How to Protect Your Organization With Google Alerts

Introduction

Back in the day, if you were really serious about keeping a handle on your image or the image of your company, you subscribed to one or more clipping and news monitoring services. Those services still exist, and they can be part of a coordinated effort to maintain the public face of your business. However, if your budget won’t allow for comprehensive news monitoring, you still have options. One powerful tool, Google Alerts, gathers news stories, videos and other web content concerning your company and delivers the results to your mailbox or feed reader – for absolutely no charge.

What Are Google Alerts?

Companies concerned with their images can use Google Alerts to keep track of how they are being covered by mainstream news media. Google Alerts can also monitor content on social media such as blogs. Image-conscious companies also use Google Alerts to avoid having potentially harmful content go unchallenged.

For instance, if a blogger is making derogatory but untrue claims about your company, Google Alerts will inform you, so that you can present evidence to disprove the accusations. Google Alerts will also give you a heads-up if customers or clients post complaints about your company.  A large number of complaints about an incident or aspect of your business may indicate potential trouble that your company should address.

Basic Set Up

Google Alerts harness the power of Google’s search engine to seek out result based on search terms that you establish.  Basic set up is simple.  Enter the word or phrase for which you want to establish a search.  Enter your email address, and then confirm the search.  If your company does not have a Google account, you will receive a confirmation email before the alert goes into effect. Establish a separate alert for each keyword or phrase for which you wish to monitor.

For instance, you can set up a simple alert with the name of your company.  A second alert could monitor mentions of a product or service your company makes. Other alerts could monitor the names of prominent officers within the company.

Google Alerts can also alert you to negative publicity or coverage or the possibility of derogatory coverage or remarks you may be aware of or that you may suspect may be a problem. In this case, setting up Google alerts for the phrases related to the controversy allows your company to respond before circumstances get out of hand...




Advanced Options

Advanced options for Google alerts allow you to control each alert individually. You can set preferences for how often you receive alerts, what sources the alerts monitor, how you receive the alerts and an option to export your alerts in CSV forma that can be opened by Excel or another spreadsheet program. If you prefer, you can also opt for alerts to be delivered by RSS feed that you can read in any feed reader.

For instance, if there is a known issue with a product or service your company provides, you can set a Google Alert for  the keyword phrase “[Your Company Name] complaints” to search for all sources, with results to be delivered as they occur to your email inbox or RSS feed. For less critical keyword phrases, you can set alerts for once per day or once per week. You can also specify that results should be limited to Google News Search, Google Web Search or Google Blog Search.

For Further Reading

• Advanced Options
support.google.com/alerts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=175929&topic=28417&ctx=topic
• Basics
support.google.com/alerts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=175926&topic=28416&ctx=topic
• A Case for Using Google Alerts
articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-01/features/ct-tribu-social-google-alerts-20120301_1_visit-google-com-results-term
• Common Questions
support.google.com/alerts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=175950&topic=28418&ctx=topic
• How to Use Google Alerts
foodblogalliance.com/a/how-to-use-google-alerts-5-quick-ways-to-get-news-about-you-your-blog/
• Media Monitor Services and Clipping Services
tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Media-Guide/html/monitor_clipping_services.html
• Use Google Alerts to Keep Tabs on the News You Want
pcworld.com/article/244280/use_google_alerts_to_keep_tabs_on_the_news_you_want.html
• What Are Google Alerts?
support.google.com/alerts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=175925

Author Bio:
Guest post contributed by Simon Morgan on behalf of www.veribo.com – Veribo provide an Online Reputation tool. Simon is a freelance writer and has been actively involved as a web development consultant for over a decade.

read more "How to Protect Your Organization With Google Alerts"

Circle Me on Google+ if You Don’t Exists

I’m not posting anything on my blog since last 6 months because I moved to Google+. Google+ is now only platform where you can interact with me because I’ve have given everything for Google+ from email to facebook, from twitter to blogging, etc.

Since Google+ is an interest based network here are the suggested circles you can put me in:
• Bloggers: Blogging since 1995 :P
• Fun and Interesting :D
• Technology: 90% of my post are about tech related stuff.
• Social Media: 70% of my posts are about social media
• Google+ Related Stuff: I share significant amount of posts about Google+
• Humor: I do share funny stuff every now and then.
• Blogspot Bloggers: I’ve two major blogspot blogs.
• Fun Stuff: Self Explanatory.
• Hot News
• Google+ Tips: I share lots of Google+ tips.
• Google+ Helpers: Need any help with Google+? DM me..
• Must Follow :D

Why you should circle me?
1. You want interesting content in your stream.
2. We have similar interest eg: Gaming, Android, Google, Social Media etc.
3. You love my Blog :D
4. You love Google+
5. For other reasons.

Awesome People I've found via Google+
1. Awesome Bloggers and SEO Experts: Mark Traphagen, Lee Smallwood and Ivan Dimitrijević
2. Tech Genius like Eli Fennell and Patrick Sharpe
3. Helpful Plussers like Jaana Nyström, Laurie DesAutels, Gabriel Vasile, Denis Labelle, stephanie wanamaker, Bud Hoffman and Hannah Roberts
4. Fun and Interesting: Elle Gray
5. Incredible Artists like Bearman Cartoons and Paul Stickland
6. Interactive Plussers like Max Huijgen, Maria Stepanov Sommerfield and Marc Jansen
7. Photographers like Victor Bezrukov, Steve Gill, pio dal cin, Susanne Ramharter and Michael Stuart
8. Awesome Googlers like Neeta Tolani and Karthik Nagaraj
9. Hangout and Marketing experts like Yifat Cohen and Luis Galarza
9. Awesome Writers: Giselle Minoli
10. Foodies Jake Croston


I will see you on Google+

read more "Circle Me on Google+ if You Don’t Exists"

How To Improve Google AdWords Quality Score

Google AdWords is the perfect match maker. When the user is searching for something and finds exactly what he needs that is what Google aims for and considers a great user experience. When ad provides a great user experience that is reflected in the Google AdWords Quality score. Quality Score is basically an attempt to describe the overall effectiveness of the advertising campaign. In other words, Google AdWords Quality score is the type of grading mechanism where grades range from one to ten, ten being the highest and one the lowest.

Why is it important to have a high Quality Score?
Having a high quality score brings all kinds of benefits. Just like it is in your personal interest to have a high Quality Score ad, it is in Google's interest as well. For that matter, Google rewards ads with high quality score by reducing the fee per ad click and giving the ads a better position on the page. In other words, the more relevant your ad is - the higher quality score and the better your position - the less you will have to pay for a click.

How do they calculate the Quality Score?
Every time someone types in a keyword relevant to your ad, and by doing that triggers your ad, Google AdWords calculates the Quality Score. For the process of calculating the Google AdWords Quality Score, Google goes through number of different things related to your account. Namely, Google AdWords checks the relevance of your keyword – how relevant it is to your ads, how relevant it is to what a customer is searching for and how often that very keyword led to clicks on your ad. Google AdWords also reviews your whole account history – how well your ad has been doing on this and other sites, how successful your account has been in the geographic regions you're targeting as well as your overall click-through rate for all the ads and keywords in your account. Last but not least, they check how often you received clicks with your display URL and the quality of your landing page (destination URL).

How do you improve your Quality Score?
If you are not satisfied with your quality score, do not worry, there are procedures you can take in order to improve it. First of all Google AdWords offers you some tools that can help you with your keywords, placements, optimization and more. Besides tools, there are simple steps you may follow in order to increase Quality Score.


If you want to increase your Click-through Rate, the best way to do it is to make your ad interesting for a user to click on. You can achieve that by the use of punctuation in the key areas, making the title a question and ending it with a question mark, ending the final sentence with the string of three periods or with the use of symbols such as $ or % to make your ad stand out.

The use of the same keyword in your Ad Text as well as in the landing page will improve your quality score. For example, if you are offering a special discount or any kind of special offer for that matter, and display it in the ad text, be sure to display it in the landing page as well. Using the keywords that are most relevant to what the users are looking for will tell Google’s algorithm that your landing page is highly relevant to your keyword and your Ad. However, if you have a keyword which receives tons of impressions but has very low Click-through Rate makes sure to pause it as soon as possible as it will only decrease the CTR of your entire campaign.

Also, the use of an outbound links on your landing page that are relevant to your targeted keyword may help you increase your Quality Score. Make sure that the very web page has a good reputation (e.g. Wikipedia). This re-affirms to Google’s AdWords algorithm that your page is directly related to the users search query.

Author Bio:
Ivan Dimitrijevic works at Dejan SEO Australia as a Senior SEO Consultant. He contributes to many blogs including and 123SEO blog for small businesses and his favorite topics include Search Engine Optimization, Google+, Social Media Marketing, SEM - Search Engine Marketing, Web Design, WordPress, Photography and Art.

read more "How To Improve Google AdWords Quality Score"

Top social media tips for bloggers

Social media is not a mystery anymore as even a school going kid has an account on Facebook and seems to be well versed in using it. But the role which social media plays in SEO is far more salient than just chatting and sharing photos! The bloggers are sometimes at a loss not knowing what exactly they have to do to drive the right amount of traffic to their website and get popular.

Some reproach social media saying that even after taking paramount efforts to socialize and share their blogs, the returns haven’t been satisfying or have never shown improvement. But, if you ask successful bloggers on how they built a massive group of loyal followers and ranked high, they would say that it can’t be achieved overnight or through a single executable plan. Here are some social media tips that will take your blog to the next level.

• Become an active user on various social networking sites like Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and StumbleUpon. Create your own community of friends and followers. You have to concentrate on building contacts with other bloggers and SEO experts as they can turn to be beneficial for your blogging activity. The more the number of social contacts you have, the wider your blog will spread.
• Every time you post something new on your blog, you have to share it with your social media friends. This will make them aware that you have a new post on your site and drive them to read your blog.
• What is the key to make new visitors become your regular readers? Well, you can have a social plugin or share buttons such as +1, like, pin it and tweet which enable your readers to share your content with their friends. Also, you can have a social media icon besides your name or picture so that when the visitor clicks on it, he will be instantly imported to your profile page. You should always give them easy access to social networking sites.
• Shorten your links to get statistics about the number of visitors and the time at which they visited.  Also, get an RSS feed and connect it to your LinkedIn profile.
• Be pleasant and responsive to your readers. Reply positively to those who comment, ask queries or give a negative response.  While you are commenting on other people’s blogs, link your social media profile to it whenever possible as it will increase your visibility.

So here is a message to all aspiring bloggers. In social media your online presence and user engagement plays a very crucial role.  Social media success can be achieved only by producing quality content, blogging consistently, alluring visitors to your blog and cleverly making them share your content.

This is a guest post by Robin Mckenzie of Buycenturylink.com, a site that offers savings and current information on high speed internet deal and phone services around your area. Clilck Here.

(Image courtesy onbile)

read more "Top social media tips for bloggers"

Using Content to Get Better Search Engine Rankings

By now, most everyone has heard that content is king when it comes to getting a high ranking Website in the search engines. This is certainly more than just a cute saying, and it is still true.

It is important to understand that the goal of the search engines is to provide the user with new and valuable information. This is why it is necessary to continue to add content worth reading, as well as using the best keywords. Because the search engines are also trying to give the latest information, it explains why a webpage may be at the top one day and then it will slowly go down the ranks with time – as new material is produced somewhere else using those same keywords.

New content needs to be added on a regular basis, but not just in any way. Since it is people you are trying to attract, you want to be sure to make it enjoyable for your visitors. This includes having good English, being well thought out, and then written in a way that keeps their attention.

Another key factor in good content is that you really do need to have something to say that many people are not already aware of. Obviously, if what you say in your content is the same as what everyone else is saying, then you give them no reason to want to come back and visit your website. As far as they are concerned, you do not exist unless you are going to make it worth their time to come back again – no matter how many articles you have.

Having unique content can make your website go viral, too. If you post something that is really good, then your visitors will be telling others about it. You can help them to do this, by posting the "Like" tags on your Web page, and also the Google+ and Twitter tags, too, to make it easy for them to spread the word.

When it comes to SEO use in your content, be sure to use it wisely. Optimizing your website for the search engines is important, but you also must make sure that it is friendly and easy to use for humans, too. The search engines are much smarter now, and they can easily find your keywords, especially if you are using metatags. They cannot find keywords in your graphics.

Linking to Others:
Link your keywords from one page to another on your website. Do not link to other pages from such words as "Click here to learn more," but use the actual keywords. This will help the search engines know that there is related material for those exact keywords. Be sure to use the keywords in the webpage title, and also in the article title and in some of the subtitles of your content.

Getting Links From Others:
Don't forget that you can always add content to other websites that will give you inbound links, too. This will enable more people to be able to find you if you add your links to high ranking websites, blogs, and forums.

Think long term rather than short term. Getting a high rank in the search engine results pages will usually not come overnight. It is a slow process, but by focusing on a variety of keywords for your pages, you can certainly start to see an increase in traffic.

While it is very important to regularly add more content to your Website or blog, you also want to use other methods for SEO, too. Getting the higher-ranked Website you want actually requires a number of tactics – all working together.

Byline
This article was written by Karl Stockton for the team at Kanetix. They can help you get the cheapest quotes available for your vehicle.

read more "Using Content to Get Better Search Engine Rankings"

Yahoo hacked, 450,000 Username and passwords posted online

Reportedly Yahoo has been hacked by unknown hacking group.  More than 450,000 usernames and unencrypted passwords have been stolen and posted. 

Following message was posted by hacking group in the document:

"We hope that the parties responsible for managing the security of this subdomain will take this as a wake-up call, and not as a threat," a note on the page said. "There have been many security holes exploited in Web servers belonging to Yahoo! Inc. that have caused far greater damage than our disclosure. Please do not take them lightly." 


Yahoo Hacked incident is indeed very serious issue and you should consider changing your password. 

read more "Yahoo hacked, 450,000 Username and passwords posted online"

Jelly Bean: The Best Android OS

Google launched Jelly Bean at Google I/O 2012 and the entire gadget world start phrasing it. Jelly Bean is indeed a best Android OS produced by Google due to many reasons. Jelly Bean was introduced with Nexus phone and tablet. Motorola Xoom is the second tablet to receive Jelly Bean after Nexus 7.

Why Jelly Bean is the best Android OS yet?

1. Speed: The Jelly Bean is much faster and smother than Ice Cream Sandwich due to the introduction of "Project Butter". Project Butter involves Triple buffering due to which The CPU, GPU and display can run independently without waiting for each other.



2. User Interface and Design: The interface works better with the introduction of Expandable Notifications and Resizable App Widgets.

3. Google Now: Google Now is Voice assistance service that takes input in the form of voice and respond back in the voice mode, much like Siri but far better than that.

4.  HomeScreen: The home screen is more customizable than ever. The access to apps and Google Play is lot easier now.

5. Widgets: Widgets are automatically re-sized to fit home screen.

6. Smarter Keyboard: The kayboards are faster than ever also the dictionaries are more accurate and relevant. They have also improved the text to speech capabilities.

7. Accessibility: The Gesture Mode is designed for blind people. Jelly Bean also adds support for accessibility plugins via USB and Bluetooth.

Don't forget to read the article listed below.
Features of Jelly Bean

Official Jelly Bean Page

All in All Jelly Bean brings Android OS to next level and it definitely works better than iOS.

read more "Jelly Bean: The Best Android OS"

How To Use Pinterest To Promote Your Travel Blog

As of March 2012, Pinterest had over 11 million users and growing daily leaps and bounds since its inception. Fast forward to today and the new social network is the third largest network on the planet.

Pinterest has a certain appeal to women and as such at last count, 80% of users on the site are indeed females. This creates a boon for small businesses that cater to ladies and wish to reach this most fertile demographic. One area that is experiencing phenomenal growth on Pinterest is travel and armed with this detail, travel website and blog owners would be smart to reach out and touch someone via a strategic marketing campaign.

Below we dig into how to use Pinterest to promote your travel website or blog.

1. Showcase Lots Of Travel Photos

If it’s one distinct advantage that a travel blog owner has over other blog owners is that the niche lends itself to being photo and image centric just like Pinterest is. A would be traveler wants to see his future destination and those who can’t quite afford to go just yet, can dream of said places via your cool photos. The more the merrier, and the more photos you have on both your blog and your Pinterest boards, the more potential would be readers will flock to them. Think big, think exotic and think fun - when it comes to travel photos.

2. Pin Other Travel Bloggers

It’s no secret that to get noticed on certain social networks one has to do just that - network. Come together with like minded travel blog owners and PIN each others articles and images to keep a circle of love amongst your ideal visitors. Best way to do this is to subscribe to the boards of those in the travel niche and “repin” and “tag” every chance you get. Be sure to also follow their blogs via RSS or email to stay abreast of new articles and site updates.

3. Have Pinterest Only Giveaways

As with Twitter and Facebook, one way to create buzz amongst both readers and other blog owners is to create fun and exciting giveaways. Usually these are done on the blog itself, but if your aim is to increase followers and interest in your Pinterest account; it would be best to have the giveaway specifically (and exclusively) there. Use your blog and possibly your other social channels like Twitter, Google+ and Facebook - to drive traffic back to your Pinterest profile page. As with any giveaway, the better and coveted the prize, the better turnout and success you will have.

There’s a reason Pinterest has taken off like gangbusters since its inception just two short years ago, and that reason is that people love photos. They love looking at them, sharing them and even doing business with those who know how to take and share a GREAT photo.

Have you as a travel blog owner jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon yet? If not, why not. If so, how have you fared with it.

image via (Albany Kid)

Article by: Brittany, who is in charge of the Pinterest account for her travel blog and website which is all about car rentals in the UK. She loves Pinterest the most out of all the social networks and so far has a variety of cool boards to showcase her love of travel.

read more "How To Use Pinterest To Promote Your Travel Blog"

Top Video Streaming Apps for iPad 3

It is always great to have videos and other media on your iPad 3, as you can catch up with them when you are on the go. However, having the same media on both your PC and iPad is a waste of memory space. Furthermore, syncing the devices using iTunes is a laborious process. Another hurdle people face  when trying to transfer video files is while they are transferring a media file in a non-iPad friendly file format. You will have to convert the file into MPEG-4 or H.264 format before transferring them to your iPad.

Streaming apps are the best solution to this problem. Using them, you can directly stream videos from your computer or laptop to your iPad 3. There are many apps you can find on the iStore which dos the job for you. But here  are the best streaming apps you can find in the market today.

Air Playit

This video streaming application is the best app in the list mainly because of its file format conversion capabilities. You don’t have to install third party video conversion software in case the video you want to stream in not in MPEG-4 or H.264 format. It offers live conversion with more than three hundred and twenty audio and video conversion codec. So it literally supports every possible file format.

Air Playit uses the Wi-Fi connection or the 3G/4G network to stream videos from your computer or laptop to the iPad 3. If you are going out of network range, no need to worry. There is a feature that allows you to download the files while it is streaming and store it on your iPad. So, you can watch it even when there is no network connection.

Another unique feature of this app lies in its capability to stream DRM videos from iTunes. It will allow users to watch DRM-protected media files which were directly downloaded from the iStore without taking up any space on your iPad 3. Since the app is built using a simple HTTP server, you can access the playlists using any of the web browsers. You can also stream media to your TV as the app supports TV-Out feature.

Air Video

This app is also similar to the Air Playit app and has all the similar features. The only noteworthy differences between these two are that Air Video is a paid app although it also has a free version, and it cannot play DRM protected videos which were downloaded from the iStore. Another drawback of this app is that the free version will limit the number of items on display. If you can compromise on these features, Air Video is the app for you.

Steps to Use Air Playit

There are two versions of Air Playit: the server software and the client app. You need to install the server software form of Air Playit on your computer or laptop. The client app should be installed on your iPad 3.

After installing the software, add the media you want to stream on the share folder and click on the ‘add folder’ option. Launch the app on your iPad 3 and click on the server to add it. Make sure that the connection is not interrupted in the middle. Browse the folder which you want in your iPad and click on play. You are good to go.

Penny Cooper is a writer by profession and likes to blog about her varied interests. You can find interesting related posts on media server and Home server 2011 on Homesystemintegration blog where Penny is a contributor.

read more "Top Video Streaming Apps for iPad 3"

Google+ Now Allows You to Set Date of Birth

From now on you can show your birth date in your about section on Google+. This feature is one of the most praised feature of facebook and it was highly requested by Google+ community. I love this feature because I spent most of the time on Google+.

Steps to enable this feature: 

Step1: Click on Profile button from sidebar.

Step2: Click "Edit Profile" button. 

Step3: Scroll down to Birthday column and click on it. A pop-up window will show up with previously entered(at the time of creating your account) date of birth.

Step4: Enter your date of birth and choose appropriate visibility(Extended Circle, Public, Your Circle, Only you or Custom). 

Step5: Save it.

Step6. Done. 

Screen Shot: 

What do you think about this feature? Do you use Google+ or Are you stuck with fb crap? 

PS: You can discuss this feature on Google+

read more "Google+ Now Allows You to Set Date of Birth"

How To Use Twitter Effectively For Promoting

Twitter is a social networking channel that has become a very popular strategy for internet marketing. Business owners are using twitter to promote their brands, stay in touch with their customers, handle customer complaints as well as to recruit new customers. However, your success depends on how you use this channel. The following are tips on how to use twitter effectively.

Build quality relationships from other users
Identify those influential people within your niche and then build quality relationships with them. These people could be mentors, advisors or experts within your area of specialization. The best way to build relationships with such people is by following them, retweeting their tweets and commenting on their tweets.

Be ethical
Ethics portray you as a professional person and attract more people to your profile. Always practice good governance by giving transparent and honest information about your brand. When retweeting, always acknowledge the original source by attributing the retweets accordingly. Always give the full names of the original author when posting quotes from people who are not on twitter.

Share links from your website or blog
When you post an article on your website or blog, it is good to share it with your twitter followers. Twitter gives you the chance to share links with your followers. All you need to do is install a twitter plug in on your page and then click it whenever you want to share your content on twitter. Twitter will generate a short URL and short summary directing readers to your website. You can edit this summary in order to make it friendly to search engines and eventually increase your visibility by internet users. Anything you share via twitter can be visible to all internet users even those who are not your followers.

Create an attractive profile title
When creating your twitter profile, it is important to tell other users what you do. Tell twitter users about your area of expertise, your experience and how you can help them people are always looking for solutions to their problems and the best way to get a large number of relevant followers is by telling them what you can do for them. This encourages those people who are in need of your services or products to request to follow you. Optimize your profile title so that you can become visible to internet users.

Do not use offensive language
Twitter users have different backgrounds, and so you need to pay attention to what you share via twitter. Remember that twitter is used by people from all over the world. Always use a language that is polite to all of them. Avoid using offensive words too in order to nurture a good relationship with your followers.

Optimize your tweets
Optimizing your tweets ensures that you reach out to as many twitter users as possible. The keywords you use when posting your tweets determines the type of followers you get. Twitter also displays your profile to other twitter users, and this is often determined by the nature of your tweets as well as your profile title. Your tweets are also displayed on the search engines during general internet search, and so the type of keywords you use determine the nature of your followers.

Post regularly
Twitter is for social networking, and people within your network are looking for constant communication. Tweet regularly to ensure that there is regular communication with your followers. This also nurtures goodwill between the two of you, and thus boosts the success of your brand.

Claire is an expert writer for www.make-a-web-site.com. She mainly writes on internet marketing tips.

read more "How To Use Twitter Effectively For Promoting"

Instagram: What You Should Know

You’ve heard everyone talking about this great new app for iPhones called Instagram. If you are someone who loves photography and loves looking at pictures, you will probably love this app. If you do not have an iPhone, you may wonder how you will be able to use Instagram, but have no worries. The developers just released an Instagram app for Droids as well. You may also be wondering what it is that makes this app so popular with so many people. The truth is that Instagram is a great way to show the world the view through your eyes.

 


About Instagram
Instagram is a free app that you can download for your iPhone and now your Droid as well. Once you have downloaded Instagram, also know as IG for short, you will be able to make an account. You choose your own username and then you will post your first picture. The great thing about IG is that it will let you import a photo that you already had on your phone and edit it. You can add a filter and a border if you want and then post it to your account. Once you have your first picture posted, it’s time for you to follow some people and get some pictures rolling on your feed. You can search for people that you know and follow them or you can search by tag or username. If you like Mini Coopers, you may want to search the Mini Cooper tag and follow some of the other IGers who like Mini Coopers as well.

Instagram has some great features. Aside from following those people with pictures that you like, people can follow you too. If someone posts something that you like, you can double tap the screen and like the picture. Then, it will be saved to your liked list and you can look at it later if you want. When you post a picture, aside from just adding a filter, you can also choose to blur a section of the picture using the blur tool. You can blur a horizontal line or a circle area. You can also add a border to your picture or opt not to. You will also be able to tag your picture. If you post something that has to do with fashion, you will want to add a #fashion tag. Hashtags are all the rage on IG.

If you are looking for a cool new app that you can play around with in your spare time and you don’t want to spend money on an app, why not give IG a try? It is a great way for you to show the world the view through your eyes and get to see pictures that other people took to do the same thing. Instagram has over a million users so you are sure to find some pictures you really enjoy. Give it a try. You’ll really like it!

Author Bio: Rich Enders is a freelance writer for How2becomeapoliceofficer.com. He helps students to become a police officer by getting the right education though online colleges. 

read more "Instagram: What You Should Know"

Get Faster Web Access with a USA VPN

A USA VPN can help users increase the speed of their online activities.  A VPN prevents the user’s ISP from monitoring, prioritizing, and throttling the user’s online activity.  Additionally, users can access websites that would otherwise be geographically restricted.  The ability to bypass location based IP blocking, increase speed, and secure connections on public Wi-Fi makes a VPN an essential online tool.
While many companies often use VPNs to connect remote workers, they can also benefit individual users looking for online freedom. The following users can benefit greatly from VPNs:

1.  Advanced IT Users
Users with IT backgrounds often have to transfer large amounts of data to their computers.  A VPN will prevent the user’s ISP from throttling their connection.
2. Users of Social Media Sites
Social media sites are frequent targets of Internet censorship.  Consequently, users who travel abroad may lose access to their favorite social networking sites.  A VPN replaces the user’s IP address with one associated with the VPN server.  Websites use IP addresses to identify the user’s location and grant or deny access to their services.  A VPN allows users to browse the internet as if they located in the United States, Europe, or Asia.  By switching servers users can access many websites restricted to specific regions of the world.
3. Smartphone Users
Many Smartphone users unknowingly expose their devices to threats on public Wi-Fi.  A VPN encrypts the user’s entire connection and prevents hacker’s from stealing vital personal data.  The best providers offer 256 bit encryption with protocols such as L2TP/IPsec.
How does a VPN work?

A VPN creates a secure tunnel between the user’s device and the Internet.  All data passing through is encrypted and safe from third parties.
A VPN user is able to achieve faster connection speeds by preventing ISPs from inspecting, prioritizing, and throttling data.  For optimal speed users should select VPN services offering multiple VPN servers, protocols, and unlimited usage.  Distance from the server and protocol compatibility can affect speed.  Premium providers offer servers in the United States, Europe, and Asia with protocols including PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, and OpenVPN.  This allows users to connect their VPN from a wide variety of locations and on multiple device types. Finally users should always select services that offer unlimited usage.  This ensures that the user’s VPN can be used at any time.

Richard Smith is a long time writer, 1st time blogger.  His niche of choice is technological advances in the 21st century. Richard highly recommends a USA VPN for internet security, speed, and anonymity.

read more "Get Faster Web Access with a USA VPN"

Top 5 Benefits of Using Social Networks in Improving the Visibility of your Website

When it comes to improving the online visibility of your website or online business, you should never fail to take advantage of social networks. Social networking sites allow you to stay connected to people in different parts of the world, thereby giving your online business the kind of exposure that it deserves.
One of the best ways to stay connected to people through social networks is to sign up in meeze.me. This allows you to meet new people and potential clients in the virtual world without paying anything. The following are among the major benefits of using social networks when it comes to promoting your online business or site:

1. Social networking sites do not require you to spend too much
It is proven to be cheaper to use social networks for your business because most of its features are offered for free. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter even allow you to scout target markets and potential customers just by doing a few keystrokes and clicks and this will enhance your usual promotional and advertising strategies. The good thing about these sites is that you can view the profiles of your target audience and learn more about what they like for a product. You can then easily customize your business to meet the demands of your audience.

2. Social networks are useful when it comes to building your credibility
Gaining the trust and loyalty of your present and potential customers is possible by allowing them to see that you are interested in connecting with them both personally and professionally. All that you have to do is to respond to their queries even if these are not related to your business. You have to show them that they matter to you as you can expect this move to work in getting their continued patronage. Just make sure that you avoid pursing them too aggressively as this may only cause them to get annoyed.

3. You can connect to different types of people all across the globe
And this is a major help if you want your online business to be known worldwide. Social networks allow you to connect with your friends and you can also expect your friends to share what you are offering to the people who are part of their network. Because of the millions of users of these social networking sites at present, you will no longer find it hard expand your reach.

4. Easy customization of your profiles
This means that social networks offer a wide array of options when it comes to customizing your profiles. You can create profiles in these sites and customize these so that they will start showing relevant information about your business including its name, website links and location. You are also given the chance to share your success, stories, products and services through the social networking community.

5. Social networks can drive traffic to the official website of your business
If driving traffic to your site is one of your aims, then social networking can help you out. Once your profiles are exposed to the different users of these sites, it is greatly possible for them to start visiting your website. This is a good thing if you want to get more targeted traffic and let your potential customers to start ordering your products online.

Author Bio: Ludwing Hernandez is a guest blogging addict and CEO of Mezee online chat platform to make easy the share experience.

read more "Top 5 Benefits of Using Social Networks in Improving the Visibility of your Website"

Nokia Lumia 900 – The Last Resort

The word is that AT&T, Microsoft and Nokia have thrown everything – including the proverbial kitchen’s sink – to ensure that the soon to be released Nokia Lumia 900 is a technological marvel. Considering the fact that the future of the abovementioned trio pretty much rests on the phone being a cellular masterstroke, few would doubt that claim. The Lumia 900 needs to get an overwhelming response from the masses, for the skewed market scale to finally show some inclination towards Nokia and Microsoft’s Windows Phone. And Nokia and Microsoft have a narrow window of opportunity to make their mark since both Samsung and Apple are waiting in the wings, so to speak.

 


The Windows Phones have been a miss in the U.S. so far, and if another one of its releases bites the dust in Uncle Sam’s land it might just be the final nail in the coffin, as far as being a competitor in the American market is concerned – and who knows maybe globally as well.
The Lumia 900’s price – $99.99, with a two-year contract – is quite eye catching, but what is being questioned is whether or not Nokia and Microsoft would be able to generate significant interest with this modest price tag, before Samsung launches its next Galaxy phone or Apple releases iPhone 5. Failure in doing so would only benefit Samsung’s next release; since barring an instant impact from the Lumia 900 the minds would immediately shift towards the rumors surrounding the release of the next Galaxy phone. To cut to the chase, in simple words it is pivotal that Lumia 900 reaches out to as many buyers as possible before Apple and Samsung return to the limelight.
It’s not merely popularity that’s at stake. The future of Nokia and Windows Phones is on the line with this release. As mentioned earlier, the U.S. isn’t exactly an established market for Nokia’s smartphones. It’s more of an emerging market that needs to be capitalized upon, and this can offset competition elsewhere, for example China and Europe. Nokia’s quest of warding off the challenge of Android phones and Apple’s iPhone rests on the Lumia 900’s performance in the U.S.
Nokia’s annual report tells us that merely 4 percent of its sales originated from North America in 2011. And even this number is a 1 percent reduction on the numbers posted in 2010. Hence, if Nokia can get traction in the U.S. it would be a massive boost for its overall numbers, and one can expect things to move forward and AT&T, Nokia and Microsoft might just end up instigating a customer gaining spree. However, that ‘if’ is about the size of Eiffel Tower.
Natalia David, an author significantly contributes towards PC and cell phone spy and cell phone tracking. She recently read some good piece of work on news and hence her interest shifted towards technology news. If you want to know more about Natalia you can follow her on twitter @NataliaDavid4

 

read more "Nokia Lumia 900 – The Last Resort"

Google+ Gives You Control over Your Online Reputation

The Internet is here to stay. It affects every part of life including the social and business aspects. This is where online reputation management becomes a necessary tool to make sure that you are aware of what is going on with your reputation. Reputation management is about maintaining what is going on with you and having some control over your presence on the Web.

Google+ is one way to have that control. The services offered by them gives you options for controlling who is in your circle and who you would like to share information with such as videos, photos, links, etc. There are three steps to the process. Set up your profile and then create your circles to start sharing. This allows you the means to control your online reputation.

In creating your profile, you set up the basic information that you want to share. Add other information about yourself and then set your privacy levels. The last step in creating your profile is very important. Privacy settings allow you to control that sees beyond your basic profile. You get to choose who will photo tag you, who comment on your posts and who will send you notifications.

Creating your circles is very important in controlling your online reputation. You get to make sure that the right people see the right things. You are able to monitor who sees what and that is a great feature of Google+. This feature allows you to set what your friends see specifically and what your employer can see specifically.

The promotion of Google+ is that you share. Whether sharing involves videos, links or chats, the goal is to have great conversations. You can respond to posts by sharing or adding others to an ongoing conversation by forwarding posts.

Google+ has other features that help you have a rewarding experience. You can add tags in the photo section to images of you with others. This is a great feature for family and friends. There is an option to turn on “find my face.” This lets others add tag of you.

Hangouts is an application on Google+ that allows you to add up to nine people in a video chat session. This is great asset when you want to communicate with more than one person and generate lots of fun.
Social networking has become an integral a part of our culture. Whether the social networking is for business or pleasure, Google+ does give you the opportunity to manage that part of your online presence. As the social networking medium becomes larger and larger in the culture of today, the more instrumental it becomes in affecting and influencing lives.

This means that you want to take advantage of a tool that gives you the opportunity to manage your online reputation. With a tool like Google+, you can do just that. The advantage of arranging your communication circles and what information gets shared with whom is great stride in the right direction for using social networking.

As a matter of fact, the more the medium continues to grow, more and more personal information is collected about you. Google+ allows you to be the navigator in this forum. The more control you have over who sees what regarding you, the better control you have over your online reputation.

Since social networking is a very active part of life now, it is important to seek out tools that help maintain and control your online reputation. Google+ is one such tool. The option to share what you want and need to rather than having someone else have the control is what makes Google+ a great choice.
While online reputations have pluses and minuses, the big plus is you having control over yours. Applications will continue to be developed and fine tuned in this respect and the necessary thing will always be the ability to control and manage your online reputation.

As a Blogger I find Google+ a great tool for Business. Google+ for business is far better than others due to its seo value and many other factors.
Recommended Post: Google+ is Better for Business

You can check out all the features of Google+ and make a decision as to what you want to share. Whether your choice is for business or pleasure, the application is a good place to share. More than anything protection of your online presence is in your hands.

Author Profile:

Barry Woolley is a social media expert dedicated in writing articles related to social media, internet marketing, online reputation management, blogging and other internet related topics. He always wanted to share his knowledge with people interested in the same field. Barry started teaching social media topics in some Universities around Stockton, California and still continuous talking on other Universities until today.

read more "Google+ Gives You Control over Your Online Reputation"

3 Good Ways To Get Cash For An Old Mobile

With the dizzying rate that new cell phones are introduced in the US, it’s a wonder we aren’t changing our phones every week. However we are changing them every two years on average and early adopters probably switch up to a new phone every year, which then leads to a tremendous amount of cell phones that are then in need of recycling and or a new home.

If you happen to upgrade to a new cell phone more frequently than the rest of us, it might be time to weigh your options when it comes to discarding your old mobile. You can leave it sitting in your sock drawer to collect dust or you can sell it to a third party agency that will then find it a new more deserving home - than your sock drawer and all the while, you can make a bit of coin in the process.

So let’s take a look at three good ways to get cash for your old mobile, that don’t require too much of your time plus - anyone can try the three methods described below.

1. Sell Locally via Craigslist 

For a quick offline sale, you can’t beat the behemoth of local sales - Craigslist. Assuming you live in the US and in a big and nicely populated city, this method is most likely your best bet for a quick local sale. If you’re wondering about costs? To list your item and to message any prospective buyers is completely FREE, which makes this option inexpensive as well. Selling (and buying) is pretty straightforward as the site is simple, minimalistic and intuitive. Just about anything can be sold via this site as there are numerous categories in the “for sale” section including electronics, cell phones, household and more.

2. Sell Online Via Gazelle 

If you rather not fool with Craigslist or buyers directly, then an online option might be best suited for you. Gazelle is one of the better known gadget recyclers which includes cell phones and smartphones and handles everything for you neatly, quickly and for not too much. Essentially you send in your mobile, they inspect it and then let you know what it’s worth. If it has value past a certain dollar amount, Gazelle then sends you a check in the mail for its value.

3. Sell To Your Social Network 

I have several family members and friends who opt to use Facebook for the recycling of their gadgets. They simply post that they have such and such item they no longer need or want and offer it up to the highest bidder or quickest buyer. You might be pleasantly surprised to discover that your social network is one of the best ways to get cash for your old stuff including used cell phones, such as older model iPhone’s. Simply post about it as a status update on Facebook and watch the sweet offers roll in.

Nowadays it has become easier than ever to responsibly discard of older tech and gadgets, and when a bit of  money comes into the equation as well, it’s a no brainer really. Whether you want to do a quick local unload, go online to a third party agent or ask your social network, it’s easier than ever to get cash for old mobile phones and other gently used tech.

What is your preferred way to get cash for old mobile phones? Tell me below in the comment area please.

Author Bio:
Missy writes for various clients including a reverse cell phone lookup service provider online. When she’s not busy dishing on mobile news topics, she rides her scooter, jogs around the lakefront and loves a good cup of joe.

read more "3 Good Ways To Get Cash For An Old Mobile"

9 Tactics for Effective Social Media Optimization

What do you know about social media aside from the fact that it has billions of members put together?

Hmm, let us look into some of the most interesting insights regarding the Web’s leading network sites.

• As of 2012, Facebook already has over 800 million active members with beyond 3.5 billion content pieces (e.g. news, links, images, blog posts, etc.) shared every week. 
• Twitter has around 100 million active users and half of this population logs in at least once every month. 
• Around 34% of marketers have obtained leads, while 20% of them have closed deals through their Twitter account. 
• An estimated 92% of Twitter members retweet interesting content, while 84% retweet humorous posts. 
• Google+ came out in June 2011 and garnered approximately 10 million users in less than a year. At the end of the year, it had 62 million members. As of January 2012, it has 90 million users. 
• The +1 button is used over five billion times each day, while its iPhone app turned out to be the most popular application among other Apple apps. 

Now, the list seems quite short. But you can actually learn hundreds of other amazing facts about social media though not here because we want to focus on combining it with search engine optimization, which takes us to the next part.

The Merge of Social Media and SEO

Judging from the figures above, you can see the great global reach of social media. But what does it mean for you?

If you wish to connect with a large audience because you want to share your passion in life or you wish to promote your offers, you can do it through platforms like Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. Surely, you can convey your message to millions of people given that these sites are among the biggest and most effective social tools today.

With that said, let us proceed to...

Social SEO Strategies

When it comes to the combination of social media activities and search engine optimization techniques, the following are definitely worth your time and effort.

1. Remember to place your blog articles and other sharable content with Google+ buttons. This way, you can allow convenient and easy social sharing among your target readers.

2. Make a Google+ page for personal or business use. Then, share all your Web pages on it.
Recommended Post: Google+ for Business

3. Come up with unique, original, and engaging topics on your Google+ page. And, do not forget to incorporate relevant keywords.

4. Take time to boost your Google+ network and create several circles. By doing this, you can encourage plenty of people to share your content.

5. Request the members in your network to click on your +1 buttons.

6. You must also create a Twitter and Facebook profile or fan page. This way, you can enhance your social media presence by posting your blog or official website content on these pages. As a note, it is not the shares but the links (from the other users) that help optimize your platform and content. Therefore, try to generate links as much as possible.

7. Write complete details about yourself or your company on the “About” field. While doing so, make sure that you start the bio with your name or trade name. Additionally, include keywords such as your interest on technology, social media, or blogging. Then, link to your blog site and other profile pages. If you are networking for business purposes, your bio must have information about your offers and a link to your official website.

8. Promote your blog posts or site content through any social media activity such as Tweets, Wall post updates, and Google+ posts.

9. Finally, remember that your ranking in search engine results is not the only measure of your success. This means that you do not have to keep on stuffing your updates with keywords or links. You must also focus on offering your target audience with informative and relevant content to gain their trust on you or your brand.

Strategic Considerations for Social Media Activities

As you are carrying out the techniques above, you have to consider the following aspects too.

• Social shares – These usually include Likes, Google +1’s, and Retweets, which help in pulling your page rank up. 
• Content + shares – The more users share your content to their friends, the wider your online reach is. Apart from boosting your Web presence, you get to enhance your credibility and authority. 
• User preferences and online behaviour – Whether your social profiles are for personal or marketing use, it is best to consider your audience’s inclinations. With that said, focus on what interests them rather than your own concerns. As a tip, it helps to create content about trending topics. 

Do you find the pointers difficult? If you are new to social media, these strategies may be a bit tough. But as you spend more time on your profile pages, you will actually find it fun to interact with other users from all over the world.

About the Author: Emma Tomlinson is the Head of Retail at Smart Traffic, an SEO company listed at the Top 10 of the Microsoft Tech Track 100 for 2011.

read more "9 Tactics for Effective Social Media Optimization"

Google Redesign its URL shorting service Goo.gl

After redesigning Google+, Google has just redesigned its URL shorting service goo.gl. The new interface looks neat, simple and easy to use.

The new redesign comes into play when you view stats of particular goo.gl url. To view the stats of the URL just use "+" at the end of the URL.

It has been divided into five major section:

1. Total Clicks

2. Referrers 

3. Browsers 

4. Countries 

5. Platforms 

 

Tell us what you think about new design in the comment section below     

read more "Google Redesign its URL shorting service Goo.gl"

How to Determine Whether to Buy iPad 2 or the New iPad

                   
Buying a gadget device is a very great and thrilling experience, especially when it’s a tablet from Apple Inc. The graphics, the feel of adding a new device to your collection makes it even more inviting to buy, but with all these great promises comes a task: and that’s the task of choice.
With Apple’s introduction of the latest iteration of its popular iPad tablet, many would be thinking of buying one while it’s still fresh in the market. My friend was even suggesting getting an open door loan to buy a tablet. As one would expect, sales for the previous version would have significantly dropped, but so will the price.

Aside the confusion, there are many other factors that makes the new iPad stand out and different from its predecessor. Below are some things you might consider before making your final choice.
5 Megapixel Rear Camera
With the rear camera on the iPad 2, there’s much to be desired about having a camera on a tablet. While many might not buy the idea of using an iPad as a replacement for camera, you’ll find that of the new iPad tablet creative. With the new 5-magepixel sensor the iPad has, you will get the same quality as the iPhone 4S and the camera also allows you to shoot in 1080p HD video.
However, the VGA camera in the new iPad remains the same as that in the iPad 2, which has made those looking for teleconferencing on the iPad run from it.
But with the type of quality I was able to get when shooting video for my open door loan campaign, I was anticipating the newly released iPad will be much greater.
4G LTE
No one planning to buy a new iPad tablet can afford to ignore this offer. LTE (Long Term Evolution) cellular technology is, at the moment, the fastest technology you can think of. This has never been in the Apple tablet until now. 4G LTE makes browsing the internet on your mobile device almost 10x as fast as the normal 3G experience, but at the same price.
So if you are considering buying an iPad but don’t know which of the two is a good choice for you, you might have to put this into consideration.
But, not all ISPs are supporting the technology yet, which makes the 3G roaming the new iPad has a good deal.
Higher Resolution
Not so long, Apple introduced what is known as retina display. The idea is that the screen of the device having it will be packed with more pixels and the image display will surpass that of other graphic devices.
The new screen on the iPad has twice the resolution on the previous one. It has doubled from 1024 x 768 to 2058 x 1536. The advantage of this is when you hold the iPad at an optimal distance of 15-inches from your eye it produces an image that is higher in resolution than that of the HD television.
Price
Lastly, you might want to make your choice based on the price both devices go for. iPad 2 now sells at $399 which is now cheaper than its actual price. It’s a steal for that price.
The new iPad, however, goes for $499, that is $100 higher than the price of iPad 2.
Above all, whichever of the devices you go for depends solely on your taste.

Authot Bio

Peter writes for www.opendoorloan.co.uk where you can get further information about open door loans.

read more "How to Determine Whether to Buy iPad 2 or the New iPad"

Top 60 Posts About Google+ from the Past Week

Special thanks to +CircleCount for special tool(announcement coming soon)

1. Google+ | How to structure and format your lengthy posts - By +Ahmed Zeeshan > http://goo.gl/xKGiw
2. How to get noticed and engage with people? - By +Dolidh Young > http://goo.gl/cwYMg
3. 14 Ways To Learn How To Helpfully Ride The Coattails Of Google+ influencers. - By +Johan Horak > http://goo.gl/HuPXR
4. Google+ Circle Management and Stream Behavior - By +Adam Simmons > http://goo.gl/4ELxC
5. Google+: Designed for Introverts? - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/uN9rH

=======================================================
6. Get free Google+ Guide By +MakeUseOf - By +Rahul Roy > http://goo.gl/S85CU
7. How do you "get ahead" on Google+? - By +Alexander Becker > http://goo.gl/AVQWc
8. Top Verified Females in Google+ as per CircleCount.com 03/30/2012 - By +Lynette Young > http://goo.gl/qoY6f
9. What the Plus? with Guy Kawasaki - By +Tim Moore > http://goo.gl/wjGvu
10. "What is Author Rank, How is it calculated, and Why should I care?" - By +Tim Moore > http://goo.gl/yWZws

=======================================================
11. Are you having a Positive psychological and emotional experience on Google+? - By +martin shervington > http://goo.gl/mAKzg
12. Google+ Tips: Curated-Topic Pages - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/8qMwT
13. What The Plus??? 5 Reasons Why I Hate Guy Kawasaki - By +Mathis Conner > http://goo.gl/f0WoR
14. How to use Google+ - By +Al Jazeera English > http://goo.gl/wQ4Gy
15. Why The New Blogger Google+ Gadgets Are Important - By +the g+ resource > http://goo.gl/VWwef

=======================================================
16. Introducing Extended Photos for Google+! - By +Mohamed Mansour > http://goo.gl/rPPKx
17. Google+'s Secret Weapon: Real Life - By +Eli Fennell > http://goo.gl/uMVsi
18. Is your Google+ quiet? - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/9rfGN
19. Google is starting to push for more active Google+ Users - By +Colby Brown > http://goo.gl/iRV3P
20. 7 Point Google+ Pinterest Plan Of Action With 8 Free Resources - By +Johan Horak > http://goo.gl/y29ba

=======================================================
21. Is monetizing Google+ the elephant in the room? - By +martin shervington > http://goo.gl/B0ucB
22. How positively engaging are you in Google+? - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/kQ2Ac
23. Sharing and Notifying - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/59u5p
24. Should teenagers on Google+ be tagged as such ? - By +Hannah Roberts > http://goo.gl/EnRlu
25. Some Thoughts On Ripples - By +Meilani MacDonald > http://goo.gl/g3jlO

=======================================================
26. Google+ Hashtag Decorations - Like them or not? - By +Ronnie Bincer > http://goo.gl/4GruA
27. YouTube Home page shows Google+ 'Friend's' Activity - By +Ronnie Bincer > http://goo.gl/qlpM0
28. Simple Google+ Tips to Jump Start Your Marketing - By +PJ Rosenberg > http://goo.gl/oy7ET
29. Easily Page Switching on GooglePlus - By +James Lawson-Smith > http://goo.gl/nZLcO
30. Google+ in 129 Words! - By +Brock Predovich > http://goo.gl/ZETkO

=======================================================
31. FAQs about HashTags - By +Shamil Weerakoon > http://goo.gl/LFVXl
32. Google+ Tips: Circle Management - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/c90vs
33. THE +Gabriel Vasile COLLECTION OF G+ RELATED POSTS - By +Shamil Weerakoon > http://goo.gl/DZVY8
34. Hangout Comments Tracker - By +Gerwin Sturm > http://goo.gl/mg7Y5
35. Google+ UX: View Posts By Type - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/yV6TS

=======================================================
36. How to improve your Customer Service through Hangouts - By +Google Engage for Agencies > http://goo.gl/5dL9m
37. Must have 150 Following You For ANY degree of stickiness. - By +Hermine Ngnomire > http://goo.gl/nvU4d
38. Google Plus SEO Testing Network - Introduction - By +G Plus SEO > http://goo.gl/BWIun
39. Wondering if you should focus on Google+ or Pinterest? - By +Denis Labelle > http://goo.gl/1v4Z5
40. Use Ripples to say THANK YOU! - By +Arvid Bux > http://goo.gl/zn4EN

=======================================================
41. Find Google+ Business Page and Profile Overlap - By +Up Your Plus > http://goo.gl/DRG2I
42. How to add a Google+ Timeline to your Blog - By +Steve Gill > http://goo.gl/cV7eS
43. Business Tools, Tips & Tricks #ezine No.1 Google Apps / Chromebook / Google+ - By +Robert E. del Sol > http://goo.gl/i3Uip
44. What is your passion? - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/ngkax
45. Google+ For Photographers by Colby Brown - By +mark waslick > http://goo.gl/qMso8

=======================================================
46. A Guide to Google+ Settings - By +Shamil Weerakoon > http://goo.gl/Vgbbh
47. Google+ commercials - By +Moritz Tolxdorff > http://goo.gl/TnUwg
48. What if +Google+ made more commercials like this? - By +Peter G McDermott > http://goo.gl/rUa8P
49. Link your Google+ profile to the content you create - By +Denis Labelle > http://goo.gl/bYfhJ
50. 97.3% Of The People On Google+ Have Less Than 250 Followers - By +Johan Horak > http://goo.gl/z1ee2

=======================================================
51. How To Do Circle Notifications In Google+ - By +the g+ resource > http://goo.gl/yDc08
52. How to Reorder Your Google+ Circles for Stream Reading - By +Mark Traphagen > http://goo.gl/mFTXv
53. Find Google+ Conversations Easily - By +Up Your Plus > http://goo.gl/uUZ9B
54. RESULTS: Your Google+ self: Private or Public? - By +Brian Titus > http://goo.gl/WERtc
55. How to format text in Google+ posts - By +Stefan Svartling > http://goo.gl/nDDck

=======================================================
56. Google sees Google+ growing to 500m users - By +Dirk Talamasca > http://goo.gl/yXmNq
57. Facebook is Alcohol, Google+ is Coffee? - By +Lucas Johnson > http://goo.gl/CMLLS
58. *How To Turn Off What's Hot* - By +Amanda Blain > http://goo.gl/xYWTQ
59. *How To Turn Off What's Hot* - By +Amanda Blain > http://goo.gl/6mgQT
60. Find Your Updated Follower Count on Google+ - By +Up Your Plus > http://goo.gl/TxrNU

====================Bonus===========================
61. I LOVE Google+ and My Google+ Family! - By +HEATHER FAY > http://goo.gl/FcgG0
62. Google+ Improvement Survey - By +Mark Traphagen >
63. Community Driven Circles - By +Anthony Fox > http://goo.gl/pqubB
64. How To Fail At Google+ - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/t2Nii
65. Your Google+ self: Private or Public? - By +Brian Titus > http://goo.gl/sYyKK
66. YouTube & Google+ = GooTube+ - By +Ronnie Bincer >
67. What has Google+ got to do with Schrödinger's cat? - By +martin shervington > http://goo.gl/BJCIj
68. 11 Reasons Why You’ll Be Using Google+ In The Future By +Jaana Nyström - By +Rahul Roy > http://goo.gl/ATgFX

Circle of the week: The Idea People, Mark II By +Marc Jansen > http://goo.gl/jhupP

External Post:

1. The Most Engaging Google+ Pages (Under 5,000 Circles) By circled.us
http://www.circled.us/pages/engaging-under-5000/
2. How Often Do You Check Google Plus?
http://socialmediatoday.com/marketmesuite/480973/how-often-do-you-check-google-plus
3. 9 Key Points About Google+ Pages for Business for the B2B Marketer By Derek Edmond
http://www.komarketingassociates.com/blog/9-key-points-about-google-pages-for-business-for-the-b2b-marketer/
4. Google+ Profiles get personal, now includes address book information from Google Contacts http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2012/04/03/google-profiles-gets-personal-now-includes-address-book-information-from-google-contacts/
5. Google brings Google+ to Blogger users with two new social gadgets http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/04/04/google-brings-google-to-blogger-users-with-two-new-social-gadgets/
6. How Google+ Can Succeed at Business Without Really Trying
http://mashable.com/2012/04/04/google-plus-enterprise/

Submit your posts here http://goo.gl/7ddL8

read more "Top 60 Posts About Google+ from the Past Week"

What Does Facebook’s Timeline Mean to Marketers

Facebook is known for the frequent changes it makes to its layout and functionality. While many of its changes have been only individual users oriented, there are some recent changes like Timeline which is concentrated not only at its users but also at internet marketers as well. Timeline is considered to have a potential to be the best app introduced for marketers. Here is what you should understand about Timeline as a marketer.

Appealing advertisements

You will have to come up with very appealing advertisements to gain the attention of users. Provide information on sales promotion in your advertisements. Discounts and offers can definitely grab the attention of the users. Know your audience when creating advertisements. You have to observe the timeline of the users closely and carefully to integrate you ads into their timelines.

Importance of Likes

Timeline is not going to change the fact that “likes” are still the most important part in Facebook. Keep your brand pages active so that they appear in the live feeds of the user. If the users like your story, it is good for you. But if they don’t, chances are that they might “unmark” your content from their live feeds which may affect your brand page visibility on Facebook. The more you interact with your fans, the better chances you have in keeping your news active on their feeds.

Brand building tool

Many people like to know stories about their favorite brands. You can use this to your advantage and have your timeline tell an interesting story of your brand. Have the company’s past and present incorporated in the page so that the users can go through the story easily. Use this tool to create a good impression of you brand in the minds of customers.

Cover image feature

Cover photo part in the timeline can be used to promote your business in a big manner. Have the pictures of your logos and products in the cover image. You can even include a large font brand name in the cover picture. If your company has a brand ambassador, you can have the poster of your ad with him/her in your cover page.

You can also use cover image picture to give information on any upcoming events or any promotional offers in an interesting manner. Be creative when you design the poster for cover photo.

Plug-ins

Some old plug-ins like Opengraph can be used with this new layout. In fact Opengraph connections can be used in an even simpler manner with this new layout. Marketers are still researching on the plug-ins which can work the best for websites and blogs.

These are a few basic things you should be aware of regarding the new Facebook timeline app. Timeline can be used to communicate better with your fans. Engaging with your clients on a timely basis is going to fetch your brand a recognition that may have not been easier if you used conventional brand building strategies. Timeline has opened more opportunities to build a strong image of your company.


Author Bio: Penny is a senior writer with writer company and article writing service firm Godot Media. She has interests ranging from social media, copywriting to following web technologies and trends.

read more "What Does Facebook’s Timeline Mean to Marketers"