Your Beliefs Don’t Make You A Better Person, Your Behavior Does.

Actions do speak louder than words, but hopefully, a combination of the two are what makes you a better person.

Klouchebag–A Brilliant Parody of Klout. What’s Your Klouchebag Score?

If you’re frustrated with Klout and agonizing over your Klout score, you’re going to love this brilliant parody version of Klout developed by Tom Scott called Klouchebag—the standard for measuring asshattery online! I do love the Brits and their humor.

Klouchebag was created because Tom got annoyed with the fuss around Klout and he called it, “the horrible social-game that assigns you a score based on how “influential” you are online. This is the result of that frustration. BTW: Tom’s looking for work doing web, video and viral stuff. Somebody needs to grab this guy before’s he’s too busy for new work and gets really expensive.

Here’s my Klouchebag score. Cheers!

What the Heck is a Twitter #Hashtag? And a Handy #Hashtag Cheat Sheet.

If you are a novice Twitter user and have been wondering what the # symbol means, this post is for you. #Hashtags are simply text or key words and can be placed in the beginning, middle or end of a tweet and are integral to the Twitosphere*, helping users categorize trending topics. For example, using #ff or #followfriday** is a #hashtag. Just decide on the keyword you are targeting, place a pound sign in front of it, and you’ve created your first #hashtag.

Clicking on a #hashtag in a tweet shows you all the aggregated tweets on a topic from the Twitosphere.  This is a great way to search for people with common interests or in a job search. You can also use a third-party monitoring tool such as HootSuite to search for #hashtags. Just decide on the keyword you are targeting, place a pound sign in front of it, and you are all set! 

#Hashtags are created organically by Twitter users; some are used regularly and others come and go—like one created for a specific event.

*On Friday’s, using #followfriday or #ff in a tweet along with 1 or more @names means you recommend those people as worth following.

**Twitosphere means Twitter users from all over the world.

To find more social media tips and tricks follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Thank you in advance for your support!

Cheat Sheet of #Hashtags.

To Find an Employer

These are the tags to plug into Twitter’s search engine to connect you with companies with openings.

• #hiring: Here it is, your No. 1 word to find a hiring company is … hiring.
• #tweetmyjobs: It’s a pretty clunky phrase, but #tweetmyjobs has been tagged nearly a million times, so include it in your search.
• #HR: The folks handling the headhunting for the company will be from human resources, so go straight to the source.
• #jobopening: Now we’re talking. This tag is almost exclusively used by people offering people work. Easy.
• #jobposting: “Jobposting” is another efficient tag to search, only it’s used a bit less than #jobopening.
• #employment: Often listed along with #jobs at the end of a tweet, #employment is a major keyword used by businesses in the market for talent.
• #opportunity: There will be some quotes and other tweets that don’t help you, but there will be plenty of hookups toemploymentopportunities.
• #recruiting: Search this hashtag to find not only employers that are hiring, but inside info on the recruiting techniques they’ll be using.
• #rtjobs: Many Twitter users are there helping you out by retweeting job openings they come across.
• #jobangels: The JobAngels are a volunteer group working to help unemployed people find jobs, and they have a strong presence on Twitter.
• #jobsearch: Sometimes this will be the only hashtag a hiring company will use, so be sure to make it one of your search terms.
• #joblisting: Attention! I’m a hiring employer and this is my way of telling you that I’ve got a job right here just waiting to be filled.

To Attract an Employer

Strut your stuff and get yourself out there with these hashtags to help employers find you.

• #hireme: Don’t beat around the bush. #Hireme is short, sweet, and to the point.
• #MBA: Have an MBA? Shout it out in a hashtag to direct employers to your top-shelf business acumen.
• #linkedin: If you’re unemployed, you’re no doubt already networking away on LinkedIn, so let them know you have a viewable profile.
• #profile: While you’re at it, go ahead and tag “profile” too, and couple it with #facebook, #linkedin, #monster, or any other place your details are posted on the internet.
• #unemployed: It’s what you are, so own it and let employers know you are totally available for engagement.
• #resume: If you’re tweeting about your resume posted online, be sure to hashtag it.
• #CV:Curriculum vitaeis basically a more fleshed-out résumé, but#resumeis nearly twice as popular. Use both to be safe.
• #needajob: Thousands of the unemployed have tacked this phrase onto the end of their tweets in the hopes an employer will stumble across it in a search.

To Find a Certain Type of Job

If you don’t want just any old job, try searching these hashtags for that special placement you have in mind.

• #freelance: This is a hugely popular tag used by job hunters who want to leave the option of part-time, freelance work open.
• #homebusiness: If you’re eyeing a job being self-employed, try searching this term for entrepreneurship ideas and tips.
• #greenjobs: Here’s one for the truly unselfish people who put the environment before employment.
• #dreamjob: If you aren’t sure what you want to do with your life, search this tag and get some ideas of what other people would do if they had their druthers.
• #hotjobs: Hot jobs call for a hot hashtag.
• #consulting: Another in the potentially temporary job category, #consulting is a nice tag to widen your net and earn some income.
• #consultant: It might seem silly to use two tags that say virtually the same thing, but those three letters might make the difference in connecting you with your new employer.

Environment, Social Justice and Human Rights.

• #humanrights: Use to discuss human rights or oppressive actions taken against individuals.
• #poverty: Use this to start or join a discussion about poverty.
• #hunger: Discuss subjects related to hunger.
• #aid: Discuss financial or humanitarian aid.
• #sustainability: Discuss topics related to sustainability.
• #health or #healthcare: For use with tweets related to health.
• #green: This popular hashtag relates to the green movement and, more broadly, environmentalism.
• #eco: This hashtag is focused on improving the environment

On a Lighter Note, Funny Hashtags.

• #MomQuotes: This hashtag was created by Jimmy Fallon for his “Late Night Hashtag” @LateNightJimmy bit on his show. Everything a typical mom would say categorized into one great hashtag.
• #GenericTweet: Simply pokes fun at those who tweet about nothing special (we’ve all done a boring generic tweet without realizing it.)
• #LessAmbitiousMovies: Think of a movie- then change its title to something less ambitious. It’s a fun little game to play with a group of friends as well.
• #TwoThingsThatDontMix: It’s simple- what two things just don’t work well together?
• #SoEmbarrassing: People sharing their embarrassing stories in less then 140 characters are always fun.
• #FailedChildrensBookTitles: Here is your chance to recast your favorite book in the worst possible way.

LinkedIn Goes Mobile with Sexy New iPad App

One more reason to LOVE LinkedIn.
LinkedIn launched its first iPad app yesterday, and it brings a brand new look and feel to the social network. This is the company’s first foray into tablets, and the wait has paid off. The deliberation and attention to detail — it all shows, from the clean-as-a-whistle homescreen to the trendy slider interface for quickly browsing industry news. See more screenshots and read the full article by Business Insider.

Check out the below screenshot to see one of my favorite features. All your appointments show up here. If applicable, the app will also pull in the LinkedIn profiles for the people you’re going to meet with. That’s a great way to prepare for an important meeting or interview.

LinkedIn Stats.

• LinkedIn has 150 million members total around the world
• The network’s mobile traffic is skyrocketing, from 8 percent this time last year to 22 percent now
• Every second, LinkedIn mobile users rack up 19 people searches and view 41 profiles
• Even without a custom app, iPad traffic makes this tablet the network’s fastest-growing device, up 250 percent year over year

Google+ Update: Header Image and Profile Photo Redesign

Google’s social network got a redesign recently that makes it prettier and easier to navigate. One of the changes that I’m highlighting in this article is the change to page layouts. The cover photo now sprawls across the top of your profile and your profile image is allotted more space on the top right.

Add a Promotional Message.

You’re free to use your header image to promote your business or product or include a call to action. You’re not restricted from adding promotional messages as on Facebook. 

Some ideas on how to use your new header:

• Showcase a product
• Highlight a customer of the week
• Include a business phone number or web address to attract new customers
• Add a call to action to encourage people to learn more about your business

You can choose whether you’d like to continue to feature five photos at the top of your page or select one main cover image (like Facebook). To change your photo strip, simply click the “Edit Profile” button at the top of your page and click on your photo strip.

You’ll then get the option to have one panoramic cover photo or five small scrapbook photos.

If you choose to have one header photo, make sure the cover image is 940 pixels x 180 pixels. Recommended file formats: jpg or png.

Also pay attention to how your profile photo looks in the new layout. The logo appears larger now, so make sure your picture doesn’t look grainy with the recent update. The minimum profile picture width is approximately 250 pixels x 250 pixels.

If you choose to keep using scrapbook photos in your strip, your photo strip images will continue to be displayed at 110 pixels x 110 pixels.

Trust Yourself. You Know More Than You Think You Do.

Benjamin Spock

Great read on How to Teach Yourself to Trust Yourself. The article is by Peter Bregman, a strategic advisor to CEOs and their leadership teams.

I Hope You Live A Life You’re Proud Of. If You Find That You’re Not, I Hope You Have The Strength To Start All Over Again.

― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

LinkedIn Tip of The Day: Recommendations

LinkedIn Tip of the Day: Recommendations

A recommendation is a comment written by a LinkedIn member to endorse a colleague, business partner, student, or service provider. People interested in hiring or doing business with someone often consider recommendations in making their decisions. You also need three recommendations to have a 100% complete profile. Here’s a step-by-step process for ‘Asking and Managing Recommendations.’

1. Go to the Profile menu at the top of your home page and click Recommendations.

2. Click the Request Recommendations tab.” Choose what you want to be recommended for” from the drop down menu.

• If the position or school isn’t listed, you can click the link to add a “job” or “school” to both this menu and your profile.

3. “Decide who you’ll ask” by either entering names of connections into the text field or clicking on the address book icon to search through your connections.

4. In your address book’s Choose Connections module, check the boxes next to the names you want to add and then click Finished.

• When you request a recommendation from multiple people in one message, each recipient will receive an individual email.

5. “Create your message” for the recommendation request by using the message provided or personalizing your note.

6. Click Send.

TIP: When requesting a recommendation, do not simply send the generic message LinkedIn creates for you. Include some specific projects you worked on so that your recommender remembers the particular work you did and speak to it. Notice the difference between: “Pete was a creative thinker who got the job done”, and “Pete created and implemented a blogging strategy that helped generate 163 leads in one weeks time.”

Managing Your Recommendations.

When one of your connections recommends you, a notification is sent to your Inbox and your Manage recommendations page.

From the notification message sent to your LinkedIn inbox you can:

• Accept Recommendation - To either show or hide the recommendation on your profile.
• Request a Replacement - Typically because of a misspelling or other error.
• Archive - If you don’t want to accept the recommendation immediately.

To view and manage a recommendation:

1. Go to the Profile menu at the top of your home page and click Recommendations.
2. Click the Manage link under the position with the recommendation.
3. With the recommendation visible, you have the following options:

• Click Accept Recommendation (only if you have not accepted yet).
• Click the show box to either show or hide the recommendation and then click Save Changes.
• Click “Request a new or revised recommendation from [your recommender]”, customize your message to explain what you’d like revised and click Send.

Sources: http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers and http://www.hubspot.com

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

Social Media Stats For Convincing Your C-Suite to Invest in Social Media Marketing

If you’re having trouble convincing your executive team that your company needs to invest in social media, here’s a few hard facts to help you make your case more convincing. It’s so much more effective than whining to your boss, “But we really need a social media presence. Everyone else is doing it!”

• There are 2 million companies on LinkedIn. [Source: mediabistro.com]
• Pinterest has over 10.4 million users.  [Source: mediabistro.com]
• Twitter has 140 million active users, who post a total of 340 million tweets every day. (Source: The Next Web) 
• Facebook has over 845 million monthly active users. (Source: Facebook)
• LinkedIn boasts more than 150 million members, including executives from all 2011 Fortune 500 companies. (Source: LinkedIn)
• Google+ has over 100 million users. [Source: http://gigaom.com]
• Google+ accounts for about 0.22% of referral traffic.
• Pinterest is retaining and engaging users 2-3 times better than Twitter was at a similar time in Twitter’s company history.
• YouTube has over 800 million monthly users who upload an hour of video per second. [Source: http://gigaom.com]
• 79% of European and 86% of U.S. online adults engage with social media. (Source: Forrester) 
• 81% of small businesses now use social media — up from 73 percent earlier this year (Source: Constant Contact) 
• 82% of the world’s online population is reached by social networking sites, representing 1.2 billion users around the world. (Source: comScore) 
• Nearly 1 in every 5 minutes spent online around the world is now spent on social networking sites. (Source: ComScore) 

Follow Your Heart.

I try to follow my heart but sometimes my brain gets in the way and throws me off course.

Photo: Source unknown.