1) Twitter: It has become the buzzword of the last few months… but, why? To put it plainly - Twitter allows you to boil your message down to it's simplest form. If you need to clear stock, push a certain item, or build buzz for an event - there is no better way. By using geo-tagging and Twitpic integration you can also include locations and photos. In reality there are a ton of ways to include information, but there is no easier way to blast a message. Many clients ask what the new Facebook will be… our simple answer - Twitter. Get familiar or get passed by.
2) Flickr: A picture is worth a thousand words and no site manages your pictures better than Flickr. Any industry can use a little photo-exposure and the integration to other sites is easy as pie. We like to address your message in three main parts - Word, Picture, and Video. Of all three, none is truly more valuable than picture. We are certain that eventually video will slide into this position, but the lack of wide-scalability puts our best estimates out at least 8-10 years… and by that time - who knows what else we will be dealing with!
3) Facebook: It is very possible for some small companies to run their entire web-presence through Facebook. Of course, we don't suggest it… but you can cover a lot of bases with this site. The risk that you run is mainly two parts. It requires a great deal of time to spread your message and develop your audience. Also cost… Facebook has been on top of their cost-structure and paying for an outside site to build your message is, in small part, shooting yourself in the foot. We instead suggest, running your FB presence behind your own site and letting it grow along with your business. It is best used as a blog to re-iterate your message and draw traffic back to your site.
4) Vimeo: Picking a favorite in the video industry is honestly… a tough one. YouTube certainly provides the most video selection to choose from - but keep in mind, you are not looking to kill time - you're looking for a way to present your own material. Without getting too into tech-jargon, Vimeo allows you to present and spread your footage in a bare bones way. The buttons are clean, the HD feeds quickly, and it is as customizable as you would ever need. Our site uses Vimeo exclusively (and with minimal charge). Cost in video is a necessary evil - you are paying for the storage space… and video takes up quite a bit. There is no reason that you can't also include your video into free sites (esp. Youtube), but when presentation is important… pay the small fee - it's more than worth it.
5) Loopt: Geo-location is the wave of the future! No company has locked that down like Loopt has. If you are unfamiliar with site, what it allows is constant updating of your location. On a business level, it can be useful to draw or build on your clients at any one time. Just like Facebook, it does take some time to build followers - but once you have… you can know where they are at any specific time. This grants you real-time demographics. "Why is our store empty on Wednesdays?" - take a look at your map and see where they are. Integration with Twitter & Facebook also allows you to network effectively and LOUDly! If you have another company that supports yours… Go there Loopt them and ask that they do the same. Traffic will show on both maps and therefore build popularity. Using Loopt on a personal level is just as advantageous (possibly mores)… but as Loopt fills out their business model they will take advantage of local business and for local businesses - this can be your biggest advantage over the big boys.
*** Honorable Mentions / Non-mentions: Linked-in - if you are looking for employees. FourSquare - if you are tech savvy. PingFm - if you are a multitasker w/ a short attention span. Myspace - if you love dead technology.
