Coach Cassandra Rae | SimplyFearless.com » social networking

Social Media Success: mega list of techie tools

Cassandra Rae — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:02:43 +0000

photo by webtreats

Today I rocked it out at the very first Sassy Networking Event. Woohoo! My favorite part was helping people video their 30 second intros. What an awesome party. We schmoozed, learned, and schmoozed some more. After our rockin’ guest speakers Cherie & Carla with GatherYour Crowd taught us about gaining on-line influence with photos & videos, I got to share all kinds of tools as a part of the techie panel. And guess what? I’m going to share them with you too…

Here’s how to find a flickr photo to use on your website for FREE:

Click here to search all flickr photos posted under a Creative Commons Attribution license. This means that you can use the photo for free on your site as long as you give credit to the photographer – I always include a back-link to the flickr photo page.
Enter your search terms. To find the photo I used in this post I entered “social media”
If you don’t like the selection, then click on “Interesting” to view the best photos
Click on the photo you want to use
Click on “All sizes” to download the size of your choice
Use the photo with credit and then leave the photographer a comment on the flickr page telling them thank you for allowing you to use their photo for free. You can also leave a link to where you’ve used the comment and peeps might click through to see your stuff too!

Being on-line is no longer just about having a website and blog. It’s about having a presence and being present. Here are some of our favorite techie tools:

Create a free website
- http://www.weebly.com/
Fonts
- http://www.dafont.com/
Stock photos
On-line appointment scheduling
Movie making
- http://www.xtranormal.com/
- http://animoto.com/
Share your PowerPoint presentations
- http://www.slideshare.net/
Reputation Management
- http://socialmention.com/
- http://www.yext.com/
- http://www.trackur.com/
- http://www.steprep.com/ {this is the one Chrystal raves about}
Don’t send the wrong message ~ check your email for tone
- http://www.tonecheck.com/
Social Media Productivity Tools
- http://hootsuite.com/
- http://www.socialoomph.com/
Photo editing
Discover the magic of words
- http://wordsmith.org/
Mind Mapping
- http://www.mindmeister.com/
Information Management
Computer Back-up Services
- http://www.carbonite.com/en/default.aspx
- http://mozy.com/
Copywriting tips
- http://www.copyblogger.com/

To really set yourself up to succeed on-line, start by setting your intention. Why are you there? What do you want to accomplish? How are you going to contribute? Then be sure to show up on a consistent basis and openly share your expertise. The more you connect with people, the more opportunities you have to grow your network, gain influence, and really rock it out!

Here’s a golden opportunity to share your expertise: post a comment with your favorite techie tool. What is it? How does it help you? And how much does it cost?

**special thanks to Chrystal Bougon, Gather Your Crowd, and Hatch Network for contributing to our list of techie tools**

Social Media Resources Plus Recording to the Latest Coaching Call

Cassandra Rae — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:09:51 +0000

**Update: the link to the recording has been fixed. Plus, there is a player at the bottom of this post that allows you to play the audio directly from this screen.**

What a fantastic call we just had! My favorite part was connecting with all of you and helping you articulate your 2010 blogging promises. It’s given me some fantastic ideas for our calls for next year. So thank you for showing up and sharing.

**Recording**
Click here to listen to the 1 hour recording of our coaching call. Remember that when you listen to this recording, you are agreeing to honor all participants (including yourself) with authentic, positive, and uplifting words. You also agree to pass on judging, criticizing, or put-downs of any kind. {Note: I did get dropped off the call for a minute right at the beginning. But, no worries, because I jump right back on and share lots of yummy information.}

**Resources**
Here are all the resources I talked about on the call with a short description of how I use them:

SocialOomph.com
I use the free version of this tool to schedule the daily tweets for the Simply Fearless Twitter Stream

TweetDeck
I use this free tool to manage my Twitter accounts, see who’s tweeting about me, and update my Facebook status.

Networked Blogs Facebook Ap
I use this free tool to automatically import my blog posts to my Facebook profile & fan page. In fact, I love it so much I blogged about it here.

Feedburner
I use the free version of this tool to offer free email updates for people who subscribe to my blogs.

Blackberry Phone
I have email & Facebook access through my phone and it makes it so easy to share on the go.

Google Analytics
I use this to watch the traffic on my blog, how people are finding me, and what keyword searches I come up in.

Wordpress.org
All of my blogs run off of wordpress.org. It is free software to download and install. It is for self-hosted blogs and is different than wordpress.com which is a free blogging platform that will host a blog for you.

Dreamhost
I use Dreamhost to host all of my websites. It’s only dollars a month and I can host as many sites as I want for the same price. I must tell you that recently we had some major unexpected outages as they moved servers. But, other than that I am super happy hosting with them. Disclosure: I am an affiliate with Dreamhost and I will earn money if you use the link above and sign up with them.

GoDaddy
This is for domain registration. They also offer hosting too, but I found that Dreamhost is easier to use for installing blogs.

aWeber
This tool is for setting up autoresponders and email lists. I use it for my eCourse and newsletter distribution. Disclosure: I am an affiliate with aWeber and I will earn money if you use the link above and sign up with them.

NaBloPoMo
This on-line community is for those of you who are ready to take on daily blogging for a month at a time.

**Call Participants**
For those of you who were on the call, please leave a comment with a link to your website or blog so that we can check you out.

**Practice Assignment**
In your journal, answer the following questions:

What do you want people to do when they visit your website?
Do you have a clear, concise, and compelling invitation to do so?
What changes, if any, do you need to make to inspire your website visitors to take action?

Make a promise to yourself for your 2010 social media strategy. Think about:

How often you will blog
How you will use Twitter
How you will use Facebook

Finish this sentence:

I am willing to promise to…

**My Promises**
On the call, I shared my promises and here they are:

I am willing to promise to:

Change CassandraRae.com into my professional speaker site
Launch the Simply Fearless Friday meme (AKA blog carnival) and blog once a week beginning 1/8/10
Launch the 7 Simple Ways to Connect with Your Ideal Client eCourse
Publish a video once a week beginning the week of 1/4/10

**Your Promises**
That would be so cool if you posted a comment below with your 2010 social media promise(s) especially those of you who created one on the call.

Super Cool Facebook Feature

Cassandra Rae — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:22:26 +0000

I just became a fan of Wish Upon A Wedding on Facebook and received this cool message inviting me to create a badge that I could use to post on my website or blog to let everyone know that I’m a fan. And here it is:

{okay, here is where it would be if the code didn’t mess up my blog}

Isn’t that cool? I freaking love this feature so I decided to create a badge and share it with you. And guess what? You can create a badge for any of the pages you are a fan of!

While I was playing around with this feature I found this page that has all kinds of options listed in one place. Damn…that’s hot! Now, this might be old news for some of you, but it’s new to me and it’s so worth posting about to make sure that everyone knows about it.

Have fun and be sure to leave a comment with a link to your FB Fan Page so that I can check it out and if you’re cool enough I might just become a fan!

p.s. Wish Upon a Wedding is “America’s ONLY wedding wish granting organization, Wish Upon a Wedding grants weddings & civil union ceremonies at destinations across the US to couples facing life-threatening medical conditions, celebrating the courage & spirit of these couples.” What a fabulous cause!

p.p.s. As you can see, I wasn’t able to publish the badge to my blog because it messed up my theme. But, I still think it’s a cool tool and the problem might be specific to my theme. Give it a whirl anyways and let me know how it works for you.

Don’t let your family drive you crazy this Thanksgiving! Come to the next free Simply Fearless Coaching Call on Monday, November 23 @ 12noon Pacific to set your intention for the best holiday ever. Click here to enter your info & receive the call-in info.

Find New Blogs & Bloggers to Connect With

Cassandra Rae — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:42:25 +0000

I really am enjoying NaBloPoMo so far. Of course, we’re only two days in! But, hey two for two is awesome.

So yesterday I talked about commenting on one new blog every day after you publish your own post. But how do you find new blogs to comment on? Well here are my top 5 tips:

Visit a blog you already know about it AND like. Find an interesting comment from a blogger you don’t know and click through to check out and comment on that blog. This is easier to do on a blog that has a lot of activity. A couple of my favorite blogs are SarcasticMom and Momisodes.
Check out the November NaBloPoMo blogroll and randomly click through a blog to see if there is anything interesting for you to comment on. Keep clicking through until you find a blog post that inspires you to say something worth posting. In other words don’t just comment for the sake of commenting.
Use blogcatalog to find a blog in a category that fits your targeted reader and have fun posting comments! Wait a minute, your blog is listed on blogcatalog, right? If not, add it today! You don’t have to spend time on the site if you don’t want to, but you should at least list your blog.
Not too long ago I posted about using NetworkedBlogs as the best way to automatically feed your blog posts into your Facebook profile. Well, it’s also a great resource to find new blogs & bloggers on. This is also a must use resource for your blog.
Technorati is another great place to find new blogs and list your own blog, but an even better idea is to visit the blogs of people who comment on your blog! Don’t you just *LOVE* it when new people visit & comment on your blog?! I know I do. Well, what a great way to connect by taking the time to visit & comment on their blog in return!

Okay Peeps. There ya have it. Now you have no excuse for not visiting some new blogs & connecting with new bloggers.

–

Your Daily Blogging Topic:

Did you know that I am also a photographer? Here is one of my recent photos of Gracie. Share about one {or more} of your hobbies on your blog. Be sure to post a link in a comment below so that we can check it out!

Companion Challenge to Daily Blogging: get the most out of your comments

Cassandra Rae — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:46:08 +0000

Yesterday I was telling The Hubs about NaBloPoMo and it hit me that a great companion challenge to daily blogging would be to:

POST ONE COMMENT ON ONE NEW BLOG EVERY DAY!

How cool is that? What a fabulous way to get your blog out there especially when you are posting so much insightful and valuable content. So after you publish your post for the day go find a new blog to comment on. Here are some tips to get the most out of your comments:

Be sure you are adding your blog url to your comment by copying & pasting it from your web browser – this way you are sure to include the “http:/” part and there are no typos
Your comment does not have to be an essay on their blog post – simply write your gut reaction to their blog
If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all and find another blog post that you can say something positive about. Spreading negativity is no way to make blogging friends.
Limit your time commenting to 5 or 10 minutes – you don’t want this to overwhelm you and it will keep you from over-editing your comments {yes, I know you have a tendency to over-edit – we all do – but you’ve gotta draw the line to nurture your schedule}.
If you’d like to create a dialogue, then check the box to subscribe to comments if it’s provided. This way if the blogger posts a response to your comment, then you will be notified. The only thing to watch for is how much comment activity the blog has. If there are regularly 100 comments on each post, then you probably don’t want to subscribe. But, if there are a few comments, then you can easily subscribe without being inundated with emails.

Okay, I’m off to comment on a blog I’ve never visited before and be sure to come back tomorrow as I share about how to find new blogs!

Rock it out, Peeps.

– As promised…a Blogging Topic just for you –

How has blogging enriched your life and/or business?

Daily Blogging Support for You

Cassandra Rae — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:02:03 +0000

Did you know that November is the official National Blog Posting Month {aka NaBloPoMo}? Yup, that’s right and all you have to do to participate is post every day in the month of November. Here’s a blurb from their website:

National Blog Posting Month is the epicenter of daily blogging! People who want to set the habit of blogging by doing it every day for a month, including weekends, can come here for moral support, inspiration, and the camaraderie that only marathon blogging can provide.

The cool thing about NaBloPoMo is that there is an on-line community where you can sign up, create a profile, and share your blog with the other bloggers.

Plus, there is a monthly blogroll {this means that you get to list your blog’s url on their site – this is gold for Search Engine Optimizing} to promote your blog if you commit to the challenge.

Oy! I’m so nervous about this, but I’m making the commitment for November! In fact, part of why I’m taking the plunge is to support you because I will be posting blogging topics! How freakin’ cool is that?!

So if you want to take the plunge too, but you’re hesitant about the commitment know that:

I’m doing it with you
I’m here to support you
I will be posting a blog topic {most likely posed as a question like yesterday’s post}

See how easy it will be! You won’t even have to come up with the topic and you can answer questions about yourself because you are an expert on you!

Come on, don’t make me do this solo. Sign up now & submit your blog for the blogroll. Oh! And be sure to add me as a friend on the ning site :~)

{If you sign up, then please post a link to your blog as a comment so that we can visit you!}

The Best Way to Link Your Blog Posts to Facebook

Cassandra Rae — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:37:46 +0000

I keep seeing this all over Facebook and I simply have to publish about this travesty. The “import notes” function on FB sucks for automatically publishing your new blog posts to your FB profile because:

It doesn’t provide a link directly to the post on your blog
Videos do not show up

So what should you do instead? I’m so glad you asked because I’ve got an opinion!

The best way to automatically publish your blog posts to your Facebook profile is to use the FB application called Networked Blogs. This application allows you to pick 3 categories for your blog and then your blog is also listed and searchable on their site under the categories you choose. How cool is that?

Plus, when people click through the blog post from their newsfeed they are taken directly to the post on your blog. Woohoo! This encourages them to leave a comment on your blog, which in the blog-o-sphere is golden.

PLUS! There is a FB toolbar across the top of the page so they can “like” your blog post on FB directly from your blog.

PLUS PLUS!! The app only publishes a teaser so when people click through to read the “full article” again they are taken directly to your blog.

Have I convinced you to stop importing notes and start using networked blogs?! I hope so. Here is a link to their site:

http://www.networkedblogs.com/

Oh, and no I’m not an affiliate or anything like that. I simply love the tool! So go now and start using this fabulous app.

Best Wordpress Design Contest

Cassandra Rae — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:47:37 +0000

SimplyFearless.com is like the only candidate not sporting blue…so of course that means we have the best design :~) Cast your vote today

Best Wordpress Design Contest

Cassandra Rae — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:17:08 +0000

I am excited to share with you that SimplyFearless.com has been entered into the Best Wordpress Design Contest hosted by Fresh eVenture! You can enter too through Monday, August 31, 2009 at 12midnight EST. That’s less than a day away so hurry on over and enter your wordpress blog for a chance to win cool prizes and be featured on the site.

Want more Facebook Fans? Use this tool

Cassandra Rae — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:34:10 +0000

If you have a Facebook Fan Page and a Blog/Website, then you must grab a Facebook Fan Box! This is uber cool and I’m so grateful for Hazel Grace with SocialBees for turning me on to this.

The Fan Box is “a Facebook Connect-enabled social widget that Page owners can add to their websites to allow users to fan and view the accompanying Facebook Page stream.” Check out mine:

SimplyFearless.com on Facebook

You can also add your news feed, but I took it out (it was easy – I just clicked a box and poof it was gone!) because it’s repetitive on my site.

It’s super easy to grab your own Fan Box. Just visit your own Fan Page and click on “Add Fan Box to your site” underneath your photo. For more details click here and be sure to post a comment with a link to your blog or website so that we can check it out and become a fan!