Spring Cleaning Your Facebook Profile
Recently, the school system I work for instituted a Facebook Policy. As a teacher, I understand the seriousness of what appears about me online, so I took this as an opportunity to Spring Clean my Facebook Profile. With the number of employers and other agencies that are using Facebook as a viable source to research someone, I feel like it’s always prudent to be aware of what you are posting, and how it reflects on you. Here are some of the things I did to clean up my profile.
Know Your Friends.
Over the last year or two, I had accumulated a lot of Facebook friends. Some are genuine bona fide friends of mine: my sister and brother, my wife, my good friend Brian from work. Others, however, were people who knew me through someone else, or because I “am Sir Scrapalot.” I always felt bad turning down someone’s friend request, so I would just say yes to anyone. I know you’ve done the same before….but think about it. Isn’t this the start to a John Hughes’ movie? Joanne is going to have a small get together, but sure you can bring your brother’s friend’s sister..and before you know it, the party is out of control and everyone is pretending some dead guy is still alive while John Cusack holds a boom box outside the door. Accepting everyone as a friend is like having one of these parties. The first thing I did when I cleaned up my profile was “defriend” anyone I didn’t know. I felt awful doing it, and I am truly sorry about it, but I needed to keep my friends list to people I knew (even if it is still crazy big).
Un-Tag Photos of Yourself.
As a teacher, this one is really important to me. I can only control the pictures I post online, and I am always very careful of what I post. I can’t control when someone posts a picture of me. Once they “tag” me in the photo, anyone can see it. I urge you to click on your photos link, and scroll down to the “Photos and Videos of You” section. Here you can see what pictures people are tagging you in. If there are any pictures you would rather not be associated with, find your name in the list of people in the photo, and click “remove tag.” It won’t take the picture down, but it will at least remove your association with it.
Go Over What You’ve “Liked.”
This is another way that people can learn more about you, so make sure that the information you are providing is what you want out there. Sometimes we click “Like” just to get access to other features or because we are interested, but we don’t want to forever be associated with “Stamp Lovers of Massachusetts.” Look through what you “Like” if there’s something there that isn’t “you” anymore, then get rid of it.
The bottom line is this: everything you post online is online forever. No security measures are foolproof, and you can never know who is in possession of what information. Make sure that what you are posting and sharing is what you want out there about you. In the long run, you’ll thank yourself for it.
How do you keep your Facebook Profile clean and up to date?
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Why I Left Big Community Forums for Facebook and Twitter
Is this you? You sit down at the computer, ready to start getting stuff done, but instead you spend 30-40 minutes checking in at and participating in community forums. For a long time this was me, I would spend the first half hour of my “online time” checking in at a number of forums, and going through and participating actively in those forums. As I’ve worked to better manage my time, I realized that I was squandering a good portion of time away in these community forums. It had to stop. I made the decision to leave the “big” community forums, and focus my efforts to a few store forums and Facebook and Twitter. What I was surprised to learn is that my decision would closely mirror a growing trend in the digi industry. The rise of Social Media has started to overtake the idea of community forums, and soon we’ll all find that more and more of our friends aren’t in the forums any longer…they’re out in the social media world. Here are a few things to consider about the future of community forums.
Store forums are still key. I still frequent two store forums, one at the store where I sell, and one that I’ve been a part of since I started digi three years ago. Store forums are still ripe with activity and participation, and remaining part of them will keep you in touch with the people you most want to talk to. Store forums are a more close knit group, which usually means that people stick around for a long time. If you know all of your friends are going to be at the mall, then you go to the mall when you want to hang out with them.
Social Media is where it’s at – for a number of reasons. Whether you are on Facebook and Twitter or not, you can’t deny the fact that they are quickly becoming an integral part of the digi community. With Twitter and Facebook, it’s easier to connect with more people…people who you may have not found in a community forum. Plus, Twitter and Facebook move at lightening speed sometimes. Some argue that that’s the drawback of these social media outlets, but as someone who is always looking to save a few minutes, I can tell you I appreciate this more than anything. Add in the ability to keep up with latest news and announcements on sites like Facebook and Twitter, and you’ve sold me.
Not everyone is ready to move – yet. While more and more people become active in social media each day, Facebook and Twitter still scare people. Some people find them to be confusing and difficult to navigate, and for some people, it’s not the right fit. As time goes on, people will start to understand more about Social Media, and will embrace the ease and usability of those sites, but right now…the transition is still in process.
How does Social Media affect your time in the digi community? Where are you spending your time?
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Finding the Goods on My Facebook Fan Page
Lately, Facebook has been changing up their layouts more often than I change underwear. Well, maybe not that often, but it seems like every time we get settled with the changes that Facebook has made, more changes are already underway. This can cause a real problem when you are trying to find your way around your profile and the pages you “like”.
The latest changes in Facebook Fan Pages have left many people scratching their head. Where have all the features gone? Where are all the goodies I found the last time I was here? Let’s take a look at my page, and I’ll show you where to find what you need.
Here are the 4 most important features on my page that you don’t want to miss.
- Wall Settings – There’s been a lot of talk around Facebook about the new wall settings. In your personal profile, many people are seeing only updates from those they interact with the most. You can easily change that in the settings of your personal profile, but I haven’t figured out how to change that on my Fan Page yet. You can change who you see posts on the wall from: either Sir Scrapalot Designs, or Everyone who posts on the wall. On the pages that I “like” I choose Everyone so that I can keep up with what people are saying about those pages.
- The Post Box – That box there is so you can share whatever you want on the Sir Scrapalot Designs’ wall. Have a link you want us to check out? Hit link and share it with us. Have a layout using our products? Hit photo and share the photo with us. Want to let us know how you feel, or share something totally awesome? Type it into the “Write Something” box, and share with us. We want to hear from you!!!
- The Old Tabs – This is by far the biggest change on the Facebook Fan Pages. What once were those neat, easy to find tabs at the top of the page are now small links on the left hand side of the page. These are the most important to you. Click “Shop” and you can purchase Sir Scrapalot Designs’ kits right from the page. Click “Exclusive” and you may just find a freebie hiding there for you. Just sayin’. If you click “Photos” you can see all the photos that we share and our fans share with us.
- The Pages Sir Scrapalot Designs “Likes” – These are the pages and brands that we support and love. There are stores, template designers (yay Cindy!), even other designers. If I love it, I want you to see it too.
Hopefully this will help you really navigate the new look of Facebook Fan Pages. If you head over and check it out, make sure to write on our wall to let us know you were there!
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The Secret To Being in More Than One Place at A Time
Yesterday, I talked about how planning was going to help me focus this year and get things done. Luckily, I have really put that into action because I have all kinds of new adventures for Sir Scrapalot in the coming year. I’m going to need to make sure I am planning and working well ahead of time just to keep up!! Check out some of the exciting things I’ll be taking part in this year.
Guest Designer at Log Your Memory – this is already in full swing, and I am so excited to be the January guest designer at LYM. I love what LYM is about, and have had so much fun exploring around. Plus, everyone’s so nice!! You can pick up my kit by participating in the LYM Challenges, and make sure to stop by the Guest Designer Chat this Thursday at 7pm Mountain (9pm Eastern). You never know what will happen!
Featured Designer at Me So Scrappy – I am so excited to be part of this site as it takes off!! Full of fun articles and great resources, Me So Scrappy is a happy place to keep up with the digi world. Be sure to watch for my Featured Designer post coming later in the week.
Teacher at Masterful Scrapbook Design – I am very excited to announce that I am one of the February Teachers at Masterful Scrapbook Design. If you haven’t checked out the site, you really should. For a small fee, each month you get classes that focus on one theme from a variety of teachers. Teachers that include Anna Aspnes, Jenni Bowlin, Debbie Hodge, and me! February’s theme is titles, and there are tons of great stuff planned. I hope you’ll check it out.
Monthly Guest Posts at Simple Scrapper – That’s right, I am going to be a monthly regular at Simple Scrapper now! Look for my posts about time management and keeping my head above water on the third Wednesday of every month.
The Paperclipping Digi Show - I had so much fun recording episodes of the PDS last summer with Steph and Izzy. Remember when I got to “meet” Katie Pertiet? Steph, Izzy and I are working hard to find a time to schedule me in for another episode…darn day job. Soon, though, soon.
Guest Appearance on Glee – ok, ok, that one is a joke…but srsly..I would love to. I don’t even have to sing. Are you listening Ryan Murphy? Email me…I’ve got ideas.
As always, you can find me at Funky Playground Designs, on Facebook, or on Twitter. You can subscribe to the blog to make sure you don’t miss out on anything, and you can sign up for the newsletter for special news and offers.
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3 Links You Need to Check Out Now
I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for ways to speed things up in my life. Especially now, as I get ready to go back to teaching full time, I am always looking for new ways to make what I do faster and easier. In the spirit of faster and easier, I have to links I wanted to share with you today.
How to Make Photoshop Faster on Slower Computers – I often scare people when I tell them that I run everything on my laptop, including PS and Vista with only 2GB of memory. I’m not going to lie…it’s slow sometimes. Upgrading my memory isn’t really an option right now, so this article about how to speed up Photoshop was greatly appreciated. I can tell you this – I made the changes in the article yesterday, and saw a notable difference in how PS was running last night. It’s worth checking out.
12 Tutorials for Getting Started with Adobe Illustrator – The folks over at Mashable put this article out, and I am excited for the list of beginner tutorials for Illustrator. I have had Illustrator for some time now, but never really took the time to learn the ins and outs of it…I just learned the easiest way to get done what I needed to do. I look forward to digging into these tutorials when I get a little bit of free time…whenever that may be.
The Facebook Places Privacy Settings You Need to Know – Last week, I wrote about checking your FB page for privacy settings and such. Well since then, Facebook has released their “Places” feature. Places is basically foursquare. You can check in places, and post it to your update. Not only that, but friends can check you in, even if you don’t want to be. Nothing says “take my stuff” more than a status update telling people you aren’t home. Check out these settings, in addition to the ones I listed in my previous article. You’ll be thankful you did.
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Your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and You – It’s Easier Than it Seems
Why aren’t your blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account talking to each other? It’s probably because you haven’t introduced them to each other yet. There are a couple of ways you can do this, and most of them are easier than you think.
- WordPress – If your blog is on the WordPress platform, there are a number of wordpress plugins that will automatically post your new blog posts to your Twitter and Facebook. If you go “Add Plugins” and do a search, you are sure to find a bevy that will get the job done.
- Feedburner – If you use Google Feedburner, there is a way to publish to your Twitter account through them. If you go to “Publicize” and click on “Socialize”, there are a few things you can fill out and it will get the job done.
- The New Twitter button – You may have read about Twitter working with TweetMeme and creating the official Twitter button. You could install this button on your site, and then use it manually to Tweet each of your blog posts. Read more about the new Twitter button HERE.
- Networked Blogs – I don’t know too much about how Networked Blogs works with Facebook, but I know that a lot of bloggers use it as a method for posting their new blog posts on Facebook.
- Ping.fm – Ping.fm is a really easy way to connect your blog to multiple social networking sites. Create an account, adjust some of the settings, install the Ping button, and you can ping any of your new blog posts to the social networks you have added. This is great if you want to be selective with which blog posts you want to push through to Twitter and Facebook.
Each of these methods are an easy way to get your blog posts out there. Are you already pushing your new blog posts through to Twitter and Facebook? Are you using a method other than the ones here? Let us know in the comments below.
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