Category Archives: Social Media

Social Media

8 Top Pinterest Tips for Beginners

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Pinterest is a content sharing service where members “pin” images, videos and other objects to their pinboards. Pinterest also has standard social networking features so you can share with your friends. Learn how to set up your Pinterest account. Once you have an account, you can pin your cool finds on the internet.

Many interested patrons attended my Pinterest session at the Algonquin Library. For more information on upcoming sessions, visit our events calendar. Here are 8 top Pinterest tips for beginners to get you started.

  1. Create unique Pinterest boards for each of your favorite topics. Pin photos and videos about that topic to create a collection.
  2. Select a cover image that represents the theme of your Pinterest board. Our minds grasp visual concepts faster than text on a page. Be sure readers can tell at a glance what your board is all about.
  3. Pin clear, easily recognized images for your Pinterest boards. Bright colors and high contrast images are easier on our eyes.
  4. Describe your images and videos accurately without complex words. Pinterest allows up to 500 characters in the object’s description.
  5. Include words that invoke emotions and feelings in the reader. Choose colorful terms which inspire the imagination and memories.
  6. Increase your search engine visibility by using keywords and internet links in your description. Keywords may actually be a phase or group of 2-5 words.
  7. Post links to your Pinterest pins on your Facebook or Twitter accounts to share them with your friends. Ask others to LIKE and COMMENT on your pins and SHARE your pins with their friends.
  8. Design a unique visual resume and pin to your Pinerest board. Log on to Pinterest and search “resume” to see some incredibly creative ideas others have showcased their talents and skills.

Using these 8 top Pinterest tips for beginners to create your first Pinterest boards and pin your favorite pictures, movies and more. Click on COMMENTS and post a link to one of your favorite boards. Please tell us why this Pinterest board is your top pick.

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Social Media

How To Get Join Pinterest Create Boards and Pin Pictures

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Pinterest is a content sharing service where members “pin” images, videos and other objects to their pinboards. Pinterest also has standard social networking features so you can share with your friends. This weekend I will be demonstrating the features of Pinterest at the Algonquin Library. For more information on this session, visit our events calendar.

Pinterest members create virtual boards for different topics. Create a board for your hobbies, favorite restaurants, post your resume or to show off your professional portfolio. Search Pinterest for topics of interest. When you find an image or video you like, you can repin the object to one of your boards.

My Pinterest boards include food, travel and McHenry County happenings. Here is how you can get started with Pinterest.

How to create a Pinterest account:

  • Open a web browser and type http://www.pinterest.com in the URL bar
  • Create your Pinterest account by connecting with Facebook, Twitter or using an email address.
  • Click on a few of the images that capture your attention

How to create a Pinterest board:

  • Click “Add”
  • Click “Create a Board”
  • Enter your new board Name, select a category and add other pinners (those who can add pins to this board)
  • Click “Create Board”

How to add Pinterest Pins to your board:

  • Click “Add”
  • Click “Add a Pin”
  • Type or paste the URL
  • Click “Find Images”
  • Scroll and select an image
  • Choose a board
  • Enter a description up to 500 characters
  • Click “Pin It”

Have fun with your new Pinterest boards and pin what is interesting to you. Share your pins with your friends on Facebook and Twitter for greater visibility. We are always interested in hearing your ideas for using Pinterest. Click on COMMENTS and tell us how you are using Pinerest for yourself or your business.

Enter your email in the box on the right and click subscribe for more tips on Pinterest and other social media tools.

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Social Media

Pinterest Marketing Cheat Sheet to Opitimize Your Pinterest Boards

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Pinterest virtual bulletin boards are all the rage in the social media world. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan Learn how you can use Pinterest to market your business and gain attention.

The Algonquin Library hosts a Pinterest session Sunday August 12, 2012 where you can learn what Pinterest is and what it can do for your business. For more information or registration visit our CyberLife Tutors events calendar.

Below is a Pinterest Marketing Cheat Sheet from Pinely to give you a few ideas before the live session.

Pinterest Marketing Cheat Sheet from Pinerly

 

 

 

 

Social Media

Ideas How to Create Content For Your Blog and Social Media

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Do you struggle for ideas when writing content for your blog or social media profiles? Bloggers often get writer’s block when it is time for a new post. Clients often ask me for suggestions for types of comments they can share on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media profiles and pages.

Once you have your topic, use an editorial calendar to plan and schedule a date for publication. Include publication date, time, where you plan to post and any information you need to gather. Download our free editorial calendar template.

Here are 12 tips to aid you in generating ideas for new blog or social media content.

  1. Let your readers know about an upcoming event including who, what, when, where and why they would want to attend.
  2. Ask your readers what they want to know more about.
  3. Search Technorati for bloggers similar to you and write on the same topic using your ideas and distinctive voice.
  4. Search Stumble Upon for inspiration.
  5. Enlist your employees to write a blog post once a month.
  6. Refer to another blog post and take the topic further or deeper.
  7. Interview the characters in your fiction novel.
  8. Write about a recent experience and your learnings.
  9. Provide educational or how to material.
  10. Share a best practice.
  11. Post a video or picture of the week.
  12. Check the calendar for upcoming holidays and write an article that ties in with that theme.

When an idea for new content comes to me, I make a note of it and use these topics when I have writer’s blog.

Here are 22 more ways to generate content ideas for your blog or social media page.

How to generate new content for your blog or social media profile

How do you find inspiration for blog posts? Click on comments and let us know your suggestions.

Social Media

How to Google Drive and Google Docs Online Access to Files

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What is Google Drive?

Google Docs refers to the editors for Google documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, and forms. These are online documents that live in the cloud and provide real-time collaboration features.

Google Drive is the place to access all your files, including both Google Docs and local files that you sync to the cloud. If you used Google Docs prior to April, 2012, Google Drive replaces and enhances what you’ve previously known as the Google Documents List.

Google Drive features:

  • Online word processing, spreadsheet, presentations, forms, drawing, database tools
  • Templates you or others create
  • Access online, anywhere, any computer through browser
  • Upload and share file types:  .doc, .xls, .ppt, and .pdf.
  • Sync files between desktop and Google Drive
  • Auto save to protect your work in progress
  • Revision history to restore a previous version
  • Files always backed up even if your computer dies
  • Share files with others using Google Drive or email
  • Collaborate on the same file at the same time
  • Import, export, convert, store any file type (5 G free, purchase additional storage)
  • Offline application when you don’t have an internet connection

Upgrade to Google Drive

Existing Google Docs users can access Google Drive then click “Get Started”. Newly upgraded Google Drive users will have Google Drive enabled.

Depending on demand, existing users may be put on a waiting list. In that case they’ll instead see a Notify me button. Watch for an email notification when they have access to Drive.

From Google Drive, users can switch between to the old Google Documents List interface and Google Drive by selecting “Temporarily use the classic look in the Google Drive gear” menu.

Google Account

An existing or new Google account is required to use Google Drive. It’s free. Use your Google account with YouTube, Picasa, Gmail and more.

Learn how to set up a new Google account http://www.google.com/NewAccount.

Get Started with Google Drive

Open Google Drive http://drive.google.com/ or Google Docs http://docs.google.com.

  1. Click “Create” and select a file type to create a new file
  2. Click “Create” and select From Templates to choose a template
  3. Click “Create” and select Collections to create a new folder
  4. Click the Upload button to upload files
Social Media

Infographic of Your Twitter Followers from Visually

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Want a cool infographic to learn more about your Twitter tweets and followers? You can create your own with Visually. Just enter your Twitter name or another Twitter user’s handle and your infographic is created instantly. You can follow Visually on Twitter at @visually.

Here is my Twitter infographic. Are you one of my strongest connections?

Social Media

How to Create a Social Media Editorial Calendar With Template

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Do you use an editorial calendar to manage your social media updates, blog posts and marketing communications?

I am commonly asked “Now I have my social media profiles set up, what should I say?” Planning your posts with an editorial calendar can make this task less stressful. An editorial calendar is your plan for publishing specific content on specific dates and specific times. Planning in advance allows adequate preparation time and relieves the last-minute rush. Use your editorial calendar as a planning and tracking mechanism.

Planning your updates with an editorial calendar can save you time. Update the editorial calendar and another person can carry out the activities while you attend to other business.

Consider the topics you want to cover in your updates or blog and write out what you intend to say in your post. Next to each piece of content, note where each will be posted and the post date. Posting the same content on multiple sites often requires modifying the character length or formatting.

An editorial calendar is even more useful when more than one person manages a social media and marketing plan. Everyone involved can use the calendar to keep abreast of the most current updates.

You can create your editorial calendar using a lined notepad, white board or spreadsheet. Whichever tool works best for you is the best choice. Begin by working across each row to complete your editorial calendar. As you have new information, add it to your editorial calendar so all related items are in one central location.

Here is our own CyberLife Tutors Editorial Calendar Template to get you started. Download our editorial calendar and use our tracking system to plan out your next social media, blog or marketing campaign. Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Social Media

Is LinkedIn Better Than Facebook for Business Networking?

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Is LinkedIn Better Than Facebook for Business Networking? Will LinkedIn be replaced by the 800 pound gorilla? I do not think so. LinkedIn is still very relevant to the business community. Geoffrey James agrees in his article LinkedIn Will Outlive Facebook. Here’s Why.

LinkedIn launched in 2003 and essentially has not changed much over the years. LinkedIn is not designed for multimedia with functions to store photos and videos. Basic resume information is all that is in a profile. My LinkedIn profile includes my professional credential and recommendations of my work. This is social proof and gives me credibility among peers and prospects.

LinkedIn is the networking tools for professionals. In my many years in the corporate world, I know that contacts are researched on LinkedIn and a profile was expected. LinkedIn is still relevant for business to business and large companies.

LinkedIn

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Twitter Counter Widgets for Twitter Encourage More Followers

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Twitter Counter is a internet tool to manage Twitter accounts and create fun and useful tools to add to your website or blog.

The Follow button below encourages others to follow me on Twitter:

The Twitter Counter widget queries Twitter for specific tweets and displays them in a customizable format. You can see which Twitter users visit your blog or website. Plus with this cool widget, Twitter users can follow directly you without leaving your website.

Set up your own Twitter Counter profile to see your statistics: Number of Twitter follower, following, tweets, mentions and retweets.

No need to know HTML to install these tools as Twitter Counter creates the code for you. Once you have a Twitter profile, visit Twitter Counter to get your own widgets and buttons.

Social Media

Fine Featherheads Family Loves Their Facebook Community

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My friends at Fine Featherheads know how to create a Facebook community. The Fine Featherheads Facebook page is always buzzing with activity and comments from their fans.

What keeps fans coming back to their page? It is a fun destination! Use of lots of pictures are visually appealing to read. Frequent visitors know there are often chances to win products too. The Fine Featherhead Family makes an effort to respond to comments from their fans in a timely manner. Visit their page and let them know I sent you.

Fine Featherheads are best known for their feather hair extensions and ship both retail and to salons around the world. Dakota and her partner Ryan visit campuses and beauty shows near and far. Check out their Fine Featheheads blog to read about their adventures.

Who are the Fine Featherheads? Fine Featherheads was first born in early 2010 when founder Dakota Hills started selling feathers at concerts and farmers markets in Boulder, CO with her sister Dana. Dakota quickly saw the greater potential of these beautiful creations and started visiting salons across the country to show off her product. The product literally sold itself and word spread like wildfire.

Now Dakota has a whole staff and the Fine Featherhead Family assists her with production, packaging, shipping and customer service. Check out the Fine Featherheads on Facebook.