How can LinkedIn help me grow my business?  LinkedIn, like Facebook is still very advertising clutter free.  In fact, I rarely see an add when I use the site.  Like facebook, LinkedIn can hyper target exactly who you want to reach.  If you are looking for an upscale cadre of business executives look no further.  Median income is $109k.  Ad consist of your old school mix of banners, rectangles and skyscrapers.

LinkedIn bottom Line: No clutter and Hyper Targeting seems like a no brainer to me.  The ads are your standard online fare but company’s with niche offerings will benefit.

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How can Plaxo help my business?  A majority of Plaxo’s ads come are from Google adsense.  However, the open structure of Plaxo makes it a very promising social network in the long run.  If FaceBook ever stumbles or if people get frustrated with its more closed architexture, Plaxo could get a lift.

Plaxo Bottom Line: Plaxo is an exact cross between facebook and LinkedIn with more openness when it comes to connecting with all your social networks.  It’s a good idea to have a presence there so people can see what you have to offer.  The open source strategy of Plaxo is smart so keep an eye on this user base growing in size and relevance  over time.

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How can Yelp help my business?  Yelp is great because it gives you a real gauge on how your customers perceive you and it is a great way to showcase your company by featuring reviews, promoting timely announcements and creating a picture slideshow.  Yelp is a very authentic site and users take pride in their credibility so do not try and write glowing reviews about your own company.  Be straightforward and you will benefit.

Yelp bottom line: Yelp is a great way to find out the real deal on your company and all others in the area. Act with integrity and be a part of this community and your company will grow.

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How can Flickr help me with my business? Now that images and video are showing up more and more in Google/Yahoo searches (it’s called blended search) companies that have pictures with relevant tags can have people link back to your site.  Flickr photo sharing is hugely popular so being a part of this community is yet one more marketing channel to help you position your brand and connect with others of the same interest.

Flickr bottom line: Get an account and take some of your favorite pictures (and now short vids)  and put them on Flickr.  They can all link back to your web site.  All major search engines & StumbleUpon and Digg users are scouring Flickr every day and your picture could be hoisted up to the masses.

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How can Boomj be useful for my business? Companies with products specifically for Boomers and Jones generation will benefit here.  They offer advertising among many verticals, TV advertising in their syndicated programming, branded online content and much more.  The shopping element seems a bit heavy handed to us.

Boomj bottom line: Boomj web traffic is growing after a lot of traditional advertising and good media coverage.  The question is whether Boomers and the Jones Generation will stay.  The social networking element is a little weak and the store is pushed front and center.  For those looking to reach Boomers via social networking, it’s worth experimenting with but the jury is still out.

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How can Orkut help my business? The vast majority of users are between 18-25 in Brazil, India and the United States to a much lesser extent.  If these demographics are important to you, building social apps is the way to go.

Orkut Bottom Line: If you are looking for young adults in Brazil, Pakistan or India then get involved with Social Apps.  Though less popular in the U.S., it is still the 51st most trafficked site here and it is owned by Google so we’ll keep an eye on it.

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How can Bebo be useful to my business? Though MySpace and Facebook dwarf Bebo in the U.S. by sheer numbers, Bebo is still the 174th most visited site in the U.S.

Bebo Bottom Line: Bebo is huge in United Kingdom and not quite as big in America.  Until ROI on Social Networking Pages is more refined, you can wait to see how this takes off in the U.S. before getting too involved.

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How can MySpace help my business? The fruit has already been harvested here. MySpace reminds me of how bad internet advertising was 10 years ago. The site is stuffed with cluttered filled ad after clutter filled ad. We’re talking the ads that shake and wiggle to plead for your attention. MySpace was an early mover in the Social Web revolution but they need to reclaim back much of the advertising shelf space if they want respectable advertisers to take them seriously.

MySpace Bottom Line: MySpace just sold out it’s precious advertising real estate too quickly. Spam is rampant on the site. All that said, it is still the biggest social networking site in the world and I know a lot of smart people who work there. We wouldn’t rush out and spend too much time or money on MySpace but it still can’t hurt to keep a simple profile with a clear message there.

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How can Facebook help my business? The beauty of Facebook is that you can be very precise in targeting. You can send a banner-like ad to just people in one company, town, particular interest or all of the above. I am actually surprised more companies big and small are not taking advantage of the facebook crowd. There is little ad clutter at this time. It is also wise to set up your company on Facebook so that you can keep “friends” in-the-know. However, the real plus of Facebook is figuring out how to create an application that your customers/niche following will enjoy.

Facebook Bottom Line: Unless you are targeting Adults 73+ I suggest you have a strong, authentic presence on Facebook both creating an account and using social ads. The key to Facebook is to be real, share useful info and keep your audience within Facebook when you speak with them. In plain English, if you advertise and post a link, send them to your company/product Facebook page rather than to your traditional Web Site.

FaceBook Resources:

facebook on wikipedia

Criticism of Facebook on Wikipedia

Facebook Explained

A guide to Advertising on Facebook

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