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Facebook’s Big Announcement? Graph Search is here.

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graphsearchAs I’m sure many of you have heard by now, Facebook made a pretty big announcement yesterday – users will now be able to perform searches throughout the social networking site on people, places and things.  Graph search is going to allow users to do more than just search for “Suzie Smith.”  It’s going to let user ask questions like “what other friends of mine like the city of Dayton?”

Graph search also lets users search for things nearby – which can prove pretty useful when you’re in an unfamiliar city.  That feature specifically puts Facebook more in line to start moving towards a “Yelp” like app – allowing it to serve a greater purpose than just status updates and photo sharing.  Is that really the best use of  Facebook though? I’m not sure.

Unfortunately, this new feature is still in the beta stage.  The good news about that, is that it gives YOU the opportunity to clean up your online profile a bit before graph search hits a bigger audience.  Venture Beat recently put out a good article about some things a user should consider and take action on.

Here are my takeaways.

Take a look at all the pages you like and groups you’re in.  As VB states, saying that you like a band named something maybe inappropriate, might not be a major deal on a lower level – but when you aggregate that search using graph search – it could turn into something really inappropriate pretty quickly.  If anything you think is questionable, it’s best just to delete, unlike, and leave.

Make sure you delete using your activity log.  Deleting items from the news feed that you posted, or from your timeline profile – doesn’t really delete them.  More or less, all that really does is hide them in Facebookland.  You’ll want to go to the activity log on your profile and delete out of there and then it will no longer show up in search.  EVER.

Check your privacy settings. It should be a no brainer by now that whenever Facebook updates something site-wide, that you should check your privacy settings to make sure nothing has changed.  Luckily, with their last update, the privacy settings are easier than ever to find.  Whatever your privacy settings are set as will be honored by graph search.  So you if you only allow certain people to see your birthdate of February 2 – only those individuals will be able to see that you are included on a graph search for people born on February 2.

And again – this is still sitting in beta testing stage – so only a handful of users will have access to it at this point, which means you have plenty of time to start sifting through and prep yourself for what’s to come.

Social Media Protocol — The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

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I was on Facebook and LinkedIn several years ago after a long day at work and a big networking event afterward.  You have been there I’m sure; an evening event starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m.— but not for you.  You stay an extra hour, leaving no stone unturned.

Even though I was exhausted when I got home, I wanted to connect through LinkedIn with the people I had just met before I forgot.  Of course it was late at night and I was tired. Here is what it looked like when I saw what I had written the next day:

“Hell John, It was gret meeting you tonight.  I look forward to meeting you for coffin.  Sincerely, Leah Hawthorn”.

I’m sure I made a great social media first impression!!  Never network in person or online if you are
too tired.  It WILL show.  Remember – we don’t drink and drive, so don’t drink and social media!  I’m sure a lot worse than “Hell John” could happen.

In today’s fiercely competitive business arena, etiquette and protocol intelligence will distinguish you from the crowd.  Having good social media etiquette can make the difference between you and another person who is just as smart.

People are connecting with, listening to, following and collaborating with each other at an amazing rate. Online networking is not new to most of us, and by now we have found that there is little difference in networking with people in social media and connecting with people offline.  The same protocol is recommended for both.  Project confidence, authority and trust for both social media and business networking.

Here are a few examples of how
Social Media Networking and In-Person Networking are the same.

First Impressions

Your Photo

Please DO NOT use the default graphic as your photo.  You know, that big white silhouette of no
one.  People want to see you.  LinkedIn – Professional photo.  Facebook – Social Photo is acceptable,
but be cautious.  A lot of people are using Facebook for business.  Any photo you post is forever.  You are branding yourself.

Eye Contact

Your Profile and Bio.

Let others know who you are.  Make sure your information is always up to date.  People are looking.  If you no longer work for a certain company or your position has changed, reflect that in your profile and bio.  Be Honest!  PYP = Proof Your Profile!!

Handshakes

The Limp Fish “Canned Invitations”

Avoid canned invitations as much as possible.  Set yourself apart from the crowd.  “It was great to meet you.  I would like to connect with you   through LinkedIn as well.

The Bone Crusher “People Collecting”

Some people like to collect people.  It’s not about how many business cards you collect; it’s about the relationships you create with other individuals.  You DO NOT have to friend people you do not know.  It is OKAY to de-friend someone who is posting things that show up on your page that you find offensive.  R-E-S-P-E-C-T, as Aretha would say!

TMI

I have a headache.  I am eating a Sardine sandwich.  I just woke up.  Really??!!  Too much is too much.  Excessive
game requests, gifts and” join my cause” on Facebook can get you into trouble. Some people don’t appreciate this part of social media.

Soft Skills Sell!!

Focus more on the other person.  It’s always a great idea to help someone out with an event or a request.  People are more likely to help
you if you help others.

Avoiding Certain Subjects

Religion and Politics.

Tread lightly.  Do you really want to brand yourself to the world with your political or religious views?  Once you put it out there, it is out there!
This goes for Facebook and LinkedIn.  You would NOT discuss politics or religion at an in-person networking event.  This is a simple Networking Protocol wherever you are.

Your Mother Was Right

Be kind.  Don’t personally attack other people.  Be professional.  Use appropriate language.  Do use proper spelling and grammar.  Be respectful of others, and be positive!

In the end, being a part of social media can be fun and is an incredible, effective business tool.  Don’t let it be a time sucker for you.  Tell yourself how much time you will give to social media every day and try to stick with it.  It will still be there tomorrow.  I promise.

I spoke with Tina Marker, social media guru and President and Founder of Windward Design Group LLC about the importance of etiquette in
the online networking realm. Here are four items she mentioned about social media protocol.

1) If you wouldn’t share something in a room full of casual strangers,
why would you do so on the Web?

2) “What happens in Vegas” . . . ends up on Facebook!
Need I say more?

3) TMI (too much information) “Status Update” does not
mean you should journal every detail of your day . . . and night!

4) Profanity has no place in public conversations . . .
keep it social.

In the end, being a part of social media can be fun and is an incredible, effective business tool.  Don’t let it be a time sucker for you.
Tell yourself how much time you will give to social media every day and try to stick with it.  It will still be there tomorrow.  I promise.

See you on Social Media!

 

 

Facebook the Money-Maker?

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There’s been a lot of talk this week about Facebook going public in 2012.  The social networking company is going to valued around $100 billion dollars, according to The Wall Street Journal.  In a time when some mainstream Internet companies are filing their IPOs (LinkedIn and Groupon most recently, it seems almost fate that Facebook would follow suit.

So what does this mean for you as a potential investor?

If you’ve got the funds to throw down for a piece of the action, I’d consider it.  Facebook doesn’t appear to be coming down anytime soon in its reign as one of the top web entities to exist.  On the other hand, it’s possible that the Facebook IPO could suffer from “Groupon Syndrome” – where the highly anticipated value experienced a down fall as stock prices dropped for multiple days.

As a user of the site, it could mean good things as far as user experience and privacy goes because of the increase in stakeholders for the company.  I’m betting that the average user won’t notice any changes.  But, as Facebook continues to find more ways to make money, we may end up paying the biggest price of all.

Do you think Facebook should IPO?

Facebook Privacy 101

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Facebook has notoriety in messing with privacy options.  Through the past few years, there have been numerous changes and additions that have most people wondering, “Who is looking at my information?”  With so many options, it’s difficult to know which ones are the right ones to change.  One wrong click can be the difference between having a “locked-down” profile and one that is open for the world (literally!) to see.  Here are my top 3 tips to ensuring security and peace of mind for your Facebook account.

First, get friendly with the official privacy settings. In this area, you will see a list to set your privacy as one of 3 things: public (everyone), friends only, or custom.  By choosing one of the options at the top, it will make a blanket change to all the areas listed below (how you connect, how tags work, apps and websites, audience for past posts, and blocked people and apps).  Each of those sub areas also have their own set of settings, so be sure to look in there as well.

Next, check out your profile privacy settings. When you go to edit your profile, you will see a little dropdown that allows you to choose how you want to share each piece of information.  It used to be that there was one setting for each option (education, interests, etc.) but now, Facebook offers you pretty much complete control on each item.  The settings in here will affect not only how your friends view your profile, but also how you show up in Facebook search.  Another new feature, noted at the top of the edit page, is the ability to “view profile as” a specific friend or the public – so you can see the changes you make along the way.

Finally, your status update is the last place where there are settings to be aware of. The default setting for who sees your updates are what you set in the “Official” privacy settings.  However, you do have the option to change this to broadcast an update to a particular group of people (a Facebook list or group) or to make it public to the world.

After reading this post, I suggest you go back, take a look at what your personal settings are and adjust them as needed.  With all the security issues that happen beyond our control, this is one thing you can do to prevent any information from getting out that you might not want published.

Social Media in Dayton

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Carole Baker is a huge fan of all things Dayton Ohio — AND she is passionate about teaching/inspiring Dayton business owners and professionals on the subject of leveraging social media tools.  When business-owners ask her WHO should be using  social media, she says: “All companies who rely on word-of-mouth can benefit as long as they realize that social media should be integrated into the overall marketing strategy, not created as a stand-alone marketing effort!”  Find out more at OH! Social.
The video below lays out several tips and suggestions for business-owners who are just beginning to venture into the social media streams.  She also invites everyone to attend the next New Media Dayton event on October 8th:  MAGNETIC Content! — Create, plan and position relevant content that will captivate your audience!.  Info can be found at New Media Dayton and there is no fee to attend the event!