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From Mashable - STATS: Flat Month for Social Media, With Some Surprises

We've reported on the tremendous growth of both Facebook and Twitter month after month in the last year or so, but looking at Compete's stats for August, we've got neither good nor bad news, as the hottest social networks have stagnated when it comes to new visitors.

Part of the reason could merely be the lazy days of summer, which causes a drop in traffic on almost all Internet destinations. ... Continue Reading

From Mashable - 5 Ways to Attract and Empower Your Crowd

Brandon Mendelson is the coordinator for A Million High Fives. Follow @BJMendelson on Twitter () or add him as a friend on Facebook.

Every few days, I get an email asking this question: 'I have this awesome idea to help X, but I'm not sure what direction to take. Do I open things up to the crowd to collaborate and target a mass audience? Or do ... Continue Reading

Gerald Prolman launched OrganicBouquet.com in 2003 to sell sustainably grown flowers that are freshly picked and then gift-wrapped. But as the company grew, he needed a better way to meet the increasing demand from florists, event planners and other whole-salers. So in June, Prolman launched a microsite (www.organicbouquetwholesale.com) to make it easier for these customers to place orders.

A microsite lets you focus on a specific purpose, such as selling clearance or discounted items, ... Continue Reading

From Mashable - 5 Fresh Ideas for Social Media Marketers

Social media may be for narcissists, but it's also proving to be a business utility. Retailers are shifting their marketing dollars such that social media budgets are swelling, and creative contests are popping up all over the web. In case you haven't noticed, social media marketing is big business.

Should you find yourself in a social media marketing lull, we think you can take inspiration from these five innovative ... Continue Reading

From Mashable - Clickstreams: What They Are and Why You Should Track Them

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashableegularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

The more information you have about your customers, the better off you are. There's a reason that advertisers will pay generously for detailed demographics on potential shoppers and customers. On the web, we usually gather this information via web analytics platforms ... Continue Reading