Pinterest gets a pinteresting new look!

Pinterested has added a few new things to the close-up view of pins to help you discover things you love that you might not have known about otherwise, including:

-Pins from the same board: You can explore the entire board without leaving the page you’re on.

-Pins from the same source: Here you’ll find other things pinned from the same website.

 Source: Pinterest Blog. Read full article here. http://blog.pinterest.com/post/45669182372/our-new-look-more-ways-to-discover-what-you-love

LinkedIn Starting to Look a Lot Like Facebook

A major redesign of LinkedIn's interface is rolling out this week. Several large companies with early access have adopted the new streamlined look. Immediate reaction ..... it looks a whole lot like Facebook Timeline! 

There are a bunch of things I like about Facebook that are being adopted by LinkedIn in this upgrade. LinkedIn has always been the clunky "wanna be" from my viewpoint. 

I never saw the value of linking to friends I already have on Facebook, or linking to people in my company Outlook address book, creating just another feed of information in my busy day. 

I never saw the reason to create a profile that is essentially my resume. If LinkedIn changed personal profile capabilities to allow broader range info, I might buy in. That said I'm getting over my reluctance.

With this new interface the experience will become more visually appealing with photos, posts and comments capabilities that we are so used to on Facebook. Company pages can be targeted to the many business users who could care less about Facebook. Bosses will encourage employees to spend time on this social media tool. LinkedIn has been wise to focus on building their user base in the business world.

I've started using LinkedIn in my business research as I seek teaming partners to bid on projects together. LinkedIn is a great and growing source of interactive communication as it settles into being the go to site for business. Promoting a better designed and interactive company page capability will certainly draw more eyeballs to company profiles. Check out the early adopter pages for Phillips, Citi, and Expedia. 

OK, I'm sold, hitting the "like" button. A major step forward from the old links to a company website that not only took you away from LinkedIn pages, but where you could rarely find a list of staff you are trying to connect with. Maybe more people will join LinkedIn and companies will have an even greater presence for collaborative teaming. Now, companies, get past just posting job openings on your profile. Promote your whole company! For more information, navigate to LinkedIn's blog article here>>

Facebook Releases Faster App for iPhones and Androids

iPhone and iPad users rejoice! Facebook rebuilt its app from the ground up to address speed issues. Gone is the old web-based code, replaced by native iOS code. Gone are some of the infrequently used features that slowed down the app, others that made it clunky. Timeline is being rolled out for iPad users. Look for Instagram integration with iOS which Facebook recently purchased. Not to be left out, Androids got a speedier new app, too.

Read Wired Magazine's review>>

 

Attracting More Customers Through Facebook

HubSpot has a handy new guide packed with tips and strategy on how to use Facebook to attract more customers. I downloaded the free copy and am taking notes as I read through its well-organized and in-depth content.

(Source: HubSpot)

The clamour to "get on Facebook" is noisy out there. For businesses reluctant to take the plunge, this guide is an excellent resource that demonstrates with the right strategy you can build and engage viewers on Facebook then convert them to paying customers.

Get your free download here>>

Pinterest Posting Tips

Tips from Posse Social Media on how to let others pin to your pinterest boards. Pinterest is confusing enough to manage, now Posse shares a way to manage on multiple devices and posting with login for personal vs. business account.

Read full article here>>

Facebook's new targeted market options for posts

If you are a marketing pro, you will love these new customer targeting tools from Facebook. Wondering if you can select multiple categories in the drop down menu. Navigating to my page now to test it out. ~~ Linda

____________________________

(Source: Mashable)

 

Facebook on Friday announced new options for brand Pages to target their posts.

While previously Page admins could only target by language and location, the company has added new options, including:

• Gender
• Interested In
• Relationship Status
• Education
• Workplace

A Facebook rep gave the following example of how a marketer might use the new option: “Say you want to target an audience for a back-to-school campaign. You can drill down to college kids 18 to 21, so your post will be seen more by that age group.” 

The new capability comes a few weeks after Twitter made it possible for marketers to send targeted tweets based on location, devices and platform. 

Read full article here>>

Organizations see social media as threat rather than asset

Interesting, my last post shared a survey conducted by Burson-Marsteller indicating strong growth in the adoption of social media by Fortune 100 global companies, and a view that it helped grow their business. HBR's assessment shows organizations view social media as a threat. ~ Linda

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(Source: Harvard Business Review) 

Most Organizations Still Fear Social Media

[Excerpt] In just a few years, social media has come to dominate many of our personal communications. We collaborate daily, sometimes productively, sometimes not. Most organizations, however, still view social media as a threat to productivity, intellectual capital, security, privacy, management authority, or regulatory compliance. In fact, this is the most common attitude among the more than 250 organizations that have taken our Social Readiness Assessment. 

Read full article and poll here>>

LinkedIn Becomes More Social

LinkedIn is delivering news content to professionals through its LinkedIn Today product. This week they adopted new social features that allow commenting on news articles.  You can use their new tab filter "Trending in Your Network" to deliver news that the most relevant to your professional network. Read the article here.

While they were tweeking the site, LinkedIn rolled out an easier way to navigate the homepage. With these new features perhaps this casual user, will be tempted to use my LinkedIn account more often. Read the article here.

(Source: LinkedIn)

Burson-Marsteller's #SocialMedia Study Packed With Content

Do you have clients who need a little persuasion to convince them of the merits of a social media campaign? They ask, why go to all this trouble? A newly released study by Burson-Marsteller answers that question. It tracks adoption of social media by Fortune 100 global businesses. It shows steady growth in the use of social media and adapting to new features and platforms. The largest growth was the use of video to promote business through YouTube by creating branded channels. These global businesses also use Facebook and Twitter to drive engagement through multiple accounts that can be targeted to different demographics and geographic regions. Click here for study results and a presentation.

(Source: Burson-Marsteller)

Social Media Provokes More Plastic Surgery?

(Source: Mashable.com)

Doctors say Facebook and video-chatting tools like Skype and FaceTime have partly fueled this decade’s boom in plastic surgery.

 

“People will come in and say, ‘I saw myself in the mirror, but I didn’t really notice it until I saw myself on Facebook or on my iPhone or iPad,’” says Dr. Adam Schaffner, a New York plastic surgeon. “When you look in the mirror you’re seeing the mirror image of yourself. But when you see yourself on social media, you’re seeing yourself the way the world sees you.”

This new, social-media-derived vanity is driving plastic surgeons to cater to the growing market. Schaffner performs a surgery called the “Lifestyle Lift,” a minimally invasive procedure to tighten up the face. 

Read full article here>>

 

Watch Your Words! #Facebook Monitors Your Chats for Criminal Activity

(Source: Mashable.com)

#Facebook and other social platforms are watching users’ chats for criminal activity and notifying police if any suspicious behavior is detected, according to a report.

The screening process begins with scanning software that monitors chats for words or phrases that signal something might be amiss, such as an exchange of personal information or vulgar language. 

The software pays more attention to chats between users who don’t already have a well-established connection on the site and whose profile data indicate something may be wrong, such as a wide age gap. The scanning program is also “smart” — it’s taught to keep an eye out for certain phrases found in the previously obtained chat records from criminals including sexual predators.

Read full article here>>

Improve your #SocialMedia videos with these handy tips and gear

As a professional videographer, hauling around the typical heavy camera and gear, I find this article particularly interesting. While the smartphone camera's can't compete with professional quality settings and capabilities, they are fun and easy to use for social media sites. ~~Linda

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(Source: USA Today)

With more than 365 million Apple mobile devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) and 350 million Android devices in consumers' hands, it's easy to say that more folks have access to a video camera than ever before.

But how to take advantage of the surprisingly robust video features offered by the mobile devices? It's a question many are grappling with, as they produce shaky videos with poor sound that don't look as polished as some of the best work on YouTube and Facebook.

There are easy solutions.

In a nutshell, steady the image and improve the sound, and you're halfway home. The good news: You don't need a big video camera anymore to get great videos.

The cameras in smartphones have so improved that with a little thought and some tools, you can make great-looking work.

Read full article and watch video >>

Realtors! New Facebook app displays MLS-approved IDX listings

Realtors building a social media presence? This new Facebook app sounds like a great idea. Check out details here >>

Top 30 Social Media Bloggers: Get the list now

I'll be checking out this great resource. watch out, getting ready to hit the "following" button on Twitter, for sure!

Get the list here, read full article from Promotion World >>

Handy Guide Explains Facebook Promoted Posts

Great article by the Social Media Examiner. Lots of confusion over this issue, especially in the non-profit world, plenty of folks are outraged they have to pay to reach their fans.

Full article here >> http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-promoted-posts/

SCORE Workshop WordPress & Social Media

About SCORE: http://www.score.org/

Article link:  http://bit.ly/NAPW6u 

Registration link: http://conta.cc/MVRUTj

Where & When

Date: Saturday July 14, 2012

Time: Part 1 8:00 Am to 10:00 AM

Time: Part 2 10:00 Am to 1:45 PM  

Location:

National University

3390 Harbor Blvd.

Costa Mesa,, CA 92626

Cost:

Part 1 No-charge

Part 2 $139 Online only

If you have never taken advantage of SCORE services, now might be a great time to consider. They have jumped on the Social Media bandwagon and offer a wide variety of seminars, most of them free! I highly recommend. They have excellent speakers and do a great job covering the topic.

~~ blogger Linda Ivanov

______________________________________

SCORE Workshop

Supercharge Your WordPress Marketing

Plus Bonus

Social Media Marketing Made Simple

Click here to pre-register 

Join Us For A 2-Part Session Focusing on a WordPress Bootcamp  plus Bonus Social Media Marketing Made Simple

Plan on arriving early, 8;00 - 8:30 am for Registration & Networking.   Part 1 starts promptly at 8:30 am and starts the day with Social Media Marketing Made Simple (No-charge) that will cover strategies and best practices to get the most out of your social media activities, including: What social media marketing really is and why use it Introduction to social media channels and how to evaluate what's right for your business or organization How small businesses are using these low-cost tools to gain visibility, develop relationships and drive sales and response How to create good content for your social media marketing campaigns and time management How to balance social media marketing with email marketing and your other marketing efforts

Part 2 will begin at 10:00 am  Roll up your sleeves and dive into WordPress.During this bootcamp experts will demonstrate how to manage and maintain a blog or website with WordPress. Plus you'll walk away knowing the latest, greatest & coolest tools designed to save you time and money.  What you will learn: Why WordPress is so popular for business websites & blogs How to leverage the power & flexibility of WordPress to increase sales How to choose the right theme How to update & manage your blog or website Top 10 Must Have Plugins Learn the difference between Plugins and Widgets Helpful WordPress Resources & Tips 12 Keys to Successful Blogs How to measure & track results with Analytics During the later half of the WordPress bootcamp you will have hands-on assistance from the experts.  Who is this seminar designed for? Businesses that are... Using WordPress for their blog Using WordPress for their website Considering making the switch to WordPress We strongly recommend that you have the latest version of WordPress 3.4 installed and have access to it via your web hosting company. If you do not already have WordPress installed, you will be provided with access to a "practice" WordPress site where you will gain hands-on experience. Please note that access to the "practice" site will only be made available on July 14th. We strongly advise you to have a current backup of your website or blog prior to attending the event. We are happy to assist you but not responsible for any issues if you do not have a back up. The hands-on portion of the bootcamp will NOT be covering the following: styling, custom programming, plug-in conflicts and theme conflicts. Refund policy: Attendance to Session/Part 2 is by paid admission only and is specifically associated with this event, date and venue.    Registration/payment for Part 2 cannot be transferred, traded, substituted or refunded. Registrants for Part2 that cannot attend the paid event, for what ever reason, will simply forfeit the cost of admission. Cost for Part 2 - $139.00

Space is limited, sign up today!  Please Click Here to pre-register

SCORE services are provided on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to race, gender, national origin, or disability

Become a Social Media Manager

http://socialmediamanagerschool.com/landing/freeclass-2/

Sharing a great video (1 hr) that takes you through the process of becoming an effective social media manager. How to attract clients and what to charge for your services. 

Social Media Humor: Post It Maze

Facebook Plays "Hide and Seek" With Users Email Addresses

This week Facebook quietly hid from profiles all personal email addresses and  replaced info with an assigned Facebook email address. Yes, perhaps there is a good reason not to show the world your personal email address. Facebook no longer gives its 900 million users the option. Take a look at your profile "About" section. Notice you have a new Facebook email address. Why would anyone use it? Apparently nobody cared. The service has been around since 2010, but was ignored. To solve the problem Facebook simply changed your profile driving people who want to get in contact with you to use the new Facebook email address. To reveal your personal email again on your profile, edit contact info and select "Show on Timeline." Facebook is attempting to keep eyeballs from wandering away from the site. Your new Facebook email essentially runs through their messaging service. What happens if you block messaging? Block posting? Don't want to post your personal email? How will you be reached? What will Facebook surprise us with next? Send me an email at linda.ivanov@facebook.com. Let's check out what happens. Read more>>

Capture the Women's Vote in 2012 with Social Media

According to Forbes, social media will play a key role in capturing the attention of women voters in the 2012 Elections. Forbes blogger, Deborah Jacobs, says "moms have embraced social media, including blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, in dramatic fashion. Our Mom Central research studies show that 3 out of 5 moms blog, and 9 out of 10 moms list Facebook as their go-to social media destination. And while moms may have initially learned about social media to monitor on our kids’ internet use, we quickly found that blogs and other social media platforms allowed us to make connections with other moms." Read full article>>