December 15, 2010

The Social Medium: Standing Out Online

Working on the Toolstop blog

1) Be innovative.

Truly original content is hard to come by. The easiest way to stand out is by offering something unique that you cannot get anywhere else on the interwebs. Online personality goes a long way. Witty, funny hooks to blog posts, tweets, photos, or whatever can do wonders.This goes for all social media platforms. Always try to be creative.

2) Give back.

It is very hard to make a splash online without any help. You have to have some pretty stellar, compelling, and original content no one can find anywhere else. So instead, help others and in return you will get help from others. Social media is about being part of a larger community and making that community smaller and friendlier. Help someone out and someone else will likely help you. Everyone piggybacks of each others stuff. I cannot stress the community aspect enough and how important it is in social media.

3) Photos. Photos. Photos.

Everybody likes photos. The internet is a very visual medium and photos are a great way to advertise your text content. Original photos equals hits. The internet is very versatile and lends itself to strong visuals. People will be more compelled to look at your content if you have interesting visuals. This applies for everything from blogging to Twitter profiles, avatars, Facebook, and obviously Flickr.

4) Copy, borrow, but never steal.

There are not very many original ideas left out there, so inspiration is important. Look at what other people you admire are doing and do it yourself but with your own style. Always credit others for their ideas, but feel free to "remix" content within reason and media to share with others. Interesting, personal takes on ideas that are already out there can be great. Twists on current trends and news of the day are usually illuminating.

5) Make yourself known.

Make people aware of your (hopefully) good content. Do not be afraid to promote yourself but never overdo it and back yourself up with quality work. Share your stuff through social media networks and other avenues, but do not to spam people and make yourself accountable. If your stuff is junk, it will only annoy people so be careful.

Photo | Mark Hunter

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