Human beings are, by and large, social creatures who enjoy communicating with other people. The advent of social media has made it possible for anyone who has access to the Internet to communicate instantly with people in any part of the world. Social media networks allow users to share information, pictures, music and videos; to chat online; to download games and applications; and to market their products and services.

What Is Meant by Social Media?

Any website that allows people to interact with the site and/or with other people can be classed under the heading of social media. Social media also permits the creation and exchange of user-generated content. Types of social media include blog sites; Internet forums; podcasts; virtual gaming websites; social networking sites, such as Facebook and Bebo; microblog sites, including Twitter; and content communities, such as YouTube and Wikipedia.

How Social Media Developed

Social media has been around for much longer than people imagine. The first electronic bulletin board system (BBS) appeared in the late 1970s, allowing PC users to access discussion boards via a dial-up telephone modem. The earliest commercial online services included CompuServe, Prodigy and AOL. The World Wide Web became publicly available on August 6th, 1991, and by the mid-90s Internet service providers began to spring up around the U.S. Internet forum services like GeoCities became popular, leading to the creation of the first social networking site, SixDegrees, in 1997. In the same year, AOL launched its instant messenger service. Friendster, created in 2002, gained more than three million users in its first month, but was overtaken by MySpace in 2003. Facebook appeared in 2004 and Twitter in 2006.

Dangers of Social Media

Although social media has many benefits, it also carry inherent dangers. Personal information can be easily accessed, leading to crimes like identity fraud and stalking. It is even dangerous to post a message that you are going on vacation, since this is a virtual invitation to come rob your home. Indiscreet communications by armed services personnel can endanger national security, and social networking channels have allegedly been used for coordinating terrorism and spreading sedition.

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[image size="medium" align="left" autoHeight="true"]http://www.justawebcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/SocialWagonWheel.jpg[/image] Social media has become instrumental for companies, large or small, in marketing their message to gain clients. Through multiple social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, companies are driving traffic to their websites and increasing revenue. But the question many companies face is…Should I pay someone to do my social media or can we handle it by ourselves? There are numerous one-day seminars or webinars that promise to give you the “tools” to be a successful social media marketer for your company. While this sounds like a great cost-saving measure, writing content and knowing social media strategy is something that is innate and difficult to teach. For example, it’s a lot harder to train your employee in content writing then it is to teach a professional communicator about your business. Handling your own social media marketing takes time, time that will be taken away from running your business. Consistency and expertise are integral parts of the social media “wheel” and most businesses don’t have the time to commit to doing it “right.” Leave it to Just A Web Company to keep your social media marketing wheel turning! 949-891-2342

[image size="medium" align="left"]http://www.justawebcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/customer-testimonial-ring-electric-ottawa-electrical.jpeg[/image] We’re in the age of internet reviews and any business, small or large, knows the power of customer testimonials. Business owners used to have to rely on “word-of-mouth” marketing from customers in order to bring in new clients. This was a slow, unreliable process that was unmeasurable and unreliable. Today, through the power of the internet, customers are much more likely to leave reviews for your services. What do these reviews mean for your business? The more customer testimonials you receive the more likely a potential client is to utilize your services for their needs. The more reviews you receive, the greater the potential for search engines to bring up your website when customers search for services. One of the most popular websites that utilize this concept is Yelp.com. Yelp has brought the power of customer testimonials to a whole new level. Yelp.com has become the starting point for potential clients searching for a service. Yelp brings customers in contact with local businesses through search tools that narrow down specialties with location. Through mobile device applications, even more customers are utilizing this type of search to find everything from restaurants to plumbers while on the go. So, How can your business utilize and benefit from utilizing customer testimonials on your website? Easy! Temecula based, webdesign and social media marketer, Just A Web Company, has the tools! Temecula based, web design and social media marketer, Just A Web Company, can help your business soar by utilizing our media marketing campaigns! Call 949-891-2342!

[image size="medium" align="left"]http://www.justawebcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Google-Analytics.jpeg[/image]Who is looking at your business website? Want to know more about the demographics of the traffic to your site? Analyzing who frequents your website is an important part of how you market your business and is an invaluable marketing tool. Google Analytics is that tool that will tell you everything you need to know about every person who clicks onto to your website. Whether potential clients find your website through a search engine or through direct url address, every click on your site is recorded and reported to you. You obtain daily or even real-time reports, depending on the version you have, on the traffic to your website. You will learn everything about your potential clients, the city and state they live and if you wish, even more detailed down to the unique individual’s IP address. So what will all this information do for your business? Knowing who is visiting your site will allow you to know if your current content and marketing is targeting your company’s main demographic. Website improvements, social media marketing and ad campaigns can be tracked real-time on Google Analytics to see the immediate impact. Just A Web Company utilizes Google Analytics daily for real-time tracking of all traffic to our website. Through detailed reports that include user’s unique url addresses, the city and state from where they are clicking onto our website, we are able to track the success of our marketing. At Just A Web Company, we are dedicated to improving your web site traffic through social media marketing campaigns, website development, website redesigns and newsletter development. Call Temecula based web design and social media marketer, Just A Web Company at 949-891-2342.

[image size="medium" align="left"]http://www.justawebcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/twitter-bird-pic.jpeg[/image] New to Twitter or have seen Twitter posts and wondered what all those “#” hash marks before certain words are?…Let us explain. For a business that “tweets”, the goal is to obtain as many followers to your account as possible. The more followers you have and continue to get, the more exposure your business gets. Businesses utilize Twitter as a social marketing tool to obtain leads to potential clients. As the top social media marketing company in Temecula, Just a Web Company markets for companies on Facebook and Twitter. We utilize clear and consise messages while optimizing key words that pertain to your brand and your products. Along with your input, we do the reseach on those “buzz-worthy” words that are key for the market you are trying to reach. By using these industry “buzz-worthy” keywords, those who use the built-in search engines will be able to find and follow your business. In optimizing your posts and tweets, you will obtain followers from your industry and new clients. Just A Web Company has the knowledge and know-how to bring your business to a whole new level. Call us now…your business can’t afford not to! Call Temecula based web design, Just A Web Company at 949-891-2342.

[image align="center" width="248" height="192"]http://www.justawebcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/imgres.jpeg[/image] Facebook and Twitter seem easy enough to navigate by yourself, right? So, Why would you pay a web design company to manage your social media accounts for your business when it seems easy enough to do on your own? The concept at first is overwhelming, setting up a business page is not as easy as creating a personal profile. There is a matter of making sure you get enough people to your site to “like” your business in order to obtain a business name url. In the beginning, you will post to your accounts with diligence but gradually as time passes it will fall on your priority list and eventually you will forget about it all together. Your social media is neglected and your business doesn’t get the exposure and advertising it needs to take it to the next level. There are many advantages of social media marketing for businesses but nothing will benefit your company unless you put the time and effort into it. Take the guess work and stress out of your hands and let us handle your social media management needs by calling Temecula based web design company “Just a Web Company” at 949-891-2342.