Complete History of Social Media: Then And Now

Complete History of Social Media: Then And Now
Small Business Owners Continue to Evaluate Bitcoins
Are Tough Times Inspiring Better Leaders and Increasing Engagement?
What is Responsive Web Design?
What NOT to Spend On In Your Startup

Posted: 08 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT

Interacting with friends and family across long distances has been a concern of humans for centuries. As social animals, people have always relied on communication to strengthen their relationships. When face-to-face discussions are impossible or inconvenient, humans have dreamed up plenty of creative solutions. Avalaunch Media recently unveiled their Interactive Infographic entitled, “The Complete History of Social Media.”

History of Social Media: Then And Now

The roots of social media stretch far deeper than you might imagine. Although it seems like a new trend, sites like Facebook are the natural outcome of many centuries of social media development.

Social Media Before 1900

The earliest methods of communicating across great distances used written correspondence delivered by hand from one person to another. In other words, letters. The earliest form of postal service dates back to 550 B.C., and this primitive delivery system would become more widespread and streamlined in future centuries.

In 1792, the telegraph was invented. This allowed messages to be delivered over a long distance far faster than a horse and rider could carry them. Although telegraph messages were short, they were a revolutionary way to convey news and information.

Although no longer popular outside of drive-through banking, the pneumatic post, developed in 1865, created another way for letters to be delivered quickly between recipients. A pneumatic post utilizes underground pressurized air tubes to carry capsules from one area to another.

Two important discoveries happened in the last decade of the 1800s: The telephone in 1890 and the radio in 1891.

Both technologies are still in use today, although the modern versions are much more sophisticated than their predecessors. Telephone lines and radio signals enabled people to communicate across great distances instantaneously, something that mankind had never experienced before.

Social Media in the 20th Century

Technology began to change very rapidly in the 20th Century. After the first super computers were created in the 1940s, scientists and engineers began to develop ways to create networks between those computers, and this would later lead to the birth of the Internet.

The earliest forms of the Internet, such as CompuServe, were developed in the 1960s. Primitive forms of email were also developed during this time. By the 70s, networking technology had improved, and 1979′s UseNet allowed users to communicate through a virtual newsletter.

By the 1980s, home computers were becoming more common and social media was becoming more sophisticated. Internet relay chats, or IRCs, were first used in 1988 and continued to be popular well into the 1990′s.

The first recognizable social media site, Six Degrees, was created in 1997. It enabled users to upload a profile and make friends with other users. In 1999, the first blogging sites became popular, creating a social media sensation that’s still popular today.

Social Media Today

After the invention of blogging, social media began to explode in popularity. Sites like MySpace and LinkedIn gained prominence in the early 2000s, and sites like Photobucket and Flickr facilitated online photo sharing. YouTube came out in 2005, creating an entirely new way for people to communicate and share with each other across great distances.

By 2006, Facebook and Twitter both became available to users throughout the world. These sites remain some of the most popular social networks on the Internet. Other sites like Tumblr, Spotify, Foursquare and Pinterest began popping up to fill specific social networking niches.

Today, there is a tremendous variety of social networking sites, and many of them can be linked to allow cross-posting. This creates an environment where users can reach the maximum number of people without sacrificing the intimacy of person-to-person communication. We can only speculate about what the future of social networking may look in the next decade or even 100 years from now, but it seems clear that it will exist in some form for as long as humans are alive.

The post Complete History of Social Media: Then And Now appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Small Business Owners Continue to Evaluate Bitcoins

Posted: 08 May 2013 01:30 PM PDT

bitcoins

A recent study by researchers at Southern Methodist and Carnegie Mellon universities found Bitcoin exchanges pose considerable risk to users.

Still, the digital currency remains popular, especially with online businesses operating across international borders. That’s probably because the currency isn’t regulated by any bank or country.

As the value of each Bitcoin grows, many small business owners may wonder if they should accept them as payment. Companies that primarily deal in online transactions or purchase online products and services may want to consider adding it as an option for their customers.

In an email interview, Assaf Scialom of iQDesk.net explains why small business owners should consider accepting Bitcoins or other virtual currencies as payments instead of a government-circulated currency.

“The main thing that small business can benefit from using Bitcoin is the ability to sell worldwide with really low cost,” Scialom said. “For example, if I am based in the U.K. and I am selling to the U.K. market and the U.S. market, any transaction in U.S. Dollars costs me quite a lot if I am using Paypal or credit cards. Using Bitcoins reduces this cost dramatically.”

“On top of that I can use the Bitcoins to buy online services like hosting and other Web based software so I don’t need to cash in the Bitcoins I earn (which costs money),” Scialom added.

In a blog post at FindLaw.com, Robyn Hagan Cain writes: “The question of whether you should accept Bitcoin really depends on you as a person. If you’re actively engaged in the online community, Bitcoin may be a better bet than the dollar. If you live in the brick-and-mortar world, you may have a hard time spending it.”

Scialom agrees with this point.

“Bitcoin is good for online business that sell virtual goods (like software subscriptions, content, etc.) but it can be good for small businesses selling goods that are easy to ship abroad,” he explained.

Another issue that may make many small business owners skeptical of Bitcoins and other virtual currencies is the limited marketplace in which to spend them. Small businesses may be unwilling to tie money up in a system that is admittedly volatile.

A warning at Bitcoin.org, where wallets can be downloaded and used to store Bitcoins received, notes: “Keeping your savings in bitcoin is not recommended. Bitcoin should be considered as a high risk asset, and you should never store money that you cannot afford to lose with Bitcoin.”

Outside of small businesses purchasing their online services and products using Bitcoins as the currency, items available at BitcoinStore.com show that more can be purchased and Scialom says it’s only a matter of time until more is available.

“I think the main limitation is that it is not well spread at the moment and not a lot of users or businesses use it. So it can’t be a stand alone solution but I think in the next 2 to 3 years this is going to change,” Scialom says.

Bitcoin Photo via Shutterstock

The post Small Business Owners Continue to Evaluate Bitcoins appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Are Tough Times Inspiring Better Leaders and Increasing Engagement?

Posted: 08 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT

business leader

Are your employees engaged in their jobs? A Gallup poll measured the growth of employee engagement and which of 12 different occupations tend to boast the highest engagement.

What Exactly Do I Mean By Employee Engagement?

Gallup defines it as people who are "deeply involved in and enthusiastic about their work and actively contributing to their organization." In contrast, employees who are "actively disengaged" feel emotionally disconnected from their jobs and their workplace, which can only harm their companies' performance. Somewhere in the middle are employees who are simply not engaged. While they may be satisfied with their jobs, they're not emotionally connected to them, making them less likely to go above and beyond.

Gallup compared engagement levels from 2012 (when the study was conducted) to levels in 2009 at the depths of the Great Recession. Overall, while engagement has improved among almost all occupations, the difference is not huge. Thirty percent of employees report being engaged, similar to the 28 percent who were engaged in 2009. About one in five (18 percent) are actively disengaged; the rest are not engaged.

The group that enjoyed the most engagement and the most growth in engagement was managers and/or executives. Their engagement level was up 10 percentage points from 2009, to 36 percent. Manufacturing and transportation workers are the least engaged in their jobs, which is no different from 2009. And service workers are the only group whose engagement actually dropped from 2009 to 2012 – Adown 3 percentage points, to 29 percent.

What's the Reason for the Different Engagement Levels?

Gallup theorizes that tough times might inspire managers and executives to work harder and become better leaders, increasing their engagement or that they simply feel more secure in their jobs than lower-level employees.

Why Aren't Service Workers Engaged?

Gallup points out that service industries are typically most affected by consumers' discretionary spending, which has put them in a tough place for the past few years. But the study also notes that service workers, more than any other group, don't believe their opinions matter at work.

To me, this hits at the core of the issue. Having the ability to direct or influence what you do at work is a big factor in engagement, and executives enjoy this ability much more than do service, manufacturing or transportation employees.

Another Key Issue?

A separate Gallup poll found that engaged employees are far more likely to work at businesses that are hiring than non-engaged or disengaged employees. In fact, 40 percent of managers and execs in the 2012 study say their companies are hiring—a big increase from the 26 percent who said so in 2009. Perhaps seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, and knowing that their teams are finally getting the extra help they've needed during the recession, is driving higher engagement among managers and execs.

Finally, Gallup data consistently show that employees are more likely to be engaged when their direct supervisors are highly engaged managers.

What Can You Do to Increase Employee Engagement?

Give your employees more autonomy and ask for their input and opinions—then, whenever possible, act on them. Hire more help to take the load off overwhelmed employees who have "checked out."

Focus on your managers, particularly those who supervise front line employees directly. Keeping them engaged has a "trickle-down" effect on the whole team.

Business Leader Photo via Shutterstock

The post Are Tough Times Inspiring Better Leaders and Increasing Engagement? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

What is Responsive Web Design?

Posted: 08 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT

what is responsive web design

Have you asked yourself, “What is responsive Web design?” Responsive Web design is an approach whereby a designer creates a Web page that “responds to” or resizes itself depending on the type of device it is being seen through. That could be an oversized desktop computer monitor, a laptop, a 10-inch tablet, a 7-inch tablet, or a 4-inch smartphone screen.

Responsive Web design has become one of the hottest trends in 2013. This is due in part to the growth of smartphones and other mobile devices. More people are using smaller-screen devices to view Web pages.

In fact, Mashable even dubbed 2013 the Year of Responsive Web Design. Pete Cashmore wrote, ”For those of us who create websites and services, all this leads to a singular conclusion: A million screens have bloomed, and we need to build for all of them.”

What Does Responsive Web Design Look Like?

The purpose of responsive design is to have one site, but with different elements that respond differently when viewed on devices of different sizes.

Let’s take a traditional “fixed” website. When viewed on a desktop computer, for instance, the website might show three columns. But when you view that same layout on a smaller tablet, it might force you to scroll horizontally, something users don’t like. Or elements might be hidden from view or look distorted. The impact is also complicated by the fact that many tablets can be viewed either in portrait orientation, or turned sideways for landscape view.

On a tiny smartphone screen, websites can be even more challenging to see. Large images may “break” the layout. Sites can be slow to load on smartphones if they are graphics heavy.

However, if a site uses responsive design, the tablet version might automatically adjust to display just two columns. That way, the content is readable and easy to navigate. On a smartphone, the content might appear as a single column, perhaps stacked vertically. Or possibly the user would have the ability to swipe over to view other columns. Images will resize instead of distorting the layout or getting cut off.

The point is: with responsive design, the website automatically adjusts based on the device the viewer sees it in.

How Does Responsive Web Design Work?

Responsive sites use fluid grids. All page elements are sized by proportion, rather than pixels. So if you have three columns, you wouldn't say exactly how wide each should be, but rather how wide they should be in relation to the other columns. Column 1 should take up half the page, column 2 should take up 30%, and column 3 should take up 20%, for instance.

Media such as images is also resized relatively. That way an image can stay within its column or relative design element.

Related Issues

Mouse v. touch: Designing for mobile devices also brings up the issue of mouse versus touch. On desktop computers the user normally has a mouse to navigate and select items. On a smartphone or tablet, the user mostly is using fingers and touching the screen. What may seem easy to select with a mouse, may be hard to select with a finger on a tiny spot on a screen. The Web designer must take “touch” into consideration.

Graphics and download speed: Also, there’s the issue of graphics, ads and download speed. On mobile devices, it may be wise to display fewer graphics than for desktop views so that a site doesn’t take forever to load on a smartphone. Larger ad sizes may need to be exchanged for smaller ads.

Apps and “mobile versions”: In the past, you might have thought about creating an app for your website — say an iPad app or an Android app. Or you would have a mobile version specifically for BlackBerry.

But with so many different devices today, it’s getting harder to create apps and versions for every device and operating platform. As Smashing Magazine wrote, “When will the madness stop? It won't, of course.” A responsive design that is flexible enough to be viewed on multiple devices just makes sense.

Why Small Businesses Need to Switch to Responsive Web Design

More people are using mobile devices. A recent Pew study found that 45% of American adults own a smartphone, and 31% own a tablet computer. As we reported yesterday, smartphone shipments outpace those of regular mobile phones, and tablet growth is surging.

Check your traffic and you might just be shocked at how many visitors are getting to your website through mobile devices. (In your Google Analytics, select “Audience” on the left side, then “Mobile” to see what proportion of traffic is from mobile devices. You can even drill down to see which devices are sending the traffic.)

Responsive design templates are everywhere now, for purchase. If, for instance, you have a WordPress site you can visit a reputable template gallery such as ThemeForest and search for “responsive WordPress themes.” Purchase one for under $50. Your Web developer can then customize it for your logo and brand.

Editor’s Note: Here at Small Business Trends, we are working on a new responsive design. Shouldn’t you?

Responsive Design Photo via Shutterstock

The post What is Responsive Web Design? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

What NOT to Spend On In Your Startup

Posted: 08 May 2013 05:10 AM PDT

Cut startup costs

Most articles are great at listing all the things you can spend your limited startup funds on. But through experience, we’ve learned some lessons about wasting money and how to avoid the nonessential aspects of a startup.

Here is my list of things NOT to spend on if you can avoid it in the first 6 months. By spending wisely you preserve your funds for the things that count. Also, in the first 6 months of your business you have certain priorities — this list will keep you on track. I’m not saying to NEVER spend on these things – in fact depending on your business you may have to spend on some of them — just not in the first six months.

Conferences - They can be expensive and distract you. In the first six months your head should not be on conferences unless you can calculate a specific dollar ROI from going (such as, you’re being paid a speaking fee).

Travel - Travel is not only expensive, but you are less productive during travel. When I travel, I’m lucky to get one-third of my normal daily workload handled. Aside from a critical sales call that you simply MUST attend — use email and phone instead. Skype video conferences and Google Hangouts are two free substitutes for in-person meetings.

Offices - “Real Estate is the leading cause of death for startups,” Ross Mayfield, co-founder of SocialText once quipped. Obviously, if you run a local retail business, you need a shop. But today, many kinds of businesses can work virtually and need not saddle themselves with fixed lease costs in the first 6 months.

Hiring Employees - As famed tech investor Paul Graham writes, “The classic way to burn through cash is by hiring a lot of people. This bites you twice: in addition to increasing your costs, it slows you down.” Adding employees requires you take time to bring people on board, communicate with them so they understand the vision, and allow time for them to get acclimated. In some businesses, such as a restaurant, you MUST hire if you expect the business to run. But many other kinds of businesses are better off focusing on product development, marketing and/or sales before hiring a lot of people. Plus, you want to give yourself the time to select the best talent for “permanent” hires; go with freelancers and contractors whenever possible in the first 6 months.

A Too-Ambitious Website - Get a website up early. But unless your business IS a Web technology business, keep it small and modest at first. Invest in a good template design, and keep the number of pages down until your business has more of a track record.

Too Much Time Blogging - Newbie business owners lacking clients (and with excess time on their hands) often make the mistake of trying to become the next Huffington Post. Even if you’re not spending money, you’re spending something just as precious: time. Limit your writing time and put more effort into closing sales.

Paid Networking Groups - I am not a fan of paid networking or referral groups such as BNI. But if you’re considering one, at least hold off joining until you figure out whether you really can benefit from one. Try Meetups instead – they are either free or charge only a nominal fee.

Document, presentation and spreadsheet software – With all the free online software services, you should be spending little or nothing at first for these. As your business grows you can selectively upgrade to meet specific needs.

Public Relations - Don’t get me wrong, PR is valuable. But in the first 6 months you’re still figuring out your startup’s “story” and how to frame it. Until you’ve gone through that process don’t waste your money or the PR professional’s time.

Raising money - Some startups will never get off the ground without investment – but that’s not most startups. Unless you are part of the tiny minority with the kind of high-growth business likely to attract investors, or you are planning to buy into a franchise and need the franchise fee, focus on getting customers instead. Raising money is a full-time job in and of itself, and it distracts the founder from other things in the business.

Large print runs - For brochures, sell sheets, mailers and other items: prepare and print in small quantities. Invariably you will refine your business and your marketing materials after the first 6 months. You may end up focusing on a narrower niche or revising your pricing. You want to be nimble, not locked in to a 3-year supply.

Web conferencing software – Holding meetings and sales presentations remotely can be valuable. But all those $24/month expenses for software services can quickly add up to hundreds of dollars monthly. Explore free options that may fit your situation: Google Hangouts, AnyMeeting or OoVoo are 3 possibilities.

Conference call bridge - Try a service like FreeConference.com instead of paying for a conference bridge service. Couple it with Google Talk, and you don’t even have to pay long distance charges (calls to phones in the US and Canada are currently free).

Collaboration, CRM, sales management and other software – Just the process of evaluating and choosing software packages can take hours, even days – why get distracted? If it’s a process improvement type of software and not core to your business, it can wait 6 months.

Shop – really shop – for deals – Many vendors offer loyalty program discounts, or discounts provided by official partners of the vendor. Don’t buy anything until you’ve first checked websites of your key vendors to see what offers and programs may be available.

Invention services — If you have an invention that you think could be valuable, run, don’t walk, to a patent attorney – not to an invention promotion service. U.S. patent law recently switched to a first to file system. You could lose rights by not taking the correct steps promptly, and only an attorney can advise you.

Trademark filings – Filing for a trademark usually doesn’t have the same urgency as with a patent. In fact, by consistently using your mark over time you establish stronger rights. In the first six months a trademark registration is not an essential expense.

Advertising - Advertising takes money. Besides, a lot of startups are still figuring out what they are doing in the first 6 months. Instead, ramp up your social media presence during this time. You can connect with your audience and develop more of a two-way dialogue during this time, gaining feedback from your target audience as well. If you must advertise, experiment with low cost alternatives such as Facebook Promoted Posts and Twitter Promoted Tweets.

Finally, I’d like to also point you to two additional resources:

How to save on expenses in a small business.

Ten ways to save money in your business.

Image: Startup costs

The post What NOT to Spend On In Your Startup appeared first on Small Business Trends.