Over the past few years, social networking sites enabled by Web 2.0 technologies have dramatically changed the way we use the Internet. What was once a one-way connection has transformed into a dynamic connective medium, allowing users to share a wide range of content including blogs, photos, videos, and much more.

Yet how have social networking sites like Facebook changed the way online marketers advertise online? For one, they've made our jobs much easier. Facebook is the ideal medium for advertising within an environment that's viral by nature. These online social directories use an interactive format that allows users to create a personal profile, connect to other users, and share content.

In a sense, these users have already effectively segmented themselves, coming together through like interest groups and connecting through content. These behaviors, which are inherent to social media and enabled by Web 2.0, create valuable networks of targeted and specific demographic groups. Now more than ever, the "Net Generation" is becoming involved in social media and presenting online marketers with the chance to market to predefined segments of online users, positioning branded messages on sites where these users spend time online.

Moreover, these social networking sites are growing at an exponential rate, adding more and more users from more diverse backgrounds. Initially, Facebook was created only for college students, but last year, it was opened to anyone with an email address. According to Microsoft, Facebook is the sixth most trafficked site in the US, and now has over 73 million registered users in 40,000 different collegiate, high school, work-related, and geographic networks. This represents a 530% growth rate over one year alone.

The tactic through which advertisers communicate with these rated online audiences is known as Social Media Marketing (SMM) . SMM has become a popular tool for search engine optimization (SEO) thanks to its unique ability to improve website visibility, name recognition, and brand awareness among specific online audiences through the acquisition of a network of relevant links.

So what opportunities does Facebook present for targeted online marketing efforts? Among Internet users ages 18-24, Facebook placed first on the list of favorite sites in Youth Trends most recent survey. Over 70% of females ages 17-25 indicated that Facebook was their favorite site in terms of time spent online. For males, this figure was still a powerful 56%. These demographic is clearly technology-driven, thanks to their growing up in a culture that considers time online an integral aspect of daily life. More than half of those surveyed visited Facebook at least once a day, logging an average of 35 minutes on the site.

Furthermore, these users are familiar with online environments and are adept at seeking out and finding specific pieces of content they're interested in. Thus, social networking sites, especially Facebook, present online marketers with the opportunity to engage users with advertising messages at critical moments of relevance.

So how can we utilize social media marketing to effectively engage these elusive audiences of young adults? Below are several ideas on how to utilize social media marketing on Facebook.

• Connect Through Groups: Facebook has an infinite number of shared interest groups which users join for a myriad of reasons. These groups cover an unlimited number of subjects and interests, from marine biology to snowboarding to politics to rap music to Italian food. No matter what your interest or target market, there is a group for you. Take it from me. I've been a registered Facebook user, or "Facebooker" since 2003, and I've seen a group for everything, literally . Many even have a local focus, like Denver Broncos fan groups or Denver Chinese Students Group. Each of these groups has its own page with a forum, discussion board, photo gallery, etc. This is the best place to position messages intended for specific niche audiences, as you're almost guaranteed everyone who sees it fits your target profile. In the past, when I was trying to drive traffic to a video site I was working for, I placed descriptive and enticing links to relevant videos on the group's "wall," or discussion board. I saw great results as many of the members of this particular group, which was devoted to skiing, followed these links to watch videos about their favorite sport, skiing.

• Connect Through Applications: Recently, Facebook has opened up its platform to outside developers who have created innumerable applications, ranging from fantasy stock picking simulators to video games of "beer pong" to world maps marking desired travel destinations. Users can add as many of these applications as they like to their profiles, creating opportunities for marketers and developers alike to subtly integrate marketing messages into these applications and their functions. Many developers have already done so and are not repent reaping some major benefits, not only through increased brand awareness but through traffic driven from Facebook, which many have bridged to their own sites.

• Connect Through Content: Because Facebook allows users to post videos, images, links, photos, and more, advertisers can seamlessly utilize social media marketing strategies to connect with these groups through content. By positioning your content where your target audience is, you can be assured your brand will be right in front of their eyes as they interact with your message. Facebook is a repository for an endless amount of consumer data, which many experts have dubbed "a community in a box." So why not leverage this data by getting involved? Connect through content.

• Connect Through Events: As Facebook has grown, it has added an "Events" section where users can post information about upcoming events and then invite their Facebook friends to attend. The entire section of events is searchable, and users can quickly locate events they're interested in, find the host's name, location, time, and even a description of the event. What's more, Facebook gives each event its own page, where users can RSVP, decline to attend, or even post information on the event page's public discussion wall, like what to wear, what to bring, etc. These presences are social media marketers with a valuable opportunity to post events and then invite people that are most likely interested in attending. In my own experience with this medium, I've created events for clients and then posted information and invites within groups that align. For example, when promoting an upcoming reggae concert or college football game, find as many groups related to reggae music, college football, music and sports that you can, and post the event information on their group discussion boards to ensure that anyone who's interested now knows and attends.

• Connect Through Mobile Devices: Just this week, Facebook announced that it has partnered with RIM, or Research In Motion, and their BlackBerry device. In addition to BlackBerrys, Facebook is accessible to a wide range of other mobile devices. This presents valuable opportunities for advertisers to reach potential customers on a local level, positioning their company presence at the moment of relevance.

Still, Facebook's explosive growth has not been without challenges. In response to criticism from a plethora of groups, Facebook recently added additional security measures in an effort to better protect private information. In addition to assuaging privacy fears, this is sure to encourage more users to join the site and share more information about themselves. Yet this will also force social media marketers to be more innovative and creative when identifying and locating target audiences.

As you can see, Facebook users have taken care of the segmentation process, connecting them through content and shared interests. These behaviors, which are inherent to social media and enabled by Web 2.0, create valuable networks of targeted and specific demographic groups. Now more than ever, the "Net Generation" is becoming involved in social media and presenting online marketers with the chance to market to predefined segments of online users, positioning branded messages on sites where these users spend time online.

The company I work for, Fusionbox, a Denver Internet marketing company , uses social media marketing to combine the objectives of Internet marketing with the capabilities of social media sites and Web 2.0 technologies. Click here for more information on social media marketing [http://running-with-the-bulls-seo.blogspot.com/2007/09/social-media-marketing-bridging-gap.html].

Essentially, our SMM services create powerful forms of viral marketing that leverage the large audiences and user communities of social media sites. Whether on MySpace, YouTube, Digg, Facebook, Del.icio.us, Flickr, or any number of others, SMM revolves around the creation and connection of users to companies through unique content.

For this reason, SMM can be utilized to build a network of links, spread brand messages, increase visibility and awareness, and even manage your company's reputation online. After all, these social media sites each have millions of registered users, grouped into like-interest communities. Now all you have to do is discern where your target audience is congregating online. What more could a marketer ask for? No other channel allows companies to declare their identity, service offerings, value proposition and location within such a targeted environment.

Our team of experienced and innovative social media marketers will effectively position your website content in a targeted digital space where it will be seen by those you want to see it.

Fusionbox is a leader in applying Web 2.0 technologies to the Internet marketing domain. Our services have been aptly deemed Web Marketing 2.0 because of our ability to connect clients to customers by engaging the market and initiating conversations through social media.

In this time and age most people you come in contact with, especially if they are aged between 2 and 75 years old, have a profile on Facebook. Many people, when asked, say that they check their Facebook page at least once a day. If you are one of many who check their Facebook feeds every day several times, you are in a great intimate relationship with Facebook. This bond is almost inseparable.

Human beings are social creatures. Our desire to connect, be loved and be accepted and appreciated for who we are is a great driving force in our life. When we are little beings, babies, we show this desire by crying when we are not touched or hugged. When we grow up, in many cases we learn to be careful of expressing this desire for love and connecting. We are cautious of strangers, of meeting new people and of getting hurt in the process of discovery. As with everything on this planet, there are benefits and there are drawbacks to everything we do and how we express our feelings.

What Facebook (and other social media) enables us to do is to get connected with other individuals across the world in a “safe” virtual environment that enables us to be who we want to be. Not always who we are as some people choose to cover their identity under a disguise.

Energy Transfer in Words

As in the ‘real’ world so in the virtual world, words make a difference. Even more so in the virtual world, because even with the use of emoticons, we can’t really show how we feel and react to things other than using a language. Body language and tonality, which are a greater part of communication than words, are not transferrable through online world. So we rely on words to provide us with all the good feelings that we associate with connection, relationships and love.

Words have an energy. A good example to imagine what I mean by that could be found in your Facebook comments. Imagine you post something of an opinion of yours on your Facebook wall and soon you receive comments from your virtual friends. Some may be in favor of your opinion, some may be against it. When you are reading through your comments, words trigger a feeling in your body. You may feel appreciated, proud, acknowledged, loved, accepted or any other of similar feelings.

All of these feelings are charged with an energy. The words act as a catalyst for the feeling which presents in your body as a form of energy. This energy may give you a boost of self-confidence, self-approval, self-worth, love, motivation or other.

On the other hand, when the words you read somewhat challenge your view, they will trigger a different feelings, rather the opposite to the above.

Energy is a driving force of our life. So the simple reason for your impatience with your virtual friends to like or comment on your posts is to attract the energy of other human being to yourself. Feed of other people energies is a basic concept for much of virtual interaction. In fact, even our non virtual reality is greatly driven by this feeding of energies. Just for clarity, some people may be little bit more evolved than others, and rather than only feeding on the energy of others, are able to share their own positive energy with the wide world.

With your business fan page up and running on Facebook you will be ready to do business. You might have even launched ads to watch those who “like” your page grow. Even putting social plugins to work from your website you likely saw an increase in traffic and conversions. With these strategies in place you might have asked yourself, how can I get more? How can I tap into millions of more prospects online? Can Facebook give me more people interested in my business without going broke?

If you were just to focus on Facebook Advertising it might seem hard to keep your business growing. They are awesome, they will convert into cash, but for some businesses it can seem like too much risk to spend $2,000+ a month (or even $20,000) on just ads. Instead of focusing your efforts on just ads, or hoping for people to find your page, tap into the Marketplace of Facebook.

The Marketplace is Facebook’s classified ad section. While there may be half a billion+ people on Facebook, less than 10% are currently using the classified ad section. Most people seem to still prefer going to Craigslist. Facebook is trying to change habits and is giving you an opportunity to share with your friends and fans special opportunities.

To help you tap into a few million more prospects, we invite you to consider the following with Facebook Marketplace.

1. GoPro – While many marketing methods with Social Networking are free, there are costs to other items. When you use the “Pro” version of Marketplace (powered by Oodle) you get the opportunity to connect your classified ads to your fan page. This allows you to quickly share new offerings with those connect to your fan page.
2. Headlines – With people being exposed to more and more media it is getting tougher to get the attention of people. Snap them out of just browsing and call them to action by creating a power-packed headline. Let people know how they can save time and money when they take time to look at your ad.
3. Keep a schedule – 1 ad on marketplace just won’t cut it. Even the basic “pro” service allows you 10 listings a month. Give yourself maximum opportunity by using all 10. As you get responses, consider launching more ads, even 1-3 a day. Most importantly be consistent with your ads to give yourself the best possible opportunity.

With Facebook Marketplace giving you the opportunity to market everything from cars to services there is a huge amount of opportunity. Getting your fans involved on what they want to see more of from your business will help you to capitalize on this powerful platform for your business.

Discover innovative Facebook Marketing methods with our free 5 day course today.

Do you want to grow your business digitally?

Do you want to promote your business through social media? The answer is simple- That is Facebook. Facebook is a huge success among a lot of successful entrepreneurs.

About all consumers utilise the Web to scan for local businesses – and the greater part of them are on Facebook. The site is the greatest person to person communication platform on the planet by a long shot, with more than a billion active users.

In the interim, the social media monster is consistently taking off elements to help clients discover small businesses while helping small businesses interface with potential new clients.

A decent Facebook presence can help you connect with your fans and develop your business. Be that as it may, with such a variety of approaches to promote your business on Facebook, it’s hard to know where to start.

For successful promotion through Facebook read these steps

Creating your business Page:

Your Facebook Page is your business’ homepage on the social networking site. A Page is a great deal like a normal Facebook profile, yet for brands and organisations.

You will interact with Facebook clients through your business’ page, so ensure it genuinely mirrors your image. Utilise your business logo as the essential photograph for your Page, and pick a cover photograph that is alluring and exhibits what your business does.

Write catchy phrases to depict your image, and pick a paramount Web address. your brand name must contain after the Facebook domain name.

Sharing Images, Posts & Videos:

It’s insufficient just to have a Facebook Page. To get attention from your followers you’ll have to make advantageous, good content for your fans.

Clients who like your page will see your posts appear in their fundamental Facebook news feed, so get cracking. You can share updates, photographs, videos, promotions and significantly more.

The best Facebook posts – the ones that drive a great many people to comment, share and like – are short and visual. Search for approaches to add a visual element to your posts, regardless of whether it’s a short video cut, a photograph from inside your store, or simply stock art.

Facebook’s Page Insights device removes the mystery from sharing. The apparatus, open from your Facebook Page’s Admin menu, gives profitable data on supporter action. For instance, it can disclose to you what time the vast majority see your substance so you can arrange your advancements.

Begin making associations:

What great is sharing content if no one sees it? Luckily, Facebook has built-in tools to help you build an online following.

To start with, look at the Build Audience tools found in your Page’s Admin menu. You’ll discover alternatives to welcome both your Facebook friends and email contacts to follow your Page.

Traditional marketing techniques can help you develop your crowd past your current following. That implies publicizing your Facebook Page’s address on signs in your store, on your business card, in messages you send, and on whatever other marketing materials you deliver for your business.

On the off chance that you set aside the opportunity to make a memorable URL for your Page from the begin, it will be easier to promote it in the future.

Draw in your followers:

Then, you can develop your audience of people naturally by making content that your supporters need to share, as and comment on.

The key is to post quality content frequently. That implies sharing updates that are important to your crowd in any event on more than one occasion for every week. For best outcomes, try taking a friendly, conversational tone, and recollect to be brief.

Keep your updates timely, and react specifically to comments and private messages. Making an exchange with your followers will urge them to draw in with your posts later on.

Use friends of fans:

New clients will most probably attempt your business if their friends as of now utilise it. Facebook gives you a chance to use informal chat to promote your item or service.

Remember that when a fan interfaces with your Page, their friends will see the movement in their news feeds.

You can encourage more communication in an assortment of ways. Set up surveys and ask questions on your Facebook Page that fans can’t avoid reacting to.

Urge clients to check into your business on Facebook when they visit by offering a little discount for any individual who does. Checking in is an element that permits clients to tell their companions of where they are.

You can likewise make unique occasions and restricted time advancements and welcome your adherents, who can welcome their companions thus.

Consider Facebook advertisements:

Facebook additionally offers traditional advertising alternatives that let you position your custom advertisements in clients’ news feeds. The advertisements show up as special posts and direct any individual who clicks straight to your site.

Since Facebook gathers stacks of client information, it can focus on your promotion to clients who are destined to be interested in your item or service.

The stage likewise highlights an investigation device to help you comprehend which promotions drive interest and sales.

Book Review: The Facebook Effect – The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World

Facebook is now the king of social networking leaving behind it competitors like Myspace, Hi5 and Orkut way behind as the company grows at an unbelievable pace. Therefore it is the perfect time to bring forth a detailed study on the social networking behemoth! Its history and state of affairs. It has gained half a billion users and this number is still growing while also gaining a lot of private funding. Facebook is unquestionably the most important social utility to ever hit the web.

In the book “the Facebook Effect”, former fortune magazine technology editor David Kirkpatrick studies the structure of the company that has gained a strong foothold in the networking sector. He delves into the causes and the inner workings that made Facebook the current Media giant that it is. All the famous stories – from the “borrowing” (stealing?) of the original concept from ConnectU and houseSYSTEM, to the fever-pitched growth, through early stage investor meetings, the move from Harvard to Palo Alto.

The book seems to have received favourable support from most of the big names associated with the company that is still very young. There are multiple interviews conducted with Mark Zuckerberg himself. From all these insights, David speaks of the young company that went through all the turmoil that every young company faces while still remaining true to its goal of making society open, while creating and maintaining the “social graph”.

He also gives his take on why some of the features and applications became a raving success like Farmville and Mafia Wars while some turned into utter failures like Beacon. Other issues are also explained like privacy, advertising vs. user experience that are related to the applications themselves.

The author also delves into the life of Mark Zuckerberg in relation to his company Facebook. He seems to have changed himself when the investors wanted more maturity infused into the company. For example he states that when he found a girlfriend, he actually negotiated 100 minutes of time in a week for her. That is how detailed the book is about Facebook and everything related to it.

The revolutionary change in social behaviour that emanates from a 19 year old student is the Facebook effect.

Recently, I came across an interview with David Fischer from Facebook about purpose-driven marketing. Social good is no longer a topic for discussions by some thought-leading companies. Businesses understand that getting involved in making a social impact makes a difference not only in the communities they serve but also to the bottom line of their companies. And, as this sensibility increasingly becomes the norm, it stands to reason that more and more of the public will be engaged in different elements of philanthropy.

Because Facebook is the leading and most significant social networking platform in the world, it plays a critical role in social good.

Did you know that Facebook does not charge any fees to nonprofits for gifts that come through its platform? That means that 100 percent of the donations your supporters give to you through Facebook go toward your mission.

Facebook Charitable Giving Tools

Facebook has some tools that your charity should explore and perhaps use to help you expand awareness for your organization and also the revenue you raise. Millions of people are on Facebook, including your supporters and donors, so it should be the primary platform you should be using on social media. If you have not yet explored its Charitable Giving Tools, I encourage you to take a look at it and figure out a way to get your organization using at least some of the tools.

Donations on Your Facebook Page

As I say often, get a Facebook page for your charity. I’m still surprised when I hear that organizations don’t have a Facebook page. It’s the simplest thing you can do to begin to market for your nonprofit. Facebook now allows nonprofits to accept donations directly on your organization’s page without having your donors leave the Facebook platform. Now, I understand the pros and cons about why they should be redirected to your website, but the reality is that audiences in Facebook prefer to stay there and not go elsewhere.

Dedicated Supporter Pages

We know that in today’s world of authenticity, peer to peer fundraising is an essential element in fundraising. Facebook allows your donors to raise money by telling their own story in their relationship with your organization in their own words, relaying your mission, and inspiring their circle of friends to support your fundraising goal. It also allows for their friends to learn more about your work through Messenger and Live video, as well as to collect money for your organization through the platform. When people donate, they are encouraged to share your page with their friends on Facebook.

Live Video Fundraisers

Today’s world is one that’s full of images and videos. One of the most exciting things that Facebook’s tools allow is that your supporters can add a donate button to the live video that they’re streaming. So, let’s say that your organization is running some fundraising event, if your supporters are live streaming, they can add a donate button to their live video and have their circle of friends who watch the live stream give directly to your group.

We know that to operate a successful nonprofit organization, it takes a lot of work. But, one of the most critical things you can do is market it consistently and effectively. Facebook, as the most significant social media platform in the world, should be part of your marketing efforts. Additionally, since Facebook allows your donors and supporters also to use tools so they can amplify and expand your voice, as well as your bottom line, it’s essential to communicate how your champions can help you. Let them know this in newsletters, communications, and discussions with you.

The query of how to make money with Facebook is stirring up all over the web. Reason being, Facebook is not only the most widespread social media outlet on the planet right now, but in the past month if you check on Alexa.com you will notice that not once, but TWICE – Facebook passed Google in world wide traffic for the first time – making them the most popular website on the internet.

Do you not feel like doing a little dance? Congratulations Facebook – you’ve beat down the man – twice, in a month – & no other site has done that for 5 years. therefore the question becomes – what does all this mean to your business – & from what source can one literally make money with Facebook?

Before I get into the ‘how’ it is important to understand the reason Facebook even surpassed Google – & the reason is simple: more & more folks are utilizing the web as a social means. People do not have time to spend a few hours with neighbors at the coffee shop all the time anymore – hence instead, they’re hanging out on Facebook, many times multi-tasking as they are working their day job!

Consequently if that is the reason WHY individuals are on Facebook – then it is easy to discover HOW to make money with Facebook. You have to be social! I notice folks all the time doing this completely backwards. They are out there on Facebook spamming their affiliate links and multi-level marketing biz opp links on everyone’s Facebook wall praying that someone will click on the link and just ‘automatically’ buy their affiliate products or join their multi-level marketing opportunity. What’s the difficulty here? that is not even remotely social! If you are trying to make money on a social network, you cannot just be the sales person that keeps throwing ‘stuff’ on the wall & hoping some of it will stick. (Pardon the expression).

The good part is, you can be social on Facebook without even having a million friends – or even thousands of friends for that matter. I only have around 400 friends & use Facebook as a profit generating machine – I just do it completely differently than most other people. The key is to provide valuable facts to people rather than simply coming out and trying to hustle them something. For example, if you are a member of a multi-level marketing group on Facebook, instead of posting your biz opp links on the Wall, post a ‘how-to’ video or content on something you are good at in the network marketing industry. Perhaps it is sponsoring – maybe it’s having the right mindset, or being tenacious & not stopping until you make it. Whatever it is, post it on the Facebook Wall there & allow people the opportunity to ‘get to know you’ by means of your article or video before you jump right out & sell them on your business.

Think about it – when you find affiliate links all over your Facebook Wall or a Facebook group you are a part of, do you ever feel tempted to click or purchase anything from that person? If you’re anything like me, you are no doubt just totally annoyed that someone spammed your wall or your group wall and you click the little ‘x’ to remove the spam and block the user. right? that’s what I do. consequently to make money on Facebook – do not be that person – be the one that stands out from the spammy mess.

The internet is one of the busiest industries today. For the most part, the world has gone digital and almost every endeavor requires the use of the internet. The Business industry, just like all the other fields, has gone digital as well.

Marketing and Promotions are now mostly done online. Most entrepreneurs market their products online. Several social networking sites offer ads but Facebook has been one of the most prolific. With over 62 million users, Facebook is dubbed to be the most popular social networking site in the world today.

Marketing on Facebook has made many entrepreneurs reach higher sales and traffic goals. Facebook is said to have the most effective Ad page system with efficient costs.Facebook will also help propel your business venture to new heights.

The Facebook Ad Page

The first reason why Facebook is the number one choice of entrepreneurs when it comes to marketing online is because of its fast, easy and simple to use interface. To use this platform one of the first things that you will have to do is to create a Facebook profile and then fill out the information needed. When you have your Facebook account, you can then update your status and upload photos and videos. You will also find that you will generate more traffic to your business.

Your profile must depict or show what your business is all about. Remember this will also serve as your first impression to your clients. So it should catch their attention. You can also invite and confirm friends to connect with your page.

The idea here is to add as many friends as you can. Your friends are also a part of your market. They are the ones who can view and have a closer look at your products and / or services. The best part here is that your promotion does not stop with your circle of friends on Facebook. Your friends may re-post or recommend your product to their friends on Facebook. Can you imagine how large your market might become on this site? Building rapport with your customers is also easier with Facebook. You can message or chat with your consumers anytime you want.

Building rapport with your prospects will also help you connect with them better. This will also help you know your consumers better. It is a fact that in marketing, you have to study your market and one of the best ways to know that is through communication.

Facebook Ads also allow you to have a better communication with your consumers. They make it possible for you to have a conversation with them directly.

Lastly, anything posted on Facebook nowadays can easily become viral because people may talk about it. The best marketing strategy is word of mouth. The more people talk about it, the more interested they will become of your products. References are always one of the best ways to obtain customers.

Every time you satisfy a customer with your product, people talk about it. Most of the time, satisfied customers will create or write a status about your product and share it with their friends. This is how Facebook can help to boost your business.

With this site, your marketing will be easier, faster, more effective and cheaper. So what are you waiting for? Another advantage of using Facebook is also the more traffic you will generate to your site.Some businesses would give their eye teeth for the amount of traffic that can be generated.

If you’ve been around the Internet for a while, even for a year or so, you have probably heard of one of the most popular social networking websites around called Facebook. To date, Facebook has over 64 million active subscribers worldwide – not including those subscribers who signed up this year. Most probably, you’re one of them or some of your friends have been convincing you to join this social bandwagon.

Why are websites like Facebook so popular? Why does Facebook sell like hot potatoes to Internet enthusiasts? Here are four reasons why.

Upload unlimited photos. Facebook is the most popular website for uploading photos. In fact, more than 14 million photos are uploaded daily. Not only can users upload unlimited photos, you can also add tags and put comments on your friends’ photos. With tagging, you’ll know when your friends or your contacts add a picture of you in their album. Not just that, you can also embed and upload your videos through the web or through your mobile phone using Facebook Mobile. Sharing memorabilia has never been this fun and easy.

Be ‘in the know’. Do you want to know what your friends are doing without using instant messaging softwares like Yahoo! Messenger or MSN? With Facebook’s STATUS feature, you can see what your friends are up to without having to ask them – which can definitely save a lot of time and effort. This also works vice versa because Facebook users can also update their friends on what they are up to.

Not satisfied? You can also let your friends know if there are upcoming events like parties, conferences or social gatherings in your community. You can put all the details and send mass invitations. Plus, your friends can RSVP if they are attending or not. Is your party for girls only? Don’t worry, you can also choose who to invite using Facebook’s Events feature.

Interact with friends through games and other applications. Facebook changed the way people use applications for social networking websites. Applications like games and tests (Poker, Trivia Games, Get-to-know-yourself tests, “What does your birthday mean?” test, “Are you Normal?” test, etc) are being used to encourage more social interaction through the Internet. You don’t have to meet each other face to face to be able to play poker.

You can also join different groups and causes like anti-war or “Stop Global Warming”. When joining these causes, you can contribute in any form such as online support or money.

Send gifts! What can make you smile on a bad day? – a gift! With Facebook’s Gift feature, you can select from hundreds of icons from Facebook’s virtual gift shop and add a message to send to your friends. You can send flowers, shoes or even a bone to your friend’s virtual pet. If it’s a more personal gift, you have the option to give it privately so others wouldn’t know. You can get from the free gifts section or if you have money to spare, you can get virtual gifts for $1.00.

Nowadays technology is moving so fast that it is essential for the leading players to keep up to date otherwise they will be overtaken by one of the emerging companies. One of the newer companies is Snapchat and people are asking the question:

“Is Snapchat the new Facebook?”

Snapchat was started in 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown at Stanford University. The original idea was to create an application which would allow users to share images that were short-lived and self-deleting. Because the photos are short-lived these would normally be fun photos. As is often the case with new technology the uses very often broaden from the original idea. Snapchat evolved into a mix of private messaging and public content including live events such as sports and music.

The company grew quickly and in November 2012 users had shared over one billion photos with 20 million photos being shared every day. New facilities continued to be added such as the ability to send video snaps in addition to photos in December 2012.

According to Snapchat’s own statistics, in May 2015 users were sending 2 billion videos per day which grew to 6 billion by November. By 2016, the daily video views had grown to 10 billion. In May 2016,the company raised $1.81 billion in equity, demonstrating the strong financial interest in the company.

In September 2016, Snapchat Inc. was re-branded as Snap Inc, and the company released Spectacles, which is a pair of smart glasses with a built-in camera that can record 10 seconds of video at a time. These glasses are being sold in pop-up stores throughout the country.

Recent performance

In the final quarter of 2016,Snapchat announced that it has 158 million daily active users. Sales are generated mainly through advertising and increased from $58.7 million in 2015 to $404.5 million in 2016. However losses increased from $306.6 million in 2015 to $514.6 million in 2016. On average, Snapchat makes $1.05 from each user per quarter,which compares with $4.83 that Facebook makes. However, Facebook is well established and Snapchat is less than 6 years old. The revenues tend to be seasonal,with the most advertising dollars spent in the last quarter of the year.

Demographics

In 2014, researchers from the University of Washington and Seattle Pacific designed a user survey group to try and understand why the application was being used.The findings were that users do not utilize Snapchat for sensitive content. Rather it was used for applications such as “stupid faces” with 59.8% of respondents reporting this use was the main reason for using Snapchat. As a result,the study suggests that the success is not due to its security properties, but because users found the application fun to use.

Monetization

Snapchat’s first paid advertisement was show to users in October 2014, which was a movie trailer for the horror film Ouija. Like all companies, it recognizes the need for a revenue stream. In 2015,McDonald’s paid for a branded geofilter covering its restaurant locations in the United States. Initiatives continued to earn revenue, one of which involved the National Football League to present live stories from selected games. In 2016 the company announced a deal with NBC Olympics to allow stories from the 2016 Summer Olympics to be featured on Snapchat in the USA. The stories covered a combination of footage from NBC,athletes and attendees.In addition,NBC sold advertising.

New York Listing

Snap Inc. the parent company has revealed plans to go public in what is expected to be the largest US technology listing in recent years. This has surprised many people as the losses have increased every year.Despite this, it is expected that the company will be valued at between $20 billion and $25 billion.