Showing posts with label Linked-In. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Linked-In. Show all posts
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Pew Internet:

“There is considerable variance in the way people use various social networking sites: 52% of Facebook users and 33% of Twitter users engage with the platform daily, while only 7% of MySpace and 6% of LinkedIn users do the same.”

2255 adults over the age of 18 were surveyed. Should you require the full version, here's a link to the complete85 page report in downloadable PDF [Adobe] format.

Click on the images below to see larger renderings:

...and going up with each passing year. Those 35 year olds were 25 back in 2001. I read someplace else where the tweens and young teens have gravitated about 90% to using smartphones in place of computers.

I can tell you this: I still have readers here on the blog who access it via dial-up. Some of these netizens are in North America, some are in other lands. I have readers checking in from place like the Philippines via smartphone, so I try to keep every channel, every line of possible communication OPEN and as easily accessible as possible. That's why I always want to know if anyone has a problem reahing my blog. There is always a workaround solution!

I haven't been on my MySpace page in digital eons!I'm most active these days on twitter, facebook, tumblr and LinkedIn, in that order (aside from blogging, which I don't lump into the 'social media' category - it has always been an entity of its own, despite efforts to change that).
Personally, I check in on Facebook & twitter every day. I update my blog everyday. Maybe once a week I go to LinkedIn, which I regard as an "unfinished network" of art... :)

One of the most interesting segments of the survey is the number of FB friends one has who are, in reality, people you've never met. In my own case, half of my fb friends are people I have met in person, while the others are almost all professionals who I've met via my radio and blog connections.

I don't think it's "unhealthy" to make friends online, but I do believe in a good balance. I suppose if my fb wasn't a personal/professional hybrid, there wouldn't be anyone on it whom I hadn't actually met face to face.
The important lesson that can be learned from this (or any) study, is that our digital community is constantly evolving, updating and changing. But just as it grows, there are parts that remain, sometimes half-abandoned, like some of the relics on this humble weblog that date back to the early 2000's. Soon, I will cast them away as I move to a new template. I've been putting the template change off, for one reason or another, but it will come in time... eventually!


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There's a new study out about social networking that visits facebook, LinkedIn, twitter and MySpace... I'm going to delve into the report over the weekend and i'll report back to you on Monday morning.

Here are some links if you wan't to learn more!

Study finds Facebook, Twitter users have better social support ...


Detroit Free Press - Barbara Ortutay - 1 day ago
AP NEW YORK -- Facebook, it turns out, isn't just a waste of time. People who use it have more close friends, get more social support and ...
Facebook users found to be a trusting lot- New Zealand Herald
Study says Facebook users are more social, political- Boston Globe
ABC News - MiamiHerald.com
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I'm always interested in finding new ways to stimulate and promote my blog business! PEOPLE love free stuff! Laser engraved pens can be a very efficient tool for promoting your blog or social media site. They look snappy: Amsterdam Printing designs them in-house, and they are available in a variety of colours and styles.

If you're the kind of blogger who attends meet-ups, tweet-ups, "falsh mobs" and really any events specifically organized by and for bloggers and other social-media devotees, pens make a great hand-out gift. No one ever says "no" to a free pen, and they almost always hang on to the ones that are stylish (like the sample shown in the picture above)!

Think about that: a classy, professional gift that will keep on giving because whoever picks it up is likely to check out your blog or social media account if they are near (or next time they hop on) a computer!

Now it's just not pens: you may want to think about other giveaway items, such as t-shirts, coffee/cocoa mugs (it'll be autumn before you know it) and more. Imagine that eloquently designed coffee mug with your info emblazoned on it, sitting in an office on somebody's desk day after day, a constant reminder that YOU are on the internet! There are certainly companies out there offering similar services, but consider the fact that AmsterdamPrinting.com has quite a huge selection of superior quality promotional items, at low low prices.

Here's something else you haven't been thinking of: ENVELOPES! Personalize them the same way you would your pens, with your blog url and/or twitter id! There's a link on the website to create and order your very own custom printed envelopes. Next time you're sending a letter to a friend or relative, or mailing a bill, or sending an order in for something, once again people are able to see your info! (You can even add a logo or your gravatar!) The more eyes that see your twitter id or your blog URL, the better for you! And who knows: suppose somebody wearing one of your custom t-shirts has their picture taken by a magazine or newspaper! Presto! Instant free PR and advertising!





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This post brought to you by the fine folks at AmsterdamPrinting.com. The opinions here are my own, representing my satisfaction with the tactics outlined above. Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and Dave Lucas are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Dave Lucas and staff.
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Notsojolly Roger says : "Go Facebook if you like and built your own prison cell, call the other inmates 'friends' and enjoy a sad but safe virtual life..."

A 2009 study conducted by Sophos Security discovered that 46 percent of randomly-selected Facebook users accepted a friend request from a fake account belonging to a rubber duck by the name of "Daisy Feletin."[1]

The best way to keep unflattering information about yourself out of Google is to keep it off the Net. That means tightening up privacy at all your online hangouts: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. Be careful when you comment on other blogs and watch what you say in web forums, which are also indexed by Google unless the administrator has added a "do not index" tag to his forum. It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) Be careful what you post on your own Web site or blog.

Who's watching your facebook?

Fight Cyberslander...Preserve your integrity.

Netizen, Google Thyself!

Via Facebook's social engagement tools, spammers are able to execute what has been described as a "cocktail of attacks," perhaps directing users to fraudulent antivirus software capable of enabling a hacker to remotely control a computer; perhaps sending them to surveys from which they can earn a commission.

Facebook users can also find themselves directed to bogus online retailers hoping to pick up credit card details. Inadvertently befriending a fake account also unlocks access to personal tidbits that may seem innocuous but amount to a treasure trove for hackers seeking access to personal Web sites like bank accounts. They frequently hint at passwords and usernames, as well as the answers to common security questions.

According to security experts, these nefarious friends are overseen by a diffuse, elusive network of individuals located all over the world.

"Very often, these are executed by loose networks of folks who specialize in their particular niche and collaborate to attack, then make money off of the account," said Jules Polonetsky, director of the Future of Privacy Forum. "They know each other from spammer IRC [Internet relay chat] channels where they brag about exploits and alliances. It is not a particular giant spam company."

The unknown friends may also be covers for real people, such as law-enforcement agents on the lookout for incriminating information.

In a memo penned in 2008, the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services described the goldmine of personal information to be found on online social networks and instructed agents how to take advantage of people's "narcissistic tendencies" to sniff out fraud. [1] Do I Know You? Fake Friends Adding Fresh Danger To Facebook . Bianca Bosker

So how to remove the social networking albatross? Read on!

To begin the Facebook account deletion process: do not try to login to your Facebook account; you may want to clear your browser cache and delete your cookies so that you don't login inadvertently. Click the link below and follow the instructions OR bookmark this page for future reference.

Delete Your Facebook Account

WARNING!!! FB does NOT make it straightforward and easy to delete your account. Here, we look at how to deactivate as well as delete a Facebook account – and the difference between the two.

From Helium:

A report published in the Albany Times Union newspaper about a fellow named Steve Valente and his facebook pictures caused a stir in the community. "I was in college then and I've grown up a lot since then," Valente, 23, told the newspaper. He said most of the pictures were from his freshman or sophomore years at the university. "I didn't feel it was appropriate to go back and edit my postings," Valente said.

One part of the Times Union article is definitely FALSE
Anything put online will follow a person forever, said Penny Perkins, a communications professor at The Sage Colleges, who teaches about social networking.

"This is your personal brand, your reputation," Perkins said. "I wouldn't post anything I wouldn't be happy to see on a billboard on 787."

Many people, she said, don't understand that Internet postings are always out there. She pointed to deleted items on such sites as www.archives.org, which tracks web postings since 1995.
That's BS! The Net CAN indeed be "wiped clean" -
One of my blogs was deleted last year: you can't find it ANYWHERE! You can also peruse the case of Mai Shiozaki, whose images are just now beginning to resurface on the web. Funny thing though: Shiozaki IS on Facebook!

Read the entire acticle about Steve Valente from Averill Park.

Here's another "avenue of deletion" recommended by another blogger
facebook.com/group.php?gid=16929680703


and I'll throw ya a little bone or two:

Check your bandwidth (+ other useful tools)!

Internet surfers, proceed with caution!





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Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and Dave Lucas are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Dave Lucas and staff.
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Here's a bona fide treat for you, and a bonus BLOGGING CLASS post!

Here is the article I would have submitted to the Blog Engage contest, had I been able to meet the requirements for entering!

10 Ways to Blog Better


1 - Make 'em real; Make 'em feel

People who write about real life experiences and current events (like Xiaxue writing about Peter Coffin, for example) increase the odds of having any given blog post tweeted and repeated by about 33 per cent, according to a 2010 study of popular blogs.

When you craft your article, read it aloud before uploading it to your blog or better yet, read it to a friend or ask them to read it and see if they can "feel" your emotion coming through in your words...

2 - Give Your Blog 5 "Kicks"

You wrote a smashing post! Now, (a) tweet it (b) post it on facebook or linked-in (c) leave it as your URL in comments on a similar article on someone else's blog (d) ping it individually on pingler.com and (e) drop it on digg or reddit

3 - Don't Gum Up The Works

Strip your post of any surplus verbiage and don't link to other blogs or websites unless you bring them value and vice-versa

4 - Be Social and Interact

You know already that it is important to give your blog those 5 abovementioned "kicks" - now you also need to get out there and mention your greatest post to others! Tell a friend on myspace or Linked-In; tweet it to particular individual using twitter's "@" feature; mention it in an email to a colleague or add it to your email signature just for a day or two!

5 - Taste the Rainbow that is the Blogosphere

Need ideas? Hop on Global Voices or Drudge or Global Blog to see what everybody is buzzing about - each of these sites represents a snapshot of current events and pop culture!

6 - Keep Your Blog "Light"

Get rid of slow-loading widgets and those that might seek to re-direct your readers elsewhere. NOTHING IS MORE ANNOYING than those "SUBSCRIBE HERE" pageover pop-ups. There are about three blogs I actually tolerate seeing these on, only because I love the bloggers themselves (otherwise they'd be on by X list!) There are many services available that will check your web page load time. Find one you like and use it!

7 - Spread Linky-Love

People who write great articles should be rewarded! If you run across an article on another blog you really enjoy or find helpful, tell the whole wide world about it: on your blog, on twitter, on any social network, on digg! Even if the author has closed comments, he or she will notice that you have spread the word about a great article. They'll remeber you, sooner or later!

8 - Get Intimate

I again call your attention to Ms. Wendy Cheng. If you have a few hours, go back through the multitude of posts on the Xiaxue blog. Here's a gal who has become a superstar celebrity but shares the most intimate details with her readers. Note: I didn't say spill the beans or give up personal details. Just sahre a little intimacy through your posts!

9 - Finish What You've Started

I carry a little green notebook around. I know other bloggers who use cellphone voice memo recorders to capture ideas when they emrge. You just never know when you'll get inspired, so don't let the moment escape! WRITE IT DOWN! Even if it's on a piece of scrap paper or a paer napkin, a few small words could be the seed for what may become your greatest post!

10 - A Time to Sow, A Time to Reap

Don't subject yourself to "sleep deprivation" and the bad things that can happen as a result it (getting fat, heart disease, more likely to catch cold or flu) because you're spending too much time online. Do your thing, prepare your materials, post and share... then, like a great chef, let it all simmer awhile. Get your rest and spend the time you need to spend in "real" life. The "virtual life" will consume you if you let it... if you really wannabee 24/7 on the web, look into automating (i.e. time-released) blog posts and tweets! Heck, your internet persona can live on long after the material you is gone!

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"The reason we’re often not there for others…
is that we’re not there for ourselves."
~ Pema Chödrön


The girl Dawn Yang / Yeo modeled herself after, Arissa Luna / Cheo (Zhen Shan), is back in the spotlight: Examiner.com is reporting that South Asian singer and dancer Vanness Wu has denied any patch up with heiress Cheo.

But there's been some TWEETING going on...

Arissa is no stranger to controversy!

Speaking of controversy, this item, via Miss Info ::: Vybz Kartel addresses skin bleaching controversy with Hot97 morning show...

Here's a heartwarming interracial tale of love vs. tradition ::: How I Bought My South African Bride tells how a BBC cameraman navigated through social strata to marry the love of his life...

RIP Jack LaLanne ::: Legendary fitness guru Jack LaLanne, who pioneered televised exercise shows, passed at the age of 96. His agent Rick Hersh says LaLanne died of respiratory failure due to pneumonia Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay on California's central coast.

Are YOU "LinkedIn"? Larry B offers excellent advice on how to best make use of the specialized social networking platform.

Take a little motoring excursion through time... Travels With the Amazing Bertha Benz

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Ending out the year 2010, I'm cleaning out "My Documents" when I find a post that I wrote for a blog contest. This may actually be the rough draft, or possibly more post than I submitted to the contest. I didn't win, and I'm not sure who did. I do recall the contest made me jump through so many hoops I started asking myself if it was worth the bother. To put it bluntly, it was a real pain in the ass.

If you're going to hold a contest for bloggers, K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid)!

In 2011, you'll see some changes here on my weblog. I actually mourn the loss of MyBlogLog and the associated widgets and benefits that came with it. Of course it is yahoo's decision to "sunset" the service. I've added One True Fan (and blogged about that here)... in the new year I'll be stepping up my regional blogging activities for those living in or interested in NY-VT-MA. I'll also be doing more in the way of book reviews. By far, the most popular FEATURE on the humble weblog is the "Around The Blogosphere" series, where I visit and review other blogs. I'll continue to feature guest articles from Bettina Perroni and Saki Tumi and a few new bloggers who have asked for the opportunity to post here.

Going into 2011, for those of you hoping to either (a) make a name for yourself or (b) make a little ca$h money with your blog, you've come to the right article.

You and your blog will go nowhere without a little help from friends, neighbors and fellow netizens! Look to enhance and improve the “community” aspect of your blog by including links to message boards, blogs and feeds and to such social-networking sites as twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Before you begin, make sure your blog LOADS QUICKLY AND EASILY on broadband, dial-up and mobile phones! Dragonblogger recently redesigned his clunky site that never fully loaded on my homePC. Now, it's up in 10 seconds! Strip out ANYTHING, any widget, any service that may be stopping visitors from ever seeing your blog in the first place!

OK, your load time is good. Now, get that blog moving! Don't copy the "next blog" - but by all means join somebody else’s startup service: you just never know when the next twitter or Facebook or whatever else will come along. So when confronted by a "new service," JOIN it! Sign in, use your BRAND NAME, sign out, that's it --- so if it grows bigger, you're there! I was on MySpace and Facebook for about two years each before I began using them! When twitter got to be all the rage, I rushed to sign up only to find that I 'd already registered, quite some time ago! Hurray for me! That's why you can see my tweets at twitter.com/davelucas and not twitter.com/something_else_entirely!

Tempted to spend a few dollars promoting your blog? TEST the waters first. Market researchers and pollsters do this. They sample a small percentage of the bigger picture. Better to lose 10 bucks in a small campaign than 100 or more in a large one! “If You Can’t Sell the Shirt, Don’t Give It Away”: A direct quote from GitHub founder Tom Preston-Werner, whose company only spends money when it can see a direct impact. (of course, you have to be a forward-thinker and look ahead to any BENEFITS that might stem from a "giveaway." Think back to Metallica, who always gave away cassettes of their music at concerts, or to mid-1990's AOL, which gave away tons of diskettes to entice people to try AOL out on their home PC's!)

So you're dead SERIOUS about blogging, huh? Go HERE!

Wanna advertorialize? You know, "get paid for your post"? NOBODY, nobody, nobody does it better than Wendy Cheng. More likely, you know her as XiaXue, the cute girl from Singapore who just kind of fell into "celebrity" -er- "blogebrity" status, after Blogspot, by chance, made her a featured blogger! Go to her blog and check out those advertorials firsthand. You will be so amazed! And if you've published any "advertising posts" yourself you'll be so ashamed you'll want to delete them (but don't do that, it wouldn't be fair to the advertisers!)

Everyone needs help. They just don't always know it!

Truth be told, no one can guess what the next "big thing" in the digital sphere will be. I was talking to a gentleman recently whose Dad had spent decades with AT&T. The company blew its chance to corner the cellphone and videophone markets early on because executives didn't think ANYONE would want to carry around a telephone to use "Skype" or send what we've come to know as "instant" and text messages back and forth with other users!
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In a guest post by Richard Chidike, Weblogbetter.com offers some very important tips about using Twitter ::: make sure that your profile contains very useful tips about your business. You are even advised to make use of your targeted keywords in describing your business in your profile page --- and although that advice is geared more toward "business" you can still adapt it to bring it to a "personal" level.

Speaking of twitter, I just lost another bunch of "followers" whom I didn't particularly care if they followed me or not. But there was one casualty I do care about: Georyl! The problem I have is that there's a "sweeper" program I use that boots out twitter accounts which haven't been updated in X number of days and Georyl fell into that category! I'll have to add her to the special list of "fly-by" accounts that the sweeper will ignore!

Dragonblogger says "Your blog is a big deal," and he's dead-on right!

No doubt about it, your blog + twitter + facebook (and/or LinkedIn) summarizes, solidifies and personifies YOU online! Via the awesome Larry Brauner ::: 6 Easy Ways to Integrate Search and Social on Your Blogs...

Despite what you may have read elsewhere, 95% of all bloggers are honest people. And then there's that 5%...

Are you concerned about Scrapers lifting content from your blog or website? If so read this article on how to deal with it (be sure to check out the comments for MY take on "blogscraping"!)

Some blogs like Blazing Minds use "copyscape" - I wonder, maybe Karen will leave a comment here on just how successful that is for her blog - I'm sure there are more programs and shortcuts that can be used to protect one's copy... anybody have any others or other suggestions? Your comments are always welcome!

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