I’ve got this really bad habit of gushing about things I love: Wordpress, Twitter, kittens… well I have a new and brilliant tool I want to share with you. The problem with many browser plugin/apps/downloads is that they clutter and aren’t very user friendly anyhow. But not Shareaholic! Observe:

Before Shareaholic.

After Shareaholic.

But what does this wonderful and non-space hogging button on my browser do?? you may be wondering quietly to yourself. It might as well be a portal to the end of the universe as far as I’m concerned, its just that spectacular. No really, it lets you share stuff… everywhere! You know how it goes. You’re on a site, or reading an article and you are like “Wow, this is brilliant. Everyone should see it.” Then you have to copy the url, open an email or Twitter or Facebook, paste it and hit send. And you have to do that for every place you want to share it to. No longer! Just click the Shareaholic button and a drop down menu appears, select where you want to share your info and bang, done. All that’s left is customizing and waiting for all the feedback. (Random Tip: you don’t have to just share publicly, Shareaholic will let you link to your email or to private Facebook messages as well.)

I know what you’re thinking: “Okay, I’m sold, how do I get this amazing button of awesomeness?” Easy. Just go to Shareaholic.com and pick your browser. (It even works for those shameful people who don’t have Firefox.) Then download, and the happy little green icon will appear on your browser. Note: downloading this will not hurt your computer, not spyware or anything like that, your hard drive is safe!

Not convinced yet? Shareaholic works with about 50 services already and there’s even a video I found on their lovely blog:

Love it or hate it, MySpace did one thing right: it paved the way for facebook.

A few weeks ago I spoke to a group about social media, concentrating on Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In. At that time, I gave Facebook a very basic review and moved on. But after hearing about the changes being made to the site I started to do some more research. It blew my mind what Facebook was doing. So much so that I’m going to devote this week of blogging to comparing Facebook to what I believe are the other top two social media sites: Twitter & Linked-In.

Disclaimer: I am not saying these three websites are the same. In fact I think most businesses should establish a presence on all three. This is more about me organizing them by greatest  business potential.

Today I want to talk a little bit about some of the exciting stuff happening behind your Facebook profile and the key to what gives Facebook such awesome potential. Last week I covered the exciting new Facebook pages and if you regularly check your profile, you’ve probably already noticed the changes to your news feed. So, let’s talk about lesser-known gems that you might not have heard about unless you religiously read Facebook’s company blog.

Somethings you might not know:

• Facebook is available in Hebrew and Arabic. (70% of users are not from the U. S.)
• Facebook Causes have raised $4.5 million from 90,000 unique donors. (How’s that for making an impact?)
• Facebook has a wiki just for developers.
• Facebook book is listening. There are multiple ways to give them feedback.
• Facebook puts all their statics on their site.
• Facebook does a ton of research (with your permission). You can participate even if you don’t have an account!
• Facebook has made a ton of its coding open source.
• Facebook Connect allows you to integrate information on Facebook with other websites.
• It took me 5 minutes to find all this information.

Most of us log on Facebook, respond to mail, update our status, play around a bit and we’re done. But there is so much more to Facebook. By looking a little deeper I realized that Facebook was listening, truly listening to what its users needed. The number one question I get from business owners is “But how do I use Facebook for my business?” And the answer has always been somewhat convoluted. Facebook heard that question and said, “Hmm… how can we make this better for businesses while still making the same social impact?”

They’ve done a ton of research on their new ideas. I know, I know, a new homepage makes most of us balk, (what? I have to think before I click?) but I have faith that the Facebook team picked what they felt would be the most intuitive and simple solution. In a month we won’t even notice.

Facebook’s philosophy, however is what really makes them stand out from other media. Share and Connect. That’s powerful. And they are actively pursuing it in visible ways. I couldn’t tell you what any other social media site’s mission even was.

So what do you think? Do you hate the new layout? Did you learn something new from my little list? Are you ready to be in up in arms defending other social sites this week?

If you’ve done any sales or offline networking you know the drill: Meet someone, exchange business cards and then do the ultimate magic move: get coffee. You meet at your local Starbucks, or if you’re adventurous, a non-chain locale. You both grab your cup o’joe and share. This is not a sales pitch, not a marketing strategy, this is a get-to-know-you-and-your-business hour. This is a relaxed, comfortable environment to share with someone about your passion and find out more about theirs. Afterward you usually feel like you know this person better and understand the “niche” their company fills. If you have any synergy, you establish it, and often you will exchange any referrals on the spot or in the next few days. Sometime the results of “getting coffee” or having a “one-on-one” aren’t apparent for months. But then again some of my most enthusiastic clients came from someone who was never going to use my services but talked me up to their friend…. someone I had coffee with once.

Getting Coffee can be a powerful, personal way to establish your business. So why is blogging like getting coffee? The first websites were cold, impersonal tools used mostly to get a sale out of someone. Now we have a new aspect to web, a more social aspect. And it is a fact that humans, as a whole, are social creatures. A blog is an awesome way to “get coffee” with someone you might never have a chance to meet in person. Here’s why:

• Neutral Ground: Most blogs are informal. The website itself carries all the “official” business information, but the blog gives you a chance to loosen your tie, roll up your sleeves and breathe in that espresso atmosphere.
• The Little Things: A blog let’s people see what’s unique about your company. Maybe you are a business law firm, but you happen to really be passionate about 503 (c) companies (nonprofits) and have lots of experience starting them. Or maybe your background was originally in the IT field and it makes your perspective different. These are all things that might not be appropriate in the “official” side of your website, but in your blog it can gain you an individualization. Its the small things that set you apart, so share them.
• Establish a Rapport: Trust is huge. One of the great things about getting coffee is being about to establish if they are the kind of person you would be comfortable referring to or not. Often you can discover information their background, their family life, their personality… in a blog you can reveal all these things and it builds trust with your readers. The more they feel like the know the real you, the more they will trust you.
• Spill the (Coffee) Beans: Share your secrets. Often, when I meet with someone, I like to find out something that isn’t common knowledge. Share something that’s not common knowledge on your blog. It doesn’t have to be incredibly personal, it can be an industry secret. If people feel like you are being upfront with your facts they will be more willing to come back to your site in the future.
• Q & A: Getting coffee with someone always involves conversation. Its an opportunity to ask questions and get feed back directly. I have no background with real estate. So when I have coffee with an agent I can ask them all kinds of questions without feeling stupid: “Is the market really as bad as the news says?” “What do you mean by ‘flip’ a house?” “What’s a good mortgage rate?” They ask me basic questions too: “What do you mean by SEO?” “What’s the difference between a link & url?” and “How does social media work?” The point is, a blog can be a conversation with your readers. Answer the questions you know they are asking. And make your blogs open-ended enough so that your readers feel comfortable asking you questions and even seeking out your advice.

If you get in the mindset that blogging is like getting a chance to get coffee with hundreds of individuals around the world, everyday, you might suddenly see the awesome potential blogging for your business has. If you already blog, consider what people ask you during a one-on-one and what the hot topics seem to be. If you don’t think the results of blogging can be as dramatic as getting coffee, think again. I love sharing links to my favorite blog sites with people who are looking for that information and I have made sales because other people did the same for me. People refer to those they like and trust. So make your blog trustworthy and friendly and see what happens.