Category Archives: Tips

ELECTION 2016: FOR THE LOVE OF FACEBOOK, MAKE IT STOP!

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I spent the first half of this week sick in bed with little physical or mental tolerance for well… anything. Between work and personal life, I normally spend a significant amount of time online on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But this week? I barely touched it. At the most, I would pick up my phone and open the Facebook app immediately out of habit (Damn that muscle memory!) and quickly close it before I got sucked into the abyss.

I know what you’re thinking. I LOVE social media. It’s my life. How could I, of all people, want to avoid Facebook?

Seriously, people. I get that the future of our nation is important, but can we give it a rest? As of today there are 282 days left until Election Day. I don’t know about you, but I don’t relish the thought of 282 more days of anger, hatred, and pointless Facebook fights.

I mean, social media isn’t just a pastime. It’s my job.

So how am I going to survive this?

Facebook Unfollow

That’s right. If you didn’t already know, Facebook has this really great option called UNFOLLOW.

Don’t want to see anything from that weird cousin who LOVES Trump and his hateful comment of the day?
Unfollow.

Have you had your fill of that co-worker who posts ALL of Sarah Palin’s crazed ramblings?
Unfollow.

Are you even tired of that friend who shares far too many articles about your own political party?
Unfollow.

The point is, your Facebook News Feed is yours. No one else’s. It’s yours.

So if you are feeling overwhelmed by the posts of any friend, no matter how close you may be in real life, then why should you continue to put up with a barrage of posts that bring you stress? Just unfollow those friends.

No, you’re not unfriending them.

No, they won’t get a notification to let them know you have unfollowed them.

You are, however, choosing to take control of what you see when you log in to Facebook. I would venture to guess that none of us log in to Facebook hoping to get mad or frustrated. So why keep letting that happen?

Here’s how to UNFOLLOW from your phone:

FROM THE FRIEND’S PROFILE PAGE
If you are already following the friend (which you probably are), simply click the drop down arrow by FOLLOW and select UNFOLLOW.

FROM A SPECIFIC POST
Click the dropdown arrow in the top right corner of the post.
Select UNFOLLOW (FRIEND NAME). As the prompt says, you’ll stop seeing posts but stay friends.

In any case, you can still see their posts at any time by going directly to their profile and reading at your convenience. All you really do by unfollowing is remove their posts from your News Feed.

Again, your News Feed is yours. Isn’t it time you reclaimed it and made Facebook a happier experience again?

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go purge my News Feed of everything about Martin Shkreli. Ugh.

QUESTION:
Have you used UNFOLLOW on Facebook?
If YES, what made you do it?
If NO, why not?

SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Three TRICKS to Make Your Halloween a TREAT!

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Oh, how I love those words! Seriously… without a doubt, Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. Extravagant costumes, make-up, candy, and mischief… what’s not to like?

Since we don’t yet have a way to download my favorite Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups online (Come on, 3D printers! Get on it!), I’ve decided instead to treat you all with some social media reminders to keep the monsters away… Well, away from your profiles at least.

1. “You’re wearing WHAT?”
Yes, we know that Halloween is the one day each year to be whatever you want to be. And TRUST me, I know very well that a scandalous costume is the BEST costume. But you DO know that everyone has a camera on their phones these days, right? You might want to check out the PRIVACY SETTINGS on Facebook and check the settings on who can tag you in photos. You want to be President someday? Well, you won”t be once THAT costume pic leaks!

 

2. “Hey! I never said that!”
Here we are online… on social networks. You got that first word, right? Social?
And when you share something on a social site, people see it. Sure, you can delete it, but that doesn’t mean that someone doesn’t have a saved copy of your words. (Trust me. I’ll gladly call out my friends with screenshots of past posts. Go on… ask them. I”ll wait.) Take a minute and THINK before you post. Otherwise, your own words just might come crawling back from the dead to haunt you like a zombie…

 

3. “You are SO getting egged!”
And lastly, if you’re the house that gives out bad candy for trick-or-treat, you better be ready for some kid to tweet about it. So unless you’re in the mood to scrub cracked eggs off of your house, you might just want to turn off that front porch light and call it a night. Otherwise, you might see THIS at your door…

 

There. Now you”ve got a few tips to help keep your Halloween safe.

Which of these tips was most helpful for you? Have your own tip to share?

SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

 

MONDAY MUSINGS: Stop it, Miley!

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I’ll admit it.

I didn’t watch the MTV Video Music Awards. Nope. No VMAs for me.

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE music. And I love a good awards show. But in my opinion, it’s been a long time since MTV has delivered a “good awards show”.  So yeah… I’m pretty much at a point in my life where the VMAs just don”t warrant a timeslot in my schedule.

Of course I was curious to see Lady Gaga’s performance. And yes, I was maybe even a little curious to see the *NSYNC reunion. (Don’t judge me.) But not curious enough to tune in to what has become one of the biggest televised train wrecks in current history.

And THANK YOU, Miley Cyrus for reinforcing my decision not to watch.

Social Media exploded this morning with comments of shock and disgust at her performance. So against my better judgement, I watched the video of her performance and learned the following:

  • Duck Face is a horrible phenomenon, but Miley Tongue Face? So much worse.
  • Every young performer will go through a  period of rebellion where they try to declare their sexual independence. However, Madonna and (frighteningly) even Britney Spears did it much better.
  • Miley Cyrus’ stylist was either on vacation or should be fired immediately.
  • Her PR Agent obviously has forgotten about Social Media.

Yes, I know that “There is no such thing as bad publicity”, but wow… That was SO much bad publicity that it sort of burned my eyeballs a little to watch it.

Remember, we live in a world now where everyone is a news reporter. Just look at the sea of cell phones in the crowd.

The most important lesson from this is…

Remember to always be responsible for your actions. If you’re going to go a little crazy in the public eye, be ready for the backlash.

Your fans (if you have any left Miley) will be waiting for your statement. Let’s see how this plays out.

Oh wait… it’s Miley Cyrus we’re talking about. I just remember I have other things to do.

Like ANYTHING else.

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart! (5 Things NOT to do on Facebook)

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HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, EVERYONE!

Whether you are celebrating today with flowers, chocolates, and dinner, OR if you are cursing Cupid, Hallmark, and the entire production, I want to share with you how NOT to break my heart online.

 

Here are my TOP 5 THINGS NOT TO DO ON FACEBOOK:

 

 

5. Habitually click like on “LIKE THIS IF YOU / IGNORE THIS IF YOU” pics.
You know what I’m talking about, right? Those pictures or status updates that say things such as “Like this if you hate cancer. Ignore this if you love cancer”, etc.

Seriously??? Why would someone post this? Desperation? Need for attention and “likes” on their profile or page? In any case, please don’t feed into this. It”s OK to keep scrolling past these updates. No one will judge you. In fact, they”ll probably thank you.


4. Copy/Paste status updates that say things like “Repost this. 99% of my friends won’t do this”.
This is another one that really grinds my gears. It doesn”t matter how beautiful or important the status update may have been until that point, because when I see “99% of my friends won’t do this”, my response is “You’re right!”

Don”t stoop to guilting people into sharing your post. Focus on creating interesting and engaging content (whether for business or personal), and if it’s good, people will share it… without the guilt trip!


3. Share a large number of photos of wounded and abused animals.
I love you, Sarah McLachlan and I support your cause (and other causes with the same mission), but STOP IT! Shock Marketing does work sometimes, but too much is too much.

Admit it. When you”re watching TV and those commercials come on, you dive for the remote control and change the station, right? So why would you post those photos on Facebook? I understand that this is a very important cause, but who wants to log in to Facebook to find their News Feed full of injured puppies? You don’t have to shock to convey a message.


2. Post non-stop pics of your food
We all know someone like this… they post photos of their meals almost every day.

Do you do this? You do? Really?

Come here.

No. Closer.

Closer still. I need to tell you something…

STOP IT!

Posting a photo of a really special meal or something from a new restaurant from time to time is OK, but every day? Why?

Unless you are a chef or a nutritionist like my friend Lisa, then please… Please stop it!

 

And the top way to break my heart on Facebook…

1. Share conspiracy theories and spam without checking Snopes.com first.
“There’s a new virus!”
“OMG! They’re giving away free iPads!”
“Facebook is going to make us PAY!”

AAAAAARGH!!!

Here’s my rule. If it sounds fishy, then it probably is. So before you give in to the adrenaline and click SHARE, take a second to copy the status update with these claims and paste it into the search bar over on Snopes.com.

Snopes is a website that researches and reports on urban legends, internet hoaxes, rumors, email forwards, etc. If Snopes says it is true, then fine… share away! But if it’s false info, break the cycle and do not share lies with your friends or fans! We are all responsible for our words and actions online, so do the right thing and briefly check the content for accuracy before passing it on to others.


So there it is…

How about you? What breaks your heart on Facebook?

Sound off in the comments below!

 

Nemo is coming! Four Tips for Today’s Snowstorm

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Ready or not, here comes NEMO!


No, really… that’s the name of the big blizzard that is slated to hit the Northeast US today. (Seriously… Nemo? Who names these? OK. I’m over it.)

So if you are like me and live in an area where the snow forecast is in feet instead of inches, you may end up stuck inside with a whole lot of time on your hands. Here are some suggestions to keep you busy:

1.) Review your Facebook Privacy Settings

After so many changes to Facebook’s Privacy Settings over the years, it looks like they finally may have got it right. They are now broken down to answer three basic questions:

  • Who can see my stuff?
  • Who can contact me?
  • How do I stop someone from bothering me?

It’s pretty intuitive, actually. Take a minute and click through these options by clicking on this image on the top right corner of Facebook (desktop of laptop) after you log in.

 

 

Mobile device users should scroll in the app menu to find “Privacy Settings” and go from there.

Trust me… you’ll be glad you checked this out. Why wonder what people can see? Go find out!

 

2.) Join in a conversation on Twitter

So many people on Twitter, just watch… and that’s OK, but you’re missing out! If you’re going to the party, why cling to the wall? Dive on in and be part of the fun!

If you know me, then you’ll know that I am absolutely clueless when it comes to sports. But tweeting during the Super Bowl was a blast! Seriously… I couldn’t stop laughing with all of the witty commentaries on Beyonce and the commercials. (Apparently there was a game, too, but I wasn’t following that.)

Find a topic that interests you (perhaps in the Trends list), or do a search for a hashtag.

How do you do that?

Once logged in to Twitter, go to the search bar and enter the number sign in front of a word or group of words. But don’t use any spaces or punctuation.

When a hashtag is used in a tweet, it creates a hyperlink where you can search for others commenting on the same topic.

For example, today people are talking about the storm using many hashtags such as:

#Nemo     #blizzard     #findingnemo     #snowfail

You get the idea. Search, click, read, retweet, and REPLY! Keep the conversation going!

 

3.) Photo Time

Whether you’re a fan or Pinterest, Instagram, or anything else, take some pics of the snow! Get creative! You know there will be a TON of snow pics out there today, so yours better be special if you want it to stand out.

I absolutely LOVE snow, so if you’ve got a good pic from Nemo, be sure to post it HERE on my Facebook page.

 

4.) Disconnect and Reboot

No, I’m not talking about your phone. I’m talking about YOU!

Sure, we all live in this virtual world in Social Media. And I LOVE it!

But chances are you may be stuck inside with friends and family, so take a few minutes to put down the phone, tablet, or keyboard away for a little while. Make some hot chocolate, light a fire in the fireplace, and have a good conversation.

After all, it will probably give you something to post about in a status update or tweet later anyhow. Whatever you do, stay safe, stay warm, and have fun!

So what will YOU do during the storm today?

Let me know in the comments below!

 

New Facebook Guidelines?

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So… everyone raise your hand if you have seen (or posted) this message about “New Facebook Guidelines” in your Facebook Newsfeed?

“In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention).

For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!

(Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook Wall. This will place them under protection of copyright laws. By the present communiqué, I notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents and/or any staff under Facebook”s direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punished by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute).

Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos as well as the information contained in your profile status updates.”

 

WOW! What the heck is going on???

Well, frankly, not much… In fact, this message isn’t new at all. It’s just a hoax message that has surfaced several times over the years in many forms.

The fact is that if you copy, paste, and repost this message, you’re really not doing anything that will protect you or your content on Facebook. From a logical perspective, Facebook isn’t going to scroll through all of the countless status updates of over 1 billion Facebook users to see if you said it’s not OK for them to share your photos, etc. Even if they did, it wouldn’t matter.

Remember that when we all signed up for Facebook, we agreed to the Terms and Conditions. Yes, you do own the copyright (so to speak) to your photos and your content. But under the Facebook terms, you grant Facebook permission to use, distribute, and share the things you post.

So what can you do?

Know your privacy settings. When you are logged in to Facebook, click the drop-down arrow next to “Home” in the top-right corner of the page, and select “Privacy Settings” from the listed options. Click through the “Edit Settings” option for each of these items and adjust the settings to better control who can see what you post. Facebook does have the right to share your content, but ultimately you have control to say who can see it.

Remember that we are all on here for the social interaction. Unfortunately, part of this world includes people who love to create hoaxes to upset and confuse the users. Don’t fall prey to these hoaxes.

Here’s a good rule of thumb on Facebook. Most things that ask you to copy and paste are either fakes, scams, or spam. (Or at best, they are simply annoying…) When in doubt, just copy and paste the first few lines into Google to verify if there is any truth to the post. Sites like Snopes.com are always good for letting you know what”s good and what isn”t. Definitely check them out and save that site to your bookmarks!

There will always be hoaxes, but now you are better prepared to know how to deal with them.

What other hoaxes have you seen recently? Do you ignore them, or do you let your friends know they are hoaxes? Let me know in the comments.