A recent study by Cone finds that 93% of Americans believe companies should have a presence in social media.  85% believe that companies should not only have a presence but they should interact as well, and 56% of American consumers feel stronger about a company — and better served — when they can interact with that company in a social media environment.  See all of the results here, and thanks to C.C. Chapman for the heads up here.

Join us to ask the who, what, where, and when of social media for business!

Previously, Twitter had been the darling new application of the social media world. If you’ve never used it, Twitter is a cross between a public instant messaging client and a community forum. People use the service to post updates about where they are, what they’re doing, or what they think is interesting, and they can access the service from the web or their mobile devices. From there, friendships and conversations emerge, news is shared, and people stay in touch — all within the limits of 140 character updates. (Thanks to Twitter, brevity is key.)

Now comes Yammer, the big winner at last week’s TechCrunch50 forum for social media startups. Yammer is a lot like Twitter for your intranet — instead of the whole world being able to follow your conversations, Yammer narrows the focus to just the people within your company / organization. It could be used to augment (or replace) project management tools, cut down on intra-company emails, and allow your employees to keep track of what’s due when and where everything is in mid-process.

Which brings us to our larger question of the week: How do YOU go about selecting new programs and services and integrating them into your company’s workflow?

* Do you seek user recommendations for all available solutions, and then base your final decision on the wisdom of crowds?

* Do you have a dedicated employee (or ten) who test-drives all new applications and then disseminates the summarized how-to info to the rest of your team?

* Do you explore every new tool that’s released, or do you let the general public sort the keepers from the duds and save your company the time that might otherwise be wasted on learning imperfect solutions?

What’s your approach? (And is it working?)

If you’ve visited our blog before, you may notice a slight change in our video style: we’re now posting our videos using Viddler instead of YouTube.

Why? To help showcase your options in the world of web video.

Too often, social media novices (and even some businesses) believe the entire online video experience begins and ends with YouTube. Although it’s currently the web’s largest (and most highly-trafficked) web video site, YouTube isn’t the only option available — and, depending on what you’re using web video for, it may not be your best option, either.

There are dozens of similar video sites available online, offering everything from serialized web shows to interactive videoblogs (or vlogs). While none of them can boast a user base comparable to the size of YouTube’s (at least, not yet), each of them has a few notable perks that might be perfect for your business, promotional or communication needs.

Some of these web video distribution sites include:

Blip TV — Home to some of the best serialized content on the web, Blip TV may be the closest thing the internet has to an emerging TV network.

Brightcove — Their self-contained video player is designed for companies who’d like to create their own topic-centered (or brand-centered) channel.

Viddler — Catering to a socially inclined audience, Viddler allows its users to leave notes, links and responses right inside their fellow users’ videos.

Vimeo — One of the easiest and most family-friendly sites, Vimeo also offers viewers the option to download each poster’s original video files, instead of limiting them to Vimeo’s compressed version.

And, for the best in “how to” videos, check out 5min and Sclipo, which are havens for the do-it-yourself (or DIY) set.

(Bonus tip: If you’d like to save time, TubeMogul is a service that allows you to cross-post one video to multiple distribution sites at the click of a mouse — for free!)

NOTE: This doesn’t mean we think you should stop using YouTube. By all means, keep YouTube in your toolbox — their audience size alone is reason enough to include them in any promotional campaign — but take the time to explore some of these other tools as well. That way, you’ll be even better-prepared to share, communicate and promote yourself and your clients!

Social networks are fast becoming the new cocktail party, where everyone’s rubbing elbows and handing out business cards. In these days of layoffs and uncertain futures, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by getting personal. Read more on your new career safety net at The New York Times.

Here is a very interesting study on corporate….are they getting social media? Are they understanding it? See more here.

We think at this point, everyone knows they need to at least test the waters. Learn more about social media for business at the Business Smart Tools conference next May!

Researchers from Gartner find that most companies are missing out on using social networking sites when managing their employees. “Businesses which harness how employees use these sites stand to increase savings, productivity and profits,” said Gartner researcher Jeffrey Mann. “It can lead to better productivity if you can mobilize your people quickly through social networking.” Read more here.

Would you use a social networking site for business? Let us know your thoughts!

Flickr ( http://flickr.com/ ) – One of the largest photo-sharing sites on the planet (and powered by Yahoo), Flickr offers users the ability to host, share, comment upon, print and order merchandise featuring the photos they (and their fellow users) have taken and uploaded to the site.

Flickr is great because you can post pictures easily on your blog or website from events, meetings, products and more!

Twitter ( http://twitter.com/ ) – A cross between a public forum and a private instant-messaging tool, Twitter is compatible across multiple web applications and mobile devices. It’s also, for many users, inexplicably addictive. Many are calling it micro blogging and for those looking for new jobs, it’s the new 140 character resume.

Join us at the Business Smart Tools Conference.

Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/ ) – Originally a social network only available to college students, Facebook has since opened its doors to all users, resulting in explosive growth. Facebook’s designers are dedicated to open source code, which allows anyone with a working knowledge of the programming languages used to power Facebook to create applications and widgets that will run within it – essentially, a social programmer’s and marketer’s paradise.

LinkedIn ( http://linkedin.com/ ) – The working professional’s social network, LinkedIn allows coworkers and collaborators to connect with each other online, recommend each other via testimonials, and introduce their colleagues to one another if they don’t already know each other firsthand.

MySpace ( http://myspace.com/ ) – The original trend-setting social network, now owned by FOX/News Corp, perceived privacy and content control issues have caused MySpace to fall out of favor with the more web-savvy Facebook crowd. Recent improvements have returned the site to a more stable, enjoyable atmosphere, but there’s one large reason MySpace will continue to be undeniably relevant regardless of performance issues: their user base is gigantic – it’s perpetually among the top 10 most-frequented websites on the planet. MySpace is also the 2nd largest video hotspot next to YouTube.

To learn more on how to use social networks for business, join us at the Business Smart Tools conference.

YouTube ( http://youtube.com/ ) – The best-known and most highly-trafficked web video site in the world, YouTube is a repository for user-generated videos, classic commercials, music videos and pop culture oddities of all stripes. If it’s ever been committed to video, odds are, it’s on YouTube (legally or not).

Blip ( http://www.blip.tv/ ) – The closest thing the web video world has to an actual “channel,” Blip is home to the web’s budding TV and film moguls. Unlike YouTube, their services are designed for original video creators who intend to produce multiple episodes or videos over a long period of time, rather than arbitrary and unconnected content. Blip’s homepage features a rotating lineup of some of the web’s best original video series, with easy navigation, searchability and subscription options.

Our clients love both of these sites. A good example of creating a video for YouTube where it still conveys the corporate message, go to our client Ruth Ridgeway and learn how she does what does so well! Video here