The week before last, I rang the bell for round one in the “Website vs. Blog” series, which is designed to underscore the business value of a blog that traditional websites lack.

Round one went to the Blog, who completely dominated the Website by helping non-profits and small businesses connect better with their customers.

Round two: Social Proof

People are more likely to look for value on your website if they see that many other people have already found value. Once they see this social proof, they’ll take action on your site. Traditional websites display social proof in just two ways: testimonials and impressive customer lists. Because a blog platform is essentially a social media platform, demonstrating social proof to potential customers and donors adds at least two more powerful elements:

Subscriber and comment numbers

Next Week: Search Engine Rubber Chicken Fight

If you liked this…read these:

Why Your Non-Profit Needs A Blog: An interview with Chris Garrett
7 Reasons Non-Profits Rock At Social Media
Seth Godin On Using Social Media To Empower Your Tribe

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How you say something is often as important as what you say - especially with social media tools like Twitter.

All users on Twitter can choose between four methods of posting a tweet: Plain, Re-Tweet, Reply and Direct Message.  For small businesses and non-profits, the following pros and cons should be considered:

Plain or “Web 1.0″ Post

Pro: Clearly communicates that your post is intended for all followers. Very inviting (unless the content is crap).

Con: Folks could perceive you as self-centered if the majority of your posts are all one-way (Web 1.0). [Click here to continue…]

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The most powerful way to build relationships on Twitter happens to be a “well-kept secret” known by everyone:

Don’t keep score

Hear me out on this one. Like many folks, I’ve caught myself thinking: “Hey, if I promote this person they’ll owe me one - we’ll help each other out!”

At first, I’ve felt like Gandhi. But after a few re-tweets with nothing in return, Gandhi got resentful. I’d then move on to another “friend” hoping to find a more “mutually beneficial” relationship.

This approach on Twitter is not only ineffective - it feels like you’re getting screwed at some poker game. [Click here to continue…]

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Dear Readers,

Yesterday’s post created a fair amount of conversation about being authentic and about helping others in our collective online endeavors: “What does it mean to blog? What is our real mission with all of this?” A parallel discussion took place over at Liz’s blog. Naomi Dunford’s post was equally eye-opening and “soul-searching” for folks.

Was there some rare eclipse of Saturn? Were we all coming together to form a single swirling universal voice? Was this a sign of what’s in store for Massachusetts now that marijuana is decriminalized?

Strange indeed… [Click here to continue…]

Over the past year, I’ve noticed that the most successful social media folks share a set of behaviors that make them stand apart from the crowd. I’ve also noticed that those who crash and burn share a certain set of behaviors. The difference between these to groups is the degree to which they respect (or disrespect) the natural laws of social media.

Follow these laws, and you become a rock star. Ignore them, and you go up in flames.

Good news and bad news

The good news: Our command of these social media laws has nothing to do with our knowledge of technology. It has everything to do with the creation of authentic relationships.

The bad news: Most of us probably suck at creating authentic relationships. [Click here to continue…]

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A friend recently asked me if a blog could help his online business. I explained in great detail how he could develop more effective partnerships, increase the number of repeat customers, and turn his best customers into a tribe.

The next day, he came back and announced to me, “I’m having someone build a real website instead of just doing the blog thing.” [Click here to continue…]

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I found this user-friendly, web-based, Twitter application that I love using - iTweet.net. Although I like apps like Twhirl and TweetDeck, they can only be used on computers that have the applications already installed. In short, this is a perfect web-based app for social entrepreneurs. [Click here to continue…]

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Just beginning to use Twitter for your non-profit? Katya Andresen, who recently wrote a post about my Twitter Jump Start Guide,  reminded me about Tweet4Good.

Tweet4Good allows your fans to painlessly donate to your non-profit using Twitter. [Click here to continue…]

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