By: Jitter Garcia

The success of your social media community can not only be measured in numbers, but also in the interaction and reactions that you get from the community. Drew Neisser’s recent case study of thriving B2B web hub, The SAP Community Network, offers useful examples of how to go about using the resources at hand to measure the success of a digital community. Below are the ones that can be applied more broadly to any blog or site that seeks customer/user engagement and success.

By: Jitter Garcia

Mashable’s Top Twitter Trends of this week proved that nostalgia sells in the new millennium. Last week’s rebroadcast of old Nickelodeon shows attracted thousands of twenty-something viewers and doubled TeenNick’s prior ratings in the early morning time slot. What they are calling, “The ‘90s Are All That” features episodes from much beloved shows like “All That,” “Doug,” “Kenan & Kel,” and “Clarissa Explains It All.”  

The popularity of TeenNick spiked after the channel responded to many fans’ requests to re-air the episodes. A brilliant media campaign to gain more viewers, the channel’s use of social media had a huge impact on its success. The role of social media helped make the fans’ requests a reality, with a number of Facebook groups and pages being created by twenty-somethings who thought the old Nickelodeon shows of their childhood were much better than shows on TV now. And when TeenNick finally responded with the rebroadcast, status updates and tweets were overtaken by joyful exclamations and reminiscent memories of the fans’ favorite shows. The Facebook page likes and group members have risen to a staggering 15 million after the programming block last week, and according to TeenNick, fans had doubled overnight.

By: Abigail Katz

With the Experian Hitwise report that was released last week, it appears as though after a month of rapid and unprecedented growth, Google+ is finally starting to slow down. In less than a month, the new social network reached 20 million unique visitors, exponentially faster than both Twitter and Facebook, which took years to reach that same number. But even with the continued and relentless buzz around the social network, it was an impossible growth rate to maintain.

According to the report: total visits declined about 3 percent (1.86 million to 1.79 million), and average time spent on the site was down 10 percent (5 minutes, 50 seconds to 5 minutes, 15 seconds). “Power users” and users alike have also reported their use in the network decreasing,   to most posts being about Google or Google+ itself.  But even with the slowdown, these numbers do
not reflect huge drops, and a representative from Experian Hitwise was careful to advise against downplaying the findings.

By: Jitter Garcia

So many social networks, where will it end?

To Generation Y, emerging trends are part of the daily grind. What makes this generation different is that they have experienced both the computer-less-world, and been heavily immersed in today’s digital world. The 1980s introduced mobile music with the invention of the Sony Walkman and the boom box. It also saw the explosion of video and arcade games, and the introduction of the now-seemingly-primitive desktop computer. The 90s began the boom of the Internet itself and mobile phones. All of these led to those belonging to Generation Y to always expect something more—something better. To them, there will always be a 2.0 following the first model, a new and improved version of the already revolutionary item that we had to have the second it came out.

By: Rebecca Rubin

1)      Define your purpose

Think deeply about why people should want to read your blog.  What about it is unique, relevant, and compelling?

2)      Put your best foot forward

Reading your blog should be an enjoyable and stimulating experience!  Engage readers with compelling imagery, employ bullets, lists, and short paragraphs to avoid visual overwhelm and never forget to check grammar and spelling.  Nothing reduces credibility faster than a post peppered with typos!

3)      Use Social Media

Cross promotion through social media is key to growing your following! Make “I’m tweeting to tell you I blogged” your new mantra and diversify the ways you reach your audience.  If you traditionally stick to blogging, consider uploading videos onto a branded YouTube channel, putting out a podcast, or sending readers a monthly e-newsletter.

4)      Encourage audience interaction