Now That Cheap is Cool, How To Save Money with Social Media.

So while I’m waiting for Congress to TARP the Bank of Guru, I’m spending the summer exploring the other side of Social Media, where function and frugality reign.  Yes, that’s right. Twitter especially has proven itself to be a powerful tool for productivity — especially when it comes to saving money. No longer merely the domain of shameless promoters and mindless chatters, Twitter is turning into the Bootstrappers’ BFF.

I’ve assembled some of my favorite ways to tap into Social Media and (as I used to say when I wrote ads for Sears) “Save Big.”

Deals Galore

Retailers are jumping aboard the Twitter train in droves — @DellOutlet just passed a record two-million-dollars in sales –and with them come aggregators like The Bargainist. To get in on the non-stop supply of deals, sales and discounts, simply follow @bargainist.

Last minute deals for everything from travel to free dinner at your local cafe are up for grabs but can go in a flash. So follow your favorites — or use Twitter’s search to nab those bargains.

The number of people turning to the web for coupons soared to 36 million in 2008 –and almost a quarter of the 148 million Americans who use coupons now find them online. Now the fierce sport that is couponing gets an upgrade with Twitter-friendly CheapTweet and Coupon Tweet. These services aggregate coupon codes and deals from Twitter merchants and organize them in neat lists. Both capitalize on social media features –  letting users vote on the best, and provide tools to share on Twitter and other social media sites. CheapTweet even lets you set up your own online store.

Also check out Tweeters: @CouponCabin, @CouponCravings, @FrugalFreebies and @CouponPrincess.

Coupons.com is currently the only source for printable coupons on Facebook but there are other coupon apps including Online Coupons from GetMyThrift.

The New Payment Systems

Twitter makes everything easier — including “invoicing”, sending and collecting money.  (Although it may not nudge your deadbeat little brother to pay up any faster.)   Stay tuned for the new Paypal X, scheduled for full roll out this November 2009. In the meantime, here are some of today’s options:

Twitpay relies on Amazon Payments to send money in increments of $0.01 to $1000.00 via Twitter. The charge is $0.05 for any transaction over $0.99.

Tipjoy, which I first tried over the holidays this year, is popular with charities that collect donations via Twitter. Tipjoy can send money to you via PayPal or Amazon gift card, whenever your balance is over $5. They charge a 3% transaction fee.

Twippr is also Paypal based –charges a flat 4% fee on transactions.

And here’s a truly intriguing twist.  Content developers (so many of us) — read up:

Ready to make money on Twitter? Twitpay’s Retweet Commerce Suite is the way. The feed is the future, and Twitpay brings you there. It’s simply the fastest and easiest way to get started with Twitter commerce.

RT2Buy™, part of the Retweet Suite, makes it easy to sell digital content over Twitter. All you need is a Twitpay account, a PayPal account, and something to sell.

More Money Savers

www.domystuff.com 40,000+ Assistants are waiting to do your stuff!  No time to pick up that dry cleaning or do some little project around the house? No problem. A quick post on DoMyStuff.com sends your chore into cyberspace where businesses and individuals (think of them as “temporary assistants”) place bids; the lowest bidder wins. There’s even online escrow accounts to keep your payment safe until the task is done.  (Thanks to PCMag.com)

Make Money: People post their tasks on DoMyStuff. All you have to do is bid on a task. If an employer accepts your bid, you do the task and then get paid!

Saving you money one bill at a time: Let this site help you shrink your cell phone bills. Billshrink.com

FuelFrog — this handy Twitter app lets you track your fuel usage: log mileage, gas prices, gallons you used. The site then creates an eye-opening log of your fuel consumption plus pretty graphs of fuel consumption.

Tweetwhatyouspend takes this same FuelFrog concept and applies it to everything you buy. The site encourages users to record, via Twitter direct message, every time they make a purchase.The site will then keep a running tab of your spending, broken down into categories (Sales at Anthropologie? Chocolate?) as well as an average per day amount and the average spent per day over the past week.  Oh those laazy Sundays!

Xpenser is a great tool for business that lets you keep track of all those sneaky business expenses such as mileage, client lunches, and travel costs, from the road using just about every technology available: SMS, iPhone, email, voice, web, or Twitter.

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Job Search Alerts

You want to know about those juicy opportunities as soon as they’re posted. An easy way to stay ahead of the snarling packs is Twilert.com. Simply create an account, choose key phrases “looking for prima ballerina” or “tree surgeon” — Twilert will send you updates based on these keywords.

Contests R Us

If all of the above aren’t saving you enough, give abundance some help by entering contests. Here are the Contest Mavens on Twitter: @Sweepstakesgirl, @ContestsGuide, @ContestTweets, @bloggygiveaways, and @Bloggiveaways.

A blog I love: The Cheapskate Blog.  Most recent post is on “Ten Oddball Ways to Save Money.”  If you enjoy your wine, you need this tip.

Guru’s Kudos: A big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream to the spunky, savvy, never-say-die homeowner who baked her way out of foreclosure with her Mortgage Cakes.

For other valuable sites click here.

Many thanks to the inspiring Mashable.com, PCMag and the Bargainist.

How Many Followers Did You Lose in Twitter’s Great Spam Purge?

If you’ve been noticing your Twitter follower count plummeting, don’t despair. They weren’t real tweeps anyway. It’s simply Twitter cracking down on random bots — including those pesky pornbots — and spam accounts that auto-follow people.

Twitter calls it ‘correcting’ follower and following counts. We call it the Great Twitter Spam Purge of 2009, because we like to make up mnemonic devices and clever names. If we could add a kitten logo, we would. In the meantime, from the Twitter blog comes this explanation:

For some time, the follower and following counts we display have been incorrect for some folks. We’re soon to push a change that will address this issue. This means that the count you see in your sidebar should match what you see on your follower and following pages.

However, a consequence of this change is that follower counts will drop for some people. In particular, those with large followings may see significant changes as we correct for spam accounts and data inconsistencies. No legitimate followings should be affected—we’re just cleaning up artifacts in the system.

The Purge is all the buzz on Twitter, with most tweeters waxing philosophical.

ResaMichelle: Twitter did a spam purge.. consequently, we all lost a lot of followers. I think it’s worth the loss…

amylizza: I see that after the spam purge, I’m back over 200 followers. Thank you so much to all my new followers & friends. I love you all!

eggboxrobin: Thank you for the updates re spam purge, I’m appreciating the deep-clean!

littlegingerkid: Just checked: I lost 42 followers in last week’s spam purge. I thought I was good at blocking the spammers. Maybe genuine ones went too?

Despite all this peaceful, no-petitions acceptance, there are people reporting losing all of their followers — and even some who claim there are more spammers now than before the Purge.

So what should you do about all this, if anything? Use common sense, tweeps.

Here are 5 TellTale Signs Your New Follow Might Be A Spammer:

• Deliberately sexy profile picture. While there are tweeps who simply can’t hide their smokin’ hot babe-ish-ness or Absolute hunkiness no matter what photo they use, the majority have no problem posting a G-rated icon.
• No profile info at all. Before you follow someone back, you need to know at least a modicum about who they are. It’s okay, if goofy, if under Location, they say: The Universe, The Earth, Everywhere. It’s also very okay if under Location, they list: Tehran. Many tweeps switched their location to mask genuinely Iran-based tweeters during the recent elections. We also colored our profile pix green in support.
• No followers, no updates, disproportionate follows-to-followers. Sometimes this a truly a newbie — like my friend @emacdaddy4 who just signed on to Twitter. I verified that it was actually my buddy by checking her Following list and noting a mutual friend.  This method can work — but if the spammer is particularly devious, they’ll pick up an entire list.  If it looks suspicious, ask her pal directly.
• Dubious updates. Are the updates legitimate conversation, Re-tweets from people you’ve heard of, links from reputable sources? An often dead giveaway is a page full of #FollowFriday recommendations, with no comments, just @ after @ after @. These spammers are trying to provoke mass follows via #FF.
• Auto-DM (Direct Message) with spammy sales content. I am not a fan of any bot-related activity on Twitter.

Those are just some basics. Feel free to tweet me @guruofnew if you have questions or run into a rogue tweeter.

And from savvy blogger Thoughtpick comes a very useful list of The Top 5 Methods & Apps to Reduce Twitter Spam.

Can You Survive the Frenzied Waters Campaign?

I’m a little miffed I didn’t receive my obituary in the mail.

It seems that all the super-duper, uber-coolest Social Media Influencers are now apparently dead, having been devoured by rampaging Viral Marketing Sharks. These powerfully predatory creatures have been cleverly stirring the Facebook, Twitter and webby waters into a bloody frenzy:

Frenzied Waters
Something terrifying has been lurking under the ocean’s shimmering surface. Feeding on those most vulnerable and those least suspecting. Think you can survive the murky depths of Frenzied Waters?

Naturally there’s a contest:

@FrenziedWaters: UPDATE: 5 capsules still out there. “Asbury Park”: Miami, Atlanta. “Battle of the Coral Sea”: Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Fran #FrenziedWaters

@yeldarb101 They are capsules containing artifacts from tragic oceanic events. They have been found in 11 markets at specific coordinates.

All of this viral voodoo is being conducted on behalf of— . Oops. I’m not going to tell you. Snoop around the bloody oceans yourself. (Or read to the bottom for a clue, Nancy Drew.)

I continue to be ticked I didn’t receive the actual package. This shocker featured not only the highly detailed obit but also a jar with shark-bitten shorts,a floating key, a seashell and the warning sign pictured above. Last effects, I guess. Genius.

When I watched the video, I had the option to click through to Facebook, where the brilliantly sick minds who created this campaign apparently scoured my profile for personal information. Much to my utter surprise, my gruesomely final flashing thoughts were of a Ladies Who Launch panel I once moderated. There, as my blood bubbled and swirled through the frenzied waters, was the smiling face of Facebook’s own Randi J. Zuckerberg, chatting up the eager audience. Happily, Randi’s Dotcomix videos always crack me up. So I guess I sunk down to those murky waters with a grin.

As always, I have mixed feelings about intentional Viral Marketing. All too often it’s too staged and fake to be genuinely effective. But extra kudos to this team for playing it smart in one very important way: tapping into both online and offline channels. When everybody’s zigging by being so relentlessly virtual, it’s an inspired idea to zag instead, via real life tactics such as the package and …(see picture above). <--clue

Guru’s Note: I’d love to check out the Frenzied Waters marketing plan. I have a feeling the Target Audience here is the heavily male 18-34, bring-on-the-blood-n-gore segment of the taxonomy. My female friends were weirded out not only by the yuckiness of being the shark’s supper but also by the idea of viewing one’s own death. Like ICK.

Many thanks to @ChrisBrogan who so graciously first alerted us this morning to his shocking death by shark.

The Ace of Cakes Celebrates Alaska’s 50th Anniversary.

It’s one of life’s little mysteries: Why do those crazies at the health club watch ‘Ace of Cakes’ while on the treadmill? Do they think they’ll sweat harder while gawking at a vat of buttery frosting? Do they think drooling over half-dozen layers of golden cake is a big calorie-burner?

This is why I am steeling myself for Sunday, July 19 when the “Ace of Cakes” season premiere stars a ginormous ‘Happy 50th Anniversary, Alaska’ cake, complete with a base scrumptiously shaped like the famous Mount McKinley.

Being a Bastille Day baby, I am definitely all for a ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ mentality. But Chef Duff Goldman has taken this attitude to a luscious new level after being inspired by his recent trip to that glorious natural wonder known as our 49th state, courtesy of Alaska’s awesome ATIA (Alaska Tourism Industry Association). The Chef liberally sampled some of Alaska’s tastiest spots including Anchorage, Girdwood and Whittier. He went flightseeing with Rust’s Flying Service, heli-boarding with Chugach Powder Guides and dog mushing with Ididaride Sled Dog Tours. He visited the Alaska Native Heritage Center and spent time in the Alyeska Resort’s Seven Glaciers kitchen with Chef Tanner Exposito. He even jumped into Prince William Sound from the dock in Whittier. To top it all off, he performed with his band, soihadto, at the Spenard Road House. (No word of a visit to tabloid-favorite, Wasilla.)

“Alaska is my dream state,” Goldman said. “I experienced a year’s worth of mind candy in five days and I feel like I only scratched the surface. I could keep going back for the rest of my life and do something different every time.”

What does this mouthwatering masterpiece mean for us, the sweating, salivating viewers?

Set that treadmill on max. The epic episode also airs Thursday, July 23 and Tuesday, July 28.

Happy Indie-Preneur Day! 7 Tools To Help You Celebrate Your Independence.

Indie.
It’s everybody’s favorite power-to-the-people word, especially when you check out the dictionary definition and discover its intrinsically American qualities: free from external control and constraint; “an independent mind”; “a series of independent judgments”; “fiercely independent individualism.

All of which translates so smoothly into a star-spangled new word: Indie-Preneur. Being an entrepreneur is so last century.

On this pivotal Independence Day 2009, it’s time we re-defined ourselves with a word that better represents the burgeoning world of plucky, passionate, indie-innovators who are busily working to rebuild our country.  Our chances of rebounding may be vastly increased by honoring — not resisting — today’s fluctuating and increasingly independent workscape. Indeed, Indie ‘tude celebrates all that made the U.S.A. revolutionary 233 years ago.

An Indie-preneur may be working solo, as part of a team, small business, non-profit or even work fearlessly within a giant organization. Indie-preneurism is a state of mind; a style of being; a scrappy, bootstrapping never-say-die way of life. Indie-ism is finding new solutions to pressing old problems by honoring our inner quirks and creativity; that eccentricity that provokes us to see things in a different way. Indie can scale big or stay small. There is no hard and fast definition of Indie. (Except this: note the word: ‘fiercely’ above.)

And no, Indie is not a synonym for maverick.

Here’s the First Annual Indie-Preneur of the Week Award, which goes to:Socialbees. Here’s why:

Argg! I hate when that happens:   When Facebook abruptly changed the Vanity URL requirements to a 100 fan minimum to claim Fan Page names, small business owners who had expected to nab their URL with just 25 fans were flummoxed. Then Facebook-savvy Socialbees came up with a brilliantly viral solution:  A Fan Page Chat.  Encouraged by Socialbees’ networking pro, Hazel Grace Dircksen, these chatters went beyond chatting and ‘fanned’ each other. I don’t have stats on how many of these Fan Pages jumped to the required 100 as a result of Socialbees’ small business smarts or how many valuable business connections were made that night –but it’s good example of how Indie-Preneurs can rock the rules and win.

Not surprisingly, Indie-Preneurs are fervent do-it-yourselfers. Here are 7 easy online tools to help you celebrate your independence:

Do It Yourself Logo Design: Logoyes.com  LogoYes is the leading provider of do-it-yourself logos and other premium design products to small businesses around the world. Guru’s Note: Logoyes is simple, fun, and even if not the perfect customized logo for which you’d pay thousands, it’ll do in a pinch. Consider it market research and explore colors, fonts and symbols.

Did you drool over that shimmering new box of crayolas every fall? Then prepare. Once you enter this site, you’ll be lost in color lust for hours. Colourlovers.com calls itself a resource that monitors and influences color trends. Check out color palettes, read color related articles and interviews. Guru’s Note: This site is a powerful brainstorming tool. During my Lab360s, each participant creates colors and names for whatever product we’re focusing on that day. Sparks the imagination! Also a valuable tool for banishing writer’s block.

Got new website? Get new feedback. Just launched itself, Launchlyshowcases new websites to an audience to help site owners get the attention and feedback necessary to succeed. Launchly’s big plus: instead of just showcasing a startup and letting it fall by the wayside, Launchly allows apps to resubmit new iterations and build on their ideas. Guru’s Note: Yes, Ms. Website Owner, you do need Feedback– and from more than just the peeps you drink with and their cousins-in-law. Website/app development very quickly becomes a myopic process — a site like Launchly is very reasonably priced ‘insurance’ in a world of fickle marketplaces and even fickler (?) users.

My social-media-genius pal Janet Fouts tested the hot new app Evernote: Always on the lookout for a new app, I couldn’t help but take a look. This, my friends, is a very cool app. In a nutshell, Evernote lets you add information to a database that is accessible through the web, a desktop app, and your iPhone, Blackberry or smart phone. Items are tag-able and fully search-able so you can add pretty much anything, run a search, and quickly find it again wherever you are. Now when I say you can upload things, try to visualize this. You’re at a networking event and you suck at remembering names. With Evernote you can take a picture of a person with your phone, tag them with their name and they’re saved for future reference in your database. Even more interesting, include their name badge in the snapshot, even a handwritten name tag, and evernote will recognize the handwriting and enter it as searchable text!

Small Business meets Big Government: Business.gov is a web portal operated jointly by 22 different federal agencies — a kind of one-stop-resource for small businesses. With links to federal programs, links for various rules, regulations and laws, state-specific and industry-specific links, it’s just what we Indies need to stay within the lines, at least occasionally.

And then there’s the Patron Saint of the Indie-Preneur: TED. “Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world” from the landmark conferences have now been translated into 51 languages and counting. After the fireworks this weekend, set off a few more by tuning in to TED.

Thanks to Mashable for the heads-up on Launchly.