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We can get these info threw this API so Google http://graph.facebook.com/http://www.seomoz.org

I think you pretty much have to be engaging with people on social media - otherwise in what sense is it "social"?  You're missing out on a lot of opportunity not only to win your users' hearts and minds, but also to learn how they interact with and think about what you do.  That's how a lot of companies right now are using social media - to figure out what their customers really like and want so they can make a great product.  The conversation will happen whether you participate or not - don't you want to be part of it?  If you're not, you have no control over the message. So who to hire to do it?  I've had a great time working with the good people at Social Creatures Media.  That's who we use when we need some social magic.  I don't know what you'd consider a "reasonable" cost but I find their pricing more than fair for the quality work they do.  And no, I don't work for them

If I understand your question right - I'd say that I generally see pages ranked rather than individual posts or pages within a greater page...but I may be misunderstanding.

It used to be that you could embed images on your site from another site (like Picasa) and your site would show as the source. I don't know if this is the case. I would probably put them on my server anyways.

Those are some great points!

What about using another TLD but exact match and the 'Use Facebook as my website' feature? Depends what you're testing for really. I'm pretty sure that when I registered a new domain and set up a FB page on the same day the FB page outranked it, but after a few days the site was on top so if there's any links between the site and the social pages (and back again) I presume Google can actually figure it out.

And here's the experiment: http://www.seomoz.org/q/experiment-facebook-page-vs-branded-domain

Try http://proxify.com/ or www.hidemyass.com -- you should try and find out why you're blocked and resolve the overall issue, but use one of these two in the meantime.

Thats cool Lewis, thanks for your reply.

Looks good! Also came across Sendible anyone tried it?

Thanks for your reply. Engagement seems be a challenge after getting into Social Media. Again there are a lot of other opportunities include PR. What sort of spend percentage is advisable for Social Media? [image: dtipIconHover.png]

Thanks for the quick reply. Sounds like sensible advice! I just needed to be areassured that when too good to be true, it probably is. Thanks again Andy!

I'd add that if it's a truly great piece of content it might not hurt to get some help. A lot of link building agency's nowadays rely heavily on social networking and have large if not HUGE networks to lean on and this could definitely come in handy. A one-time push of one piece of content probably wouldn't break the bank. Outside of that - I'd say a lot of the tactics @PH292 mentions but don't be afraid to jump in to your own social circles and push. If it's important and worth it - this is probably time to pull out the "pretty please RT xyz" dm's, messages etc.

I'm looking around now and it looks as though it's only included in your insights if you are talking about an app, and doesn't appear (at least not easy to find) for a page. If you're logged in as an admin and interacting as that page though I know you're supposed to receive notifications on posts/comments/etc though so there must be something there. WebTrends also does a lot of work with FB data and tracking so they might be a good group to talk to for what you're looking for if FB doesn't automatically give it to you.

You just make your forum user friendly and easy to use, have interesting topics and discutions and then you will have quality traffic (more trafic u need, try link building, social networks, there is no easy way to make a good traffic to a destination, your pages must be intuitive and easy to read) you must invite people attract users to your forum not just make them see your page.

I live in Vancouver Canada and there is no shortage of businesses using Twitter here. We are a bit of a hotbed of SM use. There are plenty of businesses who don't get it and are really stinking the joint up with bull horn techniques. On the other hand there are some that are really killing it. Plenty of restaraunts, gellato shops, bars etc are all doing a great job by being part of the culture and dialogue that goes on. Sounds like you are intimate business that deals with your cutomers face to face. Treat social media with the same caring and general interest in your customers, neighbours and community that you do in your everyday face to face interactions. Make it about everyone else by making them better for having lent an ear to what you have to say. They can pick up a local flyer and see whats on special. But they can get so much more from you being human. Like others have suggested tie in helpful tips to utilze the products you provide, make them better users of your product by makng them 'smarter'. But also lend sometime to making your followers smarter about the happenings outside your shop that may be of interest. Or just putting out 'good vibes'. Set up a search to notify you of certain terms within a distance of your location and reach out to these people. Maybe someone is looking for a great tuna recipe or maybe someone caught a big fish while out on the water for the day. Reach out to these people, be human and lend a hand to give them a pat on the back. Make a connection. Go beyond selling fish. Then you'll sell more fish! More importantly you'll become closer to many great people who want to help you in return. And then you'll sell even more fish. But remember selling fish is a by product of being a great digital citizen.

Thanks. By statistic, do you mean something like a voting and scoring system?

See this article re merging Facebook Page and Places

It happens, and I wouldn't say it's "bad" as such if it's done in the right way. Twitter is quite big on Follow Spam and I believe there are limits as to the number of new follows an account can carry out in a day. Think of it as a value proposition you're making to someone -- you're approaching them and saying, "I see you follow company A. I'm suggesting you also follow company B." What value do they immediately see when they quickly view your profile, your stats, and most importantly the content you've been sharing? If you've got a tweet stream with a good amount of well-presented, varied content most of which isn't self-serving or promotional, you stand a better chance of getting the Follow back. I guess it boils down to the idea of spending time creating your prescence and voice before going all-out on increasing the audience by any means necessary.

If they ask you to be the SEO guy you are part of the company so it's not "claiming to be part of ..", you actualy are