How Hashtags Work On Facebook

Web How To - Easy Explanation Of Hashtags

In 2011 I wrote a post about how hashtags work called Twitter Hashtags & Twitter Parties! Are you in the LOOP? It was to get people to understand twitter parties and how they can participate.

Now that Facebook has added click-able hashtag capabilities I thought I should write an update.

A hashtag which is essentially the number sign # and it makes whatever is right beside it searchable.
On Facebook if you click on the hashtag, a screen pops up & lists every post with that hashtag in it. 

Give it a try. Copy and paste this to your status bar

Ok I'm getting the hang of this hashtag thing thanks to the post http://ow.ly/m16xq Go #TiaraARMY

After you click post on the status you should see the #TiaraARMY characters turn blue. Now you can click where it says #TiaraARMY and as more and more people start to use this hashtag, the pop up screen will have more and more facebook peeps on it. 

It shows you who you have common interests with and perhaps you will make a new connection and you know I'm all about that!

Hashtags are became popular through Twitter but are now also used a lot on Instagram and Pinterest.  How will you use hashtags?

Manageable Mondays

How To Make Mondays More Manageable

Monday.
That dreaded day of the week.




When it comes to managing my Mondays I take the "keener" approach and start tackling it on Friday.

I look at my work pile Friday morning and do my best to get it all done.  While most are celebrating the end of the week, I have my nose to the grindstone pushing through the paperwork pile.  I do this to give myself a rest over the weekend.  You see if I leave anything left undone at work, then I spend all weekend knowing that the unfinished paperwork will be haunting my desk Monday Morning. By completing all my tasks Friday I know that I'll have a fresh start to my work week. I'll be prepared for whatever comes my way.

Wait did I say prepared? Ok I will be realistic I am a procrastinator when it comes to Monday mornings. I stay in bed as long as I can and then rush to get ready.




That may be why I implemented NO MAKEUP MONDAY. Basically Mondays involve no makeup and my hair in a ponytail (there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part this is my Monday look).  I don't want to look disheveled but I have lowered the bar for the beginning of the week. Think of it as casual Friday moved to a different time slot.  I appreciate the relaxed look more so on a Monday than a Friday so that is what works best for me.

I posed the questions to those on Facebook about how they make manage Mondays and here are the responses.

Great Ways To Start Manage Monday

Bruce Barone have a monthly and weekly and daily goal sheet
Rebecca Palmer Get the small stuff out of the way early.
Sandra Kennedy Prepare mentally as well as a to do list Sunday night so you are starting off in the right direction and with focus
Darleen Witmer New start. Eat good breakfast. Dress in fab outfit. Kickass shoes or boots. Don't stay up late Sunday. Have clothes and lunch ready to go night before. Schedule in calendar for your week's goals. Suppers made ahead or have slow cooker prepped
Marianne Wales lots of coffee when I wake up,...then watch out here I come
Ian Archibald Believe that today is the best day ever, and make it happen.
Frankie Leclair Kekes Plan ahead the night before. Put out your outfit, make your lunch, plan what supper will be, pack kids
Backpacks (if applicable). Basically do as much as you can the night before. Some even set the breakfast table the night before.
Jennifer Rebecca Fallis What's Monday? Just another day of the week like all the others. Rest on Sunday, and then Monday doesn't seem so bad after all.

Plus a few that will have you grinning!

Suzy McNeil Sleep till Tuesday

Elaine Jasvins Only work 1/2 days. I don't mind Mondays at all.

Jennifer Van Huss Pray it is a Stat holiday!

Blanche Gillis take a nap after work

 

I think I'll take a few ideas from both lists for more Manageable Mondays!
I would love to hear what you do make it through Monday.  Leave a comment with your best tips and tricks!
 

 

Influence Marketing And How I Participate

Disclaimer Sponsored by http://innetwork.net

I began blogging years ago as an extension of twitter and facebook.  It was a way to stay connected with my audience back when a facebook status had a maximum length and I needed more characters to express my thoughts. Most days I can sum up my thoughts in 140 characters, but to get a broader picture of my ideas I wanted to bring in several media sources (such as images and youtube videos) into my posts and blogging allows for that as well as links to other resources for my readers to learn more about my topic.

I enjoy fruitful conversations and have helped many people connect with my experience in networking both on and offline.  One of the best examples of this is the Tweetstock franchise out of Brantford Ontario.

Several years back I had the opportunity to be quoted in Scott Stratten's UnMarketing book and I attended the launch of his book in Oakville Ontario.  There, Lindsey Jacobs (who I had met via twitter) introduced me to Trevor Cherewka, who had started holding meetups/tweetups in Brantford Ontario.  With a mutual like for networking Trevor invited me to speak at Tweetstock 3.  A few months later I found myself gathered with about thirty Brantford residents explaining how important twitter was to businesses and how it would become the next level of networking.  I really enjoyed the event and quickly connected with the majority of the people in the room (many of which I am thrilled to have as my friends today).  After the event I let Trevor know how impressed I was by what was happening in Brantford and would do my best to support his next event. When he announced the Tweetstock 4 event I went to work spreading the word about Tweetstock to my audience.  Because of my posts Tweetstock 4 had several out of town attendees and the audience quickly grew. Each event after came with it's own unique twist and I would find ways to incorporate what was happening into my online conversations and blog posts.  Coupon codes that were spread through my network became very popular and helped persuade readers to buy tickets for the event.  Several Tweetstocks later the Tweetstock franchise has grown from a meetup to an event to an all day conference.  This is just one example of how word of mouth advertising through online networks can evolve something that started out small to something much bigger. Influence marketing was used to amplify awareness of an event that takes place in Brantford Ontario but has attendees that drive several hours just to be in that room.  This then turns the conference into a room full of influencers broadcasting their messages to their networks and continuing the topics of discussion for days following Tweetstock.

Connection is key.  You never know where it may take you (perhaps to Brantford Ontario for the next Tweetstock Conference!)

Is Somebody Singing With Col. Chris Hadfield On #MusicMonday

Social Media In Space

If you follow any of my feeds you know that I am fascinated by Col. Chris Hadfield's tweets from the International Space Station.  Everyday you get to learn about the earth from the perspective of an astronaut by watching his @Cmdr_Hadfield twitter account.  Of course I was very excited when he tweeted our pics of Kitchener-Waterloo and Southwestern Ontario.  Another great moment was when he spoke to University Of Waterloo Students from space but my favorite moment was when he sang a duet with the Barenaked Ladies.



Watching this video always gives me chills!

Yesterday Commander Hadfield added to my enjoyment of this the I.S.S. watching with a rendition of ISS - Is Somebody Singing by participating in #MusicMonday.  #MusicMonday is the first Monday in May and celebrates music in Canadian schools.
This year #MusicMonday was extra special with schools from coast to coast singing along with Col. Chris Hadfield through a livestream from the I.S.S
(if the video below doesn't work you can watch it here http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2383654893/ )





Now that is cool!  If only they celebrated #MusicMonday when I went to school. 
It looks like I would have participated! Here's the scene from the elementary school I went to A.R. Kaufman Public school with their school celebration.

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=920769&binId=1.1147261&playlistPageNum=1

Five FREE Sites To Clean Your Twitter

Keep Your Twitter Clean - Yes Go Ahead And Giggle At That One

Near the end of every month I try to check my twitter network to make sure that it is free of spam and content that shouldn't be there.  I also check on what was popular that month and see what topics would great opportunities going forward. If things don't look fresh on your twitter feed you could end up looking like a spammer.

Five FREE Sites To "Clean Your Twitter"

1. Untweeps

Untweeps.com is a site that lists stale twitter accounts.  Just login with your twitter account and click the List Stale Tweeps button.  Within a few minutes you will receive a list of twitter accounts that you follow, that have not tweeted in more than 30 days. Just click the check boxes beside the names on the list and at the bottom click the unfollow button.  This will take another couple of minutes and then you will see that you no longer follow those inactive twitter accounts.  ** Note you can only use untweeps.com once every 30 days.

2. Faker

Faker by Status People is great way to ensure you have true twitter followers. Once you login with your twitter account it will give a list of how many fake and inactive accounts follow your twitter account and will give your account a rating. You can also put other twitter handles in the search bar to see how many fake followers other accounts have. When people have oodles of twitter followers you would think they would provide you with great info, but some buy fake followers to increase their ranking. You can learn the importance of Faker by Status people over at SocialNorth.

3. Social Mention

Social Mention can give you a lot of info about your twitter account, the things you tweet about and who you tweet with.  Just put your twitter handle in the search bar, and soon a list will be populated with your recent tweets.  Make sure to pay close attention to the left side bar.  It gives you a snap shot of what is going on with your twitter account.  Another great use for this tool is any hashtags you are using or topics that you mention often online.

4. Kurrently

Kurrently is another listening tool for twitter. It is great way to get a 2nd opinion about hashtags and topics you are tweeting about.

5. Trendsmap

Trendsmap lets you know what people are tweeting about all over the world in real time.  You can search by topics and cities to see what those in your area are talking about.  This can be handy when looking to connect with other people on twitter that live near by.


Do you have any sites that help you "KEEP YOUR TWITTER CLEAN"?
Did you try out any of these sites? Be sure to leave a comment about your experience with them.
Do you have any suggestions about twitter? Make sure to leave them in the comments!

Find The Inner And Outer Beauty

Am I Pretty?

Several years back I watched a video called PRETTY.  Many of the statements Katie Makkai made in the video have stuck with me.

If you haven't watched it yet please take 3 mins and watch this poetry slam




It was the moment when she said the word pretty should never be used on it's own that has always been my memory of this video.
You should not just be PRETTY
instead you should be

• PRETTY INTELLIGENT
• PRETTY CREATIVE
• PRETTY AMAZING

Those are the statments that have always propelled me forward.

I think this is why I resonate with the Dove Realy Beauty/Self Esteem Campaigns.

Through the years there have been some very powerful Dove videos.  This is the one from Dove Canada always stands out for me.....

..... until I saw this one today

How Do You Find The Inner And Outer Beauty?

The latest Dove video goes to show that many do not know that beautiful they are in the eyes of others.
We often talk about focusing on our inner beauty, yet so many don't realize that their inner beauty does show outwardly.  I truly believe that our inner beauty can be seen outwardly as well.

I do my best to surround my self with positive people.  The ones that are cheery and helpful.  Those are the people I think are PRETTY AMAZING! You can tell who they are.  They are the ones that always are smiling and have kind words to share.  They are taking their inner beauty and showing it outwardly. That is the outer beauty that I am speaking of. 

Are You A Social Influencer?

Four Years On Twitter (Double that on Facebook)

Earlier this month I celebrated four years on twitter.  Many people didn't even realize that twitter had been around for so long. From the time I began to present day I have noticed quite a shift in my thinking about social networks.

I have always been a big fan of connecting whether it be for networking purposes or for social interactions.  This is why I took to facebook right away. Soon after came twitter. Next came this blog, which turned into a few other blogs and guest blogging.  I have dabbled in the land of youtube and over the last year or so I have started to enjoy using, pinterest, foursquare and instagram. Ok I'll admit I'm on linkedin and google+ but I don't really put a lot of effort into thoses sites.  All the while I thought of it as making connections.  Soon I was winning Tassimos, receiving tickets to events, and getting prize packs in the mail.  I was thrilled to be so lucky.  I had no idea that my status posts and tweets were thought of as marketing tools for others.  What I know now is that I was adding my influence to those campaigns. I am careful what I talk about online. I know it gives people a sense of who I am.  What you say online leaves an impression on others.  See what I mean in my TV WATCHING of social media below.

What Social Media Influence Means To Me

I think of social media as broadcast tv network and if I don't like something I change the channel

• Nightly News

Many know that I don't watch the news. I find it filled with so many negative stories. If I see a lot of that coming out of your social media sites, then know I don't watch you. What you are saying about yourself (and your company if you have one) has no influence on me.

• Comedy Channel

I have a strange sense of humour so if you keep it funny, without being too vulgar, then I'm your audience. I am the one that tries to re-tell the joke to others. In other words you'll see me hitting the Share Button a lot on your content.

• The Food Network

I love food, so if you talk about it chances are I'm watching. Many times you'll have influence over my weekly grocery shopping.

• Sports Television

I may not be an uber fan, but I'm not a bandwagon jumper either. If you're talking about the teams and sports that I watch, then I will the one to interact with you.

• The Weather Network

I am Canadian which means I talk about the weather. If you do as well then there is a good chance we have been in contact when I hear about severe storms heading this way. Your expertise helps me prepare for what might happen. I see you as a go to source of information.

Should I be watching you?

What does your Social Media Channel line up look like? Let me know in the comments below! Do you fall into any of the "CHANNELS" that I'm currently watching or should be? Let me know what you are a great source of info for.

Below is a great infographic about how influential word of mouth marketing is.  In other words this is what your influence on social media can mean.



Image compliments of MBA in Marketing Degree Guide