I had the opportunity to get Adam Sharp, Manager of Government & Politics at Twitter, to myself for a few minutes at Social Media Chicago. During the presentation, he spoke about the newest groups using Twitter and other interesting facts including:

• There are over 100 million active users on Twitter
• There are over 230 million tweet per day
• It took almost three years to get the 1 billionth tweet
• 40% of Twitter users tweet regularly (I am in that number)
• 57% of Twitter users tweet at least once a month
• Twitter users are more likely to write and comment on blogs
• Seniors and African Americans are the  largest growing groups on Twitter
• And Twitter is 5 years old this year (YAY!)

He also shared the handy Twitter features like search, fast follow, and new image options.

I wanted to know how the newest audiences are using Twitter and how trending topics really work. Listen to what Adam had to say.

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Do you have any questions about Twitter you’d like to ask Adam?

Image: storify

Our very own Marcie Hill was a panelist for The Power of Social Media for Social Activism: Can Social Media Create or Advance Social Movements? at Social Media Week Chicago on Tuesday, September 20, 2011. She shared the stage with rapper/activist/20th Ward Aldermanic incumbent Che “Rhymefest” Smith and journalist/blogger/TV personality Zondra Hughes.

Facilitated by Carl West: CEO MG Media, Founder/Managing Editor TBTNewsService.com and Lauren McCadney, Social Media guru at CDW, this session discussed issues relevant to grassroots organizations and every day people, not just marketing and branding.

Some of the questions asked were:

• Do you think a social movement can occur in the United States like they did in Libya and Egypt? If so, how?
• Can social media spark activism or is it just a tool to keep it going?
• What was the best example of the use of social media?
• How can people determine which messages are real and not “manufactured”?

It was a great two hour panel. More images to come.

Image: zocalogroup

Social Media Week Chicago,which will be held September 19 – 23, 2011, has over 50 events scheduled across the city. All of the sessions are free, but you must register. Some of them are already full.  Visit www.socialmediaweek.org/Chicago  to get a full schedule of events. And don’t forget to register!

Image: chicagopressrelease

I searched my name on Google, Yahoo and Bing, and found that I rank higher on my social networking sites and blogs than through e-zine articles.  This led me to wonder: how much weight does article marketing hold these days?

There was a time when article marketing was highly encouraged because it boosted the writer’s visibility on search engines, thereby allowing them and their expertise to gain more exposure. It seems that social media and blogs have taken over.

Here’s my concern with the increase in search engine visibility based on social media activity. My thoughts are based on what I see, not actual research. There are lots of active people on social sites and blogs, but many of them are having fun and sharing personal information.  They are not really providing valuable content.

This led me to two more questions:

1. Are people really ranking high on search engines based on social media activity?
2. If activity is the primary determinant of ranking, where does content relevancy fit in

Based on the relevance placed on social media activity in search engines, is article marketing passé? What do you think?

Image: johnrobberson

I know you’re probably thinking, “What’s an ooVoo?” I know I did when I first heard about it. Now, I’m digging it.

ooVoo is free video conferencing and video chat program that allows you to connect with 3 people at once for FREE. It’s really cool and very easy to use.  It’s one step up from the free version of Skype. You can actually chat with up to 6 people but you have to pay for the remaining three.

I had the opportunity to use it to call my friend in Connecticut with another friend here.  I loved it. There were very few disconnects, the images were clear and the sound was pretty good.  The disconnects we did have was based on the strength of individual internet connections.

To be successful on an ooVoo call or any other video call, you have to have the following:

1. good internet connect
2. webcam
3. microphone – this could be internal or external
4. speaker

I am a fan of Skype and ooVoo. Both are recommended for quality video calls and video chat. You can actually change your ring tone and make other customizations on both. I haven’t done it yet because I’m still in awe of the concept of video calling. Even if you are a Skype user, I would encourage you to ooVoo.  Find a couple friends to give it a try today. If you like it, come back and share your experience.

For those of you who have used ooVoo, how do you view ooVoo?

Note from author: I am NOT getting paid for this but if any ooVoo staff members see this and want to toss in a couple dollars, I’ll take them

Image: ooVoo