Social Media gives the ability to build some serious brand exposure for minimal budgets, but unless your an already established brand using it soley as a broadcast medium will be  a severe mistake. Remember, it's called "Social Media" cause it's social so make sure at the end of the day your brand isn't just pushing itself but being part of the community.

How to be social:

- Join Ning Communities or Forums on related topics, particpate in the conversations, keep a link to your site in your signature

- Create a facebook page, have content creation contests, let your fans be part of shaping the brand, make them part of it.

- @replies on twitter are quick and easy way to make individuals feel like your brand is their, and if you do your job, it will be their friend.

Here's a Checklist of what should be done in almost every social brand campaign:

- Twitter Account, don't just start following everyone, don't pay for followers. Post frequently, and reply often to people you follow.

- Facebook Page, generate video, photos, lots of content, the key to growing anything is keep generating content and eventually it'll begin to build as you join other communities and they begin to find way to learn more about you and your brand.

- Use Ping.fm, Pixelpipe.com, and Tubemogul as a way to syndicate content to keep other conversation opening up in other areas.

- Create a google profile, and take advatage of some free business cards if the offer is still available.

That's all for now,

Alex Merced

While one of the big discussions is whether Myspace can make a comeback and overtake Facebook for Social Media dominance once again. I think most agree that the next big social media battle will be the battle over mobiles, but Myspace and Facebook are big enough to have aunique opportunity, to build their own mobile OS's where their network serves as the OS.

While facebook has always been a communications platform before anything, which is why it has grown so fast compared to myspace which always to me seemed like a media platform with communication aspects, at least in it's current form it's this media platform that'll give myspace a distinct advatage in creating a MobileOS.

Things to tthink about in a MobileOS battle between Myspace and Facebook

- Both already have massive app libraries, and if a mobileOS can be designed with compatibility with existing apps, with some new API's to take advantage of a mobile OS you can results in a pretty strong app library right out of the BOX

- Both already have strong communication tools built into their services, including IM and messaging, which of course be a central part of any mobile OS.

My Targets: I think MyspaceOS Phone designed similar to a sidekick would be a massive hit with Teens and Pre-Teens, while a Facebook Mobile Phone I think would sit well with College students and young post-grads.

I mean yes, they already have apps to access these networks on all the smartphones, but to truly acquire dominance a mobileOS might finally determine which of these two giants will be the way we keep in touch in the long term. Also, anyone think there's room for an ultra simple lightweight TwitterOS? They have to make money somehow.

- Alex Merced

We've seen many websites try to create a central place to aggregate your life on the web such as OtherEgo, Unhub, FriendFeed, Mashable, etc. ALthough at the end of the day the only entity universally used to pull this off is google, and it may of finally have which has some interesting marketing complication.

Now google profiles isn't a new social network, but google effeort to well... index people, and let people define themselves and their prime destination so when people search their name relevant info come up.

If you big on personal branding and want to improve your search results to your homes all over the web a google profile I think will turn out to be invaluable in the future.

(in order to create one be logged into your google account and search for "me")

Here's mine

Wow... I've known about Twitter since it's inception and never did I expect it to explode to quite these levels. So what are the opporonities in using Twitter?

The same as it has been in all social media, the ability to create content that is valuable to your target market that gives you the ability to further define your brand, create brand loyalty, and deliver marketing messages.

What's nice about Twitter it mixes the benefits of a newsletter, a blog, in a easy to maintain quick messaging system that allows brands to develop even on the fly using mobile technology.

What's the next big app, well if the Next iteration of the Iphone contains quality video recording features, I think 12seconds.tv has the potential to see an explosion among Smartphone users. So start creating your content now before you miss this wave as well.

That's my take for today, be sure to email me any invites to any betas to AlexMerced@AlexMerced.com