Previously in this irregular series of web tips, we’ve looked at accessibility, usability and writing for the web. These are all important considerations that go towards building a better website. But what are the ways that you can, as a business, successfully interact with the web as whole? How can you use other websites to boost your business?
One way is to engage with what are called ’social networking’ sites. These are websites where much of the content is generated by the users themselves. They act as online meeting places where people go to share their news, views, ideas, photos, ask and give advice and form networks of like-minded friends.
By having a presence on these sites and engaging with fellow community members, it is possible to raise your company’s profile and attract new business. This can be done by making your contributions useful, interesting and informative. If you can create a trustworthy and helpful presence, you can bolster your image immensely.
However, it is important that businesses engage sensitively with online communities. Using them to ‘hard sell’ your products through unsolicited ads and emails, or simply reproducing your main website copy will not work. In the first instance, you could be considered a spammer, in the second you won’t be providing anything new or useful. Take time to learn the individual community’s ways and manners, then respect them.
Use such sites to engage in dialogues with potential or existing customers. Offer free advice in your specialist area. Be seen as a company secure enough to engage with web users on their terms. Above all, be honest. It is ill-advised to create a false persona to rave about your products and services. You’ll more than likely be found out and lose credibility.
There are many different social network sites out there, each catering to slightly different audiences or providing different services. Here’s a short list to get you started:
MySpace - predominantly used by younger people. Has a strong music / arts / counterculture presence. Famously launched the Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen on their road to fame. Reason enough to shut it down, some might say, but it has its uses.
Facebook - a similar networking site to MySpace. It allows users to set up a profile, link to friends, post pictures, join larger groups and publicise events. Originated in US colleges and still attracts a slightly older, more ’sophisticated’ users. This ‘class’ divide is looked at in this BBC article.
Bebo - More Myspace than Facebook. Largely young (late teens / early twenties) users.
Twitter - updated regularly by users describing their activities. Has potential to act as a record of a particular event or project you may be working on (”Nigel has successfully installed the manifold gleeb-spreader”, or whatever…)
Flickr - although also seen as a type of blog tool (we’ll do blogs next), Flickr’s use of groups and the ability to make friends also make it a social network. It’s a good place to post pictures from your events, or of staff, products, premises etc. To the right of this post you can see pictures from the Chamber’s Flickr page. These are a popular destination for many of our web visitors.
More on social networking from Wikipedia.
