I love online tools. I experiment with several tools every week, but not many are very impressive. I always look for tools that can save me time and allow me to do several things at once. So with that thought: Wouldn’t it be great if there was a tool that allowed you to monitor and update your Facebook page, fan pages, LinkedIn and Twitter all at the same time from within a web browser? I have been playing with a new tool for the last week. Actually, I signed up for the account about a year ago and never used it. The tool is called HootSuite (www.hootsuite.com) and I am starting to like it… [Read more...]
16
Apr 2009
How Much Time Should You Spend on Social Media Each Week
April 16, 2009 By 3 Comments
I am often asked how many hours I spend on my social media sites every day. On average, I spend about 3 hours a day creating educational content for my clients and building stronger relationships with current and potential clients.
Something happens when you get involved with social media. You change. You realize that the more you give – the better you feel – and the more you get back. I am motivated to be even more active!
By the end of the week, I have created some terrific marketing materials that are customer focused. I have also created a bunch of ineffective materials that will not work, but here’s the thing – my social community helps me determine what is good or bad based on the comments I receive, the number of times an article is retweeted, or the emails that I receive with questions on the articles or tweets.
So – 15 hours per week [Read more...]
18
Mar 2009
What Everybody Ought to Know About Connections On LinkedIn
March 18, 2009 By 1 Comment
When I go about my week, I have about 50 people that I interact with frequently. From staff, clients, friends, and family – I am comfortable with that number. Online, (today anyway) I have 178 connections on LinkedIn, 140 friends on Facebook, and 320 followers on Twitter. Not huge numbers compared to some people. I have seen users on LinkedIn with 500+ connections, Facebook friends with 500+ friends, and Tweeters with over 100,000 followers.
I have 178 1st level connections. But I am connected to over 2.8 million people! How can that be? First level connections are those people to whom I am directly connected. These people can see my entire profile, but also have their own connections whom I may not know. These people would be considered second level connections. These second level connections may also be connected a third level of people I don’t know. The 2.8 million people includes not only my first level, but second and third level connections as well. People that are not first, second or third level contacts are ”outside of my network.”
So, is it about Size or Quality?
Anthropologist, Robin Dunbar, [Read more...]
19
Feb 2009
LinkedIn Participants from Ridgewater College
February 19, 2009 By 2 Comments
Thanks for attending my presentation on LinkedIn. I hope you found it useful in building relationships with potential employers or clients. If you have any questions on LinkedIn, please post them here! Also, this blog will be going live in a couple of days. I would love to get your feedback on future topics you would like me to cover.
Again, thank you for making the presenation so enjoyable last night!
I am President and Chief Evangelist for Vivid Image - a web design and social marketing firm located outside of Minneapolis, MN. 
