As business owners we should always be interested in what our clients have to say about our products and services. Yes, it takes some doing to get a customer into action and provide an opinion or review but we can no longer ignore this aspect of our businesses online.

Google has recently incorporated a new name for where reviews are written within Google Places called “Hot Pot.”  I recommend to all business owners to begin using this new powerful vehicle to begin some “User Generated” conversations about your business through your existing social media channels.

User generated content has also been characterized as ‘Conversational Media’, as opposed to the ‘Packaged Goods Media’ of the past century. The former is a two-way process in contrast to the one-way distribution of the latter. Conversational or two-way media is a key characteristic of so-called Web 2.0which encourages the publishing of one’s own content and commenting on other people’s. The role of the passive audience therefore has shifted since the birth of New Media, and an ever-growing number of participatory users are taking advantage of the interactive opportunities, especially on the Internet to create independent content.

Grassroots experimentation then generated an innovation in sounds, artists, techniques and associations with audiences which then are being used in mainstream media. The active, participatory and creative audience is prevailing today with relatively accessible media, tools and applications, and its culture is in turn affecting mass media corporations and global audiences.

After all they intro page catch line for Hot Pot says “Local recommendations powered by you and your friends.” In other words, begin talking to all your friends, acquaintances or anyone that would write a positive remark about your business within the Hot Pot review system.  Actual customer recommendations are best but this new user generated content criteria does not discriminate against friends or family praising your business. By creating conversations about your business at Google’s new Hot Pot, you will surely see an increase in your local internet presence, and even more importantly, will be positioned to improve your Google Maps rankings.

Real People- Working for People- On Time- All the Time.

Get your Google Hot Pot boiling over with new leads and customers in 2011.

Blackwood Industries can and will put your business on the map. We welcome you to meet with Michael Luevano for your complimentary consultation.