by Kimberly | Apr 2, 2013 | Blog, Pinterest, Social Media
Whether you’re new to Pinterest or an old pro, recent changes in their design and features might be just a bit a confusing. In fact, in reading this article on Mashable about the recent changes, there were numerous comments about changes mentioned in the article that, in fact had not happened. Currently, if you have an account, then you are being given the option to switch to the new design right away or you can wait until it’s automatically rolled out to your account. If you switch though, then keep in mind you will not be able to switch back to the old design. What’s Changed Here are a few of the more noticeable changes that are part of the redesign: Pins are bigger, with less space between the pins. When scrolling through pins and you click on a pin to enlarge and view it, you do not lose your place in your browsing. When you click the back button, you land right back where you were. (This change was based on user feedback.) You are not able to comment on pins from the main pin page. To add a comment to a pin, you’ll have to click on the pin and view it in Close-Up view. When you post a new pin, you can no longer send it right to Twitter. You can still share pins to Twitter, but it’s a separate and much less convenient step. Same goes for Facebook. You can no longer share a pin at the time you pin it to your Facebook profile. You can share it separately using the new “Share” button....
by Roz | Mar 30, 2013 | Blog, How to
al·ter·na·tive – /ôlˈtərnətiv/ Adjective (of one or more things) Available as another possibility. As you may have heard Google is getting rid of it’s much loved, very convenient Reader. This move comes as Google tries to consolidate its services. Google Reader will shut it’s doors on July 1, 2013. Perhaps the petition to keep Google Reader alive will work …but in case it doesn’t, please read on. Everyone is writing about Google Reader Alternatives. I typed in Google Reader and it was the first option that came up. In this post I will give a snapshot of a few alternatives that I’ve chosen: Old Reader, Feedly, Newsblur, Netvibes, and Pulse. In addition to looking at the overall usability of these tools, one of my primary objectives is to see how easy it is to share content from these tools to social networks. So, getting familiar with these alternatives now could be key if you want to avoid a disruption of your daily feed reading. And…if you read your RSS feeds in more than one place (that is, if you want to read them at home, at work, or on different devices), you’ll want to try a web-based or cloud RSS reader, like the ones listed below and similar to what Google Reader is now. Old Reader The Old Reader is a great alternative. Its design is based on Google Reader’s prior design, so it’s a good option to check out if you’re looking for something familiar. Word of caution: there might be a wait time to import your file from Google Takeout into this service when you sign up....
by Roz | Mar 22, 2013 | Blog, How to, Online Resources
“Hearing that Google Reader is shutting down is like hearing that your favorite old bookstore is closing,” writes The New Yorker’s Joshua Rothman. Google is spring cleaning, first on the list is Google Reader which will officially shutter on July 1, 2013. Do you use Google Reader? I do. I am seriously bummed with it’s death. However due to declining usage, Google is putting down the Reader so we’ll need to come to terms with this. Why Use a Reader? In a nutshell, a RSS reader is a tool, a tool for getting information from other people so you don’t have to keep going to their website to get updates. You subscribe and updates are sent to your Feed Reader automatically, allowing you to read it whenever you want all in one place. Google Reader is such a tool, an aggregator or in other words a feed reader, news reader, or RSS reader and if you like all your news in one spot from headlines to your favorite blogs then using an aggregator is a great tool. Many use it to aggregate news and analysis and have used it for years. The good news is that you have until July 1st before it’s officially GONE. Before jumping onto the next reader train, let’s take your feeds from Google Reader and export them into an XML file. By doing this you will then be able to import your feeds into your new RSS reader of choice. It’s easy peasy! How to Export Your RSS Feeds From Google Reader: 1. Login to Google Reader (if you’re not already signed in to...
by Kimberly | Aug 31, 2012 | Blog, Pinterest, Social Media
Pinterest has experienced phenomenal growth this year. With a mostly predominantly female user base much has been said about how if you market to women, and especially to moms, then you had better be on Pinterest. It is estimated that between 60 and 97% of the user base for Pinterest is female. Previously only available by invite, Pinterest has recently opened the network up to everyone. Just a few of the signs that Pinterest is HOT: Pinterest is now the 3rd most popular social networking site behind Facebook and Twitter. (Experian) Users who logged into Pinterest daily has increase 145% since the beginning of 2012 (Mashable) Pinterest generates more referral traffic than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. (Mashable) Despite being primarily an invite only network, Pinterest has grown to have almost 15 million users. (Econsultancy) What exactly is Pinterest? Pinterest is a virtual pinboard where users create topic specific or general pinboards to group and share images or videos. Images and videos can be shared from other websites or uploaded from your computer. You can view and follow other users’ boards or follow the user and all of their boards. You can also add other users to a board and give them the ability to contribute to special boards as a way to increase your reach and visibility. Images that are pinned from a website will be linked back to the original post or place they were pinned from. This makes Pinterest especially appealing for e-commerce sites or for any sites that sell things online. Home decoration, fashion, food and wedding planning seem to be particularly popular boards. Data also...
by Kimberly | Jun 8, 2012 | Blog, Social Media
Facebook promoted posts for pages is the latest addition to Facebook’s advertising options. With this feature, Facebook Page admins can choose to pay for a specific post to receive additional exposure for their post in the News Feed of their fans. Facebook says that in addition to a greater number of your fans seeing the post, it will be seen by a greater percentage of the friends of your fans who interact with the post. What are Promoted Posts? A Promoted posts is a status update on your Facebook page where you pay an additional amount for increased exposure of your post in the News Feed of the people who have “Liked” your page. If your page has more than 400 fans, then you will have a few different pay options for promoting your post (starting a $5.00). Facebook will provide you with an estimated amount of people who will be exposed to the post based on how much you pay and how many fans you have. The amount you choose for a promoted post is the lifetime budget amount and not a daily budgeted amount. You are able to promote posts that have been posted within the last 3 days as Facebook prefers that the News Feed only include current and most recent content. A Promoted Post will show in the News Feed for up to 3 day from the day it was created. You can paused a promoted post but at this time you are not able to change a post or the date it was created. You can also changed the amount of promoted post anytime...
by Kimberly | May 15, 2012 | Blog, Featured, Social Media, Twitter
I’m really not sure that there could be many other things that would be more fun for a social media junkie like myself than tweeting while drinking wine with a bunch of people who are doing the same thing. But, that’s just what I’ll be doing tomorrow evening! I’m really looking forward to taking part in the #TGTaste Chat with Thirsty Girl and Villa Maria Estate Wines. We’ll be tasting two of their Sauvignon Blancs: 2011 Villa Maria Estate Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc – SRP $14.99 Click here to download a PDF Info Sheet for this wine. 2011 Villa Maria Estate Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc – SRP $19.99 Read tasting notes for this wine. Now, I’ve been fortunate to have already tried the Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc and really, really enjoyed it. It has a nice, fruity, floral flavor. As I’ll be tasting alone tomorrow night, I’ve decided to open the Cellar Selection to taste during the Twitter Tasting. About Villa Maria Estate Wines This year Villa Maria is celebrating 50 years of winemaking. Founded by Sir George Fistonich, it remains a 100% New Zealand and family owned business today which a strong commitment to sustainability. – Villa Maria was the first wine company in New Zealand to declare the winery a “cork-free zone,” sealing all wines from the 2004 vintage onwards with a screwcap to ensure quality in every bottle. It was also the first New Zealand producer to employ professional viticulturists and is a leader in sustainable viticulture and winemaking. – Sauvignon Blanc The Sauvignon Blanc grape is originally from the Bordeaux region of France. It is planted...
