Twitter may be the world’s least-liked tech company, but I love it. Equal parts open mic night, news ticker, classified ads, and chat room, Twitter is my go-to social network. Sure, I use many other social networks, but I spend most of my social media time on Twitter, and here’s why:

Speed

While much of the traditional media world initially dragged their feet into the Twittersphere, those who have adopted the platform—as well as millions of “citizen reporters” across the globe armed with smartphones—have helped to turn it into the single best source for breaking news on the planet. Whether it’s information about the death of Bin Laden or storm coverage, my Twitter feed will have it first.

Also, on a more basic level, tweets are small. Limited to 140 characters, they are quick to read, quick to post, and quick to share. With all the platforms and gadgets competing for our time, Twitter seems to care more than any of them about letting us keep more of it. I appreciate that.

Depth

Individual tweets may be limited to 140 characters, but the variety of information available about a given topic—especially when that topic is trending heavily—can be tremendous. Not only will you get perspective from numerous people in your feed, but chances are they will link to other sites offering additional information and perspective. Different people and organizations tweet about different things, and following a robust and varied assortment of folks can provide you with a steady stream of current and useful information. Sure, some of the content on Twitter will be distracting or dumb or unreliable, but that’s simply the nature of the Internet. At least with Twitter, those useless tweets won’t waste much of your time.

Interaction

Another huge attraction about Twitter, for me, is its chat room feel. While people post to Twitter like they do most any other social network, they seem to respond quicker than they do on any other platform. You get the impression that no matter when you log in, there will be a bunch of people there, hanging out, and posting cool/funny/interesting information and that they’ll be willing to discuss it, whether out in the open or via direct message.

I’ve conducted numerous informal polls of my followers to hear their perspectives on different issues. I’ve joked around with people. I’ve started or joined creative hashtag contests. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked my followers for advice about a product or service and gotten multiple good answers within minutes. Again, I appreciate the ability to do all of it.

Impermanence

Twitter is built for the “now.” Researching old tweets is a little wonky, and, frankly, not the best use of the platform. Twitter should be not considered an archive or scrapbooking tool. Yes, I’ve gotten caught up in the occasional debate on Twitter and have been captivated by multiple posts on developing news stories, but I find myself able to disconnect from all of it rather quickly. I mean, how much time do we spend on Facebook reading every post and the comments about those posts, watching video clips that people post, and looking at tons of photos that we’re only looking at because they’re, well, there? Twitter doesn’t have that problem.

Twitter is a powerful, fun and useful tool with room to grow in terms of its business model, user base, and functionality.

Follow me at @billcolrus, follow who I follow, and post some content to cultivate some followers of your own. If you don’t like it, at least it won’t take too long to find out.

→ Bill Colrus, Managing Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital

Talk of Facebook‘s IPO is dominating the social media world this week. (See Dave’s post for more info.) Facebook is known as the number one social network in the world, so it’s not surprising that folks are clamoring to buy stock in it, or that it is our favorite social media platform. But why, exactly, do we prefer it over other platforms?

Cristina’s Take

Find Anyone

Facebook now has well over 800 million users, meaning it is easy to find almost anyone on the social network. From old high school friends to long-lost family members, you’re bound to connect with them on Facebook.

Easy Integration

If you’re a social media lover like me, you will appreciate the ability to easily integrate all other platforms with Facebook. Users can easily post Instagram photos on their wall, connect Foursquare check-ins, and share victories on Words With Friends.

Customized Privacy Controls

Facebook has faced a lot of controversy regarding privacy. However, unlike other social media platforms, Facebook offers customized privacy controls so users can manage the privacy of status updates, photos and information (and block any annoying users).

Discover New Connections

Not only can you connect with people you know on Facebook, but you can also discover new connections you may not have found otherwise. I love Facebook for this reason. I recently connected with a cousin whom I had never met before, and found that she lived in Kentucky! If it hadn’t been for Facebook, we may have never found each another.

Instant Translations

I’m bilingual and many times read other profiles and pages in Spanish. The new translate feature, sponsored by Bing, supports 37 languages and translates posts into the language indicated on the visitor’s profile. Although it isn’t a perfect translation, it helps me decipher some Spanish posts and other posts in foreign languages. What other platform does that?

Louise’s Take

Selective Interaction

With so many social networking platforms, it’s all about connecting with people you don’t know. Twitter is great for meeting people with similar interests, Pinterest is perfect for finding those with similar aesthetic sensibilities and Google+ is good for industry contacts. Facebook, however, is the perfect outlet for connecting with the people you really want to be interacting with. It’s all of your favorite people in one, big, digital space.

Virtual Scrapbooking

Scrolling back through your Facebook wall is like going for a walk down memory lane. Remember that awesome concert you went to? Your Foursquare check-ins are proudly displayed. Or, the picnic in the park with your friends? You have pictures of the sun and smiles. I see my Timeline as a type of virtual scrapbook, constantly collecting the events of my life.

“Stalking” from the Comfort of Your Own Home

Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. Everyone does it: that slightly unhealthy, comprehensive review of someone’s Facebook profile. I call this Facebook stalking and yes, I do it quite often. It’s the best way to get to know someone new or to catch up on the lives of old friends.

→ Cristina Cheatwood, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @x_tina111

→ Louise Elliott, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow…@geez_louise_

My work computer was destroyed last week. I tried my best to work with paper, but I’ve been digital so long that it proved difficult.

→ David Pemberton, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @Dave_Your_Fave

A social network is only as important as it is to you. If you aren’t getting anything out of a specific platform or don’t understand the hype, then you may not need to waste your time with it. Because of the nature of my work, I spend the majority of my time online and for me, a social platform that offers rapid use and fun is essential. Foursquare is exactly that. I’m also a data nerd and Foursquare’s geotargeting, ability to store and use historical data (welcome back to SXSW Matt, you haven’t been in Austin since August 2011), friend locations via radar, and clean design and functionality make it interesting, as well as painless to use. Add to all of this the social gamification of Foursquare (badges, levels and the leader scoreboard) and it’s a platform that I can’t refuse.

If done well, it can also connect customers with the brands that they love.

A Success Story

I recently visited Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams of Nashville for the first time. I checked in on Foursquare and ordered two scoops. The atmosphere was inviting and the ice cream was perfect. What really impressed me, though—other than the overwhelming smell of fresh cooked waffle cone—was that by the time I had finished my delicious treat and ambled back to my car, I had received the following tweet:

Social Media at Its Finest

This tells me two things about Jeni’s:

1. They pay attention to their fans, both potential and existing.
2. Their marketing team/agency works smarter, not harder.

Someone on their end paid enough attention to folks checking in to their locations to reach out and start a conversation with me. This is the way to make a new customer feel valued. Then, after making the initial connection, they gave me location-specific information that I actually cared about. This is marketing for a new age: clean and simple.

This is what I love about social media, or more accurately, what I love about social media when it’s done well. Networks like Foursquare offer an experience that both brands and users alike can benefit from, requiring only as much involvement as you feel comfortable with. A single push of a button began a conversation with Jeni’s that led me to a better understanding of, and an affinity for, the brand as a whole.

→ Matt Honkonen, Sr. Social Media Strategist, AREA203 Digital; follow…@Socmatt

Why I Love Pinterest: How Visuals Are Trumping Text on Social Platforms

Pinterest is the new love child of social media, but you already knew that because you’ve been pinning like crazy since February. You’re rockin’ out your latest inspiration boards and sharing with your mom, your sis, and other crafty folks out there in the creative universe. But why? What started this love affair?

As an early adopter, Pinterest appealed to me instantly, and along with the masses, I fell in love with the 100 percent visual platform. First off, as a creative thinker, this resonated deeply. I think more in visuals than in words, so when I found a social media platform that speaks in images? Brilliant!

Photo via Heather Huston hustonian.

Second, it’s a curatorial platform. Pinterest allowed me to become a curator of taste − my taste. It tapped into a natural instinct in a way that Facebook and Twitter had not done. I started Pinterest boards for photoshoots, friends’ weddings, and aspirational things that I wanted. It felt somewhat therapeutic. It was like shopping without buying, and my budget couldn’t argue with that.

Finally, for me, it wasn’t an argument about whether I was female or whether everyone else was doing it (I’m proud to say I was an early adopter), but it just clicked organically. No one had to explain it to me; I just got it. I mean, come on, if ”social media ninja’s” like Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston are on board, come on, what other argument do you need? Seriously, though…

Reese Witherspoon Loves Pinterest & Jennifer Aniston – CONAN on TBS

What Exactly Does Pinterest Show Us?

Ultimately, Pinterest touches us on an emotional level and allows us to share our passions, obsessions, and maybe even our emotional desires. If Facebook shows us what we have, Pinterest shows us what we want. For marketers, what more could you ask for? Would you rather have consumer data about what they’ve already purchased or what they plan on buying? It might be an educated guess, but I’m thinking it’s more the latter than the former. Marketers love Pinterest. That’s clear.

As one of the fastest growing social networks in Internet history, Pinterest blazed past YouTube and LinkedIn to become the third ranked social media platform (behind Facebook and Twitter). AND, if you missed getting in while it was in beta, please note that Pinterest hit those numbers before it was fully open to the public. If you’re still holding out on Pinterest, wait no longer. You, too, can get your pin on, curate visually, and share content on a new platform.

Despite the numbers, there are still holdouts. And it’s not the ladies. Men are jumping on the Pinterest wagon. It took one conversation to convince my husband why I loved this platform, and he joined immediately. (900 pins later he’s an avid user.) Guess who ranks in the top 10? Meet Mike Dew a Philadelphia-based graphic designer.

The key question: “Will it last?” For me, as a fashion, design, and photography addict, it’s more than just “pinteresting.” BUT (and there always is one), I’ve noticed Pinterest spam, ugly posts, and shameless self-promotion. This doesn’t make me happy. But I remain optimistic. IF Pinterest can avoid being overrun by ugly visuals, shopping and spam links − AND surpass copycat platforms like Gentlemint and Manteresting − THEN it may truly survive.

P.S. If you cannot resist this cute baby, pin it!

Photo via Anna Oh Anna

→ Heather Huston, Strategist, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow…@hustonian

Which social media platforms best fit your needs? Is there one that can do it all? Would two or three work better for you? This week, in an attempt to answer these questions, 2OH!3 will be running a daily series called, “My Favorite Social Network.” AREA203 team members and guest bloggers will take turns touting which networks work best for them with hopes of helping you find which one(s) will work best for you.

Today’s premiere installment about Google+ comes from guest blogger, James Laws, the owner and operator of the WP Ninjas, a WordPress development and consultation company. He also really, really likes Google+. You can follow him on Twitter or, of course, on Google+.

The Cure for the Social Media Schizophrenic

Since 1998, I have been on the cutting edge of anything Internet related. Over the last couple years, I’ve realized that I’m being overwhelmed by more social media networks and less networking, more connections yet less conversations.

The worst part is that while I’m creating more accounts, there is less of me in each one. I’ve taken to using Twitter for technology stuff, Facebook for friends, LinkedIn for business and Pinterest for my crafty side. I want to be conscientious and only post relevant content for those who want it, but I shouldn’t have to be a social media schizophrenic to do it.

Google+ solves almost all of my issues. Here are the top three reasons why I love Google+ more than every other social network.

1. Circles

People who follow me do so because I’m a WordPress developer, pastor, technology enthusiast, baker and more. By using Google+ Circles, I can place people in appropriate categories according to what they might want to hear from me and what I want to hear from them. Circles fill a multitude of uses for me.

I have some circles that are very narrow so I can read what a specific group or interest category has to say. This could be family members, friends and my church. I also have much broader circles with whom I share my writing and thoughts. These are circles like Technology and Spirituality.

2. Integration

I use Google for my search, Gmail for several email accounts and Google Documents for writing and creating spreadsheets. The current integration between Google+ and the rest of Google’s products is amazing and only promises to get better. For instance, I love the fact that, when I search, I have the option of seeing what people in my circles recommend. I follow them for a reason, so their opinion means more to me than some sponsored link.

Now, some people complain about Google having their hands in too much of their lives and I’m sure there are some valid complaints. For me, however, Google has created great products that I use every day, and Google+ is a welcome addition to my workflow.

3. Conversation

My Twitter feed is usually filled with a few dozen links to the exact same article, Instagram pictures and a bunch of one-liners. Any conversations that do exist are hard to follow and splintered. Over on Facebook, there are photo memes, stupid game requests, mundane status updates, statuses autoposted by Twitter and people complaining about Facebook.

The atmosphere at Google+ is a completely different. Sure, you’ll find some silly photos, links and people complaining about Facebook, but you will also find something very unique: dialogue.

People converse, debate, argue, encourage and generally interact with each other more on Google+ than they on other social media platforms. Sure, I’ve certainly posted things that haven’t gotten any response, but all in all, there is a different understanding: true connection is facilitated by conversation, not “likes” and “retweets.”

Furthermore, the Google +1 button is a game-changer in our growing social Web environment. The button not only acts as a great bookmark to great content, but it also allows you to find and recommend content to and from people you respect.

Your Turn

Remember the beginning of the post when I said that Google+ fixes “almost” all of my issues? Well, There is one issue it can’t fix: You’re not using it yet.

Circles aside, what makes a great social network are the people involved. I’m still on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest, and until more of you join me on Google+, I guess I’ll have to be. But sadly, only part of me.

→ James Laws

Tuesday: AREA203 Digital SM + PR Strategist Heather Huston plugs Pinterest.

It’s obvious that influence-scoring sites Klout and Kred are very popular. I have to admit, however, that I’ve never fully understood how they worked. Curious, I decided to investigate, just for fun, to see what my Kred score was. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let it change me, no matter what my ”influence” was “rated” as “being.”

→ David Pemberton, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @Dave_Your_Fave

The Internet is not a new frontier anymore and hasn’t been for quite some time. The online world has become an integral part of our lives, and businesses must expand beyond the typical shopping behavior. The research and development that was once spent on product placement in retail stores is continuously being adapted to the online world. This research is typically done through analytics—software that tracks user actions on a particular site. The data that’s being captured tells a bigger story about user behavior than you may think.

We All Know Analytics Is More Than Numbers

A standard Web analytics package wasn’t enough five years ago, and it’s definitely not enough today. Sure, overall visits and page views are important metrics, especially if tracked properly for each marketing channel, but what about the quality of the customer? Is SEO traffic the same as Lead Generation traffic? Of course not, but do they work together? How do you know?
Rule #1 for any analyst is not to assume something because what might be the most obvious answer is probably not. Not to mention, there are endless amounts of questions that might help or contradict a solution. For example:

• How can you justify a call to action change with millions of dollars in media spend?
• How do you know a website’s true user experience without first looking at basic analytics?
• Why not add search engine friendly text to every single page?
• Should you invest your time chasing long-tail keywords?

I’d love to sit here and say there are simple metrics and a simple dashboard that can explain everything any business would need to know, but that’s just false. Don’t get me wrong: numbers don’t lie, but you need someone to put those numbers into context. This is especially true if you find yourself dealing with problems because the analytics code was not set up properly.

Customize Your Analytics

Now, if you think analytics is just as simple as plug and play, then you’ve probably set yourself up for failure. As digital marketing professionals, we all have the understanding that every campaign, website, and company is different in how they operate. KPIs will always vary for each client and campaign, depending on a wide variety of factors. For example, seasonality, goals, conversions, risk management, innovation, brand awareness, and stressing selling points will all have a different KPI that will measure success (aside from overall conversions).

There are a host of different types of customizable code that can be set up to suit any type of website. From ecommerce to simple landing pages to sites with more than enough subdomains, each type of site will require a different type of code. This is even more relevant if you are trying to track channel-specific traffic to the conversion level. Sure, Google Analytics does a pretty good job of outputting some code to use, but once you’ve got it all set up—out-of-box, of course—you’ll always want to see something else. This will eventually lead to a point where an individual channel’s performance needs to be monitored.

Prepare for Third-Party Analytics Integration

The days of automation and turnkey solutions are now becoming generic for any business that wants to thrive online. It’s safe to say that measuring a customer’s behavior is the number one priority for any marketing agency out there today. Free analytics tools are great, but they don’t tell the bigger story. What are those visitors doing on your site? How did they get there? Where can you maximize more quality traffic? No matter how many custom updates you make to your standard analytics’ package, the time will come for more data. This is where innovative and channel-specific monitoring tools come into play. This is when it’s time to go shopping.

Just like shopping for electronic devices, integration with other products goes a long way in value. It’s the selling point for third-party monitoring tools. At AREA203, we’ve made integration a key resolution by implementing IMB Coremetrics because of the diversity of tools we use. You need to be able to monitor channel-specific results in perspective with the rest of the marketing mix in real time. It wouldn’t be very time-efficient to collect and store data in multiple applications that each measure important business decisions. Real-time analytics will pave the way for more logical decisions.

→ Jig Patel, SEO Specialist, AREA203 Digital

The “Nerd Blog” is my time to completely nerd out over any Internet thing that I might otherwise lack the opportunity to gush over.

I love the Internet. It’s an endless library of stuff—a place where anyone can produce anything for any reason. Naturally, this results in an immense amount of subpar content. However, it also creates a precedent where things are made because someone wants to make them. These projects are almost exclusively fueled by passion. They are the gems, and the things that I nerd out about.

FirstShowing.net is the passion project of film reviewer Alex Billington. What I love most about this site is summed up in their mission statement:

Billington isn’t interested in artistically deconstructing films on a high level so much as he is concerned with giving the average reader a valuable look at movies. FirstShowing.net isn’t pretentious. It’s completely genuine. It’s a site for people who love going to the movies. Just take a look at Billington’s top ten favorite films:

This list isn’t made to impress. It’s honest and genuine and, in my opinion, validating of FirstShowing.net’s  position as a credible film review site. Who wouldn’t trust a list that includes “Raiders of the Lost Ark”? Billington runs this site out of love and it shows.

I love FirstShowing.net because FirstShowing.net loves movies.

The website is simply designed, a rolling blog with clean cut edges and expertly used white space. Information is easy to find and consume, and I love that. I visit a lot of websites in a given day, and few are built with such a keen eye to readability.

Content is updated frequently and is consistently accessible. The updates and movie reviews come not from film critics or unqualified snobs, but instead from “a creative collaboration of individuals who are above all dedicated and passionate towards movies.”

Honestly, if you love to nerd out about movies as much as I do, FirstShowing.net is the last website you will ever need.

→ David Pemberton, Editor, Social Media + PR, AREA203 Digital; follow… @Dave_Your_Fave

I Love to Laugh

My husband will tell you – I crack myself up all the time, giggle at commercials, and get tickled over silly typos and silly looking animals. I think this week we need to start with some comedy.

(Here’s the secret behind today’s Motivation: Laughing is good for you physically. We know that. But comedians have the gift of seeing things around them differently than the rest of us. Watching these three comedians in particular can help you change the way you look at ordinary objects and everyday obstacles. Enjoy!)

• Mitch Hedberg’s Comedy Central special
• Demetri Martin: Visual Jokes
• Bill Cosby on Dentists (He’s my favorite!)

→ Jess Hutton, Lead Copywriter, AREA203 Digital; follow… @JessLHutton