Do you use Twitter or Facebook for business?

My company is considering utlizing social networking for marketing/PR purposes, and I'm doing some research on best practices.

Do any of you utilize Twitter, Facebook or other social networking sites for client development and relationships? Any tips on best practices? I also have found there are some software applications out there that provide some ease-to-post options and analytics, especially for Twitter (ping.fm, hootsuite, tweetdeck, etc.). Any thoughts on those?

Thanks.

 

I have got few jobs from facebook. I freelance and have had people see what I do and offer me work.

 

I use tweetdeck. I run one for a company I consult for....but basically its just kind of small news and announcements now.

Most people just link blogs and news from their company website...that's the best way to do it. follow people in the industry and they follow you back.

 

A lot of bloggers use it to post links and then just make general comments that don't warrant a full blog post, and also for some back and forth discussion with people using @.

I was looking at this one guy, who had like 40,000 followers, who was using twitter as a marketing component. I had no idea what the hell the guy he was doing. His tweets seemed completely illogical to me.

 

keyword searches maybe? #marketing

 

I do a ton of online marketing. I did set up a Facebook group for the company, but it didn't do much. I really have a hard time seeing how to make money for a retail product-type company like mine on Facebook/Twitter.

Most of my efforts go into Search Engine Optimization, Google Adwords and blogging.

 

I used myspace to screen receptionists to find the hot ones.

 

Aren't you then just penalizing people who stay current on popular internet trends? Aren't you basically admitting that your hiring system has a bias toward ludites?

People with Facebook pages aren't inherently more immoral and obnoxious. Their personal lives, warts and all, are just more exposed.

If you find that Facebook only harms an applicant's chances, I'd stop using it. Otherwise in the long run you'll find yourself hiring more and more crusty old bastards who barely know their way around email. I've helped enough of those types with their computers to know that it ain't what I'd want to fill up an office with.

 

So you are saying that Facebookers are penalized for using Facebook, but it's ok because the technology morons have their own strikes against them because they are techno morons, and it all evens out?

That seems a weird kind of balance to me.

Myself, I'd have a bias against somebody who didn't have Facebook account. It's a little like not having an email account in 2000. Sure, it's still socially acceptable not to have it, but the people who don't tend to be the same people who don't know how to add up a column of numbers on a spreadsheet.

 

Out of curiosity, do you also ask applicants for any anonymous message board screen names on sites that they may even moderate?

 

i'm going to try to use twitter to land a new job. we'll see how that goes.

 

Well, not really. You can compare one person's attractiveness to another. You can compare one resume to another.

How do you compare those who have a Facebook account to those who don't? Obviously, it's pretty binary: Those who are aware of technology and use it to keep track of friends have Facebook, and are therefore punished by you. Those who don't seem as aware of technology and/or don't have friends and therefore don't have a Facebook account are rewarded by you. Does that really sound like a smart way to prejudice your hiring methodology?

Sure. And it's possible to find a good mechanic who doesn't work on his own cars, or a great writer who hates writing on his personal time. Good luck with that.

 

I'm going to actually get the ball rolling and be a Web 2.0 consultant, where i manage Twitter and facebook and other web-things (reputation management) for clients. Hopefully I can get the bare bones up this week....beats sending out resumes. I'm developing a menu of services right now!

 

btw, check out this week's time, GREAT cover....