Facebook is releasing as open source a Web server technology because it wants to make it easier for developers to create applications that let users post status updates in real time, a functionality popularized by Twitter.

The Web server framework that Facebook will offer as open source is called Tornado, was written in the Python language and is designed for quickly processing thousands of simultaneous connections, the company said Thursday.

“Tornado is a core piece of infrastructure that powers FriendFeed’s real-time functionality, which we plan to actively maintain.

While Tornado is similar to existing Web-frameworks in Python … it focuses on speed and handling large amounts of simultaneous traffic,” wrote David Recordon, Facebook’s open programs manager, in the Facebook Developer blog.

“We believe in releasing generically useful infrastructure components as open source … as a way to increase innovation across the Web,” he added.

Twitter is the best-known application for people to post real-time updates on their thoughts, status and whereabouts, and Facebook has been tweaking its site to tap into this trend.

For example, Facebook revamped its profiles to make the stream of friend notifications and status updates more prominent. It also added an option to let members display this stream and other parts of their profiles more broadly to everyone on Facebook, not just to hand-picked friends and members on mutual Facebook networks.

Recognizing that the large network of developers who build applications for Facebook is also interested in creating applications for real-time updates, Facebook in April released its Open Stream API. This API (application programming interface) lets developers build applications that access these Facebook notifications and help users manage them

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A recent survey of 172 marketeers found that 66 percent of respondents were utilizing social media in 2009, up from 20 percent in 2007, according to the New York-based Association of National Advertisers, which conducted the survey with BtoB Magazine and mktg., a marketing communications firm.

While the numbers keep growing, it’s important for companies to understand how to effectively optimize social media platforms and avoid some of the more common mistakes in order to best maximize their online branding efforts, experts say.

“It isn’t enough just to have an account,” explains Denise Wakeman of DeniseWakeman.com, a Los Angeles-based online marketing/blogging consultancy.

“The key is participation.”

If you’re not interacting and communicating with your audience, then you’re wasting your time, she notes.

With that said, here are a few social media marketing mistakes to avoid if you want to make the greatest impact:

INCONSISTENCY: If you commit to a social network, then stay visible to your audience by regularly tweeting, updating your Facebook page, etc., says Debbie Weil, a Washington, D.C.-based corporate social media consultant and author of “The Corporate Blogging Book” (Portfolio; $23.95). If you’re not consistently providing useful and/or relevant information to your audience, they’ll lose interest, she says.

BEING TOO ELUSIVE: Make sure when people go to your social networking page they see more than just a company logo. Attach a name and a face to your profile/description, Weil says. “Be a person,” she says, noting that even cable giant Comcast ties a face to its Twitter site, @comcastcares, by posting a photo and contact information for its twitterer-customer service manager, Frank Eliason.

BEING TOO SELF-PROMOTIONAL: Too often, companies use social networking sites to just tout themselves, says Hilary Topper, author of “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Social Media, But Were Afraid To Ask” (iUniverse; $27.95) and president of HJMT Communications, a public relations and social media firm in Westbury. It’s OK to promote your company, but it shouldn’t be the main focus, Topper says. “If I tweet five times a day, one in five might be promotional,” she says.
connections

* Facebook Inc. Facebook Inc.
* National Collegiate Athletic Association National Collegiate Athletic Association
* Google Inc. Google Inc.
* LiveJournal
* John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams

MAKING IT ALL ABOUT BUSINESS: You’re trying to use social media to create conversations and relationships, so don’t be afraid to get a bit personal, Topper says. “There’s a balance,” she notes, adding that there’s nothing wrong with showing your human side with some personal posts.

FAILING TO ENGAGE: Spark conversations by posting relevant links, articles, commenting on other people’s sites, etc., recommends Arthur Germain of Communication Strategy Group, an East Northport-based brand marketing agency. “Listen to your prospects and customers and have a conversation,” he says. Posting photos can be a great way to engage your audience, too. The Inn At Fox Hollow understands this and has a photo gallery on its Facebook page, as well as links back to photos on its main Web site through specials it posts on Twitter. The Woodbury hotel launched a new Web site last year and also has a blog, general manager Franklin Manchester says.

COLLECTING FOLLOWERS & “FRIENDS”:Some businesses base their success on the number of friends or followers they have in their social networks, Germain says. It’s less about numbers than about trying to build a relevant community and having good conversations with people, he says.

HAVING NO BLOG: A blog can be a great place to direct social media traffic since it’s more conversational than a corporate site. “Your blog is your home base,” Wakeman says.

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Here are a few ways (sites) you can leverage their success into your own.

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Develop a Popular Facebook Application

Indian brothers Jayant and Rajat Agarwalla developed the wildly popular Facebook application Scrabulous, which in October, 2007 was bringing in $18,000 a month from advertising, according to the Wall Street Journal, and at its peak was rumored to be bringing in $25,000 a month in ad revenues. While the brothers ended up having some legal difficulties because of copyright issues with the Scrabble board game that resulted in the game being shut down in July 2008, monetizing Facebook applications remains a viable opportunity. Just look at recent success of gaming company Zynga. It’s social network applications like Mafia Wars, FarmVille, Texas Hold’em and YoVille had over 60 million active monthly users as of July, 2009. Besides selling advertising, social network applications have raised millions in venture capital and charged users real-world money to purchase virtual goods that enhance the gaming experience.

Use Facebook Marketplace

The application “lets you sell, give away, buy, ask or search for anything you want,” according to Facebook. You can also search the marketplace’s job listings or advertise your own services as a job seeker. If you’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, you can list your organization in the Causes section of Marketplace and raise money for your group by selling items or by collecting donations from users who choose to donate the proceeds of their sales to your group. Network for Good, the company that runs the donation program, even sends users receipts for their donations that they can keep with their income tax records. It’s free to post a listing on Marketplace, as long as you’re a Facebook user.

Tweet With Your Customers

Twitter recommends that its business users think of Twitter as a way to build relationships with customers rather than as a way to simply broadcast advertisements about your company. And it’s true — Twitter is an ideal venue for staying on top of what people are saying about your business. It’s easier and faster for someone to tweet about your company than it is for them to track down your contact information and get in touch with you directly, so Twitter can give you feedback you’d never hear otherwise. If you pay attention, you can create goodwill for your company by responding to users’ tweets, whether it’s to resolve a customer complaint or to thank someone for publicly praising your products. You can also offer unique deals via Twitter by providing special coupon codes. If you need more inspiration, Twitter’s web site has ten case studies of how businesses have used the program to promote themselves.

Build Your Fan Base

If you are your own brand, as is the case for basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, social networking tools can put you in closer contact with your fans and make you more of a real person to them. Though Shaq was already famous before increasing his online presence through Twitter, over 1.8 million followers know they can get uncensored and amusing insights into what it’s like to be Shaq that they might not get otherwise. Some lucky followers even get the chance to interact with him. If you decide to use social networking to promote yourself, make sure to create a separate professional profile to keep your personal life separate from your work life, and keep an eye out for impostors.

Get a Job in Social Networking

If you’ve got something special, perhaps you can gain a coveted position working for a social networking company. If the prestige isn’t enough, consider the perks: Facebook pays 100% of premiums for medical, dental, vision, life insurance and disability, 50% of premiums for dependents, and 50% of monthly gym fees for its full-time employees. It also offers four weeks of paid parental leave, $4,000 in “baby cash,” $3,000 a year in daycare assistance, 21 days of paid vacation, unlimited sick days, 11 paid company holidays, free snacks, and a 401(k) plan.

These are just a few examples of how tools like Facebook and Twitter can help you make money. “By thinking outside the box and being savvy about the latest technology, you can take advantage of trends in social networking to maximize your profitability.”

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