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Emails Vs. Online Social Networking Websites
I’d like to talk about something really interesting about the use of the internet for socializing and business purposes today. For one, we all know that the number of people who are using the internet to market themselves and make friends have increased by leaps and bounds. The limit? The Universe, perhaps. It’s become so phenomenal that the growth in members for online social networks have exploded beyond the point of recognition.I’d like to talk about something really interesting about the use of the internet for socializing and business purposes today. For one, we all know that the number of people who are using the internet to market themselves and make friends have increased by leaps and bounds. The limit? The Universe, perhaps. It’s become so phenomenal that the growth in members for online social networks have exploded beyond the point of recognition.

But let’s just say it’s to be expected. After all, with thonline social networkinge financial crunch, more people are moving out of conventional media to the online one. One advertising and media executive (who happens to be my neighbor) was telling me, “Gee….nobody, literally nobody is asking about printing in newspapers and magazines anymore. Aren’t you making truckloads by now since everyone’s hopping into your bandwagon and out of mine?”

Er….not really. The obstacle that I have to overcome, to name a few, would be….

  • People with sound knowledge
  • People who are unscrupulous
  • Qualification
  • Experience
  • Willingness to learn and knowing how to adopt proper ways to make full use of online social networking sites
  • An overwhelming response met with reluctants and failure to admit that traceability remains to be a problem.

In 2009, the Pew Research Center reveals that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of adults who have set up profiles in social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Multiply, etc. The number? Thirty-five percent! That’s a huge leap, let me just tell you that. Before this, we would be popping the bottle when the percentage was anywhere near five percent. In 2005, reports came back and said that the increase was eight percent and we were jiggying it all the way down to Happy Hour!

The increase is equal between men and women….which is thirty-five percent. What surprised me more was the seven percent increase in the number of elderly people who use the internet….these are people who are sixty-five years old and above we’re talking about! They probably have their very own blog or website all set up ready to rock and roll even as I am typing out this article!!

The biggest leap can be seen from people within the within the eighteen to twenty-four years old age group. Twenty-five to Thirty-Four year olds are not too far behind with an increase of fifty-seven percent. These are probably working professionals or business people we’re talking about who are exploring ways to expand their corporate horizons and business options.

These people spend ten percent of their time on the internet using emails, blogs, websites and online socializing website. Long time ago, it used to be for research, studies and work! John Burbank from Nielsen Online says that they show no sign of slowing down despite the financial crunch. The harder the crunch, the bigger the internet is going to get.

And here’s the cruncher, more than two years ago, people mainly communicated with each other via emails….that’s their primary form of keeping in touch with each other. In 2007, the use of online social networking site have increased so much that it’s almost parallel with email usage!

Can you see what lies ahead of us if we’re in the internet marketing and online social networking consultancy business? Be still my heart!

Making Money During Dull Economy
Times are tough….businesses are shutting down….jobs are cut….salaries slashed….holidays cancelled. The slowing-down of the economy have sent many people searching for an open door and frankly speaking, there’s no other door opened bigger than the internet. While history is repeating itself, kids have to be fed, sent to school and we still have bills to pay.

We’re not going to crumble unless we’re sitting there on our laurels waiting for the guillotine to fall and one thing we can do to wrangle ourselves out of this situation is to look at open opportunities on the internet.

One of it would be to purchase businesses or assets if we have the cash for it. In view of the fact that I’ve just lost my domain name should teach me a lesson – a painful but very useful one, I should even be writing about it in such an optimistic tone of voice. But I think that it’s something people are looking to do now to make a buck or two (quite a lot of bucks to be made, actually). Some domain names and businesses or websites are still there on cyberspace despite the fact that the companies have stopped doing business (unlike me). If the domain name ranks high in a particular keyword and is up for sale, you have an opportunity to make some money there.

I know some people don’t like companies that do this – personally, I don’t quite like the idea a whole lot considering the fact that I am a victim here but let’s look at it from a business point of view, shall we? It’s a profitable and legal way to make some money!

It’s really not at all different from headhunting. By headhunting, I mean stealing off from your competitor by snatching their valued staff from under them. Or maybe this particular staff is already out of work – if the competitor is willing to let this person go and if you think this person is of value to you, your competitor is taking a huge risk here. When faced with a financial crisis, suffice to say that they would have no other choice but to let this valued staff go, anyway. So, it’s their loss and your gain.

Another money growing endeavor would be to explore better branding exercise and cheaper advertising. In times like this, advertising rates are dropping like flies. If you’ve never considered internet marketing, social media marketing or search engine optimization before, perhaps it’s time to explore it. It’s also a good time to negotiate for better advertising pricing for banner ad spaces or print advertisements.

I read that many long-running magazines have already thrown in their towel because of declining sales. In the US, the statistics are shocking. Not only are magazines calling it quits, advertisers are dying or sick these days.

This makes the internet a wonderful playground for those of you who’s got a little bit of backup cash too because you’ll be in a princely position to negotiate a bend that not many companies can negotiate these days.

Banner placement companies, PPC advertising companies, Google strategists, etc see ‘opportunity’ everywhere they turn. The one thing that they’re looking for is people who are willing to explore open options or….well, thread the path less traveled. If you’re one of them, then there’s really money to be made.
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About The M
Marsha Maung is a professional copywriter, freelance seo writer, online marketing consultant who focuses on stategic internet marketing tactics that does NOT border on the unscrupulous methods many people are using today. She lives in Malaysia with her pet tarantula in a beachfront mansion with a personal zoo and eigty housekeepers and gardeners.....NOT! :-)

For more information on Marsha and what she does for a living, visit http://www.marshamaung.me and for the firsrt details of the life and times of a mother, writer, online marketer, visit her blog instead. Marsha Maung is a professional copywriter, freelance seo writer, online marketing consultant who focuses on stategic internet marketing tactics that does NOT border on the unscrupulous methods many people are using today. She lives in Malaysia with her pet tarantula in a beachfront mansion with a personal zoo and eigty housekeepers and gardeners.....NOT! :-)
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