Facebook’s chat service is powered by the Jabber. The process is very simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Open iChat and go to ‘Preferences’.
2. Select the ‘Accounts’ tab.
3. Hit the plus sign in the bottom left corner.
4. Select ‘Jabber’ from Account Type.
5. Your user name is your facebook username (found under your Facebook Account Settings) followed by @chat.facebook.com.
6. Your password is your facebook password. .
7. Point the server to “chat.facebook.com”.
8. Point the port to 5222.
9. Do not check the “Use SSL” box.
10. Hit “Done” and you’re finished.

As more companies and PR firms attempt to manage their brands using social media, there are just as many opportunities for greatness as there are pitfalls.

To broaden our collective understanding of these challenges, we consulted six social media pros with extensive experience in PR, branding and marketing. Each one has gained respect in their respective spheres of work; and each one of them told us about a unique challenge and how to address it.

From being transparent to being profitable, from the tools you use today to the ones you’ll need tomorrow, here are six specific challenges to managing your brand on the social web. If you’ve got your own insights to share, please let us know about them in the comments.

Read the full article on Mashable.com

Here is an excerpt from an article written on Mashable.com. To read the full article, click here.

There has been plenty of discussion about how governments are using social media to engage with the general public and open up their vast amounts of data to collaborators. The interagency collaboration occurring behind government firewalls using wikis and blogs is also well-publicized. A topic that’s received less attention are the ways that social media and the principles of openness, collaboration, and authenticity are transforming how the government does business. How is social media changing the government contracting process? That’s the $500 billion+ question.

The world of contracting is one of the most important, complex, and least transparent within our Federal Government. From 100-page Request for Proposals (RFPs) to GSA schedules to organizational conflicts of interest to non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), the environment has long discouraged real discourse in favor of strict rules, processes, and policies. Too many companies of all sizes are frustrated and overwhelmed by the intricacies and red tape connected to doing business with the government.

But social media has brought about some positive changes. Here are three important ways it’s done so.

Online social networks also can improve people’s ability to use offline social networks as “covers.” This is very salient on LinkedIn. There, people display a lot of information about their careers, which makes them available to headhunters and other employers as passive candidates. But they also establish relationships with others to stay in touch with peers and to make new contacts. This network allows them to establish plausible deniability that they are not looking for a job, even if they are.

Read the full article here.

Many banks have started using social websites to help them with everything from healing the financial industry to promoting their latest credit cards. By embracing the most popular tools available, the industry has also been embracing the best of what social media culture has to offer, and smaller, community banks seem to be leading the charge when it comes to social media innovation.

Read the full article here.

According to a study by Russell Herder and Ethos Business Law, senior US marketing, management and HR executives are concerned about the risks of increased use of social networks within their companies. 51% percent of these executives fear social media could be detrimental to employee productivity, while 49% assert that using social media could damage company reputation.
Despite these apprehensions, says the study, social networking is being accepted as a key communications strategy. According to survey results:

• 81% believe social media can enhance relationships with customers/clients
• 81% agree it can build brand reputation
• 69% feel such networking can be valuable in recruitment
• 64% see it as a customer service tool
• 46% think it can be used to enhance employee morale

The most popular vehicles being used include:

• Facebook (80%)
• Twitter (66%)
• YouTube (55%)
• LinkedIn (49%)
• Blogs     (43%)

Much of senior management’s direct experience with social media appears to be reactive versus proactive, concludes the report. 72% of executives say that they, personally, visit social media sites at least weekly:

• 52% to read what customers may be saying about their company
• 47% to routinely monitor a competitors’ use of social networking
• 36% to see what their employees are sharing
• 25% check the background of a prospective employee

The national survey, which assessed social media workplace trends and adoption of policies governing social media, found that fewer than one in three respondents say their organization has a policy in place to govern social media use and only 10% of companies have conducted employee training on it.

Read full article. What are your thoughts?