Archive for Social Networking
New Linked In Applications
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LinkedIn introduced nine new applications a couple weeks ago that we’ll take a look at. It’s great to have some ways to customize my LinkedIn. I also use Facebook, which has a seemingly unlimited number of apps/widgets, etc. to add, so this is a very welcome addition to LinkedIn.
You can find the ‘applications’ icon on your home page-click it and you’ll see the offerings.
Of the nine, I was most impressed by Company Buzz. I added that application and it almost instantly added tweets (from Twitter), from a former employer and schools I’ve attended. This app will let you know what others are saying about your company and performs searches on key words to bring those tweets to you. This app could provide some interesting insight into a current, past or prospective employers or personalities. This app will let you customize and share with co-workers.
Reading List – this is from Amazon and pretty self-explanatory. Browse through recommended or current books being read by either your industry, your connections or you. Looking at the lists, I wonder if these people are really reading all theses books…
My Travel – if you want everyone in your network to know where you’re going and what you’re doing – add this app. It’s being promoted as a way to get together with your connections while traveling. I see it as TMI.
The next six apps, we’ll discuss in pairs as it seems to me they do pretty much the same thing:
Blog Link & WordPress – Adding the Blog Link app will enable it to search out and install on your page, all the blogs from your connections as well as your own blog. Rather like a feed reader feature. The WordPress app will put your blog on your LinkedIn page. When I added it, it showed snippets of my four latest blog postings-nice.
Slideshare Presentation and Google Presentation – Do you have a product, service or event you want to highlight? Perhaps you want to let your connections know about your new business, a side business or new employees. Here are two ways to have it appear to your connections. The Google app is handy if you already have a Google account and use their docs feature. Slideshare Presentation is a free on-line service where you can post your presentation to the world. You will need an account with one of these in order to upload. There are file size limits (very generous), and format limits that should meet about everyone’s needs.
Huddle Workspaces and Box.net – here are two collaboration/file sharing sites that have partnered with LinkedIn to provide users with a way to collaborate from within LinkedIn. Both allow 1GB of free storage whether you sign up here or already have an account with them. Documents can be uploaded, edited (even photos), and shared with team members or others. When I clicked to add Huddle to my apps, I didn’t have to set up an account (one less log-in and password to remember). There is a nice interface with tabs where I could add files, invite contacts or have discussions. This is a nice feature to have if you’ve made a connection with someone and have a need to share files.
So there you have it – a nice assortment of apps to add to your page. Although you are given the opportunity to arrange your apps in the order you wish, they all will still line up on the right column and they extend downward quite a ways (depending on how many apps you have). This is not real eye-appealing, but maybe they will do some work with that later. Try some out and let you connections know they are available.
Post Audio In Your Social Networking Sites & Blog or Website
Posted by: | CommentsSo you’re already a user of quite a few of the social networking sites and are getting comfortable with their uses, both personal and business.
A natural progression would be to add some audio to your blog or Facebook site. Think of the uses for your business. You could record a short audio inviting contacts to an upcoming training program you’re going to have. Perhaps you want to start a phone-in discussion group on…collaboration tools, outlook, gmail – whatever! In addition to the audio, you could attach text, pictures and even a video to highlight your event.
Here are three free web tools you can check out and get started being a podcaster, the host of a discussion group, or just a listener. All are free.
TalkShoe
This site looks well established. It’s promoted as being a great community-type site. You can join or set up a group based upon your interests. There are about 20 or so categories to look through. If you don’t like one, start one! Up to 250 can be on one call. Tools are provided to help you manage the invitation process.
There is a software download from the site, then you start creating your content. There are convenient widgets and apps for using TalkShoe. Check out those features here. This web tool is only audio. There are widgets for posting to a blog or FaceBook.
Utterz
Utterz gives you a quick and dirty way to post your podcast to your blog or website. A caveat with Utterz is that it works only with cell phones. Something about cell phone companies supporting them…
A benefit of Utterz is that you can set up your account to cross-post – that is, send your post to several sites simultaneously. In addition to audio, you can also email text, pictures or video to accompany your podcast.
Spoink
This site looks a little more sophisticated and business-like than the others. Call a Spoink number from a land or mobile telephone and speak your piece. Send along video, text or pictures from a mobile phone, email or web browser for inclusion with your post and it’ll be inserted in your social networking or blog site for you.
Spoink has a feature where you can make postings private or public. It’s all up to you.
If you are outside the US, you can use Skype-out to call Spoink’s toll-free number to record your post.
It looks like all three give you the option to post your words of wisdom right on their website and you can create quite a following with your podcasts – kind of twitter-like.
If anyone is using or has used these tools, would appreciate your comments.
Digsby a Business Tool or a Distraction?
Posted by: | CommentsA couple of weeks ago, we began exploring using Digsby as a chat aggregator. This week, we’ll look at how/if using Digsby can help a small business owner, (in my case, a VA) be more productive.
A touted feature is the ability to monitor multiple email accounts right from Digsby. This could be helpful if I have responsibility for monitoring email for my clients. However, it could be a big distraction as well. I’m working along for one client when I see an email for another and then I get off task. What do you all think? Here are the features from the web site:
- Manage your Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL/AIM Mail, IMAP, and POP accounts right from Digsby.
- Get popup notifications when new email arrives. Clicking a popup takes you right to the message with auto-login into webmail accounts.
- The email InfoBox gives you a snapshot of your unread messages with just one click
- Perform actions such as “Mark as Read” or “Report Spam” right from the email InfoBox.
- Send emails to your friends right from the IM window. The email is sent directly from any account digsby is tracking for you.
How do some of you use IM with your businesses? What does it do to your productivity? If you use it for business, then Digsby seems like a great aggregator. If you have friends/clients with multiple IM accounts, it will combine them into one identity to reduce clutter. You can send SMS messages from Digsby (but you can from Yahoo as well). You can rename your contacts to their actual names so you don’t have to remember the cryptic names people sometime have. Scrolling your mouse down your list of buddies instantly shows everyone’s status. As mentioned in a previous post, you can also monitor your social networking sites and conduct chats from Digsby.
Your Digsby account follows you from computer to computer (although you’ll still have to download software to each computer). Just login and your previous customizations will be there for you. Speaking of customization, Digsby offers a huge assortment of skins, colors, etc. to make your ‘user experience’ rich. Take a look here at all the screen shots and customization options.
So if you are using IM/chat, I’d like to get your feedback of what you use and why. Is it helpful for multiple clients, or do you use it for personal use? Currently, I’m just using Yahoo Messenger and it works for me. There are quite a few features with Yahoo that Digsby doesn’t have…but that’s another blog topic!
Facebook Chat from your Desktop–Using Digsby!
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I blogged a couple of weeks ago on how Facebook added a chat feature where you can see how many of your friends are on-line from within Facebook and initiate a chat with them.
Just recently, I saw that Digsby (a chat aggregator, along the lines of Meebo), has a feature where you can chat with your Facebook friends without being logged into Facebook! Check out the screenshot below. Not only can you use Digsby as a chat aggregator, you can also add Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to Digsby to consolidate and manage most of your social networking sites in one place! They say other social networking sites are coming soon.
Here are the social networking features Digsby offers:
- Stay up to date with everything happening on your Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace account (other network support coming soon).
- Receive alerts of events such as new friend requests, messages, group invites, etc.
- The social network InfoBox gives you a real time NewsFeed of what your friends are up to. Everything from new photos, to status updates, to upcoming birthdays is just a click away.
- Set your Facebook and Twitter status right from Digsby.
Go to the web site and and download to your desktop. Digsby also has some other cool features that we will explore at a later time. Enjoy!
