Facebook for some time, is not so safe as it once was, and there is more danger to your personal information and for computers. Some applications that once were "just" annoying spam that repeatedly appear and that will always be someone, as long as you thought it was no longer possible, fall for it, now with all this can harm your computer. Change the color of your Facebook! This application claims that it can change the color of your Facebook, but like many other suspicious applications before it requires the user before installing respond to series of personal questions and complete a survey that lead its creators is actually earn money. Once you have this application investigate the company in charge of security have found that it can cause more damage than what was originally believed: it steals your information about the authenticity of your account and then create a blog using your Google account information. Links to these blogs are automatically posted on the "victim" and marked with a series timeline friends to fraud as faster and more spread. The creators of these applications are made after the English and Spanish and a French version.
Who has visited your profile?! Although this kind of curiosity you sometimes end up eating away, you should not contact with the applications they offer this option because there are simply not legitimate, and it is most likely that this is a completely identical frauds as well as the application to change the color: hers only goal is to get hold the money and your personal information. Facebook Credits! These are virtual credits to help you get the for example dollars into Zynga Farmville application. Many "credit fraud" will ask you to install the application in exchange for Facebook credits, and most of them will not even pushing "go" through the original application for playing. It is impossible to get these types of loans without paying them, and the vast majority of these applications will take you to a page full of viruses. Take care of "clicks"! The thing that users should pay attention is that these types of applications increase the risk of spread your personal data, but also the possibility that the entire computer is infected with a virus. If you had a suspicious link or the title with too many superlatives, exclamation points, different guidance to think it's the greatest sensation in the world, think twice before you click on "open."
Is the ROI really worth the effort we put into Facebook?
Why Facebook Marketing ?
Let’s look at some interesting facts about Facebook as a social media marketing tool.
(1) On Oct 2012, Facebook has reached 1 billion active members. Granted that some of these accounts may be inactive or non-human (eg businesses and pets) or duplicate (with one person having multiple accounts)… still, the number is overwhelming.
(2) More than 50% of its users log on everyday.
(3) The average user spends more than 20 minutes on Facebook daily.
(4) 2 major reasons why users “like” a Facebook brand is because they genuinely like the brand and because they wanted the promotional items or services.
(5) Majority of the brands which used Facebook as a marketing tool, had reported a significant increase in referral traffic and revenue.
And of course… (6) Facebook is the most popular social media choice ahead of Twitter and LinkedIn.
I’m Convinced. But How Do I Unleash Facebook’s Potential?
There are a few simple ways you can make use of Facebook to give your website a traffic boost or your business’ bottom line a nice improvement. Here’s a list of some of methods that you can implement for your brand.
#1: Network Building Why many take advantage of Facebook marketing or any social media marketing, is the fact that it easily allows you to build your network. It is essentially your basics for using Facebook as a marketing tool for your blog or business. So, invite all your acquaintances and your customers. In addition to that, you can also start a group and invite those interested in the same topic or your business to join it. The best part this method offers is it’s free and it’s targeted.
#2: Introduce Yourself to Your Friends and Fans One of the golden rules of using social media as a marketing tool is to introduce yourself, your blog and your business, whichever relevant. You don’t have to disclose too much personal information if you are not comfortable in doing so but instead, work on building an interesting profile, be it your passion (in what you blog) or your products / services. People read blogs that they are acquainted with and buy from businesses which they are familiar with. As for the latter, you might even get away with a slightly higher price compared to your competitors. I know for I have seen it happened.
#3: Engage Your Friends and Fans After all, Facebook is all about social interaction. What’s a better way to interact with your readers and customers than to answer or address their comments, concerns or thoughts?
This does not mean that you need to be on standby on your Facebook account all the while waiting for these comments. I’m pretty sure your readers and customers won’t mind waiting a bit for your answers. However, it is common sense that when you have an active promotion, you should be expecting more comments. The faster you address their queries, the higher your chances are of increasing your traffic and sales, as the promotions are still fresh on their minds.
#4: Upload Images and Videos Another engaging activity that you are recommended to do is to upload images and videos. It can be pictures related to your post or a video on how to use your products. This proves to be a rather effective way as it stands out among other text posts and updates. Add an interesting caption and you are set to draw in more attention and hence, generate traffic, “likes” and subsequently sales too.
#5: Don’t Spam Nobody likes a spammer. So, while you are anxious to see the results from promoting your brand on Facebook, you need to refrain from spamming, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Updating every 10 minutes or posting dozens of posts daily are considered spamming as your friends and fans’ accounts will be filled with your posts and updates to the point that it becomes irritating. When that happens, you are most likely to be blocked from their account.
Having said that, don’t wait till the following month before you post something! You probably have your friends and fans forgetting about your brand.
#6: Apps for Your Facebook Marketing
Check out the following apps and see if you can make use of it in your Facebook account.
ContactMe (http://www.facebook.com/contactforms) – this allows you to add a contact form to your Facebook page. It’s easy to use and be customized.
Ecwid (http://www.ecwid.com/) - this shopping cart is especially for those running a business on Facebook. It is web and mobile optimized which is great, judging by the amount of people assessing their Facebook accounts through mobile devices. It can be integrated with online and offline payment methods like Paypal & Google Wallet and shipping carriers like UPS & FedEx. There are two packages available ie Basic which is free and Silver which has more features and costs $17 per month.
PostPlanner (http://www.postplanner.com/) -this premium app is simple yet effective. It helps you schedule your posts (including images and video, which is not commonly offered by other scheduling apps) to your Facebook page and groups. Great for when you are away from the computer for an extended period or when you want to ensure that your posts be delivered at certain time egduring peak time. Packages start from $4.95 per month.
There you are, some of the simpler and effective ways to give your traffic and sales a boost. I do hope you find them useful. Do you have any other tips on how to do so too? Do share. I would love to read about them.
Become a guest author on Create the Blogger. One of the biggest things bloggers and columnists are hearing about today in regards to their products, services or writing is authorship.The search giant’s Google’s results now filter with images representing authorship for each individual blog entry. This is especially helpful for people wanting to know who’s writing about what. Inherently, these writers are establishing authority. But not only can you simply establish authorship/authority through an site-specific author-bio, you can also do it through social media. Amongst the large handful of popular communities is the largest and most powerful, Facebook. If you were a blogger that’s opening up a domain for the first time, you have an option to register privately - I would recommend doing so. Now most of you reading this now would stop and say, well that’s just ridiculous – why wouldn’t you want to give your audience a chance to reach you? Well, you can, but not with e-mail. E-mail just open’s up your communication line to spammers, unworthy newsletters and unwanted subscriptions. Why not take this opportunity to explore another venue for authorship like Facebook? Facebook allows users to fill out full contact fields, including name, email, phone, address, company, etc…It also yields company specific pages for users who don’t wish to have their personal profiles flooded with questions and feedback. Nevertheless, by registering with the almighty FB, you’re more or less making others go through a process of verification. In other words, the community itself inherently takes on the role of a spam filter. A robot can’t make a fake Facebook account. Of course, a real person can make a FB account appear to be spam, but it’s one more step an actual spammer will have to go through to reach you. Secondarily, that user will have to become a friend before he or she has access to your full profile/feed.
Share What You Know
This is all very similar to the way Google first introduced its Google Profile verification method. They actually asked users to versify their identity with the platform Knol. Commonly know for it’s slogan “share what you know,” Knol was in fact one of the first forms of authorship verification that Google used. With + (Google +), this is really no longer necessary. The social venue Google + is another great way to get in touch, engage and communicate with your readers.
And much like Facebook, + allows for location updates – Let’s say you’re in the business of real estate, or you’re a real estate blogger. If you’ve created a fan base on Facebook, your probably more inclined to use a feature where you can let your potential home buyers know your exact location, especially if it’s for an open house. So instead of flagging everybody down individually, you’ve now created an open environment for hosting events like this. In this particular case, authorship has yielded a much higher level of engagement. Basically, the more you do to prove you’re real, the more authority you gain. But again, authority yields various levels of engagement.
Social media is one way to broadcast your message, or perhaps drive feedback. Some authors utilize things like questionnaires and polls to garner attention towards their proposed topics. The science behind blogging isn’t all that difficult, and it’s unwise to just spew out as much content as you can in the shortest amount of time. Readers want accurate, authoritative and substantial posts. In other words, you’ll want to make sure that the information you’re delivering is unique to any other location, and that your readers understand that “hey, this is the guy to go to about subject x, y and z.” Pictures, videos, and anything else that can be considered engagement and fulfilling to the reader will have your fans coming back for more.
But, in the end, social communities like Facebook are great ways for you to get in touch with your readership. Likewise, they are great spam blockers. With many different ways to engage and interact (i.e. – events, places, media etc…), it’s no wonder why so many authors have chosen to add a FB button, or perhaps integrate their personal feed into their blog home page.
Become a guest author on Create the Blogger. Having your blog and blog posts shared on social networks and social bookmarking websites is kinda like getting free advertising.If the right people share your blog it can have a viral effect and could lead to lots of new visitors, members and subscribers.Think of a video one of your friends (We will call him John) added to their wall, you see it on your Facebook homepage and click the like icon below.Now all your friends also get to see the video on their homepage even though they are not friends with John.When one of them also clicks the like icon all their friends also get to see the video and they don't know John or you !.
This is a very realistic ripple effect that happens to thousands of blog posts, videos, links and pictures on Facebook every day.All you have to do is get the ball rolling and have a little luck.I'm afraid i cant help you with the luck but their are steps you can take to get the ball rolling.The first and most important thing you can do is make it as easy as possible for people to share your blog on Facebook.
ShareThe Love - I personally share a lot of content on Facebook and Twitter, We all like to share a funny article, Picture or video with friends.In fact i share the latest post from one of my favorite Funny Stuff blogs called Oddee every single day.It's possible that i have sent thousands of people to Oddee just by clicking a Like Button.I'm happy sharing funny content with my friends and Oddee are trilled to be getting the traffic.
Oddee like all the top blogs and websites make it as easy as possible for you to share their content.They have links to all the top networking and bookmarking sites at the top and bottom of every post.On the top Tech blog Mashable you can not scroll to any part of the page that does not contain a social icon of some description, they almost over do it (Note - Just had a quick look and the latest post on Mashable has been Tweeted 1339 times and shared on Facebook 258 times - guess it works).
I can say without any doubt that on not even one occasion have i gone looking for a button to share a post or link.In the same vein i never think half way through reading a post "I think i will share this on Twitter".Sharing a post, image or video is an off the cuff decision we make when presented with the options at the end.In fact, silly as it may seem, it's proven that when there is a message at the foot of a blog post with something like "Please Leave A Comment" more people tend to leave a comment.Yes we are like trained dogs when we browse the Internet.
Social Networking V's Social Bookmarking - I'm not a huge believer in the power of Bookmarking sites like Digg and Stumble Upon, but i do believe Facebook can have a huge impact.In fact i believe Facebook alone could turn a blog into a success overnight.The people that hang out on Digg, Stumble Upon, Reddit and the rest are experienced Internet users, how many people go online for the first time and open an account on Digg ? How many would even know what Digg or social bookmarking is all about ? But even your Gran has heard of Facebook.
So whats wrong with experienced Internet users?
Well on the face of it nothing at all but new or casual Internet users offer much more.
Experienced users scan content and move on quickly they've seen it all before.
Experienced users are already subscribed to too many Rss Feeds and Newsletters so you gotta be special to entice them.
Experienced users have trained themselves to not even see AdSense and other ads (I recon it's a few years since i last clicked on an AdSense ad).
Experienced users are sceptics, before they even start they have the opinion most sites are garbage so you have to prove different and you don't have long.
The new or casual Internet user has no such preconceptions.They are open minded and looking to be informed.You have the chance to make a first impression and just a little effort could see you pick up a life long fan.And Facebook is full of millions of these new users just crying out for a blog they can visit to pass half an hour.Even if your blog is on a subject as obscure as multi colored socks you can be sure there are people with similar interests to be found on Facebook. From Myspace To Facebook -Being a long time Blogger from the time when Myspace and Bebo controlled the budding social networking landscape i am still struggling to get on board the social bandwagon.Bands and girls on web cams (Not putting both in the same category) were the only people using Myspace to promote.Posting a link to your blog on the Myspace homepage was almost seen as spam, people still have to click a second link on a page warning them your blog could be a phishing website looking to steal their identity! Create the Blogger however is a blog for experienced Internet users, not many new or casual Internet users keep a blog or would know how to.So i have been climbing the social bandwagon with some of my other blogs and the overwhelming evidence is Facebook has the most traffic to offer.On a Guitar based blog i write i was able to turn almost zero traffic from Facebook to Facebook actually providing 25% of total traffic in one month ! Stats that defiantly opened my eyes, also that blog gets similar visitor numbers as Create the Blogger yet it earns 3 times more revenue. Helping You Get On The Social Bandwagon - So that's my case for really targeting Facebook to promote your blog.In the next two posts i will show you steps you can take to get people sharing your content and also how to set up a professional looking Facebook fan page.
Have you had success using Facebook to promote your blog ?
Do you agree that Facebook is the best social network/bookmark site for getting visitors ?
Have you any tips for using social websites to promote blogs ?
Let us know.And Click The Like Icon Below ↓↓↓↓↓ :)
Become a guest author on Create the Blogger. Social Bookmarking Gadgetsplays important role in boosting blog traffic.Thats why you may found social bookmarking gadgets almost on every blog/website.Today we are sharing a cool social bookmarking gadget which works with jQuery.This gadget scrolls along with page and when any user hovers on icon,some social bookmarking buttons like facebook like button,twitter tweet button,stumbleupon submit button and digg's digg it button.Also the installation of this gadget is damn easy,now lets see how to add it to blogger blog. How to add Slide Out Social Bookmarking Gadget With jQuery For Blogger? For better understanding I am dividing this tutorial in 3 simple steps,just follow them carefully and you will add this gadget very easily to your blog. Step 1 : Adding jQuery Plugin Step 2 : Adding Google +1 Button Script Step 3 : Adding the Gadget
Step 1 : Adding jQuery Plugin
Note - Ignore this step,if you have already added jQuery plugin to your blog.
Step 1. In Your Blogger Dashboard Click The Drop Down Menu For Your Blog > Choose Template > Then Edit Html > Tick The Expand Widget Templates Box
Step 2. Find the following piece of code in your blogs Html : (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code):
</head>
Step 3. Copy and Paste the following code Directly Above / Before </head>
Step 1.On Blogger you add the gadget to a HTML/Javascript gadget by going to Layout > Add A Gadget > Choose HTML/Javascript (Leavetitle field blank) and paste in the code:
Facebook have just made a simple Like Button available for bloggers and webmasters.The Like Button or Icon will be a great help in the effort to get readers sharing your posts on Facebook.Social networks and social bookmarking sites are constantly coming up with ways to make it easier for people to share the content they find online with their friends.From Twitter to Digg and Facebook to Stumble Upon there are lots of buttons and icons available on blogs, news sites and other websites allowing you to share their stuff with others.
While this is great for users to let their friends know what they find interesting as a blogger it's one of the best ways to get your blog content shared and attract new readers.We covered this subject in more dept a while back in a post titled What is social bookmarking /How does it work / How can it help my blog ?.Facebook have just released a new option for people to easily share your blog and in this post i will show you how to be one of the first to make this option available to your readers. The new button just made available from Facebook make sharing blogs as easy as possible and this is great news for us bloggers.With the New Facebook Like Button Just one click is required in the very same way as you would click like on a friends picture or comment your own Facebook homepage.Unlike other sharing options you don't get a pop up or have to go to the website you just click like or recommend and your done...Nice Ehh ?
In this post we will look at three places you can add the button
*Below the post title *At the top of the post *Below the entire post
First go to your blogs html by following these three steps - In your dashboard click 'Layout' > 'Edit Html' > Tick the 'Expand Widget Templates' box.
To add the button directly below the post titles Find the following code in your blogs Html : (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code):
<div class='post-header-line-1'>
Now paste the facebook button code Directly Below / Under <div class='post-header-line-1'>
To add the button at the top of the posts Find the following code in your blogs Html (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code):
<data:post.body/>
Now paste the Facebook button code Directly Before / Above <data:post.body/>
To add the button directly below the posts Find the following code in your blogs Html : (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code):
<data:post.body/>
Now paste the Facebook code Directly Below / Under <data:post.body/>
Once you have the Facebook code pasted were you want the button to appear and your template saved go check out your new share option.
Facebook have just created a brand new shiny button you can add to your blog for people to share your content.The button was released just today so it's not even a day old and you can be one of the first to have it on their blog, Yep people will be seeing it for the first time and checking it out on your blog ! So what is the new Facebook button and what does it do ? When clicked a pop up appears for users to send the page of your blog they are on to their friends.But rather than posting on their wall as with the Like button the are sending by Direct Email.So you can enter the name of any facebook friend and send it to their Facebook Email or you can even enter the Regular Email of someone, for example their Gmail or Yahoo Mail address and the post will be sent to that Email.
How Cool Is That ! In a way it's a regular 'Email This' button with integrated Facebook Email.On a quick note have you activated your Facebook Email ? Go to your Facebook messages page and you will see a link at the top of the page to activate it.
Facebook also had their thinking hats on by making the new send button available in a new side by side combo format with the Like button.So were you have the like button on your blog now you can add the send button right beside it taking up no extra space.
You can try out the Facebook Send Button at the bottom of this and all posts on Spice Up Your Blog.
Now we seen the button and what it does lets add it to your blog.First up there are two ways you can have the button, in a combo with the like button and on it's own.I will give you the code for both and then we can see were to place it on your blog.
Facebook Like And Send Combo Buttons Code : <div id='fb-root'/> <script src='http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1'/> <fb:like expr:href='data:post.url' send='true' show_faces='false' width='450'> </fb:like><a href="http://www.createtheblogger.blogspot.com"><img alt="Best Blog Tips" src="http://img1.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif"/></a> Standalone Facebook Send Button: <div id="fb-root"></div> <script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"></script> <fb:send expr:href='data:post.url'></fb:send><a href="http://www.createtheblogger.blogspot.com"><img alt="Best Blog Tips" src="http://img1.blogblog.com/img/blank.gif"/></a>
Add Your New Facebook Send Button To Blogger
The button can easily be added to your sidebars by pasting the code into a html/javascript gadget.Below i will show you a the two most popular positions on your blog for the buttons.
A. Directly Below The Post Titles At The Top Of All Posts. B. At The Bottom Below All The Posts.
Add The Facebook Send Button To Your Blogger Posts
Step 1. For Both positions we go to your blogs html page, so in your Blogger Dashboard Click Design > Edit Html and Tick The Expand Widget Templates Box :
A - To place the button at the top of your posts Find the following piece of code in your blogs Html and paste the Facebook Button code Directly Below / Under It: (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code): <div class='post-header-line-1'> If you cant find that look for this : <div class='post-header-line-1'/> B. To place the button at the bottom of your posts Find the following piece of code in your blogs Html and paste the Facebook Button code Directly Below / Under It: (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code): <div class='post-footer'> Or Alternatively Below This Code : <data:post.body/> Once you have the code in position save your template and check out your cool new Facebook Send Button. OK as i said this new Facebook Social button has just been released so you can be one of the first to get it.Make sure to check out more of our Facebook Posts and Social Media Posts.
The great thing with the Facebook Like Button is how easy it make it for readers to share your posts on Facebook.All that's required is one click and readers don't need to leave your blog, or get a pop up and have to fill in details.The differance between the default button and the compact button is the Compact button does not have any text just the button.
Add The Compact Facebook Like Button To Blogger
As with the default Facebook Like Button i will show you how to place the button At the top of your posts and below your posts.
Step 1. To have the button anywhere on your blog you must first add a little javascript to your template.Find the following piece of code in your blogs Html : (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code): </head> Step 2. Paste This code Directly Above/Before </head> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js"></script> Step 3. Find the following code in your blogs Html : (Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code): <data:post.body/> Note - If this code is in your template more than once find the last occurrence.
Step 4. Copy the Like button code below : <a href='http://www.createtheblogger.blogspot.com'><img alt='Best Blogger Tips' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAH6CBD-AUjFNI-vLZwNgx-R5oKymOEbxMpRKUDY_tGPIrjCQB_Y-NuBAIq44oWLLOhs0GqbQlrMI1QBj64vvS8fxl5Uj85_hYSYszmiDx3fKku6yvgZNrOTluqeT5VAq6YH7BjhwbZ6sV/s1600/best+blogger+tips.png'/></a><a class="addthis_button_facebook_like"></a> Above Posts - To place the Compact Like Button at the top of your posts paste the button code Above <data:post.body/>
Below Posts - To place the compact like button at the bottom of your posts paste the button code Below <data:post.body/>
You can also add the button code to a Html/Javascript gadget in your sidebar or elsewhere in your design page.
Tip - If you have Images, Video or other media in your posts add the button code below them in the post.This will get more people sharing yor posts, however add the button code just before you publish and publish when viewing the post editor in Html view.
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