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LinkedIn, make it possible to obtain a more complete picture of who someone is and keep in touch with everyone’s busy lifestyles.
Over the past few years, membership on these sites has exploded. Some sites target students while others focus on professionals. It is safe to say that the majority of North Americans have created a profile on at least one site.
Advertisers glean information from user profiles to customize ads that will be featured on specific web pages. College students will be exposed to promotions for fashion, food and fun, while professionals may be exposed to travel and investments.
GET HEARD
Blogs are personal web pages created by individuals who want to write about anything, with subjects ranging from fashion to fiction. Blogs tend to be written in an informal, conversational manner, and readers can post their comments about a particular post on the site, creating a two-way conversation. Blogs help to establish the author as an expert in a field. Companies are finding that having such individuals blog about their work helps to create buzz around future product releases. It also helps to humanize the image of a company. The keys to a successful blog are:
1 Content: Simply put, if the topic is dull or unoriginal no one is going to become a loyal reader.
2 Frequency: Old news is no news. If the content isn’t timely, readers will stop paying attention.
3 Authenticity: Being a good writer isn’t a prerequisite to a successful blog – though it helps. Readers, however, want the whole truth, not a recycled press release.
Blogger’s opinions often seem more credible than company claims. For this reason, several organizations pair up with web- savvy individuals to promote products. For example, General Mills recognizes the importance of the Internet as a means of communication and that older woman are now increasingly reading blogs. Therefore, this company has recruited 900 bloggers, of whom 80 per cent are mothers, to participate in events such as sampling