Facebook profile backup with SocialSafe

by therese on February 22, 2010

Do you have nightmares about your Facebook profile going away and losing your friends, photos, profile and wall status updates? You’re not alone!

If you were on Facebook at all this past weekend you may have experienced a certain level of panic as things got wonky (prompting some good subject matter for that nightmare.) They were having some server problems that seemed to take forever to get fixed. Strangeness was the norm. The wonkiness kept people from posting status updates, wouldn’t allow people to post on their friends’ profiles or to join fan pages, and even made some fan pages disappear for a while. If you spend much time at all on Facebook, you know this type of thing isn’t new. Unfortunately, it seems to be part of the whole experience.

If you’re looking for a little peace of mind to help keep your profile safe, Social Safe may just be the solution. It’s a downloadable application that backs up your Facebook friends, photos, profile and wall status updates. So, rather than just having all of your data on your Facebook profile, it’ll be safely stored away on your own computer where you can access it at any time. It doesn’t download your friends’ contact information, but you’ll at least have access to who they are. Should you need to restore your entire profile in the event of a catastrophic Facebook episode, you can at least be sure you’ll know who to get reconnected with. (Trying to remember a few hundred Facebook friends if my profile went bye-bye would drive me nuts!)

SocialSafe isn’t free, but it’s pretty darn close at only $2.99. It is well worth the money – and super easy to use. You’ll download SocialSafe, login to your Facebook account with Facebook Connect, and click on download. Once it’s finished you can view your Facebook profile content on your own computer.

Right now SocialSafe is just for personal profiles – it doesn’t backup Facebook Fan Pages yet, but the folks at SocialSafe are working on it. Hopefully they’ll get that worked out soon. And, of course Social Safe is on Facebook.

SocialSafe Explanation .. Introducing Wall Backups from Pascal Wheeler on Vimeo.

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Facebook Fan Page vs. Personal Profile

by therese on February 15, 2010

Yes! There is a difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook Fan Page.

Facebook profiles are for people.
Fan Pages are for businesses.

I cringe every time I see someone set up a profile in their business name. Here’s why:

People vs. business
Profiles are intended for people, not businesses. It’s actually against the Facebook terms to use a profile for a business. If the Facebook gods find your profile set up like this, it’s possible they may delete the entire profile. So much for all your hard work getting friends!

SEO
Your Facebook Fan Page can be a part of your Search Engine Optimization strategy. Why is that, you ask? It’s because Fan pages are indexed by search engines. Profiles are not.

If you’re like most business owners, you want as many people as possible to find you online. If you set up a profile in your business name, you’re not maximizing your exposure. Sure, your Facebook friends will be able to see your page, but new people won’t find you all that easily.

Fans vs. Friends
Fan Pages can have an unlimited number of fans. Profiles can only have 5,000 friends. If you’re trying to build your business, why limit yourself? It only makes sense to choose the option that allows you to have more people get on your bandwagon.

One profile – many Fan Pages
You can have multiple fan pages, but only one personal profile. This is important for people who want to promote different businesses or groups. I have my personal profile and fan pages for PetsitUSA, The Pet Food List, and Austin Pet First Aid, which are businesses I own. I also have one for Wishbones for Pets – a pet sitter charity I operate with the founder Janet Depathy, of Under My Wings.

Keep in mind that you can still connect with people on a business level through your personal profile. I use my profile to keep in touch with family and friends, but I also connect with quite a few people due to business reasons. Since people like to know the person behind the business, this is a good way to interact with them.  It’s  also one way for me to create my personal brand. Note: Before using your profile in this way, get clear on the type of content you want to post on  your profile. (More on that in an upcoming blog post.)

Set up a Facebook Fan Page or go to Facebook.com to set up your Profile.

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Facebook teleclass, September 22

by therese on September 14, 2009

Facebook Teleclass

Next Tuesday, September 22 I’ll be doing another teleclass with Kristin Morrison of Six Figure Pet Sitting Academy. This class will be all about Facebook!

If you’re not tapping into the non-stop activity and reaching out to the vast numbers of potential clients on Facebook, you’re missing out on a valuable marketing resource for your business! In this teleclass you’ll learn how to use Facebook to market your business.

Here’s what I’ll be talking about:

  • Why Facebook is an important tool for your business
  • Why you may (or may not) want to grant access to your personal profile to business associates and/or clients
  • How and why to create a fan page for your business
  • Why privacy options on your personal profile are important to your business
  • The difference between a Facebook Group and a Facebook Page
  • Why you want to create a vanity URL for your personal profile and your business page
  • How to find friends and clients on Facebook
  • Using Facebook ads to promote your business
  • How to attract clients and potential customers to your business page
  • SPECIAL BONUS: Facebook Tips and Tools list to get you started after the class
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Time: 5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EST

How long is this teleclass? 90 minutes (30 minutes will be for Q & A from the audience)

How much: $20 (register by September 15) $30 (register September 16 or later)

This teleclass is being hosted by Kristin Morrision of Six Figure Pet Sitting Academy, and you can register here. As with our other teleclasses, this is open to anyone – you don’t have to be a pet sitter to attend!

I hope you’ll join us!
And, if you weren’t able to make it to our other social media teleclasses, you can purchase and download the classes as well as a tips & tools sheet at my social media website: http://socialmediahound.com/products/

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Is your WordPress blog up to date?

by therese on September 5, 2009

WordPress is urging anyone who has a self-hosted WordPress blog to update as soon as possible. (Your blog is self-hosted if you have it installed on your own domain. If your blog url is something like yourblog.wordpress.com.)

Right now there is a worm making its way around old, unpatched versions of WordPress. This particular worm, like many before it, is clever: it registers a user, uses a security bug (fixed earlier in the year) to allow evaluated code to be executed through the permalink structure, makes itself an admin, then uses JavaScript to hide itself when you look at users page, attempts to clean up after itself, then goes quiet so you never notice while it inserts hidden spam and malware into your old posts.

The tactics are new, but the strategy is not. Where this particular worm messes up is in the “clean up” phase: it doesn’t hide itself well and the blogger notices that all his links are broken, which causes him to dig deeper and notice the extent of the damage. Where worms of old would do childish things like defacing your site, the new ones are silent and invisible, so you only notice them when they screw up (as this one did) or your site gets removed from Google for having spam and malware on it.

For more information, see the WordPress blog.

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LinkedIn teleclass, Tuesday August 25

by therese on August 18, 2009

It’s time for another social media teleclass!

How to use LinkedIn to Bring in More Business / Connect with Potential Clients

Date: August 25
Time:
5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EST
Cost: $20 (register by August 18) or $30 (register August 19 or later)
Register here

If you’re not using LinkedIn yet, you’re missing out! I’ve been active on LinkedIn for quite a while and have made many great contacts – pet sitters as well as people in other businesses. Some have turned into clients, while others are people who I share a common interest with – and sometimes we’re able to help each other in one way or another.

LinkedIn is a place to find like-minded professionals, businesses, and opportunity. It’s a place where you can be found as well. Boasting more than 40 million users, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. It literally puts networking at your fingertips, so that you can connect with trusted colleagues throughout the world. And, because of the unique tools offered by LinkedIn you’re able to streamline your search process when looking for business leads, potential clients, or collaborators.

Here’s what I’ll be talking about:

  • How you can use LinkedIn to grow your business
  • Tips on how to use LinkedIn to drive traffic to your website
  • Why you and your business need to be on LinkedIn
  • How to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen area
  • How to create a powerful LinkedIn bio that will attract attention
  • What to include in your headline, summary, and job descriptions
  • How to effectively use the advanced features of LinkedIn
  • What recommendations are, how to ask for one, and who to recommend
  • Why discussion groups are so important
  • SPECIAL BONUS: LinkedIn Tips and Tools list to get you started after the class

Whether you’re interested in finding employees, getting the word out about your business, or simply enlarging your own personal network, LinkedIn is a powerful tool you can’t afford to ignore.

Kristin Morrison, from Six Figure Pet Sitting Academy is hosting the class. Learn more about the class and register here.

Whether you’re in the pet care business or some other business, you’re welcome to join in. This class is for anyone who wants to learn more about LinkedIn – regardless of your occupation.

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Does social media equal anti-social?

by therese on August 12, 2009

palmAs I was at the grocery store the other day, a young woman in front of me was busy texting as she slowly put her items up on the counter. The girl behind the register worked as quickly as she could given her customer’s unwillingness to put the cell phone away for a few minutes. I was tempted to say something but decided to keep my mouth shut. Since I wasn’t in a hurry, I just watched. I wanted to see if the woman would eventually put her phone away and pay attention to what she was doing.

She didn’t.

When it came time to pay, and only after she had finished sending a message, she swiped her card, picked up her bag and left. Not once did she make eye contact with the cashier. Not once did she even acknowledge the cashier…at all!

When the cashier started to ring my things up, I asked if that type of thing got to her. She just shrugged and said, “I’m used to it.”

What a sad statement!

There have been other times too, when I’ve seen cell phones get in the way of in-person communication. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been having face-to-face conversation with someone and all of a sudden they put one hand up, palm toward me, while they tap their ear with the other hand. Suddenly they’re whisked way from what’s going on in front of them and are deep into a conversation with someone who isn’t even there. An example of this is when a guy came to my home to give me an estimate on some work I wanted done. As we were standing in my living room talking about the work, the guy’s phone rang. He flashed me the hand, tapped his Bluetooth, and turned his back to me as he started talking. It was only when he finished talking to the person on the phone that he turned his attention back to me. He was politely escorted out of my house and didn’t get the job.

As much as I love social media and all the technology surrounding it, I honestly believe cell phones, texting, and the Internet in general are to blame for a lot of the anitsocial behavior today. It’s ironic actually, that the very technology that’s helping us become more social is also helping us become less social!

So what’s the solution?

It’s actually quite simple, really.

Turn the phone off. Take the Bluetooth out of your ear. Close your laptop. Pay attention to the person in front of you. Please!

Seriously…it’s that easy!

Honestly, what’s that important that you need to totally dis the person you’re face-to-face with so you can talk to someone who has interrupted you? Let your voice mail do what it was created to do – take a message. And if it’s a text, that can wait too. Technology is great, but remember that it’s supposed to help us be more social…not less!

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LinkedIn Recommendations: Make 'em real

by therese on July 9, 2009

linkedin-in-button

Lately I’ve been getting a number of requests from people on LinkedIn wanting me to recommend them. I’m happy to do them for the people I know, but there are others that I simply don’t know well enough. From the little I know about these people, they’re all very nice people but I just haven’t interacted with them enough to give them a recommendation.

I’m pretty particular about doing recommendations for people on LinkedIn, and suggest to others they should be as well. Whenever you recommend someone on LinkedIn, it’s a statement from you that you think that person is a fine, upstanding individual to do business with. And, like anything else you put online, it’s out there for all to see, so it’s in your best interest to feel super comfortable giving someone a glowing recommendation.

Tips for asking for LinkedIn Recommendations

Ask people know you…

Ask for recommendations from people you know and who can make valid and honest comments about you. The simple fact that you’re connected on LinkedIn doesn’t always mean they know you or your work well enough to recommend you.

Personalize your request…

Sending the default “can you endorse me” message doesn’t show the person you really value their time or what they have to say. And, if you don’t have time to put together a well crafted, polite email asking for their recommendation why should they take the time to write one? Put some thought into your request and let the person know what it is you’d like them to focus on. Something like, “I’d love it if you could recommend my (fill in the blank) services since we’ve worked together and you’ve been pleased with the results,” will make it much easier for the person to write the recommendation.

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Not necessarily…

While giving a recommendation to someone may get you some positive juju in return, don’t make that your motivation for writing one. It may be that the way you interacted with that person was a bit one sided, leaving them without enough information about you to comment on. And, on the other hand, there may be times when people recommend you but you just don’t have enough knowledge to reciprocate.

The key is to ask for recommendations, and give them, when you know the result will be real, and not done simply out of a sense of obligation.

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Your very own blog: a bright idea!

by therese on July 4, 2009

I have a great analogy that I use to explain to people why they should set up their new blog on their own domain. Most of the people I’m talking about already have a website for their business, or are in the process of creating one, but also want a blog to go along with it. They see free blog sites like Wordpress.com, Blogger, and others and since they’re easy to set up, think they should sign up. But while free hosting sites can be great for certain uses, I usually encourage people to set their blog up on their own domain (also called self-hosting), along with the rest of their website.

So why should you set up your blog on your own domain?

Think of it like this…

At Christmas time, there’s this one neighborhood where everybody decorates their house with one strand of Christmas lights. The festive lights make for a really pretty sight – it’s one long block of light after twinkling light. And when people walk down the street they take a look at the lights on each house and say “awww…how pretty” time after time after time.

Now, there’s a guy named Joe who lives in the neighborhood and even though he owns two houses on one block, you’d never know it. They’re at opposite ends of the street and just like everybody else, every year he puts one strand of lights on each house.

snoopy-the-bloggerOne year Joe gets a great idea. He decides to skip putting lights on one of his houses so he can put both of his strands of lights on the other house. Now all of a sudden, he has twice as many lights on his house than any of his neighbors! And when it starts getting dark and everybody in the neighborhood turns their lights on, things are a bit different. People walking down the street still say “awww…how pretty” but when they get to Joe’s house, they actually stop! He smiles as he hears comments like “WOW! That’s awesome,” “Look at all those lights,” and “This is the best house on the block!” People spend time in front of his house enjoying the best light show in the neighborhood. And later, they tell their friends about the great light show at Joe Cool’s house.

Now, back to you…

If you’re thinking of doing a website at www.yourowndomain.com and a blog at yourblog.blogspot.com, think about Joe. Then think of your blog as a strand of Christmas lights…you want those lights (your blog!) on your own domain right along with your website!

christmas-lightsWhen you add your blog to the same domain as your website it’s going to add more content (more lights!) to your place online. That additional content will give your visitors and the search engines more to look at. And, since you’ll be updating your blog regularly (uh huh…that’s part of blogging!) that will keep your visitors coming back for more. It’ll also help the search engines notice you more…and who doesn’t want to be noticed by search engines?!

So get your blog on your own domain and turn those lights on!

Still uncertain about the whole  thing? Check out this post- A free Wordpress blog can really cost you – at Social Media Therapy.

Just as an aside. . .

I want to mention that doing some additional blogging on other websites, such as tumblr, can be a great way to add to your who social media strategy – but that’s a whole ‘nother post!

If you’re thinking of setting up a blog, but don’t know where to start, let me know. I have a blog setup package that can get you blogging in no time!  Contact me for more info.

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Google Voice invitations on the way

by therese on June 28, 2009

People who signed up for Google Voice are starting to receive invitations to set up their new accounts. Google Voice allows users to have one phone number that can be re-routed to ring at any number of other phones. There are a number of ways it can be set up. For example, it can be set up so that if certain people call your Google Voice number it will ring your home, office, and cell number. For other people you might set it up so that when they call your Google Voice number it rings only on your home phone, or even so that it goes directly to voicemail. And, since your Google number is permanent, even if you change your numbers all you need to do is re-route your Google number to the new number.

It’s not just forwarding numbers though – Google voice offers other features like voicemail, conference calling, call blocking, outbound calling, and more.

Here’s a short explanation from Google . . .

I signed up, but haven’t received my invitation to set up my account yet.

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Are you shouting "buy my widgets"?

by therese on June 23, 2009

Imagine you’re hanging out with some friends and along comes this person you don’t know, who gets right in your face and blurts out . . .

“HEY YOU! My widgets are on sale today. When you buy two, you’ll get one free. Go to my website right now and buy some!”

If you’re like me, you’re probably going to say something like . . .

“Uhh, ok. I’ll keep that in mind. And if I need some Widgets I’ll call Widgets R Us, not you!”

buy-nowInteracting with people online works much the same way. The fact that the word social is the first word in the phrase “social media” isn’t an accident. These days, if you want to be part of social media, one of the keys is to actually be social. Sure, old time advertising still works, but it’s important to know when to do that and when it’s not appropriate. Blurting out a sale on widgets is quite often considered spammy. If, on the other hand someone starts a discussion, and things lead to a point where it makes sense to mention a widget sale, that’s great. People are interacting and having a discussion, which is way different than sticking a widget in someone’s face and shouting “BUY MY WIDGETS!”

I have a group on LinkedIn for people who work in the pet industry, which I set it up so that I, and others, could network with like-minded professionals. I’ve been on many forums over the years, and have seen some very good ones go downhill fast once the “widgets for sale” folks took over. Because of that, I decided right from the get go to limit the amount of advertising that would be acceptable. So I wrote up a short list of guidelines for posting, including some info about advertising. Here’s the blurb about advertising . . .

Whether it’s on a personal or business level, the idea behind LinkedIn is to make connections that might be beneficial in a variety of ways. One of the many tools LinkedIn provides to do this is the discussion area. This area serves a way to interact with each other, talk about new ideas, get advice etc. With that in mind, I’d like to ask that everyone refrain from advertising in the discussion area. Feel free to introduce your company, product, etc. when you join the group and introduce yourself. Following that, include a signature line that includes your business name and a link to your website. Posts that are strictly advertising in nature will be removed.

If you have news about your business such as sales, press releases, special events, etc. please post it in the news area.

I think it’s pretty clear, to the point, and explains what the discussion area is all about. When people join the group, the advertising guidelines are brought to their attention, so it’s no secret. And, as the last sentence says, they can post some of their advertising stuff in the news area, which is set apart from the discussion area.

Thankfully, I haven’t had to delete very many advertising posts. Most people tend to understand why I don’t allow a lot of advertising and have emailed to thank me for keeping things on track. They aren’t interested in having widgets in their faces either, and appreciate having a place to network with each other without having to wade through advertisements.

There are plenty of websites where people can advertise for free – many are set up just for that purpose. Before posting advertising though it’s a good idea to find out if it fits in with the general theme of the website you want to post to. If it’s a discussion forum, like you’ll find on LinkedIn and other websites, going with the flow and trying to stick to the guidelines may get you farther than trying to set your own rules.

It’s not just advertising though. Regardless of what social media website you’re on, whether it’s a discussion forum, photo sharing site, video sharing, or other type of social media site it’s a good idea to get an feel for the written and unwritten rules.

Sure, there are places where it may be totally appropriate to shout “BUY MY WIDGETS,” but just be sure it makes sense!

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