SUMMIZE – A GREAT TOOL FOR FINDING NEW VIRTUAL ASSISTANT CLIENTS
SUMMIZE – A GREAT TOOL FOR FINDING NEW VIRTUAL ASSISTANT CLIENTS
I don t know about you, but I love Web 2.0 and Social Media! There is never a shortage of cool social media applications and tools to simplify your life as a Virtual Assistant!
In the VAClassroom Forum, one of our members mentioned Summize, a cool new tool for searching the conversations in Twitter. I have to confess . Initially it took me some time to warm up to Twitter – I initially thought it was a total time drag and would take time away from my pertinent business actvities. I thought, “Do people actually really care what I am doing right now?” It seemed kind of trivial, but as I have closely observed a number of Twitterers over the last while, I now see how Twitter can be used to share and view relevant content and connect the Twitter audience to your blog and website.
Summize has peaked my interest in Twitter even further as this social search engine allows you to search the Twitter conversations by specific keywords. My keyword specific searches in Summize pointed out a whole bunch of interesting Twitterers that would be worthwhile following.
Not only that, Summize can help you track new prospective VA Clients! For example; check out the below results from the search term “Virtual Assistant” :
Take a look at the 2nd, 5th and 6th twitter post – they are all related to hiring a Virtual Assistant. The last guy specifically says “Looking for a Virtual Assistant. Any suggestions are welcome”. I don t know about you, but I would classify that as a HOT CLIENT LEAD!!
So, not only does Summize enhance your Internet research efforts, but also serves as a great resource for connecting with new VA Clients – how cool is that?
VIRTUAL EVENTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA – A MATCH MADE IN WEB HEAVEN!
Yesterday was Valentine s Day, and we re going to talk about marriage no, not that kind of marriage – the marriage of Virtual Events and Social Media.
Virtual Events are already very popular because of their inherent benefits – they re cost-effective, attract a wider global audience, generate increased exposure and save time – but Social Media enhances the power of Virtual Events by providing an effective channel to promote, create buzz and facilitate interaction for these online events.
Consider Twitter Hashtags. They are an extremely powerful medium to use for promoting and creating buzz around a Virtual Event, and the best way to explain them is to show them in action. Check out this excellent video by Krishna De:
Another way of pairing Social Media and Virtual Events is to make use of interactive chat alongside an online event. For example, Facebook tested a new feature during the 2009 Presidential Inauguration that allowed people to post status updates and comments beside live streaming video on CNN s website. According to the Facebook Developers blog post “Posting the Stream in Real Time with the Live Stream Box,”
“It was a significant moment for Facebook Platform. We realized how powerful it was to see what your friends were saying, not just on Facebook, but right in context on CNN.com.”
Following that event, Facebook launched the Facebook Live Stream Box, a feature that website owners or developers can install on their website so Facebook users can share updates and content about a live event through Facebook Connect. With this tool, any updates posted will appear in the Live Stream Box, as well as on the Facebook user s profile and friends News Feeds.
Additionally, Ustream, a website that supports live streaming presentations, includes a Social Stream that can be used to chat with people over Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and AIM while an online event is taking place. Ustream also allows you to incorporate the Live Stream Box within your Facebook Fan Page. According to the Ustream.tv website, this feature adds a new tab to the Fan Page, developed and customized by Ustream, with the live player residing both on Ustream.com and the Facebook Profile. Here, Facebook users can chat with the host and with each other through the Live Stream Box as well as through chat and Social Stream on the Ustream.com Show Page.
This combination of Social Media and Virtual Events contains untapped potential for businesses, Virtual Events Specialists and Social Media Specialists. Businesses are in desperate need of people with the skills necessary to set up events, promote them and facilitate interaction between attendees. Virtual Assistants can be the matchmakers that bring Virtual Events and Social Media together, creating a union that will most certainly generate more visibility for your clients businesses and take the Virtual Events niche to new heights!
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