* "Only connect. . ." E.M. Forster, Howard's End

Sunday, August 7, 2011

How to unplug from Facebook, Twitter and Google+

The three popular social networking sites each offer ways to tune out or turn off accounts. Facebook and Twitter users can opt to take a break or deactivate. Google+ users can hide, downgrade or delete accounts.

Tired of being friended and poked on Facebook? Just not that into your followers on Twitter? Google+ making you feel less than totally happy? Here's how to unplug from three popular social networking sites.


Facebook


It's the most popular social networking site on the Web with more than 750 million users. There are three ways to tune out or turn off Facebook.


•Take a break


If there's a chance you might make up with Facebook, this is a good temporary option. Turn off email notifications, remove the Facebook app from your phone, take the website out of your bookmarks and generally cleanse your online existence of all unwanted reminders of Facebook.


How to do it: Go to "account settings" under the account menu. Select the "notifications" tab and remove the check next to the alerts you don't want to receive. The downside: Your friends may still tag you in photos, write on your wall or send you messages and, when you don't respond, may think you lack basic social skills.


•Deactivate


If you are not sure you want to quit Facebook forever, you can deactivate your account. You will disappear on Facebook immediately. People will not be able to search for you or view any of your information. But Facebook will save all of your wall posts, photos, messages and other personal information in case you have a change of heart.


How to do it: Go to "account settings" and select the "security" tab. The last option at the bottom of the page is "deactivate your account." Click on the link. Be forewarned: Like a jilted lover practiced in the art of emotional blackmail, Facebook will try to talk you out of leaving by showing you pictures of close friends who will miss you. To reactivate your account: Log in with your email address and password.


•Delete


If you want to scrub every last detail of your existence from Facebook, you can permanently delete your account.


How to do it: Unlike deactivating, deleting is not an option under account settings. Instead, click on "Help Center" from the account menu. Type "delete" into the search box. Select the option: "How do I permanently delete my account?" Scroll down to "submit your request here." Or you can type in this link: http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account.


Click on the link and you will get a message asking you to verify that you want to delete your account. Click the "submit" button. Facebook will ask for your password and will perform a security check. Facebook will not delete your account for 14 days. During that time, it will email you to verify that you are the one deleting the account, not an impersonator trying to wreak havoc on your social life.


After 14 days, all of your information will be permanently removed from Facebook. Some of your

Thursday, August 4, 2011

New Facebook Analytics Tool Digs Deeper Than Insights

A webpage owner has seemingly unlimited choice in products that slice and dice information about those who visit his or her page. Real time? Personal? With a heat map? No problem. Facebook page managers, however, don’t have it as easy.


The Google Analytics of Facebook is called “Insights,” and for someone who is dealing with the typical Facebook fan page, it’s a sufficient meat-and-potatoes analysis tool. PageLever, a Y Combinator startup that launched Wednesday, is a more elaborate version of Insights for brands that want to get a bit deeper in their analysis — a group of users that so far includes YouTube, Microsoft, Mint and Kayak.


PageLever shows impressions (any time a story loads in a browser, whether on your page or not) for any date range, not just month or week. It separates unique impressions from repeat impressions so that you can see your true reach, and it shows when and where fans “unliked” your page. You can also look at what type of content — photos, video, text or flash — your audience responds to best.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Are Internet Explorer users dumb?

(CNN) -- Are users of other Web browsers smarter than the people who use Microsoft's Internet Explorer?
A new survey doesn't quite say so. But it sure as heck suggests it.


The survey by AptiQuaint, a Vancouver-based Web consulting company, gave more than 100,000 participants an IQ test, while monitoring which browser they used to take the test.


The result? Internet Explorer users scored lower than average, while Chrome, Firefox and Safari users were slightly above average
.
And users of the more obscure Camino and Opera browsers, as well as those using Explorer with Chrome Frame (a plug-in designed to let users view emerging HTML5 content), had what AptiQuaint called "exceptionally higher" IQ levels.
Those numbers, it should be noted, probably aren't very scientific. The field of test-takers was self-selecting -- people who chose, on their own, to take an IQ test instead of a scientifically selected study group. They found the test through Web searches or ads the company placed online.


The report suggests that people using Explorer, the built-in, default browser for Windows-based computers, may be more resistant to change. A similar study in 2006 showed users on the then-current IE browser scored above average.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Is Social Networking Your Business' Priority?

Let's say you own a small business, would you consider investing on social networking for your business? Some business owners may think it is not clever to bank on social networking efforts but according to numerous business surveys, a good number of small businesses are ready and more than willing to spend money in pursuing their endeavours. If you are one of these risk-takers, then it could be that you are already enjoying the benefits to your business or maybe you're just starting to build a website of your own to pursue this business priority. If you are one of those who decided social networking is not worth your time, money and effort then maybe it is high time for you to re-consider your decisions.


The truth is, social networking as a means of business marketing is very effective and cost-efficient. Numerous reports and figures have told us that between advertising in Facebook and advertising in Google Ads, there are more positive marketing results in the former than the latter. This is one of the many reasons why many businesspeople would spend money just to advertise their products and services there and some even went the extra mile by building a website for their business. These custom-made social media sites may not be as complex and thorough as Facebook but as long as it is able to provide the owners all the tools that they need to interact directly with their customers and provide them all their needs as well as the information that they need to enhance their products and services and therefore provide more satisfaction to their customers, it is good to go.


Joining the social network bandwagon and building a social network website for your business though requires careful planning from your end. You will have to list down every data that you need and how you wanted these data to be gathered, analyzed and transformed into something useful for your company. All of these can be addressed through hiring a good developer who can assist you in your efforts, or better yet, you can start shopping for different software available online and try it yourself. The latter choice will be advantageous for you if you wanted to have complete control over your social networking site and learn a lot of new things along the way. If you don't have much time to spare though, it may be wiser to tap someone to do it for you. Whichever is which, be assured that creating your very own site for your business is but a great decision that you will never regret.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nico_Kurniawan
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6428811

Monday, August 1, 2011

LinkedIn: An All-In-One Job Source

Facebook has taken the world of social networking to places that no one had ever imagined. Having access to millions of people worldwide from the convenience of your own computer, is an amazing feeling. It has allowed us all to reconnect and stay connected to family and friends across the nation and the world. The social connections that have come about as a result are beyond imagination. Just imagine the same ability to network on a business level that is now possible with the upcoming network site LinkedIn.


Although not as well-known yet, LinkedIn is doing for business networking what Facebook has done for social networking. It is a site that allows people to connect in a professional manner through across, and within, industries to further their careers, or business relations. Unlike Facebook, the information is well categorized by business related categories such as "education", "experience", and business related accomplishments and accreditation. LinkedIn makes it easy to search through individuals instantly to find the right people for a position or that you are intending to connect with for business related reasons.


LinkedIn is an all-in-one job source. It has a professional blog that gives you a leg-up on trending industries and tips to further your career and to stay ahead of the competition. It also has its own job posting site if you are yourself looking to hire a new employee or if you are researching a new career or position. The industries are broken down by area of expertise, making the job search easy and convenient. Also available are expert opinions to help you to recognize what employers are looking for in a candidate. Sometimes finding the right niche to make yourself marketable is difficult. Knowing what the new workplace is searching for is an important part of knowing how to market yourself. The experts on LinkedIn give you insight into how to present yourself in the right light to set yourself apart from the rest.