Social Brio

Social Goodies: Temporary Facebook Passwords, GroupMe & ToneCheck

I have to admit: I've known about these goodies for at least a few months, but I just haven't had the time to write about them! Nonetheless, here's another edition of Social Goodies (a.k.a. tools/tips/tricks on the Internet that you probably want to know about)...

Temporary Facebook Passwords

Surf the Web often on a public computer? Well, there's another Facebook security measure you might not be taking advantage of yet. 

In addition to making sure you access Facebook through secure HTTPS when you're on a public computer, you should also try out Facebook's temporary password feature.  Any time when you rather not use your regular Facebook login password, you can text "otp"- you know, One Time Password- to 32665, which spells "FBOOK".  The temp password can be used just once and is only valid for 20 minutes, but it will protect your account from being logged into by future computer users in the event that your credentials are saved when you enter them.

GroupMe

GroupMe is a group message and communication application available on the iPhone, Blackberry and Android, which allows messages to be sent and received instantly between group members.  The app also includes location mapping, conference call and inter-network sharing (FourSquare) capabilities.

I haven't used this app intensely- I'm not a huge group text user and the iPhone has since added a group SMS feature- but I can see where it could be very useful for frequent texters and for groups who need/want to communicate with each other often.  For business purposes, the conference calling feature could be particularly interesting for professionals without another easy conference solution; each group receives a unique phone number, allowing professionals to have one destination to communicate with team members via text and phone.

Give it a try- it's free!

ToneCheck

This tool is another one to put in the Don't-Make-Yourself-Look-Bad-Online category :)

Still in beta (think prototype), ToneCheck software integrates with Microsoft Outlook to identify and notify users of words and sentences in emails that may be inappropriate in tone.  Since email often lacks the ability to convey emotions you might be able to detect in person, such as sarcasm and anger, I think ToneCheck could help email users avoid miscommunication issues.

In terms of identifying inappropriate content and configuring customized settings, the user experience seems to be pretty similar to the way SocioClean works.  Hey, you never know-  it could make the difference between your client thinking you're funny instead of thinking you're a jerk!

Social Goodies: Open Site Explorer, SocioClean.com and Zipcast

I'm back with another edition of Social Goodies!  For those of you who haven't read one of my Goodies posts before, it's a listing of tools, tips, tricks and sites online that are in somehow related to social media.  Enjoy!

Open Site Explorer

Have you ever wondered where your blog or company website is linked on the WWW (other than the places where you've put the links)?  Well, there's a tool for that :)  It's called Open Site Explorer, and it offers a way to discover a link's popularity and analyzes backlinks to a site.  You can run 3 reports per day for free, which is awfully nice considering their monthly SEO product (SEOmoz PRO) starts at $99/month.

SocioClean.com

If  you're in the market for a job, you want to check out SocioClean.  This tool "Scans, Cleans and Secures Your Social Network Content" for language and other information that may be considered offensive by some viewers (like the VP who's interviewing you for your dream job).

I tried it out myself and observed the following:

• Overall, I liked the tool; it picked up comments from other people on some of my pictures that could be considered offensive to some readers.  Once I clicked on the links related to these "offensive" comments, I also noticed that the corresponding pictures- which are relatively tame but also document my bachelorette party in Vegas- might not be appropriate for some of my circles to see. 

• On the bad side, the product is very sensitive to words; for example, in the Sexual category, “pregnancy” and “pregnant” were tagged.  I see where they're going with this one- if there's a discussion about 15-year-olds getting pregnant on your Wall, that could be something that a professional contact doesn't want to read about- but in my case, a lot of my friends are pregnant!

• In terms of functionality and filtering, the product is very good.  For instance, it lets you tag the phrases or words as “Ignore Instance” or “Ignore word," which ends up being a time saver.

Aside from using this product, I suggest that you go through your social networks (specifically Facebook) and adjust your privacy settings to your liking.  My personal take is that anyone with whom I'm not connected on Facebook should be able to find me on Facebook, but when they do, they should only be able to see my name and network.  These settings are very customizable- and they change pretty frequently- so I recommend that you check yours once every month or two to make sure you are as private as you want to be.

Zipcast

Recently launched by SlideShare, Zipcast is a social conferencing system that is browser-based and free to SlideShare users for conducting public meetings.  The Pro plan (wrapped in with SlideShare) offers private meetings and audio conferencing to name a few, and ranges from $19-$249/month. 

Shortly after its launch in February I tuned into a podcast on the platform, and although the large audience was incredibly annoying in the chat function regarding streaming issues, I think it's worth a try for businesses as an alternative to services like Skype (which is also awesome).

Hope this information enlightened and brightened your day!

How to Update Your Twitter Account Settings to HTTPS

I recently wrote about Facebook's new security setting that allows users to surf entire Facebook sessions on a secure connection, or HTTPS.  Now, Twitter has also implemented this security measure, providing the option for Tweeple to use secure HTTPS for all Twitter sessions.  The automatic HTTPS login isn't available for their mobile site yet, but here's how you can change your Twitter account settings for computer sessions:

Log in to Twitter

Access your Account Settings

Under the Account tab, check the "Always use HTTPS." box

Click the Save button.

Wasn't that easy?  Bravo to Twitter for offering this security measure.  Now, when I'm working at Starbucks, surrounded by a bunch of smart college hackers students, I won't have to worry about them accessing my account and tweeting "Texas A&M is my favorite university" to my followers.  Whew.  Crisis averted.

How to Set Your Facebook News Feed to Display Updates from All of Your Friends

If you read my blog regularly, you already know that I "Like" Facebook a lot, but the social network recently made a quiet little change which, as far as I can tell, wasn't really announced to its +500 Million users.

Have you noticed lately that you seem to see updates on your Facebook News Feed from a handful of the same people all the time, while you almost never see updates from other friends?  I noticed this before reading about the change and a few times thought, "Did this person unfriend me?  I haven't seen anything from them in a long time!"- at least now I know that there's a reason for it.

If you scroll down to the bottom of your News Feed- it will take you a few scrolls, since as you probably know it auto-loads more content as you read through updates- you'll see this option at the bottom:

When you click on Edit Options, a screen and dropdown with these options will come up:

 

Was yours defaulted to the "Friends and pages you interact with most" option? Yep, Facebook pulled a sneaky one on us and defaulted to that setting.  If you want to see all of your friend's and pages' updates, you might want to switch to "All of your friends and pages."

I'm not sure why Facebook would implement this option and not publicize it- maybe it's because they wanted users to experience a more "virtually localized" News Feed- but regardless, the setting is now there for you to choose the option that best suits your Facebook perusing style.  And, now you actually know about it!  It might even help cure your exhaustion from seeing every.single.update. from your super nice, but not so spelling or grammatically savvy, Facebook friend (it's they're, not their!!!)... but that's never happened to me :)

How to Update Your Facebook Security Settings to Secure HTTPS

Yesterday as I was scanning my Twitter feed, I noticed a tweet from one of my relatively new Tweeps regarding a new Facebook security measure.  If you spend as much time as I do at coffee shops doing work- or if you spend any time at all surfing Facebook- you'll probably want to spend a few minutes this weekend to update your settings.

I won't get into the technical side of things, but basically Facebook is now offering the option for you, Facebook user, to browse your entire Facebook session securely via something called HTTPS.  Facebook already uses this measure each time you login with a password, but up until now they haven't offered the ability for users to use HTTPS for entire Facebook sessions.

I know you're asking yourself, "Why didn't they do this a long time ago?", and my answer is I don't know.  However, in the Facebook blog post about this update, they do mention that choosing the HTTPS option slows down a user's connection, and also that some Facebook applications aren't currently supported by the protocol.  Regardless of the reason, I sometimes think we don't give Facebook enough credit for their consistency in rolling out new features and security measures like these; after all, they have to make sure that these changes will implement smoothly for a whopping 500 Million earthlings.

If you want to use the new feature, here's how to update your Facebook security:

From your account dropdown, click on Account Settings

Next to the Account Security section, click "Change"; then check the "Secure Browsing (https)" box

 

That was easy, wasn't it?! One more thing I feel I should mention: if you're a business owner or social media manager for your company and post updates outside of the office, I definitely suggest that you make this change ASAP.  Even if it does take a little more time for your pages to load, it will help protect your business' professional image, and help prevent a hacker from posting "(Your company name) now sells prescription drugs for 70% less than pharmacy prices!" on your behalf.

The HTTPS option should be fully rolled out by now, so take a moment now to make the change!

President Obama, White House Take Full Advantage of Internet, Social Media for State of the Union

What did you think about the 2011 State of the Union Address? I'm not talking about the content within President Obama's speech, or even his speech delivery (of course I have an opinion, but I won't venture to share it here).  What interests me is the way in which the White House and our President has kept up with the Digital Age, realizing its importance and ultimately making it a priority to deliver information to American citizens across the country who use the Internet as a source of daily news.

By now, we're well aware of the effort put forth by our POTUS, Barack Obama, during the 2008 Presidential Election.  He raised over half a Billion-with a B- dollars from online donors, with the greater majority of those donations in the amount of $100 or less.  Impressive.

Fortunately, President Obama has continued this trend of bringing the presidency into the 21st Century with a White House Facebook account, Twitter account, and a MySpace account.  As he has mentioned in interviews, he has taken these measures because the way in which We (The People!) receive our information is much more complex than in years past, so he must also adjust to the way in which the Office delivers information.

I just finished watching the State of the Union address delivered by President Obama- and I did so on the Internet.  The White House developed a full page on their website for the 2011 State of the Union address, equipped with the following:

• A link to the White House iPhone app
• Links to the WH Twitter page, Facebook Page and the Press Secretary's (Robert Gibbs') Twitter page (rest assured that their Tweets and updates were flying throughout the event)
• Prior to the Address launch, video clips of President Obama and his progress during his first 2 years in office
• After the Address, live video consisting of a panel of experts in front of a live audience speaking on the issues the President discussed, and also a hyperlink to the web form where individuals could post questions/comments during the discussion
• Am email address form to receive White House updates
• A history of the annual Event including various facts
• A description and photo of each person sitting in the First Lady's Box
• Details on upcoming online Q&A sessions and round tables with the President, Vice President and other policy experts.

Even more intriguing, the online feed included graphics and images throughout the Address, offering viewers a more detailed look at what, exactly, the President was talking about at the moment.  These elements, together, provided Internet users with an unprecedented number of ways to listen to the President's message, interact with the White House, and maybe most importantly, to learn about American democracy.

As a marketing professional who is always looking at evolutionary ways in which our society is communicating, I'm delighted that the White House seems to be paying attention, and listening.  With that, I leave you with a few screen shots I grabbed during the Address.  Have a wonderful night, regardless of the side of the aisle on which you reside!

SOTU Dedicated Web Page

Split Screen of Live Address and Image of President Obama at GM

Split Screen of President Obama and High Speed Wireless Graphic

 Post-Address Panel with Live Audience

Unraveling the differences between Facebook Pages, Profiles, Groups and Community Pages

As I've mentioned a few times on this blog, one of my main goals is to help businesses and the individuals within them navigate through the intricacies of social networks.  One topic that seems to create confusion is the different types and uses of Facebook pages.  A person who only casually uses Facebook for personal reasons might not realize, for example, that a business Page works differently from a personal profile.  Which is why I'm here...

The most common and well-known page on Facebook is the personal profile.  The personal profile was how Mark Zuckerberg originally conceptualized the social network; as a place where individuals could share their "face", among other details, with other "faces" in their network (specifically, college).  When I first started using the site in 2004, it was only for college students, and therefore, had practically nothing to do with companies.  It helps to think of today's personal profile in those terms, since Facebook has become much larger and much more complex in the subsequent years.

A more recent Facebook development is the Page (yes, with a capital P).  The Facebook Page is designated for companies, celebrities, brands, organizations, bands, etc., as a way for these entities to communicate with their customers/followers/supporters.  The Page doesn't behave in the same manner as a personal profile; you (the individual) can't be friends with a Page, you can't send the Page a private message, and you may not even be able to write on the Page's Wall, depending on their chosen specifications.  What you can do- and what companies really, really want you to do- is to Like their page.  Once you Like, say, Social Brio Marketing (I know, smooth, right?), you'll see all of my updates in your News Feed, among the updates of the "faces" with whom you've become friends.  For businesses, this is like gold, as it's essentially free marketing to their customers (and part of my job is to convince businesses of this fact)!

One little note before I move on: you may have asked yourself, "What type of presence does a person have if he/she is famous?"  For example, I have a friend who is well-known in certain circles, but also wants to maintain a personal relationship with friends, family, etc.  His solution: to maintain both a personal profile and also a Page, which allows him the chance to interact with friends on a personal level and his followers/admirers on a more professional level.

To complicate things just a little more, there are two other categories on Facebook with which the average Facebook user seems not to be too familiar: Groups and Community Pages.  A Group can be established by any Facebook user, and is comprised of fellow users based on a common goal, interest or other mutual reason.  For example, my childhood girlfriends and I have a group for just the 7 of us, and here we communicate, post trip pictures and videos, and have a listing of all our birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  Our Group is set to Secret, so no one else on Facebook can see any of the content.  By contrast, one of my friends recently ran the NYC Marathon; as part of his fund raising efforts, he started a group with over 100 of his friends whom he thought might donate to the cause.

Community Pages are different yet.  Let's say, for example, that I really like shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue (just, you know, hypothetically).  I can start a Community Page titled "I Love Shopping at Saks," and at first this Page will display Bing and Wikipedia entries, in addition to other Internet and Facebook results on the topic.  And if enough people have the same passion as I, the Page will be maintained by the Facebook Community.  This option provides a place where users can express their passions publicly, but separate from, say, Saks Fifth Avenue's official Page.

Got it?  It can be overwhelming, particularly if you haven't grown, as a user, with Facebook.  But now, my friends, you'll know what to do on Facebook the next time you have an overwhelming desire to express how awesome you think Gloria is on Modern Family. (Isn't she?!)

Universities Take Advantage of Social Media

I recently wrote an article for my friend, Neil, who has a blog on NCAA Football called The Victory Formation.  As both a big college sports fan and social media enthusiast, it was natural for me to focus on how university athletic departments are getting students involved and increasing sales through the use of various social networks like Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare.  If you're a big sports fan like I am, check it out!

Here's the post; enjoy and Happy Last Minute Christmas Shopping!

New Facebook Layout Available Today (activation link)!

If you haven't heard yet, Facebook just released a new profile layout today, the day after 60 Minutes aired a two-part interview with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Part 1 Part 2).  I personally like the new layout- it looks cleaner and makes more sense to me- and includes elements such as a summary of personal details at the top, a stream of recent photos, and tabs neatly placed just under the profile picture.

Companies with a Facebook Business Page: these changes don't seem to apply to Pages- at least yet- and I'm not sure if the powers that be plan to do so.  But I'll keep and eye on mine and let you know if/when any updates are made.

Aside from the new layout, I'm also pretty impressed by Zuckerberg's new found poise and personality, both which came through in the interview.  I saw an interview with him by All Things Digital a few years ago, and it was painful to say the least.  Keep it up, Facebook and crew!

Upgrade your profile when you have a chance, and have a great Monday!

Will Facebook Messages Change How We Communicate?

On Monday afternoon, Facebook announced that they're introducing a new messaging system, upgrading and evolving their current in-network messaging tool.  With all of the new system's potential, I'm really, really excited to see the implementation, and I think the implications for how it could change the way we communicate- both within and outside of Facebook- are compelling.

Facebook's current messaging tool is fairly simple.  If you're not too familiar with how it works, it's a private messaging function within Facebook where a user can send a message to one or more of their Facebook friends (and isn't available for your latest Facebook stalker to see).  Although Facebook seems to cringe at the idea that it's anything close to email, that's the closest function to which I can compare it that exists within the Facebook world.

Shortly after Facebook's announcement, they tweeted from their official Twitter feed a link to the video explaining the new system, and here are my notes from the video:

~The way we communicate is bigger than just Facebook- communicating should be simpler.

~We have so many ways to communicate today: by text, email, Facebook, etc.  In order to communicate, all we should need is the person and the message.

~The system will include: the option for every Facebook user to have an @facebook.com email address, but it is not email.  There will be no subject lines, no CC or BCC fields.  By establishing the @facebook.com function, users will be able to send and receive messages in any way: from text to email, email to Facebook, etc.

~Messages will be organized by person, not by subject; every message that another user and I have ever exchanged will be in my inbox under their name. This one is kind of awesome for me, since my husband and I have been on Facebook almost since its inception in 2004, and we had just barely started dating at the time!

~Users will have a lot of control over their inboxes; Facebook will even bounce any incoming email the user does not want to receive (spam-free inbox).

So, you ask, what do all of these elements mean?  Basically, just like Facebook tried to (and is succeeding in) saturating the Web with Facebook and vice versa via the Like function, Facebook is also about to make it easier to communicate with the non-Facebook world while still being logged into the largest social network on the planet.  In just a short period of time, I'll be able to be logged into Facebook, remember that I need to send my mom something, and instead of leaving the Facebook screen, logging into my Hotmail, sending her the message then switching back to Facebook, I will just click on my social inbox in Facebook and send her the message to her (non-Facebook) email inbox.  Pretty cool, huh?

That's all I'm going to say for now- after all, I haven't even seen the interface yet- but be on the lookout for an upcoming review of the new system in the coming weeks, once I receive an invite to try it out.  Hint hint, Facebook- pick me!