Looking for a simple way to integrate social media into your web business? Thanks to a new technology developed by Facebook engineer Matt Kelly, e-commerce professionals can now fuse the legendary popularity of Facebook’s Like application with the homepage of their website.

Currently, more than 350,000 websites have utilized this social plug-in to encourage the same interaction, feedback and excitement garnered by the mega trend of Facebook Like. On a side note, however, the technology is not affiliated with the official Facebook name and is considered to be a personal side project of Kelly.

“The script makes it possible to have Like, Recommendations, and Activity Feed features on any Firefox page you visit,” Facebook told Mashable.com.

So, how can you obtain the Like script on your website? The necessary technology is a simple Greasemonkey extension that sets the Like bar atop any web page (expect Facebook.com). Facebook Like is compatible with Firefox – as long as the Greasemonkey add-on has been installed – and Google Chrome, while Safari requires a Greasekit.
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While most social media users are at least somewhat familiar with the innovative origins of Facebook, many remain unknowing about a collection of quirky facts that stem from its beginnings. But before we discuss the peculiar truths of this phenomenal social network, let’s examine a brief history of how Facebook came to be.

For those who have evaded any biographical knowledge about Facebook, here are the key points to remember. Facebook was launched in February 2004 as TheFacebook.com by former-Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg as a project of personal interest. Within the few short months that followed its debut, Facebook emerged as a smash across campus dorms and then – just a few months after that – it was extended to the students of Stanford and Yale where it became widely endorsed.

Shortly after, Zuckerberg – joined by fellow Harvard-students Chris Hughes and Dustin Moskovitz – transformed Facebook into a national marvel of student networking. Then, Zuckerberg and Moskovitz dropped out of Harvard to pursue the Facebook dream full-time, dedicating their lives to the paramount project. In August 2005, TheFacebook.com officially became Facebook and the domain Facebook.com was purchased for a reported $200,000.

And now, thanks to Mashable.com, you’ll find the juicy truth about Facebook as a startup with 10 remarkable and little-known truths.

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A short time ago, Jessica Faye Carter – an award-winning author and columnist – wrote a piece for Mashable.com that outlined “how social media presents women with increased opportunities for influence and professional development.” The feedback she received from readers (men and women), however, was heavily weighted with opinions that depicted women’s interest in social media as superficial “girl talk” or summed it up as a natural ability as “connectors.” Today, Carter presents a more in-depth examination to support her theory as to why social media presents women with a platform for professional gain and cultural influence.

Let’s start with the boldest reality: Of the 87 million women active on the Internet, an estimated 67.5 million women are engaged with social media, Carter explained. In fact, she claims that such an outstanding measurement clearly demonstrates that there’s a bit more to the story than the simple enjoyment of social interaction.

Sociolinguists denote women as innovators in communication, especially in regard to new forms of languages. Therefore, Carter began her research at the foundation of this principle and uncovered an impressive timeline of women’s innovative movements and cultural influence throughout previous centuries. Below are highlights of her findings.

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It doesn’t matter if it’s been two weeks or several years since your entrepreneurial intuition led you to create an online enterprise; the fact remains that no matter how far your e-commerce skills take you, no small-business owner is prepared to handle the many unfamiliar hurdles that are certain to arise.

However, don’t become overwhelmed by moments of uncertainty and sink-or-swim scenarios that can generate an endless stream of questions in your mind. It’s important to know you’re not alone. And as you dive deeper into your brand development and marketing strategies you’ll find that these puzzlements will cause you to rethink the ways you once searched for answers and information.

Some of the best advice around comes directly from someone who has already overcome the same obstacle. Therefore, you’ll want to visit online resources – there are many – designed to service small-business owners with helpful tools such as Q&A forums and the ability to connect with other entrepreneurs in your industry.

Below you’ll find five valuable sources, thanks to Mashable.com, to get you started.

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While many self-starting individuals and businesses have excelled using social media to promote their enterprise, others have witnessed little or no success with interactive media and are left puzzled as to why.

What most people don’t realize is that their lack of success with social media might be attributed to their own actions. Below you’ll find six common social media mistakes, courtesy of SocialMediaExaminer.com, along with simple solutions to get back on the road to success.

Mistake: Making the Wrong Connections
Many new business owners are misguided by their elementary entrepreneurial intuition, which tells them that the larger the spectrum of consumers the better the chance of sales. While reaching out to the masses is important, the key to establishing connections with potential customers is to focus on your target consumer – i.e. the demographic that your product/service was intended for.

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Gather round business owners, social media newbies and not-so-savvy computer nerds – this is something you’ll want to hear. Do you find yourself lost, frustrated or just plain overwhelmed by the concept of social media? Do you struggle to integrate such platforms into your online business? Well, prepare yourself a dose of good news.

According to a recent case study, the key to unlocking a successful Facebook page is as simple as believing in your cause and exhibiting that faith throughout your marketing plan.

The subject of the study was the Facebook page of the California State Parks Foundation and the results were jaw-dropping. In just 14 days (plus media coverage) the foundation’s fan base jumped from 517 to 33,000 people.

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Two weeks – that’s all the time it took for Cindy and Jerry Jackson to witness a booming success with their web business after signing up with iePlexus.

“Right away we noticed an increased and steady flow of traffic to our website and, by the end of the first two weeks, our sales had nearly quadrupled,” Cindy recalls.

In June 2008 the couple embarked upon their enterprise, www.BreezeByYou.com, and was just staying afloat with an average of three sales per day. Now, with the professional support of iePlexus, the business averages 10 to 12 sales daily.

“I’ve already burned up one printer, and am almost through another, with all the orders I receive. My drop-shipper even struggled to keep up with my order requests; they had to hire more help just to maintain our commissions,” she said.

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As an entrepreneur of a new, online business it can sometimes seem like your daily to-do list is substantial. What may have originated as a foolproof plan for simplistic, home-based sales can quickly amount to a handful of responsibilities as you set up your content, pictures, products and so forth.

Fortunately, among the often hefty list of must-haves that every successful web store demands, there is one key area that can be cultivated in just 10 minutes a day. Social media is a new-age marketing platform that allows online-business owners to connect with a worldwide audience of consumers.

Below you’ll find three fundamental ways – courtesy of SocialMediaExaminer.com – to create the ultimate social-media experience for your consumers.

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More than a decade ago, the concept of blogging originated as an innovative approach to traditional forum, allowing individuals to express their thoughts, ideas and opinions with a worldwide audience. Today, the dynamics of this interactive, web-based platform have exploded with popularity and continue to climb exponentially.

However, with the incessant rise in the number of active bloggers in recent years, how many people actually know how blogging came to be?

According to eHow.com, Jorn Barger coined the term weblog in 1997 to condense the original expression, web log. Later on – five years to be exact – Peter Merholz coined the word blog accidently when he broke up weblog in the sidebar of his blog page to read we blog, which evolved into blog shortly after.

In 1999 the website Blogger.com emerged as a quintessential hub for anyone to set up a personal blog. And today, the number of blogging sources has reached the hundreds, if not thousands.

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Roger Kern remembers the aches and pains of a time when he used to get the flu and a lung infection each year, like clockwork. Fortunately, those days are long gone and his health has grown strong and unwavering to ailment for three years now.

Naturally, the first question most people have when they hear of Kern’s story is, “What is responsible for such a miraculous change?” Well, listen closely because the secret to his transformation isn’t an everyday remedy or cure-all, it can’t be found in a drugstore and it didn’t involve a shaman. The key to unlocking his newfound wellness was nothing more than a few simple changes in his diet, a switch from nutritional neglect to a meal plan that was heavily focused on herbal supplements.

“After several failed attempts with other popular solutions, I discovered the Herbalife program and dropped 30 pounds within the first three months,” Kern said. I’ve felt great and energized ever since; it was the exact boost I was looking for.”

In fact, Kern was so impressed with his results that he decided to become an independent distributor for Herbalife, launching www.HerbalWiseSupplements.com in October 2009. Here, healthy-living seekers are invited to browse an extensive selection of herbal-based supplements that promote basic cellular nutrition, weight management, core nutrition and targeted health, energy and fitness as well as a variety of products that deliver personal skin care and outer nutrition.

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