Is Twitter the next big thing?

To know more on what Twitter is,
check out at:
http://www.findandconvert.com/blog/2008/introduction-to-twitter-video-podcast/

Online Coupons Clipping Along

Don’t clip—click!

With the recession in full swing, US retail shoppers are looking for ways to save, and are finding deals through online coupons.

Not surprisingly, retailers are finding online coupons effective for bringing customers to their stores.

According to coupon processor Inmar, 13% of online coupons were redeemed in 2008, versus only a 1% redemption rate for print coupons.

Beyond Facebook and LinkedIn: 8 Sites to Help You Network

1. APSense.com: Tap into an affiliate marketing revenue stream by promoting products and sites on your business profile, and get paid for the friends you refer.

2. Biznik.com: Join your local business community to connect and collaborate with nearby entrepreneurs, and find out about local seminars and events.

3. Entrepreneur Connect: Share ideas, join groups, publish content and promote your business on Entrepreneur's own network.

4. FastPitchNetworking.com: Create a profile, product listings and blog, and take advantage of e-mail marketing and virtual trade shows.

5. GoBigNetwork.com: Get serious about fast growth in this startup community focused on finding funding, talent and expert advice.

6. Konnects.com: Build a network among other startup entrepreneurs and launch your own branded network when you're ready.

7. Marzar.com: Connect with other business owners while promoting products and services in the marketplace.

8. Xing.com: Search this global site for business partners, contacts and professional opportunities.

Exclusive! Leaked! How to make Viral Videos!

How to create successfull viral videos

1. Make it short: 15-30 seconds is ideal; break down long stories into bite-sized clips

2. Design for remixing: create a video that is simple enough to be remixed over and over again by others. Ex: “Dramatic Hamster”

3. Don’t make an outright ad: if a video feels like an ad, viewers won’t share it unless it’s really amazing. Ex: Sony Bravia

4. Make it shocking: give a viewer no choice but to investigate further. Ex: “UFO Haiti”

5. Use fake headlines: make the viewer say, “Holy shit, did that actually happen?!” Ex: “Stolen Nascar”

6. Appeal to sex: if all else fails, hire the most attractive women available to be in the video. Ex: “Yoga 4 Dudes”

7. URL: pointing people back to websites

8. Title Optimization: Once a video is on the Most Viewed page, what can be done to maximize views?

It seems obvious, but people see hundreds of videos on YouTube, and the title and thumbnail are an easy way for video publishers to actively persuade someone to click on a video. Titles can be changed a limitless number of times, so we sometimes have a catchy (and somewhat misleading) title for the first few days, then later switch to something more relevant to the brand. Recently, I’ve noticed a trend towards titling videos with the phrases “exclusive,” “behind the scenes,” and “leaked video.”

9. Thumbnail Optimization: If a video is sitting on the Most Viewed page with nineteen other videos, a compelling video thumbnail is the single best strategy to maximize the number of clicks the video gets.

YouTube provides three choices for a video’s thumbnail, one of which is grabbed from the exact middle of the video. As we edit our videos, we make sure that the frame at the very middle is interesting. It’s no surprise that videos with thumbnails of half naked women get hundreds of thousands of views. Not to say that this is the best strategy, but you get the idea. Two rules of thumb: the thumbnail should be clear (suggesting high video quality) and ideally it should have a face or at least a person in it.

Also, when we feel particularly creative, we optimize all three thumbnails then change the thumbnail every few hours. This is definitely an underused strategy, but it’s an interesting way to keep a video fresh once it’s on the Most Viewed list.

See the highlighted videos in the screenshot below for a good example of how a compelling title and screenshot can make all the difference once the video is on the Most Viewed page.

10. Releasing all videos simultaneously

11. Strategic Tagging: Leading viewers down the rabbit hole