It was a busy summer in the world of Internet marketing, and the dust is only beginning to settle. It seems like, just yesterday, Twitter was this new social networking phenomenon that everyone was afraid to use, Microsoft was slowly dwindling away as search engine-nobodies, and Google was on top of the world and didn’t have to worry about anyone else.

Well, some of this has changed (to an extent) with some developing stories in world of Internet marketing. So, without further ado, here are the top five stories of the summer and why you should pay attention to them.

5. Twitter emerges as leader in real-time search

While many continue to question Twitter’s staying power and hacking vulnerabilities, the social networking site continued to grow in both size and popularity over the summer as many news outlets, companies, and organizations are currently using the site as a main source of syndication.

While it does seem true (based on retention numbers) that many only visit Twitter sporadically (as opposed to Facebook and other social networking sites which are typically checked daily by users), this is likely caused by the number of spam accounts that are created because of the level of ease involved with creating a Twitter account (Facebook is a little more involved and requires a lot more effort to create a profile) and finding followers to spam.

I mean, what does a spammer really have to do other than upload a picture, fill in a bio, launch a few tweets and go searching for suckers?

Twitter has publicly said that they are doing everything they can to limit spam accounts, and a recent ESPN E:60 documentary on the lack of authenticity of some athlete-intimidating profiles on Twitter with a high number of followers created with the sole purpose of misleading those followers (one person apparently approached Shaq about something that an impostor tweeted, sparking a confrontation) concluded that the need for verified accounts is necessary in certain instances.

Nonetheless, despite Twitter’s growing pains, it has emerged as a major player in the new era of search: real-time.

Real-time search is becoming more an more popular with both searchers and search-ees (aka those who know how to effectively manage their Twitter profiles from a business perspective).

From the searcher’s point of view: no more only finding sites and blog entries that are already a few weeks/months old because that’s how long it takes Google and Yahoo! to index, no more finding companies that you know nothing about and have to question their reliability and transparency, and no more annoying sponsored ads.

From the search-ees’s point of view: no more waiting that long for your site or blog to appear in search results, and a very easy way to post content, announce blog posts and press releases, and reach out to potential clients from the grassroots level.

Now If someone could just come up with a tool where you could see who views your Twitter profile, we’d be in business.

So you would think that, with all of Twitter’s problems: accounts being hacked, users not logging in regularly, spam accounts running ramped, that the other players in the search engine/social networking world would ignore the little blue bird and assume that they would eventually fall off, right?

Nope, just the opposite.

4. Facebook tries (really hard) to be more like Twitter

One of the best quotes I’ve heard so far in response to Facebook’s extensive efforts to be more like Twitter:

“If you can’t innovate, imitate.”

And that’s exactly what Facebook has done over the past few months and, it would appear, will continue to do.

First came the home page design

In case your forgot what the old Facebook home page looked like, here it is (screenshot courtesy of PCMag)

Remember the days when a status message was sacred? You might have posted something once a week if you got around to it, and it was like this personal statement that told EVERYONE what you were doing or how you were feeling?

I don’t know about you, but since the Facebook redesign where the main call to action is

I can’t get my friends to shut up!

Everyone’s sharing links to blog posts and movies, giving opinions on news events and political happenings, and I’m seeing status messages for some friends 20 and 30 times a day it seems like.

Sound familiar?

Next up: Facebook’s announcement that they have recently launched a real-time search feature.

Shocker.

The layout even looks similar to a Twitter search.

Twitter:

Facebook:

And last but not least, Facebook also recently announced that they are launching a Facebook Lite, and judging by the screen shots, I see some similarities.

Some features that I wouldn’t be surprised to see integrated into Facebook or Facebook Lite:

• A character limit for status messages
• A buzzword for status messages
• Trends

It will also be interesting to see if Twitter offers Facebook-like features such as paid ads, on-site video and photo sharing (as opposed to external links), and recommended followers. Either way, it was interesting to watch this summer as each site made significant changes (Twitter also redesigned their home page, added the trending topics feature, and added some “paid definition” feature which I’m not sure anyone pays attention to) and will likely continue to do so in the battle of social networking sites.

That’s the end of part one of the Top 5 Web Marketing News Stories of the Summer that you should be paying attention to. In part two we plan on touching on the emergence of Bing, Bing’s purchase of Yahoo!, and Google’s response to everything that has happened this summer.

Myth: Only kids and tech savvy people use social media.
Truth: There are a ton of attorneys, moms, students, social media professionals, companies and others blogging and using social networking. The blogger and networking space is divided into niches and networks of people that share similar interests and the plethora of existing networks is astounding. This allows for a very targeted marketing approach- if you identify your targets, you can find and reach them in the space. Some social media efforts are better than others and it boils down to content and how you market and optimize the opportunities.

Myth: You cannot build strong relationships via social media.
Truth: Relationship building is one of the most important factors in recruiting and retaining new clients. Social media allows us to show our personal and professional selves allowing others to make connections based on our real personality. The ease of constant contact helps us to connect with more than one person at a time and initiate and build individual relationships. This is how people get to know you as a person, form an opinion based on more than just professional references, and trust you, which is the most important consideration when hiring an attorney.

Myth: Social media marketing is not as effective as traditional marketing.
Truth: Using a combination of social media marketing and traditional marketing is the best solution. Traditional marketing methods will still reach targeted audiences and social media allows us to tap into other channels for passing along our message. It is the mix that is proved to be most effective.

Myth: Social media tactics are too time consuming.
Truth: Social media tactics could take hours and days, but they do not have to take that much time to be effective. The simple solution is to allot a certain amount of time each day for social media efforts. Set aside an hour or so and blog on Monday, network using LinkedIn or Facebook on Tuesday, use twitter when you have some down time, etc. Remember to go your own pace and plan what works best according to your personal preferences and goals. If you decide you do not want to take on the responsibilities yourself, hire someone in-house to or outsource your social media campaign to a marketing company.

Myth: Social media is too open-ended and rules for censorship do not exist, which can create problems.
Truth: Although there are not any written rules, the unwritten rule is simply, use your head. When using social media outlets, produce mindful, interesting content and do not write or post anything you would not want your mom to know about. As the line between our personal and professional appearance becomes blurred, keep in mind that you are always (and always have been) representing someone and you want to give the best representation that would make you proud.

Facebook, founded in 2004 as a student site, opened up to non-students in 2006 and now has a network of over 100 million users, making it an important and useful social media tool. It has transformed into a platform for students and professionals alike and helps bridge connections between top professionals who seem out of reach and those just penetrating the industry.

Understanding how Facebook is a useful tool takes understanding the components that can be customized to suit your preferences and utilizing the tools best suited for your needs.

1. Your Profile- You can add as much or as little information as you wish (political views, education, etc.) and showcase your work portfolio and provide links to your Web site, blog, published articles or other spaces. You can start marketing yourself with your profile by finding colleagues and other lawyers to be your friend, which creates an online presence and visibility.

2. Groups- Facebook can serve as an open or private forum by creating groups. Groups can serve as a discussion outlet and allow lawyers, colleagues and others to ask questions and the responses are archived. Posting a discussion as part of a group invites others to comment and share information. This can serve as an alternative to just e-mailing back and forth. Also, joining some relevant groups can be valuable since some allow only members to have access to exclusive content and the ability to gain access to involved professionals.

3. Social Media Networking- Finding colleagues and friends who are using facebook and adding them creates your network. You can stay updated on others’ information by checking their feed that shows up on your homepage or visiting their profiles once in a while.

4. Referrals- Using your facebook wall (where others can leave comments) can generate business leads if clients or colleagues leave positive messages referring to your services. Encourage others to comment by commenting on their walls with positive remarks.

5. Applications- Applications such as what books you read or places you vacationed can be conversation starters and information exchange with your network. These are a little more personal, but can give a sense of your interests and personality traits.

A common concern is drawing the line between personal and professional and how that is managed in a facebook profile. Eventually, our personal and professional profiles will merge, but until then be cautious as to what you share with others via social media. For your facebook profile, you are able to adjust your privacy settings so only the people you want can see certain parts of your profile. The general rule is, if you don’t want the wrong person to see it, don’t post it.

Should you be on facebook? The most useful function of facebook is joining, creating and participating in groups. Since groups on an issue and have the ability for information exchange and starting groups on specific topics help networking within a community of lawyers. Being that the facebook community is huge, your competitors will probably be on there and you should be, too.

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