Sokule is like Twitter, only Monetized.

Plus it posts to Sokule, Twitter, and other online social networks at once.

Sokule is an exciting new entry into online marketing. Many of us already understand the importance of social networking for marketing purposes, almost regardless of the type of business we operate. (And if you're NOT clear on this, I welcome you to get in touch to discuss moving your business forward with online marketing.)

Twitter has been one of the biggest names in social networking. But there are two primary issues with Twitter:

1) Twitter is exclusively Twitter.

2) Twitter isn't designed to make you any money.

See, when you "Tweet" (make a post on Twitter), it stays on Twitter. Someone might get the Tweet on their cell phone, but it doesn't go out to other social networks.

As for money, you can use Twitter to make money by growing a list of followers who appreciate your messages -- some of which are informative or entertaining, some of which may introduce a product or service. But when people spread the word about Twitter to grow it into an online phenomenon, no one was paid for doing so.

Twitter also doesn't extend itself with some additional marketing tools. This simplicity is part of Twitter's appeal, but it's also a limitation for those who want to do more with it.

The Sokule Solution

Say hello to Sokule, which addresses both of the points above. First, when you post a "Squeek" (just like a Twitter "Tweet") to Sokule, you have the option of having it immediately post to Twitter as well. (Just check the "Update" box below your post.)

So moving over to Sokule as your place for posting does NOT move you away from Twitter. It's important that you keep your Twitter following, if you have one, and to make yourself known through both networks at once.

Plus, by roughly the end of September 2009, Sokule will allow you to instantly post your squeeks to up to 40 other social networks as well, like MySpace and Facebook. So now you can keep people in ALL your networks up to date with a single post. No more logging into multiple locations!

This is a big time saver -- an efficient way of reaching a larger audience!

As for making money, Sokule helps you do so in two ways:

AFFILIATE COMMISSIONS

Sokule has both free and paid memberships, while Twitter is only free. Now, when it comes to the free membership, Sokule is still the better option because it allows you to reach multiple networks with a single post. (And this free membership option keeps it as simple as Twitter for those who like the simplicity. No one has to give that up.)

But the paid version extends the basic uses, giving you more marketing tools. And when you have referred someone who upgrades to a paid membership, you get an affiliate referral that creates a residual income for you.

If you have joined Sokule for free, not needing the additional marketing tools, you're paid 20% on the upgrade of anyone you personally refer. (So you can get paid without investing anything in Sokule yourself.) If they're on a monthly plan, you earn this amount on a residual basis. If you have upgraded to one of the paid accounts, you'll earn between 30 and 50% on your personal referrals.

• Post longer squeeks (up to 500 characters instead of 140). Of course if you go over 140 characters and automatically post to Twitter, it will add a link in Twitter to come read the rest on your Sokule page.
• Rotate multiple bios and up to 5 photos. If you want to present different aspects of yourself, along with different websites, to your frequent visitors, you can do so. But think it through. Branding a single image and message may be most important for your business.
  
• Edit your squeeks if you've made an error -- I think looking professional is important, and this way you don't have an "oops" sitting on your Sokule page.
  
• Add up to 5 clickable links, telling people about your other websites. These run alongside your most recent posts, so it's a great way to attract visitors to affiliate websites, network marketing programs, or other businesses. And it's helpful to have these as incoming links to your websites, helping a bit with their search engine rankings.
  
• Add up to 5 top social media links if you have a presence on other social media sites. This can help you to build relationships in multiple locations, and again helps a bit with search engine rankings for those pages.
  
• Re-squeek other people's messages at the push of a button.
• Get paid 30% on your referrals.
  

• Add your ClickBank ID, which allows you to get paid on the sale of ClickBank items showing up alongside your squeeks automatically. This may or may not be useful right away, but if you build a substantial following, this could become quite lucrative. ($5/month)
• Schedule up to 25 future squeaks to go out automatically -- great for planning ahead, especially with vacations. ($3/month)
• Send a customized message to people when they start tracking you. I consider this the BEST VALUE, as it gives you the opportunity to introduce yourself and perhaps your additional websites. If you market in this welcome message, make it a very SOFT sell. But this message can help set the stage for a long-term relationship as well as possible immediate connections or sales. ($2/month)
• Get a Sokwall -- a blog, whose first 140 characters are sent to your Sokule and Twitter accounts with a link to access the rest. If Sokule gets big, this can be very useful, because the blog entries may rank well in search engines. Until then, I will personally blog elsewhere and then squeek about it. ($5/month)