When keeping in touch with those far away, it is sometimes hard to find a time you can both chat on the phone. Social media makes it possible for quick communication that allows everyone to be connected with each other while doing their other daily tasks.

Facebook is a great way to see what loved ones are up to. You can view a friend’s status and their pictures so you know what they’re doing even if you don’t get the chance to talk to them.

Skype is a fun way to both see and talk to those at a distance. Using a webcam allows you to see the person you’re talking to and feel as if they are right there with you. But you do need to find a time when both sides of the computer screen can meet.

With social media at our finger tips, it is easy to send text messages as well. Email and instant messaging can be a quick way to communicate one on one.

Social media can be used to strengthen relationships and connect with those you love. Even if friends or family live at a distance, you can still be a part of their lives and show you care. Use social media to your advantage!

But there was a time when I had to pull away from social media for awhile.

Living for Social Media

I have been speaking and teaching for years on parenting and family on a personal blog, as we had so many unusual circumstances and challenges raising wild boys. As I began to increase my activity on Facebook, Twitter and my blog, every scene or circumstance in my life was directed in my head like a Facebook timeline update. “ACTION … aaaaaaand cut!”

It was cute when my boys were small. Adorable little lessons of boys and bugs and life analogies, from a child’s perspective, can inspire us all. Raising boys requires a LOT of humor, and they provided great fodder for that humorous perspective. But then they got older.

Everything we did as a family, that may end up being a goofy flub or a great laugh, my boys would say, “Mom, you’re not gonna Facebook this, are you?” And I realized one day how much my Twitter and website and Facebook page were controlling my reaction and response.

Social media was writing my life, instead of just journaling my life. I had to take a break and get unplugged for awhile.

Recording memories is not a bad thing, but when we cannot enjoy the moment because we have to charge the camera and make sure the lighting is right, and fix our hair, and tweet again, instead of just looking our family in the eye and hear them, and enjoy them, or make them dinner, something is wrong.

How to Live Unplugged

One remedy for us is traveling home. When we visit my parents, there is little internet, minimal TV, a lot of gardening to pick, woods  to hike, fields to romp, and nature everywhere. It is a heaven for boys, and for a mom who wants to unplug for awhile.

I still love to blog about my boys and our joys. It is a ministry and I hope that our experiences will make a difference in the lives of others, if only to relate and offer a humorous perspective.

But they are older now, teens themselves, so we try to discuss it first. We also try to help them realize all they are posting should be edifying and considerate of others. And some things are just better left un-posted. I want them to feel the freedom of being kids, enjoy the moment and plant memories that may take years to savor and truly appreciate.

Our goal this summer is to create as many offline, humorous memories as possible. We will work in the garden, walk the woods, and chase some fireflies. If they think they are too old for fireflies, then they can sit on the porch in the rocker, and laugh at their mother chasing fireflies.

During those fabulous goofy times that are so great, I am sure the writer in me will still think, “This would make a really great post.” But I won’t be instantly worried about my hair or make up, or the phones losing their charge. I will just be gazing, adoringly at my beautiful boys growing before my eyes. Literally.

Then I will intentionally NOT post about it, but just hold it in my heart, as a memory unplugged, and  cherished. Which makes it even more special. Of course, I can still scrapbook about it in my latter years. … aaaaand cut.

What memories do you plan to create for your family this summer?

Visit Sophia Dare at www.yourdaringlife.com, sophiadare on Twitter and Facebook.

]]> http://momitforward.com/live-unplugged/feed 0 http://momitforward.com/apps-real-world-benefits http://momitforward.com/apps-real-world-benefits#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:00:56 +0000 Jamie Moesser http://momitforward.com/?p=48435 If you think of video games as something that only teenagers do alone in their basements, there is a burgeoning body of research that refutes you. The average age of the typical gamer these days, according to a recent USA …

We’re always connecting, messaging, updating, checking, following, friending, sending, and exploring new and unique ways to share our message. When we have to abide by the 160 character limits for texting and 140 character limits for Tweeting, we need to get creative with our wording. The words are the bait for our readers, but with a limit to an article or a Twitpic, text with icons is really the hook. The Facebook status updates that generally catch our eyes are the ones with images or a link to a story.

Posting messages with character limits makes us tap into our creative outlets. There is a way to amplify the true meaning of messages by adding more life, impact, and color to entice readers and followers to want more. Zlango Icon Messaging adds that extra ingredient into the messaging mix so a message of 140 characters can get across in 3 words and bring that extra flare that words alone couldn’t portray.

Zlango Icon Messaging is not just for texting but also for social updating. Being connected to more than just one social network takes time to manage. Without having to switch applications, it is possible to update your Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and any other social network from inside the application.

How to Update your Social Circles:

There are several sites that sync your social networks to update all of them with one post. This feature is called ZlangOut and allows for more efficient social updating. Hootsuite is a great tool that allows you to look at the feeds from all your social networks on one screen. Zlango is not a management tool but allows you to update everything from one place.

Social media is changing the way we share experiences with our friends and communities from anywhere, about everything. Now we’re ready to share these experiences with real personal expression beyond the characters. We don’t watch TV in B&W, so there’s no reason we should tweet, facebook and Google Plus, let alone text message in plain B&W text either.  Zlango brought texting to life with the world’s first icon messaging app, and is now with ZlangOut to bring personal, colorful expression straight from the mobile phone to all our favorite social networks.

Are you a social media junkie? What are you favorite social media applications?

Cidney Carver is the Community Manager at Zlango Icon Messaging, and the liaison between the Zlango team and their millions of users worldwide. What’s new?

Follow Zlango @ Twitter.com/Zlango

Connect with the blog @ Zlangoblog.com

Friend us @ Facebook.com/Zlango

According to a number of recent surveys and reports, social media marketing is not only effective at boosting a company’s profile, it is actually providing a wide range of benefits. In fact, it’s so effective that far more companies are using social media to connect with customers than those who are not.

8 Ways Social Media Marketing Can Benefit Your Business

Here are eight ways social media marketing can benefit your business:

1.) Increase Website Traffic

A 2011 report by the Social Media Examiner found that 88 percent of business owners surveyed use social media, from blogs to Facebook to YouTube, as a way of generating exposure for their businesses. Better yet, while a high number of social media marketers are seeing results for their efforts, 49 percent also enjoyed cost savings through social media investments.

2.) Manage Marketing Channels and Actions

Besides being easy to set up, business owners are able to meet customers where they’re already spending time and make connections for a minimal investment of time. Entrepreneur Magazine reported that “67 percent of owners said the fact that social media marketing is easier to master and utilize brought them around. That’s up from 54 percent in the previous survey. And it didn’t hurt a bit that 51 percent of these surveyed merchants and business people discovered that their customers prefer to use media channels.”

3.) Interact With Customers

In a 2011 survey of small business owners, e-mail marketing firm Constant Contact found the following: “Facebook continues to be the social media tool of choice — but Twitter is gaining ground, both in terms of usage and effectiveness. 60 percent of those using Twitter found it to be an effective tool to connect with customers — up from 47 percent in the spring.” These tools make it easy to interact with customers, an approach to social media adopted by 60% of the business owners surveyed.

4.) Improve Search Rankings With Google+

With the recent addition of Google’s Search Plus that integrates a user’s Google+ network with search results, a company profile on Google+ and Google+ buttons on a website can help increase a business’s exposure in Google’s searches. Chris Brogan writes, “[Google+] makes it a lot easier for people to find–and shop at–your business. Run a hamburger business in Milwaukee? Post “best hamburgers in Milwaukee.” You should see more customers walking through your door in no time flat.”

5.) Achieve Greater Product Awareness

Though Facebook has helped brands increase their visibility, Facebook’s new “Actions” option will help customers specify what they’re doing with particular brands—a real step forward in brand awareness. Search Engine Journal reports, “These Actions let users specifically indicate their interaction with a location, products, and more. For example, one may visit a local coffee shop and indicate they “bought” a particular drink. Immediately, that action is posted on their wall and their average of 130 friends can interact with that action.  Others may comment, share, or even visit that store the next day to see for themselves.”

6.) Conduct Market Research on Social Media

As early as 2008 marketing executives caught on to the value of social media for tracking customer preferences, with 59% of respondents to an eMarketer Survey stating that they use social networks in order to track the responses and preferences of their customers. Social networks break down walls and create opportunities to interact with customers.

7.) Increase Sales Through Social Media Marketing

Though many businesses are still focusing on increasing brand awareness and connection points with customers through their social media efforts, there are some real returns that companies report. According to a 2011 report by Wildfire Marketing, 58 percent of their respondents point to increased sales and partnerships. This is a number that will only grow as businesses become more adept at turning social media connections into conversions.

8.) Generate Leads With Social Media Marketing

Besides generating exposure and sales, social media also increases the number of sales leads for business owners. The Social Media Examiner shares, “By spending as little as 6 hours per week, 52% of marketers see lead generation benefits with social media.”

Social media is now, without any doubt, an essential tool for any business that wants to increase interaction with customers, build brand awareness, and expand revenue opportunities.

How has social media changed your life? What are your favorite social media tools?

Picture courtesy of flickr.

This guest post is written by Lior Levin, a marketing consultant for an inspection company that offers Pre shipment inspections and, who also consults for a company that provides a  to do list application for businesses and individuals.

But when it came to the new Timeline on Facebook, I just didn’t get it. So I did some research, played around with it, and watched some easy to understand videos.

Here’s my at-a-glance summary…

Where To Start

To convert your Facebook profile to Timeline go to https://www.facebook.com/about/timeline and click Get Timeline.

Virtual Scrapbook

It’s time to start thinking about Facebook as your life’s chronological scrapbook (makes me wonder if I should start Facebook accounts for my little ones).

7 Days

You have 7 days to play and edit your Timeline before it is public. This gives you a chance to add or hide information, posts, events, and photos. You can even to go your birth date and add a very first baby photo. Your Timeline will automatically go live after 7 days or you can immediately publish your Timeline using the Publish Now button.

Take a Tour

If you are as confused as I was, I strongly recommend taking the Timeline tour (which you’ll only find after you convert your profile page to Timeline).

Cover Photo

The first thing Facebook suggests you do is create a cover, which is a large picture that appears above your profile picture. Facebook suggests selecting a picture that represents your life (no pressure there). And similar to your profile picture, you can change it often. Have fun with it. Be creative.

Everything In One Place Bar

Below your cover photo is where you can view everything about yourself (friends, information, photos, Likes, apps, etc). This has basically replaced your old Facebook Info page.

Apps

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around apps and how they sync with your Facebook Timeline. Here’s the best Apps on Facebook video on the subject.

Two Pane Layout

Information about your life is chronologically displayed from left to write, starting w/ your most recent status, photo, place, or life event. In the center of the two pane layout is the new vertical navigation bar. I find this totally different layout confusing and finicky, but am hoping to embrace it once I start using it more.

Privacy

One of the biggest buzz concerns related to Timeline is privacy. Be sure to protect your Facebook Timeline privacy within the first 7 days of launching Timeline. You cannot change Facebook’s privacy policy, but you can control your privacy settings so you can continue using Facebook with privacy settings that feel good to you.

Have your published your Facebook Timeline? Do you love it or are you still confused?

Stacey Hoffer Weckstein is the CEO of Inspiring Social Media and loves to combine her social media and personal growth passions by helping inspiring transformational teachers, authors, and life coaches leverage the power of social media to meet their spiritual, personal, and business goals. When she’s not helping her clients live their dreams, raising her two boys, building her business or trying to figure out yoga & meditation, she’s a lifestyle blogger over at EvolvingStacey.com, MyChicagoKids.com, ChicagoSpaMoms, and TheChicagoMoms.com.

Tips for Avoiding a Work-At-Home Scam

Conducting a job search online can be very intimidating. Craigslist alone has so many telecommuting jobs it can be overwhelming to sift through. There are a wide variety of legitimate jobs online but there are also many dishonest people hoping to scam those searching for a job. There are a few things to consider when sorting through these online ads:

• Shy Away From Unprofessional Ads — Companies uninterested in seeing a resume or past work experience are often a scam.
• Avoid Vague Descriptions — Ads that offer a nonexistent or very vague job description are often a sign that there is no real job.
• Avoid Spammy Ads — Job ads that sound like they are selling the job to you are a bad sign. A real job is going to want you to sell yourself to them with your resume and experience, not the other way around.
• Be Mindful of Ads — Watch for ads that say something like “MAKE $2000 a week working part-time!!!” Sorry, but if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
• Consider Warning Signs — Consider it a warning sign when companies ask for money. If, however,  the company starts asking for money before they have even conducted an interview, run and don’t look back. The only costs that some legitimate work-at-home companies will require you to pay is to cover the cost for the background check. Companies that hire you as an independent contractor can pass these types of costs on but they should be very minimal and only paid after researching the company. If the ad is for a work-from-home business opportunity rather than a job, then upfront costs are to be expected as with starting any business. Work-from-home businesses are a great option, just know what to expect and research the company before making a decision.
• Review The Ad — Check the ad for the name of the company or the website that is hiring and do your research. Beware of ads that do not state the company name or a website and only offer a 1-800 number to call. If the company’s name is given, search Scambusters.com and Ripoffreport.com to find prior complaints. Also check a few work-at-home forums to get feedback from people who can vouch for the company or warn you off them.
• Discuss Pay — Before accepting a position be clear on the pay. Most legitimate work-from-home companies pay by the task, by the hour, or by the minute for some phone-based jobs. On these types of jobs, be clear if you are paid only while on a call. This does not mean it is not a legitimate company but it does help give a clear picture of how much you can expect to make.
• Use Reputable Websites — Other websites to use as resources for detecting a work-from-home scam include FTC, Fraud.org and the BBB.

 How have you found a job in the past? What are tools that made it easier for you?

Photo courtesy of flickr.

Alaina shares her fifteen years of work from home experience at her blog Telecommuting Mommies. She also opens up her personal life as a homeschooling, blogging, work at home Mom of four at The Maestro Mom. Follow her on Twitter at TelecommuterMom.

One of my most memorable times was when my boys and I visited a friend’s farm in a rural part of Tennessee. It was my kind of town — the kind with a population in the hundreds and areas with no cell phone service.

The little white farmhouse we stayed in had rickety wood floors, no television, and a beautiful view of the pond. There were tractors in the old barn and my two young boys loved sitting in the driver’s seat.

The friends who owned the farmhouse were a sweet older couple with a thriving tree business in Dallas. For years, they worked together growing trees on their commercial farm to provide to major retail stores and landscaping projects. They also had several kids and grandkids, and when they invited us to visit their second home, I wondered how it was all going to go down. How would they juggle it all?

When we arrived on a Friday afternoon, I was in awe of the property which looked like a Norman Rockwell painting. We were surrounded by beautiful lush grass and rolling hills cascading to a small white farmhouse with a barn. Gigantic hay balls dotted the field and as soon as I saw them I knew we’d be climbing up on top of them.

My son caught his first fish in their pond and it was a fabulous moment. We laughed, took pictures, and he told his fish story for weeks following the visit. But even that moment wasn’t the one I remember most. What I remember most was how in the moment the couple was.

The home had a land line phone. Do you remember those days? However, the owners never used it. After twenty-four hours with the couple enclosed in the small space, I couldn’t help notice how neither had used a telephone of any kind, for any reason. No email, no texting, no calls. And it’s that moment of togetherness that I’ll always treasure, even more than climbing macchu picchu, taking the train under the sea in London, or other amazing adventures. They were in the moment — Focused completely on us and nothing else.

Think about how rare and powerful that quality is in today’s world. If you can remain focused and in the moment, people will remember you. Nothing is more beautiful than a real human connection and that’s how relationships grow.

Be in the moment. Sometimes it takes a drastic comparison to open our eyes to what matters most.

The week prior to our visit to the farm, I spent it with my own parents who were in a constant state of communication. Every meal we had together was interrupted by business calls and the sounds of text messages. It was impossible to have a conversation because they were always on their phone and it was frustrating.

In this Facebook era, we hav all become continual communicators. How many times have you been at a kid’s birthday party or some other great event and someone around you snaps a photo or checks you in and it’s uploaded instantly for the world to see? In minutes, the strange guy down the street knows more about your daily activities than your own mother.

But in all that communicating, texting, and Facebooking, it’s easy to miss the moment. I saw it with my parents that weekend when they missed the things their grandkids said. I saw it in a friend recently, when I took him to feed the homeless and he stared at his cell phone the entire time. He didn’t mean to miss the eye contact, personal conversation, and one-on-one connection with the homeless man sitting right in front of him, but he did. He missed it completely because he was so busy texting photos of himself at the homeless shelter to his friends.

I have missed moments too. Have you? Let’s make today the last day that we miss those special moments. Be fully engaged. Make eye contact with everyone you see today and listen to what they say. Set aside your phone during conversations, even if the other person is on their phone. Consider a technology detox from the phone and computer for a full 24 hours (more if you can take it).

Make a memorable family moment that your kids will never forget. Be the one who is fully present, the one who looks, listens, and really hears what people have to say.

Have you ever detoxed from technology? How do you make sure that you have a healthy balance between time with your family and the time you spend with technology?

Photo courtesy of iStock.

Tammy Kling is a life coach, advocate for the homeless, and international author of books including The Compass. Tammy is also the founder of Write it Out, an organization that helps the homeless transform by journaling goals, hopes & dreams via writers workshops, free journals and books. Tammy loves being a mom to two awesome boys, and is also an avid trail and mountain runner, and corporate writer.

Have you used Pinterest yet? If you are into social media, then you have probably at least heard of it. This new and interesting site is actually now receiving more traffic than the crafting site Etsy even though it’s only been around for a few months. Have I grabbed your attention yet?

That said, you are probably wondering, “What exactly is Pinterest? And wow can I use it to promote my business?” The most basic definition of Pinterest is that it is a site that allows you to create boards and upload any images and text you want to those boards. You can create a new board for each category, you can include links in your text, and you can even upload videos. Then people can search for images on boards, or for entire boards by keyword and comment on them, repin them, (similar to retweeting on twitter), or share them with their followers on the site. You can also share your pins and boards and the pins of boards of others on facebook and twitter. In many aspects, you could say that Pinterest is a twitter for pictures.

How To Use Pinterest for Business

Here are some ideas on how you can use Pinterest to generate interest in your business:

1. Create boards by category and upload pictures (known as pins on the site) that represent various aspects of your business. These could include things such as pictures of your products, screenshots of your website, pictures of a business event or anything else that is related to your business or niche market.
2. Use the search feature to locate pins and boards that are related to your business and either repin them to one of your boards or comment on them.
3. Share pins and boards that are related to your business on twitter or on your facebook page.
4. Include a relevant link with the description of your pins.
5. Find and follow people on Pinterest who are sharing pins and boards that are related to your business and your products.

In short, there are lots of potential ways to use Pinterest for business and since the site is new, it will evolve over time and many more people will use it and it will become even more important and useful for both business owners and for people looking for new and interesting ideas.

 Do you use Pinterest? What do you like most about Pinterest? How do you use Pinterest for your blog/business?

AnnaLaura Brown is a home business owner and social media trainer. She specializes in helping people get healthier by managing and controlling allergies, asthma, autism and ADD. Grab your free power secrets ebook and learn more about how she can help you at http://annalaurabrown.com.

Giving you an in-depth look at social media along with understanding the myriad of choices on what to use and how to use social media is beyond the scope of this article. We will however, offer you a very brief overview of three of the most popular social media platforms. With this overview, you will hopefully gain the motivation to investigate your options even further, begin realizing the full potential of these platforms, and ultimately broaden the reach of your own voice.

Facebook

• TOS (Terms of Service) states users of Facebook must be 13 years or older
• Objectionable material (nudity, adult language, hatred, etc.) is rarely found and can be reported
• Post messages on your “wall” containing text and multimedia
• Privacy of your messages is controllable in multiple ways (groups, friends only, friends of friends only, etc.)
• Create business pages
• Create multiple “tabs” for business pages (i.e., Welcome, Photos, Videos, Store, Specials, etc)
• Customize business pages to fit your own unique branding
• Create contests
• Post links to other web pages or event announcements
• Create news stories and event announcements
• Post pictures and videos within posts or albums
• People “Like” or “Recommend” you via direct invitation, ad campaigns, and sharing via your friends
• Marketing is accomplished by building a network of “friends” or “fans” (used interchangeably)
• Viral content is created by posting compelling content that is shared by your friends/fans to their friends, and so on.

Twitter

• TOS does not state a minimum age requirement
• Objectionable material is often found, and can be searched for
• Messages are posted as text only on a public feed, called “tweets”
• Multimedia can be added to one’s account profile and linked to
• Web pages and multimedia can be linked to within posts but not seen directly within post.
• Marketing is accomplished by building a network of “Followers”
• Viral content is created by posting compelling tweets that are subsequently “retweeted” to their followers, and so on.

Blogs

• TOS varies, but usually states users must be 13 years of age and prohibits objectionable material
• There are a number of blogging services, the most popular of which include WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr
• All blogging services allow you to create posts and link them together in a variety of ways, most popular of which simulates an interactive magazine
• All blogging services allow pages to be any length, along with having a variety of multimedia embedded within pages
• All blogging services provide a variety of ready-made templates, along with the ability to create one’s own, or customize existing templates
• Blogs are “subscribed to” via RSS or Atom feeds
• Marketing and viral content are both created much like a standard web page via promotion, word of mouth, ad campaigns and search engine optimization; there are no internal ways within blogging services to create traffic.

How do you use social media as a marketing tool? What is your favorite social media platform?