Cool Tools For Social Media!

We all know that generating a crowd of interested, attentive and socially relevant followers is the name of the game for all social media users. In the business world, there has never been a better time to use all of the skills at your disposal in order to expand your social media community- and in turn, generate YOU more revenue!

We love to bring you the latest in 'cool tools' that will help to do just that, and when we saw Crowdbooster, we knew we had to let you in to the secret!

Crowdbooster is a tool that will give you the best chance to optimize your social media platforms for Twitter and Facebook. I know the word 'optimize' is something that all social networking marketers are bandying around these days, but really, maximising our potential is why we're all here, so we may as well utilise a tool that helps us on our way!

Crowdbooster is an online analytics tool for social media, so, if you are marketing your business via Facebook and/or Twitter; then you can input your info and Crowdbooster supplies you with data that will allow you to see where you need to tweak but also, where you're going so, so right.

The tool was created in 2010 by three Stanford graduates and since then it has been unparalled in its efforts to give its users the best possible analytics to improve their social media presence and currently, it is still running on a beta-test format.

The tool analyses a number of different social media facets such as impressions, total reach, your tweets and retweets, as well as a helpful follower growth path.

And the best part? Crowdbooster is FREE!

Furthermore, Crowdbooster boasts far more than its status as an analytics tool, it also gives you helpful advice for improvement. The gizmo even shows you when it's best for you to send out your tweets, based on your own personal results!

So sign up for this great gadget at www.crowdbooster.com to start maximising your social media performance!

By Olivia Taylor

In the modern age, skyscrapers, waistlines and University fees are all getting bigger, but the Internet is getting smaller. The Internet is less about reams of content which may or may not be of use, its about tailoring content to the individual, making it seamless, effective and always on the button.

Since Google was founded in 1998, it has been tireless in its efforts to tame the Internet giant- by creating a search engine that could be relied upon to generate interesting and useful web page results.

Recently, Google has launched the new +1 button, a seeming nod to the Facebook 'Like' and the Twitter 'Follow.' The +1 button means that users with a public Google profile can now access web recommendations tailor-made to suit their hobbies and interests, as well as conducting no-hassle business research!

Your Google +1's are stored in a tab on your Google profile, ensuring you can always keep hold of the content you love! Use it for yourself our make your tab public so that everyone can see your recommendations.

There are also plans to implement the little button on news pages and stories, but Google is yet to comment whether it will be integrated with Facebook in the future.

What do you think of the Google +1 button, have you used it?

Tell us here: http://www.facebook.com/socialnetworkingacademy

By Olivia Taylor

Google has just launched a feature that will change SEO results forever. If you run a business, you've probably typed your name or your company into the Google search bar more times than you'd care to mention, usually to see your rankings, check out your affiliate websites or to see if anyone is saying anything mean about you!

Well, now the all new Google 'Me On The Web' feature is here to help you monitor your online profile, doing some intensive online detective work on your behalf! (And for free)!

You can find the little guy on your Google dashboard, so if you don't already have a Google profile, now is the time to make one.

It won't only throw up information about what you post, but more interestingly, what others post about you and will include news that features your name and email address. You can also input more particular search terms like your business name or unique product.

To make things even easier, you can set up alerts that will deliver the information directly to your email, so the days of trawling the web are over!

The tool also features helpful links about how to manage your online identity most effectively, as well as how to remove unwanted content from the web.

So there you have it, a cool little gizmo direct from Google.

Let us know what you think at: http://www.facebook.com/socialnetworkingacademy

By Olivia Taylor

At SNA, we're always in the market to get our hands on another Internet cool tool, they make our lives easier and they make us run our business better.

I stumbled across a blog where the words 'Focus Booster' were mentioned, and my eyes were immediately drawn. In the online business world, it's so difficult to keep the level of concentration that gets that niggling job done-just because there are so many great distractions! And, being in the social media business, it can be a nightmare to switch on to one task without feeling the urge to tweet, update our status or check our Klout score! I've probably been on them all twice in the last 5 minutes!

But at some point during the day, your jobs pile up and you have to finally admit, 'Enough is enough!'

This is where Focus Booster makes its grand debut. It's a little piece of Adobe Software based on the Pomodoro Technique, which helps you to get through your To Do List with time to spare!

So, you download the app, which is available for Mac and Windows, then you can set a timer from any time up to 25 mins which appears discreetly on your desktop, and more importantly, set your break. Then, it's your job to get to work. Say I had a short article to write, but only 20 minutes to do so, I'd set the Focus Booster at 20 mins, then, if I complete the task in the time given, Focus Booster rewards me with a 5 minute break! Result! That way, you can get some guilt free Internet surfing time and your To Do List seems that much less daunting!

And that's basically all there is to it. I find that the simplest of 'Cool Tools' elicit the best result and with Focus Booster it's no exception. This tool is great for online marketers and entrepreneurs because you only have yourself or a very small team to rely upon! So, head to http://www.focusboosterapp.com/ and get your hands on the free app, you won't regret it!

Let us know if you are already a user of Focus Booster, is it a helpful motivator?

Tell us about your experiences, and if you're new to Focus Booster, how you're finding it!

Write to us here:

Website: http://www.thesocialnetworkingacademy.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/socialnetworkingacademy

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/thesnatv

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SNAtv

By Olivia Taylor

Most of our SNA community are either using, or, plan to use webinars to facilitate their online business. Webinars allow you to host a huge seminar, or meeting online. Holding online conferences have become more popular in recent years due to two things: technology and lifestyle. Technology has improved exponentially; meaning most people have access to a computer, the Internet and some fairly sophisticated hardware that can cope with big downloads. Plus, many computers have a duel core processor, which means that your computer is able to do a whole bunch of things at once. But you already know this.

The next thing, as I said, is lifestyle, we no longer live in a 9 to 5 world, and not everybody goes to an office Monday to Friday, the world of freelancing, entrepreneurship, and working from home are upon us, and we couldn't be happier. Hosting Webinars online is fast, fun, and when you think about it, cheap. Imagine how much it would cost you to hire a room, pay for refreshments, invite all your guests and pay for your travel every single week? If you've been there and done that in the past, you're soon going to notice how webinars are going to revolutionise your online world, and you don't even have to budge out of the living room.

But, with so many different options out there, it is difficult to know which software is best for you, and once you've got it, it's time to make your business sing. So, we've compiled some key tips on how to make your webinars a virtual success story. Here goes!

Let's start from the beginning, your software. No webinars are going to take place at all until you have this baby up and running. We recommend the following:

Meeting Burner:
This system does not require any downloads and boasts that it is much faster than many of the larger online competitors such as 'Go To Meeting' and 'Adobe Connect.' Their manifesto is clear on the short introductory video you can watch on their website, 'to make meetings faster easier and more efficient.'

You can watch the full video here:

http://www.meetingburner.com/

This system is free for 25 people on your webinar and it is still in beta testing, plus, it boasts one touch recording and sharing, no ads and customizable

Join.Me:
This is a great little desktop sharing device- so people can see your computer screen while you host- this is great if, like us, you like to show people how to use cool stuff on the Internet rather than just tell them. This way is far more fun and interactive. PLUS, Join.Me is free! To get things started, you just send the special link inviting people to the webinar-it's as simple as that. This system works wonderfully if you're a little more informal on your webinars. You can have up to 250 viewers for every one webinar and you also have chat functionality and file sharing options. You can also view it on an iPad, iPhone or Android.

Although Join.Me is free, there is an upgrade option, you get everything that the basic account provides plus a "personal link & background, a meeting scheduler, a meeting lock, user management [PLUS] International conference lines." The subscription prices are either monthly at $29 p/m or annually at $299.

For more information on Join.Me, please visit the website: http://www.join.me

GoToWebinar:
Here you can host unlimited webinars for as low as $99. You can also try GoToWebinar for free for a full 30 days. GoToWebinar is one of the Big Boys letting you host for up to a massive 1000 attendees! GoToWebinar varies in price depending on the package. For example, if you were paying for a webinar package for up to 100 attendees, it would cost 99p/m but for 1000 attendees it goes to $499p/m.
For more information on pricing and a comprehensive list of features from GoToWebinar, visit the website here:

http://www.gotomeeting.com/Webinar

Talk Fusion:
This package gives you 8 video communication products for professional or for personal use. Not only is it a webinar host, but it also provides you with Video Email, Live Presentations Anytime, the ability to share your info with 100s of social networking sites and gives you and Automatic Video Responder System. There are two packages, invitingly named 'Executive' at $250 and 'Elite' at $750. There are several different options and opt-ins with pricing, so to find what suits you best visit and click on 'pricing':

http://www.talkfusion.com/

So, now you've got a few ideas about which program you're going to use. We thought it best to include a range of hosting programs, from MeetingBurner which is still in beta, to GoToWebinar, which is the more formal (and expensive option). After all, everybody's business is different, you all have different styles and bank balances, but hopefully you've seen from the examples that we've listed that you can find a program to suit your style and your pocket!

Choose Your Date & Time Carefully:
If you're an online business, chances are the people who want to watch your webinar are from different time zones. To accommodate everyone (or as many as you can), it's a good idea to hold two webinars on the same subject, that way; you ensure that the most people are able to opt in. Webinars hosted on Mondays and Fridays are said to be less popular as people often have conferences on these days so maybe try and sort something mid-week, we like ours on Thursday, but hey, that's just us %u263A.

It's good to give your attendees a little leeway when they're rushing over to the computer for the webinar. Most appointments and meetings start and end on the hour, but maybe think about starting yours at quarter past; that way, everyone has time to use the washroom, make a coffee and restart their computer without missing anything!

Welcome!
It's a really good idea to put a welcome slide in at the beginning of your webinar, that tells people you are there and that you will be getting started at say 19:15pm, that way, people will be reassured that they're in the right place and doing the right thing! You can also reassure people about the webinar structure.

Make Your Webinars Engaging!
Obviously, it's integral that you give yourself enough time to plan your webinar, it will be extremely obvious if you've underprepared and don't know what you're talking about, remember you can always have a few notes if you get stuck!

The Power Of Multi-Media:
I've mentioned in previous articles that people's online attention spans are SLOW SLOW SLOW, so it's important that you keep your attendees interested- and that means your webinar has to be more than a PowerPoint! With most webinar programs, you can use the shared desktop functionality so all of your attendees can see what you're doing which is great for guiding them through new updates and processes. You can also include some fun animations and flash photos which will make the whole experience that much more visually appealing.

Get Feedback:
You can also include a survey after your webinar so that your attendees can give you feedback. That way, you will be able to identify what they want and where you need to improve- plus, what was already really good %u263A

Remember Your Webinar Etiquette:
After the webinar send your attendees a little email to thank them for joining you-it's little touches like these that'll see them back the following week!

Be Objective:
After the webinar, conduct a little self-appraisal. What went well, what didn't, ideas that came up and how you're going to improve. If you follow all of these key points, you'll be well on your way to webinar success!

If you want to discuss the power of webinars with our online SNA community, contact us here:

Website: http://www.thesocialnetworkingacademy.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/socialnetworkingacademy

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/thesnatv

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SNAtv

By Olivia Taylor