Are you Linked In to what’s happening in the Twitterverse today? Let’s face it, communication has never been faster, easier or more affordable. With the click of a mouse or th flick of a finger you are immersed in a constant stream of information. That space that you once had to yourself is now shared with millions, worldwide. People who freely blog about your product or service. Some see this as a scary thing, but you see this as an opportunity to get the word out and turn strangers into FANS and fans into loyal customers.

YourSocialMedia.com is an initiative by Wilson Monnig Creative to help businesses understand the effectiveness of the different social media tools available to them, and integrate them into their marketing plans.

In January, Apple introduced the iPad tablet and to the surprise of some businesses – their flash sites did not show well. Adobe’s Flash is not recognized on Apple’s iPhone either, as well as some other smart phone platforms.

The Adobe video format is the most widely used player on the Web and installed on nearly 98% of computers connected to the Internet.

Google, Firefox and other browsers are leading the charge to steer the Web to work without Flash and other bulky coding and instead work with a more universal HTML5 format.

What does this mean for businesses
Grab an iPhone, and other smart phones and check out your site. Many designers rely on Flash to create menu bars or other crucial elements of a site. If your site doesn’t work – Don’t fret and scratch your site. Instead, make sure you add a text menu bar with links elsewhere on each page (often found at the bottom of a page). Begin to evaluate your website for performance, as mobile technology will continue to expand. Working with a Website designer, formulate a solution or long term plan for your site.

What is Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used since 1996. Flash is used to create slide shows, animation, games, advertisements, menu bars and video. Flash is a free download for computer users. A Flash document often has the extension .swf.

What is HTML 5
HTML is the most common language used on the Web. HTML 5 is an upgrade expected to change the web and reduce the need for Flash, Silverlight, Apache Pivot and Sun Java FX. This version of HTML is still in its infant stage but is being adopted and implemented by many leading technology companies.

Do you want even more stuff in your email box? Facebook thinks so.

Just how important is your email address? Are you willing to read through unsolicited mail, even more than you already receive? Facebook may very well up your numbers as the social networking site has given developers the ability to request, or even require your email address. This means marketers can inundate you with information about even more stuff to buy.

This change has been in progress since October 2009, with developers in on the progress. Now, developers can access Facebook users directly instead of going through the Facebook gatekeeper system.

The email collection process begins with the appearance of a permission box asking the user to grant permission to be contacted. Users can either allow or disallow the request. However, some permissions can only be controlled through the applications settings page.

How much control a user really has depends on the personal settings that were managed before last December’s privacy changes. If a Facebook user chose the recommended setting without really investigating, Facebook has the right to publish your private information such as updates, photos, shared links, and yes, email addresses.

As involvement in social networking continues to expand, users must strike a balance between protecting privacy and well, being social. Due diligence is necessary to be smart about what users assume and what type of information is out there, usually forever.

Is privacy in the age of social media just an illusion? Signs certainly seem to be pointing that way. Thanks to Google, anyone with access to the Web can quite easily draw an accurate profile of who I am, where I work and what I believe. With the aid of LinkedIn and Twitter, potential employers can form an opinion of recruits without even checking references. I don’t want to debate ethics or the legal implications of such phenomenon, but I just wonder how long it will be before the public starts looking for a way to get out from under the microscope. Or, if Facebook is correct, and we’ll accept that it is now normal for strangers to peer into our most personal space.

Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, received a fair amount of criticism when he said in a CNBC interview that, “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.” This is probably not what I want to here from the CEO of the company that stores my emails, voicemails, blogs, etc. But it doesn’t make me want to unplug from the web either. I’ve just come to accept the trade-off that balances the power of free-flowing information and our willingness to share what we know.

Popular social networks are literally banking on the fact that there are millions of other people who feel the same way and becoming increasingly lax about their privacy. While Facebook has lured us in with the promise of intimate networks and full privacy controls. Recent changes in their policies have shown that they would rather we opened up and made our lives searchable. After all, that is where the money is. Advertisers would love to know that I’m in the market for a new something-or-other so they can tell me just where to get it at the right price.

As social media develops, I believe the trend will continue towards people opening up and sharing, and over-sharing. It won’t all be bad, because I believe we all gain when ideas are shared and expanded. For now, I’ve drawn the line at geo-location (there’s something creepy about being tracked as a dot on a map). Besides, I still like the option of being fashionably late without my boss knowing that I stopped to get a donut. And it will be a long, long, long time before I’m willing to put my medical records online. Sorry, Google.

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New Facebook security changes aren’t so secure after all; complaint filed with the FTC
Managing a Facebook account has become even more complicated. Will teens have the patience or interest to keep themselves safe online?

The public face on the new Facebook privacy settings that went into effect on Wednesday, December 9 was pitched as a way for members to have more control over their settings and who could access what information. Now two weeks later the reviews aren’t good and founder Jeff Zuckerman has been zapped by his own “privacy” settings. Also, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), plus 10 more organizations, including the American Library Association, have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charging that Facebook’s recent privacy changes violate the federal consumer protection law.

For teens and preteens, it might as well be business as usual, but under the friends, the comments, photos, videos and fan groups, their privacy and their future could be at stake. At the age of believing they are invulnerable, anything posted in their digital world will have a footprint somewhere on the Internet forever.

As with all social networking communities, the potential for abuse, bullying and cyber stalking exists. Kids don’t understand the anonymity of the computer screen opens their world to millions of people who might not have their good intentions in mind.

The new security settings, done correctly, can increase personal security in some respects, but getting there is extremely complicated. Your teens should beware of the default setting, “Everyone.” Unless this is changed your kid’s information is readily available to everyone for any reason. Even setting security blocks at every level, which is a very tedious process, a Facebook presence is still for sale. Your name, profile pictures, friends list, fan pages, gender, geographic region and networks are still out there.

Some changes have been made to tighten security, especially after Zuckerman found that some of his personal pictures and information were made public. Even so, users have reported that after they jumped through the security settings hoops, the settings reverted to “Everyone,” requiring more time to reconfigure.

Facebook admits that user information is available to third party applications, search engines, Internet users and others, without the user’s knowledge or consent, even if the user has not connected with any of the sites. In this respect, personal safety can be at risk. The EPIC complaint relates harassment incidents concerning Facebook users who had posted opinions critical of the Iranian government. A user said that security agents in Tehran arrested his father because of the Facebook postings, and others received threatening e-mails claiming knowledge of the poster’s home address.

This isn’t the first time Facebook has been accused of abusing their users’ privacy and it certainly won’t be the last time either. It is the time to discuss what’s under the hood of your child’s Facebook page, and urge caution in the very vulnerable Internet.

Written by Myra Vandersall

A LinkedIn Open Networker (LION) is a member of LinkedIn who invites and accepts invitations from hundreds, even thousands of other LinkedIn members who they don’t know personally to expand their network. LION participants usually type the abbreviation LION or the open networking group name they belong to and their email address on their profile page to let others know they are willing to connect.

LIONs typically agree to not click the “I don’t know (NAME OF PERSON)” button in response to an invitation or mark the invitation as spam. Doing either can cause LinkedIn to impose restrictions on the inviting person. It is relatively risk-free to invite a LION you find in an advanced search into your network, but some LIONs require people to write personal invitations explaining why they want to connect with them before they accept. Review every LION’s profile and contact details before inviting them to connect. If you don’t want to connect with a particular person, simply archive the invitation.

There are several open-network groups on LinkedIn. Most are free, but require that you show its group name or logo on your LinkedIn profile. Doing so makes it easier for other open networkers to find you. To find the top open network groups, type “LION” in the LinkedIn Search Groups box. To learn more about each group, visit http://www.Groups-To-Join.com. I will talk more about these groups in next week’s blog and provide specific guidance on how to become an open networker.

When LinkedIn began, there were no limits on how many invitations one could send. Today, new LinkedIn members can have a total of 3,000 connections, which is usually more than enough, but it is possible to request more invitations in blocks of up to 500. Originally the number of connections a person had was visible for all to see. Now, when anyone gathers more than 500 connections, only “500+” is displayed instead of the actual number. (The account owner can see the actual total). LinkedIn has quietly clamped down on LinkedIn open networkers who connect with more than 30,000 people by preventing them from adding any additional new connections.

Should you become an open networker?
While I am not an open networker myself (but may become one someday), I have asked several open networkers about their experience and have yet to hear one say they have been spammed or bothered by annoying emails from open networking groups. The reason? If these groups spammed members, they would be banned from LinkedIn. Tools are also in place so you can easily contact LinkedIn customer service if such a problem did occur.

Some view open networkers as helpful people open to assisting others in their job search and networking opportunities. They are also seen as a bridge that links people, providing 2nd degree connections for everyone within a person’s connection group. Others see them as opportunists looking to leverage their connections to spam, annoy, or sell to unwitting strangers.

Ultimately the decision to open network is up to you based upon how useful a large network can be in your job search. There is value in being able to interact with people from the same industry or profession, or to build relationships with key people (including recruiters) who may help you some day. On the other hand, exponentially expanding your network takes work and a willingness to help people within your network (by providing advice or connecting them to people you know).

Think about your network philosophy before you decide whether to be an open networker. While I haven’t taken the leap yet, I do typically accept invitations from people who are members of the same LinkedIn groups because we have mutual interests and could be of help to each other in the future. I also accept invitations from people who read my blog or attend my job-seeker workshops. If you have read this far in my blog, please feel free to invite me to connect with you! My email address (which you will need to connect with me) is kathybernard.mktg@yahoo.com.

Questions to consider before you become an open networker:

• Will you connect with anyone who invites you or will you have a more limited acceptance strategy?
• Are you interested in nurturing relationships with people with whom you connect or do you just want to add contacts to build your network with no interaction?
• Are you willing to put in the time and attention required to accept many invitations and archive those invitations you don’t wish to accept?

Build Your Network before Your Choose to Be an Open Networker
Even if you are hesitant to be an open networker, expand your LinkedIn network through other means:

• Invite people you know who are already on LinkedIn. Find them using the tools LinkedIn provides. LinkedIn can search your Yahoo!, AOL, Gmail, or Hotmail address book for LinkedIn participants. Also download the Outlook toolbar. With it, you can see this list from your LinkedIn dashboard in Outlook. Anyone who is already on LinkedIn will likely accept your invitation. For best results, write a brief personal message and, if need be, remind them who you are.
• Expand your network by inviting people in your industry, former coworkers, classmates, residents in your city, etc. Also accept those who invite you to connect. In the years I have been on LinkedIn, I have never encountered a problem due to accepting a stranger’s invitation.
• Invite people in a LinkedIn group in which you are a member. Also, invite people on a local group or association mailing list, for which you are a known member.
• Connect with power networkers (those with 500+ connections) who you know personally or who are known to be open to accepting invitations. For best results, contact the person directly or through InMail or via an introduction before you send them a direct invitation request.

Have you found open networking to be beneficial or a bust in your job search? Share your comments! Forward this email to your job-seeking friends by clicking the envelope icon in the teal box at the bottom of the blog post. Receive this blog by email every Monday by adding your email address to the Subscribe box at the bottom of the blog post. Thanks!

Have ever thought to yourself, “I wonder just how many messages have been posted on Twitter?” Me neither, but in case you ever find yourself in a situation where your life depends on answering that question correctly (+/- 1 billion) you could check out GigaTweet. At the time of this entry the number is very quickly approaching 6 billion tweets. Do your part and retweet.

In a nutshell
URL Shorteners are used to reduce the number of characters in a website address. For a expample, clickinghttp://www.wilsonmonnig.com/tinc?key=JxSCQUVa&id=19&design-output-mode=js&design-css-mode=standard on or http://bit.ly/25EvM4 will both take you to the same web page. Some services, like Bit.ly, also offers free statistics and charts to help you track click-through rates on specific shortened URLs.

Why is it useful?
URL shorteners are very useful for social media services like Twitter or Facebook that put a limit on the number of characters you can type in any one message. Some third-party Twitter services like Seesmic even include built in URL shorteners that generated an abbreviated web address right there and then. One downside to using shortened URLs is that sometimes spammers use them to direct unsuspecting users to malicious sites, so be aware that your customers may be cautious about clicking on your link.

Top Alternatives
TinyURL
Bit.ly
Ow.ly
dwarfURL
SnipURL

In last week’s Get a Job! blog post, I shared with you ways to re-energize your job search. This week, I encourage you to strengthen your confidence by seeking and receiving positive feedback from your friends and past coworkers.

Request recommendations from LinkedIn connections … but take extra steps to get the best recommendations possible. To request a recommendation:
1. From the LinkedIn home page, click the ‘+’ next to ‘Profile’ in the left navigation bar. Select ‘Recommendations’.
2. Click the ‘Request Recommendations’ tab at the top of the Recommendations page.
3. Choose what area of your background you want to be recommended for (choose from the drop down list of jobs and educational experiences (the list is populated from your profile entries).
4. Click on the address book icon to ‘Decide who you’ll ask’.
5. Select the names of those you want the request to be sent to and click ‘Finished’ (This will take you back to the Recommendations page).
6. ‘Create your message’ for the recommendation request or use the message provided.
7. Click on the ‘Send’ button.
(Note: Each recipient will receive an individual email, not a group email).

To ensure you get more and better recommendations:
1. Send an email to the same people, letting them know you have asked them for a LinkedIn recommendation from them. If you notice (from viewing their LinkedIn profile) that they are LinkedIn novices, include basic instructions so that they will know how to give you a recommendation.
2. Attach your resume or include a list of attributes and experiences about yourself. Also tell them specifically what type of jobs you are seeking. Add your LinkedIn profile link to your email signature.
3. Encourage them to call you if they have questions … or job leads, for that matter!

Other Ways to Restore Your Confidence
Get together with unemployed friends. Arrange to meet at a coffee house or cafe to network and share job leads. Set aside time to remind each other how qualified you truly are. It’s easy to forget that when the phone isn’t ringing with job offers.

Send your unemployed friends job leads and words of encouragement in their job search. Most will respond in kind … and you will gain a closer connection with a comrade in the unemployment battle.

Re-energize your job search and restore your confidence … after all, it can help you Get a Job!

How do you keep your confidence up during your job search? Or, how do you maximize your LinkedIn recommendations? Please add your comments below. Forward this email to your job-seeking friends by clicking the envelope icon in the teal box at the bottom of the blog post. Receive this blog by email every Monday by adding your email address to the Subscribe box at the bottom of the blog post. Thanks!

C4OK is using social media technology to position Kenneth Corn’s political campaign for a win

Kenneth Corn, candidate for Oklahoma lieutenant governor, has selected YourSocialMedia (YSM) and Wilson Monnig Creative to coordinate the setup and design of all new media components for his campaign. Corn, D-Poteau, is using social media to support his platform of education, health care, jobs and infrastructure running up to the 2010 election.

YSM and Wilson Monnig are St. Louis, Missouri, social media, design and marketing companies founded by Melissa Wilson. Campaign social media designed for the Corn campaign include YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Flickr, Myspace and RSS feeds.

“Technology is changing politics,” says Corn. “I use social networking as one part of my campaign to infuse vitality and a sense of immediacy. Our Oklahoma voters are spread all over the state, from urban centers like Oklahoma City and Tulsa to remote ranches. I can communicate with supporters, plan events, encourage donations and have conversations with potential voters that weren’t possible in a traditional campaign.”

The growing campaign use of the Internet proves politics and social media are successful, Wilson adds. “Everyday people can participate in the electoral process, especially young voters who are social media savvy. These techniques encourage user engagement and make grassroots organization a powerful tool to spread consistent messages. “Social media is maturing and will certainly be a major component of political campaigns now and in the future.”

About Kenneth Corn (D-Poteau)

Kenneth Corn is a candidate for the Oklahoma lieutenant governor in the 2010 general election. His campaign, A New Hope For A New Oklahoma, emphasizes jobs, healthcare, education and infrastructure. He was elected to the Oklahoma State House of Representatives in 1989 and to the Senate in 2002.

About Wilson Monnig Creative/YourSocialMedia

Wilson Monnig Creative LLC is an innovative marketing, public relations, advertising, website, Internet search engine optimization and print design company. A leading provider for social networking and new media projects through the YourSocialMedia initiative, Wilson Monnig also helps clients to understand and use new marketing methods to compete in today’s business climate. The group’s nationwide client base includes companies in real estate, agriculture, automotive, folk artisans, personal fitness and entrepreneurial start-ups. Founded by Melissa Wilson in 2006, the company is located in the St. Louis, Missouri, metro region.

Written by Myra Vandersall

A friend of mine who is ever the confident, successful career woman, emailed me last week to say she didn’t get the job she wanted. She was discouraged and vowed to stop searching. I emailed her back and said, “Whoa! Stop right there. You ARE the perfect person for a great position. The company that will hire you just doesn’t know it yet.”

I say the same thing to you. If you are feeling defeated (and no doubt you have good reason to feel that way), you MUST STOP. A defeatist attitude will hurt your job search and destroy your confidence. Tell yourself and believe it: You ARE the perfect person for a great position. The company that WILL hire you just doesn’t know it yet.

Take steps immediately to

1. Re-energize your job search
2. Restore your confidence

Tips to re-energize your job search Build and inform your network about your job search

• Invite everyone you know to connect with you on LinkedIn. Getting people to accept your invitation reminds you that they find you relevant.
• Look through each of your LinkedIn connections’ connection list and invite mutual friends and past coworkers to connect (then look through their connection lists and so on)
• Change your LinkedIn status bar update weekly to remind your network that you are job seeking. You must limit your wording in the status bar to 140 characters or less, including spaces, so when I was unemployed, I said something like … I’m seeking a position where I can use my communications, advertising, and PR leadership experience to help a company grow. Leads welcome! … and then I would change the wording slightly the next week to say … I’m seeking a position where I can use my communications, PR and advertising leadership experience to help a company grow. Leads welcome!
• Each time you change your status bar, LinkedIn includes the status change in all of your connections’ weekly update email. So changing this one line of text can alert hundreds of your friends to provide you with leads.
• IMPORTANT! Make sure your “Current” position on your LinkedIn profile says you are looking for work. I can’t emphasize this tip enough. Don’t keep in your old job title or put in a fake position title like President of [Your Last Name] Company. Why? People will think you landed a position and will stop sending you leads.