What does a $5 blog post look like?

I recently spent about $100 on 20 500-word blog posts from a company called 99 Cent Articles — about a fiver-a-post. For $46, I received 10 posts on any subject I can imagine. I’ll share these in a series of posts and I’d like you to tell me what you think about the quality of these posts. This is not an endorsement of 99 Cent Articles, although their service was fine. I paid for these articles out of my own pocket.

Twitter is changing the way television interacts with viewers

Over the decades, television as a form of communication media and its effects have been topics of communication theorists.  This, of course, is comprehensible because television has had always been a source of influence — both good and bad.

But with the world in the 21st century, television has transformed into a social media where a quick and real two-way interaction becomes easy and possible. Twitter, a social networking and micro- blogging website, provides a relatively new but potentially viable media channel where one can update his friends, family, co-workers, and anyone who’s on Twitter about his activities for the day. Update is limited to 140 characters and can be posted via e-mail, text message or instant messenging. Just like the word tweeter, Twitter is a “loudspeaker” that announces daily updates to its millions of subscribers.

Its widespread popularity has persuaded CNN to join Twitter as its first broadcast official network. Partnering with Twitter makes it easy for CNN to receive responses or comments on its various segments. Major TV networks and productions have also joined Twitter and are now gaining millions of views and comments in the real time those TV programs were aired.

Although people used media for different purposes, Twitter seemed to have a momentary monopoly on this trend — hooking a wide range of people from the internet addicts down to people who merely have an e-mail account. Twitter incidentally captures the theory of uses and gratification where research conducted on television had the following result: People used television for building relationship, intimacy, communication, and structuring the day, while the gratifications are named into four categories: Information (People are hungry-knowledge and always yearn for reasoned perspective or at least for logical connection), Personal Identity (we normally look for famous personalities whom we can relate to in-terms of our behaviour or aspirations) , Integration and Social Interaction (our ability to sympathize and empathize with TV characters — their journey and experiences both fictional or real allow us to appreciate TV programs and develop similar likeness and opinions) and Entertainment (we once in a while want fun and enjoyment).

Whatever the members of Twitter are up to for counting their names in, one thing is certain there is a need that yearns to be filled in. Lull’s theory is patterned on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs where basic needs is found at the foot of the pyramid while at the top is the need for self-actualization. Twitters do twitter possibly because of the urge for knowledge, for belongingness, for esteem and for realizing one’s full potential since one can post blog entries, upload music or composition videos, or market your products.

Twitter appears to be a lot more interactive because it combines the principle of both mass communication and social media. A single person can post update on himself and send it to a large, usually anonymous audience. This social media platform may be relatively new in the cyber world but it has nonetheless posed issues which will make good topics for researches on media communication.

Here’s another one, also on the topic of Twitter.

Twitter is an Effective Way to Promote your Business Online

Like most social networking sites, Twitter encourages its users to interact with each other. The aim here is not just to advertise yourself or your activities but to respond in other’s Tweets. You can ask questions to followers and keep them track of them. The RT symbol enables you to rebroadcast a previous Tweet of someone if it’s worth the spreading. The process of Tweeting is like a ripple effect that requires a motion in order to make waves.

Think of Twitter as tool that notifies clients of your business news, not as a direct promoting site. It would be more fun and effective that way. By following your friends’ posts, you are given the chance to answer questions and eventually get noticed. The more people who notices you, the bigger chances of selling.

This micro-blog is very simple to understand. The approach they use in making your life more fun online is through sharing a line that suggests your current activity. Status updating enables you to let everyone know what you are up to, so if you get popularity here, why not use it to make your business bloom? Through Twitter, business promotion could be as quick as a tweet.

Fast as a wildfire, the Internet Marketing hype is spreading. Big names made use of this method to gain popularity among consumers, raking them great incomes in return. Companies like Apple and Intel has thousands of followers in Twitter and your business too can have as much, maybe even more given the proper marketing strategy. Sign up and start your own wildfire. If you already have a list of business contacts outside the cyberworld, make use of them and import e-mail addresses to Twitter. Send them invitations to make them sign up for their own account and have them add you, follow your Tweets and follow them back. Post links to your official website where they can process orders and browse your products. Doing this gives your business the opportunity to be known worldwide.

The secret in effective promoting through Twitter is to never treat it as a promoting tool for it is originally designed a networking site. Again, have fun, and start slowly. Don’t follow thousands of anonymous accounts, instead, introduce yourself to a few, maybe 50, then make friends and comment on how you liked their posts. Wait for their replies to build a bond and further strengthen it by constantly updating and Tweeting, then have your business promoted. Mention it in a status and be noticed by your followers. When they make a comment, comment back and the process is as unending as the flow of your success. After creating connection with a few clients, it is now time to expand your market. Repeat the method you used in finding followers and by word of mouth, you could get referred if they are satisfied with your service, making your business grow.

Having a positive image gives your business the same impression. Be an active follower and do regular Tweets. People love returning favors so do them a favor by being courteous enough to at least click that little star at the right side of a Tweet and they might return that little favor by doing business with you.

In all cases, my only guidance was the title of the article. So I defined the title and within three weeks (they promised 10 days), they sent me the articles.

I will post more soon, and you can see all of the 99 Cent Articles articles here.

Please pop me your feedback in comments — I would love to hear what you think.  I have not edited the articles in any way.Chris Abraham is a partner in Socialmedia.biz. Contact Chris via email, follow him on Twitter and Google Plus or leave a comment below.