Interactive Medias Blog: September 2009

Monday, September 21, 2009

Facebook 101 Series: Overview

Facebook
    Ranked #4 by Alexa in highest traffic Rating beaten only by Yahoo, Google,     and Youtube. So not only is facebook for fun but also a fantastic marketing     tool.
REGISTER & JOIN FACEBOOK
    Step one
Profile Setup
    -Privacy Settings
    -Notifications (email, Phone)
    -Interests (this edits the ads you receive, and since most friends aren't going     to look at this I recommend doing this based off that)
        -Unless your set to private everyone can see your profile picture
    Passwords, credit card, email, and other admin is under account settings
    -The box under profile picture: good for note about who you are, contact info     on business pages or just random comments about your life or a joke...
Vanity url
    http://facebook.com/username
Deactivate your account
    Settings/Deactivate
    Confirm
    Select a reason
    You can later reactivate it using the same email you originally signed up with
        you will only lose your groups.. yes facebook keeps your info.. forever
Credit Card
    Only needed for gifts and Ads is under settings/manage cc
Join Networks
    Settings / Account /Networks
    Limited to 60 days so get it right the first time
-Poking
    Why?
    Will allow someone you are not friends with to see basic information of you
-Status Updates
    Much like twitter can be about anything
Wall
    -Includes everything going on with you: photos, status updates, notes, links,     videos etc.
    -Wall-to-wall conversations (remember others can see this if you want it         private use facebook email or real email... or pick up the phone)
    -Wall to wall so you can see just a thread of two people
    -You can NOT mediate wall posts before they are added, but you can get     emails and text messages when someone writes on your wall
    -Facebook only lets you write on your friends' walls
    -Applications can post to your wall unless you go into account settings and     change this. So if you play games regularly changing this might be good to     prevent annoying your friends.
    There is no way to delete your entire wall posts at once.
    -what to post: business updates, fun trips, what your doing, useful articals
-News Feed
        -Keeps you updated on friends, pictures and more
        -You can set up groups to be able to section friends out in chat and in         your newsfeed
        -Don't spam people's walls. If your account has been hacked, change         your password. Spam means going on other peoples walls and being         self promoting.
        -If you don't want to see one particular person in your news feed you         can set it up to have them in a special group or not see them at all,         this is better then unfriending your friends. (I'm one of those prolific         few that you may want to set this up for if you dont want to see me all         the time.. because lets face it.. I'm not going to shut up.)
        -Removing stuff from newsfeed (invisible just scroll over the item on         your wall and click remove)
-Groups
    -Key Groups to join
    -Analytics
    Great for non-profits and networking events
    MAx 300 Groups you can join
-Business Page
    -Setup
    -Twitter Streaming
    -Analytics
        including comments, clicks, and page views.
    -Add Value, Send relevant messages (if your a restaurant invites to events, if     your a marketer send tips but don't abuse this and only do it at max once a     week)
    -Events (then advertise)
    -add to page favorites - (cross marketing your companies)
    -Wall sesttings (just you or you and fans)
    -Subscribe
    -Suggest to friends
    -Ranking of notes (like)
    -Admin
    -market products and add pictures with descriptions
    -Post package deals
    -share surveys to gain credibility
    -post upcoming events and webinars, conferences or programs
-Fan Page
    Great for non-profits and networking events
    -If you have over 100 members you get a vanity plate
    -Admin
    Member officers (good for clubs)
    -share
Fan box
    To use on your blog or website
    Facebook fanbox wiki
-Events
    For Friends (group events are under groups or pages)
    -share
-Marketing
    -Marketplace
        -Sell Items
        -Buy Items
        -Find an Apartment
        Post Job listings or search for them
        -where market place is located
    -Ads
        -Facebook Ads (ad or promote a page)
        -Get Started
        -Choose Who you want to target, country, demographics, keywords         (facebook will give you recommendations), workplaces, political             views, relationship status
        -6billion + on facebook over the age of 18 so the more targeted the         better
        -Step 3 is create your add. Make the title catchy, a statement or             something that talks directly to the person is great, proactive words         are great, short and to the point, then add a photo that relates to your         topic
        -Facebook will let peoples friends know when a person visits your ad         which will broaden your social graph and is a nice add on to facebook
        -Step four you get to choose your ads, type and price (you can go as         low as a penny per click or pay per views)
        -Then you get to review your ad and place order or change your ad
        -Add your credit card and billing information then click place order
        -Review all your campaigns
        -Checkout your daily stats and click through rates to review how             effective they are
        -Click on individual ads to get specific information
        -Note that once your ad is set up you can not change the targeting or         copy, without deleting it and starting over
    You may want to connect with Fb influencers facebook.com/influencers
-Search
    Search tips, keywords
    organizing between pages vs. people
-Connect other networks
    -Flickr
    -Twitter
    -YouTube
    -Blog
    -(facebook now owns friendfeed) expect to see it integrated over time
Facebook Beacon
    -Beacon works by allowing affiliate websites to send stories about actions you take to     Facebook.
    facebook.com/beacon
Facebook Connect
    -Users can use their existing Facebook profiles to login to a site
    -As a site owner facebook can tell you how many of the users friends are using     your site
    -you get to advertise on facebook for free (wall)
    -use the facebook wiki to learn more about facebooks anatomy
    -download the sample code
    -enable the developer application
    use instructions from the wiki for set up
    then insert your api key and test code on your demo site and connect to facebook
    -from a user standpoint you get to auto share information (digg, youtube, etc)
    -great for lifestreaming
-Notes
    -tag people
-Pictures
    -Setup
    -Finding Photos again (the bottom left)
    -share
    Make profile picture
        -scroll over current picture or use an albumn go to that page then click         make profile picture at the bottom right
    Tagging/untagging
    -Create a slideshow on facebook with your photos
    -Optimize your photos with links to relevant websites, photographers and tag     friends
Apps
    -Scrabulous
    -Farmville
    -Poker
    -Family Tree
    -Ninja or Pirate Games
-Mobile
    Subscribe
    Notifications
    Email
    N for more
-Video
    Setup
Friends
    -Finding Friends
        Using email
        Using im
    Search for friends
        -Anyone -use the search facebook icon
        -for a classmate or coworker friend finder or people you amy know         and use the list of schools and employers youve listed
    -add a personal message
    -get rid of the verification letters that your human setup mobile settings
    Accepting friends
        -friend requestions under home in upper right, add friend
    -Related friends (people you may know)
        -Not the place to add random people you do not know, twitter yes,             facebook no.
    -"Thank you for the friend request, I look forward to getting to know you. Drop     by my page and keep in touch."
    -cap is 5000?
    -Recommend Friends
    Remove a friend
        -view all or go to their page via search
        -scroll to bottom
        -bottom left remove from friends
    How to Block Friends
    How to set up limited profiles and restrictions
    -before traveling check look up people in the area and business contacts to     let them know youll be in town
    -research prospects before meeting them
    -upload your contact list from your email client
    -if you lost your phone download a list of phone numbers or start a group to
    get the ones you lost
    -find guest experts in your field to invite for your blog
Gift
    Will be posted on there wall and in a gift box (free and paid gifts are just little     charms and random ways for fb to make money)
Lists
    -Keep under a hundred people
    -Key for privacy settings
    -Great for organizing events (one time) otherwise have a group
        -Recommended lists:
        -People you don't know (if your semi-famous or famous) maybe do a         group instead? or people who want to network with you maybe             recommend linked in or twitter to
        -Real Friends
        -Online only friends (maybe block from seeing photos of your kids)
        -Coworkers (don't get caught with bad photos or lying about a sick             day)
        -Family (depends on how cool your family is)

Privacy Settings
    Be invisible (unsearchable)
    Be Public
    Make Limited profiles
    news feed and wall privacy
Mark Zuckerberg
Stalkernet
Chat
    Lists
    Online offline
    Does not save archives yet
    Asleep
Email
    -Don't mass spam or email.. if your going to do that alot set up a group or you     can get kicked off
    -Notifications
    -If you email people you don't like or don't know, even if you block them they     will be able to see your profile for 30 days after that, so do this with caution
Celebrities
    Fan Pages
    Searching
    Finding official pages (validity - website google search)
Protect yourself from Facebook Piracy
    Don't click on email links
    Make your passwords unique
    Change your password at least yearly

Facebook Manners
    Don't post embarrassing photos of other people (at least without there         permission)
    Be descrete when posting messages on other peoples wall
    Don't breakup with someone online
    Don't make fun of people or start hate groups
    Don't Spam your friends via email, wall posts or links (this can get you kicked     off fb)
    Don't Spam add people (this can also get you banned from facebook)
    IF you are a company don't set up a profile for a company use business         pages (this too can get you kicked off fb.)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROYzrm5SBM

Birthday Reminders
    Be a good friend and say happy birthday on someones wall

Promoting your facebook
    -use memes, badges, images and links on your site or other social networks
    -include a url in your email signature and business card


facebook.com/desaraev


Don't replace your facebook friends with real friends.

As always you are more then welcome to use any of my content, repost it, rewrite it, and broadcast it all I ask is that you link back to where you found it (http://interactivemedias.blogspot.com)

I would also love to hear YOUR comments, questions or concerns of my posts and reviews! What do you think, its ok if our opinions don't match up! Leave a comment or let me know what you would like to learn more about and maybe it will become my next blog post or video blog.

Also don't forget to subscribe to my video tutorials (on youtube or itunes) as well as subscribe to my blog posts on here so you can have the latest web tips, tricks and book reviews delivered directly to your inbox!

Thanks for reading!

--Desarae A. Veit
Agency Couture

Sunday, September 20, 2009

200 Creative and Customized Twitter Backgrounds for Your Inspiration in Under 10 Minutes

Tools for FREE twitter backgrounds: http://www.designfreebies.org/twitter-backgrounds/10-best-resources-for-free-twitter-backgrounds/

List of Twitter Accounts Featured in This Video:

Twtbg

twtme

singlefunction

http://twitter.com/barbiestyle

http://twitter.com/hollymadison123

http://twitter.com/JetBlue

http://twitter.com/ozh

http://twitter.com/JollyLizard

http://twitter.com/anousone

http://twitter.com/bobbychandler

http://twitter.com/mmaine2008

http://twitter.com/studio3k

http://twitter.com/Wardere

http://twitter.com/Zenabobena

http://twitter.com/singraham

http://twitter.com/Glo_sweet

http://twitter.com/marimoon

http://twitter.com/taabata

http://twitter.com/sharebrain

http://twitter.com/sannychong

http://twitter.com/dani

http://twitter.com/pipitakitty

http://twitter.com/NetiQ

http://twitter.com/izasieczkowski

http://twitter.com/AbuQuelty

http://twitter.com/rodrigoxrocks

http://twitter.com/amartindesign

http://twitter.com/merylpixelmagic

http://twitter.com/chadmcmillan

http://twitter.com/MikevHoenselaar

http://twitter.com/imjustcreative

http://twitter.com/andysowards

http://twitter.com/betterinpink

http://twitter.com/freshid

http://twitter.com/ohdanb

http://twitter.com/ithinkmedia

http://twitter.com/AgencyCouture

http://twitter.com/BacardiGirls

http://twitter.com/SkyBlueSales

http://twitter.com/NextDoorAgent

http://twitter.com/Desaraev

http://twitter.com/JacksonsCoffee

http://twitter.com/WestSideSkydive

http://twitter.com/DrKulick

http://twitter.com/bccreative

http://twitter.com/MommyMelee

http://twitter.com/Chadengle

http://twitter.com/Manutd_fc

http://twitter.com/mnpr

http://twitter.com/IvyCleaners

http://twitter.com/CoutureCare

http://twitter.com/Knoxlife

http://twitter.com/giftcardgiver

http://twitter.com/flavorpill

http://twitter.com/ABetterLA

http://twitter.com/BetUSFootball

http://twitter.com/GreatBigStuff

http://twitter.com/JeffAndrews

http://twitter.com/Stephenriley

http://twitter.com/WeHeart

http://twitter.com/DeborahWoehr

http://twitter.com/BarackObama

http://twitter.com/WholeFoods

http://twitter.com/BritneySpears

http://twitter.com/Zappos

http://twitter.com/TheOnion

http://twitter.com/Threadless

http://twitter.com/MrTweet

http://twitter.com/Twitter_Tips

http://twitter.com/PerryBelcher

http://twitter.com/RobMcNealy

http://twitter.com/Techxav

http://twitter.com/Sniki

http://twitter.com/Sniki_Beta

http://twitter.com/ShawnRobinson

http://twitter.com/PauloCoelho

http://twitter.com/LadyGaga

http://twitter.com/DiyanaAlcheva

http://twitter.com/LarryWentz

http://twitter.com/DDGriffith

http://twitter.com/ScotMcKay

http://twitter.com/Zaibatsu

http://twitter.com/LiveEarth

http://twitter.com/EverywhereTrip

http://twitter.com/MichaelMillman

http://twitter.com/Ciatko

http://twitter.com/hootsuite

http://twitter.com/williger

http://twitter.com/newsweek

http://twitter.com/mattbacak

http://twitter.com/starbucks

http://twitter.com/kevincottrell

http://twitter.com/ThinkReferrals

http://twitter.com/TheDigitalLife

http://twitter.com/Alicam

http://twitter.com/Kamper

http://twitter.com/OHHDLinfo

http://twitter.com/upicks

http://twitter.com/JayOatway

http://twitter.com/suburbview

http://twitter.com/Ludwikc

http://twitter.com/twittess

http://twitter.com/Jason_Pollock

http://twitter.com/TerryWygal

http://twitter.com/Geraldromine

http://twitter.com/meteorit

http://twitter.com/mmaine2008

http://twitter.com/bongobrian

http://twitter.com/canvascubed

http://twitter.com/aleklisefski

http://twitter.com/Collagesnet

http://twitter.com/cyantist

http://twitter.com/dickieadams

http://twitter.com/distl

http://twitter.com/div_

http://twitter.com/Doubleolee

http://twitter.com/EcoCandles

http://twitter.com/Go_Media

http://twitter.com/gulllek

http://twitter.com/Hicksdesign

http://twitter.com/imjustcreative

http://twitter.com/MhdBadl

http://twitter.com/miscellaneaarts

http://twitter.com/MRHYPERPCS

http://twitter.com/rodsterace

http://twitter.com/robnicadesign

http://twitter.com/scottclark

http://twitter.com/seenickrun

http://twitter.com/spurrachel

http://twitter.com/JStarDaDiva

http://twitter.com/genneh

http://twitter.com/cherluvya

http://twitter.com/cubedesignz

http://twitter.com/tufabrand

http://twitter.com/sezkitten

http://twitter.com/ilymussobros

http://twitter.com/939design

http://twitter.com/benek

http://twitter.com/divvoted

http://twitter.com/pixellent

http://twitter.com/Nabbit

http://twitter.com/waynesutton

http://twitter.com/garyvee

http://twitter.com/problogger

http://twitter.com/keylimecreative

http://twitter.com/frenden

http://twitter.com/daniesq

http://twitter.com/bittbox

http://twitter.com/theleggett

http://twitter.com/gordymac

http://twitter.com/webdesigngirl

http://twitter.com/obox

http://twitter.com/alydesigns

http://twitter.com/chadmcmilan

http://twitter.com/chrisspooner

http://twitter.com/paulgabriel

http://twitter.com/oneeighteenadv

http://twitter.com/efashionguide

http://twitter.com/theantoerien

http://twitter.com/sabaibodytemple

http://twitter.com/mint

http://twitter.com/eh

http://twitter.com/emom

http://twitter.com/chicagomoms

Friday, September 18, 2009

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Twitter Tips: How to Tweet, Twitter Etiquette, and How to Brand your Twitter Account

FIVE FREE VIDEOS ON HOW TO USE TWITTER:

Branding yourself on Twitter
How to set up your twitter account and setings.

Short Video Recap:

Customize your Name
Customize your name, it is what represents you and what people see you every time they see you. Don't make it sexual and no numbers. Make it easy to type on a phone, not too many symbols. Business names, your name and the city or state you live in are all good.
EDIT TWITTER SETTINGS
Don't forget to edit your settings.
LOCATION
Change your "Location" to your city, state, and or country. This is used on search tools, to find friends, and many apps use this to sort you. Lots of people look at your bio and profile to determine if they want to follow you. So be as thorough as possible.
Twitter Picture
Make sure you add a picture. It brands you and makes you memorable. Use your face or company logo. It's good to keep it consistant across all social networks.
TWITTER BIO
Bio: Add what you do, what your company services are, and keywords you would use for SEO. This represents who you are and what you do. People look at this when determining if they want to follow you.
TWITTER LINK
Links: If you don't have a company site use linkedin or facebook.
CUSTOMIZING YOUR TWITTER BACKGROUND
Customize your background. Make it professional. Cross brand it to match your website if you are a company.
SENDING LINKS FROM TWITTER, HOW TO SHORTEN THE URL
When sending out links use a url shortner to save space. Bit.ly is great because it is simple to use but also tracks your clicks for you.
HOW TO TRACK WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT YOU ON TWITTER
Updates: Track your updates with Google Alerts, Search.Twitter.com, Techrigy, Radian6 this will help you manage your reputation and find out what people are saying about you.
HASHTAGS ON TWITTER
Use Hashtags: Hashtags are anything with # a Topic example: #desaraesvideos
HOW TO MANAGE READING TWEETS
Use tools to manage reading tweets. Like RSS: Really simple syndication. You can use Google Reader
HOW TO SCHEDULE TWEETS
If you want to Schedule tweets you can automate your tweets with Tweet Later or Hootlet.
Hootlet also lets you manage multiple accounts and send messages from multiple accounts at the same time.
PRIVATE TWITTER ACCOUNTS
If you are a business, don't set your account to private.
RETWEET
RT stands for Retweet
BE GENEROUS TO YOUR TWITTER FOLLOWERS
Share good content.
TWEET MEMES
Tweet Memes let people find you and your information.
FOLLOWING PEOPLE BACK
Don't expect all companies and celebrities to follow you back. IF you are not famous, follow people back so they can DM you.
TWITTERING QUESTIONS
Answer peoples questions so that you can join in the conversation.
PROMOTING YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNT ON YOUR WEBSITE
Add links to your social networks onto your business sites so you can validate those accounts and get more followers in the process.

Tips on How to Use Twitter in Business

Short Video Recap:

How to monetize Twitter:
Tweet about coupons, giveaways, customize your background, link twitter from your site, or use sponsored tweets.
Brand your twitter identity.
Mention news, blog posts, and events related to you on your twitter account.

What is Twitter? How To Use Twitter.

Short Video Recap:

WHAT IS TWITTER?
Twitter is a mass text messaging service that you get 140 characters or less to tweet with.
You can send messages out via the internet (twitter.com), SMS - Text message, or from applications.
Messages sent from twitter are called "TWEETS"
What can you text about?
ANYTHING. Preferably not about your food though. Try to be relevant. Join in the conversation. Think of it like a cocktail party.. it would be rude to only talk about you. So promote yourself and your followers. Talk about you, or your business... or both.
SETTING UP TWITTER:
WATCH THE (OTHER) VIDEO ON THIS TO LEARN MORE. Brand yourself online. Customize your account.
WHAT TO AND WHAT NOT TO TWEET ABOUT
If you are a business use your twitter as a customer service tool. If you are not a business.. use twitter to get answers.
Don't mass spam or mass follow people.
Promote your company, blog posts, urls etc.
If you have a lot to say don't write 5 twitter posts.. get a blog, write a post, then link to that.
Ask questions. When you get an answer, let everyone know.
Twitter is a great way to get a new audience for your brand.
You can use it as a journal or use it to connect with tools you use already like Remember the Milk. Remember the Milk is a task management tool.
DM stands for Direct Message. You can do this by typing d desaraev (d space the username)
You get out of twitter what you put into it.

How to Get More Twitter Followers: Basic Twitter Etiquette

Short Video Recap:

This post was because of @poetryinverse
This is not how to spam people
How to get more twitter followers.
Getting more followers is easy. Getting people to care is hard.
Don't just live on twitter. Have a life and share it with people via your social networks. Twitter was meant to be mobile. Go to events. Be part of your industry so you have something to talk about.
Use twitter etiquette. I made another video about this.
I made a social media 101 ebook: http://agencycouture.com
Use your other social networks as a springboard, mention your twitter account on your facebook account. Cross reference. Mention twitter on your website and on your email signature. This authenticates your account and gets you more followers.
Having good content and being useful and relevant will not only get you more followers but ones who are interested and stick around.
RT other peoples posts and interesting comments. IF you liked it, chances are so will your followers.
Use hashtags for events, topics etc.
Create or promote twitter tools you like. You can advertise on twitter tools like tweetie or twitterific. You can also advertise on facebook.
Providing good content can also be using twitter as a customer service venue. Wellsfargo, Zappos and Comcast already do this.
Contests are a great way to get more followers. Do giveaways. Nothing like bribing people to pay attention.
If you ask questions. Once you get a few answers share those.
Don't be afraid to be controversial. Not abrasive. Just not afraid to share your opinions.
Use tweet memes if you are a blogger.
WHAT NOT TO DO ON TWITTER:

Don't mass spam or mass follow and then unfollow.
Don't send out messages to get people to take a quiz or be your zombie/ninja friend.
Don't hire someone to get you followers... they are not social media experts. REAL experts would teach you to find your voice and make a strategy to provide good content. The followers will come.
Don't over post. If you have a lot to say that is what a blog is for.
Don't use twitter as an IM service.
Don't talk about your food.

Every tweet counts and is the difference between an unfollow and a butt load of new followers.
Why are your followers following you? Entertainment, information, a debate, or something else? What do they get out of that? Figure that out and you will have a nice start to knowing what your strategy and voice should be.

How to Find or SEARCH for Twitter Followers (even if you forgot their names or username)

Short Video Recap:

Oh twitter how I love tweeting.
How to look up your fellow followers if you forget their names. It happens alot. Especially if your username is hard to type, too long, or has too many symbols or numbers.
Go to find people (next to the settings link at the top of the page).
Use google. Type the persons name, username, what you think the name is and the word twitter: example: Desarae Twitter or Desaraev and twitter
You can also use twitter.search.com then look up something they recently talked about.
Click on the followers button to see EVERYONE following you.

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All the Twitter videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/desaraev6#play/user/41E7A99A1190A587

If you have any comments, suggestions, questions or a topic you would like me to talk about. Please let me know! Don't be afraid to be brutally honest. You can find me at http://twitter.com/desaraev or http://youtube.com/user/desaraev6

Happy Tweeting!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

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