Archive for Social Networking
Do Your Social Updates Beg Bad Guys to Rob Your Home?
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I read about the popular site, Please Rob Me, on Joan Stewart’s (aka, The Publicity Hound) blog.
Please Rob Me publicizes “opportunities” for robbing “recent empty homes” of those who announce their whereabouts via the foursquare app on their cell phone.
If you set foursquare to automatically broadcast your location to your Facebook and Twitter friends, your update is routed to a scrolling list on PleaseRobMe.com’s home page.
“Dozens of new messages appear each minute,” writes Joan. [I checked; she's right.]
Please Rob Me is not intended to help bad guys break into your home while you’re away — the site’s goal is to raise awareness about online privacy issues. Hopefully, it’ll help rabid networkers make wise decisions about how much personal information they reveal in their updates.
What about you? Do you tell your peeps where you are 24/7? Or do you set firm boundaries around how much you reveal about your whereabouts?
How to Encourage People to Share Your Posts on Their Social Networks
Posted by: | CommentsEva Marie Everson, a writing colleague, e-mailed me a question about her Blogger blog:
How can I encourage readers of my blog to share my posts on other social networks?
I asked Eva Marie whether she wanted to add a “widget” so people who like a particular blog post can re-tweet it or post it to one of their social networks OR whether she wanted to add social media icons to her blog’s sidebar (when people click an icon, they’re linked to Eva Marie’s Twitter or Facebook account, so they can begin following her).
Many people don’t realize these are completely different functions, so I needed to make sure I was answering the right question.
Eva Marie did, indeed, want her fans to be able to re-tweet her blog posts on their own social media sites.
To do this on Blogger, you add a “gadget.”
- Click the “Layout” tab from within your Blogger admin area.
- Then click “Page Elements”
- Click “Add a Gadget”
- In the upper righthand corner of your screen, you’ll see a “search for gadgets” form. Enter the search term “share”
Here are several sharing gadgets you can experiment with:
TweetMeme Retweet – useful for people who want to re-tweet your post.
UpTweet - does the same as TweetMeme.
Share it – a helpful gadget that allows your fans to share the post on either Twitter or Facebook.
Sociable – allows users to share your blog and posts on social networks and social bookmarking sites like Google Bookm arks, Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Technorati, Facebook, Twitter and others.
Facebook Share – allows your fans to share your post on Facebook.
- Once you’ve selected the gadget you want, click the big “plus” sign on the right side of your screen.
- A pop-up form will offer you some configuration options. Configure the gadget, click Save, and then drag and drop the gadget where you want it to appear in your blog’s sidebar.
Eva Marie went through the process, and e-mailed me:
I DID IT!!!!
You have no idea how BIG this moment is.
Do you have a question for the Blogging Barista? Ask away; I regularly feature reader questions on my blog.
Get a Social Media Tip of the Day for a Full Year
Posted by: | CommentsLast night, at the meeting of our local writers’ association, a woman approached me.
“I really like getting your Social Media Tip of the Day in my Inbox,” she said. They’re helpful, and they seem to come at the exact time I need to hear that particular bit of advice.”
Social Media Tip of the Day is a one-sentence tip intended to inform or inspire you regarding some aspect of blogging, Twitter, Facebook, or social media marketing in general. I don’t try to sell you anything. It’s just a tip. Period.
Here are two ways to access the tips:
1. Become a fan of Blogging Bistro on Facebook.
We post a fresh tip daily on our Wall — we’re on Day 33 today! You can scroll through all the previous tips there, too.
2. Subscribe to Bright Ideas Blogzine, our free, monthly e-newsletter.
When you confirm your subscription, you’ll receive two items:
Your Social Media Plan: How to create a coordinated attack that integrates your blog, Web site, Facebook, and Twitter content. This 9-page report contains lots of practical action steps to help you develop your own social media strategy.
About five days after your subscription kicks in, you’ll begin receiving social media tips in your Inbox. You’ll get one each day for two weeks, and then weekly after that.
To subscribe to Bright Ideas, just enter your name and e-mail address in the form in the righthand sidebar of my Web site, or send a blank e-mail to bloggingbistro@aweber.com. You’ll instantly receive a confirmation e-mail asking you to verify your subscription request. Just click the link and you’re all set.
Universities Monitor Athletes’ Use of Social Networking Sites
Posted by: | CommentsStudent athletes at universities around the U.S. will think twice before posting questionable material to their Facebook and MySpace accounts. 
Many universities are monitoring their athletes’ use of social networking sites.
At the University of Iowa, for instance, student leaders monitor the profiles for members of their team. Other schools allow administrators or coaches to monitor sites.
Why the need to monitor?
Because students are students; some of them post pictures of themselves and their teammates drinking, they put down their coaches and/or programs, and they gossip about their teammates.
Social networking is huge among the college-age crowd, but some students haven’t learned to put appropriate boundaries around what they post online. Failing to realize the long-term ramifications of posting potentially damaging material to a public forum, they publish anything and everything.
To lessen the possibility of students living to regret a momentary lapse in judgment, university administrators are stepping in, taking a more active role in monitoring content that could damage not only the students, but the university’s image (and thus recruiting, and thus, a winning season, and thus, more cash donations from happy alumni…you get the picture).
Is it censorship?
Some students cry “CENSORSHIP” at these monitoring policies. I’m a former journalism instructor and a proponent of freedom of the press, but I don’t view these monitoring policies as censorship. Rather, I agree with North Carolina athletics director Dick Baddour, who says:
“What people do now affects their lives forever, and what they do affects us, so we want to make sure that’s done in the right way.”
Social networking policies protect athletes from themselves.
What do you think?
Source:
“Schools make rules for social networking,” by Kyle Oppenhuizen, USA TODAY, July 28, 2008
Social Media Mom and the Search for Her Missing Teenager
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My sons celebrate the arrival of their Xbox 360 this Christmas.
I hadn’t seen or heard from my 17-year-old son for 12 hours.
After his Saturday-morning basketball practice, Ben had gone to a friend’s house to hang out. I had neglected to give him a firm time to check in or come home, so of course, he didn’t do either. Around 8:30 p.m., I began having those “mom” visions of him splattered on the side of a road somewhere.
You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just text him or call his cell. Uh… he’s one of the few teenagers on the planet who does not own a cell phone. (My mantra: Want a cell phone? Get a job!) I didn’t know his friend’s number, either, nor did I know his friend’s address (and I was too lazy to look it up in the phone book).
So my husband, our 13-year-old, and I put our heads together. I suggested texting Ben via his iPod Touch, but it was locked. Then my hubby had the bright idea of seeing if Ben was online, playing Xbox 360 Live. Our 13-year-old gaming expert logged on to our Xbox, and sure enough, there was Ben’s avatar, immersed in an 8-hour shoot ‘em up gaming marathon.
After our 13-year-old delightedly informed his brother of how much trouble he was in for not checking in, I grabbed the headset.
“Hey, Ben; it’s Mom.”
“Oh, Hi, Mrs. Christianson. This is Chase.”
“Hi, Ben’s mom. It’s Jon.”
After I greeted his friends, my son said hello, and agreed to come home within the hour.
Mystery solved, thanks to the marvels of social media.
People don’t often think of video games as social media, but they truly are. With Internet connectivity and the ability to play interactive games with others across the globe, video games have become the social medium of choice for many. At least for teenage boys.
Develop Your Imagination in Social Media
Posted by: | Comments“The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old questions from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”—Albert Einstein
This is a guest column by Beth Willis Miller. If you’d like to submit a guest post to Blogging Bistro, check out the guidelines.
When I served as the Florida Department of Education State Consultant for Gifted Education, I was frequently asked to provide technical assistance to school districts regarding strategies to improve creative and critical thinking skills. In this blog post, I have identified some strategies with practical action steps to help you develop your imagination in social media.
Strategies for Developing Your Imagination
Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration are the four primary strategies for developing and improving creative thinking or imagination.
1. Fluency is the ability to think of many answers to a question, to list many possible solutions to a problem, or to generate a number of responses. Fluency is being able to think of lots of plans or ideas. You are fluent when you can:
- Think of a long list of reasons for…
- Make a very long list of…
- List many uncommon uses for a common thing, like…
2. Flexibility is the ability to change your way of thinking about a problem or situation. It is the ability to think of alternative ideas and to adapt to different situations. You are flexible when you can:
- Think of an alternative to…
- Think of another way to…
- Invent an interesting way to…
3. Originality is the ability to think of fresh or unusual designs, ideas, responses, or styles. People who are original are independent and creative in their thoughts and actions. They create things that are new, different, or unique. You are original when you can:
- Suggest a unique name for…
- Devise a tool that will help you…
- Design a…
4. Elaboration is the process of expanding an idea by adding detail. To elaborate, you must understand the original idea and see a way to clarify or improve it by adding specific details. You are elaborating when you add to, enlarge, enrich, or expand descriptions, designs, drawings, explanations, instructions, reports or stories. You are using elaboration when you can:
- Add extra details to…
- Tell more about…
- Explain in greater detail…
Beth Willis Miller, former Florida Department of Education State Consultant for Gifted Education, has a Master’s Degree in Education, and currently serves in special ministries at the First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland, Florida. Married to Jack for 36 years, Beth is the mother of two, a daughter, Tracy (30), and a son, Jason (18).
Social Media Icons for Your Web Site or Blog
Posted by: | CommentsIf you have a profile at multiple social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., it’s helpful to upload clickable icons to your Web site, blog, or e-newsletter. That way, if someone wants to follow you on Facebook, for instance, they can click the icon and jump instantly to your Facebook page.
I’ve been experimenting with icons, and learned that it’s best not to mix different sets of icons. I uploaded some 3-D icons, some round ones, and some square ones, put them all in a row, and they looked terrible!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an entire set of all the icons I was looking for in the exact shape I wanted, so I opted for a meld of square and round icons, all 32 x 32 pixels. It’s not perfect, but the overall look is much more consistent:
If you upload multiple icons to your site, it’s important that they are all the same size. Standard sizes for icons are:
- 128 x 128 pixels
- 64 x 64
- 48 x 48
- 32 x 32
- 24 x 24
- 16 x 16
Several graphic designers make icon sets available for free, as long as you don’t re-sell them. *Note: some designers require you to pay a license fee if you use the icon for commercial purposes.
Here are some icon sites from which I’ve downloaded icons:
IconArchive - Check out their wide variety of Social Network Icons. I was tempted to download the heart-shaped Chococons, but I figured I’d get too hungry every time I update my blog!
Blog Perfume – I like these simple, classic round icons:
WebToolKit4Me – The Polaroid Icon Set looks contemporary and IDs each social network — particularly handy for social media newbies:
You can use icons in your e-mail signature line, as well. I just freshened up my sig line and added icon links to my two most-used social media — Twitter and Facebook:
How about you?
- What are your favorite icon sites?
- How do you use icons creatively in your marketing?
The Best of Blogging Bistro 2009
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Yesterday I shared 16 of my best social media tutorials from the past year. Today, you get links to 14 more popular blog articles from 2009.
15 Secrets For the Perfect Business Portrait
The Three Best, All-Time Tips for Increasing Your Blog’s Readership
12 Reasons Why I Refuse to Follow You On Twitter
7 Marketing Lessons I Learned at a Rock Concert
The Cardinal Rule for Social Media Marketing
Setting Blogging Goals: How Often Will You Update?
How to Create a Blogging Editorial Calendar
Two Seconds to Impact! (Bright Ideas Blogzine, November 2009)
How to Connect with Your Readers – WII-FM
Why Every Writer Needs to be on Twitter
Body Language Lessons to Help You Become a More Effective Communicator (Bright Ideas Blogzine, May 2009)
The 3 Ps for Creating the Perfect Internet Profile (Bright Ideas Blogzine, June 2009)
