Just Pin It: An Introduction to Pinterest for Personal Use

There’s been a lot of buzz recently about Pinterest, a hot new social network that functions as an online “pinboard.” Pinterest users can post pictures (or videos) of everything from intriguing photos found on the Internet to recipes, inspirational quotes, or fashion finds.

For the time being, Pinterest is an “invite only” site. If you know somebody who is currently using Pinterest, they can send you an invitation by clicking the “invite friends” button located at the top right hand corner of their account home page. If you’re interested in checking out the site, ask around! Chances are you already know some fellow “pinners.”

Using Pinterest is simple. After you have accepted the email invitation, it’s as easy as signing up and browsing around. Choose a unique username and password, and upload a profile photo/provide some basic information about yourself. You can then set up personalized “boards,” where you can either upload your own pins or “re-pin” (similar to Twitter’s “retweet” function) pins that your followers have put up.

Some ideas for your personal Pinterest account:

-Create a collection of recipes by dedicating one of your boards as a “cookbook”

-Plan your home remodeling or decorating scheme by dedicating a board for each room of your house

-Plan a wedding or other event with decorative ideas, themes, and venues.

Install the “Pin It” button on your web browser for easy pinning. Then, whenever you’re surfing the web and see something you want to share on Pinterest, simply click the button and follow the prompts.

Certain businesses, such as retail stores, photographers/artists or brands, can benefit from Pinterest, too. In future blog entries, we will be going into further detail about how your brand can utilize this hot new site, so be sure to stay tuned! Happy pinning!

New (New) Twitter

Have you recently logged into Twitter and noticed some changes?

If you’re a seasoned Twitter user, you probably know that Twitter rolled out their new profile design/layout, appropriately dubbed “New Twitter,” about a year ago. This layout did not change anything in terms of content (your tweets, retweets, mentions, etc. all remained untouched), but it did switch around a lot of the components and implement some new features. If you are new to Twitter, you will have started off with the “New Twitter” design.

Now introducing: New (New) Twitter. This new design is somewhat simpler to use and the changes are not quite so dramatic, however, some useful tools have shifted around.

Note that your “Mentions” have moved to the top left hand corner. You can access them by clicking on the “@Connect” button.

There is also a new icon that contains access to all of your settings, direct messages, lists, and the logout option in the upper right hand corner of your home screen.

To access your previous tweets and profile page, simply click on your Twitter handle on the left hand side (right above the words “View my profile page”). Also note that there is now a “Discover” icon (the hashtag next to your mentions) that lists the trending topics as well as a brief synopsis of why these events are trending.

The good news is that Twitter does not move or add new features as frequently as Facebook, so this is likely the last round of changes we will see for some time. Not all accounts have been converted to this new layout yet, either, so you may still be using the older version. In the coming weeks, Twitter will automatically update you to the new design.

If you’ve got any questions about the New (New) Twitter layout and how to access any of your information, feel free to leave us a comment on our blog or respond to this email. Until next time, happy tweeting!

What’s All This Buzz About Google+?

What is Google+? Essentially, Google+ is the search engine giant’s effort to develop a social network to rival Facebook. Google+ acts as a “personal profile” extension of your Google account, and closely interacts with other Google products such as gmail, Google docs, etc.

When first launched in June 2011, Google+ was only available through invites from current users. As of September, the social network is now available to the general public. Get your profile started today by logging into your Google account (or create one at www.gmail.com). Click on your email address in the upper right hand corner and click “Create Profile” to get started.

After you’ve filled out your information, your Google+ profile will appear in the left hand corner as “+Your Name” as soon as you sign in. (screen shot).

Google+ allows you to add a profile complete with photos, personal information, games and more. The main components include a Stream (a “newsfeed” type feature), Hangouts (video chatting), and the ability to group your connections into Circles according to your relationships (close friends, acquaintances, coworkers, etc.).

One of the main draws to this social network is that you can adjust your status updates (or “shares”) to apply exclusively to different circles. For example, you can direct certain updates towards your “coworkers” circle or only your “close friends” circle. While it is possible to create lists on Facebook that operate in a similar manner, it is a much more complicated process.

You may have heard about the recent launch of Google+ Brand Pages, comparable to Facebook’s fan pages, which was announced just last week. In future posts, we will go into greater detail about these new pages, so be sure to stay tuned.

Our thoughts?  Currently, there are about 40 million Google+ users (compared to FB’s 850+ million users). However, there is a great deal of debate about how many of these users are actually active on the network.  While Google+ does seem to offer some distinct advantages to other social media sites, it still seems to be too soon to tell. The true test will come in time, and will depend largely on their ability to keep up the momentum.

Social Media and Why Your Business Needs It

Welcome to Instant Social University, your go-to guide for all things social media! Class is officially in session. Consider this first post your “syllabus,” touching on the topics that we will be covering throughout the course of this blog.

Have you noticed the influx of “thumbs up” Facebook icons that have popped up everywhere lately? On your restaurant menus, at the grocery store, on local and national news stations, even in your attorney or realtor’s office? How many times have you heard the phrase “’Like’ us on Facebook!” or “Follow us on Twitter!” in the past several months? These are just a few signs of the pervasiveness of social media.

   

Social media has become much more than a mere fad amongst college students. It is a new way of communicating, socializing, and – more and more – conducting business.  Facebook now has over 870 million users, a staggering figure. This online community has enormous potential for your business, brand, and ultimately your bottom line. But to take advantage of all the benefits that Facebook and other social media sites have to offer, you’ve got to learn to walk before you can run.

In this blog, we will be covering the basics of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as how your business can utilize Foursquare, Yelp, YouTube, Google+, blogging, etc. We will also be providing updates on what’s new in the world of social media, the latest and greatest toys, gadgets and apps that will keep you connected, tricks of the trade, secrets on how to grow your Facebook & Twitter Fans and Followers, how to successfully manage an online Facebook ad campaign and more. ISU is your resource for how to get the ball rolling and for maximizing your social media efforts.

It wouldn’t be “Back to School” without homework, so take a few moments to answer these questions, or at least give them some thought:

• What is my business/team’s ultimate goal through social media? Do we want to simply increase brand recognition or create a community?

• Which social media sites am I most interested in? Which resources work best for my particular business/company?

• How much time am I willing to dedicate to my social media campaign? Do I need to hire a professional (like ISM) to handle it?

Make sure to check out this blog as well as our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/InstantSocialMediaCo. And feel free to ask us any questions via comment, post, or email stephanie@instantsocialmediaco.com. Our next post will deal with the basics of Facebook in “Facebook 101.” Until next week, class dismissed!