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I was doing a search for search engine marketing on Google and saw Bing advertising in the sidebar via Adwords.  Has anyone else noticed this? I think it is interesting that Google is allowing Bing to advertise on Google.  Here is a screen shot. Click for larger view

There is a very interesting article over at NevilleHobson.com this morning titled “Job requirement: Twitter followers” that discusses a recent job posting by BestBuy in which there is a preffered qualification of having 25o Twitter followers.  After reading this I am wondering if having a “personal social media portfolio” will be something that will give the edge to future job hunters.  If a freshman in college begins to utilize social networks and maintains those social networks until graduation, what will that group of social network accounts be worth?  I can see where in certain industries, especially sales, where existing personal networks could be very valuable.  This seems to be the next logical step in preparing for the work force.

I look back on two occaisions in my past when I saw this same concept in use only on a pencil and paper level.  When I got out of the Navy in 1987 I went to work for a major insurance company and the first two days on the job the only thing I did was make a list of everyone that I knew no matter how well I knew them. Everyone from best friends to the guy that took my money at the local convenience store for a cup of coffee. This was to be my core list of sales calls.  A few years later I took a job as a car salesman (hardest job in the world by the way) and once again the first couple of days at work were devoted to making a list of everyone I knew.

So now that I think of it the concept is not new just the technology involved. We have moved form legal pad and pen to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace et al……  Maybe CIS 101 in college these days should include how to start and maintain a personal social network.

What are your thoughts on having these networks as a suggested job requirement?

I suppose the title of this blog post says it all.  It is a little long I will agree.  I certainly have not learned all there is to know about SEO, but I realize there are many changes going on at this time and I want to discover and learn more about off site techniques including social networking to drive traffic to my websites.  I guess the question I am asking myself is which is more valuable and produces the best results; off site social networking to drive traffic or onsite SEO for the search engines and subsuquent discovery by visitors.

I am curious as to what your opinion is?

Online relationships have certainly evolved over the last 18 months to the point one starts to wonder if social networking has overtaken SEO for getting your website in front of interested viewers. In the past on site search engine optimization was the name of the game. I have always been an advocate of SEO planning from the moment the initial idea for a website is presented. Now I begin to wonder if pure onsite SEO is where it’s at and if it is worth the effort when social networking can drive a better quality of visitor.

What do I mean by “better quality of visitor”? Referrals have always been the golden nuggett in sales.  Isn’t that what social networking is all about at its core? I find something I like on the web and I share it with others who like the same thing. Simple but very effective. Through social networking referrals I know the visitors want exactly what I have to offer, whether it is a product or service. Someone has told that visitor about my website and has recommended they visit it.

I am starting to believe that social networking will surpass SEO as the primary means of getting a website in front of the right viewers.  By having social networking as my primary means of traffic generation I am freed from having to worry whether or not I have offended the powers to be that control the search engines; I am free not to worry about correct keyword to text ratios or page layout. I am still concerned with inbound links but beyond that all the other apsect of SEO can go out the window.  As long as I have a good service or product and good quality content tha solves a persons problem, then I should focus on developing relationships with my visitors and their contacts.

True I may not get as many visitors but the visitors I get are more apt to use my service or purchase my product based on the fact that someone referred them.  What do you think? Has social networking overtaken SEO?

There are CEO’s and COO’s and CTO’s and CFO’s.  Could a CSNMO (Chief Social Network Mangement Officer) be far behind. With more and more companies, both large and small, embracing social networking, how long will it be before a dedicated position is created within a company for a full time professional social network manager?  It would definitely be an interesting job. I wonder how the marketing department would look at this position? Would they consider a threat or would they embrace and support this individual.

Paying someone to be a full time social networker could have it’s benefits in establishing a more personal relationship between customer and company. By providing customers the ability to interact with your company via Twitter, Facebook or any other social network, you are bringing your business to a more personal level. As a social networker who creates an online persona and then uses that persona to interact with followers you have in effect brought your company down to a one to one level with the customer.  People like the ability to communicate with a company, to provide ideas and suggestions as well as complaints, and the smart social networking manager will use this information to better their product or service.

Maybe the time has come to add this position to your company. What is your opinion?