Use Facebook Connect to prompt discussion

If you don’t yet run a company blog, you really should start. And if you do run a company blog, you probably have a commenting system in place as part of the CMS. These work just fine; however if you implement Facebook Connect for commenting, your visitors’ activity will not be limited to your site. Rather, their entire friends list will see that ‘John commented on yoursite.com’ (depending on their privacy settings). Facebook Connect is completely free and actually takes a lot of hard work out of blog maintenance, so it’s definitely worth trying out.

Use a ‘Follow Us’ link on your homepage

You’ve probably noticed how many websites now have a ‘recent Tweets’ section on the front page of their website, along with a ‘follow us’ link. That means that you probably should too. It’s a simple bit of code to implement and can make a big difference when it comes to gaining followers on Twitter. Not only that, it also gives new visitors a way to discover more about you as a company and how you interact with your customer base.

Follow @bluelotusteam

Include ’share this’ links on new content

Allowing your users to share your content is the mark of a tech-savvy and forward-thinking company. Thankfully, it’s fairly simple to implement. There are lots of different plugins and add-ons that you can install on your site which will add ’share’ links to the end of each of your posts. This is particularly handy on your blog, and will allow your visitors to share your content on sites like Digg, Reddit, and StumbleUpon. This can boost your exposure, your visitorship, and hence your success. If your blog is based on the Wordpress platform, it’s even easier, and you can install the functionality in just a few clicks.

Feature a Facebook ‘ticker’ on your home page

Much like the Twitter integration you can install, Facebook also offer widgets that can give visitors easy access to your fan page. In fact, their ticker widget will display the last update you posted, along with a selection of people who already ‘Like’ your page. This should attract new visitors to your Facebook page, and let them know that you’re active with your community. This of course relies on you having an active Facebook page, so make sure you really get stuck in and engage with your new and existing customers.

Embed a few YouTube videos on your site

You don’t have to work in a visual industry to benefit from a video or two on your website. Even if it’s a simple animated slideshow explaining who you are and what you do, it will be a big help. The benefit of hosting the videos on YouTube and embedding them is that they will also be searchable on YouTube itself, so you can get even more exposure from one simple measure. Plus, if you’re lucky enough to have one of your videos go viral, you could potentially reach a global audience in a matter of hours. Embedding one or two YouTube videos is an easy solution which could translate to a big gain for your company - and it expands your social media reach.

There’s never been a better time to get on board with social media. So even if you’ve been on Facebook from the start, or you don’t know a Tweet from a Check-in, take a good look at your social media and ask yourself how you could do things differently. It’s probably a lot easier than you think.

What is SOPA or PIPA? And why are thousands of websites across the Internet striking to try and stop these 2 US bills that are currently racing through Congress. The reason these bills have garnered so much attention and genuine concern from people is that they threaten prosperity, online security, and freedom of expression.

One thing we want to make clear right off the back, we do not condone theft (physical removal of an object) or piracy (taking a copy of someone’s copyrighted material and leaving the original). We do believe that the laws that would be put in place under this bill disguised as an anti-piracy bill, would threaten the open flow of information and transparency that the Internet still promises to be. The Internet must remain open and uncensored to all.

Though we are a Canadian company, the SOPA bill affects us all. Tomorrow our website will go offline, joining hundreds of thousands of others in protest. We encourage you to share this message and day of protest with your friends and family in the US. You can share the website www.americancensorship.org on Facebook or on Twitter along with the hashtag #SOPAstrike to help make this protest bigger and more widespread.

We have realized our numerous years of working with social media that it is an incredibly useful tool that can help to bring about change. But this bill and the technology it uses (DNS blocking) is similar to the technology that is used to censor undemocratic countries such as China, North Korea, and Syria. All of these countries have used this technology to clamp down and monitor social media sites for activists or government opponents. Our chief concern is that this “security through censorship” approach will stifle free speech.

To our customers, we have worked with many of you to create websites, some that generate income directly, and some that are just used as promotional tools. In any case, it is important for you to know how SOPA will negatively affect the internet as we know it, and your businesses.

Closing Statement: For the reasons listed above we will be joining the strike tomorrow and encourage all our American customers and fans to do so as well. If you are a Canadian or a citizen from another country, you can share this message with your American family or friends, or share it amongst your friends. We know social media can be a fantastic tool for social good!

Find out more at www.sopastrike.com.

As social media started playing a more and more dominant role in our society, bigger brands started getting in on the action, and with larger marketing budgets. They wanted to ensure their brand was properly represented and that their pages were useful to their customers. Other application developers started creating more customized applications specifically for these brands where all files were hosted on the brands’ website, rather than Facebook.

Facebook definitely preferred to have these files stored on the users website, rather than their own servers, so last March they announced that the Static FBML applications would slowly be phased out.

The official date when FBML pages will no longer function is June 1, 2012. We are sending out a message to our clients, but also to anyone who is using this Static FBML application, to create a tab on their fan page to switch to the new “iFrame tab” as soon as possible.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of the new iFrame tab is the flexibility of being able to customize and modify the pages much easier. Unlike Static FBML, the new iFrame-based applications support standard web programming languages like HTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript for more dynamic and interactive content. Google analytics tracking code can also be inserted into the page to allow for conversion tracking.

Need help switching your FBML tab over? Send us an email at info@bluelotuscreative.com to discuss.

I hope you have all been enjoying your summer! Just wanted to take a quick second to thank all our fans who went out and voted for us for “Best Social Media Company” for the Urban Culture Conference in Vancouver. We were truly humbled by the outpouring of support and the amount of votes we received!

Unfortunately we didn’t win, but we still are so appreciative of the time you spent voting for us. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. If you would like to take a look at the Conference Winners page please click here.

Have a fantastic rest of your summer!

Big thumbs up for everything about Gabriel and the Blue Lotus team. We have used Blue Lotus for all of our eCommerce design work ever since they were recommended by our web developer. Blue Lotus provides us the best customer service, quality and creative all for an amazing price with incredible turnaround time. They never over promise and have always delivered when we had to rush something for a quick deadline. Simply put, meeting Blue Lotus in 2010 was one of the best things that happened to us all year!

Ryan and John MacCauley — (co-founders of ClassWatch) TheClassWatch.com

The Urban Culture Conference (UCC) is a breath of fresh air for Vancouver. Vancouver is a city of amazing culture, artistic vision, creativity, and individualism! The UCC’s goal of bringing together people from all over the city for an amazing weekend to showcase the unique talent of our fellow citizens is a fantastic idea, but with the added bonus of enjoying some amazing music, entertainment, seminars and events this Conference sounds like its lining up to be a huge success.

We have been given a huge honor by being nominated for an Urban Culture Conference award, and we want your help to snag the recognition.

The award we have been nominated for is for “Best Social Media Company”.

Thanks to some dedicated fans, as it stands today (Thursday May 12th), we are currently at the second spot in the rankings. The organizers at the Urban Culture Conference have made the voting platform beautiful, intuitive and transparent. If you feel we deserve the recognition, please take a second and vote at www.urbancultureconference.com.

You want to help us more?
Every vote counts. Feel free to share the link with some friends and encourage them to vote for Blue Lotus Creative in the MISC category under SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY.

Below is a screenshot of the site showing you how to vote for us. Please take a second and vote! Cheers!

Once you’ve voted, make sure to vote for some of the other candidates in the other categories. Help your favorite local artist get some recognition by voting for them. And make sure to check grab your ticket to the conference. It looks like there is going to be an amazing lineup including musicians, social media and blogging seminars, sporting events and food carts. Check out the performance lineup here, or find out more about the UCC.

Oh, and another amazing reason to support the Urban Culture Conference, they are giving back! 10 per cent of all proceeds go to the fantastic organization Fuck Cancer.

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How does this affect my website?

Throughout the evolution of the web, most web browsers have displayed websites slightly different. Although most browsers these days display very similar, sometimes certain aspects of a website won’t work with certain web browsers. Anytime a new or popular browser is released or updated, It is a good idea to review your site in detail for minor presentational or functionality issues. This should be done anytime a new browser with a significant user base is updated, yet most of the time you won’t have any issues.

Whats the big deal about Internet Explorer?

Internet Explorer(IE) as a web browser has had a rocky past, IE6 was notorious for displaying websites incorrectly when all other browsers had little to no problems. Microsoft has even started a website to countdown till IE6 is no longer in use. As a precaution, whenever Microsoft releases a new version of IE, we try to ensure that businesses are informed of its potential for issues. Businesses of all sizes should be concerned with this update. For the majority of businesses, their website is their main presence online, and it is important to display a consistent (and functioning) website to your prospective clients.

What browsers do most people use?

As of March 2011 the number 1 browser is Firefox, followed by Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. You can view current browser usage statistics and much more online at W3 Schools.

With the release of IE9, we are very pleased to see that Microsoft is catching up to provide a comparable browser to Firefox and Google Chrome, offering very similar performance and rendering intent to other popular contemporary browsers.

Want to ensure your website is compatible on all browsers?

If you want to be thorough and ensure your company branding you can hire a web developer to do a cross browser compatibility check or download some of the popular browsers and check it out yourself. If you notice any issues on your site you can send us an email at info@bluelotuscreative.com and we can look into the source.

Unless your name is @KimKardashian, @BarackObama or @ladygaga, getting people to follow you on the popular social networking site can be a little tricky. Most importantly, you should have something profound, funny, interesting, and just plain worthwhile to say. BUT there are a host of other small tips that can turn your Twitter account in a buzzing hive of activity.

1. If you’re having trouble coming up with what to tweet about, choose your passions. Chances are, there’s a whole massive population of random people who love what you love. Make sure that your tweets are marked with hashtag organizers (insert a #bmx at the end of tweet about BMX bikes and so on) and a community will find you. Learn more about hashtags here.

2. Find like minded people. If you tweet about the newspaper industry a lot, use Twitter’s people search function and search for terms like ‘writing,’ ‘editing,’ ‘reporting,’ ‘punctuation,’ ‘reading’ and other similar terms. You’ll find people with similar interests, and if you follow them, they will be much more likely to follow you back. For example, if you’re into preserving fruits and making jams, but follow a lot of heavy metal bikers on Twitter, why would they follow you back? Like minded people often congregate in real life and on Twitter the same holds true.

3. Explain to your current followers what retweeting is and how to do it and then encourage them to re-tweet tweets (perhaps yours) that are worthwhile. Your tweets will hopefully then end up in a whole bunch of foreign audiences you would never normally contact, greatly increasing the chance of new followers.

4. Thank and engage with your followers by name. It’s just polite but it also seems to bring in more followers. Perhaps people just like to know the person they’re following isn’t a total jerk. As well, try to be a resource. If your followers ask you a question, answer it. Hopefully, you’ll become a gathering spot for people looking to gain certain knowledge.

5. Add your Twitter contact information to your email signature. You could even add it onto your business cards.

6. Fill out your Twitter profile and make it great. Someone who reads one tweet from you may only have your profile as another reference point. The profile page is really the only place on Twitter where you can fully sum up who you are in one go. Make it shine.

7. Link, link, link to your Twitter account. On Facebook, on MySpace, on Flickr, on MSC, on blogs, on newspaper website comment sections, on wherever you have a digital presence online. Build your own personal network around your Twitter account to bring people into your genius.

8. Tweet pictures. Pictures seem to make the rounds faster on the Twitter feeds than plain text. A good picture is just much more immediate than a block of text and everyone likes a good photo. This one has been viewed over half a million times. Use the digital camera on your phone and upload (from an iPhone) using Tweetie or Twitterific.

9. Follow conversation trends. It might be hard to find a ongoing conversation about late 15th century Spanish monastic scholars on Twitter (although they’re probably out there), but if you’re looking for typical water cooler conversation, Twitter is your hot spot. Follow the trending conversations on the ‘Trends’ wall and jump in. You’ll probably find someone willing to engage and in turn, someone who might follow you.

10. BUY YOUR FOLLOWERS! This is no joke. Go to this link, pony up $3,500 and you will gain 100,000 followers. Money can clearly buy anything.

11. And last but certainly not least, BE ACTIVE AND INTERESTING ON TWITTER. Twitter feeds that are boring and unused lose followers and die. Keep it real, keep it funny and keep it engaging and Twitter will treat you well. Just try to say what you want to say in the way you want to say it and people will hopefully appreciate you. And If you have nothing to say, than don’t say it. And don’t repeat jokes ad nauseum either. That joke about your dog surprising itself with it’s own fart might have been funny the first time, but the 62nd time? Everyone knows that’s annoying and you wouldn’t do it in real life. So, overall, on Twitter and just like in real life, be yourself.

By default, once you have created a Facebook fan page, when users come to your fan page they see the news feed from your wall. Luckily, Facebook has made it possible to create a custom fan page, directing new users and fans to these custom “tabs” instead of your news feed.

Custom Facebook fan pages accelerate your success growing your business or selling your product.

1. Create a branded identity on the social web

The key is to create a customized page for users who have never seen your fan page before.
When they arrive, want to greet them with a message, welcome them, and introduce them to your brand. Aside from that, the goal here is to give them a reason to click the “Like” button. Your branded message of text, images, and other media will be the first thing they see, so it is essential that it be engaging and consistent with your current brand identity. Custom fan pages can be as simple as an basic image with a link, or as complex as a mini version of your main website.

2. Drive more traffic to your business

By utilizing HTML on your custom fan pages you can add stylized text, links, buttons, and images that can help direct your customers into your conversion stream. By using only a regular fan page, your new potential fans will see a list of articles or recent posts made by you or your fans when they join. Presenting this initial custom page helps convert the new user into a fan of your page and then direct them to your intended destination for new clientele, be it on Facebook or another website.

3. Build your email list through promotions and built in Facebook forms

Facebook permits custom forms styled with the Facebook look on fan pages to capture your fans’ email addresses. Keeping a mailing list allows you to keep your fans updated on future advertisements and news from your company.

It is also possible to create several custom fan pages to showcase multiple promotions at the same time. These appear as multiple “tabs” across the top of your Fan page, and these custom tabs can serve as seperate landing pages for certain customer groups. Want to create a audience targeted message for a specific age group? Look no further, custom fan pages are the way to go.

4. Impress your fans with video

Another neat trick to impress your fans is to embed a video into your fan “Welcome” page to give your customers a quick overview about your company. People love video and having a custom video always showcased on the opening page will help your customers understand your message much faster than even the most interesting Facebook news feed.

5. Advertise your services / Sell your product

The greatest thing about the custom fan page is the fact that you can guarantee that the first thing your new potential fans see when they arrive on your page is your branded image, colors, and message. You can direct people to a sales stream, towards an advertised product, featured video, etc. Sometimes, due to the high traffic that flows through Facebook, when people search up your company, your Facebook fan page is higher in the search results than your website.

With the world today being more and more focused on brand awareness, identity and communication, Facebook Custom Fan Pages are a great way to create a social hub for your brands’ message.

Blue Lotus Creative took my vision and made it a reality. Working with them gave me an oppurtunity to express myself and my music through my website. The amount of work and dedication that their staff puts into their projects, really shows in the final product. Thank you again for giving me an amazing service in getting my 1st website ever made.

Sukhi Walia — Musician SukhiWalia.com