YouTube Gets Disconnected in China

Social media is all about user-generated information and knowledge sharing. But sometimes giving leeway to the users can create problems for your site. One such example is of YouTube, which has been banned in China over protests in Tibet. The Google-owned video sharing site is identifying a way out of this problem, not knowing the exact cause of the ban.

China, which recorded 298 million Internet users at the end of last year, had blocked YouTube temporarily last March as well, following the biggest Tibetan protests in 20 years. It is known that the site had also been blocked in few other nations like Indonesia, Thailand and Turkey over certain controversial issues.

LinkedIn Confronts Recession, Emerges Winner

The global meltdown has rattled many companies already, and is continuing its juggernaut even today. However, there are also examples of companies who have withstood the mighty force of recession and managed to make profits. One such example is the popular professional networking site ‘LinkedIn’.

At the time when Lehman Brothers was undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, the activity from its employees and ex-workers on LinkedIn increased 315 percent from August to September last year

What Do You Think About Facebook’s New Look?

“People are very open-minded about new things – as long as they’re exactly like the old ones.” This popular quote by Charles Kettering fits well to the current issue with Facebook’s latest ‘Twitter’ like look, which went live just few days back. After creating a stir in the social media world, Facebook’s new avatar wasn’t welcomed well enough as the social networking giant had expected.

Ways to Gain Business on Social Networks

Using social networks for business purposes is a challenging task. Though experts point out the need to leverage social networks today, identifying ways to gain business from them is still a problem for most of the companies.

In such a situation, it is best to understand the concept of social networking thoroughly and study how social networks function, both technically and socially. This is a time-taking process, but the impact can be tremendous over the longer period. In order to know how people behave on a particular social network, you got to be present there at the same time.

Twitter Popularizing Amongst Small Businesses

If you are a business running on small or medium scale, this is very important news for you! Social networking and micro-blogging site Twitter is attracting huge number of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises), claiming 6000 of them flocking to the site every day.

SMEs are aiming at Twitter to trim their marketing expenses and keep in touch with their clients, according to a recent survey conducted by O2. It is estimated that 700,000 small businesses are already on Twitter to promote themselves.

Bebo Wears a Latino Look

Social network Bebo has decided to foray into newer markets by launching a site especially for the Latinos. AOL-owned Bebo has introduced a Latin version of its site, similar to the ones catering to users from the UK, Germany, Ireland, Poland and other international territories.

In a statement released of late, Nicole Vanderbilt, VP International at Bebo said that new market expansion is a key pillar of the company’s growth strategy, and the growing U.S-based Latino community provides huge potential to capitalize on.

Users Prefer Social Networks over E-mail

Until now, checking e-mails was one of the most regular activities on the Web. But the recent study conducted by Nielsen Online has revealed some startling results in favour of social networking and blogs. According to the research firm, ‘member communities’ are accessed by 67 percent of the online audience, becoming the fourth most popular Web category, behind search, portals and PC software, and ahead of personal e-mail.

John Burbank, CEO at Nielsen Online believes that social networking has become a fundamental part of the global online experience. The results, which are based on December 2008 data, suggest that social networking has become a more convenient way of keeping in touch than email.

Yahoo Eyes Social Networking Business

Don’t be surprised if you see another company entering the social networking arena; this time a giant online media company – Yahoo! Carol Bartz, CEO at Yahoo Inc. said that social networking sites are a key area of interest for the company. This is amidst Yahoo’s on-going effort to compete with Google and capture a larger search engine market share.

Talking about Yahoo’s intention to enter the social networking business, Bartz said that the firm might aim to collaborate with already existing social networking companies instead of adding a new product line in this segment.

Facebook to Emulate Twitter?

Get ready to witness a very interesting change on your Facebook profile. The premier social network is all set to introduce certain features which will help users share information better. With an enhanced look to its homepage, Facebook will provide members real-time updates from their friends and also allow them to interact easier and faster.

Facebook’s revamped service is especially targeted towards businesses, artists and public figures to help them connect with their customers and fans respectively, just like Twitter’s ‘follow’ feature. According to the company’s owner Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s new homepage will enable users see everything that’s shared by their connections as it happens. Moreover, it will allow users more control by allowing them select exactly who they see among the people and things they are connected to.

3 Tips For Twitter Marketing

If you are on lookout for an ideal social media marketing platform, do not forget to consider the infamous micro-blogging site Twitter. Social media has become critical for marketers today, and Twitter is just an example of how companies can use it to create long term relationships with their customers.

Online communication has grown rapidly since the past few years, with more marketers leveraging it to deliver their marketing messages. Therefore, Twitter has not only capitalized on this emerging trend, but has also been instrumental in providing business opportunities to reach out to customers with constant updates about a brand.