Who plans a wedding the day after taking their $100 billion company public? The same guy who wears hoodies in board meetings.

Thankfully, he wore a suit and tie to his wedding.

28-year old Mark Zuckerberg married long-time sweetheart Priscilla Chan, 27, on Saturday at a small ceremony in his Palo Alto home’s backyard. The couple, who met at a frat party in 2003 (a year before he launched TheFacebook), wed in front of less than 100 guests.

They weren’t told it was a wedding as the man who is so much in the public eye shies away from exposure of his private life. The guests were told that they were celebrating his “girlfriend’s” graduation.

The ruby wedding ring was reportedly designed by Zuckerberg himself.

So, a large number of the cognoscenti have gone downright apoplectic about Mark Zuckerberg daring to wear a hoodie to all-so-serious meeting of business bigwigs. The scandal.  What’s next?  White after labor day?  Red shoes on a Thursday?  How can our society survive without our sumptuary laws?  Perhaps the Mayans were right: the end is nigh!

Sarcasm aside, it really does show an interesting moment about social media and its place in society and Mark Zuckerberg—for good or for ill—is its personification.   Social media is not businesslike; it is not Chanel and it is not Brooks Brothers.  It is hoodies and jeans.  It is, by its very nature, more casual and much more direct.  It is not businesslike?

But should it be?  Businesses are certainly trying to make it that way.  They can ape a casual voice, but they still craft their voice in the same hyper-calculated way the make press releases or invoices.  Facebook, after all, is poised to conquer Wall Street.  Maybe it is time to change?

I think not.

Social media is powerful because it’s direct, personal, casual.  By taking away its main selling point, it can no longer do its job.  It is a bit of a paradox, but being too businesslike will actually be bad for business.  Companies need social media to be a hoodie.

This is not the first time that an online entity has undergone a massive change in tone; in fact, the internet itself did it back in 1993.  Believe it or not, there was a time when the internet was not casual.  It had a genteel, rarefied tone that was aggressively monitored by those that used it.  Before America Online brought it to the masses, the internet was the sort of place where you were scolded for being rude and spam was unthinkable.

This small group of sophisticated netizens only really grew in September, when a new crop of college students joined the online world.  Thankfully, this small group could be trained so that by November it was back to its lovely, Tea and Cake with the Bishop self.   Massive internet access altered this forever, and now the internet is the steaming morass of rudeness and obscenity we all know it to be, a situation decried as the eternal September.

It would appear, therefore, that the same businesses which removed the class from the internet wish for it to return.  As Cher lamented, however, you cannot turn back time.  We have gone from an internet of white gloves and tails to ones of hoodies and blue jeans.   Pandora’s Box has been opened and the Rubicon crossed.  Let’s get used to it.

Each year, Google makes changes to its search algorithm up to 600 times. This is way too many times to keep up with new changes, and its affecting the ranking of every website on the World Wide Web. Although Google considers most of these changes minor, many website owners find it quite challenging to adapt to changes soon enough.

Every few months, major search engines roll out important algorithm updates which affect the way in which search engines rank websites. Google might consider these changes minor, but I can honestly tell you that; that is not how website owners view those changes because they affect search results significantly. And of course it will be very hard to keep up with some of those changes sometimes.

It important however, that search marketers know and understand these changes and updates. These updates will help you explain changes in website rankings as well as organic website traffic which most of these websites depend upon. And it is important to know that understanding these updates can help you with your search engine optimization.

Search engines love social media because they know that most people express their views without bias on social media networks such as Facebook, twitter, and etc. If a products or service receives a favorable rating on one of the social media networks, major search engines take note of that. Major search engines know that people interact with one another on these websites in ways never seen before. They share their passion, interest, hobbies, and etc.

It is hard to see how search engines can disagree with so many people on these social networks. Even before the recent changes took effect, websites were ranked according to the number of genuine visitors received on each day that passes by. Of course, we cannot ignore valuable products and information, but that alone is not enough.
Words of Caution

Many website owners have now turned to purchasing Facebook likes, something that no one saw coming. Although you have to do it in way that’s not obvious, it does really work if done correctly. Search engines are always crawling social media networks for many things, and not just for fun. They pay attention to every small detail on these websites because they learn a lot of things every day. And they take everything for granted.
If Facebook likes were of no use, then you must ask yourself a simple question; why do the major search engines take these likes very seriously? The answer to this question is very simple; because people like value and not garbage. If many people come out and share how they like a certain product or service, it is very hard to see how these major search engines will oppose them. That will be like a suicide mission, and who would want to do that.

You also have to understand that search engines are not stupid; therefore, you must buy your Facebook likes in a way that won’t put you at risk of being penalized by major search engines because your online business depends on them. That being said, if done correctly it will boost your profit margins in ways you never imagined, which is why even big brand names with well-established foundations are looking for Facebook likes.
If those Facebook likes were nothing or not important at all, no one would even care about them so much. Many businesses big and small, online as well as offline are all fighting for a spot on the first page of Google, because this is where most people go to look for thing to purchase on the internet. And they trust Google on top of everything else.

The buildup to the Facebook IPO scheduled for a week from now has been anything but boring. Even the boring parts are being blown up in ways that make them exciting, such as the media’s fascination with Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie during his IPO roadshow. Long-term investors are starting to get the jitters based upon declarations of “innovation before profits” coming from Facebook’s upper management. Is the table being set for a roller coaster ride after their initial public offering?

Yes.

Facebook will explode out of the gates. It will be the hottest stock to buy for the first couple of weeks as quick-in-quick-out investors buy it up and watch their money multiply. They will all be watching for signs of the turning point when the first big selloff will begin, at which time the stocks will start to fall sharply, possibly below their IPO value. Will it be two months? Two weeks? Two days? Very few people know for sure (yes, there are some who actually do know with relative certainty because they’ll be part of the reason for it happening in the first place), but it’s very clear that it will happen at some point.

How Facebook recovers from that will determine how successful it will be long-term.

This isn’t beyond Facebook’s control. They may have scared off the all-important long-term money that makes most stocks much more stable, but they still have a hand in it through buzz. If they can create positive buzz surrounding their products and services, it will attract the WSJ Front Pagers (those who invest based upon news rather than insights) who can help elevate the bottom to an acceptable level, hopefully above the IPO price.

For the long haul, they’ll need to demonstrate growth beyond users. The revenue is being outpaced by marketing expenses and user adoption which is always a bad sign. The investors who plugged into Google and Apple will wait to see forward movement in profits before diving in. The sooner, the better for Facebook as they are unlikely to make a big move since forking over $1 billion for Instagram.

If they do make a big move, it would be to take over Bing, a move that some expect shortly after the IPO.

At the end of the day it’s not a question of whether Facebook will skyrocket, then plummet. It’s a question of where the bottom will be and whether they can then grow it at a steady pace to go beyond their early high point before the 12-month mark. If they can, they should have a long-term winner. If not, they may regret going public in the first place.

Related articles

• Four ways Facebook has transformed the tech IPO (news.cnet.com)
• Facebook IPO Meeting Weaker-Than-Expected Demand [REPORT] (mashable.com)
• Learn From the Facebook IPO (solo-e.com)
• Facebook IPO will be tough for investors to get in on (usatoday.com)
• Facebook IPO – Will The Average Investor Get A Shot? (boston.cbslocal.com)
• Facebook IPO: Targeting $96 Billion Company Valuation (wire.kapitall.com)
• Facebook is as big as Europe, but how does it stack up against prior tech IPOs? (venturebeat.com)
• Zuckerberg a no-show at Facebook’s Boston IPO roadshow (slashgear.com)
• Other Social Sites Trend Poorly Ahead of Facebook IPO (soshable.com)

In late April 2012, brand pages on Facebook were migrated to the new Timeline layout, making most social media plans for the year redundant. Authority social media websites like Mashable, Read Write Web, and many others ran a series of posts on making the best of the Timeline layout.

What benefit does Timeline have for brands then? For starters, it pulls the plug on landing tabs that brands used to increase the number of page likes and increases the value of visually appealing content through powerful cover images. Many brands have already created drool worthy Timeline profiles and are using them to increase customer engagement.

Here are three brands that’ve changed the way Facebook pages work with their well crafted branding strategies:

Coca-Cola

There is no doubt that Coca-Cola is a globally recognized brand that doesn’t need to work too hard to build a strong, engaged community, but their social media efforts resonate with their target audience through the young, upbeat cover image.

Notice that the “About” section doesn’t say anything about the brand, rather it’s about the “you” or the user. It’s a way of thanking the community for making Coke an integral part of our lives.

The key takeaways here:

• Use a powerful cover image – The cover image is among the most dominating features of Facebook Timeline. It’s also the first thing a user sees when they land on a page. Choose an image that reflects the USP of your brand. A high resolution image with clean graphics is the key to creating a statement with your cover image.
• All about the user – One of the key mistakes brands and businesses make is creating an “About” page that is only about the brand. Understandably, this is because they want to provide information about the business, but are your users even interested in knowing about the business? Or, are they interested in knowing what you can do for them? When creating an about page, make it more about the user and less about you.

For more great cover images, check out Sharpie and Ben & Jerry’s on Facebook.

Livestrong

The Livestrong Facebook page is a wonderful example for uniting the community by following the organization’s core work – empowering people to fight against cancer. By including important tabs below the header, users can head on over to view events, blog, and also share their story with the rest of the community. This not only saves time, but also helps build user engagement.

Another great example of Livestrong’s use of Facebook Timeline is the post starring feature, as shown in the following screen shot:

Starring a post makes it larger than standard posts, thus increasing their visibility. Starred posts are also likely to receive more attention and higher engagement than standard posts. The above post is a great example of how the community is helping a cancer patient fight the disease.

The key takeaways here:

• List the important stuff where your fans can see it – By choosing what tabs to display, you make it easier for fans to find information they need. They don’t need to spend time in finding it on your page. For an e-commerce website, these tabs could include a link to the e-store, customer recommendations or reviews, the company blog, or even sale events.
• Star important posts to increase visibility – Starred posts are nearly double the size of a standard post. Use this feature to increase engagement on a specific post.

Magnolia Bakery

If you can take your eyes away from the mouth watering display of cakes in their cover image, Magnolia Bakery’s use of Facebook Timeline should be an inspiration for local businesses!

First, the business information such as phone number is listed clearly in the “About” section, making it easier for users to contact the bakery, if needed. Second, notice how they’ve used Facebook apps such as the map feature, again making it convenient for users to get directions to the bakery without visiting an external application.

Another brilliant feature of Facebook Timeline is milestones. Brands can use it to highlight information such as foundation dates, important dates in the history of the brand, and so on, like Magnolia Bakery has done:

Use this feature to interact with fans and personalize their experience on your brand’s page.

The key takeaways here:

• Use apps that are relevant to your business – By including important information about your business below the cover image, you reduce customer effort and increase customer satisfaction rates. Think about why users are visiting your page and what they expect from the brand.
• Use milestones to highlight important events – Important events in your business’s history may be available on your website, but Facebook makes it way cooler with the scroll feature, where users can see these by clicking on a particular year. Personalize your brand for your customers!

Post the mandatory Facebook Timeline rollout, these simple strategies should now become a core component of your social media marketing plan.

Related articles

• How to Increase Engagement of Facebook Pages Using Timeline (soshable.com)
• Don’t make these 5 mistakes in your brand’s Facebook timeline (digital-diva.co.uk)
• Is the New Facebook Timeline a Failure in Design? (jeffbullas.com)

Whether you’re maintaining a personal or a business Facebook page for marketing or for branding, running out of things to post or share is a no-no. It is important to keep yourself visible and active among your followers, more so for business pages. That’s why when I chanced upon this Facebook app, I was nothing short of thrilled.

Maintain Facebook Pages and Groups like a pro

It’s called the Post Planner. Simply put, it allows you to schedule Facebook updates on your profile, pages or groups like you can schedule blog posts in sites like WordPress and Blogspot. It also allows you to post to a number of Facebook pages and groups in one go and automate your RSS feeds for blog entries. But the best feature that got me interested in this app is that it suggests things that you can post and lets you put your brand all over your followers’ walls. You can even schedule repeat updates and specify time zones in case you have followers worldwide. Amazing isn’t it?

Brand like a rockstar

Introduced in March 2011 by developers Go West Social (by Joshua Parkinson) and Julie Cros, the FB Post Planner was actually intended to assist businesses and social media marketers in planning Facebook posts and strategies for branding and marketing. Its features allow for maximum exposure to target audiences with minimal need for management and maintenance.

This Facebook app allows you to easily add your logo, brand and website link in every post, perfect for those into internet marketing, affiliate marketing and other ventures that involve social media marketing and branding. Since FB updates can be scheduled, it ensures visibility within your FB community even if you can’t go online everyday. It allows you to regularly post viral content to establish online authority and maximize FB publicity.

Save time and effort

Posting Facebook content every now and then can be a drag, especially if you’re off to some good long vacation and have decided on an Internet-free escapade to some island in the Mediterranean.

With this app, you can maximize the time you spend on Facebook and do marketing with top efficiency. No need to spend hours or days pondering on what to say or how to break the ice with your audience. With over 5,000 status update suggestions, man, there wouldn’t even be an ice to break if you keep posting and sharing like a pro.

A little drawback…

But just in case you are wondering, this app isn’t free. As of press time, there are three packages that you can avail of, varying in prices and available features and functions: Pro ($4.95/month), Branded ($14.95/month) and Team ($24.95/month).

The Pro package only allows for posting to your Profile, posting to your Pages, and accessing the status idea database for 1 admin. The other two packages offer additional features: posting to your Groups, RSS feed syndication, post branding, and addition of website link to every post. The Branded package allows for 1 admin; the Team package allows for 5.

But not really…

Actually, Post Planner doesn’t really alienate those who just want to try the app before shelling out some dollars, since there is a free 30-day trial for those who just want to check it out. You can just install the app from the Post Planner website or try it straight from Facebook. When you go to the app, you’ll be faced with the usual “allow” pages until you see this, where you can check out the app and how it works, only with limited features..

Related articles

• 8 tips for improving your Facebook EdgeRank (techi.com)
• Top 5 Facebook Open Graph Apps Your Small Business Should Be Using (soshable.com)
• 4 Tools to Enhance Brand Engagement on Facebook (mashable.com)

There is a huge effect of Facebook Timeline on brand pages as it opens a number of opportunities for those business entities who wants to market and build their brand online through the best social networking site. A successful fan page is one that allows the business to reach potential clients, connect with honest customers, and build an image of loyalty in their market of existence.

For getting these benefits, you must have to make use of Facebook timeline for the best advantage of your business. Its effect can be very fascinating as it is capable of attracting several customers with an ease. Thus, you have to use this element for the purpose of building good brand image of your business through the brand page.

Facebook timeline is now recognized as the newest way of viewing profile of an entity. It has the potential to generate different kind of reactions for the users of FB. There are some people who do not like this page, but, its liking is very high, and a number of people want to try this new timeline option. You can make use of new setting of your profile for the ultimate purpose of telling about your own brand to the world. You can have a start by just activating the setting of timeline in your profile. However, the page does not go live instantly. Facebook will provide some time to familiarize with the page, and know the numerous features of it. At that time, your fans and friends will see the old profile. They are able to see the new profile after the timeline page is published by you. You can make use of Facebook timeline for the best advantage of your business.

·         Update cover photo that attracts the potential customers: Cover photo is a new feature of timeline page in FB. This is an image that is visible on the top of the Facebook timeline page. This could be the best representation of your business with the help of fascinating photo. This could a symbol of your business to your fans and friends. This is a source that will allow customers to remember your business or portraits the profile of the business. However, you must be sure to put the photo that attract potential customers and make a unique mark for your business.

·         Best information of the brand: You will find a section in timeline profile in which you can provide general information about the company, address, name, and other details. You must fill all the information that is necessary. You can also add some catchy statements that can attract customers ultimately improving your brand image.

·         Use of numerous applications: After filling necessary information about the company; you can make use of applications for the best advantage of your business. You have the choice of selecting applications that you want to display on your page. You can customize those applications that are useful as advantage to your business. These applications could play a significant role in improving brand image through your brand page.

Summary: Facebook Timeline is very useful in brand pages of the companies as they are helpful in building brand image of the company. Using it wisely can be a very helpful activity to improve the brand image of the company.

Related articles

• How to Increase Engagement of Facebook Pages Using Timeline (soshable.com)
• Facebook Timeline for Brands: 10 Things to Get Right (socialmediatoday.com)
• Facebook Timeline: Friend or Foe for Brands? (soshable.com)
• Don’t make these 5 mistakes in your brand’s Facebook timeline (digital-diva.co.uk)

What determines your choice when purchasing clothing? Is it the style or how many people like the item on Facebook? In Brazil a retailer by the name of C&A decided to merge technology and fashion with Facebook likes. It’s called FashionLike. Shoppers will have the option to choose certain items of clothing, measured by how many likes the item has.

This new concept can help the undecided shopper by providing a rating system for a particular item. FashionLike also helps clothing designers know what items are popular before people are buying it or not buying it. The voice of the consumer can be heard behind every Facebook like as clothes shoppers pick out a striking new wardrobe. While a shopper flips through the clearance rack, they can update their likes from their iPhone.

As much as I like the idea of having a rating system on the hanger of my potentially new mini-skirt, I don’t think I want other consumer’s opinions to be a part of my shopping. I enjoy picking and choosing the clothes I am going to wear and I think the thousands of likes on one blouse don’t hold a candle to the pretty blouse I found down the road. Do you think that this new media tool will sway the way people shop? Do you think that people are going to gravitate or turn it away form this idea? Share your opinion.

It’s a given that social media has turned into a great tool for many things. It has become a digital home to advertisers, writers, business’, musicians and the everyday web surfer. But it seems that more and more people are allowing themselves to be caught up in the social media moment and too much of a good thing could very well be a bad thing.

I know if you are like me, you probably find yourself frequently using Facebook to update statuses or on Twitter “tweeting” away. This takes away from what you are currently doing in real life. People check-in at places, or update their status about what they are doing or where they are and with who, rather than enjoying the moment they are in. What you have to do is find that middle ground dividing social media land and the world we actually live in. Just the other day I was shopping for a brand new iPhone case for my phone and instead of looking around in the store I found myself on my phone I was shopping for, more than what I was intending to do.

Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are of course very useful in our everyday lives but you don’t want to put everything you do into it, becoming a digital robot. You want to still engage with people around you while using your spare time to check out the latest tweets posted by your favorite celeb or look at new pictures on Facebook that your best friend uploaded.

Here are some tips on how to manage both your social media life and your personal life without being completely enslaved:

1. Status update – There is no reason for everyone to know what you are doing at all times. While it is fun to update your status and that of your cat’s, making everyone aware of your existence every minute can be a little annoying. Try scheduling updates of your status. Infrequent status updates can be just as impacting as excessive updates.
2. Calendar updates – When you adjust your calendar on your phone, keep a written copy handy as well. A pocket sized calendar will do just fine (if your phone breaks you at least have a hard copy to refer back on). Schedule a coffee break with a friend because an espresso by text is not as enjoyable.
3. Useful Apps – Try downloading apps that you would use in certain environments. An app that makes fart noises may not appeal to most but an app that helps you compare prices on products or helps you find the perfect wedding dress might be more practical. Try to use these apps before you go shopping so that you are not the victim of a pitfall.

What I’m trying to say is you can enjoy all the wonderful benefits of using social media, without being sucked in and neglecting your family and friends around you. Let social media awareness play a part in how you use these sites and use them how they are intended to be used; not as a means of survival.

From the looks of it, Facebook is gearing up its Open Graph platform to be its very own app store, one that could possibly one day compete with the likes of iTunes and the Android Marketplace. The social networking company has been working diligently on the platform over the last year, and recently introduced more than 60 new applications for users to play with.

Here are five that should be of interest to small businesses:

Pinterest

Pinterest is not only one of the latest apps to leverage Facebook’s Open Graph, it is also one of the hottest platforms in the social networking space. Designed as a virtual pinboard, Pinterest allows users to pin interesting content they find on the web to their own personal board, and then share it with the world. Through integration with Facebook, it enables them to stream activity directly to their timeline.

Digg

Digg is another popular name that has been added to the list of Facebook Open Graph apps. If you don’t know by now, Digg is one of the most widely used sites in the social bookmarking space, offering small businesses advantages such as increased exposure and traffic. Since launching its Social Reader app on Open Graph, Digg’s page views have increased by roughly 35%.

BranchOut

BranchOut is a Facebook Open Graph app made with professionals in mind. This application has proven to be extremely useful at helping business users identify connections, and not only post jobs to the BranchOut network, but the entire Facebook network.. The usefulness of this app has been by recognized by FastCompany, Forbes, and TechCrunch, all of whom have given it great reviews.

BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed is another interesting Open Graph app small businesses should consider checking out. Perhaps the best way to use this application is as an inspiration for content. You need interesting information to share, and BuzzFeed provides convenient access to content from around the web.
By regularly visiting the site, or subscribing to its RSS feed or email notifications, you can stay on top of all the trendy news in your niche and make sure you never run of content ideas.

Appsfire

Last but least on our list is Appsfire. This one deserves a spin or two because it was made to help you easily find useful apps. Appsfire makes the discovery process a synch and serves up plenty of free and paid options for your browsing pleasure. One of the coolest features this program has to offer is a built-in ranking system that shows you which apps are currently trending on Facebook. Neat, huh?

Summary

These are just five of the many new apps recently launched on the Facebook Open Graph platform. Several more could be introduced in the very near future. It has been said that the Open Graph is the key to Facebook’s continued growth, and if that’s the case, its evolution will be vital for the numerous smart businesses that depend on the site.