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Home » Computers And Internet Articles » Social Media Whos In Control

Social Media – Who’s In Control?

Social media allows individuals to connect by means of identifying common interests and forged cyber-based friendships. If there are negative aspects to social media they may be offset by potential marketing possibilities.

Please remember this article is intended to demonstrate the marketing potential for social media for online business owners. I understand some have concerns about social media as it relates to children, but this article remains focused exclusively on the on marketing possibilities associated with social media.

That being said, one negative related to social media for some online business owners is the addictive nature of participating in social networking. Time spent on the site corresponding with other 'friends' could chip away at the time you may really need for other business related activities.

If you have spent any amount of time on social media then you know it is possible to post a blog entry and be alerted to new posts to your blog whenever a new post is made. You may find yourself heading back to your social media page to read updated comments several times a day. This will probably lead to the desire to thank the individual for their comment. Of course all of this is done under the notion that you are working to market your business through social media, but the truth is there comes a point where you can spend an inordinate amount of time corresponding with people you don't really know for one small facet of marketing potential. When you're having fun online the balance between work and play gets a little blurry.

Another negative that may sound somewhat similar is that social media can keep you from face-to-face contacts that may benefit your business. The face-to-face contacts may be in the form of business-to-business networking or meeting affiliates, but social media can, and sometimes does, minimize time for events that are often of equal or greater importance.

One of the keys to effective online marketing is attempting to keep things balanced.

Obviously it can take some time to develop your social media page and it may be hard to fully determine what your goals are in relation to social media, but then you may want to commit to only a certain amount of time each day to the social networking and resist coming back to the page repeatedly throughout the day. You may even want to configure your email box to send all emails from the social media site to a special folder that you can easily review on a daily basis without the need to revisit your page multiple times each day. You may even want to turn the feature off that alerts you to new posts and messages if the distraction becomes too pronounced.

Remember, your social media page is there to help you market your business and connect with prospects while directing them to your primary site, but far too often individuals come to view the social media page with something akin to an addiction.

Allow social media to be useful without coming to a place where it is using you.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Government benefits – helping you in retirement

Unless you've managed to build up a large private pension or have a great deal of savings, it's not always easy to get by in retirement when you're no longer earning. There are various ways in which the government can help give people of pension age enough money to live on â€" here's a concise guide to some of the main benefits.

State pension â€" this is available to men over 65 and women over 60 (increasing to 65 by 2020), although eligibility for the full state pension depends on whether you or your spouse/partner have accumulated sufficient 'qualifying years' through national insurance contributions (NICs). You'll need to have worked approximately 90% of your adult working life in order to do so. People who have been out of work to bring up children or care for other family members are given 'Home Responsibilities Protection' to make up for lost NICs, and people who receive jobseeker's allowance and income support will also be given credits while claiming benefit. If you don't have enough NICs to be eligible for the full basic state pension, but have at least 25% of the qualifying years, you'll receive an amount somewhere between the minimum and the maximum. If you have less than 25%, you normally won't be eligible to claim any state pension, but you may be able to get financial help in other ways, such as pension credit or the Over 80 pension.

Pension credit â€" you may qualify to receive pension credits to top up your income if it is very low. Pension credits are made up of two elements: guarantee credits and savings credits. Guarantee credits are available to single people over 60 who have an income of less than £114.05 per week, or couples over 60 with an income of less than £174.05 per week. If eligible, you'll receive top-ups to bring your income up to these levels. Savings credits are available to individuals over 65 whose weekly income is less than £159 or couples over 65 whose weekly income is less than £233. If you qualify, you'll receive £17.88 per week if you're single or £23.58 if you're a couple. Payments can be made directly into your bank account. Other benefits are not taken into consideration when calculating eligibility, and you may also qualify to receive other benefits if you're on pension credits, such as housing and council tax benefits.

Over 80 pension â€" if you're over 80 and on a low income because you don't get the basic state pension or receive less than £50.50 per week from your state pension, and as long as you've lived in the UK for at least 10 years up to your 80th birthday, you'll be able to claim an over-80 pension, which will top up your income to £50.50 per week. It is considered taxable income and will be included as part of your income if you apply for other benefits. Again, you can receive payments directly into your bank account.

Cold weather payments â€" it can be very expensive trying to keep your home warm enough during periods of extremely cold weather. If you're on a low income, the government can provide cold weather payments to help you pay your fuel bills. If the temperature drops to 0 degrees Celsius or below for seven days in a row between 1st November and 30th March, you'll automatically receive payments if you're eligible â€" normally when you're also receiving pension credit.

Winter fuel allowance â€" people aged over 60 can claim winter fuel allowance to help heat their home. The amount varies depending on personal circumstances, up to a maximum of £300. You'll automatically receive your allowance with your pension payments if you receive a pension. If you're not receiving a pension, you'll need to contact the government Pension Service in order to apply. It has a winter fuel payment department for processing claims.

Bus pass â€" when you reach 60 you'll be able to apply for a bus pass from your local council, allowing free off-peak travel across the country. The application process varies between council areas. Get in touch with your local council to find out how to apply.

Free or concessionary television licence â€" everyone over the age of 75 is entitled to a free television licence, which covers anyone else also living at the same address. People aged 60 or over living in residential care homes can apply for a concessionary licence fee of £5 through the administrator of care home in which they live.