of “everyone.”  Nonetheless I am still seeing a significant trend.  The points above were not made to show great case studies, but  to illustrate that people of all backgrounds are finally starting to come around.  Posting a status on Facebook definitely does not mean you are gaining any type of value from your post, but it does show that plenty of people are finally there and more are becoming active users.

If you read blogs from anyone discussing social media, you will no doubt find posts all about convincing people who resist social media that it’s here to stay.  You will see things like, “your business needs to change now, otherwise you won’t be in business much longer.”  So let me ask you this – are people finally starting to catch on?

I am continually amazed at the ease of passing referrals using social media.  Recently a co-worker of mine was looking for a realtor in the Washington Township area in Indianapolis.  She is looking into purchasing a new home and needed a starting point.  I offered to post this request on Facebook to see if my network of friends could help.  It took just seconds to post my request online for all of my friends to see in my status update.  Within 30-40 minutes I had a list over 10 realtors to give to my friend!  But these weren’t just any realtors.  These were all realtors that came highly recommended.  And they were not just highly recommended by anyone, they were highly recommended by my friends and people I know.  I was able to confidently pass along these names knowing that my friend will have a solid list of realtors from which to pick.

These requests are taking place every single day on social media networks.  Keep your eyes open and take advantage of the opportunities!

Facebook Home Page has a New Look
So there is now a News Feed and a Live Feed on the home page?  Just like with most Facebook updates, the responses to the change have been mixed.  What does it all mean?  Why did Facebook make the change?  Click the link above to find out.  Just like with the last changes Facebook made – in the long run it is going to make Facebook even better and more organized!

2009 Masters of Business Online  Summary from Douglas Karr
If you are involved in the Indianapolis, Indiana social media scene, you were likely exposed to all of the buzz that came along with the Masters of Business Online.  Landing pages, online video, search engine optimization, pay per click advertising and social media – these were just some of the topics covered at this great event.  Get an inside look at what took place during the event from Douglas Karr by clicking on the link above.

Thank Goodness It’s Monday
One of my favorite people to follow online is Scott Stratten, President of Un-Marketing.com.  On Friday I was checking out his new initiative, Thank Goodness It’s Monday and I just had to share.  It’s a great concept: stop letting the day of the week determine your attitude.  Embrace each day and make the most of it.  Scott is forming a group of people he calls the” 1%” that refuse to fall into the “TGIF” mentality.  Click the link above to check out his video on why he’s doing this.  If you like what he has to say, enter your email address to get signed up.  He will follow-up immediately, as always, with an email welcoming you to the “1%.”

I saw last week where one of my friends had posted that she was looking for a company to help with design and production of shirts for her company.  Rather than simply telling her that I knew someone that could help with this need or even just typing that persons name, I decided to take advantage of the @mentions.  BAM!  A direct link to that person’s profile. But not only did my @mention post on her wall, it also posted on the person’s wall that I was referring to in the @mention.  Before I could even follow up with my friend to tell him that I had a referral, he had already contacted my other connection with the shirt production need! I then went to follow up with her and she was amazed at how promptly he was able to follow up.  He will likely get the business because within minutes she was able to find a recommend solution for her need.  Now that was EASY!

Next time you see a post from one of your Facebook friends asking for help and you have a connection you can put them in contact with, remember this is a perfect time to give the new Facebook @mentions a try!

facebook @mentions make passing a referral easy

I have talked with many Facebook users that are not Twitter users.  They seemed to be a little confused on exactly what the @Mention allows you to do and how it will benefit them.  Will many Facebook users even care about this update?  Let’s not forget how users have reacted in the past anytime Facebook makes a change.  While this update will be nothing as drastic as a new design, the initial reaction to Facebook changes have historically been  negative.  At first glance, the same group of people who think Twitter is for stalkers are likely to think now Facebook is even further supporting Twitter’s stalker habits.  Now not only can I tell you that I am have coffee with someone else – I can link directly to his/her profile from my status update.

My guess is that it will take awhile for native Facebook users to being adopting this new functionality.  But once people within your network begin to use @Mentions as a part of their status updates on a regular basis, their friends will likely follow.  The hope is that this will allow Facebook users to continue to connect to others within their network to share more meaningful information.  Let’s see if this holds true.

I do think this will go a long way in helping the business brands on Facebook.  It is now going to be much easier to share that you are going to eat @(restaurant) and link directly to their fan page.  This will also encourage more incentives to be offered for customers as sharing becomes easier.  I will continue to update my blog as this is rolled out to analyze the trends.

But in the meantime, what is your take on it?

Below is the breakdown on exactly how it will work from Facebook engineer Tom Occhino:

Now, when you are writing a status update and want to add a friend’s name to something you are posting, just include the “@” symbol beforehand. As you type the name of what you would like to reference, a drop-down menu will appear that allows you to choose from your list of friends and other connections, including groups, events, applications and Pages. Soon, you’ll be able to tag friends from applications as well. The “@” symbol will not be displayed in the published status update or post after you’ve added your tags.

Friends you tag in your status updates will receive a notification and a Wall post linking them to your post. They also will have the option to remove tags of themselves from your posts. We hope that tagging your status updates and others posts from the Publisher will enable you to share in a more meaningful and engaging way, and connect with even more people. We’re rolling this feature out over the course of the next few weeks, so you may not see the new feature just yet.

Here is the basic gist:

As writers we can often play it safe by using words like: quite, fairly, often, sometimes and may.  These words are boring, show a lack of confidence and thus turn readers away.  This is where the vampire analogy comes into play- these words act like vampires and suck the life right out of your sentence.   So the next time you are thinking of writing a headline like “You May Gain More Customers and You Might Make More Money” you need to stop and stake the vampire words to keep your readers coming back for more.

Douglas Karr did a great job of this today over on the Marketing Technology Blog with his post entitled “Why I Don’t Like Facebook.” This instantly caught my eye and I had to read it.  Now if his blog title had been “Why I Kinda Sometimes Don’t Like Facebook” I would not have  been as inclined to read it.  Heck he even went so far as to put “facebook-sucks” right there in the URL.  It’s not every day a social media superstar proclaims that!

So the next time you are writing a blog post title, take a moment to review and find those vampires there as well.  Today’s theme:  Be confident.  Be Bold.

How I Manage Facebook – Chris Brogan

Four Minutes of Video Awesomeness: Is Social Media A Fad? – Marketing Pilgrim 

So what do you think?  How do you manage Facebook?  Is social media just a fad?

Communicating like they never have before.  I think more than ever people are beginning to use Facebook as a viable , interchangeable communication tool similar to email, text messages or instant messaging.  Everyone is there.  All in one place and just a couple of clicks away.  Why go back and forth sending several emails when Facebook can easily be used to share thoughts, pictures, links and other information within seconds?  I am also starting to see many of my business contacts use Facebook as a place to connect not only for personal use, but also for business related use.  And like it or not, the new Facebook layout has made this easier.  Comments are all over the place, often times leading to further conversation.  Think about it – you see that your best client just got back from a vacation in Alaska and posted pictures on Facebook.  You have a meeting next week and already you have a great conversation starter.  Maybe you have already commented on some of the photos and exchanged wall posts.

The bottom line is this: Facebook is doing more than just drawing a huge number of users that spend a ton of time each month on the site.  It’s changing the way we communicate.  Possibly forever.  What do you think?  Do you agree?

Dwight Howard’s Blog
See Dwight connect with fans and read about his thoughts on missing critical free throws during the game.  It’s all here. 

Follow Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Twitter
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer and Laker great was tweeting during the games with his perspective on the action.  I bet he is happy the Lakers won!

Check Out the NBA’s Facebook Page
Stay up to date with all of the action as the Lakers and Magic battle it out.  Insider information, vote for player of the game, and create your own amazing NBA moments.

Here are 4 Other Ways to Make the NBA Finals More Social from Mashable

Well as I write this blog post, it is official – Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have won the 2009 NBA Championship!

Twitter users were tweeting aplenty.  Webcams were broadcasting live all over the world.  But as for now, the Facebook username buildup excitement is over.  The initial rush has passed.  Many people predicted that Facebook would crash or some other type of complication would arise.  They were wrong.  It was a smooth, seemless process that took about 5 seconds once the countdown was complete. 

Now let the interesting part begin…how will we use our new Facebook identity?