Photo by Jenn Hethcoat

For the casual user, Facebook is just a fun way to share interesting content with friends. But as a casual user, it’s sometimes hard to spot content that’s been stolen or used without permission.

I’ve been a blogger (aka “content creator”) for the past 5 years. I know what it takes to constantly come up with new ideas, write three drafts, pour over photoshop, and study until 3:00 a.m. trying to figure out what MySQL means (OK, I still don’t know that last one). And I’ve seen friends and strangers alike have that content taken by big brands or individuals without their permission. I see that content being shared every day on my Facebook News Feed by well-meaning people who have no idea they are perpetuating intellectual or digital property theft.

Those who know me realize that my moral compass is slightly overdeveloped – annoyingly so – and I feel the need to educate people about appropriate content sharing etiquette. If his helps you, please share it with friends so hardworking people can have the credit they deserve.

NOTE: in the following examples, I am in no way accusing the user of committing a crime. Of course, I don’t know the situations or what permissions may have been obtained privately. I am pointing out the warning signs to look for before sharing. If appropriate permission have been obtained, you may see a statement that the content is “Copyright www.originalwebsite.com. Used with permission.” 

Look for these warning signs before sharing content from friends and pages.  And by all means don’t employ these techniques to get buzz for your business.

1. The original watermark has been scrubbed out.

I didn’t get a screen capture of this when I saw it the other day. A photo posted by a page had used Photoshop to try to remove the watermark on an image. However, the guilty party didn’t have the skills to remove the part of the mark that appeared on the subject’s legs. Last year, in a well-publicized battle with NickMom.com , many bloggers found their images being used without permission or attribution by NickMom. One of the photos even had bold text slapped over the watermark.  If you see remnants of a watermark, move on without clicking “share.” Or better yet, unlike the page and don’t support the company.

2. An entire recipe, craft or blog post is used as a status update or photo description.

WARNING: Do not re-post or share entire recipes pasted from another website.

I found a Facebook page today by following a friend’s share. The page has 198,000 Likes. How much original content does it have? Zero. Goose Egg. Nada. Every post is an entire recipe scraped from another site, a quote (sometimes attributed) with a “borrowed” photo. Apparently, they’ve received some complaints, because the “About” section consists of instructions on how to submit a DMCA take down notice. In my opinion, that is like saying, “We know we are (allegedly) stealing your content, but we won’t do anything about it until you complain.” The website affiliated with this Facebook page is exclusively sharing recipes that belong to others. If they don’t have express permission to republish, this statement at the top of their website does NOT make it OK: “I do not own any of the recipes and pictures posted here. This blog is simply a compilation of some amazing recipes that I come across and am sharing them with you. Enjoy….”   Of course, she has a Google ad right their in the top right corner!

It is illegal to repost an entire recipe or blog post without express permission, even with attribution. That’s right. Even if you say, “original source: originalwebsite.com” the administrators of the website/blog/Facebook page are stealing content. If you want to be in compliance with intellectual property law, post the first paragraph and then link to the original source so users can read the rest. Unfortunately, 2,000+ people liked this possibly stolen recipe/photo, and 10,000+ people shared it.

3. A photo has been downloaded from another page or website and uploaded to another page.

Have you ever seen a funny photo on Facebook or Instagram that you wanted to share? Be sure you’re doing it the right way. Depending on the terms of use of the site where you found the meme/image, it may be unethical to download the photo on your computer, phone or other device, and then upload it to your own account. Stay safe by using the native sharing feature of the platform or website, in order to properly share content. It’s hard to spot this behavior in others in your News Feed. With the growth in popularity of memes, the widely held belief is that “if it’s on the internet, it’s free to use in whatever way one wants.” This, of course, is not true. Instagram makes it a little tricky to share, so stick to original content there. You can usually find the link to the web version of the intagram photo by looking at the user’s page on instagram.com.

Here’s how to make sure you’re sharing the right way:

• Never remove a watermark or identifying feature. If you suspect this has been done, don’t share!
• Repost only the first paragraph of content (recipe, blog post, etc) and link to the original location. There is a fine line between curation and stealing.
•  When sharing website content, use the social sharing buttons that appear on the original webpage. If there are none (that’s a crime right there!), simply copy the webpage url and share that. Never copy/paste or download photos to share.
• If you want to share a recipe or craft you made, take your own picture and share it with a link to the original recipe, like I do in my Weekly Meal Plan posts.
• If you change a recipe or craft pattern enough for it to be considered original, include a courtesy link back to the post that provided the inspiration.

Have you seen content that violates intellectual property law and/or ethics? Have you shared this type of content without realizing it? There is no condemnation from me, but now that you are educated, you can spread the word and help honor the people who spend endless hours creating awesome internet posts for the rest of us to enjoy.

If you’ve been a Facebook page administrator for a while, you remember when Facebook decided that link posts shared by a page were not as important to fans. So they worked the edge rank so that link posts were the least likely to be shown to a large number of the page’s fans. I think the most drastic change happened around September of 2011, if I remember it correctly.

The thing about trying to control behavior, whether it’s done by Facebook, government officials or parents, is that the people they’re trying to control almost always find a way around the attempt.

“Young lady, you are not going out of the house like that!” “OK, I’ll just hide these clothes in my backpack until I’m out of the house.”

“Sugary drinks cannot be sold in large containers because the general public can’t be trusted to eat/drink healthily.” “OK, I’ll just buy two smaller containers of sugary soda.”

“Link posts are not the most engaging Facebook posts, so we’ll rank them lower in the edgerank.” (Translation: “We want people to stay on Facebook instead of being led off to your site. We’ll make sure they become the least effective post type.”) So the marketer says, “OK, I’ll just put links in text posts and photo descriptions. We want our clicks.”

I don’t blame them, Facebook is in it to make a profit (at least after their IPO), just like you and me. But I wish they would just be upfront about it.

Are you one who says, “Facebook is not about click throughs and ROI, it’s all about engagement“? Go away. I’m sort of kidding, but that kind of one-dimensional thinking is not going to get your business any results. Social media is about engagement, but then you have to work those followers down the funnel or they never mean anything.

There are several shortcuts marketers have found to make sure they make their click-through goals.

• Post 3-4 “engagement” posts, then follow up with a link post link. Presumably, the heightened engagement on the first few posts will catapult your reach for the link post.

That may have worked for a while. But in my recent study of stats for several pages, large and small, it seems engagement on previous posts has been moved to the bottom of the criteria for how far a post reaches. The number one indicator I see for the reach metric (not for click or engagement) is post type.

• Put the link in a photo description. This was the hot ticket back when Facebook showed images in the news feed more than any other post type. Guaranteed clicks and shares, especially if it looked something like this:

Recently however, Facebook has decided to curb the photos’ reach in favor of plain text posts. Partly due to instances like the above image. Although photos still  garner a decent reach, it’s usually only about half the reach of plain text, in my experience. All page audiences are different, so you may see different results.

• Put the link in a plain text post by removing the preview before clicking “post.”

Aha! You see? Whatever Facebook does to get marketers to stop posting links, we will find a way! People I respect, like Jon Loomer have argued that posting links the original way, while not garnering as much reach, will still yield the best click/engagement rate results. He says you should refrain from posting links with images or text posts.

I have to disagree with him, gauging solely on my own stats over the past six months. But as Scott Stratten says, “The only metric that matters is what your own audience does.”

My links within text posts get at least 3 times the click rate of links in photo descriptions – sometimes up to 6-7 times as many clicks per user reached. Text posts only reach about 2 times more users than photo posts. There are many variables, such as the writing quality of the update, subject matter, or photo quality. Traditional link posts? I don’t even bother, the reach and click-rate is nominal.

Here’s the typical breakdown for the pages I administrate (with anywhere from a couple hundred fans to over 600,000). Keep in mind that if a page has a ton of fans, they reach a lower percentage of them on each post. I guess that’s the law of diminishing returns at work.

I looked at the last six months of data, and ranked each post type with three criteria. I use this ranking to decide which type of post to use for promoting content, among several other criteria. I suggest you look at your data and do the same. It may turn out different than mine, and you can make the best decisions for YOUR page.

In conclusion, I will continue to post my Facebook links within photo descriptions or text posts because my data shows it’s effective. And when Facebook changes their rules again, I’ll read the data and make adjustments accordingly. I’m very curious to see how Facebook’s new News Feed will affect reach and engagement. Hopefully, link posts will rise to the level of being useful again for my pages.

How about you? Do you post your Facebook links the traditional way?

P.S. Want to find out the one thing I will NEVER do?  The link is in the first comment of this blog post.

]]> http://www.sarahpinnix.net/should-facebook-pages-post-links-in-text-updates-and-photo-descriptions/feed/ 9 http://www.sarahpinnix.net/should-facebook-pages-post-links-in-text-updates-and-photo-descriptions/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SarahPinnix/~3/NNe30f1KpEs/ http://www.sarahpinnix.net/new-facebook-page-admin-panel-i-do-not-like-it-sam-i-am/#comments Sat, 16 Mar 2013 03:04:40 +0000 Sarah Pinnix http://www.sarahpinnix.net/?p=1566 Yesterday, I logged into Facebook at work – because yes, I get have to do Facebook for my job. To my surprise, my admin panel at the top of my page was not as it should be! I hadn’t even read about a new admin panel on Mashable yet, how could it be happening to me?

Well, it looks like I was in one of the first groups to test this newly redesigned panel, and it confirms my belief that Facebook is doing everything it can to drive marketers AWAY from Facebook.

I took a screenshot from a page I never use (note the pathetic numbers). My real pages are confidential, yo. As you can see, the Notifications box was replaced by a listing of your most recent posts and of course an opportunity to promote your posts if you don’t like the numbers. <Mobster Voice> And you won’t like the numbers, know what I mean? </Mobster Voice>

The very first thing that popped into my head was the “unnamed character” in the yellow furry pajamas who exclaims,

   I DO NOT LIKE THEM, SAM I AM!

Who knows? The end of this story might mirror the book, when “unnamed character” actually likes Green Eggs and Ham. But now that I’ve gotten used to seeing my most recent notifications so clearly, I doubt I’ll ever be a fan of this new layout.

So now that you know exactly what I think, What say you? Is this change remotely useful to you as a page admin?

So I created this template overlay for Google Plus cover photos. I tested it out on my test Google Plus page, and it worked like a charm. The process for using this is simple.

1. Click on the png image (or this link) here to enlarge, “save as” to your computer.
2. Open the template in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
3. Place it over a 2120 x 1192 pixel (or larger) image to see how the native Google Plus design elements will affect your photo.
4. Edit and/or crop your photo accordingly.

 See how easy that is? If you find this template useful, please share this link with colleagues or friends.

Here’s Coca Cola’s Google Plus cover image. I love having all that space for branding!

I’m having trouble getting the comments configured on this site, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on Twitter at @reallifesarah. Let me know if it works for you, or if you see any issues with the design.

————————————————————–

Note: You may see similar templates as others analyze the changes, but please don’t copy this one and claim it as your own. You’re welcome to use it in a blog post with attribution and a link. Thanks!  –Sarah

Real Life Blog is where I share my “Real Life“: anything from Personal Stories to Tips and Tricks, to Reviews and Giveaways. Real Life has a conversational feel, with an audience of mostly moms aged 28-45.

Topics include Family Life, Parenting, Blogging, Faith, Home and Garden, Humor, Reviews and Giveaways. Real Life is PR Friendly! Feel free to contact Sarah (sarah@reallifeblog.net) with content creation partnerships, including video, reviews, giveaways, spokesblogging, and other ideas.

Watch this interview with Maria Bailey to get the feel for me and my blog!

High Country Mom Squad

I am also the founder and editor of the High Country Mom Squad! We bring you the best in Shopping Dining and Playing in the beautiful NC High Country! This e-zine is THE place to go for family information in the Boone, NC area.  If you live here, are visiting, or just curious about our area, check it out!

In 2009, Sarah also created and hosted a weekly 30-minute TV show, based on the High Country Mom Squad, for local access station MTN-TV.

In addition to appearing as a guest on radio programs, and webcasts, she has also been featured in the news around NC over the past several years.  Here is a sampling:

High Country Mom Squad

Watauga Democrat: Mom’s Night Out Comes to Boone

Boone-area mothers are getting royal treatment as an advance on Mother’s Day.

A local event is planned for May 7 as part of a national celebration of motherhood, part of numerous Web sites, broadcasts, and activities in both the virtual and the real worlds to share the joys of motherhood.

Sarah Pinnix of Fleetwood is co-hosting the event at the Broyhill Inn & Convention Center. She is the founder of High Country Mom Squad, which is also connected to the “Mom’s Nite Out” celebration. Read More…

Watauga Democrat: Mom’s Groups Keep Growing

“I founded the mom squad community because the area lacked a central place to find information,” said creator and owner, Sarah Pinnix. “I wanted to create a central location for coupons, specials, contest and highlight the ‘best of’ the High Country for families and children.”

The Mom Squad has 12 regular writers, with some contributing weekly, others monthly.

The site is updated almost daily. The site features reviews of restaurants, special family events listings, recipes and product reviews. Visitors to the site are welcome to post comments. Read More…

Speaking

Social Networking: Yesterday’s trendy Web skills more the norm and necessary, Winston-Salem Journal

Sarah Pinnix, a consultant from Boone who runs a blog for moms and teaches classes on social media, was one of the speakers. She discussed the importance of companies using social media to interact with their customers.

As an example, she pointed to Baldguybrew.com, a coffee shop in Boone that has a thriving online presence. She also discussed an incident where she posted a favorable comment about a restaurant while dining there, only to have one of her readers come to the restaurant based on her recommendation before she had even left.

“I can guarantee you there are people on social media talking about your brand,” she told the attendees. READ MORE…

Young Entrepreneurs Symposium, High Country Press, Boone, NC

The Center for Entrepreneurship at ASU will host the annual Young Entrepreneurs Symposium (Y.E.S.) on Wednesday, February 24, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone.

The symposium features presentations and panel discussions by young entrepreneurs who have started businesses in e-commerce, music industries, social entrepreneurship and culinary arts. READ MORE…

Broyhill Inn to Host 2nd Round of Social Media Workshops, High Country Host, Watauga County NC

Professional Blogger and Social Media Expert in The High Country to hold second round of Social Media Workshops for area businesses!

Sarah Pinnix, founder of HighCountryMomSquad.com, WiiMommies.com and RealLifeBlog.net is gearing up for a second round of “Talk of the Town” Social Media Workshops…to be held once again at The Broyhill Inn & Conference Center on the campus of Appalachian State University.

Family Life, Grocery Savings

Coupon Mom Saves Hundreds, The Mountain Times

March 11, 2010~ Local blogger and resident super-mom Sarah Pinnix went to the grocery store Tuesday.
$110.

No, that’s not the bill, that’s the amount she saved playing her favorite game: couponing.
“I love coming to the grocery store, because it’s a challenge for me to see how little I can spend each week and how much I can get,” she said.
Pinnix spends about 45 minutes a week clipping and organizing coupons, but it’s worth it when she spends about $350 a month on groceries for a family of five. Organization is the key.READ MORE…

 

Blogging, Video Blogging

Dot.com Moms ~Mountain Xpress, Asheville, NC

Sarah Pinnix, a 35-year-old mother of three who lives in Boone, started blogging 12 years ago as a hobby. The success of her Real Life Blog led her to create an online magazine called High Country Mom Squad, which she says “has become a central location for family information here.” READ MORE…

A Wii Bit of Exercise ~ Watauga Democrat, Boone, NC

A local woman has taken fitness into the virtual realm, helping form an online support group for those wanting to work out, lose weight and share tips and triumphs.

Sarah Pinnix of Fleetwood was using a video gaming system — Nintendo’s Wii Fit — for her workouts, but as a socially oriented mother, she found enjoyment in sharing her activities. Because exercise is often a solitary endeavor, she used her available connections and networks to build a gathering place for Web workout junkies. READ MORE…

American Idol Commercial Appearance, The Mountain Times, Boone, NC

Sarah Pinnix of Fleetwood made her singing and dancing debut on last night’s premiere of American Idol, but not in the way you might think.

Pinnix’s moves were showcased in a 60-second musical ad for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, along with other notable bloggers from across the country who were challenged to recreate their own version of the brand’s over-the-top Turn the Tub Around! music video, featuring multi-talented Emmy- and SAG-award-winning Megan Mullally. READ MORE…

Contact Sarah:
email: pinnixsarah@gmail.com
twitter: @reallifesarah

Sarah has presented at high profile social media conferences, in panel discussions and workshop settings. She has also presented small group and industry specific social media training. Always engaging and dynamic, she shares beginning and advanced social media techniques, philosophy and mechanics in an easily understandable manner.

Sarah is available for panel discussions, feature presentations, or employee social media training. Topics cover the gamut of social media marketing and blogging, including video and live streaming. Sarah also specializes in helping Bloggers establish a local social media presence.

Sarah’s past speaking engagements include:

• Social Fresh Charlotte (2009): Blogging for Business
• 140-ology, Winston-Salem NC (2010): Featured speaker/Coach
• Appalachian State University Young Entrepreneur’s Symposium (2010): Inspiration for Entrepreneurship
• Mom it Forward/GNO Twitter Panelist: (2010) Moms and Technology with HP, (2010) Kids and Gaming with GameStop/Nintendo
• Type-A-Parent Blogging/Social Media Conference (2010) Social Media Training and Consulting in Your Community
• The Relevant Conference (2010): Social Media 101, Connecing Bloggers with Brands, Art of Vlogging/Live Shows
• Blissdom Conference Wisdom Workshops (2011): Hyper Local Blogging
• NC Regional Christmas Tree Marketing Conference (2011): Integrating Social Media into Marketing Plans
• NC Christmas Tree Association Winter Meeting and Trade Show (2011): Tips for Using Facebook
• Watauga County Association of Realtors (2011): Social Media and Realty
• Alleghany County Christmas Tree Growers (2011): Keys for Social Media Engagement
• Type A Parent Blogging/Social Media Conference: (2011): Moving from Blogger to Social Media Consultant
• She Streams Conference (2011): Future of Social Technology
• Type A Parent Blogging/Social Media Conference: (2011): Moving from Blogger to Social Media Consultant
• She Streams Conference (2011): Making Money with Digital Content
• Blog World & New Media Expo, LA (2011): Monetizing Your Parent Blog
• Type A Parent Blogging/Social Media Conference (2012): Keynote Panel: Blogger Town Hall Meeting

Social Media Campaign Coordination

Do you have a product or event that you’d like to publicize with mom bloggers?  As a veteran blogger with thousands of blogger contacts, Sarah can help you to find the perfect candidates for your campaign, and facilitate communication with potential advocates. Sarah also has an extensive network of North Carolina Bloggersfor NC specific campaignsor events.  We can craft a blog campaign, and assist as you work with bloggers to share product reviews, giveaways, video/content creation, and more!

New Media Consulting

Sarah is available for one-on-one new media consultation, to help you craft an outreach program to fit your needs. Her specialties are creating an atmosphere of interaction with consumers, and creative content creation ideas. Sarah can teach you the ins and outs of using popular social media platforms and help set up your profiles. She can also help you craft specific strategies to integrate new media (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Video, etc.) into your marketing plan. Do you want to work with Bloggers, but you’re not sure exactly how? Sarah can help you create your campaign and help choose great bloggers who will fit with your needs. Sarah has worked with several brands, companies and tourist destinations on marketing/blogging campaigns and new media consulting, including Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan’s Purse Ministries, EA SPORTS Active fitness, Ocean Isle Inn, Little Debbie, Uprinting.com, Frito Lay/ Subway, Broyhill Inn and Conference Center, Chick-Fil-A of Boone, HP, Hayes Performing Arts Center, Blowing Rock NC, Numerous Small Businesses, and more.

Small Business New Media Marketing Workshops

In this economy, businesses small and large are striving to pull ahead of the crowd- to be heard above the cacophony in the marketplace. The New Interactive Media (ie: Blogs, Facebook,You Tube, Twitter, Flikr, etc) are unique platforms to engage your target audience and create the kind of viral buzz that can make or break your business. These days, consumers want to do business with people they know and trust.  However, the biggest mistake companies make is to continue a traditional marketing philosophy in the social media realm.  Let us help you change your marketing paradigm with relationship marketing techniques that work well on the social web.

The “Talk of the Town” Workshop Series will delves extensively into each mode of social media, and includes knowledgeable speakers as well as peer coaching. We will come alongside you as you navigate the world of new media and customize it to suit your needs. Instead of talking into the sea of people and hoping one will hear, learn how to inspire others to talk about you in a positive way!

Talk of the Town Workshops are no longer being held monthly, but are booked individually for your chamber, CVB, marketing association or any small group.  The series is meant to transform your marketing paradigm in 6 sessions.

Scheduled Topics

• Why Your Company Needs a Blog/Dynamic Content (Intro to Blogs/RSS)
• Facebook Pages for Business
• Twitter 101, making it work for you.
• Integrating Social Media into Your Existing Web Presence
• Photo and Video Sharing are Marketing Too!
• Educating Your Staff About Social Media

My husband and I (with some awesome parent helpers), tie-dyed shirts with over 100 Middle School Band members last week. It was… an experience.  We had some left over, and finished the t-shirts with the family. We’ve gotten so many compliments on the brightness of the colors and generally how good they looked. So we just had to show you how we did it!

Here are 10 easy steps to a perfect Tie Dye! You can watch the video, with my cute children and adorable husband!  Or you can skip to the bare-bones tips below!

1. Add 1 TBSP Organic Nitrogen (Urea) to one cup of warm water in a squeeze bottle. This makes the colors as bright as possible for a long period of time.

2. Add about 1 oz of fiber reactive dye to the bottle, and fill with water.  Shake well.

3.  Use 100% cotton garments for the fullest color.

4. Soak in a mixture of 1 cup of Soda Ash Fixer to one gallon of water.This helps the dye adhere to the fabric and soak in well.

5. Fold or crumple your garment into the desired pattern. The video above shows you how to make a swirl or starburst.

6. Place rubber bands to hold it together.

7. Add colors! Apply the dye to the garment with squeeze bottles in your desired pattern.

8. Leave in a plastic bag for 24 hours.

9. Rinse garment in cold water.  Un-band, then rinse again until water runs clear.

10. Wash separately in hot water, and dry in the dryer.

And that’s it folks!! There you have it! Have you ever Tie-Dyed? How did you do it?

PS: These links are not affiliate links, nor sponsored. We got our supplies from Dharma Trading Company, and they were awesome!

I jumped on the Foursquare Bandwagon about a year ago, after watching it take off in larger cities around the country.  My friends in NY, Chicago, and even Raleigh had been checking in and racking up the points for a long time.  In fact, Wayne Sutton created TriOut, a location based social network, specifically for the NC Triangle area (Raleigh Durham, Chapel-Hill).

Around these parts, if you ask someone if they do FourSquare, they’ll hand you a rubber ball and a stick of chalk. It’s a popular game for my husband’s middle school students, but that’s not exactly what I mean.  In the tech trends department, the NC Mountains are usually about 1-2 years behind metropolitan areas.

So I tried Foursquare, despite being one of the very few people who “checked in” at places around here. I soon realized that I really didn’t want to be checking in at our regular spots, like dance class, sports practices, etc. Too easy for stalkers to learn our routine. I would never check in at our home or school, for safety reasons.  Few local businesses were offering FourSquare deals for checking in, so I didn’t really see the point. I gradually stopped using it. I usually only chek in at the grocery store now to brag about share what a deal I got with coupons!

Now, flash forward to March of 2011, when I traveled to Walt Disney World for the Social Media Moms Celebration! “checking in” at Social Media gatherings is always a good idea, since there are so many other practitioners there, so I cracked open the FourSquare app on my Droid, and checked out the scene.

I was pleased to find all kinds of Disney tips and tricks at each attraction throughout Disney World, as well as the Parks themselves. Here’s a great way to use it.

• When you get to the park, log into Foursquare, then check out all the locations that come up.
• Scroll through the locations, and choose which attractions you’re most interested in.
• Look through the tips left by other vistors to get some inside information from those who have gone before.
• I especially liked when a Disney Cast Member (employee) would leave tips, because they know that park inside and out!
• Then, check in yourself! Push your notification to Facebook and Twitter, and you’ll get more tips and feedback from your friends there!

Here are some tips from Fourqsuare users at the attractions we visited.

Space Mountain - Nerissa L.Get there first thing the morning – get a fast pass, and then hop in line. You’ll be able to basically ride it twice in a row

Epcot – Allison J.
Stop by Club Cool in Future World and try Coke Products from around the world. It is kinda fun to taste sodas from Ireland, Costa Rica, and more. Plus, it is FREE!

Soarin’ ride at Epcot – Marques R.
In the scene when you fly over hills and on to the golf course, look immediately to your lower left and find a golf cart. The man on the other side of the golf cart is holding a Mickey Balloon.

There are tons more tips just like these wherever you go at Disney World! Yes, there are some useless tips, but you can usually find good information by skimming through!

Do you use Foursquare or another location based service? Have you used them at Disney, or another similar attraction? Have you ever left a tip?