Archive for Ask the Barista
Facebook’s Profile Boxes to Get the Axe – What to Do
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On my Facebook personal profile and business page, I’ve added several “profile boxes” – third-party applications that appear in the lefthand sidebar that link to things such as my e-newsletter subscription form, Twitter account, NetworkedBlogs, etc.
You’ve likely added profile boxes to your account, too.
The folks at Facebook, in their infinite wisdom (or their quest to keep users constantly confused and frustrated — I’m not sure which), are eliminating the profile boxes and replacing them with bookmarks that will appear on the left menu of your Facebook home page.
Here are instructions from Facebook’s Help Desk.
How to bookmark your profile boxes before they disappear forever:
To bookmark an application, click on the “Add bookmark” button that should be visible while you’re using the application. If no option to add a bookmark is available, it is possible that the developer has not yet built this functionality for their application.
How to add an application bookmark:
1. Click the Account drop-down menu in the top right corner of your home page and select “Application Settings.”
2. Find the application you’d like to bookmark. If you don’t see it in the list, select “Authorized” from the drop-down menu to view all of your authorized applications.
3. Click the “Edit Settings” link for the application you’d like to bookmark.
4. Choose the “Bookmark” tab in the settings box. From this tab you can select or remove the bookmark for that application.
Please note that if you don’t use a bookmarked application within 30 days, you will have to click on the “More” link in the Left Menu to access the bookmark.
8 Things You Need to Know Before Guesting on Talk Radio
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Anything can happen on talk radio – and it often does. Particularly when you’re a guest on a live call-in show. All the same, talk radio is a great way to subtly promote your business, your book, your products, your services, or your cause.
Based on my own experiences as a guest on dozens of talk radio shows, I wrote a guest column for the WinePress of Words blog (WinePress Publishing). I offer eight quick tips for interacting with callers during a live call-in show. Hope you’ll visit the WinePress blog to read the full post.
Question of the day: If you’ve been a guest on talk radio, what’s the strangest thing that’s happened to you during the show?
Should You Promote Your Business Via Your Personal Facebook Profile?
Posted by: | CommentsChris Berggren, a professional photographer from Sonoma, California who recently joined our new Social Media Support Group on Facebook (we’re also on LinkedIn), is a new Facebook user.
He writes:
I am striving to offer interesting content, pictures primarily for now, also I often get asked for photographic related advice. …Should I just promote through my personal page? How do I communicate with friends through my business page?
Many of us struggle with this issue, Chris, and how you use your Facebook account is largely a matter of personal preference.
Facebook’s terms of service state:
- You will not use your personal profile for your own commercial gain (such as selling your status update to an advertiser).
- You will not send or otherwise post unauthorized commercial communications (such as spam) on Facebook.
Keep ‘em separate
Both of those terms feel rather “gray” to me; to be on the safe side, I’ve elected to keep content on my personal profile and my business page separate. My personal profile “friends” are friends in real life. I stream my Blogging Bistro blog posts into my personal profile, but the remainder of my updates are about stuff that goes on in my personal life. My privacy settings are customized so that only my friends can see most of the information I post there. My personal profile is just that: Personal.
My business Page (@bloggingbistro) is devoted to business-related updates. I like Pages because they’re public. Similar to a blog, anyone can access your Page and read your updates. If they have a Facebook account, they can “like” you (formerly called “becoming a fan”).
If you choose, you can allow your “likers” to post updates, comments, videos, photos, and links to your Page, so the possibilities for interaction are endless.
Use ‘em in tandem
That’s my approach and it works for me. But others use Facebook differently. One of my clients – real estate agent Joni Kerley – uses her personal profile AND her Page to help build her business.
On her personal profile, Joni regularly shares cute pictures of her daughter’s French Bulldog puppy, and chats with friends about other “day in the life” events. She also streams her Everett Area Real Estate blog posts into both her personal profile and her Page.
And, to entice some of her friends to “like” her new Facebook business page, she posts teasers on her profile that include a hyperlink to her Facebook Page. Here’s an example:
When you click the link to go to Joni’s Facebook Page, you’ll get access to her “Hot Buy of the Week” video, exclusively for her Facebook fans.
Joni uses her Facebook business page to build her reputation as the go-to real estate agent in Snohomish County, Washington. Daily, she posts interesting, quirky updates about happenings around her county.
Now, back to Chris.
After taking a look at your new FB Page, Chris, I’m liking what you’re doing with photos. Each day, you’re posting one image that showcases various aspects of your photographic talent: weddings, commercial photography, and scenic shots.
This is nice because it allows visitors to focus on a single image (as opposed to an album of images), and it shows us, at a glance, the type of work you do. As you add more pictures, you can organize the previously-posted images into albums so visitors can easily access all your photos from one central location on your FB Page.
An effective value-added technique to get people to subscribe to your page is to offer photographic advice. Perhaps a photography tip of the week. Since you own a photo studio, I assume you’re marketing to prospective clients, so your tips should be geared for them. You could write tips such as “how to color-coordinate your family for a family photo” or “the five most important things you need to know about passport photos.”
Your turn!
Please share how YOU coordinate your Facebook personal profile and Page.
And if you have ideas for Chris to try, please share them!
While you’re at it, please give the folks mentioned in this article a little Facebook love:
Custom Image Sonoma (Chris Berggren)
Everett Area Real Estate (Joni Kerley)
Blogging Bistro (Laura Christianson)
And join our Social Media Support Group:
…on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=137678352938961
…on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3279553
A Little-Known YouTube Feature that Delivers Vital Information
Posted by: | CommentsDo you know what the second most popular search engine is, after Google?
YouTube.
And for “how to” information, YouTube is the #1 search engine.
You can take advantage of a little-known YouTube feature to gather statistical information about videos in your niche, and to learn how people are finding those videos.
Here’s what to do:
For our example, I’m using one of my favorite marketing videos, “What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.” (The video is embedded at the end of this post…be sure to watch it!)
This popular video has had over 585,000 views. Let’s find out how viewers discovered this video.
Beneath the video, you’ll see a hyperlink that reads, View comments, related videos, and more. Click the link.
Directly below the video (on the righthand side), you’ll see a box that notes how many views the video has had. Click the “Insight” button in that box and scroll down to the “Links” section of the analytics.
You’ll notice that over 67,000 viewers came from various Facebook pages. That information tells me that this video “went viral” on Facebook, with people liking and sharing it like crazy.
Over 13,000 people accessed the video from the creator’s website (where the video resides permanently on the Home page).
More than 11,000 people viewed the video from their smartphone.
And here’s a telling statistic: Over 10,000 viewers found the video through searching within YouTube.
Here’s how to apply this information to videos you are developing:
1. Before you create a video, search YouTube for keywords you’ll likely use to help folks find your video.
2. Check out the statistics of the most popular videos for that keyword and list the most prominent sites from which viewers are finding the videos.
3. Note the keywords that those popular videos use in their titles, descriptions, and tags.
4. Use the most relevant keywords in the title, description, and tags of your own video.
P.S. If you have uploaded your own videos to YouTube, and you don’t want your video’s statistics visible, click the “Insights” button (in the box next to the number of views) and then click “Private.”
Now for the video you’ve been waiting for (let me know what you think of it):
An Easy Screen Capture Tool for PCs
Posted by: | CommentsI’m always discovering functions on my computer that I didn’t know existed. When I was searching for a way to take custom screenshots on my PC (other than Ctrl + Prt Scr), I learned about the “Snipping Tool” that comes installed on Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. I love it!
To access and use the Snipping Tool, do the following:
1. Boot up your computer and click the Start button in the lower lefthand corner of your screen.
2. In the “Search programs and files” box that pops up, type Snipping Tool. A link to the program will display. Click the link to open the program.
3. Once the toolbox opens, click “New” and a drop-down menu will allow you to choose from:
- Free-form Snip
- Rectangular Snip
- Window Snip
- Full-screen Snip
4. Select one option (or play with ‘em all to see how they differ). I usually use Rectangular Snip.
5. Drag your cursor around the portion of the screen you want to capture and a new window will open with the Snip (the screenshot) in it. You can write on the snip or highlight portions of it (and you can erase what you’ve written, do don’t worry if you goof).
6. You can copy the Snip, e-mail it, or save it as a PNG, GIF, JPG, or HTML file.
Snips are the quickest, easiest way I’ve found to create and add screenshots to a blog post. Here’s a Snip I just took of an update I posted to the new Social Media Support Group on Facebook (I embedded a link to the Support Group into the image. When you click the image, you’ll be routed to the Social Media Support Group):
Sample of a Rectangular Snip
If you’re a PC user, try the Snipping Tool and share with us a creative way you’re using it. Mac users: what’s the easiest way you’ve found to take screenshots?
7 Simple Ways to Get More Comments on Your Blog
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The whole “blog comments thing” is the bane of most bloggers, who assume that if no one comments if means no one is reading, or that people are reading but aren’t all that interested in what you have to say.
Not so. Did you know that less than 1% of all blog readers leave comments? (That’s not scientifically proven, but I have heard that statistic bandied about over the years).
Particularly in our oversaturated cyber world, in which many people read a handful – or even dozens – of blogs per day, most of us don’t take the time to comment unless something really resonates with us (or ticks us off).
Don’t measure your blogging success or your personal worth by the numbers of comments (or lack thereof) you receive.
Still, there are a few things you can do to encourage comments:
1. Ask a simple question related to the post’s theme at the end of each entry. The easier the question is to answer, the more chance you’ll have of receiving comments. Experiment with different types of questions and figure out what works.
2. Don’t require people to register for your blog before they’re allowed to comment. The registration requirement scares people away and many people don’t like taking the time to add yet another password to their arsenal.
On my blog, I require that commenters submit the bare minimum: an e-mail address (visible only to me). Having an e-mail address from a real person helps cut down on auto-generated spam. It doesn’t eliminate it, but it significantly reduces spam.
3. Don’t moderate comments. When people learn that you pre-approve comments, they may be hesitant to leave additional comments because they might feel you don’t trust them. If you write about controversial issues, moderating comments is a smart choice, but if you’re delivering mainly informational tips and tutorials, most of the comments you’ll receive will likely NOT be of an inflammatory nature.
4. Respond to social media comments. Many of us stream our blog feed into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media accounts. We also syndicate our blogs so our subscribers receive our latest updates via e-mail. I often receive comments about my blog posts via my social media accounts or via e-mail.
Some bloggers get hot and bothered when this happens to them. “Why don’t people comment on my blog itself?” they whine.
I say, “Get over it.”
People have different preferences in reading blogs, and we need to go where our audience goes. If someone comments on your blog post via Facebook, respond to their comment on Facebook. Simple.
5. Use Google Analytics, a stats-tracking application that provides detailed information about who’s visiting your blog, where they’re coming from, and what blog posts are getting the most readers. Oftentimes, the posts that get the most hits also get more comments. It’s a good tool to help you analyze the types of articles that most appeal to your readers.
6. If and when someone comments, reply to them. Sometimes it’s challenging to come up with more than a quick, “Thanks for your comment, Alicia,” but even that is better than nothing. Address the commenter by name or by screen name and try to add some additional “meaty” content to the discussion. When your readers feel noticed and genuinely appreciated, they’re more likely to become loyal readers and post additional comments.
7. Expect the unexpected. I write several types of blog posts (tutorials, reviews, commentary) and monitor the types that get the most comments. I’m often surprised when posts I thought would get comments receive none, and when posts I assumed no one would care about get comments. Recently, I posted a random Twitter update and received a comment from a “top 10, big name” blogger a few minutes later. Who knew he was following my updates?
BONUS TIP: Comment on others’ blogs & social media accounts. This post was inspired by a LinkedIn discussion to which I contributed a comment. The day after I submitted a comment, I received a “connection” request from another member of the LinkedIn group. She told me she wanted to connect because she liked my comment. She also purchased my e-book, Blogophobia Conquered!
I’m hopeful that my new virtual friend will become a loyal reader of my blog and begin submitting comments.
You never know who may stumble across your blog. So treat all commenters with equal respect and learn from them.
Your turn! What’s your best tip for encouraging comments?
Three Great Places to Find Guest Blogging Opportunities
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One of the best ways to build traffic to your Website/blog is to get incoming links from popular sites. And one of the best ways to generate incoming links is to submit guest articles to other blogs or sites in your industry.
I recommend three excellent, free resources for learning about and submitting guest articles:
HARO (Help A Reporter Out)
Three times daily, you receive an e-mail digest that lists freelance writing opportunities. This free services matches reporters, producers, bloggers, and authors who are researching stories/books with experts in a particular area. The experts provide quotes, background information, and may even end up writing the story. Deadlines are usually same day or next day, so respond instantly to queries that interest you.
I blogged about one of my own writing opportunities via HARO here: An Easy Way to Get Quoted in Tons of Media Outlets
HARO is a great way to feature experts in your own stories, as well as to build your portfolio of published writing. To subscribe: www.helpareporter.com
Reporter Connection
Started in late December 2009 by Bill and Steve Harrison, this daily e-mail digest connects reporters seeking experts to interview with sources.It works the same as HARO.
To receive free media leads: www.ReporterConnection.com/JoinNowFree/
Blogger LinkUp
Created by Cathy Stucker, this free service functions the same as Reporter Connection and HARO, only it’s exclusively for bloggers. You can request guest posts, request sources for interviews & roundups, offer guest posts to bloggers, and offer products (such as your newly-published book) to bloggers for review.
To join: www.bloggerlinkup.com
*Feel free to reprint this post on your own blog. I’ll be happy to e-mail you the HTML, so all you have to do is copy & paste, and the formatting will remain intact. If you reprint it, please include the following byline:
Laura Christianson, aka The Blogging Barista, owns Blogging Bistro (www.BloggingBistro.com), a Seattle-based social media marketing company.
How Are Your YouTube Videos Performing?
Posted by: | CommentsYouTube has a little-known feature called “Insight,” that displays detailed analytics about each of the videos you have uploaded to your account.
To access Insight, do the following:
1. In the upper righthand corner of your screen, click your account name.
2. In the popdown menu, click either “”Account” or “My Videos.”
3. In the upper lefthand area of your page, click “Insight.”
4. You can view statistics on the total views of all your videos, or you can click an individual video for detailed statistics, such as:
a. Total views
b. Daily views
c. Unique viewers
d. Regional popularity (I uploaded a video that is most popular in Belgium, for instance).
e. How people discovered your video; in other words, what links they followed to find your video (YouTube search, related video promotion on YouTube, Google search, external link).
The cool thing about the “Discovery” feature is that it shows you exactly what search terms people used to find you, and it links directly to the related videos people clicked from. This gives you lots of great keyword information so you can better optimize the keyword tags and descriptions on your videos.
f. Depending on how many views your video has received, you may also be able to track viewer demographics, such as their age and what part of the world they’re watching your video from.
g. You can also see how many people are commenting on or subscribing to your videos.
Similar to Google Analytics, Insight provides helpful graphs and charts, and gives you the option to download reports for your YouTube Channel.
Try Insight and let us know one interesting thing you discovered about your YouTube videos.