I have always been a big fan of Tweetdeck, at least over the last 2 years. In the last few weeks I have been testing Hootsuite, and I do like it better since the last update. I prefer an app that runs on my desktop over a web app myself. That is one thing that has kept me away from Hootsuite is that it isn’t available as a desktop app. But I have been testing it recently, and some of the features are really great, like the new themes and the addition of Ping.fm which Tweetdeck does not have yet.

One think Mike was mistaken on, was that Tweetdeck does in fact support Facebook Pages, but I won’t hold it against him since I know he uses Hootsuite more than Tweetdeck, and it was a recent addition.

Conclusion:

My verdict is still out on the two apps, I am still testing. Like I said earlier, I really like the addition of ping.fm on Hootsuite, but I prefer to have a desktop app. One other thing I like Tweetdeck better for is I can have only certain notifications on. I like to have my @replies notify me, but Hootsuite only offers notifications either on or off.

What about you? Do you use either of these? Do you have another favorite?

PS: Don’t forget to grab a copy of Mike’s 50 Tips To Boost Your Social Media. It’s free, and you don’t even have to opt in!

Twitter:

This is, and has been, my favorite place for networking. Even though it has it’s problems at times I still prefer it to any other.

I am able to reach a broader audience using Twitter because I have just over 5k followers there too. (not saying that to brag or anything, because 5k followers really isn’t that much on twitter anymore) I have lists I use to track different people I want to keep up with. And I have made connections on Twitter that have turned into business relationships.

Overall, the ease of use and the number of people in my niche using Twitter makes it the best choice for me.

LinkedIn:

What? Not Facebook second? Nope, not for me. Linked in has proven to be the single best professional networking tool I use. I use it to network with people in manufacturing and wholesale for my product site(s).

I have more coming out about how and why LinkedIn works so well for real business networking, but it will probably be posted on my blog and not here since the focus on Keith Bloemendaal dot com will be products, marketing, and topics related to how I earn my living that way.

A simple story that convinced me that LinkedIn was a powerful tool that gets underused:

I needed a vinyl fence manufacturer to add to my site where I sell fence products, so I started joining some groups on LinkedIn related to that industry. I posted in the “jobs” sections a short paragraph explaing what I was looking for, and within a few days I had six manufacturers that met my requirements.

Try doing that on Twitter or Facebook!

Skype:

I am putting Skype as my 3rd choice, and even though it isn’t as easy to “network” using Skype, there are ways. I am a member of a private chat that includes 25-50 other bloggers. They come and go, but over the last 6mos I have made some great connections in that chat room, and am partnered on 2 projects  currently through those connections.

I also use Skype for all my US and Canadian calling. I decided to purchase a calling plan from Skype 3 or 4 mos ago, and if I remember right, it costs me $7-8 per month for unlimited calls (incoming and outgoing), which includes a local number for me to use as my phone number. I simply use the same headset I use for other Skype calls, and if I am away I can either forward the calls or use the voicemail feature (both are included).

I also use Skype for my consulting calls. It is a great way to have either voice or video calls with clients. My clients can also reach me anytime I am available through text chat on Skype.

Facebook:

Facebook is the last on the list for me. It really has nothing to do with the privacy issues, or other issues FB recently encountered. I just simply don’t find the same use out of it. It has become over run with Mafia and Farm games, which I just don’t have time for. I do use it to communicate with some personal friends and family, but that is mostly all I get out of it.

I do still think it is a powerful tool, and I have pages setup for HotBlogTips and for myself. I plan to try and use those pages to extend my reach. But I am not getting the same results as I do from Twitter for that purpose.

Discussion:

There you have it, my favorite spots, and why. What about you?

Shutting Twitter down has helped me tremendously with my productivity over the last several days. This is a catch 22 for me, because I love using Twitter to network, but at the same time I seem to waste a lot of time on it.

Limiting Use:

This week, I will be trying to limit my use on Twitter. I have talked to some other bloggers about this, and I have always been skeptical about shutting down things like email and social applications. Since I manage several Twitter accounts (mostly my personal account though), I use Tweetdeck and it is hard to not use it if it is just sitting there looking at me!

So, this coming week, I will “try” to use Twitter less, and get more work done. I have a lot of projects going, including one I just started today (Sunday), so I need to concentrate on them more, and use social media less.

Sometimes we have to prioritize, and this is one of those times for me.

Conclusion:

As I stated, I am a firm believer that using tools like Twitter can really help to keep and gain authority and an audience. But, when it seems to interfere with activities that actually involve money, then it is time to re-think the strategy.

Whoa Mike, this sounds like you might be using Twitter as a business tool! “They” might not like that! <insert sarcasm>

In all seriousness, Mike knows what he is talking about, and if you need any help with Social Media, be sure to check his services here!

Happy Memorial Day.

Icerocket is a really cool site to find people taking about topics that interest you and get involved with the conversation. As Mike said, be careful not to jump in and immediately start promoting or selling. Try to build a relationship first. If the conversation is good, they will find out about your products anyway!

Not only is IceRocket great for finding Twitter conversations on topics, but I have used it to find blog posts and news about certain topics I am researching or following too!

Give Icerocket a try and let us know what you think!

I touched briefly on the big Facebook issue going around. I don’t know the details of it, and I really don’t care much about it. But if you don’t like it, just simply use the “delete account” feature and move on. Why waste valuable time on it?

Mainly, in this post, I wanted to discuss networking. Or better, a lack of networking. What are you doing to network and promote your brand? How do you get eyeballs to your site? What are you doing to network on Twitter or other social sites? Are you taking advantage of options out there?

PS: I am working with a partner to create a new Social Bookmarking site called Dagaloo. We are looking for beta testers to help solve usability issues, please take a look (quietly) and let us know your thoughts.

Mike hits on some great points here with “automating” your social media. I have been testing a few scheduled tweets, and saw good results from it, but I am also very active on twitter with @replies and RT’s of other peoples articles that I think my followers will like.

Something else I have been testing is Twitterfeed. This service allows you to setup tweets from a feed (RSS), and I set my own feed to send out, as well as a few blogs I read that I always seem to RT their articles. Again, I use this in moderation though.

Personally I agree with Mike here, you can’t automate it completely, but there are some things you can do to make it a little easier, and scheduled tweets aren’t that bad, if used in moderation.

What I really like about this video, is it reminds me that my Twitter lists are not organized at all. I use Tweetdeck for my Twitter app, and with a nice big screen (23″) I can have 6-7 columns open without have to side scroll. I won’t go into which app is best, maybe Mike can do a series on that later, but I like Tweetdeck, and seem to always go back to it.

I currently have one list (that I actually follow) and it is listed as bloggers (link to that list) on my account. The problem is, I dump everyone in that list that I want to pay attention to, whether they are bloggers or not. For example, I have Mike in that list, and while he is a blogger, I probably should have a social media list.

Discussion:

Do you use lists? If so, are there certain ways that make using lists on Twitter better for your overall experience? Share your favorite list with us, maybe we can all discover more great lists and people to follow!

As you can see, that is a method I use to determine if I am going to follow someone that followed me. I also spend a little time seeking out interesting people to follow, and not just wait for the followers to come to me, I will do a screencast on that another time.

Discussion:

This is just a method that I recently started using after I was sick of the spam and garbage going around Twitter, as I stated in the video, my way isn’t necessarily the right way, but it is my way. What about you? What do you look for in a follower, or do you just follow anyone that follows you?

Sponsored Tweets

Sponsored Tweets was the first one I signed up for. The way it works is you sign up for a Sponsored Tweets account (affiliate link), which your Twitter account must be 90 days old and you have to have at least 100 followers. From there you are able to set your account up and fill out some information about yourself, using keywords to attract advertisers. Initially my “suggested price per tweet” was $3.50, but I didn’t get any offers at that price. I lowered my price gradually until offers started coming in. The good part about Sponsored  Tweets, is you don’t have to accept an offer from every advertiser, if you don’t think your followers will like the add, don’t accept it.

My Likes

Personally I like this one better, it allows me to pick the ad I want to send, and you get paid per click (price set by advertiser). If your ad gets RT’ed or if you send it out to multiple sources from Twitter, you could get more clicks, meaning more money. Once you sign up for an account with MyLikes (affiliate link) you can go through and pick something to send out, you get to write the ad yourself, and you can return everyday to send out an ad if you like. It is easier to get paid with MyLikes too, you can set your Paypal address up and they pay every Friday as long as you have at least $2 in revenue.

Does It Work?

Yes, it does work, I have manged to make a little money this way, even more than I make on Adsense some weeks. Will you get rich, I don’t think so. But I think it is a good way to make a few extra bucks online. I don’t send out many ads and I always use #ads hashtag in the tweet so my followers know it is an ad. If you are able to send out ads that have products your followers may appreciate, then I don’t see anything wrong with it. The max I have sent is 2 tweets in one day, compared to the 20+ other tweets where I engage with my followers, I don’t think it is spammy at all.

Discussion

What do you think? Would you consider it spammy to send ads over the Twitter airwaves? Have you used these services before and had any luck? Do you think your followers will get mad about it?