You Can’t Date Sitting On The Couch
…and it seems you can’t move up the ranks of search engine results without getting social.
The May/June 2011 issue of the MIT Technology Review Magazine published a list of Top Ten Emerging Technologies that will impact everyone’s daily life. As a working mom I am hopeful the folks in Cambridge will announce the development of robots who serve dinner; but MIT’s Top Emerging Technology is Social Indexing!
What is Social Indexing? SEO Consultant Jeff Howard defines it as, “the concept of compressing data from networks like Twitter and Facebook then turning out that data into meaningful tools to help organize websites by popularity and relevance.” In other words the more Tweets, Likes or +1’d your content receives could earmark your site as relevant and popular, thus giving it a search engine boost.
Now it is our opportunity to get our websites and blogs ready for any potential algorithm changes that could be coming our way.
Four Easy Steps
Here are four easy steps to get yourself into the game:
- Make it easy for your readers to share your content. I recommend The Facebook Like Button for Dummies or Facebook Comments, WordPress Plugins because they are easy to install. For Twitter the TweetMeme button is a popular choice.
- Ask. Simply,” if you found this interesting I would appreciate you sharing it with your tribe.” (not as stressful as finding a date to the Junior Prom now is it?)
- Be generous with your own Likes / Tweets / Comments (note: not extravagant; massive contributing, Liking and re-Tweeting will diminish your credibility). If you come across a piece of information that is helpful or interesting, Like it, Tweet it, or leave a quick comment (with a link back to your own site). Potentially you could catch the attention of the author and they very well may begin to reward your efforts with similar Likes, Tweets and comments.
- Pay attention to Bing. Bing and Facebook have aligned forces and have recently launched a major campaign, Bing and Decide with Your Friends.
Set up your infrastructure by getting your site ready, start putting yourself out there and watch your popularity grow.
Eileen Lonergan is a WordPress website designer, a ghost blogger, and manages social media for a variety of clients.
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Thanks for the tips Eileen, I sometimes get so bogged down in content that I forget to pay attention to the community around me.
I'm particularly going to take away the Bing tip – very interesting and hadn't thought of that!
Eamon FitzGerald recently posted: Getting into English Wine
You are welcome Eamon and thank you for your note! You have the perfect blog for going social, http://mygrapeescape.ie!
eileen lonergan recently posted: How to Add Google 1 Button to Your WordPress Website
Hi, Eileen.
I think I may be guilty of over-generosity.
Because I am big about sharing the interesting stuff I read online and there is so many, so to make sure that no one will miss out on what I have been reading, I share them on Facebook and tweet them. Is that maybe hurting me? Would love to hear your thoughts. 
Kim Davies @3D Renderings recently posted: Communication and 3D Rendering
Interesting question, Kim.
When you wonder if the sharing may be hurting you, what do you have in mind? Rankings for your website? Follower numbers? Engagement per message sent?
Ideally you would have in mind what you want to achieve (say, increasing blog readership). Then if sharing is a way to get there, you can measure if sharing is helping or hurting
Kim, thanks for your note!
I think sharing is awesome, and I too love to pass along the bits of info that I find. Back in the day I would rip apart magazines and mail articles that I thought people would enjoy!
I think that if your followers and friends are positively responding to the information keep it up, but don't be afraid to edit and pass along the best of the best. I see a lot of value Rudd's advice, think about your goals for sharing and act accordingly.
eileen lonergan recently posted: How to Add Google 1 Button to Your WordPress Website
Thanks Eileen, good collection of ideas you have here listed. I am definately going to check out some WordPress plugins … and your following posts too
Virag@Lost Escapist Mom recently posted: Wohoo…off my way to Sweden again!