Social Networking websites continue to grow on a huge scale with Facebook recently announcing that they have now reached over 400 million worldwide users and Twitter soon to be reaching the benchmark of 50 million tweets per day. Facebook and Twitter also both boasted a  triple-digit growth in 2009 with social networking now accounting for 11% of all time spent online.

Not only have user figures grown across social media websites but so has usage and time spent on social networking sites. A report from The Nielsen Company showed that there has been a huge increase of 82% in time spent on social networking sites. Across the globe over the past year average time spent on social networking sites grew from 3 hours per month to 5.5 hours. In addition Nielsen concluded that overall social media sites such as Facebook are now the most common homepages for users and that people now spend the majority of theit internet time using social networks or blogs.

Forrester also recently produced some interesting stats about adults using social media. Some of the findings included:

• A third of adults post at least once a week to social sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

• A quarter of adults publish a blog and upload video/audio they created.

• Nearly 60% maintain a profile on a social networking site.

• 70% Read blogs, tweets and watch UGC video.

UK Social Media Stats

The popularity of Social Media continues to rise rapidly in the UK, now accounting for almost 11% of the share of UK Internet visits – continually closing the gap on search and entertainment websites.

Facebook’s growth in the UK continues with a reported 24 million active users. It now accounts for over half of all visits to social networking sites in the UK with YouTube sitting in second with over 17% of visits. Despite the media coverage and growth of Twitter over the past year the micro-blogging site makes up only around 2% of visits to social media sites in the UK, only just surpassing Bebo.

The Growth of Facebook

With Facebook also surpassing the 400m user mark, below are some great graphs and stats to put the numbers in perspective from Pingdom.

Sources: Hitwise, Nielsen, Comscore, Forrester, Royal Pingdom.

Check out this superb piece of filmmaking in its entirety below. Genius.

I have experienced first hand from working in PR, companies & brands fearing social media for various different reasons, but here are the top five con­cerns that Ayalet has heard from exec­u­tives and her responses to them:

1) They’re afraid they’ll lose con­trol of their brand and open them­selves up to neg­a­tive feed­back

When you open a busi­ness and start mar­ket­ing your ser­vices and expos­ing your brand to oth­ers, peo­ple will start talk­ing about your brand. And this is why you exposed them to your brand in the first place.

Peo­ple are going to be talk­ing about your brand no mat­ter what. The ques­tion is: Do you want to be a part of the dia­logue or do you want to just play ostrich and ignore what peo­ple are say­ing? If a per­son is dis­sat­is­fied with your ser­vices, do you pre­fer he opens up this dis­cus­sion in a “I hate <your brand>” group opened up by another hater or do you pre­fer that he come to your page and post the com­plaint there allow­ing you to respond appro­pri­ately and even per­haps win him back as a client?

Social media didn’t cre­ate the dis­sat­is­fied cus­tomer — it only allowed him a plat­form to express his frus­tra­tion. If you don’t give him the stage to speak, he will do it else­where and believe me, it will cause a great deal more dam­age to your brand if you’re not there to respond and open to criticism.

When we speak of social media, we speak of con­ver­sa­tional mar­ket­ing — lis­ten­ing before sell­ing, open­ing a dia­logue with the user and not just throw­ing a blink­ing ban­ner in his face. Brands need to make that switch in their heads and under­stand that social media is SOCIAL. Many con­ver­sa­tions will be pos­i­tive and you will have these nice mes­sages recorded for every­one to see pub­licly — your bosses, your investors, your cus­tomers and poten­tial customers:

Some con­ver­sa­tions may be neg­a­tive but these con­ver­sa­tions should be seen as wel­comed oppor­tu­ni­ties to gain back cus­tomers. If you uti­lize social media effec­tively and are alert to what peo­ple are say­ing about you online, then you can also respond in a timely and intel­li­gent man­ner. When you’re dazed and con­fused and too afraid to see what peo­ple may be say­ing about you, that’s when the con­ver­sa­tion can get out of con­trol and your brand­ing and posi­tion­ing can go out the win­dow. Com­pa­nies who under­stand social media know that by using social media they are increas­ing the num­ber of pos­i­tive responses to their brand and mak­ing sure to con­trol and decrease the neg­a­tive responses by show­ing peo­ple that they actu­ally care about what they have to say.

2) They don’t under­stand it

Com­pa­nies fear social media because they don’t under­stand what to do with it, what to talk about, who to turn to. They often time try to do it in-house with­out the appro­pri­ate guid­ance, fail mis­er­ably and then say that social media doesn’t work. Don’t hire your friend’s son who is very active on Face­book to do your mar­ket­ing strat­egy for you. Just like you wouldn’t fix your car in-house or do your PR in-house, nei­ther should you start doing social media on your own with­out hav­ing a social media guru at your side. And when I say guru, I mean some­one who has had a good track record in cre­at­ing suc­cess­ful social media cam­paigns for other com­pa­nies in the past. Once you have such a guide at your side and you begin to under­stand what social media is all about, then you will not be afraid of it any­more and you will start to rec­og­nize the infi­nite num­ber of amaz­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties that social media will open your brand to.

3) The effec­tive­ness of social media is hard to mea­sure

Because social media is still in its dia­pers, it took a lit­tle while for tools track­ing the ROI on social media cam­paigns to emerge, how­ever today we have a suite of dif­fer­ent tools that allow com­pa­nies to track even the most minute details in the effec­tive­ness of their social media cam­paigns. Tools like Google Ana­lyt­ics, which allow us to track the traf­fic com­ing into our site as well as where it’s com­ing from has existed for years. Google alerts which allow us to see the blog posts and other sites link­ing back to our site have also existed for a long time. And we are now see­ing an influx of ser­vices that not only allow you to eas­ily mon­i­tor what peo­ple are say­ing about your brand but also see who are the top influ­encers, opin­ion lead­ers in your indus­try and more. There are numer­ous ser­vices that allow you to see the top influ­encers on twit­ter such as: Twit­ter grader and twit­ter ana­lyt­ics ser­vices such as Twit­alyzer . Face­book also pro­vides its own insights to page admins and enables admins to view infor­ma­tion regard­ing the demo­graph­ics of their fans and also how many inter­ac­tions, com­ments, wall posts, etc. were found on the page. The more we learn about social media, the more tools we get to mea­sure it. Not only are our efforts in the social media realm mea­sur­able but social media cam­paigns also allow us to tar­get spe­cific cam­paigns to spe­cific niches like no other media today.

4) They’re afraid that employ­ees will be on Face­book and twit­ter chat­ting all day — Face­book today has around 350 mil­lion users. If Face­book was a nation, it would be the world’s third most pop­u­lous after China and India. Your employ­ees are there any­way. Why not uti­lize the fact that they are there to help your cause? When you need to spread the word on Face­book, why not enable your employ­ees to help you or when you finally open that fan page on Face­book, why not allow your employ­ees to become fans and encour­age them to take part in your social media activ­i­ties. Dell for exam­ple, who is well known for their great twit­ter strat­egy (a strat­egy which has earned them $6.5 mil­lion to date), has around 200 employ­ees work­ing its twit­ter account, respond­ing to people.

In addi­tion, not allow­ing your employ­ees to have access to the vast amount of infor­ma­tion that can be found on social net­works as well as not enabling them to use these net­works as research tools nor to net­work with peo­ple in the indus­try also puts your com­pany at a great dis­ad­van­tage to your com­peti­tors who do allow their employ­ees (and even encour­age them) to use social media tools.

5) Social media is costly — This last fear is not only some­thing that com­pa­nies should not fear but it is also not true. If you con­sider the mil­lions of peo­ple that you can reach using social media as opposed to the cost of buy­ing an ad on TV or buy­ing a ban­ner, you’ll see that social media is one of the most cost effi­cient ways of reach­ing your tar­get audi­ence today.

To any­one who still thinks social media is a fad, wake up. It’s not. Social media is here and it’s here to stay. If you took a look at the lat­est report that came out of Davos regard­ing social net­works, you’ll see that Face­book is now the sec­ond most pop­u­lar site on the inter­net after Google and that accord­ing to Nielsen since Feb­ru­ary 2009 peo­ple have been spend­ing more time on social-networking sites than on e-mail, and the lead is get­ting big­ger. The ques­tion for your brand is no longer whether to be there or not to be there. The ques­tion is when will you be there and the longer you keep your head in the ground, the more you’ll lose touch with what’s hap­pen­ing out there in the real world.

Great Ostrich pic credit: http://blog.karmona.com

I spoke to soon, I then came across Kevin Braddocks “A year of journalism and deleting emails” post from last month – detailing name by name, every PR that has annoyed him.. Ouch! But fair play to Kevin, I don’t blame him for a second. If PR’s were to do the same act in public and run up to innocent strangers screaming “Press Release Press Release” I am sure they will be met by more than just a blacklist on the blog post!

So on that note, I would like to offer some friendly advice to all you PR’s out there. I say advice, more basic tips or guidelines, for engaging with us bloggers. So here it goes, Enjoy the read

The Golden Rules when targeting bloggers

Bloggers can be pitched too hundreds of times a week, even hundreds of times a day. So when approaching a blogger with a pitch, there are a number of things to consider:

Comment first, pitch later: Become a genuine and active member of the blog before you make contact. This doesn’t help if you have something to pitch today but bloggers are usually more willing to interact with you if they can see you have gone to the effort of interacting with their content. Showing your not just there to take but to give. The longer you interact with them the better. You could also send an intro email first, asking them explicitly if they would like to receive information moving forward.

Personalise it: There is nothing worse than a generic email (this is a turn off in most aspects of life). Use their name, mention their blog. If you have commented on their blog previously this will give you a good stepping stone for the email, as they will already know who you are (9/10). Also, bloggers are not like journalists, although they are sometimes the same, take a more friendly approach.

Get their details right: Goes without saying, copying and pasting emails can lead to forgetting to change the name, very embarrassing and could even lead to bad press.

Show you know who they are: Going beyond adding personalised detail, such as commenting on one of their posts, complement them, give them a bit of celebrity status, ask them a question that shows you have dug a little deeper than just finding the first blog on Google and emailing them

Introduce yourself: Seems obvious but it does happen! Bloggers like to know who they are talking too; this doesn’t mean a full bio, just a quick introduction

Keep it brief and simple: If I saw an email from a stranger that was 2-3 paragraphs long I would either ignore it or save it for later (unless it something really worth reading). Get to the point, ask your question or pitch your idea quickly – the same you would with the newsdesk. Also, if you are asking for someone to do something for you, provide them with simple, achievable steps to respond.

Highlight benefits: Whatever you are pitching, it will have more chance of success if there something in it for the blogger. You need a hook

Research your question: Many of the questions people ask would be answered by simply taking a look round their blog.

Be persistent but don’t stalk: Sending a friendly reminder or follow up email is acceptable, obsessively emailing a person multiple times in a short period… I think you get the idea.

Avoid Press Releases: These are usually only considered or read when they are right on target for the blogs niche. It is much better to pitch a story tailored to the blog, you can always include a link to the social media news release to give the blogger further info, photos and other content. Keep it short and sweet. E.G: here is my story you might be interested in and here is why it’s relevant to your blogs readers’ they would be much more inclined to read and write about it.

Keep it on topic: If you’re pitching story ideas you can do yourself a lot of damage by pitching irrelevant stories to bloggers. Like I said, keep it simple, get the point across and hook the blogger.

Be polite and courteous: Making demands, assumptions and being overly familiar can sometimes lead to people binning your pitch. On the flip side however, some pitches can come across so polite that they seem sterile. It’s a fine line, so keep in mind that cultural differences come into play here.

Mention your blog: Most bloggers are wired to be on the look out for other bloggers. If you have a blog, mention it in your pitch. If you don’t have a blog, why not?

Link up: One quick way to get on many bloggers radars is to link to them on your own blog or website. This shows you know who they are, will send them some traffic and is a show of good will that will help break down the initial barrier. Keep in mind that large bloggers will get a lot of links, so might not work as well, but it cannot hurt.

Give an exclusive: Bloggers love to break stories, It helps them build traffic, establish credibility and profile and gives them the perception of being more connected in their niche. Offering some sort of exclusive angle on a story, access to interview a key person or even just exclusive rights to be the first with a story is something that will help you get featured on a blog, especially the more popular kinds. Be warned, don’t offer an exclusive and then offer it to others. You might get burnt!

Don’t include anything you do not want to be communicated: Goes without saying, some bloggers will blog the juicy gossip simply because they cannot resist!

What not to do

Pitching to unrelated bloggers just because they are popular: Or.. If they are closely related, you must step up the attempts to hook the author

Don’t pretend to have read the blog if you actually haven’t: It could insult the author and/or make you look stupid. Be honest if you have no pre-pitch prep time and haven’t familiarised yourself with the blog

Don’t use generic statements: Personalise the pitch, don’t use “Love your blog” over and over – its tacky

Asking a blogger to plug one of their professional competitors: This is why research is required. Pitching a microsoft product to an avid apple man user/fan/professional can only go one way

Pester the blogger: If you pitch didn’t work reconsider your angle. No stalking!

Ask the blogger outright to cover your story or pitch: its rude, give them a reason too.

Get Angry: PR people should never send ‘angry’ messages if a story has been mis-reported or a negative piece written – as the first thing they’ll do is post it on their blog…

This novel fitness drive is being supported by athletics legend and Olympic medallist Kriss Akabusi who was in the Army Physical Training Corps for fifteen years. His trademark motivational talent features on the podcasts.

These podcasts provide free, motivational support when people work-out as well as providing valuable support for recruits getting themselves ready for Army assessment.

A survey released today reveals that cost, time and lack of motivation are the biggest barriers to exercise for most Brits.  Around half of people say they do minimal exercise as there’s no one to motivate them or they find exercising on their own boring.

Combining fitness expertise, companionship and motivation, Army Fit: Personal allows listeners to take advantage of the Army’s unique and highly motivational style of working out.  Listeners will be provided with guidance from their own ‘personal Army trainer’ for a variety of 40-minute workouts, designed as an alternative to the gym or paid-for fitness programmes.

Sergeant Paul Tucker from the Army Physical Training Corps comments: “This year will mark the 150th anniversary of our Corps and we’re delighted to kick if off with this new initiative.  For years the public has been telling us how much they respect our fitness expertise, but it’s the benefit of our motivational ability they really crave.   To answer this we have developed these audio podcasts available via armyfit.mod.uk so the public can benefit from the encouragement of our instruction any time and anywhere.”

The research also shows that good intentions formed around New Year often fizzle out as early as Valentine’s Day.  With around 84% of people planning a New Year’s health kick, the Army hope to help more people stick to their resolutions in 2010.

Kriss Akabusi comments, “This research shows how much us Brits need some free and easily available support to motivate them to keep fit, and who better to do this than the British Army. I loved my time with the Physical Training Corps and I’ve never forgotten all I learnt about motivating people, awooga!”

Head to armyfit.mod.uk to download the podcasts, giving you access to your Army Fit: Personal training experience.

With its BB1 concept, Peugeot has created a totally new solution to the current and future needs of urban mobility. The BB1 concept is the first ever full electric vehicle that can seat up to four adults in a space of just 2.5m.

Peugeot BB1

This compact vehicle is a fusion between car and scooter, whilst offering passengers a safer, more comfortable and weatherproof environment. Other advantages of this ground-breaking concept are that it has zero emissions, is easy to park and has a range of 75 miles, making it a perfect choice for city centre transport.

Jon Goodman, Managing Director of Peugeot Motor Company comments; “Peugeot is constantly pooling its expertise and creativity to design particularly innovative and original projects. The BB1 is the brainchild of this successful collaboration.”

The BB1 concept pushes back the boundaries, creating an inventive, fun, expressive and stylish vehicle.  This electric vehicle is a logical addition to a vehicle line up that incorporates Peugeot bicycles, scooters, cars and light commercial vehicles. It aims to explore new ground with regards to urban mobility, with the environment close at heart.”

The BB1 concept is both environmentally friendly and efficient, fitted with two electric motors mounted in the rear wheels maximizing the interior space and two lithium-ion battery packs supplying energy to the respective electric motors located under the right and left-hand rear seats. The BB1 emits no loud noise outside the vehicle and, above all, no pollutant emissions. The passenger compartment ventilation keeps operating in daylight thanks to the solar panels placed on the roof of the vehicle.

The Peugeot BB1 will be on show in Covent Garden, London from 10 am until 7 pm, on the 7th and 8th November, enabling the general public to have a close up look into the future of urban mobility.

Brian Friedman checks out the BB1

A Cheeky Car for the Cheeky Girls

George Lamb & Miquita Oliver

Jo Wood with Christopher Biggin at the wheel

“The iChange ditches car keys in favor of an iPhone, which clips into a holder on the dashboard to the right or left of the steering wheel. Once connected a green “start” button appears on the iPhone’s display and one push brings the iChange automobile to life. When you’re driving the car the iPhone can also be used for other control functions, such as switching on and off the headlights.”

Visit Macworld for the full article