The Fastest, Easiest Way to Break Into Social Media

One word: BLOG!

(More to come soon...)

Join the #EarthHour Conversation! We are Just Hours Away Now!

From 8:30 to 9:30 pm, your local time, you are asked to turn off all of your lights to show your support for energy conservation.  For more information, check out earthhour.org or follow the #earthhour hashtag on Twitter.

In fact, if you are participating, show your support by tweeting #earthhour!

Calling All Small Business of Charlottesville and Albermarle!

If you are a small business owner in Charlottesville or Albermarle and are looking to grow your business online using social media, I have a website for you!

THMediaOnline.com offers "Social Media Marketing Solutions for Small Business."

Did you know?

-97% of people with online access will research products and services online before they purchase

-5% of all searches are done with an intent to buy

-55% of all local searches are done with an intent to buy

-Of all local searches, 8 out of 10 call or visit a store and 60% of those result in a purchase

-Times are rapidly changing and traditional advertising mediums are losing their effectiveness

Traditional print advertising is becoming less effective. Most people have thrown their Yellow Pages away and search online. Newspaper’s readership is down and many papers are declaring bankruptcy. With TiVo, people are skipping commercials. Search results are dominated by large companies and since search results bring information overload, local businesses get lost.

Check out
THMediaOnline.com and "Don't get lost in the crowd, Travel Higher with TH Media!"

Twitter is Doing Some Good, Building Schools

In his weekly column for CNN, Pete Cashmore writes today about the importance of today's Twestival.

From CNN.com:

Today people in more than 175 cities will attend meetups to raise money for Concern Worldwide, helping to provide an education to the estimated 72 million children around the world who are not enrolled in school.

How are they coordinating this global event? Through Twitter, of course.

Local event attendees simply register on the Twestival Web site, then spread the message through their tweets. Those not attending local events can donate online or participate in a celebrity auctionhosted by eBay.

Turning tweets into dollars

Twestival, now in its second year, can move the dial in terms of dollars raised. Last year's event brought in $250,000 for a charity to bring clean water to 17,000 people.

At the time of this writing, this year's fundraising total stands at $208,000 -- enough to build 12 new schools and train 30 teachers. Given that the majority of donations occur at the events themselves, the final tally could be significantly higher.

Global awareness

Twestival doesn't just bring in the dollars. It matters because it raises awareness on a global scale. With more than 48,000 tweets posted about the event so far, Concern Worldwide has seen its message spread by a veritable army of Twitter fanatics.

It's true to say that North America leads in the fundraising charts; the continent accounts for 42 percent of donations. But Europe ranks a close second, accounting for 31 percent of funds. Asia accounts for 7 percent of donors, proving the movement has global reach.

Paving the way

But Twestival's lasting impact may be in the movement it has spawned. The 2009 event - and similar campaigns such as the Thanksgiving-themed Tweetsgiving -- were pioneers for social media fundraising campaigns.

This year's Haiti SMS appeal, organized by the American Red Cross, raised in excess of $32 million for earthquake relief following the January 12 quake. Much of the success of that campaign was credited to the "viral spread" of the message on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, a model proven by Twestival in early 2009.

Twestival's impact, then, is threefold: Its cash haul is significant, it raises awareness of the cause on a worldwide scale and it provides the framework for future campaigns.

It's great to see social media doing some good in the world! 

Lastest Craze for Teen Girl: The 'Haul' Video

According to Newser:

The newest viral craze sweeping YouTube is the “haul video,” which works like this: A young woman goes on a shopping spree, returns home, turns on her webcam and…shows the world her haul. The products are usually fairly democratic, from chain stores like Target and Abercrombie, Marisa Meltzer writes, which could explain the videos’ appeal. “The majority of teenagers can't afford to imitate Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl …”

“But they could be another Blair, aka Juicystar07, buying those rear-diminishing jeans from Forever 21,” Meltzer writes at Slate. “To the average teen, her seal of approval might carry even more weight than Anna Wintour’s.” These young women may be universally bubbly, but they’re not bragging, says Juicystar07. “ It's more like, I'm 16, I work two jobs, and this is what I've saved my money up for, and I'm excited to share it with you guys.”

Twitter in the Classroom?

Dr. Monica Rankin of the University of Texas at Dallas experimented with Twitter in the classroom to find that it actually increased student engagement.

Watch her story: