Almost Savvy

10 Email Sins You Must Stop Committing Right Now

Irene Koehler — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:37:19 +0000

Email. Whether we like it or not, it is part of our lives. We love it when it’s easy and when others use it in a way that works for us. The rest of the time, we hate it. And when we hate it, we really hate it.

Even though I often communicate through social channels, such as Facebook, Twitter or chat messages, my mailbox remains a sacred place where the most important conversations take place. This is the reason many people are careful about with whom they share their email address. Allowing unwanted noise into the mailbox makes it more cluttered and harder to find the important email, plus it’s so darn irritating when someone abuses your time and attention by sending something you don’t want.

Do you know an email sinner? Might you be committing some of these sins yourself? Here are a few email sins. Take a peek and see if any sound familiar.

Name Sin: You sent the email to Jeanette, yet the email begins, “Dear Richard” or, just as bad, “Dear {first name}.” Either way, it’s obvious that you are sending the email to many people, but trying to make it appear personal. It didn’t work.
Subject Line Sin: The subject line is vague and does not make the intent of the email clear. “Saw this and thought of you” = bad. “Need your help at a sales meeting Wednesday” = better.
Bait and Switch Sin: The subject line and beginning of the email seem to make it seem that you are interested in the recipient, but it quickly becomes clear that this is a marketing message. You tried to sneak into the backdoor of someone’s mailbox by pretending to be a friend when you should have knocked on the front door and announced that this was a sales call.
CC and BCC Sin: You don’t know when to use cc: and bcc: on an email, so you end up ticking off everyone in the process. Don’t copy anyone on an email who does not want that email. Ask yourself: Am I including them because they want to know about this or because I want them to know about this? If it is the latter, stop right there. And, if you must copy others on the email who don’t know each other (or have other connection, such as working for the same company), don’t expose their email addresses by including them in the cc: field. In this case, be considerate enough to protect their email addresses by adding them as a bcc:.
Viral Forwarding Sin: Just because your Uncle Henry thought it was a funny story or an opportunity for everyone to win a free iPad or a warning that drinking milk on Saturdays will cause children to grow an extra arm, you do not need to forward that email to every last person you know. You don’t need to forward it to anyone, for that matter. Whether you know it or not, you likely have friends sending these email directly to the trash. They may not even bother to open them anymore. And, for the love of god, before you forward another email, do yourself and your friends a big favor and check to be sure the information is accurate. I can’t even count the number of times a friend has passed on something, only to be embarrassed later when they learned it was a hoax.
Email Signature Sin: Your email signature is longer than your email. It includes 37 links to various sites, along with your favorite philosophical quote, today’s astrological horoscope and a lovely photo you took of the kids at the lake last summer. It’s all just too much. You’re awesome, we get it. You’re talented, thoughtful, lucky and love your family. Just make it easy for us to read the damn email and how to contact you .
Have a Point and Get to It Sin: Your email started with 3 paragraphs about the weather and your last vacation before the sales pitch (or request for a favor or offer to help on a project) in paragraph #4. If someone read the first 3 paragraphs, they probably don’t want to buy your stuff. If they did want to buy it, they stopped reading after the 1st paragraph and never made it to the pitch.
Newsletter Sin: Just because someone once handed you a business card does not make it OK for you to add them to your newsletter email list. And, before you reply by explaining that there is an easy way to unsubscribe and opt-out if they aren’t interested, understand that this reasoning is extremely inconsiderate, presumptuous and likely ineffective. People who do not want to be on your email list may unsubscribe, but they also may mark it as spam (not a good thing for you). The ability to opt-out is not the same thing as opt-in. Unless someone has done business with you or has otherwise requested to be added to your email list, don’t send them your junk. Seriously, don’t.
ALL CAPS Sin: DO I REALLY NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS ONE?
IM Speak Sin: Like OMG, you know what I mean? ROFL LMFAO LOL Unless you are sending email to a 14 year-old (or someone who knows you extremely well and/or you use these terms ironically), stop it.

These are just a few of the email sins which cause me to overlook or send an email to the virtual trash. What email sins do you see being committed day after day? Please share them in the comments to make the world of email a better place for us all. LOL

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Is Social Media the Brussels Sprouts of the Internet?

Irene Koehler — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:46:35 +0000

To those of us who live and breathe social media every day, it is easy to forget that not everyone is as comfortable online as we are. In fact, many people have concerns about being too visible online and some don’t want to be online, period. Yes, there are people who, by choice, do not have Facebook, Twitter or Google+ accounts. To my fellow social media aficionados, I realize this may come as a shock.

A few days ago, I had a chance to have lunch with a dear friend. Lola is successful and intelligent, as well as both technology and business savvy. Naturally, given my work, the conversation turned to the topic of social media. Lola doesn’t use Facebook. She never has and has absolutely no interest in starting now. Though she has never used Facebook, she has extremely strong opinions about many aspects of the widely popular social networking site, ranging from privacy to rampant oversharing to the implicit meaning of the Like button.

Judging from a distance

I left our lunch wondering…How could someone so bright know that she was opposed to one of the most popular activities in the world without even trying it out herself? Wasn’t she curious in the least bit? Hadn’t she read articles about business-related successes on Facebook, along with the articles about oversharing and privacy risks? If we were talking about something difficult or dangerous (say, cliff diving), I’d understand, but Facebook?

Using social media is not straight forward. Everyone’s experience – what they hope it will be and what it actually turns out to be – is different. One’s experience has everything to do with whom we connect online. It has to do with strategy, style, preferences, and an understanding of the networking platform.

Social media is easily misunderstood. It’s misunderstood when it’s perceived as content, rather than a channel through which content is shared. It is misunderstood when it is seen as a tool which defines one’s experience, rather than a tool which can be used to tailor one’s experience. Would we refuse to use the telephone if we didn’t like the way other people were using it?

Here’s where the brussels sprout come in

Social media is like brussels sprouts. Well, kinda like brussels sprouts. It’s the brussels sprouts of the internet. Brussels sprouts have been described as ugly, smelly and bitter, yet they are rich in disease fighting nutrients. Most people I know despise brussels sprouts; would only consider eating them if no other food was available within a 400 mile radius. Many of these same people have never eaten a brussels sprout or haven’t had one since they were a child. Like social media, brussels sprouts are/can be very good for us, yet both are frequently dismissed based solely on what we’ve “heard” about them.

I’ve put together a handy scientific* chart illustrating this point.

“No, thank you” helpings

When I was young and didn’t want to try a new food, I was told I had to take a No, thank you helping. A No, thank you helping was a small sampling of whatever I was trying to avoid. It was a taste, just enough for me to decide if I truly did not like the food based on my own first-hand experience, rather than decide based on its purple-ish color or the fact that my sister cried when she tasted it.

Is it possible to take a No, thank you helping of Facebook (or other social media channels)? I propose that it is and that it is simple to do so. One need only to set up an account, connect with interesting people or organizations and periodically read what is being shared. If something seems interesting, it is easy to add a comment and contribute to the conversation. While this small taste will not be the same experience as when one is fully engaged, it is possible to skim the surface and get a sense of how others are using social media. At a minimum, it may facilitate a more informed decision.

On a personal level, I take No, thank you helpings on a regular basis when it comes to something new or something I haven’t tried in a long time. I’ve hated brussels sprouts for as long as I can remember. A few weeks ago, on a whim, I decided to give them another try, another No, thank you helping. While I don’t expect them to become my favorite food anytime soon, I was surprised to find how much I liked them. All it took was the right recipe and an open mind, and a willingness to give them another try.

*Scientific means that it makes sense in my head

Image courtesy of Ed Yourdon

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Top 5 Signs Your Business Should Not Be Using Social Media

Irene Koehler — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:59:32 +0000

Beware the hidden dangers of social media.

Social media is all the rage. All the cool kids are using it; at least, that’s what the cool kids on the internet are telling us. The number of businesses on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube is mind-boggling, but the real question is how many of them are using the tools wisely?

If you own a business, work for or with businesses, I’m sure you’ve heard from nearly everyone you know that you must be using social media. The pressure to jump into the game immediately, plus the perception that social media success is both free and easy, have led many businesses to make very visible mistakes online. A poorly constructed and executed social plan often leads to results more problematic than had the business done nothing at all.

How many businesses have we all seen have their efforts undermined because they failed to recognize the signs that they weren’t prepared? The good news is that we can all learn from their mistakes, a few of which have led to…

Signs Your Business Should Not Be Using Social Media (Yet)

1. You Like It Because You Think It’s Free

Your primary reason for wanting to use social media is that you think it’s the “modern” way to send your promotional messages out to large numbers of people all at once with very little cost and effort. Perhaps, you’ve sent out promotional postcards (a.k.a. junk mail) in the past and are now looking for a more cost effective way to reach more people. If this is your primary activity online, you are not a marketer. You are a spammer.

2. You’re Obsessed with ROI

You are under the impression that you must know the precise ROI (Return on Investment) of your social media efforts before you begin. Using digital platforms successfully to build community, relationships, and trust is an iterative process. It is, and should be, a strategic approach beginning with thoughtful first steps, followed by measuring the results and adjusting things where appropriate.

Anyone who tells you that if you do X [some social media task], you will achieve Y [specific number of Facebook fans, % increase in sales, etc.] is blowing smoke in your direction. Did you calculate the ROI of the telephone or the company car before you invested in them? Did you know up front how to connect those investments to the bottom line? Of course not, but you knew they were important to the business and you have continually evaluated your use of them to maximize their value. Understanding exactly what you want to measure and how to measure it takes time. Don’t expect to have this completely nailed down before you even begin.

3. Meet Your New Chief of Social Media: The Neighbor’s Kid

The kid spends all day on Facebook anyway, so it makes sense to let him handle all of the social media for your business, right? Plus, you don’t need to pay him. He’s happy to put in a couple of hours a week just to have access to your swimming pool in the summer. If this is the direction you’re heading, or a similar plan to assign the task to a student who will work for peanuts <ahem, intern>, I encourage you to do some research and consider finding someone who is qualified to guide your efforts. Spoiler alert: Being able to tweet or post photos to Facebook from a smartphone doesn’t count as a qualification.

4. Set Up Your Social Accounts, Watch the Money Roll In

You’ve heard the stories; a bookstore (or was it a coffee shop, no wait, it was a computer company, or was it a magazine, it’s so hard to remember) set up a Facebook Page and six weeks later had 2.5 million Facebook fans and increased sales by 420%.

Stories are just that – stories, not reality. Here’s the truth about social media: It’s not magic; it takes work. It is not a “set it and forget it” proposition. Like most things in life, success comes with focus, competence, passion, a unique vision and, yes, work. In fact, simply setting up pages and then letting them go stale without any activity can do more harm to your brand than had you never set them up in the first place.

5. Your Business Sucks

Incorporating social media tools into an overall business strategy definitely offers important opportunities which wouldn’t have been possible any other way. That said, investing in social media will not save you if your product or service, uhm, sucks. If your customers or your employees aren’t happy, adopting social media will not save your sinking ship. Social media provides a larger platform to be who we are and amplifies the voices of those talking about you. If whatever you’re selling doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, it might be best to focus your efforts on fixing that problem first and tackle social media once the business sucks a little less.

If these signs describe your view of social media, take heart, you aren’t the only one. Too many are under the impression that going online is a sure-fire way to boost business with little to no effort. If you take the time to really understand the benefits, risks and best practices (or partner with someone else who understands this), you could well be on your way to building the kind of online presence that suits your business best. It won’t happen overnight, but it can happen.

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Image courtesy of upyernoz

How to Find and Ban Members in Facebook Groups

Irene Koehler — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:40:37 +0000

Seemingly stealth group members. You know they're there, but you can't find them.

Today’s post is written specifically for those responsible for managing a Group on Facebook. Facebook Groups don’t get as much buzz as Facebook Profiles (soon to be known as Timelines) and Facebook Pages. Still, there are many wonderful uses for Groups. I belong to many, including some business, community or family related.

Serving as an Admin of a Facebook Group can be incredibly easy or a huge time commitment, depending on the size of the group and how closely the group’s content is moderated. There are many considerations in managing a group, but today’s post will focus on just one. More specifically, it will focus on when reasonable efforts to carry out that one task don’t work as they should, resulting in frustration for group members and Admins.

When a group member interacts inappropriately in the group, it is often up to the Group Admin to remove them from the group. What constitutes inappropriate conduct certainly varies from group to group, but may include anything from spamming the group to posting hateful messages. Removing and banning that person from the group should be an easy task, with should being the operative word. It should be only be a matter of finding that person on the list of group members and removing them with a click of the mouse. The problem is that, for some reason, finding the name you’re looking for on the list of members is very often impossible.

If you aren’t able to find their name, it is impossible to remove and ban them from the group. Or, is it? The good news is that there is at least one workaround. It takes a bit of time and you’ll need Google Chrome to make this trick work. If someone is really taking advantage of the group and annoying members with their posts, it just might be worth your time to watch this video to learn how to do this yourself. (If you’re an experienced Group Admin and very comfortable jumping right to the nitty gritty details without much of the context, you might want skip ahead and start watching at around 7:00.)

You may also view the How to Find and Ban Members in Facebook Groups video on YouTube.

Are you a Facebook Group Admin? Have any tips which you think would help others?

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Image courtesy of elycefeliz.

Facebook Sharing and Privacy Tips (Video)

Irene Koehler — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:14:41 +0000

If you’re a Facebook user, you’ve probably noticed a lot of changes, especially on the homepage where you see updates from your Facebook friends. What you may not have noticed are the significant updates in how you manage your privacy, along with other new features and changes. Facebook is a wonderful tool for connecting with family and friends, as well as your favorite brands and businesses. In order to get the most out of your time on Facebook and to use it safely, it is critical that you understand how it works and how you can customize your settings in a way that is comfortable for you.

In the video, I highlight a number of key points:

What is that Ticker on the right side of the page and why am I seeing information from people who aren’t my Facebook friends?
How do I mute certain types of updates?
If I’m seeing content from people who aren’t my friends, does that mean that people I don’t know are seeing what I post?
How do I customize my privacy settings so only the right people see my information?

The video is a recording of a live webinar from last week. If you’d like to be among the first to know about upcoming events, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter by clicking here.

I’ve already heard from many people that they now understand how to did into their privacy settings and how to tweak their newsfeed after watching this session. Which tip was most useful to you? Please reply below to let me know.

Confused About Facebook Changes? (Free Webinar)

Irene Koehler — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:18:23 +0000

While it may seem that David Bowie is referring to Facebook when he sings, “Ch, ch, ch, ch, changes..” I’m pretty sure he had something else in mind. Still, the lyrics do include “Turn and face the strain,” which may be how you’re feeling each time you visit the site.

The good new is that you’re not alone. I’ve been inundated with questions like, “How do I…?” and “Where do I find…?” The even better news is that you’re now invited to join me online to uncover answers to your questions.

Can’t Beat the Price

By popular demand (well, demand is a strong word, it’s more like popular request), I’m offering a complimentary webinar on Tuesday, October 18. What does complimentary mean? Does it mean that you’ll be expected to offer me compliments? Well, no, though compliments are always welcome! It means that cost of this session is on me – it’s free to attend.

What We’ll Cover

We’ll touch on a number of important updates:

What is that Ticker on the right side of the page and why am I seeing information from people who aren’t my Facebook friends?
How do I mute certain types of updates?
If I’m seeing content from people who aren’t my friends, does that mean that people I don’t know are seeing what I post?
What is the new Timeline and is it replacing my Profile?
How do I customize my privacy setting so only the right people see my information?
And, more………

I hope you’ll join me in this live session on Tuesday, October 18. We’ll be covering some of the key Facebook changes and I’ll be sharing important tips you’ll want to use to manage your own account.

Reserve Your Spot Now

There are a limited number of seats, so be sure to register now by clicking here and save your spot. The session will be recorded, so if you aren’t able to join us live, go ahead and register anyway. This way, I’ll be able to let you know when the recording is available.

This session will cover changes you need to know about as an individual Facebook user. There is so much to talk about, we won’t be covering business use and Facebook pages. Even with that caveat, it’ll be fast-paced and cover a lot of territory.

What Questions Would You Like Me to Cover?

Will you be there? Let me know in the comments section below and tell me what questions you’re hoping to have answered.

If you enjoyed this post, sign up to receive free updates by email here so you don’t miss any future Almost Savvy social media updates and news. You are also invited to connect with others interested in social media on the Almost Savvy page on Facebook where we share news and tips.

Image courtesy of purplemattfish

The ROI of Respect, Listening and Hugs

Irene Koehler — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:45:31 +0000

I spend way too much time online, most of it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn. While you may not spend the hours online as I do, admit it, you are online a lot. My question to you is a simple one:

How well do you really know your virtual connections?

We love our time in this fast-paced world of sharing personal updates, news, opinions and general silly banter, but do we allow the keyboard and screen to depersonalize the experience and create a false sense of intimacy? It feels like we know these people, but do we? (Spoiler alert: The answer is No.)

While there will be always be an ongoing debate about which metrics (number of followers, fans, clicks) are most important when calculating social media ROI (return on investment), I wonder if there is a downside to being a metric-holic. In our quest to connect with more people, stay abreast of new online tools, drive traffic to our websites or defend an opinion, it is all too easy to lose our way. Has become increasingly difficult to remember that there are real people on the other end of our online posts? These real people have real feelings, real families, real problems and real lives. They are not simply numbers.

With most of the essence of communication being non-verbal and only a small percentage about the actual words, we lose the context and nuance of the words when all we get is words. Without body language, facial expression, or tone of voice, misunderstandings are all too frequent. It’s just too hard to understand how my message resonates with you or what you meant when you posted that last update. The result is that, for many, the default behavior is to focus on what I have to say and not on how it might impact you. It’s easier to focus on something I know than on something I have no way of knowing. Still, isn’t it worth a try?

These questions have been rattling around in my mind for the last couple of months, but yesterday’s terribly tragic suicide of well-respected social media expert, Trey Pennington, brought them to the forefront. I only knew Trey virtually, but the pain of those who knew him well is palpable. He had been suffering from depression, something which not all of his friends knew. This, too, begs the question – How well do we know each other and are we a different version of ourselves online and off?

This led me to wonder if it is realistically possible to strengthen our connections, making them more meaningful and authentic. Obviously, there are no easy answers, but we can only start at the beginning by making some commitments to our virtual friends. With that in mind, here are three metrics no social analytics tool will measure when calculating ROI, but which I suggest are pretty damn important. (Yes, I used a curse word. I’m pretty sure we’ll all survive.) It’s time for us to stop taking these connections so lightly and focus more intentionally on each other.

Respect

Is it my imagination or are people more willing to publicly harass and insult others than ever before? I see bloggers calling out other bloggers for unsavory practices. I see people with strong political views arguing the finer points of the problems with the U.S. economy. I see people bullying others for no apparent reason (even boasting about how much fun it is). Healthy disagreements can be both interesting and productive, as long as we remember to respect the person, disagree with their perspective. When these exchanges degrade to the point that they include name-calling, bullying and labeling others, that’s where it crosses the line for me.

Sure, we think we’re right and therefore permitted to make sure everyone knows it. Tell me – who doesn’t think they’re right? What about being smarter, savvier or more right than the other person compels us to overlook the impact our words may be having on someone else?

Consider:

When you disagree, do you consider whether it’s possible that you’ve misinterpreted the message or intent?
Do you contact the person privately to see more information?
If you feel they’ve made a mistake and there is a lesson to be learned, do you share their content publicly without having hidden their identity?
Is it worth your time to be mindful of respecting others online?

Listening

When we’re online, are we listening? Not the sentiment analysis kind of listening, but the real kind of listening? When we notice that someone has been uncharacteristically silent or frustrated, do we let it pass or do we take it upon ourselves to get in touch directly to see if we might be able to help? Yeah, I know it might be awkward and chances are good that someone else will probably notice, right? And, it’s not like they were asking for someone to notice them – or were they?

Consider:

Is it possible that you may get a different response to a public “Are you ok?” than a private message?
Are you able to set aside your own agenda and be open to offering support free from judgement?
Are you really too busy to listen?
Are you willing to be that someone else who takes the time to say, “I hear you?”
Is it worth your time to be a more active listener online?

Hugs

I love hugs. They are a precious, brief moment in time when two people connect, literally or figuratively. Hugs can mean, “I support and care about you,” “I’m sorry,” or “I’m ridiculously happy to see you.” Hugs can mean different things to different people and come in many forms – a comforting embrace, coffee with a friend or a phone call from a loved one. The best thing about them is that they’re shared on a one-to-one basis. In the social media world, we’re always looking for ways to scale communication on a one-to-many basis. For those of you with huge networks of friends, you’re out of luck because hugs don’t scale. And that’s exactly why they are so special.

I’m pretty sure there must be a government-sponsored study around somewhere which validates the health benefits of hugs, but I’ll go out on a limb and just declare that they’re good for us. Whether given or received, you can’t be on the wrong end of a well-intended hug.

Consider:

Is there someone you know who could use a hug?
Should we wait until we sense that something is wrong to let someone know we’re thinking of them?
Why isn’t now the right time?
Are there times when being willing to ask for a hug is as important as giving one?
Is it worth your time to share a hug with someone you care about?

Feel free to adopt these metrics to measure the ROI of your own social interactions, both online and in the real/offline world. Feel free to talk with one another, not just at one another. Feel free to let me know which social interaction metrics you’d like to add.

I appreciate you reading this and value your feedback.

Image courtesy of drinksmachine.

10 Steps To Create An Awesome Google+ Profile

Irene Koehler — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:14:28 +0000

Once you sign-up for Google+, the first order of business should be to build your profile. As with any social networking site, your profile is your home base. It’s where you tell people what you’d like them to know about you. This is where you showcase the information you want to be publicly available when someone searches, or googles, you online. It is also the information others will use to decide whether or not to connect with you on Google+.

Before you begin, you must find your way to the right page in your Google+ Profile. If you previously had set up a Google Profile, it has now become your Google+ Profile. See the red arrows above to direct you to the correct page.

Get Started: Click on the ‘Edit Profile’ button to begin. You will then see that it is easy to click on any section you wish to edit.
Profile Photo: Select a photo to upload. You may want to review 8 Tips for Selecting the Right Profile Photo to help with your selection.
Name and Headline: Be sure your name is correct. This must be your own name, not the name of a business. Make sure to include a headline. It can be a mix of serious and fun, but use the space wisely.
Text Sections: The Introduction is important. What is the story you’d like to tell about yourself? As you write your introduction, you may want to include keywords which would enable you to be found most easily. While it remains to be seen how searchable Google+ profiles will be, we do know that Google will be giving some visibility to public content on Google+. I’d say that the Bragging Rights section is optional, but I’d suggest that professionals complete all or most of the other sections.
Employment: This tiny section is extremely powerful, though its power isn’t obvious at first glance. The information you add here will provide a window into what you’re all about to anyone who wants to make a quick decision about whether or not they’d like to connect with you or view your profile to learn more about you. Here’s how it works… If you see, for example, an insightful or witty comment I added to one of your friend’s posts and you wanted to find out more about me, you would hover your cursor (see red arrow in image below) over my name. By hovering here, you will see my hovercard (see inset box in image below). From this hovercard, you can instantly follow my public posts by adding me to your circles. All too often, I find that people have left this field blank. When their name appears in a discussion or I see that they’ve added me to their circles, I wonder, “Who the heck is this person?” and peek at their hovercard to find out. If I find no information on their hovercard, it is much less likely that I will circle them back. Make sure you put something meaningful in this section; not just your employer or name of your business, but also something about what you do there. If you are seeking employment, this would be a great place to highlight your skills or accomplishments.
Links: Any good online reputation or digital footprint is seamlessly connected. Make it easy for me to see where else I can find you online. Add links to your social accounts, blog, website, presentations, publications, videos, photos – anything you feel helps tell your story online.
Search Visibility: Now this is key. Do you want your Google+ Profile to show up in search engine results? For me, the answer is 1,000,000% yes because I know what a huge branding and visibility opportunity it is. If you are worried that this will mean that everything you share on Google+ will also be publicly viewable, don’t. You have complete control over each individual post and can easily share each item publicly, privately, or somewhere in-between. (More on sharing in an upcoming blog post. Be sure to subscribe at the end of this post if you don’t want to miss it.)
Formatting Text: In each text section, you have the ability to add links and format the text as best suits your needs. It isn’t mandatory that you do this and it is certainly something you can always revisit at another time, if you’d prefer.
Private vs. Public: Google has learned a lot about users’s desire for complete control over who can see their content and they’ve gone a long way toward allowing you to manage your profile privacy at a granular level. For each section, you will be able to determine who will be able to see your information. For example, if you added your telephone number in the appropriate section, but didn’t want everyone to be able to see it, you would select the Custom option and then might make it visible to only your Family and Best Friends circles.
Done!: Bravo, you’ve finished! Just click Done Editing and admire your work. See something you’d like to change? No problem, just click the Edit Profile button again and tweak away. You always have the ability to jump back in and make adjustments.

If you haven’t yet joined Google+, you can sign up here and to find out why your Google+ profile is an important branding opportunity, whether or not you’re using Google+, you’ll want to read this.

I’d love to see your Google+ Profile. Post the link in the comments below and I’ll add you to my Almost Savvy circle. I would be delighted if you added me to one of your circles to see what I’m sharing on Google+. Also, please share your tips you’ve come across about creating Google+ Profiles.

Thanks to S Sriram for capturing the screenshot of my hovercard for me.

How To Opt-Out of Social Ads on LinkedIn in 5 Clicks

Irene Koehler — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:05:33 +0000

UPDATE: LinkedIn changed the design of their social ads and posted a clarification to their policy. See below for the updated details.

Oh, how I love LinkedIn! I often speak and write about LinkedIn, as well as provide a great deal of training to help others get the most out of the most powerful professional networking site online. As much as I also adore Twitter and Facebook, LinkedIn is still the one place to get started building your brand and career online. While some say Google+ may steal some of the professional spotlight away from LinkedIn, it is much too early to know if this will ever come to pass. For now, my statement stands: LinkedIn is the place to start when you’re ready to tell your branding story the way you want it to be told.

All that said, I’ve got to say that LinkedIn was wrong in this latest move. Sadly, those of us who live our lives online have become accustomed to hearing that we’ve been opted-in to sharing information we had no intention of making available to our friends, to applications or to advertisers. Facebook has a track record of irking its members in this area on a seemingly regular basis. But, LinkedIn? Surely they didn’t do this? Or did they?

Spoiler Alert: They did.

Solution Alert: Here’s how to fix it in 5 clicks. I can hear you thinking that 5 is a lot of clicks to opt-out of anything regarding privacy. You’re right, but here’s exactly what to do, step-by-step.

Hover your cursor over your name. You will see a drop-down menu. From here, click on Settings.
Click on Account.
Click on Manage Social Advertising.
You will then see a small box enabling Social Advertising. Click to uncheck that box.
Click Save.

You’re done.

This change was announced via a blog post on LinkedIn on June 23 of this year. How do you feel about how this change was implemented? Would you like to see future privacy changes on LinkedIn communicated differently?

UPDATE (8/11/2011): LinkedIn just announced a new approach to social ads today. I’m very happy with this new design and applaud them for their quick response to member confusion and frustration.

If you enjoyed this post, sign up to receive free updates by email here to be sure you don’t miss any future Almost Savvy social media updates and news. You are also invited to connect with others interested in social media on the friendly folks on the Almost Savvy page on Facebook where we share news and tips.

The #1 Reason You’ll Want to Use Google+

Irene Koehler — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:44:42 +0000

If you’re still wondering if you ought to bother spending time getting to know yet another social network, I’ve got one big reason you might want to give Google+ a try. It is clear that the team at Google thought long and hard about how people and brands use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and worked to incorporate the best features of all, while adding a few cool features we haven’t seen before. I’ll be addressing those features and how to get started using Google+ in the next few posts.

To keep things simple for the moment, let’s focus on the top reason you should care about Google+.

Google Search

I’m a huge Google fan. I use Gmail, Gcal, Google Voice and plenty of other Google products. Even if you aren’t using Google products like I do, chances are good that you’re using one…Google search. Google is the power player when it comes to online search. While there are many other search engines, Google dominates the field. Whether we’re looking for travel information for our next vacation or reviews and best prices for our next purchases, we’re probably searching on Google.

What’s that you say? You’re not interested in search engines and don’t see what that has to do with you? After all, you’re not all that into tech stuff. Fair enough, but I suggest that even if you think you’re not interested in search, you really are – you just don’t know it yet.

When a Brand Name Becomes a Verb, You Know Something Big is Going On

When was the last time you googled yourself? Do you know what information shows up at the top of the search results? Your current, past and potential employers, clients, and dates are googling you (oh, yes, they are) and you should be monitoring your online reputation and take steps to be sure the best information about you to be the easiest to find.

Google Gets to Make the Rules

How does the stuff at the top of the search engine results get to the top? Well, we don’t know exactly. How each search engine ranks content is a bit of a mystery:it is based on a proprietary algorithm, which is their own secret sauce. Google, Bing, Yahoo – none of them completely reveal the criteria they use to rank certain items higher than others.

It remains to be seen exactly how Google will incorporate content from Google+ into their SERP, but speculation is that it what we post and how others engage with our content (by commenting, for example) will definitely be a factor. Prior to Google+, my Google profile appeared at the bottom of the first page of search results. It now appears at the top, above even my own website. That makes Google+ pretty darn important right out of the gate. This make Google+ a critically important place to build a presence for your business or career. (Note that businesses are not yet allowed to set up profiles on Google+. Business profiles are expected to be launched in a few months.)

Does this mean that all the work you’ve done to polish and optimize your LinkedIn profile, Twitter, blog or website no longer matters in terms of what people will find when they google your name? Absolutely not. If Google were to no longer assign weight to your other online properties and engagement, it seems they’d likely have an antitrust problem on their hands. Don’t stop what you’re currently doing, but I do encourage you to either dive head first into Google+ (for those extremely familiar with Facebook and all it’s features) or approach it taking baby steps soon (for those who are still learning to use Facebook’s features).

Want an Invitation to Google+?

I’ve got a limited number of invitations left to share with my friends. If you’d like to sign-up for Google+ and learn as you go, you can grab an invitation here while they last. You’ll need to have a Gmail address to sign-up, but it is easy to create one if you don’t already have an account. Once you’re in, add me to one of your circles. This will enable you to see what I’m sharing on Google+. See you there!

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