Marshall Yard:

Words we didn’t hear 15 years ago, Squidoo, Flickr, Digg, Del.icio.us, text messages, Spinn and try this on for size, Blogengage?  Squidoo could have been something that we would have looked for while deep sea diving.  Flickr is something you did with those boogies that you had on your finger in first grade reading class.  Digg is something your mother did in the garden, and often times made you help.  I would have thought that something I picked up at the local Tastee Freeze was absolutely Del.icio.us.  Text messages where something that you got as a telegram, and had to drive to pick up.  Spinn was something that happened when you drank too much in college.  Then there is Blogengage, some folks find it hard just to get engaged these days.      

How much time a day does the average college student spend on social networking sites? Not wanting to spend a fortune to run an expensive study on this, just looking at a few of the students I know, I am going to throw out there three hours a day.  As these students have networked for four years during college, with people that share similar interest or don’t share anything at all other than cramming for exams.  

These are the people that will soon be sharing cubicles with us in the near future, when they are asked to research something, they will start with what they know and what they are comfortable with.  Submitting articles to various social networking sites, and being able to see your information come up organically in searches is what we are all striving for as we blog, flick and digg our way through our online marketing techniques. 

Blogengage is a site where you can submit your blog articles and have people engage them, similar in fashion to Digg, but strictly allowing blog  submissions, where the writing is a little more free flowing and less conforming to the large newswires. 

It is these sites that our decision makers of the future will be using, I see it similar to a consumer’s reports of the future.  Harnessing the potentia l places that your articles can reach with this type social media should be a no brainer.  I’ve only been at this for awhile, and think sometimes, what have I gotten into, but the more you read, the more time you can spend trying to wrap your arms around it, the easier it becomes.  Keep blogging and keep participating.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, ask for help! I have found creative answers from many people at Bloggeries Forum  as well as the Small Business Brief Forum.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions, it is the best way to learn and its amazing the people you will run into. 

When you are exhibiting at Trade Shows, it is as well a social networking atmosphere, you are there to extend your network of sources and clients.   Let them know about your blog, and your networking sites, encourge potential clients to visit and comment.  It is their opinion of your service and product that matters.  Spreading the word and getting feedback will help you make your trade show marketing more of a success.    Make sure that you are blogging about what trade show you will be at next, and always include your booth number.