Sociologists have studied what has been termed “cocooning” very carefully since the explosion of the world wide web. Cocooning is the process of social isolation where a society withdraws from physical interaction with each other. This “hermit-like” behavior can lead to the decline of many cultural and social traditions. Cocooning also affects the way we interact with other when do finally leave the house and meet face to face.

The availability and popularity of the internet has changed the way that humans communicate and interact. We can spend hours in chat rooms pretending to be beautiful, successful and brilliant when in fact we are average looking, overweight and unemployed. The person at the other end of the keyboard has no way of verifying our claims or disproving them.

Discussion over the internet removes an essential aspect of communication: body language. Such things as posturing, fidgeting and eye contact all are unconscious transmitters of our true intentions. We learn as small children not to make eye contact when telling a lie and to cross our arms to distance ourselves from unpleasant people or situations. As of today, the computer screen has no way of converting these communication skills into data that can be observed as overtones in the written text of a conversation.

This cocooning may affect the communication skills of future generations. While excelling at expressing themselves through the written word, our children may lack the skills to give a convincing speech in public of carry on a comfortable conversation while waiting in line at the grocery store. Some youth even use text messaging to communicate when they are in the same room.

The prevalence of home based businesses may be in part due to this preference for cocooning and nonverbal communication. It is perfectly acceptable to home school your children, run a business from your home, email your mother and fax your clients. You can even order a pizza, shop for a birthday gift and have your groceries delivered: all without any verbal communication.

As in everything in life, a balance is needed. If you email your mother today, call her tomorrow and visit her on the weekend. If you work from home, make time to visit the park. Join social groups rather that internet message forums. Limit the amount of time that your children use the internet and cell phone for text messaging. Encourage teens to take a speech or debate class along with that computer programming class when signing up for college courses.

Many great social traditions like wedding rituals and back yard barbeques may someday soon be in danger of extinction. We all must do our part to keep the spark of social interraction alive for future generations.

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As SEO professionals we are constantly searching for ways to get our sites ranked and indexed better. As part of the online community you would have heard about social bookmarking lately. As a matter of fact, you can spend hundreds of hours of your precious time right now just to find out what Social Bookmarking is all about. Well, not here. I am giving you this information. I have researched and found this to be the most powerful way of getting laser targeted traffic to your…

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As SEO professionals we are constantly searching for ways to get our sites ranked and indexed better. As part of the online community you would have heard about social bookmarking lately. As a matter of fact, you can spend hundreds of hours of your precious time right now just to find out what Social Bookmarking is all about. Well, not here. I am giving you this information. I have researched and found this to be the most powerful way of getting laser targeted traffic to your website. The best news is, it’s 100% FREE!

When you do a search in a search engine you get all the sites that have something to do with the keywords you typed into the search box. The Social Bookmaked tags are the most interesting feature of these sites. It is obvious that the way things are going social bookmarking is the future of search.

The key to using social bookmarking is tagging. While social bookmarking is a good hobby imagine if you could replace the website option with blogs?. the best way of keeping track of sites which we like was to keep a list using bookmarks or favorites. How Social Bookmarking tool can get 100s of High PR links Automatically!

If you have a website you can easily add (assuming you do your own webmastering or know the rudiments of copying and pasting) a “save this page” to any and all of your important webpages within your site. This gives the user a way to classify rank and organize content using tags. The most popular Social Bookmarking Site is del.ici.ous which has millions of users. Check out http://www.trafficwebsecrets.com/socialbookmarking/bookmarking_demon.html.

Just click on the cloud to see all the pages tagged with a particular label. So while being aggressive is possible when you bookmark; being careful to consider the best interest of the community is certainly warranted. This RSS alerts you to new links in your areas of interest.. Put Social Bookmarking on Autopilot!

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The use of social media encompasses a broad range of online media types. While some might only think of a social network like MySpace there are actually several social media formats that contain significant marketing potential for online business.

While others may think you are simply enjoying the multiple aspects of social networking, the truth of your interest may likely be tinged with a business focus.

What that doesn’t mean is that you post simply to leave a traceable link back to your business website. Those who visit any social media site see through posts that are overtly geared toward marketing. In many cases social media consumers view this as spam even if the social network owners do not. In the end, you can lose credibility of you don’t work as a meaningful contributor in a social media environment.

Social media can be presented in many different forms. Let’s take a peak at a few of them.

YouTube and other similar video sites – These videos can be funny, serious, off the cuff and sometimes political in nature. You can show your business in a humorous light and allow individuals to be curious about you and your business.

MySpace and other social networks – This form of social media is popular because it draws together multiple elements of social marketing and makes them accessible to the masses of individuals that may view social networking as an online version of reality television.

Blogs – This is a form of social media if only because it does allow interactive exchanges between the blogger and the reader.

Forums – This can allow you to have an individual voice willing to discuss topics of interest to the majority. As with all social media you can provide a link to your site. If you are viewed as a trusted source you will likely find forum members following you to your site to learn more.

Podcasting – This is an audio stream that can allow a visitor to hear a personal message from you. This can have a pronounced impact in social marketing.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it does provide something for you to consider as an addition to other marketing strategies you may have in place. Social media allows you to take your message to the people and have fun while you share your message.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to be real. The entire Internet community has a low tolerance for supposed spam so make sure you don’t use social media as simply another form of online advertising.

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Have you ever thought about joining an online social networking community? If you love meeting new people, there is a good chance that you have given it some thought. Despite wanting to join, there are many individuals who make the decision not to. Are you one of those individuals? If so, is it because you feel overwhelmed? There are literally an unlimited number social networking websites out there to choose from and many are full of members.

While you would assume that it is nice to join a social networking website with a large number of community members, some individuals, maybe even yourself, feel that it is too much to handle. For instance, did you know that MySpace, a popular social networking website, has over one hundred millions members? If that isn’t overwhelming what is? If you are interested in joining an online networking community, but one that has fewer members, you are encouraged to look for social networking websites that have a particular focus. That focus is often on popular topics, issues, views, and interests.

A social networking website that focuses on one thing in particular is often referred to as a specialty social networking website. This is because, unlike traditional websites, not everyone can become a member. To become a member of a specialty social networking site, you must have an interested in the topic at hand. These websites drastically reduce the number of members. Although you will have less community members to socialize with, you will find that more have the same interests as you do. In that, a small number of internet users, with the same interests as yourself, is better than millions of members that you don’t have anything in common with.

If you are interested in finding a specialty social networking website, you are advised to perform a standard internet search. You will want to search using the words social networking site and whatever else you are looking for. For instance, if you are looking for a social networking website designed just for animal lovers, you may to combine the words social networking with animal lovers, pet lovers, cats, dogs, and so on. Whether you are searching for social networking websites that focus on a popular hobby, religion, or politics, you are sure to find that you are looking for.

In your search for specialty social networking websites, it is likely that you will come across Facebook or Classmates. Facebook and Classmates are both considered specialty social networking sites because they tend to focus on high school and college students, including those that are attending and those that have already graduated. Both of these websites work to connect you with individuals that you are currently going to school with or those that went to school with, in the past. If you have already graduated, Facebook and Classmates are great when looking to reconnect with old friends or even make new ones.

Other popular social networking websites focus on religion. Whether you are Christian or not, there are a large number of social networking websites that have a focus on religion. These websites not only allow you to meet other internet users, but they allow you to meet those that share the same beliefs and views as you do. By using a religious social networking website, such as HolyPal and JesusCrowd, you will not have to spend the time searching for those who are the same religion as you, you will automatically be entering a community where everyone preaches and believes the same things.

As previously mentioned, there are a fairly large number of specialty social networking communities that you can find online. These communities are not just limited to those that are for pet lovers, religious followers, or those looking to reconnect with old classmates, as mentioned above. With the way that social networking websites have increased in popularity, it is safe to say that you should be able to find an online networking community, no matter what your interests are.

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Marketing on Social network sites is not an easy feat. It relies on a lot of user interaction, especially with existing contacts. Know the benefits Social sites can do to your business. Understand how social networking can drive targeted traffic to your website today.

Social network sites are the new breed of online social hubs. More and more users turn to social networking sites to find loved ones, reconnect with old friends, or even host a high school reunion. However, social networking sites offer more than just meeting new and old friends, it can also be an avenue to promote your latest book, show online users about your website and updates, or even use the social sites to promote your views and agendas. Social network sites or User-created content sites like blogs, forums, or dating websites are basically places online where users can congregate to share information, give advice, or work on similar interests. Users flock social network sites, making it a good vantage point for web marketers to launch their products.

There are two types of marketing involved over social networking sites. Different types of individuals who promote their products or skills over social networking sites often employ varying tactics to get their message across. Several online marketers employ the use of the comments system on social marketing sites to post information about their products or use social sites to improve search engine placement for their websites. Though some web marketers would go overboard with the promotion and quite literally spam their target audience with useless data just to lure them to clicking a link which will direct them to the website being promoted. Other types of web marketers employ a subtle technique of social engineering to make users trust them and to make them purchase their products or click on a link to their main website. Other marketers would go as far as using black hat search optimization techniques to force web browsers into redirecting to another site. This type of marketing is not allowed on most social communities, and could get you banned on that social site, if caught.

Taking the different strategies piece by piece we identify different patterns on how web marketers coordinate their efforts to capture a wider scope of online users on a social networking site and achieve better search engine placement for their websites. Web marketers who operate viral marketing strategies often use software tools that will allow them to harvest different user profiles or account numbers, which they would use to send or post messages on. Web marketers meticulously gather user details and interest, and seek out vital social community sections like forums and rant pages where their messages can go around with the least possible chance of getting erased by members. Web marketers usually lace their promotional words with entertaining music or videos. But this can still be the tip of the iceberg on the grand scheme of online promotions. Once you give into the advertising, you will see yourself clicking on different links which will make you download or get redirected to another website which can force you to download a certain application or Trojan which they can then use to either force your browser to redirect to other web pages when you are browsing or quite literally force your computer to accept different ads from their website.

Social engineering on the other hand employs more interaction between the marketer and the end users. Web marketers who employ social engineering often use chatrooms or utilize the email system of social network sites to send messages to users. VoIP or Internet telephoning can also be used to improve marketer and user interaction. This type of online marketing may take awhile to be realized, but is often more successful in landing repeat customers, if done right.

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If you’re new to a town, or looking to change your life by bringing new people into it, there’s a website that can really help your struggle. Located at http://www.meetin.org, MettIn is a website that provides ample opportunity for social exchanges completely free of charge. Completely staffed by volunteers, there are separate MeetIn pages for a host of cities across the USA and abroad. Members can communicate with each other, post events, and RSVP for events that they plan on attending. Every bit of the site is composed by those who choose to be actively social in the group, and it truly achieves its goals of providing a great place for people to get to know each other and have a good time.

Without the pressures of some of the ‘singles’ sites out there, members in MeetIn come from all walks of life, from those who are looking for love to those that are just looking to have a good time experiencing some of the funnest activities their home town has to offer. The age range of the participants on the site varies widely and you’re quite likely to find someone that you can really relate to if you dedicate even a minute amount of time to attending the site’s events. On the site, you can find multiple events listed with several activities being planned per week by the site’s most dedicated volunteers. You can forge lifelong friendships and create memories that you’ll cherish for the rest of your days simply by attending some of the events and seeing exactly what life has to offer. Also, you’ll find yourself talking to people from different walks of life that you would never normally have the opportunity to encounter.

All in all, MeetIn proves to be a very rewarding social service for those who choose to harness it. In addition to being able to host or attend events in your city, many MeetIn members find themselves making trips to attend events with other MeetIn groups across the country. It can be very welcoming to have a host of people that are there for you when you’re away from home – and the hospitable members of other groups are often more than happy to help accommodate your travels. Check it out today!

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Web-savvy analysts and SEO’s can’t say enough about just how social bookmarking sites like Newsvine, BEENclicked, Reddit , del.icio.us or StumbleUpon etc are very important when trying to increase traffic to a new blog or website. Often times however, many great articles go unnoticed on social bookmarking forums and sites since their front pages or headlines are not catchy enough.

Creating a good impression on web users has got to start foremost with the way your headline sounds. A site’s headline is the first, and most often the main thing users will see from your article, so if you don’t make the effort to provide a catchy headline, your chances of getting to the main page are nil.

Create Attention-Grabbing Headlines

Crafting the headline is crucial in drawing web traffic. However, if you want to keep that attention always, create a meaningful description. The description must be slightly stimulating since this draws more attention but still, never use lies and false facts to provoke interest. For instance, if your write “This article will reveal to you the 10 sure ways to deal with stress once and forever and live a relaxing life from now on.”, visitors will hardly think that your story is true and facts-based.

A simple example of this would be:

Original headline : The Two Types of Cognition
Improved Headline : Learn to Understand Your Own Intelligence

Craft Interesting First Paragraphs

You could also might be lured to using long tell-it-all paragraphs to describe your masterpiece; however bear in mind that many users will not bother reading anything over 100-150 characters.

Maintain Good Content

However, the first paragraph is not key to everything. Going further along the chain of attracting, as well as retaining the users’ attention, is key to top-level content. If your articles are just trash or plain bland, then bookmarking them would be useless. You might get away with it and cheat users once, but don’t count on them coming back for repetitive visits. To make things worse, you can get your site banned from social bookmarking sites, when you persistently post useless trash.

Make Full Use of RSS Feeds And Newsletters

SS feeds, newsletter subscriptions, affiliate marketing are all forums wherein the traffic from social bookmarking sites could be of great help. A lot of people who come to your site and like it, will subscribe to RSS feeds and/or your newsletter.

Don’t Rehash Old News

Submitting old news will not help you in becoming a respected user. Yesterday’s news is history. However, if you still need to re-submit old stuff, consider placing feature articles, howtos and similar pieces that would remain up-to-date for quite some time.

Despite the differences in the likes of the different social bookmarking forums and communities, there are striking similarities. You will soon discover that if a post is well-liked inn one of the major sites, this generally drives it up on the other major and smaller sites. An example would be that usually it is posts on site like Digg that become popular on StumbleUpon or Reddit; however there are many other examples. To use this fact to your best advantage, you may want to concentrate your efforts on getting to the front page of the major players only, and take chances on the snowball effect to drive you to the top on other sites.

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These days, Google seems to have its hand in every aspect and facet of the internet. While Google previously did not have anything to do with social networking, but now they are building a presence in the social networking arena as well. Soon, google social networking will be the standard for social networking, as Google has become the standard for many things, including searching through search engines, paid advertising, e-mail, calendar and even web applications and web documents.

We all are aware that social networking websites are beginning to take over the world, at least online. The big social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace are excellent places where people can connect to other people and even market their companies and reach new customers. There are millions of people using these social networking sites, and businesses are beginning to use them as well. Leveraging a social networking site to its fullest potential is a great way for a business to reach out to new target markets and garner larger customer bases.

Just when you thought that the community networking thing may have completely reached its maximum threshold, Google social networking shows up at the party with a completely new project. Google has shown up at the party with a social networking site of its very own, one that is known as Orkut. Orkut may be a strange word, but it is appearing to be a serious contender when it comes to comparing Orkut to other social network websites on the internet.

Orkut has already gained a serious amount of popularity in Latin America and in Asia, and now it is beginning to make a splash in the United States as well. Google social networking is trying to become a very large giant online, and dominating the social networking market is one of the ways that this can be achieved. They want their own piece of a pie that MySpace and Facebook have been capitalizing on for a good long time. The following behind Orkut in China and Japan alone has tripled over the past year to include more than 11 million visitors in a single month.

Time is really going to have to tell when it comes to whether or not Google’s Orkut will get as big as the other social networking giants like Facebook and MySpace in the United States. What is known is that Google does have a good idea of what they are doing, and they have proven themselves to be strong players in a lot of very large markets.

If Google can figure out how to offer more than what the other social networking sites are offering, then they can certainly get in on the action that these other social networking sites are already capitalizing on. If you are not already using Orkut by Google, log into your Google account today and check it out. You are already halfway through the registration process if you have a Gmail account or another account with Google, so jump online and start putting your profile together today for Google Social Networking.

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There was bound to be a mechanism the blended so many site promotion tools into one package and now it’s here. The advent of sites like myspace has allowed the blending of blogs with forums and instant messaging mechanisms that take a more comprehensive approach to site promotion.

Understandably there have been some concerns about a social network system like this, but the premise provides an unusually strong sense of community and provides so many tools in one conformable package.

Authors, musicians and, yes, even entrepreneurs are working to tap into the strength of a social network. Myspace is not the only such product, but is mentioned because most web users understand the function of a social network or have, at the very least, heard of the brand.

With the power of a social network you can find a growing network of customers, affiliates and business associates that can work to interact on subjects of mutual interest while providing a prominent link back to your originating site. This allows your contact information to be readily available to all who encounter your avatar, photos, or blog postings.

It is true that in many ways this social network operates in a similar fashion as a blog, but provides a wealth of other interactive media tools that enhance the connection with visitors.

A social network may have all the appearance of a cyber playroom, but as you reach out to younger consumers it is also a language that speaks directly to them. This is their primary means of networking with a global community and your presence can move a prospect from casual interest to a place of identity with you and your brand.

All of the positive aspects one would expect from a blog are only enhanced in a social network setting. The cautionary tale for a social network would be to set parameters on how much time you invest in developing and maintaining it.

You should know that a social network can be somewhat addicting as you meet new contacts and interact with them and allow them to interact with you. Because society is leaning more and more on connections via the web it is important to balance cyber connections and the ability to interface with people who actually have faces.

This might mean having a select number of times each day when you will long into a social network account to either update your blog or respond to those who have posted comments or questions.

Social networks can work to your advantage in site promotion, just be sure to monitor the time you spend with your ‘network’.

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The owners of the social media site, ShoutLife, are all in their twenties. They have sought to create a fun environment for their thousands of guests. Connections are made and marketing takes place as members enjoy getting to know more and more ‘friends’.

If you stick around long enough you are likely to receive a bulletin alerting the minions to a group-wide event. Recently that event was a roller skating party in Michigan. The date and time was announced for a facility that likely housed around 200 individuals.

What about the individuals who live in Australia, or Maine for that matter? How many of these individuals would/could travel to Michigan for a roller skating party hosted by individuals they had never met?

There is a strong likelihood that the owners of ShoutLife wound up skating with some of their friends and family. Perhaps a few members who lived in the region showed up, but most of the visitors of this social media site did not attend.

The question is, “Did it make sense for the owners to post an event that would not likely draw a crowd?”

The answer is yes. You see, for most of us just the thought of trying to gather a global network of individuals to something as simple as a skating party will draw a smile. Not only will we smile, but we will remember enjoyable times with friends in our past. Not only will we remember, but we will come to associate a positive impression with the social network that promoted the idea.

Chances are strong that the owners had every expectation that the attendance would be negligible at best, but in a strange way it served to provide a bond with site users who could identify with something that at first blush seems meaningless.

Social media provides a sense of playfulness that can help visitors escape the frustrations of everyday life to a place where individuals with common interests can be found and discussion can take place.

Social media works because it is a playground where anyone can go whenever they have a few spare moments. The anonymity of social media allows many to discuss thoughts and feelings they may never discuss with someone face to face.

Some may argue that social media is feeding into anti-social behavior and I suppose this is possible, but it has also afforded shy individuals with the opportunity to interact with others and find that place of common ground where they can express themselves in an environment that provides a measure of safety.

A portion of the strength of a social media site can be extracted for use in a business site through the use of enhanced blogging options or social media forums. If you provide the right environment you may be surprised at how many individuals will show up – roller skates notwithstanding.

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When you are looking for different places where you can use your Internet marketing skills, then you may want to check out some social networking sites. However, before you start using these kinds of sites, you may first want to know, what is a social networking site and how can it helps you? Well, a social networking site is a place where tons of people go to hang out online. This is a place where people will spend tons of time with friends just chatting the day away. Now that you know what social networking is, you should be able to see how this could help an online business. Think of it like this. If your business was not online, you would want to place your ads in areas that had a lot of people. Think of a social networking site as being like a mall. If you just place your ad in a gas station, then only a few people would see it. However, if you have an ad in the mall, then the people that are working there, the people that are shopping there, and the people that are hanging out there are all going to see your ad. This means that social networking sites are kind of like the “mall” on the Internet.

If people are going to be online at these sites all the time, then you might as well make the most out of it. The best way to do that is to advertise on these sites. However, there is a right way and a wrong way. Just like a lot of other online sites, people do not like you to go around advertising your business online at their sites. Take MySpace for example. They do not want you to start a profile that is called “Jack’s Online Meat Shop” and try to get people to go to your site by spending a lot of time on MySpace and advertising your business. This would be the wrong way to go about advertising. However, if you have an ad that you want to place on MySpace, then all you need to do is talk to the people that run the site. Tell them that you would like to place some ads on their site, and you would like to know how much that would cost you. Then you can find out how many ads you can place on their site and how much it’s going to cost you.

There are tons of place where you can advertise online, but if you are going to spend money to advertise, then you might as well do it in a place that is going to make you a lot of money. There is no reason to spend money putting ads all over the Internet if it’s not going to help you. If your site does not get a lot of traffic, then people are not going to want to place ads on your site. So the next time you are thinking about different places you would like to advertise, remember that the more people that are hanging out at that site, the better. This means that you are going to have to spend your money on the sites you know are going to make you a ton of money.

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Most people who have succeeded in business can probably tell you something about the importance of having a mentor who will be able to teach you the ropes in starting your own business. This is because the experience that these successful businessmen can impart is a very important factor in shortening your learning curve and in helping you avoid the mistakes start-up entrepreneurs usually make.

Consider the fact that 90 percent of all start-up businesses fail within five years as opposed to 90 percent of franchised businesses succeeding within the same time span and you’ll begin to appreciate the benefits of not having to reinvent the wheel to make your business work.

Social Marketing Networks
Online social marketing networks have served the purpose of educating new entrepreneurs as well as honing the skills of experienced entrepreneurs. This is because in an online social marketing network, you can ask for a business advice by posting your questions in a new forum and reading the answers given by some successful members. An article about the most common mistakes a newbie makes in any line of business alone can save you from making the same costly mistake. Furthermore, your learning curve will be much shorter as the other members in the network can help you find information, contacts and procedures that you need to start or manage your business.

Conversely, these successful businessmen can also generate leads and business opportunities through these online social marketing networks by providing the new entrepreneurs the tools they need to successfully jump start their business. All in all, social marketing networks benefit every member by making available information, means of sharing ideas, and ways of gathering information otherwise unavailable through other means.

Criteria in Choosing your Online Social Marketing Network
Of course, not all social marketing networks are the same so you must choose wisely. The best online social marketing network for you will obviously be the ones you will benefit from the most. For this reason, if you are a new entrepreneur, choosing the social marketing network with the most active and most numerous successful members will be the best choice. This is because the advice that they will be able to impart regarding your concerns will be ones based on something they have encountered before that has worked and not something they have only theorized about.

Of course, surrounding yourself with successful people in your field of business will also give you the right frame of mind and outlook in overcoming the challenges that will come your way. These people will tend to be supportive and not pessimistic because they themselves have learned to overcome these problems when they were starting out on their own.

Make sure to also choose a group that is well lead and structured as this will prove to be very important in making the transactions and conversations easier to participate in and more beneficial for the members. Beware of some social networks having very lax leadership; this defeats the purpose of creating the group in the first place with some members filling the forums with spams, advertisements, viruses etc. With social marketing networks, learn more, share more and profit more.

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