Step 1: If a Northwestern University study published on Dec 26 2010 is correct, the number of Facebook friends you have might be due to the size of a small part of your brain.

It’s all in the size of your amygdalae, small almond-shaped portions of the brain nestled within the temporal lobe, claim the scientists who conducted this study using 58 participants. The conclusion was that the amygdala’s size can predict just how social anyone will be, regardless of age or gender. A larger amygdala might enable us to more effectively identify, learn about and recognize socioemotional cues in conspecifics, allowing us to develop complex strategies to cooperate and compete – “social brain hypothesis” .

The leader of the study, Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, a professor at Northwestern University says, “We considered a single primate species, humans, and found that the amygdala volume positively correlated with the size and complexity of social networks in adult humans.”

Some of us are more social than others..nothing new about that. Right?

So what does this mean?? Does it mean that all your extensive Facebooking and Twittering causes your brain to evolve further? The correlation does not necessarily mean causation. I read another study not that long ago which showed we’re only capable of handling 150 Facebook friends anyway. That is especially if you actually have a job that does not allow you to spend your time at Facebook and Twitter.

Step 2: If you are interested in the scientific results of the study: http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.2724.html

Step 1. Create your page, make a group, and join networks.

You probably already have a profile page and maybe even a group for your business, but did you make sure to join all relevant networks? Not only is listing your city, neighborhood, or industry a good way to meet other people in the field, it is also a good way to let customers know how to find you. If you have not done so already, create a group and invite people to join.

Step 2. Sponsor a group.

Did you know you can host ad content by sponsoring your own Facebook group? You can also include message boards and other helpful features that not only advertise your business, but also let your customers connect with you. This is a good way to perform a little bit of market research as well.

Step 3. Sponsor your own game or survey.

Surveys and games are fun ways to let Facebook users earn AceBucks, which they can trade in for real prizes such as iPods and Wii consoles. Creating your own survey or game is a good way to increase your exposure while inviting your customers to have fun. It is a fun, less in-your-face method of Facebook advertising.

Step 4. Use Facebook to promote your events.

Instead of mailing out fliers, letters, or invitations, why not notify customers of upcoming events through your Facebook account? Use Facebook’s own event application to let customers read about events and opt-in if they so choose. The younger generation, in particular, is more likely to use Facebook for this purpose and may even come to expect it from businesses they follow.

Step 5. Use Facebook notes as a mini-blog for your company.

Although many nowadays have various blogs they follow, using Facebook is a much faster way to get the message to your intended audience. People can stop by to see what your company has been up to, what your plans are, and how to respond to customers. Best of all, it provides extra convenience for people who are already logged in to their Facebook accounts.

Ads can promote your business’s web page, products, or Facebook pages, and can be a good way to connect with users who do not already follow your business. Login to your Facebook account to set things up and let customers know about your business. Please visit stepsto.com for more great business advice.

Step 1 Post on Facebook

Using Facebook posts enables business owners to reach millions at the site and provide pertinent information about their business. Through pleasing images and texts (marquee),many business owners have found this to be a long lasting trend. Despite recent concerns about privacy on Facebook, over 300 million user still enjoy what the site has to offer and that is the audience that you can sell to.

Step 2 Tweet

Like facebook posts, Twitter is a cutting edge tool that keeps your customers informed about what you are doing. Twitter allows business owners to provide information about their businesses and provide Special offers and constant updates.

Step 3 Blog

The use of Blogs is still considered trendy. You can provide useful and unusual insights into a space where the owner updates the comments, give description of a new product and can include series of photos and videos that showcase the value of the product. Although bloggig has become a mature way to attract customers in online business, it is still effective. You can also invite customers to discuss their feeling about your products, which in turn helps you make better goods and services.

Step 4 Bookmark and tag

The use of Tags as an online utility where the user or the owner of the site can assign to a description of a bookmark, image or even a file which will be available upon browsing, is a newer trend in online business. It is used by business owners to display their products and capture the customers of other businesses. This technique is used in conjunction with bookmaking. Bookmarks is when a user of the site can organize search an store bookmarks on their own to use them for browsing. This can be used as way to provide links leading to the marketed bookmarks.

Step 5 Make a podcast

Podcasting is a utility providing looping digital media that allows you to record a speech or write up something about your business, which can then be viewed by millions of people at a later time.

Since online business is now the mainstream, these trends will be around for the next couple of years. Please visit stepsto.com for more great business advice.

Step 1 Think smaller

One of the biggest social media trends is that of smaller networks. Instead of having thousands of followers on Twitter or friends on Facebook, many are becoming cognizant of the threats of identity theft and instead opting for smaller more focused groups on sites such as Ning.com. For example, a business owner that can guarantee sales to 4,000 people on books.ning.com will fare better than having 10,000 friends on Facebook with sales of only 500 units. More focused and group oriented networks will rein in the coming months and years.

Step 2 Build your brand

Already underway, social networking has enabled many business owners to build a strong er brand online. This trend will continue but will expand to include business networking also. Job applicants and business networking events will occur on social network domains, which will further increase customer relations, strong brand reputations, and the chance for business owners to form meaningful alliances.

Step 3 Be more specific

Ad dollars will be better spend given the latest trends in social media. Advertisers will now be able to customize search results and then focus their ads on specific demographics for a given good or service. More time sensitive ads will appear and advertisers will have a long lasting impact on how we buy and sell goods and how we learn about products. Business owners however will need to be specific about the feedback they receive so that they can cater their goods to meet the exact needs of the public and be able to filter out the noise from the search. Searches within social networks will make this possible.

Step 4 Go Mobile

The increase and popularity of smart phones has already began another trend within social media. Social networking will now be going mobile over the course of the next year or so. But pretty soon you will be able to Tweet your followers in a fifty mile radius. social networks will be available on portable devices, not just desktops.

Step 5 Look out for social entrepreneurs

Social networking has done more than just connect people. We are all exposed to the personal ideas and dreams of others. Smart entrepreneurs can see the trends after assessing the comments made on social media and thus will create businesses that meet the needs of social networkers. This action will generate the new era of business and will probably also change the way customer relations management (CRM) is performed. Solving problems is the new business, not just creating products people may or may not need.

Social networks have made the world smaller and business even more complicated. Please visit stepsto.com for more great business advice.

Step 1 Keep your personal information to a minimum

Although Facebook has prompts that allow you enter your birthday, address, phone number, and other contact information, resist the temptation. Do not list all of this information. If you already have done so on your account, change it or see step 3 to limit the exposure of this information.

Step 2 Review your profile page for password information

Did you use a spin on your birthday, name, family member’s name or birthday as part of your password? Is your password similar to a password you use for another social media network or e-mail account? If so, you might want to select a more cryptic password. Thieves assume you will use information that is personal, which makes it easier for them to hack into your account and other accounts.

Step 3 Change the privacy settings

On Facebook, you have the option to share everything about yourself to family and friends. That includes photos and other private information, which is a treasure for hackers and thieves. To secure your personal information and only allow family and friends to view your info you need to change your privacy settings. At the top right corner of the broswer, click on Settings -> then, Privacy Settings, -> My Privacy.

Step 4 Select your friends

In the drop down menu at Privacy Settings, choose the tab for only my friends for all items.
By doing so, only specific friends that you decide on can view your information.

Step 5 Avoid going public

Facebook allows any user to search for other members. This can be dangerous if you are wide open and do not protect yourself. At Privacy Settings, select the “only my friends” choice under the section of which Facebook users can (find me in a) search tab. You should also unselect the create my public search listing to avoid having your profile exposed to the general public.

Remember, it takes years of court battles to clear your name from identity theft. Protect yourself. Please visit stepsto.com for more great business advice.