Are Social-networking Buttons on Laptop keyboards Necessary?

Acer recently announced Gateway laptops with keys that give one-touch access to social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Pressing the social-networking hot key on the new Gateway laptops activates an integrated widget through which customers can update their status, post messages or upload multimedia, or see updates from the feeds of friends.


However, Laptop makers such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell say such buttons are an unnecessary addition when software could do the job.


OnFast.com, a social media marketing and coupon service recently announced a “Feeds” option to their software product. The “Feeds” option allows the user to view and update all their social media channels from one screen. “Feeds” eliminates the need for hardware social media buttons on keyboards.

OnFast Launches Social Network Marketing and Coupons for Vacation Rental Industry

Cloud-based software as a service provider, OnFast, offers the vacation rental industry a simple, time-saving way to reach travelers by leveraging social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and their blogs.

Homeowners and property managers in the Vacation Rental industry can easily create social network posts, blog posts, and press releases using OnFast's writing assistant. There are dozens of pre-written templates archived in the message gallery but owners can also write their own posts from scratch.

The process of writing blog posts for new rentals, special promotions, and other marketing campaigns is made simple by using OnFast's pre-designed templates. Blogging allows homeowners to attract new renters, showcase their properties, and share travel experiences. As owners post additional blogs, they can choose from previous posts in the OnFast message gallery, which are measured for keyword strength and relevant content. Entries are then scheduled and automatically posted to the owner's blog and social networks. With OnFast's social feed dashboard, owners can easily monitor all their social networks for comments and provide instant feedback to their renters.

Why Blog?

The word “blog” is one of the most popular words on the Internet today. This buzz- word is one of the most popularly searched terms on the net. A blog is an acronym for “web log” which is an online topical journal that is written for others to read. You can create blogs for personal reasons, educational and informational reasons, and most importantly for your business. Blogging is an excellent compliment to all of your other on-line social media marketing strategies.


As a marketing tool, blogs offer enormous potential. When it comes to e-mailed newsletter communications and blogging, the dynamics are completely different. Blog postings are much easier to write and disseminate than traditional newsletters. Once newsletters are e-mailed, they get deleted or buried in an obscure mail folder. There is no confusion about blogging being spam the way e-mails may be perceived. Your blog messages exist inside your blog on the Internet until you decide to remove them.


Nothing facilitates conversation, communication and community the way blogging does. If you have relevant timely information to share, a product to sell, a brand to market or something to say on the Internet then blogging should be your first choice.

OnFast Social Feeds Launches!

OnFast's New Features: Social Feeds

Keep track of all of your social feeds in one place

You can easily see your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter feeds at once, without ever having to leave the OnFast system (more feeds coming soon).

Comment, Retweet, Like and More...

Utilize each of your social network's key features right from your feed.

Twitter for Businesses

Twitter is a powerful information network.  It is used by millions of people and businesses to quickly share information.  

On Twitter, anyone can read, write and share messages of 140 characters or less.  These "tweets" are public and open to anyone who wants to read them.  Users can "follow" your account, which allows them to subscribe to your messages.  Followers view all of your messages in their newsfeed.   

Why should businesses use Twitter?

Businesses can use Twitter to quickly share information, build relationships with existing and potential customers, and gather insights and feedback.  

Twitter Basics

• Mention: You can mention another user in your Tweets by preceding it with the @ sign.  

• Retweet: Click the retweet link in order to share a tweet by another user and send it to your followers

• Message: To privately message another user, prefix your tweet with DM or D, @, and the person's username.  (i.e. DM @onfast)

• Hashtag: Hashtags (#) are used to express the theme of a tweet and to categorize it (i.e. #vacation).  Users can click on hashtags to view similar tweets.  

50% off one year subscription to OnFast

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Posted via OnFast - http://www.OnFast.com

4 Easy Steps to Start Your Social Media Marketing

First, create a business fan page on Facebook. Your Facebook postings will reach out directly to the kinds of people who are most likely to act on your offerings. Use the page to engage your audience by leveraging your network of friends. Ask friends to “Like” you and help spread the word. Be active on your fan page and let people know what you're all about.

Second, get on Twitter. Start following others who are industry colleagues. Choose to follow the people who you are interested in and re-share (re-tweet) their worthwhile information. On a regular basis, post your own original content to promote your products and services.

Third, start a business blog using Google Blogger. Write about what you do and why. You should be publishing content about your business that is objective, timely, and relevant. Posting often using industry key words helps position you as an expert in your field and gets you noticed. Your objective is to improve your ranking on the Google search engine.