• Attach a visual to the poll. This app allows brands to attach a picture. (key for polls about new products)
• Easy publishing to Facebook Pages (or profiles). Poll Daddy lays out the step-by-step process for you.
• Sharing the Poll. Links to Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg and others allow for easy sharing.
• After voting on the poll it also gives users the option to share with their friends. Check box can auto-share.

Poll Daddy Polls on Facebook

*RPM is in no way associated with Poll Daddy and this blog post is strictly an opinion.

What do all these numbers mean? Well it means that Skype has successfully tapped into the world’s calling needs; moving online media into the world of internet phone calls and upping the ante of outdated instant messaging. From Gen X to Y to even Boomers, Skype is quickly becoming a way of life by helping long distance friends and families (and even businesses) stay in touch without the added expense of a plane ticket.

Being just an intern, I travel when school allows and jobs demand. However, being a student in New York City often means coming home to a very long summer in Kentucky where my closest friends are a eons away in states such as Texas, California, and that far  away country called New England. We manage to stay connected somehow though through the use Skype (seeing how you can only go so far with texting and not all phones allow conference calls). Yes…every Thursday night my closest six friends and my myself meet in cyber space on a conference call and argue over the newest melodrama on our favorite TV show, The Real Housewives of NYC. (Team Jill!)

Should businesses learn how to use such online mediums to connect with consumers? Yes. Would we listen…most likely. The key advantage that businesses should focus on is what I, intern Kate, have dubbed as the four easy rules to follow for online media:

1. Keep it easy.

2. Keep it simple.

3. Do not ask us to commit (let us decide)

4. Keep it easy.

Until then; keep it classy.

and one more from Ryan just because…..

Mobile has also been a key tool in fundraising efforts because of its ease of use, pure and simple.  In times of crisis where swift action is necessary, people feel the immediacy and want to donate using the quickest method possible.  Mobile is unique because it only takes a few strokes of the keypad (or touch screen) to make a difference.  That, coupled with the fact that The Red Cross uses small donations of $10 or $20 as the default amount allows just about anybody to help, even if they can’t afford much.  Even the most user friendly websites can’t offer one step instant donation.

With The Red Cross collecting unprecedented amounts to aid the people of Haiti, I can’t help but feel a sense of justification for social and mobile media that should cause skeptics of its purpose and staying power to pause.  Many skeptics like to point out the destructive forces of social media while clinging desperately to the notion that they still have control over their brand, but for once I hope this proves as an example of the comradery and philanthropic spirit that social media can foster.

As with all social media- questions need to be asked before just jumping into the social media pool. (And it may vary from types of restaurants, for instance a QSR may have a different approach than a casual dining restaurant.) First, what are our social media objectives? Who will maintain your page and engage with fans? How will we encourage participation on our Facebook page? And, for the purpose of this post, do we want just one Facebook page or a number of geo-targeted Facebook pages?

Let’s run down some advantages  of each approach.

A Single Corporate Facebook Page

Example: Chick-Fil-A

1. One place for all Fan interaction and engagement
2. Better Tracking and Analytics for Business
3. Communicate Corporate Promotions using the Wall
4. One unified Brand Message/Feel
5. High Ranking SEO Benefit
6. Easier to Maintain with Fresh Content
7. Better Monitoring

Multiple Geo-Targeted Facebook Pages

Example : McAlister’s Deli

1. Local Feel/Appeal
2. A place for Locals to Engage other Locals about their Restaurant passion
3. Local SEO Benefit (if optimized properly)
4. Local promotions (especially good for franchise operations)
5. Reviews – a chance for Operations to see Local Reviews

The big question if choosing multiple geo-targeted pages would be: Who will update and maintain the page with fresh content? It could be challenging when considering a 200-unit operation.

As you can see both approaches have some advantages and possible disadvantages.

Recommendation: It can be evaluated on a case by case basis.  No matter what the choice, keep the content fresh, interact with fans, and be social (give the brand a personality). At a minimum, be there because your competition will be.

Thoughts? Do you favor one approach over another? Are you a fan of a local restaurant fan page or all corporate?

That may have just changed, Compete’s most recent numbers show that Twitter’s growth leveled off last month. The social site grew a mere 1% in uniques from April-May. The site may be losing some of its hype.

Also, an article by VentureBeat sites a Hubspot study that shows 53% of Twitter users don’t have any followers and 76% have failed to complete a bio. Granted, some of these profiles are spammers, others may have signed up just to follow Oprah in April. Whatever the reason, growth slowed earlier than expected and plenty have thrown up red flags this week that Twitter may be losing its luster.

It’s too early to judge whether Twitter will have the staying power of Facebook or not. It seems that their has been testing into Flickr integration through email uploads which could increase usability.

One thing is certain, Twitter has made major search engines aware of the need for real-time search.

Any predictions or thoughts on what will happen with Twitter in the near future? Comments welcome below.

Also, here is a guide to personalizing your own URL. Once you’ve made your choice,  sounds like it can’t be changed. So, choose wisely my Facebook friends.

So, at midnight tonight, will you be there?

Photostream

If you have any photos to share of you and an RPM team member that you would like posted, please send them to info@rightplacemedia.com and we’ll post to our Flickr Photostream, Facebook Page and Twitter.

We had to try it- so in November 2008 we launched our Twitter profile. It’s a unique business and micro blogging tool that we (and everyone else) has grown quite fond of. We enjoy sharing interesting industry links and keeping up with the latest trends. Not to mention its real-time search is great for CRM.

If you have a chance check out our Tweets and if you want you can follow us.  Just another way to interact with RPM. We also have a Twitter widget on our homepage if you prefer to interact without having a Twitter account.

This is potentially huge news for brands who want to drive traffic to their Facebook page. Once Facebook enables this and vanity URLs brands will be even more influenced to have an engaging Facebook page.