Twitter has released a new feature allowing businesses to campaign particular tweets to promote an event or special. By selecting Campaign from Settings, businesses are able to designate keywords to previously released tweets. When Twitter members search those keywords, the selected tweets are automatically pinned to the top of the results with a promotion tag at the bottom of the tweet designating the business.

This promotion tool can be effective in bringing attention to an expensive organized event that cannot go unnoticed, or addressing a common sale that may interest the Twitter member. Utilizing this tool expands the possibilities of acknowledgement from the public and therefore promotes traffic, wherever that traffic needs to generate.

My one concern is the possibility for spammed promotions, with several different businesses claiming prowess on particular keywords. This may cause an overload on specific articles or products, bringing about a negative recoil of an otherwise effective feature. For example, sponsored links on Google, while sometimes effective, can be generally ignored by the jaded searcher.

Facebook has announced it will be releasing a new universal button soon that allows social networkers to “Like” any blog on the internet, provided the blog has a nifty little Facebook feature on it. The universal like button will help spread the social networking of Facebook beyond its site, benefitting both Facebook and the businesses running the blogs.

Facebook is attempting to escape the fate of the late Myspace by expanding its features beyond its own site. Facebook is essentially trying to make itself a necessity in every online-venturing business. This new universal Like button helps make any social networking business more noticeable and powerful, and therefore a feature that makes Facebook more prominent.

The benefits for a business to carry this Like button are obvious. A business carrying the button on their blogs benefits from the Like being boasted on their page, but more importantly in often-viewed Facebook News Feeds. The popularity contest potential is a compelling enough to participate.

Social Networking prowess can be enough incentive to grow a business significantly. A restaurant in Milwaukee called AJ Bombers scored a major boost in traffic taking advantage of Foursquare’s badge system. The Swarm badge, a coveted trophy, can only be acquired by collaborating with at least fifty Foursquare members to convene on a single establishment. Using Facebook and Twitter as communication tools, the owner set a date and time to have members of Foursquare accumulate in his restaurant in order to gain the sought-after Swarm badge. The stunt was a major success for the members and AJ Bombers. The restaurant grew a massive fan-base seemingly overnight and the members got their Swarm badges.

The effectiveness of social networking is not the only lesson to be learned here. The potential for growth through Foursquare is essentially unfathomable. Using other social platforms as a catalyst, your business can promote more tangible rewards on your Foursquare page. A discounted meal for the mayor of your establishment or a free t-shirt for the first member to twelve visits this month are great ways to build a strong rapport with the consumer, and grow a powerful fan-base. Foursquare, as AJ Bombers has shown, is not a tool that should be taken lightly.

Remember Ping? It’s a nifty little site that allows you to broadcast a single blog post to several different social networking platforms. The great thing about Ping is it automatically sends this post to all the popular social networks, such as the two current kings, Facebook and Twitter. Well, XAuth is the wannabe Ping of the Like button. Will we remember XAuth? Probably not.

XAuth is a great concept for the newest feature, the universal Like button. The Like button allows social networkers to approve of a blog from any participating website, therein posting their approval on the respective social network. The only downside to this Like button is the possibility of clutter, as each social network carries its own version of the Like button. XAuth offers to be the solution, being a single button that broadcasts the approval to each social network. A great solution with one huge problem. XAuth does not currently have the two big social network markets on board, Facebook and Twitter.

Without the two largest social networks operational under XAuth, it is likely the feature won’t be so liked. If Facebook and Twitter don’t like XAuth, XAuth might be X-ed out.

As a business or a consumer, if you are not connected to Foursquare, you are missing out on the benefits and networking potential of one of the most useful local online community tools available.

As a consumer, Foursquare provides you the opportunity to find the best restaurants and stores in your area, and have a little bit of fun while you’re doing it, gaining badges and possibly rewards along the way. Connecting with your local friends grants you the ability to expand your knowledge of some the best social hotspots in your city.

As a business, Foursquare is a potential goldmine. Having customers competing for the top spot of mayor keeps customers coming back. The potential for growth is significant, considering the word-of-mouth possibilities of the network. With comment fields spreading the word, and check-ins logging your progress, it’s an easy and efficient way to keep your business booming