We decided to take a look at what internet browsers people are using to check out ChicagoTribune.com. You know, just for fun.

We didn’t expect the answers to be so terrifying.

Netscape? Are we the only ones who had forgotten about Netscape?

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Share quality, useful content
Put yourself in the mind of a visitor to your page. What kinds of content will encourage users to click “like” and leave comments? Some examples include: video, photos, links to content and simple text.

Don’t talk about your brand too much
Customers understand that you have things to say about your store, sales to promote and other housekeeping items. But constant talk about the same thing will only result in boredom. So …

Mix it up
Adhere to the “rule of thirds” which is to share original content a third of the time, related by outside content a third of the time, and by interacting with other users a third of the time through replies and asking/answering questions. Ideally, when others visit your page, they will see a variety of content types, and a high level of engagement to help convey a sense of community.

Edit headlines and sub-headlines
After placing a link in the share field on Facebook, take a moment to edit the headline and sub-headline, as well as select the appropriate image once the link populates and appears below the share field. After doing so, delete the original link before hitting share (the populated link and image won’t go away). Doing so presents a tidier post and encourages interaction.

Always incite conversation
If you post without asking a question, you might be hard-pressed to spark a conversation. But adding a question to any post can make a difference. Generally speaking, questions that encourage a brief answer will yield more and longer comments than questions that encourage only a “yes” or “no” or the simple, “what do you think?”

Comment
After posting content, it is essential to check back later to address comments. Comment just like everyone else. Multiple times if you want. Be a part of the conversation. You can also address specific people in a comment by putting their name after the @. It’s just another way to be personable.

Remember: Facebook is a community
As the owner of a Facebook page or profile, you are the host. Make your followers and friends feel welcome and treat them with courtesy. Remember, social media calls upon us to use the same good judgement we use in face-to-face interactions. Show people that you value their involvement in the community and they’ll come back.

Be genuine
Remember that social media is powered by the “social” part. While it’s important to maintain a “voice” online, it’s also important to be human and authentic, and to remember social media is not about broadcasting your message, but about the two-way conversation.

Don’t overthink it
Keep it simple. If you own a pizza parlor, ask your fans to click “like” if they like pepperoni. Or ask them to comment and tell you their favorite toppings. You could use that information to create a Facebook special.

Follow me for more tips
Don’t own a pizza parlor? Using the above example, think of some ways you could insert your business into a simple engaging conversation on Facebook. And if you’d like to see how I approach Facebook engagement every day, feel free to subscribe to my posts at facebook.com/skleinberg.

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In this episode of “30 Second Social,” Scott Kleinberg explains these two easy ways to expand your Twitter vocabulary.

Twitter: how to use modified tweets and via

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Twitter: How to retweet

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Tracy did an awesome job – she always does. I’d also like to offer that CBS-2 Chicago co-anchors Jim Williams, who is a friend of mine, and his colleague Susan Carlson surely know that exemplary social media skills are not limited to people of a certain age — that’s just not accurate.  Some of the most gifted social media communicators I know are upwards of 45, so it’s clearly not a matter of age, it’s a matter of attitude. OK and  it’s also a matter of time – it will probably take me two hours to clean up my Timeline. Since I’ve already started the countdown, I’ll have to add Timeline scrubbing to my Saturday chores.

Meanwhile here are links to the videos.

Tracy, Jim and Susan discuss the who, what, where and why of Timeline.

Tracy, Jim and Susan discuss the HOW of setting it up.

Here’s the official Facebook Timeline intro from YouTube.

When and if you decide to add Timeline, make sure you have the time set aside to edit and curate.

As to the CBS-2 spots, they’re doing so well that you can check in for your social media update with Tracy on a weekly basis at CBS-2. More details to come. And if you’d like to attend a class, you can learn more on the Chicago Tribune site.

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“	RT @BillyDec: Can u hit the twitter & facebook icons on my TV segment for me? http://t.co/0drHgSET Sharing is caring! Thank u kind one! RT
	NICK_COLOSIMO September 22, 2011

Also check in at "Sub 51 - Social Media Week" #SMWChicago
Photo by www.krecu.com on flickr

“	RT @jenn_swann: My first blog post for #SMWChicago – Tucker Max: entertainment or self-indulgence? http://t.co/WEiJTc1m
	kylehillman September 22, 2011

“	Great interview on WGN with Harvey Morris about Social Media Week Chicago http://j.mp/nwrXX0 #smwchicago #in
	mwade3000 September 19, 2011

Tiffany dome 1
Photo by jasmined on flickr

SWMChicago_signage
Photo by joycemsullivan on flickr

“	Christine Cea, brand pr director for @unilever loves the dichotomy of danger (l) and opportunity (r) http://t.co/ojHXqhft #smwchicago
	XimenaTalks September 22, 2011

Don't forget to check in!
Photo by jasmined on flickr

“	Ryan Stonehouse, part of the core Google+ project team. Kicking things off. #smwchicago http://t.co/lgMCS602
	chuckhemann September 22, 2011

Googler talking about the future of G + #womma #smwchicago
Photo by Amber Porter Cox | AKA @amberportercox on flickr

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Here in Chicago, Social Media Week kicked off last week when Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Foursquare as ChicagosMayor. Chicago is honored to have the first official City Badge, the “Windy City Badge.” The badge is your prize for checking into Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, the Oriental Institute Museum and the Garfield Park Conservatory and two other lesser known Chicago destinations. This idea of highlighting lesser known points of interest would work really well on the hyperlocal level – ie. in your neighborhood.

We still have two-and-a-half days left so go sign up!

p.s. if you are looking for direction on how to figure out all the Facebook changes (Panic! Panic! Google+ is open to the public!), here’s a video from WGN with the Chicago Tribune’s Scott Kleinberg and Amy Guth telling you what you need to know.

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That’s because to my mind there is no greater good than contributing to a great neighborhood shopping area or a vibrant, employed local community. To be sure, neighborhood businesses are learning they can easily extend their reach using social media like Facebook. But, still, to many smaller businesses, Twitter and its benefits remain a puzzle. To get some answers, I engaged Claire Diaz Ortiz, leader of social innovation at Twitter Inc. , in an email interview.

A confirmed do-gooder, Diaz Ortiz has earned 324,629 Twitter followers [and rising]. She writes about business, marketing, and being a force for good on her blog and is currently touring the world, promoting her book, Twitter for Good.

Q: ‘‘Be a Force for Good,’’ is the guiding principle of the service structure Twitter provides to non-profit organizations and causes. What advice can you offer to U.S. neighborhood businesses as they reframe themselves as forces for good?

Claire: Small businesses need to start thinking (if they aren’t already) about how they can help their customers. Ultimately, any enterprise (non-profit or for-profit) needs to cater to its constituents, and making sure that businesses are meeting customers where they are is essential. If you’re a small business, think of how you can provide support to your customers (via your products, or beyond them) in order to reframe the idea of how you seek to be a force for good in your community.

Q: How can the principles detailed in Twitter for Good (Target, Write, Engage, Explore, Track) help build a neighborhood one tweet at a time?

Claire: Twitter is a tool for businesses and organizations everywhere to better do their jobs of meeting the needs of their customers and supporters. The TWEET model shows anyone how to excel on Twitter to meet whatever goal your organization aims for. It’s about coming up with the specific goal for your Twitter activity (Target) and then implementing specific steps to reach (and Track) those aims.

Q: Can you give us a specific example of Twitter used to good effect in a US neighborhood?

Claire: Mark Horvath and his tireless effort helping the homeless populations throughout the US consistently prove some of the best examples of Twitter being used to uplift communities. Through new media and social media, @hardlynormal and @ invisiblepeople, Mark works to connect resources to those who need them most. He is a constant, on-the-ground voice and presence for not only meeting specific needs (this person needs this winter coat, for example) but for drawing attention to the important larger issue of homelessness, especially in times of recession.

Q: Many of our readers are smaller neighborhood businesses. It’s commonly said that small business is the bedrock of the U.S. Economy and strong neighborhood businesses are the bedrock of strong local communities. [I know this well from my local community development work here in Chicago’s under-served neighborhoods.] Given that, can you offer some thoughts for our readers about how they can learn to use Twitter to serve both their businesses and the greater good?

Claire: Again, running a small business is another way to help someone — well, really, to help a whole community. Small businesses provide support, services, or products that a community needs in a tangible, local way. Serving the community and making a profit are perfectly connected, and any small business (or large) operating ethically should feel confident that they are serving the “greater good” in their efforts when they try to meet the needs of their consumers.

Twitter is about relationships, and small businesses are built on the bedrock of (local) relationships. As such, social media and new media help local businesses to service their community more tangibly and consistently. If you’re a local business trying to figure out Twitter, think about the relationships you can be building, and it will make sense.

My conversation with Claire led to some thoughts on how to jump start TwitterThink and get it working for good!

You’re not just a café, you’re a gathering place where friends and family meet to catch up, relax and at times do business. Your clients come in to buy a cup of coffee or snack or maybe even lunch. What do you offer beyond the local doughnut chain to make your experience special and memorable and customized to them? That’s your Twitter stream.

You’re not only a grocer, but also a direct connection to good health and happy gatherings for the entire community. People come in your door thinking about recipes, quality of produce, brands and goodies! Most of all they think of the pleasures of feeding themselves and others as well as the time it takes. What information can you offer through your Twitter stream that touches this greater purpose?

You’re not only a dry cleaner, you also provide a fresh start to your client’s work day. You talk with your clients at the beginning and end of the day and they think of you every time they put on a fresh shirt or newly cleaned jacket. As a friend and service provider in their daily lives, what thoughts can you offer that connect them to a positive experience of your service?

You can catch Claire’s wisdom and that of others from Zynga, LinkedIn and Facebook for a fee at a special Social Media for Non-Profits event here in Chicago Sept. 27. Social Media for Nonprofits is a nationwide conference series with speakers from Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Chicago’s very own Groupon, Zynga and Community Media Workshop.

Add it to the smorgasbord of free events being held here during Social Media Week Chicago, Sept. 19 – 23, sponsored by the Chicago Tribune and Zocalo Group. And then mix in some affordable 435 Digital classes.

Here’s to more social media smarts this fall!

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