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	<title>Social Image &#187; tech lo&#8217; down</title>
	<atom:link href="http://socialimg.com/category/tech-lo-down/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://socialimg.com</link>
	<description>navigating the waters of Social Media Marketing</description>
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		<title>How To Move Facebook Pictures to Google+</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2011/08/move-facebook-pictures-to-google/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2011/08/move-facebook-pictures-to-google/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:01:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angie Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[how to]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tech lo' down]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Image]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=9602</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Have you joined Google+ but feel overwhelmed about populating your profile on a new social network?]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Have you joined Google+ but feel overwhelmed about populating your profile on a new social network?</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s how to easily put your Facebook pics on your Google+ profile.</p>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/google+pic.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9603" title="Transfer your Facebook Pics to Google+" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/google+pic.jpg" alt="" width="493" height="346" /></a></p>
<p>StartGooglePlus has step-by-step instructions to ensure all your precious snapshots get to their new home without breaking.</p>
<p>Transfer pictures at <a href="http://startgoogleplus.com/" target="_blank">StartGooglePlus</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>How to Import Your Facebook Friends to Google+</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2011/07/how-to-import-your-facebook-friends-to-google/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2011/07/how-to-import-your-facebook-friends-to-google/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:07:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angie Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[how to]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[slider]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tech lo' down]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook vs Google+]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[How to Import Friends]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=9577</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How to Import Facebook Contacts to Google+]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/google-vs-facebook.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9579" title="google-vs-facebook" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/google-vs-facebook.jpg" alt="" width="520" height="258" /></a>If you think yourself to be Facebook’s most valuable asset then think again, it’s your <a id="KonaLink1" href="http://www.chiphazard.com/2011/07/09/import-facebook-contacts-to-google-using-yahoo/#"><span style="color: #0066cc;">network</span></a> of friends that keeps your eyes glued to the blue header webpage. Would you ever login again to Facebook if all your friends switch to <a id="KonaLink2" href="http://www.chiphazard.com/2011/07/09/import-facebook-contacts-to-google-using-yahoo/#"><span style="color: #0066cc;">Google</span></a>+ ?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-to-gmail.jpg"><img title="facebook to gmail" src="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-to-gmail.jpg" alt="facebook to gmail" width="300" height="169" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ficlccidpkaiepnnboobcmafnnfoomga">Facebook Friend Exporter</a>, now a <strong>BANNED</strong> Chrome extension, allowed more than 43,000 people to export details of their Facebook friends, including their names, email addresses, phone numbers, websites, addresses and birthdays. This information could be imported directly into Gmail address book or could be saved as a CSV file.</p>
<p>According to Facebook Friend Exporter</p>
<blockquote><p>Get *your* data contact out of Facebook, whether they want you to or not. You gave them your friends and allowed them to store that data, and you have right to take it back out! Facebook doesn’t own my friends.</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.chiphazard.com/2011/03/20/you-can-now-edit-your-facebook-comments-guide/">Facebook</a> is making every effort to stop users from using Google+, one feature on which they are stressing a lot is exporting facebook friends to Google+. They have not only banned Facebook Friend Exporter and other similar extensions but have also started to remove email addresses from profiles in an attempt to keep users away from Google+. Despite their best efforts its Facebook partnership with <a id="KonaLink3" href="http://www.chiphazard.com/2011/07/09/import-facebook-contacts-to-google-using-yahoo/#"><span style="color: #0066cc;">Yahoo</span></a> that has proven to be a life saver or in this face friend saver.</p>
<h2>How to Import Facebook Contacts to Google+</h2>
<p>By following  the simple steps below you will be able  to export all your facebook contacts to Google+</p>
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> Sign up into your <a id="KonaLink4" href="http://www.chiphazard.com/2011/07/09/import-facebook-contacts-to-google-using-yahoo/#"><span style="color: #0066cc;">Yahoo mail</span></a> account -&gt; Contacts tab -&gt; Import contacts.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-01.jpg"><img title="facebook contacts export 01" src="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-01.jpg" alt="facebook contacts export" width="500" height="291" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step 2:</strong> Click Facebook logo, and allow the application to share contacts.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-02.jpg"><img title="facebook contacts export 02" src="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-02.jpg" alt="facebook contacts export" width="500" height="171" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step 3:</strong> Select all your facebook contacts by clicking the check box as shown in the image below.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-03.jpg"><img title="facebook contacts export 03" src="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-03.jpg" alt="facebook contacts export" width="500" height="230" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step 4:</strong> Go to <strong>Tools</strong> and select <strong>Export</strong>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-04.jpg"><img title="facebook contacts export 04" src="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-04.jpg" alt="facebook contacts export" width="500" height="200" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step5:</strong> Download the file in CSV format as explained in the image.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-05.jpg"><img title="facebook contacts export 05" src="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-05.jpg" alt="facebook contacts export" width="500" height="210" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step 6:</strong> Go to <a title="Latest Gmail news" href="http://www.chiphazard.com/tag/gmail/">gmail</a>, <em>Contacts tab</em> and create a group named <em>Facebook</em> for your new contacts to land into.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-06.jpg"><img title="facebook contacts export 06" src="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-06.jpg" alt="facebook contacts export" width="500" height="251" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step 7: </strong>After step 6 go into <strong>more actions </strong>tab and press <strong>import</strong> and select the Yahoo CSV file that you made in step 5.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-07.jpg"><img title="facebook contacts export 07" src="http://www.chiphazard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/facebook-contacts-export-07.jpg" alt="facebook contacts export" width="500" height="267" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Step 8:</strong> Go to <strong>Google+</strong> and Circles tab, then <strong>Add and Invite</strong> and they’re all there!</p>
<p><strong>Congratulations</strong>!!! you have successfully exported all your facebook friends to Google Plus via Yahoo.</p>
<h2><em><span style="color: #003366;">Would you like an invite to Google+? </span></em></h2>
<h2><em><span style="color: #003366;">Let me know via Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/lavalilly" target="_blank">@Lavalilly</a></span></em></h2>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Real Estate Marketing Goes Mobile</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2011/04/real-estate-marketing-goes-mobile/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2011/04/real-estate-marketing-goes-mobile/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Apr 2011 14:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angie Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[tech lo' down]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the news, the buzz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[real estate marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[resort real estate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Image]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=9568</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Real Estate advertising used to be easy. You put up signs in front of the property, held a few open houses and showed up to let people in when they wanted to check out the property. Life was good. Things began to get a bit more complicated as technology progressed. Eventually prospective purchasers wanted to access information about the property from home.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/qr-code-pic-mobile-marketing-blog-post.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9569" title="Real Estate Sales QR Code" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/qr-code-pic-mobile-marketing-blog-post.jpg" alt="" width="516" height="121" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Real Estate advertising</strong> used to be easy. You put up signs in front of the property, held a few open houses and showed up to let people in when they wanted to check out the property. Life was good. Things began to get a bit more complicated as technology progressed. Eventually prospective purchasers wanted to access information about the property from home. You needed a website with property and contact information. As technology progressed you eventually needed to understand social media and be active on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Now with the rise in popularity of mobile devices (“smart phones” and tablet computers like the iPad), Real Estate professionals are now expected to know and use that medium as well. Technology is progressing so quickly, where do you even start? Don’t worry, I work with (and build) mobile marketing tools everyday, and I’m here to provide you with a brief primer on the essentials of mobile marketing for Real Estate professionals.</p>
<h3><strong>QR Codes</strong></h3>
<p>The biggest new trend in mobile marketing is Quick Response Codes, or QR Codes for short. These square barcodes can be scanned by a mobile device and display a website or video on the scanner’s device. QR Codes work best as a way to provide additional information to prospective buyers. They work well on property signs, sales literature you pass out as well as on your business cards. Let’s take a look at some of the dos and don’ts for QR Codes, as well as the steps necessary to get started using these.</p>
<p>The hardest part of using QR Codes is deciding how to generate one. There are two main options, each has it’s tradeoffs that we’ll cover here. QR Codes can be generated for free (a google search for free qr code generator shows many fine choices, bit.ly offers QR Code generation along with URL shortening and is an ideal choice for free QR Codes). The process for free QR Codes is fairy easy, you enter the web address of a mobile friendly page containing the information you’d like to display, and the program generates a QR Code for your site. You save the image file and use it wherever you’d like. The downside is that the code is always linked to that specific page. This technique isn’t recommended for places where the linked information will need to be changed (like property signs). The free methods also require you to have your own mobile friendly page.</p>
<p>Paid QR Code alternatives generally offer more flexibility. You can reuse a QR Code, and change where it points to, or change the content of the mobile page. Some of these paid versions allow you to easily create a mobile friendly webpage (without requiring you to be a web developer). The paid versions generally also offer an easy way to track how many people are scanning your codes.</p>
<p>The choice comes down to free but limited or paid and flexible. You’ll ultimately need to weigh the pros and cons for each method and decide which works best for your needs. There isn’t one “right” solution. We’ll take a look at some of the potential use cases for QR Codes next, so you can make a better, more informed decision.</p>
<h3>Property Signs</h3>
<p>This is a good first place to start with QR Codes. The code can point to a mobile website with additional information about the property. Adding options to share the information via email (this is included on several of the paid QR Code generators) and a contact form to collect prospective buyers contact information are great options to include. Including images of the house, or a property walk through video can be effective as well. Walk through videos don’t need to be fancy. Many Real Estate professionals find it easy enough to shoot video on their cell phone or an inexpensive Flip cam. These codes allow you to provide additional property information to anyone who happens to pass by.</p>
<h3>Business Cards</h3>
<p>QR Codes can be effective on business cards. These can direct scanners to a list of all your properties, your Facebook or LinkedIn page or a short video of you explaining what you do. There are a lot of possibilities, and it pays to be creative with it. Make sure to keep your audience in mind. Who do you give your cards to? What additional information would you like to make easily available to them?</p>
<h3>Sales Literature</h3>
<p>You’re likely already passing out property information to people who visit your properties. This is a great place to add QR Codes to provide even more information. The code can point to a photo tour of the house or give them an easy way to share property info. In general, the use case here is very similar to how you’d use QR Codes for property signs. The key is to figure out what additional information would be valuable to prospective buyers and give them that. Different information works best for different property types. It pays to think through what information a prospective buyer wants. Put yourself in their shoes and use that insight to create an informative mobile page linked to a QR Code on your sales literature.</p>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>These are a few of the easiest and most effective ways to get started with mobile marketing. QR Codes and the free and paid generators, make getting started easy. If you already have a mobile friendly website, you’re ahead of the game, and getting started is really easy. If you don’t have a mobile friendly website, a paid QR Code generator that helps you create a mobile site can get you up and running quickly.</p>
<p>Have you used QR Codes? Do you plan to? Where do you think they’d be most effective? Do you need help?<br />
<a href="mailto:angie@socialimg.com"><strong>Just Contact Me</strong></a></p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Source: <a href="http://geekestateblog.com" target="_blank">geekestateblog.com</a></p>
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		<title>LinkedIn &#8211; How To Build a Better Profile</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2011/01/linkedin-how-to-build-a-better-profile/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2011/01/linkedin-how-to-build-a-better-profile/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angie Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[how to]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LinkedIn]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=9518</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I do this for a living &#8211; teach people how to manage their online presence &#8211; so yes, you should listen to me. (grin). Your LinkedIn profile is basically your resume online, only better. Sure, you have the ability to showcase your professional development and career history. But it&#8217;s more than that. You can create [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/linkedin-wizzard.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9519" title="linkedin wizzard" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/linkedin-wizzard.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="224" /></a>I do this for a living &#8211; teach people how to manage their online presence &#8211; so yes, you should listen to me. (grin). Your LinkedIn profile is basically your resume online, only better. Sure, you have the ability to showcase your professional development and career history. But it&#8217;s more than that. You can create a profile that allows me to &#8220;meet you&#8221; online.  I should be able to view your LinkedIn profile and get a good sense of who you are.</p>
<p><span style="color: #003300;"><strong>Here are a couple of easy change you can make right now to improve your LinkedIn profile.</strong></span></p>
<h2><span style="color: #003300;">Fix that URL</span></h2>
<p>First things first &#8211; and most people completely miss this important step. Log in to LinkedIn. Click on &#8220;Edit Profile&#8221;. The last item in the light blue box says &#8220;Public Profile&#8221;.</p>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/linkedin-url4.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9532" title="linkedin url" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/linkedin-url4.jpg" alt="" width="617" height="458" /></a></p>
<p>What does it say? Probably something like Mr. Trump&#8217;s. Now, he may not need to improve his reach in search engine results, but most of us do. So, let&#8217;s fix that right now. Click on the &#8220;Edit&#8221; tab next to your confusing URL. Now just type a better URL in the white box. Remember URL&#8217;s do not allow spaces between words. The best choice for your new URL is your first and last name. <strong><a title="View public profile" name="webProfileURL" href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/angierobinson">http://www.linkedin.com/in/angierobinson</a></strong> If it is not available, choose a URL that will allow people to find you and remains professional.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #003300;">Sell Yourself Before I Even Meet You</span></h2>
<p>Who are You? Are you a good fit for my company? Would I like to do business with you? Would I like to know you? Your LinkedIn profile can share more than your resume.</p>
<p><strong>Recommendations</strong> &#8211; get them. Co-workers, clients, employers, even friends. Every profile should have at least 5 recommendations. Nothing you say about yourself will ever mean as much as what others say about you.</p>
<p><strong>Summary / Specialties</strong> &#8211; Take some time to review these sections. Are they up to date? Easy to read quickly?</p>
<p><strong>Additional Information</strong> &#8211; What do your interests look like? All work and no play makes you look like a dull person.</p>
<p><strong>Groups &amp; Associations</strong> &#8211; Find at least two. LinkedIn has hundreds of groups &#8211; join a few.</p>
<p><strong>Applications</strong> &#8211; &#8220;The Amazon Reading List&#8221; application is an often overlooked little gold nugget. Do you read? Do you keep up with your industry? Tell me! Show me that engaged brain.</p>
<h2><span style="color: #003300;">Bottom Line</span></h2>
<p>Your online appearance is important. Over 80% of all companies look for YOU on LinkedIn. What does your LinkedIn profile say about you?</p>
<p>As always, if you need tips or assistance, just get in touch with me. I truly enjoy helping folks understand how to use social media to create and improve their Brand!</p>
<h3><a href="mailto:angie@socialimg.com"> <span style="color: #000080;">Contact Us Today</span></a></h3>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Facebook Changing E-mail As We Know It</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2010/11/facebook-changing-e-mail-as-we-know-it/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2010/11/facebook-changing-e-mail-as-we-know-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Nov 2010 01:28:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angie Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[the news, the buzz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook email]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=9480</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;re in business, you can&#8217;t imagine a day without e-mail. Neither can I. It&#8217;s my lifeline and always will be a huge part of how I do business. Or will it? This week, Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a &#8220;new&#8221; email. “Whenever I get the chance to talk to high schoolers,” Facebook founder Mark [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you&#8217;re in business, you can&#8217;t imagine a day without e-mail. Neither can I. It&#8217;s my lifeline and always will be a huge part of how I do business. Or will it? This week, Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a &#8220;new&#8221; email.</p>
<blockquote><p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/fb-zuckerberg.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-9486" title="fb zuckerberg" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/fb-zuckerberg-300x198.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="198" /></a>“Whenever I get the chance to talk to high schoolers,” Facebook  founder Mark Zuckerberg began, “I always ask them what they’re using” to  communicate with one another. But it was the type of messaging they <em>weren’t</em> using that caught Zuckerberg’s attention.</p>
<p>“‘We don’t really use email. It’s too slow,’ they told me.” Zuckerberg found the statement “completely boggling.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Thus began the next phase for Facebook. &#8220;What does &#8216;e-mail&#8217; look like in 3, 5 10 years? Facebook is opening a new platform to manage how we communicate with each other.</p>
<p>First, it is seamless messaging, meaning users can now send and receive messages using chat, instant message, SMS text and Facebook e-mail address all users have the opportunity to own.  Basically, you will now have one message center able to process all your messages.</p>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/fb-seamless-msg1.jpg"><img src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/fb-seamless-msg1.jpg" alt="" title="fb seamless msg" width="500" height="307" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9498" /></a></p>
<p>Second, your conversation with someone will be more coherent. Whether they email you, text you, or write in chat, you will see all of their messages in one thread. You will have a &#8220;history&#8221; of the conversation.</p>
<p>Third, your &#8220;inbox&#8221; will become more Social, with three areas for your messages. Your Social Inbox will know who you want to communicate with, who you don&#8217;t really care about and what mail you think is junk.</p>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/fb-message-center.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9492" title="fb message center" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/fb-message-center.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="293" /></a></p>
<p>We all know Facebook is the 3rd largest country in the world. Zuckerberg said Facebook’s messaging service is “growing at a much faster rate” than Facebook’s user base. Wow. And most of the messages are one-to-one messages between users, not via e-mail.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m not sure <a href="http://www.facebook.com/about/messages/" target="_blank">Facebook Messaging</a> will oust Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo, but I do believe we will see a paradigm shift in what email &#8220;looks&#8221; like. The adoption of a messaging center where all of your conversations are threaded and sorted by importance will likely be engaged by all major e-mail providers.</p>
<p>We live in the exciting times of ever changing technology. Don&#8217;t blink.</p>
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		<title>Why Should I Tweet?</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2010/10/why-should-i-tweet/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2010/10/why-should-i-tweet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:05:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angie Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[how to]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tech lo' down]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[listening technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=147</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pointless Babble? A tool for the highly narcissistic to let the planet know they just walked their dog? I mean, do we really care what Joe had for breakfast? I&#8217;m with you. You and I don&#8217;t have time for &#8220;nonsense&#8221; &#8211; we&#8217;re busy trying to effectively run and market our businesses, feed our families, and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Pointless Babble? A tool for the highly narcissistic to let the planet know they just walked their dog? I mean, do we really care what Joe had for breakfast? I&#8217;m with you. You and I don&#8217;t have time for &#8220;nonsense&#8221; &#8211; we&#8217;re busy trying to effectively run and market our businesses, feed our families, and hopefully do something to make a difference in the world. Twitter seems like a waste of time.</p>
<p>Or maybe not&#8230;<a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/follow-me-twitter-pic.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9465" title="follow me twitter pic" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/follow-me-twitter-pic.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>With over 145 million registered users, this 4 year old social network cannot be ignored. I agree that Twitter isn&#8217;t right for every business. But the truth is: it&#8217;s good for most.</p>
<h2>Do You Hear What I Hear?</h2>
<p>When clients ask me how to use Twitter, this is the first thing I say. &#8220;Listen.&#8221;  Twitter is the ultimate &#8220;word of mouth&#8221;.</p>
<p>You know the saying <em>&#8220;If a customer is happy, he tells a friend but if he&#8217;s unhappy, he tells 10.&#8221;</em> Try 10,000. He may only have 400 friends, but his post about your lousy service or you product that didn&#8217;t deliver? That post gets re-tweeted by his friends, and their friends, and their friends. But imagine if you saw that tweet the moment it hit the Twitterverse? Imagine that you respond instantly via Twitter and everyone sees you &#8220;make it right&#8221;. Now the &#8220;buzz&#8221; on Twitter is about how great you are, how responsive. If you listen to your customers on Twitter, you can more effectively manage your Brand and your reputation. How cool is that?</p>
<p>That&#8217;s just ONE way you can use Twitter to improve your business. If you&#8217;re interested in more, give me a shout. Let&#8217;s talk about what Twitter can do for you.</p>
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		<title>Facebook Places &#8211; Stake Your Claim.</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2010/08/facebook-places/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2010/08/facebook-places/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:00:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angie Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[tech lo' down]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the news, the buzz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook Places]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geotagging]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=6814</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Facebook Places is here. Do you have a business that&#8217;s a brick and mortar location? Customers that visit you in person? You will likely find yourself in Facebook Places. Similar to Foursquare or Gowalla, Facebook Places will list your business, pretty much without asking or telling you. With over 500 million members, Facebook is the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/facebook-places.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6904" title="facebook-places" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/facebook-places-300x210.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="210" /></a>Facebook Places is here. Do you have a business that&#8217;s a brick and mortar location? Customers that visit you in person? You will likely find yourself in Facebook Places. Similar to <a href="http://foursquare.com/" target="_blank">Foursquare</a> or <a href="http://gowalla.com/">Gowalla</a>, Facebook Places will list your business, pretty much without asking or telling you. With over 500 million members, Facebook is the &#8220;4th largest country&#8221;  on the planet, and it&#8217;s a pretty safe bet that just a few of your customers are there.</p>
<p>My recommendation? You should claim ownership of your business just to ensure the information posted is accurate. Then decide if you want to utilize this marketing avenue. Claiming your &#8220;place&#8221; ensures the business name, location, hours of operation and contact information is accurate. You can also control your profile pic.</p>
<p>Not every business will be listed, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. If your Facebook Place doesn&#8217;t exist yet, you can use the Facebook app for smartphones and check-in at your business to create it. Once your business has a Facebook Place, there is a link at the bottom that says &#8220;Is this your business?&#8221; Click that to begin the verification process. IF you choose not to create your Place, any customer can (and will) do it, and they may not enter your information correctly. If this happens, just click that &#8220;Is this your business?&#8221; button and make the appropriate corrections once you are authorized to do so.</p>
<p>Claiming your &#8220;Place&#8221; is a little more difficult than just creating it. It requires some supporting evidence&#8211;so random strangers should be prevented from claiming your Facebook Place. Aside from basic information like the name, URL, and address of the business, the Claim Place page also asks for the Federal EIN (Employee Identification Number), and requires that you upload a scan of official documents.</p>
<p>You can choose from articles of certificate of incorporation, certificate of formation, local business license, or Better Business Bureau accreditation. Once you submit the necessary information, the Place will not become yours until you receive an e-mail confirming the submission and notifying you to &#8220;stand by as we should be back with you soon.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=1080" target="_blank">Facebook Help Center</a>, you can also advertise your Facebook Place on Facebook. The Help Center FAQ explains &#8220;To advertise your Place, click &#8220;I want to advertise something I have on Facebook&#8221; in the ad creation flow and choose your Place from the drop-down menu.&#8221;</p>
<p>Facebook Places is new to the location-based check-in application, so opportunities such as the ability to target market Facebook users who have checked in to your business doesn&#8217;t exist yet. Watch the blog below to keep up with the latest updates to this new marketing service and as always, just get in touch with me if you have any questions or just need a little help!</p>
<p>For the latest Facebook Places info visit the official <a href="http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=418175202130">Facebook blog.</a></p>
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		<title>5 Ways to Clean Up Your Social Media Identity</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2010/07/5-ways-to-clean-up-your-social-media-identity/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2010/07/5-ways-to-clean-up-your-social-media-identity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:33:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gurus Around the Web</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[how to]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=533</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by Zachary Sniderman There’s an implicit pressure on social media enthusiasts to be connected in more than one way. It’s not enough to have a Facebook page, you need a Twitter account as well. What do you mean you’re not on LinkedIn? Well, at least you have a blog on WordPress or Tumblr right? There [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>by Zachary Sniderman</em></p>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-539" title="zach 1" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-1.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="185" /></a>There’s an implicit pressure on social media enthusiasts to be  connected in more than one way. It’s not enough to have a Facebook page,  you need a Twitter account  as well. What do you mean you’re not on LinkedIn? Well,  at least you have a blog on WordPress or Tumblr right?</p>
<p>There  is no requirement to spread your digital self thin, but many of us are  still juggling more than one online profile (I’m currently balancing at  least five). Each of these profiles offers us a chance to connect with  new communities in different ways, but each network needs to be managed  and updated. With so many online profiles, questions are bound to arise.  Is your bio page the same across all platforms? Should it be?</p>
<p>There  are few hard and fast rules when navigating social media; a lot comes  down to preference. For those starting out or just looking to make sense  of their profiles, we’ve culled advice from five social media experts  in a range of backgrounds. Mashable&#8217;s  given you ways to <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/02/05/personal-branding-101/">create your  brand</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/06/30/brands-social-web/">face  the challenges</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/2008/12/24/free-brand-monitoring-tools/">track  your reputation</a>, and <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/03/07/manage-multiple-profiles/">corral  your profiles</a> on the social web. Now, here are five ways to manage,  consolidate, and clean up your online identity.</p>
<h2>1. Keep it Consistent</h2>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-540" title="zach 2" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-2.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="89" /></a></p>
<p>One of the best things you can do is to make sure your profiles are  consistent. This includes your bio page, your profile pic, and your tone  of voice. “Consistency is important,” said Dan Schawbel, managing  partner of <a href="http://personalbranding.com/" target="_blank">Millennial  Branding</a>, “If you’re “Matt” on one site, you better be “Matt” on  every other site.” That similarity can help viewers keep track of you  across different platforms. Start by scooping up vanity URLs on sites  like Facebook (facebook.com/ClarkKent) and Twitter  (twitter.com/ClarkKent), and buying your domain name  (www.ClarkKent.com). Similar fonts and font sizes can also help create a  congruous online identity.</p>
<p>But what about your updates — how do  you keep those consistent? “Using the same tone of voice will help keep  the cohesion,” said Amber Naslund, Director of Community at Radian6. “It  doesn’t have to be verbatim but there needs to be a certain level of  consistency,” Naslund said. “You’re assuming that [one particular social  site] might be the only place they get that [information].”</p>
<p>Keep  in mind that consistency doesn’t mean repetition. Customize your  profiles and updates to align with the values and uses of each social  platform, but maintain a common theme throughout.</p>
<h2>2. Find Your Brand</h2>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-3.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-534" title="zach 3" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-3.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="450" /></a></p>
<p>Put some forethought into what your want your digital reputation to  be and build towards that. Joshua Benton, Director of Harvard’s <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/" target="_blank">Nieman Journalism Lab</a>,  highlights the importance of viewership. “You don’t want to have carbon  copies because you’re talking to different audiences. Your paragraph  bio on LinkedIn isn’t going to make sense on your Twitter page and  neither of those is going to make sense on your Facebook page.” Benton  recommends making a basic bio that can be tailored for each network.  “Think about how the image you want to present sits in with the  audience.”</p>
<p>Different networks are better for different things — it  helps to cater your posts based on the audience. “Part of that is baked  into the form,” Benton said. “It’s sort of hard to have a wild and  crazy LinkedIn profile, whereas you can on something like <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/myspace">MySpace</a><a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336652-MySpace.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336652-MySpace" target="_blank"> (<img src="http://netdna.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1265851550" alt="MySpace" width="14" height="14" />)</a>.”</p>
<p>Whether  you want to be known by your real name (recommended) or a cute  buzzword, it’s important to come up with something memorable and  representative of you. This advice applies to people and brands. “When  you type Digsby, we are the first result,” said Steve Shapiro, CEO of <a href="http://www.digsby.com/?utm_campaign=vid&amp;utm_source=vid&amp;utm_medium=vid&amp;utm_content=vid" target="_blank">Digsby</a><a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336739-Digsby.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336739-Digsby" target="_blank"> (<img src="http://netdna.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1265851550" alt="Digsby" width="14" height="14" />)</a>. “It is  important to pick a unique product name but also one that people can  spell when they hear it, or they’ll never find you on Google<a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336661-Google.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336661-Google" target="_blank"> (<img src="http://netdna.blippr.com/images/inline-face_07.png?1265851550" alt="Google" width="14" height="14" />)</a>.”</p>
<p>Once  you’ve decided your online name and brand, try to stick with it. It’s  hard to build a reputation if you keep changing. “The problem with  changing your specialty every six months is that people can see what you  did six month’s prior,” explained Barry Hurd, CEO and founder of <a href="http://123socialmedia.com/" target="_blank">123SocialMedia</a>.  That kind of indecision can make it difficult for your audience to get a  grasp on your identity.</p>
<h2>3. Own Your Name</h2>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-4.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-535" title="zach 4" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-4.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="218" /></a></p>
<p>One of the best ways to track your progress is a simple Google  search. “I’m conscious that I’m writing about the things I’d liked to be  found for,” Naslund said. “If I’m going to post a tweet about a drunken  bender with my sister from last night, it might pop up on Google.” Make  sure you’re updating your social networks on news and events that you  want to be known for. Part of managing your online identity is  understanding your professional profiles (like LinkedIn) can very well  get mixed up with personal profiles (like Facebook). “You can’t keep the  peas from touching the mashed potatoes,” Naslund added. “The Internet  doesn’t distinguish between profiles. That’s a human distinction, not a  technical one. It all gets lumped into the same basket.”</p>
<p>An easy,  free way to manage your name’s SEO is by getting onto popular social  media sites. “Twitter accounts often pop up on the first page even if  you’ve only posted three tweets,” Benton explained. “Chances are you’d  rather have that and a link to your bio page than something you don’t  have control over. Get on networks with good page rankings.”</p>
<p>Another  tip for optimizing SEO is by proactively setting up inbound links  between your profiles. Include links to your social profiles, such as Foursquare<a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/494047-Foursquare.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/494047-Foursquare" target="_blank"> (<img src="http://netdna.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1265851550" alt="Foursquare" width="14" height="14" />)</a>,  Twitter, LinkedIn and Quora, on your blog. On your Twitter profile,  include a link to your blog. And on Foursquare, make sure you include  your Twitter profile link. If you already use multiple networks, this  practice is an easy way to increase the amount of inbound links for each  site. It’s a circle of links that will help optimize your Google search  rankings.</p>
<p>The ultimate goal is to optimize your SEO so that  someone should be able to search for your name and get a good idea  within the first 10 results of who you are or who you’d like to be.</p>
<h2>4. Get a Little Help</h2>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-6.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-536" title="zach 6" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-6.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="171" /></a></p>
<p>The good news is that you don’t have to monitor all these sites by  yourself. There are a bunch of web tools that can help you track or  update your entire online presence. Try using a multi-platform  dashboards like <a href="http://ping.fm/" target="_blank">Ping.fm</a><a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/338059-PingFm.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/338059-PingFm" target="_blank"> (<img src="http://netdna.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1265851550" alt="Ping.Fm" width="14" height="14" />)</a>, <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/" target="_blank">Tweetdeck</a><a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336804-TweetDeck.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336804-TweetDeck" target="_blank"> (<img src="http://netdna.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1265851550" alt="TweetDeck" width="14" height="14" />)</a>, or <a href="http://hootsuite.com/" target="_blank">Hootsuite</a><a rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/392550-HootSuite.whtml" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/392550-HootSuite" target="_blank"> (<img src="http://netdna.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1265851550" alt="HootSuite" width="14" height="14" />)</a> to  update your social media identity all from a central hub.</p>
<p>As a  secondary step, if you’re interested in seeing which sites are  benefiting you the most from a PR point of view, set up <a href="http://www.google.com/alerts" target="_blank">Google Alerts</a> on  each of your profiles. Alerts will help you keep a pulse on buzz around  your name. To see which sites are most referenced, try adding small  marks to your profile pics for manual tracking. Hurd suggested adding a  small Facebook logo to your Facebook profile pic, for example, so you  can see when your Facebook profile (along with a pic) is linked to.</p>
<h2>5. Human Afterall</h2>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-7.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-537" title="zach 7" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/zach-7.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="366" /></a></p>
<p>Out of all these tips, perhaps the most important lesson is to just  be yourself. It may sound simple, but ultimately people are connecting  with you because of who you are. “How people perceive you is through  those interactions with your audience, not just a neat and tidy  persona,” Naslund said. “People want to see the person behind the  persona.”</p>
<p>Schawbel recommended being selective with your networks  and genuinely connecting: “If your Twitter handle or Facebook page is  your name, it has to come from you.”</p>
<p>That same sense of honesty  can also be a great way to find customers. “These platforms are a huge  opportunity to interact with users one-on-one,” Shapiro said. Connecting  in an honest way can bring in new supporters for your product or brand.</p>
<h2>Final Words of Advice</h2>
<p>We asked our experts for a golden rule to managing your online  identity. While there may not be one ruling maxim, here are some choice  words of wisdom for cleaning up your social identity.</p>
<ul>
<li>“Commitment  is really the key word,” Schawbel said. “Everyone keeps talking about  passion, but commitment takes [it] into account. If you’re committed to  this, you’ll succeed. Or, at least you’ll get something out of it.”</li>
<li>“Be  consistent with the tone and approach for all those social networks,”  Naslund said. “Through all those profiles, it will feel like you. And  that’s what people use social media for, to connect with a real person.  Develop an identity you’re not only proud of, but can stand behind.”</li>
<li>“I  think you have to go into these sort of things acknowledging that  compartmentalization is impossible. [It's] the same way in real life. We  act one way around our parents, and one way around our boss, and one  way around our friends, even if we’re still the same person,” Benton  said. “Think about the image you want to present… and don’t be afraid to  be human.”</li>
</ul>
<p><em><a href="http://mashable.com/author/zachary-sniderman/">Zachary Sniderman</a> joined Mashable in 2010 as an Assistant Features  Editor. An arts and culture writer, Zack previously wrote for  Greenshoelace.com, Maclean&#8217;s Magazine, and a ton of Columbia websites.  Zack graduated with an M.S. from the Columbia School of Journalism and  his B.A. from Harvard University. He now lives in New York City and  misses pond hockey.</em></p>
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		<title>How To Build Your Twitter Strategy for Business</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2010/06/twitter-strategy/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2010/06/twitter-strategy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:25:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gurus Around the Web</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[how to]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tech lo' down]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=520</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You know your business can’t just wing it on Twitter, you need a strategy. But how do you get there? ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="color: #000080;"> </span><em>by Megan Berry</em></p>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/twitter-leads-post-a.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-521" title="twitter leads post a" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/twitter-leads-post-a.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="190" /></a>You know your business can’t just wing it on Twitter (Twitter), you need a strategy. But how do you get there? A lot of social media advice revolves around confusing, high-concept buzzwords: There are only so many times you can be told to “listen” and “engage.” Concrete advice can be hard to come by, and while this guide won’t tell you what you need to tweet, it will provide you with the real questions you need to ask in order to craft a Twitter strategy for your business.</p>
<h2>1. Choose Your Audience</h2>
<p>Who do you want to reach on Twitter? Be specific and limit your scope to the demographic you really need; trying to reach everyone isn’t a great strategy. If you’re a B2B company, for example, you’ll probably want to reach other businesses and the people that represent them.</p>
<p>Here is a quick example: Look up at least 10 of your customers on Twitter (a quick name search on Google (Google) can turned up their Twitter profiles). Once you’ve found some, look at who they’re following and who they talk to. These people could also become part of your audience. Look at how they describe themselves and what terms they talk about. Use those keywords and terms to find like-minded people.</p>
<p>The goal here is not to find everyone you’d like to interact with (that would probably be next to impossible), but to find people who might fit into your audience. Try to pay attention to who has influence in your audience. For example: who are people talking to, about or retweeting? Who do they seem to ask for advice? Once you have a decent group, move on to step two.</p>
<h2>2. Understand How They Speak</h2>
<p>It might sound like I’m giving you clichéd advice to “listen,” but clichés exist for a reason. You need to understand how your audience talks, what they like, and what they share. Below are some solid steps to get you started.</p>
<p>* Look up what people are saying about your company. Are they saying good things or bad things? Are they asking for advice about what product or company to choose? Are they giving feedback about their experiences after the fact?<br />
* Do the same for your competitors. Note if your competitors are jumping in or influencing any of these conversations.<br />
* Notice the way your audience talks. Are they generally formal or informal? This will be very different depending on the companies you are tracking and the people you attract. It’s always good to match the tone of your audience.<br />
* Look at what your audience shares and retweets. What kinds of links and articles do they like? What kinds of terms and ideas get them excited or annoyed?<br />
* Note any hashtags or other ways your audience connects. Look up those hashtags to see if they have any real traction (if they’re all spam or if people are really using them to connect).</p>
<h2>3. How Much is a Twitter Lead Worth?</h2>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/twitter-leads-post.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-522" title="twitter leads post" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/twitter-leads-post-300x261.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="261" /></a></p>
<p>This is a bit more theoretical but it’s an important step that many companies forget. The reason you’re involved with Twitter isn’t just to say you’re there, it’s because you’re looking for a good return on investment. So what is it that you’re after? It might be as concrete as sign-ups and sales or as ephemeral as buzz and brand awareness.</p>
<p>Depending on your goal, try to figure out how much each person is “worth.” This almost certainly won’t be an exact number, but you should get a general idea. For example, if you’re doing B2B sales and a sale is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, you’re going to have a very different strategy than a company with millions of users that makes its money from advertising.</p>
<h2>4. Set A Goal and Track It</h2>
<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/twitter-leads-post-2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-523" title="twitter leads post 2" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/twitter-leads-post-2-300x65.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="65" /></a></p>
<p>Setting a goal is just the start of your strategy, you also need to track it with metrics. Choosing metrics does not just mean tracking your follower count because the count isn’t always a totally accurate measure of how many people are paying attention to your account.</p>
<p>There are obviously different approaches depending on the size of your fan base. If you have a large audience, you might not be able to put a lot of time into each lead. Your overall goal will likely be about brand awareness and creating buzz for your company. You should consider metrics that capture overall influence such as retweets, blog posts and clicks.</p>
<p>If you have a targeted audience, each lead probably carries more value. You overall goal will likely be to generate new leads. You should consider metrics like sales, email sign-ups, @messages, direct messages and clicks.</p>
<h2>5. Define Your Approach</h2>
<p>The language you use to tweet and what you choose to share should be targeted towards your audience. This means you should be thoughtful and accurate, not false and calculating. For example, if you’re trying to reach knitting mothers, you’re going to using a very different style of language than if you’re trying to reach hip hop aficionados. Below are a few main questions to consider:</p>
<p>* How formal or informal do you want to be?<br />
* Should you include buzzwords or hashtags?<br />
* How much effort should you put into reaching out to specific followers or finding new ones?<br />
* What kind of links and content should you share?<br />
* Can you do any special offers or campaigns on your account?<br />
* What’s the style of your company? You have know your company’s message and define its personality. Your followers will appreciate the authenticity.</p>
<p>Any Twitter strategy is a perpetual work in progress. Just deciding that you need a strategy is an important first step that will have you thinking about what and why you tweet. The key is to keep experimenting: Twitter is ever-changing and to succeed on it you need to be flexible, but you also need to know where you’re headed.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://meganberry.com/">Megan  Berry </a>is Marketing Manager for Klout, the standard for online  influence. She also blogs at The Huffington Post and Brazen Careerist.  You can follow her on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/meganberry">@meganberry</a>.<br />
</em></p>
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		<title>Facebook Privacy &#8211; What You Need To Do Right Now.</title>
		<link>http://socialimg.com/2010/05/facebook-privacy/</link>
		<comments>http://socialimg.com/2010/05/facebook-privacy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2010 16:48:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Angie Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[how to]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online privacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social networks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://socialimg.com/?p=479</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Face it, by sheer design, Facebook is not about privacy.  It&#8217;s about sharing your life with others.  But who you share it with is somewhat in your control. I am amazed daily by friends and family who sign up for Facebook, set a few controls and proceed to share some pretty personal stuff with the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/facebook-reflection-eyeball.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-492" title="facebook reflection eyeball" src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/facebook-reflection-eyeball.jpg" alt="" width="390" height="220" /></a>Face it, by sheer design, Facebook is not about privacy.  It&#8217;s about sharing your life with others.  But <em>who</em> you share it with is somewhat in your control. I am amazed daily by friends and family who sign up for Facebook, set a few controls and proceed to share some pretty personal stuff with the planet. Maybe they don&#8217;t realize just how exposed they are? Maybe they haven&#8217;t even thought about it at all? For about a year now,  I have helped schools address this issue with our youth, but more and more, I realize we adults are the most naive and often, a lot more exposed than our kids.</p>
<p>I can find anything online, and <strong>this </strong>is a beautiful thing. Anyone can find anything online, and <strong>this</strong> is a troubling thing. You want to share and connect with your friends and family. You don&#8217;t want to supply endless personal data to marketers, spammers or individuals who may harm you.<a href="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/facebook-privacy-pic.jpg"><img src="http://socialimg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/facebook-privacy-pic-300x168.jpg" alt="" title="facebook privacy pic" width="300" height="168" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-502" /></a></p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Would you post a billboard downtown with your name, address, phone number, email address, who you&#8217;re dating or married to,  the names and ages of your children, where you went to high school and college, your political views, and a slew of pictures of you and the one you care about? </strong></p></blockquote>
<p>But we ALL happily post all of this information online for the entire planet.</p>
<h2>So, let&#8217;s look at YOUR Facebook profile, shall we?</h2>
<p>Log on to your Facebook account.<br />
Click on &#8220;Account&#8221; (upper right hand corner) and click on &#8220;Privacy settings&#8221; in the drop-down menu.</p>
<p><strong>1. Click on &#8220;Personal Information and Posts&#8221;<br />
</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>You will notice &#8220;Photos&#8221;<strong> </strong>says &#8220;Edit Settings&#8221; &#8211; let&#8217;s get back to that one.</li>
<li>Every other setting on this page should read <strong>&#8220;Friends Only&#8221;</strong>.</li>
<li>You are also asked if you would like friends to be able to post on your wall. I say yes, but this is up to you.</li>
<li> Now, let&#8217;s look at &#8220;Photos&#8221;. Click on &#8220;Edit Settings&#8221; and set every album to <strong>&#8220;Friends Only&#8221;</strong>. Now, go back to &#8220;Privacy Settings&#8221; again (upper left).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2. Click on &#8220;Contact Information</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Every setting EXCEPT &#8220;Add Me As a Friend&#8221; should read <strong>&#8220;Friends Only&#8221;</strong>.</li>
<li>&#8220;Add Me as a Friend&#8221; should read &#8220;Everyone&#8221;, allowing all potential contacts to request you as a friend. Now, go back to &#8220;Privacy Settings&#8221; again (upper left).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>3.  Click on &#8220;Friends, Tags and Connections&#8221;</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Every setting should read<strong> &#8220;Friends Only&#8221;</strong>. Now, go back to &#8220;Privacy Settings&#8221; again (upper left).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Click on &#8220;Search&#8221;</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>&#8220;Facebook Search Results&#8221; should read <strong>&#8220;Everyone&#8221;</strong></li>
<li>&#8220;Public Search Results&#8221; is up to you. I allow search engines, such as Google, to show my profile in search results. Now, go back to &#8220;Privacy Settings&#8221; again (upper left).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>5. Click on &#8220;Applications and Websites&#8221;</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Click on &#8220;What your friends can share about you &#8220;.  This is the most important application setting. By default, nothing can be shared except your name, sex, and profile photo — plus any information that fell under the Everyone option in the other privacy categories. <strong>Be certain all boxes unchecked.</strong><strong> <strong> </strong></strong>Now go back to &#8220;Applications and Websites&#8221; (upper left).<strong><br />
</strong></li>
<li>Click on &#8220;Ignore Application Invites from Friends&#8221;<strong>. </strong>If you have certain friends who are always playing games, such as Farmville and seem to always be inviting you to join in the fun, just enter the friend&#8217;s name(s) here and you will still be connected to your friend in every way EXCEPT, no more annoying invites to participate in applications they consider to be fun.<strong> </strong>Now go back to &#8220;Applications and Websites&#8221; (upper left).</li>
<li>IF you play games on Facebook, click on &#8220;Activity on Application and Games Dashboard. Be certain &#8220;Friends Only&#8221; is checked.  I highly recommend &#8220;Customize&#8221;, then click on &#8220;Only Me&#8221;. Now go back to &#8220;Applications and Websites&#8221; (upper left).</li>
<li>Click on &#8220;Instant Personalization Pilot Program&#8221;. Be SURE the box at the bottom of the page is <strong>NOT checked</strong>. Recently, Facebook opened up Instant Personalization, another way for strangers and outsiders to view your personal information. Currently, there is a setting at the bottom of the Applications and Websites page called Instant Personalization Pilot Program. If you opt into this service, selected Facebook partner Web sites can instantly personalize their applications, based on your personal information.</li>
</ul>
<p>You&#8217;re finished.</p>
<p>Please note the above suggestions are based on setting the highest privacy level possible. You may change ANY setting to offer less privacy, but I believe you should begin with the strictest settings and then decide where you want to relax your control.</p>
<p>As always, if you have any questions, just <strong><a href="mailto:angie@socialimg.com">E-Mail Me.</a></strong><br />
<span style="color: #ffffff;">..</span></p>
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