All of this is worked out using EdgeRank, a site-specific algorithm that filters through posts to decide whether or not they are important enough to match the specifications you have given each user or page. It is the reason that certain updates make it onto your friends feed, and others don’t.

How Does EdgeRank Work?

It starts by breaking down your own usage to find out how you interact with certain types of posts. This makes up more than half of what the algorithm measures, with the rest based around how your social network interacts with the same posts, usually center around more popular content.

Your personal interaction will define whether you see more or less of the posts from a certain user or page. The more you click on links, hit like, comment or share, the more likely you are to see posts in the future. When you frequently post on someone’s wall, for example, you will see them become a preferred user for your friend feed. If you frequently click on links from a page, you will be more likely to see them on your feed over pages you don’t interact with.

But what about those posts that your friends like? How come you only see a certain amount of those? That is based on the network-wide interaction, rather than specific friends. If you do have regular contact through Facebook with a user, you might see more of their comments and likes. However, usually you will see these because more than one person has shared, liked or commented on it. The more users on your list that have interacted with a specific post, the more likely it is you will see it on your own feed.

With me so far? Good.

You will also have posts based on how often you respond to the certain post type. For example, if you often comment on photos then you are more likely to see photos. If you often comment on statuses, you will be more likely to see statuses, and so on.

Conclusion

There you have it, a quick breakdown of how EdgeRank works. Of course, there is a lot more to it than that, but the main concept is pretty simple. It is meant to be intuitive to your needs by checking your Facebook usage and adapting accordingly.

It is just another way that Facebook has proven themselves to be the social network to beat.

Image Credit: 1.

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Ann Smarty

Community Manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas

Ann Smarty is the pro blogger and guest blogger, social media enthusiast.

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The post In Simple Words: How Facebook EdgeRank Works appeared first on SEO Chat.

How did social media actually influenced our life and the society in general? In my opinion (and I am an early adopter) it has had a positive impact. I am all for the widening of the world we live in, and easy communication around the world.

Social media has definitely made us closer to other parts of the world – as someone who used to do the worldwide business from Ukraine, I am the one who can totally appreciate it!

It doesn’t mean I don’t see the back side of the coin. I do know the cons along with the pros…

The Good

First, we have the obvious: communication. We are living in a time where the world is open to us. We can contact anyone around the world, at any time, with just a few keystrokes. It is free, unlike calling across the ocean, and live. We can also share elements of our life, from what we enjoy to photos of ourselves and those in our lives. It is like being a part of that person’s world, even though distance keeps you apart.

We also have the communication between people and businesses. Since they have paved a new way for interaction between the two, customers can now tell brands exactly what they want. Businesses can then use that information to tailor their products of more appeal. They used to have to spend a ton of cash for this kind of marketing data. Customers used to have to spend hours on phones getting more and more frustrated when they had a problem or complaint.

There are also causes and information. Social media has made it possible for like minded individuals to discuss important topics, widen their personal knowledge and discover things they never knew before. For example, young people around the world are now more involved than ever in their country’s politics. The last presidential elections in the US are proof of that. Social media has contributed to that increase in a big way.

Non-profits are seeing the benefits of using social media for their awareness campaigns. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others are a cost effective means of spreading the word and getting support. Not to mention socially shared petitions from sites like Causes.org, reaching hundreds of thousands of people.

There is no doubt that there are many reasons to love social media.

The Bad

But not all consequences of this technology are good ones. Like the way it has allowed us to hide behind screens and limited our social interaction face to face. You get the feeling of being social without having to go out and socialize. In the same vein, it gives you the feeling of being a friend (or having friends) without having to put in any actual work to build the relationship. Just think of how many people you have on your Facebook friends list. How many of them do you see on a semi-regular basis? At all?

Then we have the issue of how it has taken over our lives. I hate being out in public and seeing people on their phones. Seeing them talking never bothered me as long as they weren’t being obnoxious. Nor does sending off a quick text bug me; maybe they are meeting someone and telling them where they are, or something. It is the obvious Facebooking or tweeting or whatever else that keeps people’s eyes glued to their phones.

I never check social media sites when I am out doing something. Whether it is grocery shopping, getting dinner with friends or waiting in line, it is just so impolite. It also shows a serious problem with distraction in today’s society. We can’t enjoy the world around us for an hour without retreating back into that safe little digital box.

Productivity is pretty much shot thanks to social media, as well. Admit it, you check your profiles during work, or find yourself wandering over to YouTube or your favorite blog during work hours. Here is a fun little game: every time you get distracted by a social media site, make a little strike on a piece of paper. At the end of the day, count all the strikes and feel your heart drop into your stomach as you try to estimate how much time wasted it represents.

The Ugly

Some of what social media has done isn’t just ‘bad’, it is flat out ‘ugly’. Like the number of relationships that have been broken up over social networks. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that Facebook is to blame for this. It is just a tool that has seemed to make it easier to cheat, or to do things that cross a boundary in your relationship. Like flirty PM’s with that high school sweetheart you haven’t seen since graduation. Or much more blatant infidelities that are sure to be caught the first time you forget to log out of the computer you share with your spouse.

Then there are the sheer number of stupid, vein people on Facebook. Yeah, it seems a little mean to point out. But I bet you are thinking of at least one person who would fit into one (or both) of these categories.

Each status message is a flat-out attention whoring sob fest, usually vague. Or way TMI about their struggling relationship with someone they should have dumped six months ago. Let’s not forget the badly spelled, grammatical nightmares that you would need a magic decoder ring that translated moron into English to read. If you want proof that this kind of thing is spreading, as is the self-centered douchebaggery that most of us try to keep out of our lives, check out Lamebook sometime.

Conclusion

I think that the effects of social media have been somewhat balanced, to be honest. There are many good things about it, and many bad things. In the end, if you can keep your own life centered in reality and use social networking as a small part of it, you should be just fine.

For those who can’t, it might be time to turn off the computer for a bit and go for a walk.

Image Credits: 1, 2, 3.

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Ann Smarty

Community Manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas

Ann Smarty is the pro blogger and guest blogger, social media enthusiast.

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The post Social Media and Society: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly appeared first on SEO Chat.

But with popularity comes the cynics. Quite a few parody sites have popped up, pointing out the less impressive results of the Pinterest phenomenon. Here are five of the best..

1. Pinstrosity

There are some excellent projects and tips offered on Pinterest. But some of the categories on the site are more reliable than others, and the more crafty ideas tend to be lacking in final results. This site is broken down into categories as well, like missing directions, misprinted supplies, cleaning tips gone awry, DIY project fails and less than stellar recipes.

2. Pinterest, You Are Drunk

Every once in awhile you will see a pin that is so overboard you can’t believe it exists. Like this bride who has a train that presumably runs to the end of the Earth. Or these croquet covers for the toilet. If you have ever seen something on Pinterest that makes you question the sanity of the original poster (and those who pinned the photos in admiration), then you probably belong on this site.

3. Really, Pinterest?

Not all pins are insane, some are just odd. A baby chick peeking out adorably from a hamburger bun? This site has that. Funny sign misspellings? Yep, they have that, too. A large, naked woman in nothing but a see-through raincoat and boots walking through the street? It’s here on this Tumblr account for you to gawk at.

4. Pinterest Fail

A couple of months ago I gave into the morbid pull of Pinterest and decided to try an artsy craft with my kids. They made it look so easy! Just shave some broken crayons into a muffin tin with liners, book it on a low temperature and made beautiful stain glass images on cellophane. The end result? Stained, waxy fingers and a ruined muffin tin. I could have easily submitted the fail to this blog, where it would be in good company.

5. WTF Pinterest

I have definitely seen some weird stuff on Pinterest, but weirdest has been some of the reactions from the pinners. The most hilariously useless pins are given special boards where people will ooh and ah over them like a firework show. If you are easily offended (such as in this “Put a Baby On It!” post), this blog might not be for you. For for those of us who are connoisseurs of sarcasm, it is a great place to call home.

Have a parody you think belongs on this list? Let us know in the comments!

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Ann Smarty

Community Manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas

Ann Smarty is the pro blogger and guest blogger, social media enthusiast.

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The post 5 Funniest Pinterest Parodies appeared first on SEO Chat.

Most of us have witnessed these failures first hand, and if you want a refresher course just check out this helpful infographic that illustrated the many attempts. Google has not had the best track record, with their successes usually through purchasing already established sites like YouTube.

When they launched Google+ amongst a huge amount of hype and fanfare, I am sure I was not the only one poised for disappointment. After all, we had been there before and it didn’t tend to be worth the invite to check out the new site. But they managed to get it right this time, and G+ was an immediate hit.

Even with hiccups along the way, such as with privacy issues (this is Google, after all). Now that it is available without an invite, and their services have all been linked through a single login, it has continued to grow in popularity.

So, why do so many people still claim Google+ a failure?

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Statistics?

The biggest complaint most analysts seem to have with Google+ is the numbers. Last year, the Wall Street Journal wrote a piece claiming that the social media site had become a ‘ghost town’, despite their incredibly high user numbers. In fact, the average time spent monthly on G+ was lower than Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Myspace. Ouch!

For those of us who have been paying attention, these accusations are nothing new. In the past analysts have been quick to point out that most of the profiles that are on G+ seem to be inactive, or barely active. In fact, the high user rating might be blamed on the auto-creation through Google Accounts. A point backed up by this report in 2012 that showed how few shares are gathered by G+ compared to other social media sites.

The Way They Failed

I think this gives a strong indication of where Google+ has missed the mark. They never became a social network, and perhaps they didn’t mean to be. It is more a slightly socialized element to a wide array of services. But like so many of their other products, it isn’t actually aimed for the average user. In fact, it is rather inaccessible to the average social user, thanks to a unique but complicated platform design that most just don’t seem to gel with.

That gap is useability is so wide that the Huffington Post last year found that one in three of Google’s employees were inactive on the site. When even the people who work for you aren’t using our product, it is a bad sign.

The Way They Succeeded

After saying all of that, I am not suggesting that Google has actually failed. On the contrary, I think they have made some incredible progress in creating a unique kind of social network. One that is aimed more at the computer and technology enthusiasts and industry leaders than the average Joe. There is also a distinct edge for business use, and with Google Authorship they have made it a must have for the average blogger, as well.

For the first time, Google seems to be playing to their strengths rather than trying to take a bite out of Facebook. They are becoming more established within this niche, and they are surging in popularity as a result. We now include G+ automatically when we name off the major social media sites on the web, which we never would have done before with some of their other attempts.

Conclusion

Has Google+ failed? I suppose it depends on what they were trying to achieve in the first place. If they wanted an open, accessible social platform for all users on the web, then yes, they probably failed.

But if they were trying to make a business, blog and tech geek friendly version of other sites with a unique format, then they succeeded beyond anyone’s hopes. The numbers they provide are still pretty shady, and I don’t think anyone believes them when they talk about their active user base. But I am personally willing to forgive them for their fibs. As long as they never try to bring back Buzz.

Image Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4.

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Ann Smarty

Community Manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas

Ann Smarty is the pro blogger and guest blogger, social media enthusiast.

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The post Where Google+ Failed and Where It Succeeded appeared first on SEO Chat.

Normally, I try to stay away from anything that looks like it is going to be a fad. This came onto the scene appearing to be in the same ilk as other forgotten schemes, but it has since began to prove itself to have staying power. Most often when this happens it is because it has been shown to be effective, at least in the short term.

If you want more proof that growth hacking isn’t your usual one-trick pony, companies are beginning to jump on board to find growth hackers themselves. While the argument could be made that they are just responding to the idea of snake oil pretending to offer quick growth, I don’t personally think this is the case here. Growth hacking seems to have something real and stable pushing it, and if used the right way I can see it having a lot of potential.

But What Is It?

The term was originally coined by self-professed growth hacker and startup marketing extraordinaire Sean Ellis. Probably the best and most concise definition I have found on the web comes from Aaron Ginn, however. He defines growth hacking as:

“One whose passion and focus is pushing a metric through use of a testable and scalable methodology.”

My own definition would be that it is the process of finding the right trick or ‘hack’ that allows for accelerated and accumulative growth. Used for awhile now by savvy marketers in the background of startups that have become the biggest names on the web, think of it as the first step to achieving growth, but not a process for continued improvement.

How People Do It Wrong

The biggest mistakes you are seeing with companies who use growth hackers fall under the header of unrealistic expectations. They think having someone who is growth driven in their corner is going to launch them into superstar status by using a magic buzz word that holds unlimited power. That might seem like an exaggeration, but the scramble by businesses to hire people on for this method speaks for itself.

Growth hacking is a great launching point. One of my favorite examples of how it worked by was LinkedIn, which found the ‘hack’ of keeping it centered on high end corporate networks instead of trying to give it a more mass appeal within the business world. By inviting only professionals to the site, founder Reid Hoffman managed to push interest to the exclusive minority who would generate enough interest to turn it into the powerhouse it is today.

You will notice that the example above is not a long term one. Growth hacking never is; eventually, you will need to change your strategy in order to take advantage of the changing user base and needs of your brand. Failing to adapt once you have found and exploited your hack will inevitably lead to beating a dead horse.

Conclusion

Growth hacking is demonstrably useful, and not a ‘fad’ in the ways you would suspect. Yes, it is a process that many people are going to drop before they get the full benefit of it. But that falls back into the lack of understanding of what it is meant to do for you in the first place. Those who find their hack and use it to get a burst of initial growth are going to swear by it, for good reason.

What do you think of the popularity of growth hacking? Have you found success yourself using the method? Let us know in the comments.

Image source: One way

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Ann Smarty

Community Manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas

Ann Smarty is the pro blogger and guest blogger, social media enthusiast.

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The post What Is Growth Hacking? appeared first on SEO Chat.

Since I opened up my own account a year ago, I have to admit that I have a serious pinning addiction. I spend way too much time on the site, and my boards are a chaotic mix of thousands of different images. Especially food related, given my love of cooking. I have found some of the best recipes of my life on that site…and some of the worst.

I also have a couple of WordPress blogs, and I have found they are all rife for Pinterest inclusion. After all, I spend so much time adding things to make boards that I might as well incorporate actual work into it. Something much easier to do now, thanks to the many different Pinterest plugins created for the blogging platform. Yay!

1. Unofficial Pinterest RSS Widget

Don’t be fooled by the ‘unofficial’ status of this plugin. It is one of the best WP widgets available, and deserving of the number one spot on this list. It creates a little sidebar with your most recent pins in thumbnail form. It updates with a live feed based on your RSS. Then links to the actual pinned image, allowing people to easily repinn or follow you.

2. Pin It On Pinterest

At the end of your text box when drafting a post, this plugin will create a little box that allows you to create a description for the post. Then when you publish it will make a little Pin It button at the end, which will use that description as the default whenever anyone shares the link. Super easy, with no need for customization.

3. Pinterest Pin It

Specify images that can be pinned from a post, or allow all images on the page to be. Then add a simple Pin It button at the end for people to use. The basic version of this plugin is pretty straight forward. But they do have a premium version you can buy that has customizable pin it buttons, buttons for other social media sites and more.

4. Pin It Block

Not everyone likes their content being shared without their strict permission. If you are one of the people who would prefer your content not make its way to Pinterest, you can use this blocker. It will keep people from pulling any images from your WordPress blog, either through a bookmark button or directly via URL upload.

5. Pinterest Image Pinner

This is a lightweight option for people who only want the most basic plugin available. It just puts a small Pin It button on all images, and does absolutely nothing else. The button is tiny and will be in the corner of each image, on the bottom right.

6. Follow Button

Everyone spends so much time focusing on getting people to pin their content. Yet, they completely forget about the importance of getting people to follow their boards so they can see new content as you post it. This is a simple button that directs people to follow your Pinterest account. It just adds it into the sidebar, where you can drag it to where you want it. You can select which button you want, out of eight options of differing size, color and with or without a slogan. Or specify your own image to use.

7. WP Pinner

This is your run-of-the-mill pin button. It allows you to pin quickly from your own site, and gives your users the chance to do the same. Nothing special here, but it works just as it says it will.

8. Digg Digg

Not actually a Pinterest specific plugin, this one actually allows access to a huge number of social media sites. Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Sphinn, Designbump, WebBlend, StumbleUpon, TweetMeme, Topsy and many more are all covered. It creates a floating sidebar with all of the selected options for you to customize.

9. Pinterest Lightbox

Anyone who uses the NextGEN Gallery plugin will love this one. It incorporates that with Pinterest to make a single button to go on all images within your Gallery. It will sync the NextGEN image title, description and URL for both the image and page automatically. If your site has a lot of photos, this is a must have.

10. Pretty Pinterest Pins

Pull the latest pinned images from any user on Pinterest. Then crate a pretty showcase with a follow button in the sidebar. I love this plugin, as it makes it all look genuinely good, rather than the less impressive pin galleries I have seen.

Are you a Pinterest fan with a WP blog? Do you use another plugin you want us to know about? Let us know in the comments.

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Ann Smarty

Community Manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas

Ann Smarty is the pro blogger and guest blogger, social media enthusiast.

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The post 10 Cool Pinterest Plugins for Your WordPress Blog appeared first on SEO Chat.

Now, that isn’t to say it hasn’t found some success. But the rumors about it being a ghost town is fair enough, with far less people using it than actually have accounts. Or so the stories go, ones I believe given the fact that I don’t have a single friend who has logged onto their own accounts since they first opened them by invite. That can’t be a good sign.

There are going to be plenty of people out there that disagree with me. Google Plus does have its share of fans, even if it hasn’t found the same level success as other social sites. But let’s put that aside and enjoy some jokes about the service. Come on…you know you want to.

1. How I Feel After Posting Something on Google+

Originally posted by Brian Kuo, then reposted on Quora by Sudhir Srinivasan, this one cracks me up. I have a G+ account, mainly because I gave into the hype back when the invites were released and was among the first wave of users. My posts had hardly any reach, and by the time I had figured out the whole circles thing, my friends accounts had already been abandoned. There was no one to appreciate the funny cat videos I was linking, or the quasi-philosophical musings about burritos. Just me, standing impressively on a stage in front of a lot of empty chairs.

2. Social Networks Explained In Sexual Terms

Idan Scneider posted this link, which has several joke infographics on it. The Google+ one is a lot funnier than the others, I think. It does point out that G+ is growing once again, thanks to the business applications unique to the site. But it is definitely the ‘kink’ of the social world.

3. One MILLION Dollars!

Jack Bridger brings us this amusing, if outdated, example. Anyone who has seen the Austin Powers films will forgive the reference to such an old franchise, especially when they see Doctor Evil. A character who is still funny enough to excuse Mike Meyers for his part in The Love Guru.

4. Social Media Explained

When I first saw this photo posted by Carla Harris, I didn’t think it was funny. Not until I read the final line and started to actually laugh out loud. Or, slightly chuckle out loud. I am sure I am not the only one who has suspected that the majority of G+ users are Google employees.

5. Halloween G+

Once again, this joke posted by Nivethan Jeyasingam shows us the commonly held belief that no one uses Google+. I am always amazed to find that the site is nearly taking over Myspace as a place where only trendy hipsters dare be seen. Which isn’t a bad idea; we could use an online holding pen for that social group. Then we would never again have to see their Instagram photos or their statuses about how cool the Black Eyed Peas were before Fergie.

Do you have any jokes about Google+? Post them below!

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Ann Smarty

Community Manager at Internet Marketing Ninjas

Ann Smarty is the pro blogger and guest blogger, social media enthusiast.

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The post Google Plus Fun appeared first on SEO Chat.