On Twitter, keywords are called hashtags. Their use was created by Chris Messina, and quickly became a standard feature of status updates. Soon they spread to other services and sites, and there are sites that are dedicated to cataloguing and tracking hashtags.

Hashtags, like #FollowFriday, can be known as themes. Anyone can create a hashtag simply by preceding their word or phrase with the pound sign: #. Anyone can find "tweets" of interest by searching for a related hashtag. Clicking a hashtag will display a real-time feed of tweets using that tag.

When themes recur on a regular basis, they can be known as "Twitter chats." By using a popular hashtag during a "chat," you can follow and participate in "tweeted" discussion on a particular topic. Since chat themes are established and understood, no extra characters need be used to explain the context of the status update.

When hashtags become popular, they are called "trends." Trending tags are featured on the Twitter home page, as well as on other sites dedicated to tracking Twitter trends.

#FollowFriday, or #FF, is one of the most popular hashtags. Users share the names of the accounts they follow that they feel other people would benefit from following as well. As expressed in the theme, this is a regular Friday occurrence, and helps users find new valuable content. When a user-name is mentioned on Twitter (such as @web4biz), the account owner gets a notification of the mention, so they can see who included them in a #FollowFriday, for example, and choose to follow that user back.

Before creating a hashtag, search for it. There may already be one in use, or one very similar to what you have in mind.

If a hashtag has more than one word (for example, 2011 Technical Conference), it is always typed as a single word, without spaces: #2011technicalconference.

Be mindful of the 140 character limit. The tag will use some of those characters, so it's a good idea to keep them short, like #2011techcon.

Hashtags sometimes use "camel case," which is capitalizing the initial letters of words (or abbreviations) in a phrase. "20thAnnualTechCon" is an example of camel case: the appearance of uppercase letters in the middle of the "word" is considered similar to the humps on a camel's back.

Make new hashtags for topics you think people will search for. Use existing hashtags to have your updates show up in the results when other people interested in that tag do a search. A well-placed tag makes it possible for millions of users that aren't following your updates to see what you have to say.

Hashtags are often used during live events, as participants update their statuses with eye-witness immediacy. They have also been used to coordinate events across vast geographic distances, allowing nearly simultaneous actions among people who have never met.

Twitter hashtags are a handy tool to help categorize and find information in one of the most popular real-time Internet environments. What are your favorite hashtags to use on Twitter?

When developing a web site, it is important to remember that the ultimate judge is the end user. If the site presents difficulties, people just won't use it. Here is a list of some of the most common website annoyances, most of which can be avoided quite easily.

Data Do's and Don'ts

Annoyance #1: No instructions regarding case sensitivity.

Encountered: User names, passwords, CAPTCHA verifications.

Solution: State clearly whether or not the input field is case-sensitive. It's not a big deal to have to hit the [Shift] key, but having to redo a field (or more) because of lack of clear instruction is frustrating.

Annoyance #2: No instructions regarding number formats.

Encountered: Dates, phone numbers, Social Security numbers.

Solution: Tell the user exactly what format to use and provide an example. Example:

Enter your birth date as DD-MM-YYYY, for example, 30-02-1985.

Determine the way your database formats these numbers and provide that information to site users. If only the numbers are stored, restrict field entry to numbers and note by the field that only numbers are to be used, no dashes, slashes or other special characters.

Annoyance #3: Error in one field causes entire form to reset.

Encountered: Profiles, feedback forms, registration forms.

Solution: If your system can't save valid input when errors are found, don't make forms with more than four or five fields per page. There are few things as aggravating as filling in 20 fields, mistyping an extra digit on a phone number, and having to start all over because the system rejected the one bad field along with all the other data. Ideally, use a system that retains entries that are valid and simply highlights fields that need correction.

Design Do's and Don'ts

Annoyance #4: Restricted contact.

Description: A user clicks a link that says "Contact us" and instead of being brought to a page with different options, an email form pops up (or tries to).

Solution: Make "Contact Us" a page that is linked to. Provide whatever specific methods and departments you can, such as connecting with the Director of Marketing on Facebook, calling or sending a fax, or emailing customer support about a common issue. Including an "email us" or "feedback" form on the Contact Us page is a good practice.

Annoyance #5: Links to nowhere.

Description: A link ends with "#" but no anchor name, so when the link is clicked the page simply reloads.

Solution: Links are the first, middle and last elements of a website that need to be checked and double-checked before users run into problems. In the early stages of a site, links may be intended to content that doesn't yet exist. Rather than putting in "placeholder" links to nowhere, wait until the content is there to be linked.

Annoyance #6: Limited compatibility.

Description: Website displays correctly and all scripts work in only one type of browser.

Solution: Use as many different systems and browsers as possible to view and use the site. Access it with web-capable phones as well. Many times, a site may seem to display correctly, but certain elements, such as a "Submit" button, may not function or in some case won't show up at all. If your site won't display properly in a particular browser, include such a warning in the site metadata so visitors are alerted.

Conclusion

Ultimately, your site visitors are the deciding factor when it comes to what works and what doesn't. Compromise must be reached between the goals of the owner, the desires of the visitors, and the capabilities of the systems in use. Keeping these annoyances in mind will make that compromise a little easier to reach.

Duncan Simester, in a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, gave an anecdotal story of how he and his partners started a grab-and-go fast food business. They grew to have a very loyal and adoring customer base however, looking at their reviews on Yelp one would think that they were not doing so well. Instead of loosing their focus on taking care of their customers they were able to identify they source of the "low ratings" entered on Yelp. They found that the reviewers who were not happy with their food were outside of their target market segment and not really even their customers. While it is important to deal with valid customer complaints and feedback it is just as important not to be distracted by complaints and feedback outside of your customer segment. Here are four rules to live by when targeting a specific market segment:

1. Clearly define your target market segment
2. Identify your customer's profile
3. Listen to your customers and respond quickly to problems
4. Acknowledge your detractors by clearly defining your concept

Read Duncan's column

Related articles

• The Value of Teaching Your Customers How to Spell (blogs.hbr.org)
• 4 Tips for Managing Online Criticism (hubspot.com)

More and more companies, publishers, artists and writers are looking to protect their products. They are hiring legal firms, constantly scanning the Internet and aggressively pursuing those who violate their copyrights. Just because you found an image on a "free" photo site does not mean that it can be used as you wish. This story of a young blogger who used an image of a TSA employee doing a security pat-down demonstrates the legal issues that can arise over improper use of copyrighted material.

New York Times Copyright Story

It is good business practice to make any contractors creating content for you certify that they either have copyrights to the material being delivered or they have purchased usage rights for this project. If not your business may end up on the receiving end of an infringement lawsuit costing thousand of dollars to defend or thousands in a damages award. The iima4biz workshop helps business owners uncover and prepare for the hidden costs and risks involved when doing business on the Internet.

As we launch the first sessions of the iima4biz workshop we are excited and hopeful that they will give business owners the knowledge and tools they need to navigate the process of establishing a lasting presence on the Internet. This can be very confusing and daunting without the facts as there is so much hype swirling around this topic. 

Some of they key concepts covered in the iima4biz workshop are:

It's not just social media, It's social marketing.

Social Media is just that; Media. To really make social media work business needs to understand that social marketing is about empowering, organizing and training select staff, or outsourced resources, to engage visitors and customers on social platforms. It's like working the room at a party; your goal is to build a corporate social presence.

Objectives - Know where you are going before you start.

Why are we doing this? What do we hope to achieve? The answers to these questions will help you develop a social marketing strategy that will be focused and in-line with your general business strategy. Nothing can be more damaging to your image than presenting a social image that does not match your business philosophy and strategy. 

Listen, Listen, Listen!

Social Networks are littered with the wreckage of social marketing campaigns that did not use this as the cornerstone of their program. Before participating in any conversation it is a good idea to listen first to understand what is being said. The same is true for social networks; except the consequence of misspeaking are far more severe than the eye roll you receive when speaking to someone face to face. 

Add value.

If you listen it is much easier to offer meaningful contributions to the conversation. You might even discover a market segment you have been overlooking. A sure way to be isolated and ignored on any social network is to barge into a discussion with meaningless chatter.

Social networking magic dust: TRUST!

Don't get caught by the siren call of trying to be a social influencer by expressing your opinions and touting your superior business practices. As with any relationship the magical influence comes with respect and trust. Respect and trust are cultivated by listening to what people are saying and participating in their conversations with meaningful contributions. If you haven't read Chris Brogan's Trust Agents yet, do it soon.

Be authentic, transparent and humble

Social Networks are not your personal platform to expound the virtues of your product or company. Social Networks are large, virtual gatherings of people having innumerable conversations. Your most effective virtues to be included in those conversations are to be authentic in your interest, transparent with your motives, and humble in your participation.

Your happy customers are your best promoters.

Find them on the social networks and empower them to tell their stories. Buzz from your core customers is far more effective than anything you or your employees will say.

Target the coveted influentials.

There are always people who's opinion carries more clout than others. They generally make up about 10% of the population and are known in the social marketing circles as influentials. Making an influential one of your customers or getting them to review your product or service and give your broad, rapid, and credible exposure due to their extensive network of "followers."

Commitment! - You're building a relationship.

You are building relationships with your customers and followers. This requires a long term commitment to gain their trust and respect. This cannot be done over a week campaign or even a year long campaign. Your customers and followers need to know that you are committed to being engaged in the social conversation.

Consistency.

Social media is another tool in your marketing toolbox. Your marketing media is most effective when it is integrated and complimentary of each channel. Print, video/television, mobile, and social media should integrate with and reference each other. 

This blog will be your source for everything relating to the Web4Biz site and our associated IIMA4BIZ workshop being offered through the California Community College system. We hope that through your participation this community will grow into a rich source of support and information for you as you work at bringing interactive web and mobile technology into your respective organizations.

Now that Facebook has the option for sponsored posts (for a charge), it’s more important than ever to know how to get the most views for your post.

POST at MULTIPLE TIMES of the DAY & WEEK

Your audience could be the worker bee browsing posts, the stay at home parent, the evening scanner or the insomniac internet audience. Most likely—there will be a combination of all these types of fans on your page. Try experimenting with all times of the day with your posts to see what times of the week people are most responding.

EDGERANK

Ever wondered how Facebook determines what shows up on your fans newsfeed? You could have thousands of fans, but your posts will not show up unless it is categorized at “Top Stories” (the default setting on profile pages). Every post receives an EDGERANK. Thankfully it’s really simple to understand:

1)  Make certain your page is complete before launching a campaign

Basic Page checklist

• • Profile Image (square image that will show up when you post on others page)
  • Cover Image (815x315 pixels)
  • Additional photos
  • Additional videos
  • About filled out (include website and other contact information here)

2) Choose Applications
Facebook has many free applications you can add to your page.  Depending on your needs, you can add a discussion forum, join email list (such as constant contact), contact us, invite friends, coupons, events, document sharing and more.  You only have the ability to showcase four applications at a time, but can easily rotate your featured applications.   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 18, 2012

Media Contact: Steve Wright State Initiative Director-Iima4biz Initiative Economic & Workforce Development Program California Community Colleges 805 231 8444 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Community Colleges Release on-line video workshop for California Small business to strategically implement social media and other internet technologies.

Filling a need for business growth

Thousand Oaks, CA – Helping small business sort thru the hype and confusion of social media, new media, interactive internet and mobile applications is the goal of the just released free on-line workshop series developed by the California Community College Economic & Workforce Development Program available at www.web4biz.org.