It seems a bit odd writing this post because as you read it, you’re already “doing it.” And, if you take the time to comment, you’ll even be putting it into practice (and getting some free marketing all at the same time).

Social media is huge, and blogging is one of the fundamental layers to using social media marketing to your advantage.

Being a blog reader – and again, commenting – also makes you a strategic part of the whole web 2.0 marketing hubbub. (Keep reading to get the stats AND find out what new “toy” is available online… for free!)

So, as a constant reminder as to why you’re either winning the game or losing out big time, this morning I received (yet another) email touting the virtues of taking your message to the “virtual streets” using the power of social marketing (and the mind-bending possibilities of interacting on social sites).

Here’s an overview of just a small handful of online communities:

MySpace = 240 million members
Facebok = 120 million members
Yahoo Answers = 100 million members
StumbleUpon = 10 million members
LinkedIn = 25 million members
Orkut = 60 million members
Bebo = 40 million members

According to Centernetworks, and a post written on August 10, 2006, Allen Stern stated that (at that moment in time) he’d counted no less than 650 social media communities.

He also said:

Today, it seems you are nothing if you don’t own a social networking site. I am willing to bet that every day, at least 3 social networking sites pop up across the world.

Now, fast forward to 2008. That 650 seems so reasonable and almost manageable two years later. Now there are so many possibilities, so many communities and avenues to choose from, it’s no wonder many find the whole web 2.0 overwhelming. I doubt anyone actually has a current and accurate count. Social arenas certainly number in the thousands if not tens of thousands.

And… today we will either add to your joyous business building or drive you even more crazy as we bring you yet another social media possibility.

It’s called Scribblar – (betterwhois lookup created date 03-sept-08)

Based out of the UK, Scribblar sports both a free and pro version. You can use Scribblar for:

o Training and tutoring (online)
o Artwork and image revisions
o Brainstorming
o Demonstrating products
o Interviewing and testing

(All free by the way.)

Their features include:

o A multi-user, real-time whiteboard
o Ability to upload and share images
o Text chat and more
o Communication – live audio

And no download is required; no user limits imposed.

Here’s a direct quote from the Scribblar front page:

Create your own free scribblar room now and invite others to join you. You will be up and running in less than 20 seconds!

Their scribblarPRO version (at $99/month as of this writing), allows you to incorporate their program “seamlessly” into your existing website. You can even add your own logo and change color schemes to give it that “it’s mine” feel for your visitors.

Just to be up front, we haven’t tried it yet. But you might want to give this a shot and be one of the first kids on the block with this new shiny toy

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Using Scribblar? Or Not? Love social media opportunities? Hate them? We highly encourage you to leave your comments and remarks to this post. It’s quick, painless, and provides free marketing for yourself and what you have to offer online. We’d love to hear what you think!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 11:01 am and is filed under Product Reviews, Social Media, Social Media Strategies, Tech News, blogging, internet marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.