15-Day Social Media Lesson Plan

If you're new to social media, the abundance of tools and available information can be overwhelming. It can be difficult to know where to begin. And then once you do start, you suddenly are distracted by site upon site of advice, information, and really cool stuff!

I always start by telling people to begin by figuring out their objective. Are you wanting to use social media to find a job? explore a hobby? market your business? Or maybe you don't even KNOW how you want to use these tools. You just want to get started, but the more you learn, the more you find out that you'll never learn it all.

Here are my tips for staying focused and a 15-day plan for someone who was interested in LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Blogging. This plan can and should be tailored for your needs. I'd suggest any person that wants to learn social media also add at least a week to learn about Twitter. Once you know the basics of the most popular tools, you can start exploring techniques for integrating the tools, gaining readership, internet marketing, forming a network, or ... just playing games, if that's what you want to do!

Staying Focused

• Commit to spending 1 hour a day to learning how to use Social Media.
• Decide at the beginning of that hour what you are going to accomplish. Sample "lessons" below.
• During that hour, ignore your phone, other email that comes in, or any social media sites, other than those that are specifically associated with your purpose.
• Each day, as you're learning, keep a "Notes" document window open that you can use to cut and paste links to sites that you want to explore later. Use the page to keep notes with questions, learnings, or reminders of features that you'd like to check into. Use a word processor that will keep the hyperlink when you cut and paste, so that you will be able to easily link to the interesting sites right from your document.
• Set a timer for 55 minutes. Did you accomplish your goal? If not, why not. Write in your notes what you did and what still needs to be done, if anything to complete the goal.
• If you finish your goal before your hour is up, then use a search engine (like Google or Bing) to search for your topic. Click through to the links that look the most interesting. Often you will find presentations, articles, blogs, tutorials, and many valuable sites. Copy those links to your Notes section to explore at a later time.
• At least once a week use your hour to go back through your notes and explore the links that you have in your notes or to try and get your questions answered.

15-Day Plan

Week 1: Branding and LinkedIn

References:
http://geekgal-yvette.blogspot.com/2009/07/personal-branding-for-next-level.html
http://learn.linkedin.com/

Day 1: - Determine your Brand - Create a folder with photos and documents (ie resume, HUB, etc.) that describe YOU and what you stand for. These can be used when you create profiles in social media tools.

Day 2: - LinkedIn - Create an Account and Your Profile Page

Day 3: - LinkedIn - Find Connections

Day 4: - LinkedIn - Join Groups

Day 5: - Use your Notes to explore more about LinkedIn


Week 2: FaceBook

References:
http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-tutorials/


Day 6: - FaceBook - Getting Started

Day 7: - FaceBook - Learn About Fan Pages

Day 8: - FaceBook - Privacy Settings

Day 9: - FaceBook - Groups

Day 10: - Use your Notes to explore more about FaceBook


Week 3: Blogging

References:
http://geekgal-yvette.blogspot.com/2009/09/picking-blogging-platform.html
http://www.recognizedexpert.com/blogger/

Day 11: - Learn more about Blogging and why people do it

Day 12: - Get a Blogger Account and Start Tutorials

Day 13: - Write Your First Blog Post

Day 14: - Learn about RSS and sign up for a feed reader such as Google Reader so you can subscribe to blogs

Day 15: - Use your Notes to explore more about Blogging

Having a Clear Objective When You're Using Social Media

I've been telling people last week was like "finals week" for me. I've had two main objectives for using social media since I got laid off two months ago: 1) Find a Job and 2) Prepare for this Denver Chamber of Commerce Speaking Engagement. Last week I had final rounds of interviews with two companies both of which I'm very interested in as well as the Chamber of Commerce event. It was a busy week!

The outcomes? Well, I think they all went well. Until all is a done deal, I'm holding off on the celebrations or announcements, but I'm hoping my days of being unemployed are coming to an end soon. If all else fails, I can take my Social Media 101 presentation on the road (or out into cyberspace) for fame and fortune.

I'm convinced that if you have a clear objective and a strategy you will be able to accomplish anything you set your mind to. If you don't have an objective, you can get lost and overwhelmed by all the choices of tools, blogs, articles, and networks of people! Here are some examples of why people use social media:

• Fun!
• Job Search
• Gain Expertise
• Establish Online Presence and Credibility
• Identify Trends
• Get Support
• Build Relationships
• Get References
• Spread the Word About Something Good
• Customer Service
• Network with Experts
• Influence Others
• Inbound Marketing

I could go on and on. With any of these, you can get more specific -- and the more specific the better. For example, rather than "looking for a job" my objective was to "look for an IT Management job close to where I live in Superior, Colorado." By narrowing down your objective, you're better able to build your strategy focusing on what you should be reading, who you should be networking with, and how you can best use the tools and technologies that are at your disposal.

One thing that is NOT on this list (maybe the only thing that I recommend against using social media for) is to sell. Now, one could argue that the reason for marketing and relationship building is ultimately to make a sale. I don't think people should make a secret of their products, services, or businesses. But don't make that your sole purpose of using the tools. If you do, you will be outcast as an annoying "douche-bag" and most people will avoid you. You don't want that to be your online reputation! Seek to help others as much if not more than you expect to receive help. (That must be some kind of golden rule or hymn or something. It sounds very pious, but it's really true.)

I used to wonder how on earth businesses effectively use social media to market if they couldn't sell their stuff. I mean...you want to be genuine, so you definitely don't want to pretend like you're someone's friend, and then turn around and ask them if they want to buy your latest weight-loss product (which seems to be a common product amongst spammers.) Well, the folks at hubspot.com have this great series of free teleseminars through their Inbound Marketing University program that give some very helpful advice and information about how to be effective at inbound marketing. I highly recommend these courses! In fact, I am a proud graduate of the program, having recently passed the certification exam! Yay!

I Love A Freebie - The Frugal Social Media Coach

I took this photo when walking along Pearl Street today. It made me smile! 10 points!

To say I'm frugal is bit of an understatement. When I'm in a financial crisis (as I just happen to be right now) I like to play a game that I made up called SuperFrug! (An alternative name might be "Cheapskate Fun!")


Here is my "SuperFrug" game:

Objective: Have the most fun and spend the least amount of money

Every Day do these things without spending money:

• Learn something new - 10 points
• Experience something (person, place, event, etc.) that makes you feel happy. - 10 points
• Take a picture of something that makes you smile (could be same as above.) - 10 points
• Do something that brightens someone's day - 10 points
• Record what you've done (either via blog or private journal) - 10 points

At a loss for what you can learn new? Look no more! Here are 130+ things you can do that will most likely fall into the Learn Something new" category.

Top 100 Social Media Cheat Sheet for Business
30+ Websites to Visit When You’re Laid Off

Please note: Points are completely worthless, but if it makes you feel better, let me know when you reach 1000 points and I'll send you some kind of brand-spanking new virtual gift.

Ideas of things you can experience for free:

• Go to a meetup for something your passionate about
• Exercise: hike, bike, run, swim, etc.
• Invite someone you meet via FaceBook to coffee (Though I think proper etiquette would be to pay for the coffee, that's a small price for gaining a new friend. If you're really desperate, I suppose you could rob the place, but that would reveal a Go Directly to Jail card and is poor strategy for this game.)
• Write
• Read
• Listen to music (Live bands playing all summer in many locations around Boulder)
• Go on a picnic (maybe with a new contact?)
• Play!
• Enjoy the summer sun
• Go to free events around town (Check the Yellow Scene for ideas )

Ideas of things you can do to brighten someone's day for free:

• Comment on someone's blog (if you're at a loss, you can always use mine!)
  
• Call or email a friend to let them know what you admire about them
• Invite someone to go with you on one of your "SuperFrug" adventures
• Spend 15 minutes catching up with friends via FaceBook or Twitter. Comment so they know you checked out their latest photos, etc.
• Make a yummy pasta dish or cookies to share with someone
• Write on your blog about a person you admire (and let him/her know!)
• Volunteer

And the number one thing you can do, over and over again?

SMILE!

Social Media Consultants Exposed

How to Get Your Blog Post Blasted Everywhere

Every once in awhile I try to post something informative about the use of social media to my blog and this is one of those days. As of today, my blog posts will now be blasted automatically to LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Twitter whenever I post anywhere.

If you're a follower that wants to get to the "how to get your blog post blasted everywhere" information, skip to the [Serious Section] of this post.

If you're one of my FaceBook friends that really only cares about what kind of Romance Movie I am (ok...so you don't care about that either) this is not the right post for you.

If you are a Twitter follower, I'm sorry this is more than 140 characters. I'm also sorry that I don't pay much attention to Twitter, so I apologize for not properly building our relationship.

If you take the time to blog (which is a good idea if you're in business) then it would be really nice to get as much exposure to your blog as possible, right? Well, there are some very easy ways to get your blog posts automatically updated to your LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Twitter accounts. This will take you about 5 minutes to set up and after that! Boom! Every time you make a blog post, all your networks will get updates with your magnificent missive, gaining you instant fame and fortune! Now, don't worry... your networks won't get emails about your blog posts unless they've specifically subscribed to receive them. Your posts will be on your profile pages, but one of the nice things about social media is that all your friends and followers can decide what they want to read. If you've posted about your wonderful new grandchild, for example, and they don't care about your wonderful new grandchild, they can just choose not to read it. (Though I really don't know how it would be possible to NOT care about such a newsworthy post.)

In any case, here's what you do:

[Serious Section]
On LinkedIn:
* Make sure your blog is listed on your "Websites" on your profile
* Add the Blog Link Application to your LinkedIn Profile. The Applications Link is on the left hand menu in LinkedIn.

On FaceBook:
It's really simple to import your blog into your Notes, once you find the right page in FaceBook. (I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I have a very hard time navigating through the FaceBook screens. I know I claim to have all this social media "expertise" but I'm navigationally challenged, in general.) I finally used google to help me find the link. Here it is:

http://www.facebook.com/editnotes.php?import

On Twitter:
Use the application Twitterfeed to get your blog post automatically to update Twitter. For this one, you need to know your blog's RSS feed. For example, if you are using Blogger, your RSS feed will be: http://blogname.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss (substituting in your own blogname, of course.)

OK, there you have it! Go forth and multiply the readers of your blog! And if you don't want all your friends on all your networks to see your blog, well, then... don't do this.

The Ultimate Job Search Using 10 Social Media Tools

As a Communications Manager at Sun Microsystems, I was encouraged to learn about New Media and explore possibilities for its use in business. When I was hit with the most recent round of corporate layoffs, I felt prepared because I knew that social media tools could give me a big advantage in my job search. Here are ten tools that I've been using. Each of these is described briefly below with some supplemental links to additional information and resources.

1. LinkedIn
2. Facebook
3. Twitter
4. YouTube
5. Blogger
6. Google Reader
7. Google Alerts
8. De.licio.us
9. Mashable
10. Meetup

LinkedIn
Of all the social media tools, LinkedIn is the most beneficial to use for a job search. This tool allows you to establish a professional presence and network with others in your field. Advanced search capabilities for companies and people, as well as the use of groups, allow you to intelligently network and find the people that can help you get your next job.

• LinkedIn For Job Seekers
• Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn To Find a Job

Facebook

FaceBook allows you to network with your friends, letting them know of your job search. Updating your status allows you to let your friends know that you're job hunting and what you're looking for. There are groups and fan pages for many companies, allowing you to research the culture of any companies you're targeting for your job search. Applications, such as FaceBook Marketplace are popping up that will help with a job search.

• The Twenty Best Facebook Apps For Job Search
  

Twitter

You can use tools such as twello or wefollow to follow people that give job tips or are in your industry. It was through Twitter that I found great additional job search sites such as job mob and http://www.e4myjob.com/ There's a wealth of information that's shared on through links to informative websites and blogs.

• HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter
• Twitter Job Search

YouTube

Creating a video resume will help you stand out in this competitive job market. This can be done simply with YouTube. You can imbed your YouTube video resume onto a website or put it on your profile in your other social networking sites such as LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Twitter. Another alternative is to use VisualCV to create an online resume, including video and links highlighting accomplishments and publications.

• Job Resumes 2.0: Creating a Video Resume
  

Blogger

Blogs are useful in a job search, both from the perspective of learning from others as well as establishing your own online presence. There are many ways to find blogs that are of interest. Once you find them, you'll be able to network with people that have interests similar to yours and learn from one another. By publicly commenting on blogs and blogging yourself, you will help establish your credibility and expertise in a certain area. When you leave comments for others, include your name and your the URL of your blog. This will help your name will come up more often in Google searches, and will help establish your brand.

• 100+ Career Blogs ALL Professionals MUST Read

Google Reader

Now that you have a bunch of blogs your reading, you'll need a reader to keep track of the updates. First thing in the morning you can have the latest updates from your favorite bloggers. You can also subscribe to RSS feeds for any job sites using keywords so that you'll see any new job opportunities in your field as soon as they're posted.

• Find A Job Using RSS Feeds And Google Reader
  

Google Alerts

Using Alerts you can set up Google to email you daily updates using keywords of your choice. You may want to get alerts about your niche market or a particular oganization that you are targeting so you will have the most up-to-date information.

• Combine Feed-Creating Tools with Email Alerts to Nab That Job

De.licio.us

Bookmarking sites, such as Del.icio.us, Digg, and StumbleUpon help organize our bookmarks. As we're searching through the plethora of great information that's available, we inevitably want to save articles to go back to. Through use of tagging, we can organize our bookmarks into categories. In addition, we can find articles that others have marked as useful by searching for articles that were tagged with certain keywords. By using a social bookmarking site, we can access our bookmarks we aren't tied to a browser or computer, but can access our bookmarks whenever we have access to the web. Bookmarking your own sites will also help raise visibility to your brand.

• Key Social Networking and Bookmarking Sites for Job-Seekers
  

Mashable

Mashable.com is the Bible of all things social media. This is a great reference when learning how to use various social media tools. Mashable often has very helpful articles that relate to the job search.

• CAREER TOOLBOX: 100+ Places to Find Jobs

Meetup

Meetup.com is a site that is not mentioned much in the social media circles, yet it's a great resource for local networking because it allows for physically meeting face-to-face. There are groups for hobbyists or business professionals. Joining and getting involved in one of these groups will allow you to explore your passions and continue to broaden your network. You can start your own meetup group and gain credibility and contacts at the same time. There are plenty of groups for jobseekers as well. A search for “jobs” in a 25 miles radius of my home came up with 38 groups such as:

• Front Range Career Forum (Job Search Networking & Advice)
• Denver Job Club Meetup (Formerly Unemployed Meetup)
• BoulderNet

Personal Branding - When You're Looking For a Job

Today Dan Schawbel started following me on Twitter! This was before I even started following him! I haven't been doing much with Twitter, other than following experts. I hadn't expected any experts to start following me! It may have been the #jobsearch tweet I posted this morning that got him (or some automated tool) to notice me, but whatever it was, it was cool. I'd been recommending his book, Me 2.0, to people as a good first step in coming up with your personal brand.

This business of getting noticed -- that's what personal branding is about. We want to be unique -- just like everyone else! (That's not my quote, but one I've heard in the context of "Everyone 2.0") What are those qualities we want to exhibit in our writings, our relationships, and our lives? What makes us stand out?

Well, when I was happily employed as an IT Manager at Sun, I didn't really think about branding image. I wrote a book (still to be published) called "The Laptop Dancer Diaries." It's a humor memoir about a year in my life as a single Mom looking for love and getting into embarrassing situations. I'm actually quite proud of it and I think it accurately reflects me -- a geeky flirt who spends so much time with her laptop, she starts to think of him as her boyfriend (she knows she can always turn him on!)

I had this photo of me as a Laptop Dancer from a Halloween Party as my primary icon just about everywhere -- even on my profile picture at Sun. One of the many things I loved about working for Sun, is we were free to be ourselves, and I'm a goofball! I love to be playful and silly and I think it's one of the things that made me such a successful manager. Life's too short to take ourselves too seriously. We have to have fun.

But now I'm looking for a job. And as much as I'd like my employers to appreciate my sense of humor, it won't take much to weed me out. When googling myself I was disappointed to find the top search article for me was one I'd written for Helium.com about Internet dating! It's time for me to start writing some serious, albeit potentially much more boring, stuff! (Unfortunately, Helium.com does not allow articles to get deleted. While the article is not offensive, I don't want my area of expertise to be thought of as Internet dating! )

On a side note, the top article that comes up when searching using my married name, Yvette Podlogar, is a professional article about Quality Assurance Management that I had published in StickyMinds. Hmmm. It's enough to make me want to go back to my married name, at least during my job search!

I don't know if I'll go to the extent of reverting back to my married name, but I do want a new primary photo. One that's professional, yet playful. Other things I want to capture with my brand? Always learning, happy, caring, and respectful. Whether it's work or play, those are values I hold dear. Will I be able to get another IT Manager job with that type of branding? I don't know, but I'm going to try. Be on the lookout for my new photo. One that captures: Professional, Playful, Studious, Happy, Caring, Respectful Goofball. Yeah! I'm sure I can find a photo that says all that. One thing you can count on - I'll be smiling.

Update-- Here we go with my new photo! Does it reflect a professional, playful, studious, happy, caring, respectful goofball? Well, at least Laptop Guy thinks I'm the World's Best Boss!

Your Mama Don't Tweet And Your Daddy Don't Blog an Poll

Modern Day Lyrics for "Your Mama Don't Dance and Your Daddy Don't Rock and Roll":

Your mama don't tweet and your daddy don't blog and poll
Your mama don't tweet and your daddy don't blog and poll
When evening rolls around and your favorite site is down
Where do you go to blog and poll?

The old folks say that ya gotta shut it down by ten
If you tweet on a date ‘cause your friends can’t wait, it's a sin
There just ain't no excusin' and you know you're gonna lose and never win
I'll say it again

And it's all because
Your mama don't tweet and your daddy don't blog and poll
Your mama don't tweet and your daddy don't blog and poll
When evening rolls around and your favorite site is down
Where do you go to blog and poll?


You pull out your new iPhone and find a place to text
You snap a shot of your girlfriend, and boy she sure looks vexed
You're just about to TwitPic so all your friends can see
There's a light in your eye, and then a guy says,
"Turn off the cell, DouchBag!
Louise, you're coming with me, Local Police!"

And it's all because
Your mama don't tweet and your daddy don't blog and poll
Your mama don't tweet and your daddy don't blog and poll

When evening rolls around and your favorite site is down
Where do you go to blog and poll?
Where do you go to blog and poll?
Where do you go to blog and poll?

What to Name the Business?

My new social media coaching/consulting business is doing quite well! I haven't made any money, of course, but I've been handling my free sample sessions very professionally, getting testimonials, and have three speaking engagements lined up! Yay!

It's really time for me to get business cards and a Website, but before that, I need a name and so I'm soliciting your help! This is a business that helps create a custom social media strategy depending on your need. The target audience are people that are new to social media and don't know where to start.

I made a list of possibilities for a business name and the domain name was already taken for just about everything I came up with. However there were a few that were not yet spoken for.

• Social Media 101 - Custom Social Media Solutions (socialmedia101.com)

This implies the "getting started" with the 101. Kind of like Social Media for Dummies, but not quite as insulting.

• Ask Yvette - Social Media Coaching / Consulting (askyvette.com)

Since my own first name is unique, I kind of like this one. Yes, I'm copying AskLizRyan. At least I'm using my own name! Of course, people have been pronouncing and spelling my name wrong my whole life, so I'm not sure I want to propagate that same issue to my business...

• Coach 2.0 - Social Media Coaching / Consulting (CoachTwoPointO.com)

Even though a surprising number of people have not yet heard of "Web 2.0" I think the 2.0 suffix is becoming more and more popular. I hear more and more "2.0" references every day.

• Coach 2 Point Oh! - Social Media Coaching / Consulting (CoachTwoPointOh.com)

This is an attempt to be cute with the "Oh!" at the end...implying one of those lightbulb moments when you finally get it.

• The Frugal Social Media Coach - Low Cost Strategy - Big Returns (frugalcoach.com)
  

This doesn't quite have the same ring as "The Frugal Gourmet" but I want to imply that I'd help the client get the best bang for the buck. Let's face it, I am pretty cheap (actually free right now!)

What do you think? I'll get a poll up, but if you have another idea, please comment or send me an email. This baby needs a name!

Dave Taylor - More than a Tweet

Today I had coffee (we were at Starbucks anyway) with Social Media Guru, Dave Taylor. That's right folks. It wasn't just a little tweet. It wasn't a wall message. It wasn't even an email. It was an honest-to-God, real-life, look-ya-in-the-eyes chit-chat. I've heard the social media naysayers say they don't like all this social media stuff -- they prefer talking to real people "face to face." Of course they do! Face to face is absolutely the best way to communicate! But it's social media that helps us figure out who we want to communicate with! At traditional "networking events" everyone goes around meeting each other, handing out business cards, just hoping to meet someone that might know someone that knows something we might care about. With social media we can figure out who knows something we care about immediately instead of wasting our time passing out business cards and giving our elevator speeches.

Now, as it turns out, Dave and I originally met through a mutual friend in a different network, so I guess the old fashioned way of meeting people still works, too. I heard he liked social media, so I connected with him online and soon discovered, he didn't just "like" social media - he is THE KING of Social Media! And he's a writer (the kind of geeky non-fiction stuff that really turns me on). He's written 20 books for God's sake! This was like stumbling upon pay dirt for someone like me. This would kind of be as if someone who wants to learn how to play golf happened to get introduced to Tiger Woods.

So, of course, I wanted to set up a meeting with Dave to pick his brain. But some golf rookie doesn't just go out and ask Tiger for a lesson. You gotta give something in return. So, I told Dave that if he let me pick his brain what I could do for him is write about him in my blog. It could be the first of a "Follow a Real Person" weekly segment. This would give Dave extra publicity to my entire readership of...um....well, I'm sure somebody must be reading. Mom? Laptop Guy? Anybody? To follow the golfer analogy, this might be the equivalent of the new golfer going out to the golf course (when no one is playing) and yelling out, "Hey Everyone, guess what? Tiger Woods is a really great golfer!"

Dave already has more business than he wants so he assured me he's not too worried about my readership -- or lack thereof. We know that one of the beauties of networking is that all it takes is one person who may set in motion something that could be life changing.

The biggest takeaway I got from our discussion? The idea that social media should be used first and foremost to establish trust and credibility. Don't get on it to sell. Go in with the mindset of giving not taking. Look for opportunities to help others, have fun, be funny, be real. If people like you, they are more likely to want to do business with you.

That's all I'll say about Dave right now. I'd suggested an interview for my "Man in the Street" pseudo-blog. (Something I'd created simply as a ploy to meet available men.) Dave declined. (Sorry, ladies.) Maybe I'll interview him again when I'm more serious about blogging and there are more people "playing golf" with me. I could even start a whole new blog: "Men who can Tweet." The possibilities are endless...

Happiness

If only I weren't petrified about running out of money, I could really enjoy this jobless situation. There is so much I want to learn, explore, read, do... Without the pressures of a job, I have a great sense of freedom and that wonderful "new beginnings" feeling. It's a lot like the New Year. I have all these goals and things I want to do every day!

One of those things is to take a photo and blog about something that makes me smile every day. It looks like Gretchen Rubin from The Happiness Project had the same idea. Lots of great stuff on her blog. What's this got to do with social media? Well... for one thing, there's even a social network for Happiness! Check out Gretchen's FaceBook Fan Page for the Happiness Project. For another, I think the reason social media is so popular is due to the happiness we feel from using it. As the slideshare presentation, Happiness as Your Business Model points out, four things that cause us happiness are:

Autonomy - Social Media gives us the ability to have a voice
Competence - Social Media allows us to demonstrate and share competencies
Relatedness - Social Media allows us to build communities
Self -Esteem - Social Media allows for increased self-esteem when we receive positive feedback

I've been consciously taking a photo of something that makes me smile every day since I've been laid off. It's hard to pick just one photo to represent the day. I've been smiling a lot!


Friday, June 26 - Wildflowers in magnificent shades of blue while running along the Boulder Creek

Saturday, June 27 - Watching my VERY pregnant daughter play Guesstures (a charades kind of game) at my son-in-law's birthday celebration.

Sunday, June 28 - Seeing some little kids taking a a turtle for a walk on a pink leash.

Monday, June 29 - Dancing, singing and playing Guitar Hero with my friend, Ravi

What made you happy today?

Finding connections

I was so excited about start my first day of not having to go to work that I woke up at 3:30am yesterday to get started. There was so much I wanted to do! I was going to have a daily goal to, among other things, read and share an article I liked (done via Twitter and Facebook), connect with the author (done via Linked until today.)

I'd started to write a very long blog post about all the ways to find great articles, but I'll save that for another day and just tell you that the tool I used yesterday was popurls It's an aggregator that shows all the most popular links from lots of other tools and newsites.

A quick scan showed me a title that looked interesting: 5 Geeky Ways To Ask Someone to Marry You. Given that my primary relationship is with Laptop Guy, you may have guessed that I'm a Geeky Romantic. I checked out the article and found it quite entertaining. Great websites and other tools were mentioned, such as creating an instant website. I used the “Retweet” widget at the bottom of the page to let my followers on Twitter know about this article with the click of a button. Since I have Twitter connected to FaceBook, this also went to my Facebook friends. This is a very easy way to share information and articles that you like with others.

My next goal was to connect to the author, Ryan Dube. Clicking on the link, I was brought to a page that let me subscribe via an RSS feed to www.makeuseof.com (again, explaining this will be another post for another day.) The page gave a little bio of Ryan with a lot of other great articles he's written, including one that is especially pertinent to me right now: Top 10 Most Effective Job Search Websites.

I searched the three big social media sites: Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn to see if I could find Ryan. One of the coolest things about social media is that it allows you to actually communicate with the real people behind an article that you just read. My search on Twitter and FaceBook revealed multiple Ryan Dube's and I wasn't able to tell which was the Ryan Dube I wanted to connect with. However on LinkedIn I found a Ryan Dube that included Staff Writer at MakeUseOf . Bingo! I found my guy! It turns out he even is in shared group with me: The Freelance Writers Connection

I sent Ryan an email using LinkedIn, asking if he'd connect and telling him a little about myself and that I'd like to include him in my next blog post. He sent me a very cool response:

Thanks Yvette! It was fun to write - been trying to push the limits at MakeUseOf and get tech geeks to think a little more like regular folks. Life's not all about free apps and cool websites...lol. Sorry to hear about the layoff...seems like so many people are going through that right now. I hope everything works out for you. The good news - if you enjoy writing, the Internet presents a whole new world of opportunity to earn decent income! Best of luck - I'll be following your blog! -Ryan

So now I have “connected” with a real person – someone that I admire and can learn from. It's so cool that due to the power of social media, we can have real conversations – one on one – with the people we find in cyberspace!

Goodbye Sun, Hello World

Well, it happened. Not unexpected, but still a bit of a shock to hear the words. I'm impacted by Sun's Reduction in Force. I've dodged the bullet many times before and figured I was living on borrowed time after the Oracle announcement. I'm mentally prepared. I suppose it's a lot how I might feel at the end of my life - scared of the unknown, but so very, very grateful for all that I've been blessed with during the years I lived. Oh... and a bit panicked about wanting to be sure I say goodbye to all the people I love!

For the past ten and a half years I've worked as an IT Manager at Sun Microsystems. I've loved the job. I've often said, I'd do this work even if I weren't getting paid for it... (guess now I'll have the chance!) A couple of years ago, I submitted a nomination to Computerworld for why Sun is the best place to work in IT. The last and most important reason was the people.

Saying Goodbye to all the friends I've worked with over these years is the hardest part of this day for me. Knowing that I'm connected to so many of them via social media sites like LinkedIn and FaceBook makes it much easier. Thank goodness for those many connections I've made over the years. Many of my colleagues have gone through this before me, and luckily, we had the foresight to connect via LinkedIn way before I knew what social networking even meant. Wouldn't it be great if we still had our connections even as we head to the afterlife? I can just imagine the Tweets I'd send from heaven: "Ran into Peter at the Pearly Gates" or "JC and I having a little wine and manna. Care to join?"

But I'm not headed there yet. Right now, I'm just heading out to whereever my life leads me. Whether that's a Social Media coach/consultant, a new job in IT, or an unemployed bum enjoying life, I don't know, but it will be a fun journey. There's a big world to explore. And thanks to Social Media, I don't have to say goodbye to my past. So to all my friends and connections, past, present, and future, I won't say Goodbye. Instead, as we say in IT, let me cyber-shout an enthusiastic:

Hello World!

Personal Email Address: yvette.francino@gmail.com
Blog: http://geekgal-yvette.blogspot.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/yvettefrancino
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/yvette.francino
Twitter: @yvettef

A Good Explanation About Twitter

Am I a Douche Bag?

So here I am, innocently thinking how easy it should be for me to become a social media expert. I've been a techie before most of these Twitterers were even born. I'll just start blogging and Tweeting and throwing virtual snowballs at people and soon I'll be a social media sensation. Right? WRONG! OMG! (By the way, I have mixed feelings about the use of the OMG acronym. I should probably check to see if using that term labels me as a newbie (or noob?) or the cyber-equivalent of a clueless Valley Girl before I highlight or even attempt the use of such acronyms.)


Oh yes... to continue with my OMG thought... There is no way I am going to become an overnight social media expert. There are like a bazillion of them out there. I'm thinking maybe I can be a "social media for people that really don't care but have a mild sense of panic that they're missing the boat and will be thought of as old if they don't at least figure out what Twitter is all about" expert. Yes, I'll be an expert for those that don't give a Twit. I don't think there are many of those experts out there yet.

With that in mind, I have been learning an awful lot about Twitter lately, including the seemingly endless number of free utilities that will tell you everything that you wanted to learn about Tweeple and Tweetups and Twittering. One of the first Twitter apps that I tried out (before I even knew about the list) was TweetSum. This tool supposedly tells you how much of a Douche Bag you are with your Tweets, giving you a DBI (Douche Bag Index.) The lower your index the better. It gives you the DBI of your Twitter associates as well... those you follow and those who follow you. My DBI was around 35. Seeing that many others had a "perfect" 0.0 DBI, due to my competitive nature (and the fact that I really did not want to be thought of as a Douche Bag), I was determined to lower my score immediately! How in the world would anyone trust that I was any kind of Twitter expert if my DBI was 35? I quickly read TweetSum's FAQs with the hopes of learning the algorithm which TweetSum uses. The FAQ was vague claiming the DBI was related to your tweets, your followers, those you follow and your profile.

Well, I quickly found some of the big wigs at Mashable that know their way around in the social media world and started following them. This had been my plan all along, but I'd been hoping to wait until I was more of an expert myself before following the big guys. But WTH (that's What the Heck for those of us that are uncomfortable with the WTF acronym.)

The next day I checked my DBI and it had gone down to 16 point something. And guess what? Ben Parr, a guy who REALLY is a Social Media Expert has a DBI of 30 something! On top of that, some of these spammers that follow me have a DBI of 0.0! I may be new to all this, but even I know that clearly something is not right with TweetSum's DBI calculator when someone with no profile and one tweet that directs you to a "buy my product" site is getting a perfect DBI!

So, though I'm far from expert, I am recommending that all of you Twitterers out there find another tool other than TweetSum to find out how much of a Twitter Douche Bag you or your Tweeple are. I know there are other tools that will tell you and once I check 'em out, I'll give you my less-than-expert review.

Oh, by the way. I'm still not sure about all the rules concerning photos in blogs. I know the blog experts tell ya always include a photo with your post, but I don't know what's allowed from a copyright perspective. I got this photo from this guy's blog and since there's nothing about "don't copy" I'm counting on the photo being fair game. I think the guy in the photo's pretty cute, even if he is supposed to be a Douche Bag. I guess if I'm a Douche Bag at least I'll be in good company!

Is Laptop Guy Too Arrogant Looking?

LinkedIn Experts

Yesterday, I wrote about how to become an expert in anything, and I've been trying to prove that by becoming an overnight expert in Social Media. I started following some social media experts in Twitter and ever since I've been reading so many blogs, articles, mashups, and tweets about social media that my human brain is starting to complain that I need more memory.

One of the tweets I came upon clued me in to a Webcast hosted tonight by James Wedmore, interviewing LinkedIn guru, Lewis Howes. Howes is author of the LinkedIn Success Book: "LinkedWorking", and founder of the Sports Executives Association. The Webcast is available for replay and has some great tips and tricks.

LinkedIn, dubbed "FaceBook for grownups", is the first social network site I joined a few years ago, before I had any idea of the power of social networking. Just recently I became more active, joining groups, beefing up my network, and trading testimonials with colleagues. Lewis gave us some additional insights into adding keywords to our profiles in order to up first in a search. He also gave us the little known instructions on how to add a YouTube video to our profiles. One of Lewis's other big tips: Personalize your requests! Don't send the canned messages.

I continued my newfound knowledge of LinkedIn by searching for other experts and came across Neal Schaffer's blog which in turn sent me to Jonathan Milligan's blog post about LinkedIn Answers -- yet another great feature of LinkedIn. All in all, a productive evening.

LinkedIn is the most professional of the social networks -- definitely a powerful tool for job hunting, recruiting, professional networking, and knowledge sharing.

How to Become an Expert in Anything!

In my quest to become a Social Media coach I have discovered so much great stuff that it's mind-boggling! And, of course, all of it is totally addicting. I have about a million sites that I'd like to spend all day on.

Seriously, there is just so much great stuff on the internet and most of it's all available for free! We live in a great world of sharing the intelligence of the masses! Wanna know how to become an expert on something? Google it. As you scan the google results, you will undoubtedly come across a blog or a website that has additional links. You'll link to those and find more great stuff...maybe free tools or articles or ebooks or presentations. You'll find out that these people that are writing all this great stuff are on Facebook and Twitter or MySpace or Gather (or all of them). You'll befriend them and see that they have other friends that know a lot of other great stuff about whatever it is you wanted to know more about. And before you know it, you'll have spent the day hobnobbing with the experts. You'll be able to subscribe to newsletters and blogs. There are tools that will let you filter out new posts to different sites whenever the keywords appear for that topic you wanted to learn more about so you can get up-to-the-minute updates on whatever it is.

And even though, at the end of all of this, you may feel a little overwhelmed with the vast amount of knowledge available, it's an incredible feeling to know it's all out there! Not just the knowledge, but the people that want to talk about it! Cool stuff!

So pick your topic, do a google search, and have fun!

Social Media Can Help You Solve Any Problem

With the recent news of the Oracle acquisition of Sun Microsystems I'm facing the possibility that I may be soon joining the ranks of the unemployed.

This isn't really the best time to be out looking for a new job, so I decided my backup plan would be to become a social media coach / consultant. I have accounts on Plaxo, LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter -- and a few more. I'm surprised by how many of my friends aren't on ANY of these sites. They poo-poo these tools, saying they don't have time for them. They think of Twitter users as narcisists who feel the need to Tweet about which breakfast cereal they eat. "Who cares?" they ask me.

Well, that's where I'll come in and tell them how social media is the next best thing since sliced bread (or at least since email.) I would venture to say ANY problem can be lessened (if not solved) thanks to the use of social media. If you're having a problem, chances are pretty good, someone else has had that problem and can help you with it. And there are just oodles of tools and experts out there -- now easier to find than ever, thanks to the power of the internet.

In my new social media guru capacity, my goal will be to regularly share a social media tip, trick, website, blog, or other cool idea. My first focus will be on how social media can help with finding a job.