6 Ways to Overcome Social Media Overload

October 24, 2014October 24, 20142 Comments

We all know social media helps us stay connected to those near and far away. I can browse through wedding and baby albums and send my congratulations in seconds. In return, I can share my adventures with my Handsome and others can see what we are doing since he has been back from training. Staying connected is important and enriching our lives. What happens when you get social media overload and cannot keep up?

You know what I’m talking about…

Alerts on our smartphones, reminders sent to e-mail, notifications on Facebook, mentions on Twitter, and everything in between is hard to manage. I admire the journey Jason Surfrapp is going through. He took a 30-day social media detox. When you run an online marketing business like we do, taking a break from social means no money. I am sure logistically speaking he knew what he needed to do to cover the gap of time. For me, I follow these steps to disconnect to recharge myself and my work to prevent social media overload.

1. Your time is valuable. Limit the amount of time you are on social media. I have found browsing during a set time frame gives you your fix and get off. Without set limits hours go by and life happens without you.

2. Airplane mode. I spoke with an Australian business man who reminded me of this feature. Turn your devices to airplane mode to get peace from the outside world. He suggested to do this to get a good chunk of work done. I have done it when I go out for a walk in my neighborhood. It’s your turn to think of clever ways to use this feature.

3. Do Not Disturb for iPhone. This feature turns off notifications and most calls (contacts not set as favorites).

4. Uninstall / Reinstall. It is that simple. The app will still be there in the App Store to reinstall when you are ready for it.

5. The cell phone stacking game . Have you played? It is a simple and sure way to get the attention of those you are engaged with at a certain time. My family and friends play it when we go out to eat.

6. Filters. I am one person. I run a business. My clients think they are my only client. On social media, I am managing anywhere from 2 to 7 accounts a day (on Twitter alone). Every social media platform has filters or customized settings to clear through the noise.

Twitter: use lists effectively

I unfollowed over 150 people and added him/her/company to an assigned list. I can only take in so much on my home feed. When I know to know something about health, I will look at my health/food list. When I need motivation, I will search the #HustleMuscle or quotes list to get it.

Facebook: to be-friend someone or not to-be friend someone — use categorizes

Again, I cannot keep up with over 500 Facebook friends at any given time. I have added categorizes of how we met. Did we meet during school, work, or church? Guess what? You have a filter on your account to help me keep up with your life. The home feed gives me a recap of everyone and sometimes it can be time consuming. “Liked” pages also have this setting with subscriptions. Use them for instant updates or go to them when you are ready to browse the pages interest.

Pinterest / Instagram are straight forward. Follow or unfollow.

If you LIKE my business page on Facebook, you will see a common thing happening on Fridays I call a “Friday Focus”. The topic varies by what you suggest or what comes to mind. My goal is to help YOU, the reader, to take away something valuable than you may not have considered before. If you want to contribute to an upcoming Friday Focus, please leave me a comment and we can make it happen.

Welcome to the Age of Social Connections #IBMConnect

January 29, 2014January 29, 2014Leave a comment

“Do you have a Twitter account? If you don’t have one — get one, now.”

I heard these words in college and thought my professor was out of her mind. She didn’t continue her lecture on Digital Essentials until we all did. May it encourage you to join the adventure I have fallen in love with… the power of social connections through social media.

In a world that is moving forward rapidly, how do we stay connected? Most of us use social media to promote our business or keep in touch with others. How about finding new friends, adventures, clients, or a combination of all the above? That’s the power of social connecting–you are putting yourself out there to connect. You connect with what you want to explore. The power is yours.

My adventure on Twitter helped me find other marketers talking about the latest social media business tools through following the hashtag #IBMConnect. (What’s a hashtag? What does it mean? Read my post on them here.) I followed the excitement and ended up reading tweets that were inspiring. I even found the link to the LiveStream to the Orlando, Florida conference on Twitter.

How are you using social media? What adventures are you embracing through social connections?

Let’s talk about #hashtags!

August 16, 2013January 29, 20142 Comments

“I love to use them and find new ones to use!”

Whenever I tell someone this, I immediately get the following inquiry, “So what is a hashtag and what does it do?” That is what this Friday Focus topic is about.

You might recognize it as the pound sign that is called a hashtag online. Twitter has encouraged users to use them to have a conversation inside its vast stream of tweets. The hashtag has evolved into something even bigger today. To better explain why that is and how to use them, let me create a picture for you.

You are watching the Daytona 500 and the excitement to the interviews with racers and to watch the race is all you can talk about. During the show, you notice something in the corner of your screen with a hashtag. (Some shows are subtle about this while others aren’t.) If you have a comment about what you see, you can use the designated hashtag #Daytona500 or #RainDelay online. Where would you normally tell the world your comments–on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or somewhere else? Go ahead and send your comments with the #hashtag and see what other people are commenting on it, too!

Photo credit: news.cnet.com

In other words, a hashtag is a filter to capture the conversation and create dialogue between people online for a designated purpose. It’s really that simple. The key to remember is to use the designated hashtags for key shows or topics to be a part of the dialogue. The more you use them, the easier it is to use other hashtags for more conversations.

Some key points to remember when using hashtags:

No spaces (#Daytona500 is not the same as #Daytona 500)
Shorter is better. (#DaytonaFox500RaceDay is too long to remember and use.)
Caps does not matter. (#daytona500 is the same as #DAYTONA500)

Some of my favorite hashtags to use are:

#WiseWords
#BeALeader
#Consultantlife
#BizTips
#SMGirlfriends

What hashtags do you use? Let’s talk!

The Wonderful, Awkward Truth of Online Networking

October 11, 2012January 29, 2014Leave a comment

With a college degree behind me, letters after my name, and a killer resume I was certain I would find a job sooner than later. Unfortunately, it is much harder than it used to be. The economy this, the economy that… it has become “who you know” in a dog eat dog world.

I have had the privilege of meeting great people through the steps I took in practicing networking, which I would recommend to anyone to start now and stick to it! What I failed to mention in my blogging about my experiences in networking is that there are boundaries that come with differentiating people as friends and as contacts.

The hard lesson I learned is a contact can become a friend, but a contact is not always your friend. Please let me elaborate. Most of the contacts I have met have been through networking events, mutual friends or other contacts, jobs, or internships. The key word is met.

For a contact I find on LinkedIn or Twitter, I am communicating with them but have not met them yet. If the communication leads to a meeting, then the connection can evolve. If a meeting does not happen, then do not force it. If I have met him or her already, the communication has a familiar setting.

There is no right or wrong way to network with someone and genuinely want to stay in communication with him or her. The friendships will form naturally, while contacts are there to promote you in support of what you are going for in life. It would be awesome if your friend was in your contact list and was supporting you in your career choices as well, but this does not always happen. We are all human with similar thoughts and feelings. Do not take the boundaries to heart or allow them to get you discouraged. Some contacts are as friendly and eager to help you as you are to them. In the end, some people just might surprise in a positive way.

Signs to tell if Your Contact is Just a Contact:
• He or she is not a friend on Facebook.
• You only know him or her on social networking sites (LinkedIn, Twitter, Triberr, Pinterest, etc.)
• You have sent a thank you card to them for helping you out. (e.g. referring you, job lead, advice, etc.)
• You have asked if he or she can introduce you to another contact within the same job or field (if you know he or she already knows the contact).
• Contact mentions the communication between you and him or her has crossed the line or has become inappropriate.
• Contact does not respond to your e-mails, phone calls, or letters. Ever.
• Contact responds to you and asks you to refrain from communicating with them again.
• Contact repeatedly asks how you know him or her.

Signs Your Contact can become a Friend:
• You want or have added him or her as a friend on Facebook.
• You want to call him or her and invite them to lunch to catch up.
• You schedule time to catch up over the phone if lunch is impossible.
• You update him or her on your interests or changes in direction you are taking.
• Contact is receptive to your communication efforts.
• Contact asks specifics how the last update you gave is progressing.
• Contact accepts your friend request on Facebook, follows you on Instagram, follows you on Twitter, recommends on you on LinkedIn.
• Contact encourages you with your concerns and experiences.

What are some ways you have differentiated a contact from a friend? Or have evolved a contact into a friendship?

This is a foray into some honest discussion about stuff we’ve all encountered in the age of online networking. If you haven’t encountered any of this, you’re either a master of digital socialism or not trying hard enough.

This article was originally crafted and published in May on the Ad Buzz.

My Heart is Willing and Know Great Things Are Happening

April 20, 2012February 5, 20142 Comments

The sudden news of Dick Clark’s passing on Wednesday was unimaginable. Many of us did not know Dick Clark personally, but we were all familiar with his word on American Band Stand, New Years Eve shows, and other TV specials. My thoughts are prayers are with his family and friends now who may find peace during this difficult time.

When I heard the news of Dick Clark’s passing, I did not have to Google information on who he was or what he did–I just knew. These thoughts stirred inside me wondering what do people know about me. I know, I wrote a blog asking you, “When Was The Last Time You Googled Yourself?” but this is something more, much more. These waves of thoughts started my search for who I am and what I represent in my every day life. What do people know about me away from the internet and social media?

First and foremost, I am a Christ follower. I am not religious, nor am I “super spiritual”. I have a personal relationship with Christ who has saved me by His grace, and by faith I know I have security in Him. When I work at my part-time job, I am able to share wisdom and encouragement with fellow believers and non-believers in subtle and bold ways. The Lord has given me a gift of empathy to feel people’s emotions just as much as a person is feeling them. By working in customer service, I have learned quickly I can get just as “heated” as unsatisfied customers can, or I can stay calm and approach each situation with grace and impart them with a softer emotion than they are experiencing.

In March, I went to a church conference called Campus Harvest. I have gone for three years now and this past year was a little different. I was expecting to be a room leader or “in charge” of some responsibility, but to my surprise I wasn’t. I had room leaders who were ok with me being their age and not in an authority position. Throughout the weekend, I was pursuing the next season of my life through God’s hands. During one of the services, there was an altar call for those who had a call for full-time campus ministry to come down. My heart was eager to go, but the words “campus ministry” did not sit well in my stomach. I prayed and asked God to reveal to me if this was my call. He gave me peace to sit and not answer this call. Later that evening, there was another service and this time a campus minister gave another altar call. “If God has put a call on your life, please come down.” He repeated himself and I said another prayer as my heart was eager to respond. The Lord revealed to me He has put a call on my life, so I went down to respond.

When I went on stage with the others who answered to this call, I felt compelled to offer hugs to those around me. This might not sound like a big deal, but for me–that’s huge! I am an introvert and often a wallflower, so this was definitely God taking my insecurities and making them His own. I remember hugging a few girls and rubbing shoulders with a few boys who just looked scared and overwhelmed with emotions. I had an overwhelming sense of peace knowing I was in the right place at the right time. When we were giving our contact information to this guy in the red jacket, I could not hold back my excitement so I started talking to him. “So… I’m not this minister, preacher type person…but I like the marketing and social media aspect of things. Is there a place for me in the ministry?” He perked up and asked for my personal information aside from the database we were entering our contact information in. This is how I met Gene Mack.

Later that evening, we continued to have a worship service and I felt a tap on my shoulder. A sweet young woman asked if she could pray for me. This act of obedience on Anna Johnson‘s part has blessed me with a new friend. She encouraged me to use my voice to help the next generation and explore God’s love. Her bold prayer brought me to tears realizing my life is not my own. With these new-found connections, I met up with earlier connections. I had the privilege to worship next to Mrs. Lynette Lewis and meet her assistant, Whitney. In a group session, I met her husband, Pastor Ron Lewis who has encouraged me to pray and seek the Lord to where He is calling me. I am in the middle of his book “Answering The Call” and receiving new revelations for my life.

Am I called to full-time ministry? Am I called to enhance His kingdom? Nothing has opened a door to where God is leading to through, but I am using my voice to reveal my heart is willing and know great things are happening. I found a new friend from Every Nation Ministries, Joey Carranza on Twitter where had told me, (paraphrased) “Social media is only but a tool to bring the next generation to Christ.” It is a tool I am using to influence others for His glory. What are you sharing with the world? Online?

My presence online is only a glimpse of who I am, but shows you a piece of the bigger picture God has created for me. May this blog give you a lasting impression of what God can do for your life.

When Was The Last Time You Googled Yourself?

April 18, 2012January 29, 20141 Comment

It is quite common for us to use Google for everything we are looking for on the Internet. Google has a response for you every single time. Although this brilliant search engine platform is used for common and off-the-wall things alike, it can also be used for other things. You can probably guess where I am going with this by asking, “when was the last time you Googled yourself?”

Think about it for a minute.

Everything (and I stress everything) you type online through social platforms, blog posts, and comments, are tagged. Each tag gets sent to a database, aggregating a profile of who you are and what you do. This is done with or without your knowledge, which can be an advantage or disadvantage to you and your current situation.
Are you a college student trying to market yourself? Perfect. Start using social networking sites to share who you are and what you are looking for. Are you looking for an internship? Follow agencies and show interest by commenting on their blogs. Leave your contact information and they will find you. Are you trying to launch your new business? This applies to you too. As a user of the Internet, use it to launch your current status for free.

Let’s be real and think about this for a second. When someone receives a social network invitation to “join my network” or “be friends,” we search for more information about that person before we decide to accept or decline the request. We do this by searching the profile that is given to us or by doing a quick Google search. Based on the information we find, it can alter our decision of what to do next. Consider the following: when a job posting is made, is sending in our resumes through e-mail us putting our best foot forward? Yes, our resumes should show what we want the company to know about us, but the power of Google search is at anyone’s fingertips. Am I saying all companies or prospects do this? Hardly anyone admits to it, but we often hear about it after it’s been done.

To know that information about us is constantly being shared online can easily add credibility to our profile. It molds an impression to people we have yet to come into contact with. Who is in control of generating the information about you? YOU are! That is good news and should urge you to start thinking twice before you post or publish anything over the Internet.

What you can do:
Be you and be consistent about it.
Google yourself a few times a month to see what others may see.
Before you post or publish anything, think if your mother would approve.

This article was originally posted on the Ad Buzz.

Network Relationship Etiquette (Part 2)

October 27, 2011October 27, 20113 Comments

Here we go, another blog that is written to help you. In my last post I talked about the basics of how important your name, e-mail, e-mail signature, contact phone number, and a landing page about.me. I hope you take the next few suggestions and apply them to your network and find success in your endeavors!

E-mail writing: is a whole topic in itself, but I’ll try to keep it simple and to the point. When you are writing a contact in your network, keep in mind they are a professional and represent what it’s like in the industry. Does your contact write with poor grammar? Probably not. When I am compose an e-mail for someone in my network, I tend to leave the “To:” field blank so I can reread it prior to sending it. I do this because on yahoo! it saves a draft automatically and alerts me the message cannot be send because the “To:” field is blank. That is my intention–for the e-mail to not get sent until I proofread my e-mail once, twice, and sometimes three times before clicking send.

E-mail writing advice:

Try to keep the e-mail simple and to the point.

If they have written you in greater length before, it is best to mimic how you received the e-mail unless what needs to be said can be simplified.

Always say thank you at some point to be sincere and appreciative of the contact’s time.

Allow your e-mail signature to leave your contact information, so there’s no need to have it typed out twice.

A “Thank you” goes a long way. Manners are a sign of respect and adds to your character, which ultimately enhance the image your are trying to represent. Saying it in response to an e-mail is fine, but what if you ran into someone in your network in public? Did that person give you a quick “hello” or a few minutes of their busy day to talk and catch up with you? Snail mail isn’t dead, so utilize the lost art of writing a simple “thank you” card to that person. You don’t have to scramble looking for your contact’s home address. Instead, try sending it to his or her office with an “Attn: John/Jane Smith” with an return address label. By doing this approach, the person will remember the gesture long after your e-mail has been sent and read.

Suggestions on “thank you” cards:

Keep cards in good taste: avoid cliche or trendy cards unless you are more familiar with your contact’s taste and style.

Universal “thank you” cards that are blank with a simple “thank you” text is more than appropriate.

K.I.S.S.

When writing the card, date the card when you wrote it (e.g. 10/2011) and reference when you saw or was thinking about them (e.g. It was nice seeing you last night).

Don’t decorate the outside with fancy frills or stickers. This is not your pen pal or best friend… yet.

Social Media accounts are popular because we love to stay connected and be a part of something; however, staying connected with different groups of people can be challenging. If you have an about.me page like me , that is the only place I have most of my social media accounts “linked.” Linked is when live posts can be viewed on more than one site at a time. Once I did this, I made a metal note to only post material as if my mother was standing behind me. (You know what I mean.) What you post on the internet cannot be erased and a future employer or contact can view your angry post of your bad day, long after it took place. If you aren’t worried because your “accounts” are private–think again. Reports of social networking sites tell us they can sell your account information to generate revenue, even if it’s private. Does this mean a business can ask Facebook to look at your blocked account? Maybe, maybe not but why take that chance? Think twice before posting videos, pictures, and being tagged in friends and family’s media.

“Linked” accounts may sound convenient to show “anyone and everyone” all at once, but think about it… no, really think about it. If you have an account on Instagram, take a photo and upload it to site, it shares the photo on your Twitter account instantly. Now, it’s available to the public when the photo might have been intended for personal use. We are on social media to show we are active and engaging, so why not practice doing it? If you post relevant material, your network will notice and possibly generate more followers and friends. I am starting to read more and want to share my latest review on Goodreads, I can always use the copy the short code link and tell my network about it. Recently, I downloaded an app for my iPhone called iMapMyRUN. The app asks you go sign up with your Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ account. It allows you to share with your network about your running stats based on what you want to share.

Suggestions how “linking” can be in your favor:

I allow this blog to have a feed on my linkedin profile. I recommend posting links leading future contacts and employers to your blog, online portfolio, or current work you have done to showcase your talents virally.

Your klout score could go up. (Klout is a website is designed to measure how you influence your network and how it influences you.)

Sharing links can show your network you are active and trying to engage with them and in other hobbies and interests.

Questions and comments are welcome. Thank you for reading and hope we can continue to learn and grow from one another!

Network Relationship Etiquette (Part 1)

October 24, 2011November 10, 20116 Comments

The professional world (outside of college) has its standards and expectations. The young professionals who are aspiring to make it into any industry must seek out what is accepted to make the mold. I am not talking about buying name brand items and accessories to “look” the part (although it does help). Without the proper etiquette, your look will get you no where fast. I am thankful to have a network that is honest with me and quickly corrects me if I slip somewhere. I appreciate all the advice and constructive criticism I have received that I have applied to my own young professional image. I am a senior who is anticipating for December to graduate with my B.A. in Communications. (sighs) I know once it gets here, I’ll look back and wish for time to have gone a little slower. In the mean time, I am here to help anyone who hasn’t received the help I have over the last year.

Your name. What’s in a name? Everything! If you have a nickname or another way to say your birth name you prefer to be called, make it professional and stick to it. (e.g. Nicole can be Nikki or Patrick can be Pat)

E-mail. If you haven’t already, register a professional e-mail at a domain of your choice. The hot domains are Gmail or your own personalized one through GoDaddy.com (I have Yahoo! because I’ve had it a long time.) It is very common to see a first and last name address (e.g. JohnSmith@gmail.com). Numbers are ok if they have a significance. If they don’t, why do you have them there in the first place? Make sure whatever address you decide on, it is unique enough to represent you without confusing a future employer or connection. Keep this account separate from your forwards of comic relief.

Insert an e-mail signature or type your own each time? Think of the time you’ll be saving if you did name a signature. It can be a personal choice to type your own and share what information or not with each contact. If you decide to make your own, keep it simple. Inserting a job title or degree earned is acceptable and adds creditability. A first and last name is sufficient with a contact phone number. Inserting a URL address is attractive, but make sure the URL is entered correctly and is ok share with all professionals. Adding images for the company you currently work for is certainly ok, but anything other image should relate back to you, the individual. I have seen some signature with little “tags” of social media networking sites with a URL attached. This is clever and can replace an about.me page*.

Phone number(s): The contact number you are displaying in your e-mail signature, make sure it is written correctly. (I have called someone’s contact number and it was the wrong person. Oops!) If you are giving a personal cell phone number, change your voice mail right now! Do not have anything that could confuse or not give your future contact a clear idea of who they are trying to reach–you. A common approach would be, “Thank you for calling ________ (first name or first and last name), please leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Have a great day!” I like to talk in 3rd person, so my current message is, “Thank you for calling Rachal Tarquin’s cell phone. She cannot come to the phone right now but if you leave her a message, I’ll let her know you called. Thank you and have a great day.” I have gotten a few laughs asking if I had a receptionist. If you are giving out a work number, make sure your work knows about it. Nothing is more embarrassing to have a contact call you at work and the person answering the phone at work not know who you are.

*As mentioned before, an About.Me page can be replaced with tiny images of certain social media networking sites. This can be a personal choice as there is no “best” way, but it is a trend to have for a one stop place for all your connections to see YOU. Nothing is worse than you portraying yourself to be a professional in one area and be something else. My about.me page is where I send current and future contacts. Before picking an image or what to write, I looked at many other about.me pages and got ideas. It is very easy to take a flashy picture of yourself as something else, but who are you trying to sell: the image or yourself? I was even considering have a professional take my pictures to get my personality “captured” in an elegant way to put on here. Seriously. As you can see (if you clicked the link), I ended up posting a picture of something that represents me in the simplest way–something green and my name. The first time Starbucks spelled my name right, I knew I had to capture the moment and am glad I did. I use it now on my page and get many compliment on it. My passion color of choice is of course green.

Stay tuned for next time when I talk about content on about.me, social media content, and anything you comment on to suggest!

Comments and suggestions are welcome.Thank you for reading!