In 1984, inspired by my dad’s friend and inventor of the BBS, I created my own BBS called the “Tape Tardis” as I was really into Doctor Who and as it ran from a sequential cassette tape (on my Vic-20 until we upgraded to a 1541 on a Commodore-64). I may actually have my old floppy disks…

The phone network was the first time that consumers (mostly we hacked to access, but hey – we learned) had access to super computing systems. We used these to be social, to share knowledge, to create relationships. We used to hack into PBX systems, leave voice mails others would retrieve, reminiscent of today’s podcasts. I digress…

As a phreaker, I would create global social networks through the phone system as well, starting with my masterminds groups in the mid 1980′s that I was able to lead and manage through conference calling (free and global) that was only previously available to large corporations.

Found this picture and it made me nostalgic:

That’s my brother Rob, currently serving in Afghanistan. Just like in 2006 when he turned me onto Twitter, Rob quite often finds the technology first, then hands it to me to explore – we’ve been addicted to communications technologies since a very early age.

My social network in 1984 even had an offline meetup component, fortunately my dad actually kept copies & sent them to me…

Niche Profit Sites by

We keep hearing social media thrown around over and over these days. You can’t turn on the television or radio without hearing a mention of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. So, what is this thing called social media and why is it becoming so popular these days?What can social media do for you? You most likely already use social media before and perhaps don’t even realize it or the true potential that it stores. The more you learn about what social media is, the better able you will be to determine the different ways in which it can help you.

There are so many different venues for social media today. New sites are popping up each and every day to help you find freshly innovative ways to interact with other people online. Here are some examples of types of social media:

Micro-Blogging
Blogging and Articles
Social Bookmarking
Social Networking Sites
Business Network Groups
Content Based Sharing
Photo Share Websites
Book Discussions
Much More! All of these things are part of what we call Web 2.0 – connecting people and information, and is used throughout social media. Here’s a breakdown of some of these.

It seems every day that new social networking sites are popping up. A few popular ones are LinkedIN, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and Plurk. These sites are mostly utilized to help people make friends or keep in touch with their family or friends who live far away. Social networking sites allow you to also share pictures, videos and other content.

The ease of use and low entry cost makes social media sites great networking for businesses as well. Blogging plays a major role in Web 2.0 and several businesses are using blogging to better convey their message and create a better connection with their customers. Social media can be a substantial differentiator between you and your competitors. You can advertise and market your blogs with social networking sites as well as reach prospects and engage with customers at an entirely different level.

Squidoo and other content sharing are another popular choice. These let you add articles, reviews and other information easily to share with others. This can be a great to promote products, new business offerings and more. This is an important way and simple platform to express your talents on the Web and share with a mass or focused audience.

A whole different dimension we will delve deeper into in different articles are bookmarking sites. Social bookmarking sites help people bookmark favorite web pages and share with others – sometimes with reviews. Some examples include Technorati, Mister-Wong, Stumbleupon, Digg, Reddit and more. You can create and network through these social bookmarking sites to help you manage and promote your content online.

The type of social media content use will help you determine which types of sites to focus on. There are so many options than ever before – and more importantly it’s a way to connect and share personally and professionally at a different level. Anyone can learn to use and benefit from social media. How will you make it work for you?

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by

Niche Profit Sites by