Target Becomes Friends with Facebook, Offers ‘Social Savings’ Discounts

Posted on May 17, 2013
Mrs Meyer's Clean Day Products

If you use Facebook and shop at Target, take note. You can now get special discounts on products you buy at Target through accessing a special app via your Facebook personal Timeline.

Here’s how it works:

Go to http://cartwheel.target.com/ and log in via your Facebook account (you have to give the app permission to access your personal Timeline).

Browse “Hot Deals,” “Top Offers,” or “Collections” (deals organized by topic).

I found discounts from 5%-25% off on everything from graduation cards to Post-It Notes® to Gardenburgers to Coleman Sleeping bags.   read more >

Posted in Facebook, Featured, Marketing, Social Media News No Comments

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Claiming Google Authorship

Posted on May 15, 2013
Andrew Dennis

By Andrew Dennis

Guest Contributor

If you’re regularly producing content for the web, whether for your own personal blog or through guest posts, you have probably heard of Google authorship. Although many people are aware of Google authorship, there are still many who do not use it.

Here are five reasons why it’s essential to claim Google authorship on the content you produce:

1. Keeping Track of your Content

If you are producing content on the web, you want to keep track of what you’re writing and where.   read more >

Posted in Blogging, Featured, Guest Articles, SEO No Comments

A Two-Step Method for Managing Social Networking Time

Posted on May 13, 2013
168 hours

By Laura Christianson

Time.

It’s a killer, isn’t it?

Finding time to “do” social networking — and managing that time effectively — is the single biggest bugaboo most of us face.

Before you practice managing your time, you must be aware of how much time per day/week you spend social networking.

Step 1: Track Your Time

You have more free time in your week than you think, says Laura Vanderkam, author of the book, 168 Hours.   read more >

Posted in Blogging, Featured, Social Networking 1 Comment

YouTube Improvements: Trends Map, Privacy Settings for Video Uploads, and More

Posted on May 10, 2013
YouTube Trends Map 580

Lots of cool improvements going on at YouTube! Here’s a rundown of what you’ll learn about in today’s post.

  1. YouTube’s new interactive Trends Map helps you explore which videos are trending in cities and regions throughout the US.
  2. Video Uploading: YouTube will now email you when a video you’re uploading is finished uploading and processing. You can forward that email to friends or family to share your video link.
  3. Privacy Settings Change: Now, when you upload a video, it will default to “private” – so it’s visible only to you – until you click “Publish.”
  4. Top 10 words tabloids love to use. I’ve included a brainstorming activity for you to try that will help you fine-tune the core message you use on your website, blog, YouTube, and other social channels.

  read more >

Posted in Blogging, Featured, Marketing, YouTube No Comments

8 Tips to Writing Great Content for Your Readers

Posted on May 8, 2013
Matt Boyd

By Matt Boyd
Guest Contributor

I’m not your typical writer. I’ve never been classically trained in language arts so needless to say, writing has not always been (and still isn’t) second nature to me. There’s a constant balance of writing well and creating content people will enjoy. Finding that balance is often difficult.

Recently, I’ve immersed myself in a whirlwind of blog articles with the sole purpose of studying successful writing styles. It’s always interesting to see which posts are successful by reading how users respond in the comments. Over my time as a studier of blog articles, I’ve learned some simple tips that have helped me create content people respond to and enjoy.   read more >

Posted in Blogging, Featured, Guest Articles 1 Comment

Pinterest Tip: How to Shape-Shift and Frame Images

Posted on May 6, 2013
http://www.dreamstime.com/-image18556172

Scroll through your Pinterest feed and you’ll see hundreds upon hundreds of rectangular images. You want to make your pins stand out in the crowd, right?

Here’s a quick trick: change the picture’s shape or frame it.

Frame It

In this BEFORE and AFTER shot, I used Ribbet.com (a free online photo editor) to create a Polaroid frame. Then I added text to create a caption.

Finally, I added Ribbet’s “Before & After” frame to demonstrate how this quick, simple change created a whole new look.
  read more >

Posted in Featured, Photos, Pinterest No Comments

Q: What Are the Most Important Analytics in Your Social Networking?

Posted on May 1, 2013

QBy Laura Christianson

For the couple of weeks, I’ve been gathering feedback from my readers regarding a new social network that is in the planning stages.

This social network will offer Facebook-type features and will be geared for the Christian community.

Today’s topic: Analytics

Every social network has their own way of tracking and displaying analytics — known as Insights on Facebook and LinkedIn — that measure users’ engagement with your site.   read more >

Posted in Featured, Polls & Surveys, Social Networking No Comments

Q: What Do You Love/Hate About Social Advertising?

Posted on April 29, 2013
Q

By Laura Christianson

For the past week or so, I’ve been gathering feedback from my readers regarding a new social network that is in the planning stages.

This social network will offer Facebook-type features and will be geared for the Christian community.

Today’s topic: Advertising

In order to survive, social networks rely on advertising revenue. But the way they do advertising often frustrates users… from the ever-expanding types of ads users can purchase to the placement of ads on the page, to their size and even, their cost.

Now’s your chance to let loose with every frustration you’ve ever experienced regarding social media advertising.   read more >

Posted in Featured, Polls & Surveys, Social Networking No Comments

Q: What Cool Features Would You Like in a New Social Network for Christians?

Posted on April 26, 2013
Q

Let’s talk about features you’d like to see on a Christian social network. Let’s say that, in addition to your “profile” or “news feed” page, this network would include two other major areas:

A. Home page

This would serve as the entry portal for all users and could include various customizable types of information such as:

  • Local weather
  • Christian news
  • Christian music, movies, and/or books

    •   read more >

Posted in Featured, Polls & Surveys, Social Networking 1 Comment

Q: What is Your Opinion of Christian Social Networks?

Posted on April 24, 2013
Q

I’d like feedback specifically from those of you who use (or have used) Christian social networks such as ShoutLife, FaithVillage, The City (and other Christian networks).

  1. Who or what enticed you to join a Christian network?
  2. For what purpose do you use that network?
  3. What do you like best about your experience?
  4. What don’t you like?

Click here to respond in the Comments for the Facebook questions, or email your feedback to laura@bloggingbistro.com. Thanks so much!   read more >

Posted in Featured, Polls & Surveys, Social Networking No Comments