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2012-03-14T22:19:00.000+05:30

How to recover deleted data from computer ?

2012-01-26T15:14:00.001+05:30

It is very often that by mistake we delete data from our computer and sometime it also happens that we delete some important data and then regret and thinks how to recover the data, I will guide how to recover the data from computer.

First you have to download a software named “Recuva” and then install it in your PC.

When you have installed Recuva software then follow these steps.

Step 1- Open the software and select that what type of data you deleted and wanted to recover, it may be picture, Music, Documents, Video and if you want to recover all then select other.

Step 2- When you selected the data type then click next and you will be asked to locate the location from where your data has been deleted, it may be c:\ drive , My Documents or Desktop. You will get some options like I'm not sure or Recycle Bin you can recover data deleted from your Recycle Bin also just select the Location or if not sure the I'm not sure option.

Step 3- After selecting above option click next, software will search all the location and then show you the list to recover the data select the data recover.

Step 4- When you have selected the data click next and then you will be asked to locate the location where you wanted to save the recovery or recover the data. Be gentle while recovery data location. For example you have deleted the data from My Documents and you wanted to recover it the recover it any other drive or any other place like "D" Drive rather than making recovery in the same path, making recovery in the same path may harm your data.

Note- It is very common we ask question like

How to recover deleted data from PC or Laptop ?

How to recover data from I Pod, Music Player, Chip cards, pen drive etc.

For all these you can recover the data using Above software.

Enjoy.

Sada

Learn online for Free- Academic Education

2012-01-24T18:28:00.000+05:30

Now it very easy to learn online for your academics and a awesome opportunity to enhance your knowledge, without paying anything.

Click To Enter

How to join two video files in one ?

2012-01-22T07:55:00.001+05:30

Download and install AVS Video ReMaker

Run AVS Video ReMaker and load your original video files

Introduction Sometimes you might want to quickly join several video files you have into one without the need to edit or re-encode them. Using AVS Video ReMaker you can do that quickly and easily. It will let you merge several files into a single one automatically. You can also cut the unnecessary scenes from these video files before saving them.

Step 1: Download and install AVS Video ReMaker Click here to download it. After the download is finished, run the AVSVideoReMaker.exe file and follow the installation wizard instructions.
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Step 2: Run AVS Video ReMaker and load the original files After you launch the program, you can select your video using the Add File button. In the opened Windows Explorer window browse for the necessary video:

Note: when your input is a DVD disc, you will need to select the path to your source file: X:\Video_TS\Video_TS.IFO. "X" stands for your DVD-ROM or the hard disk drive folder where your DVD is stored. Please see the online help section to find more on how to convert your home DVDs to other video formats.

The same way load all the video files you would like to merge.

Note: in case you add several different video files to the program all of them must have the same parameters - video resolution, aspect ratio, frame rate and bitrate.

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Step 3: Delete unwanted clips (optional) If you would like to remove some loaded files click the unnecessary one with the mouse and press the Delete button above the Timeline. The highlighted file will be removed. To remove all the files added to the program use the Clear button.

You can also cut out several fragments in different parts of the video clip - beginning, end or anyplace in the middle. Please read the How to cut out unnecessary scenes without re-encoding? guide to learn how to do it.
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Step 4: Set the video file sequence and add transitions (optional) After deleting all the unwanted parts of the video you can set the video file sequence. To do it please click the clip which place you would like to change with the left mouse button, the mouse cursor will change into a hand , then without releasing the mouse button move the clip left or right to the desired position.

When you release the mouse button, the video clip position will be changed:

The same way you can change the place of any video clip.
If you move a clip to the left so that it doesn't reach the left border of the previous clip, the clips will not change their positions but the Fade transition will be created between these clips.
To add different transitions between your clips click the Transitions central button, select one of the available transitions and drag-and-drop it to the needed place on the Timeline.

Note: if your video files can be split by keyframes only, it is impossible to add a transition. In this case the Transitions button will be disabled.

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Step 5: Remake your video Now you need to set the output file parameters. Click the Remake Now! central button to open the Remake window.
In the Output section of the Remake window enter the output file Name into the appropriate field, select the Folder to save your resulting video and choose one of the available Video/Audio formats in the Settings section.
If you decide to save your video files into one make sure the Save each clip to a new file option is not selected.

When all is ready press the Remake Now! button to start processing. You will see the progress on the progress bar. It will take some time depending on the file length and your computer configuration.

And that's just it - all your home video files have now become a part of a single file.

Browse the Web Faster on a Slow Internet Connection

2012-01-20T10:36:00.000+05:30

If your current Internet speed is very slow and you are living in an area where broadband connections are still not available, here are some ideas to help you download web pages faster on your computer. You may use the same tips to improve your web browsing experience on a sluggish USB modem.

Surf the Web Faster on Slow Internet

1. Turn off web images, the Adobe Flash plug-in, Java Applets and JavaScript from your browser settings as these files are often the bulkiest elements of any web page.
2. Increase the size of your browser cache. If the static parts of a site (like background graphics, CSS, etc) are stored in the local cache, your browser can safely skip downloading these files when you re-visit the site in future thus improving speed.
3. Sometimes the slow DNS server of your ISP can be a bottleneck so switch to OpenDNS as it can resolve website URLs into IP addresses more quickly. If you aren't too happy about OpenDNS redirecting your Google queries, follow this simple hack.
4. Finch can serve a light-weight version of any website in real-time that is free of all bells and whistles. For instance, the New York Times homepage with all external resources can weigh more than a MB but Finch trims down the size by 90% so the site loads more quickly on a slow web connection.
5. Flinch (mentioned at #4) is good for reading regular websites but if you just need to check the latest articles published on your favorite blogs, use BareSite. This service will automatically detect the associated feed of a website and render content quickly inside a minimalist interface.
6. The Google Transcoder service at google.com/gwt/n can split large web pages into smaller chunks that will download more quickly on your computer (or mobile phone).
7. Monitor your Internet speed to determine hours when you get the maximum download speed from the ISP. Maybe you can then change your surfing schedule a bit and browse more during these "off peak" hours.
8. You can use a text browser like Lynx or Elinks for even faster browsing. It downloads only the HTML version of web pages thus reducing the overall bandwidth required to render websites.
9. When searching for web pages on Google, you can click the "Cache" link to view the text version of a web page stored in the Google Cache. Alternatively, install this GM script as it adds a "cached text only" link near every "Cached" link on Google Search pages.
10. Move your web activities offline as far as possible. You can send & receive emails, write blogs and even read feeds in an offline environment. Also see: Save Web Pages for offline reading.
11. You can interact with websites like Flickr, Google Docs, Slideshare, etc. using simple email messages. Uploading a new document to Google Docs via email would require less bandwidth than doing it in the browser because you are avoiding a trip to the Google Docs website.
12. Applying the same logic, you may also consider using tools like Web In Mail or Email The Web as they help you browse websites via email. Just put the URL of a page (e.g., cnn.com) in the subject field of your email message and these services will send you the actual page in the reply.
13. Bookmarklets are like shortcuts to your favorite web services. You neither have to open the Gmail Inbox for composing a new email message nor do you have to visit Google Translate for translating a paragraph of text. Add relevant bookmarklets to your browser bar and reduce the number of steps required to accomplish a task.
14. Use the netstat command to determine processes, other than web browsers, that may be secretly connecting to Internet in the background. Some of these processes could be consuming precious bandwidth but you can block them using the Firewall.
15. Use URL Snooper to determine non-essential host names that a website is trying to connect while downloading a web page. You may block them in future via the hosts file or use Adblock Plus to filter out advertising banners on web pages.
16. If you don't want to spoil your web surfing experience by stripping images and other graphic elements from a web page, get Opera Turbo. It will first fetch the requested web page on to its own server and then send it to your machine in a compressed format. Opera Turbo won't change the layout of a web site but can lower the image resolution so that they load faster on slow Internet.
17. Change the user agent of your desktop browser to that of a mobile phone like Apple's iPhone or Windows Mobile. This will help you browse certain web sites like Google News, WSJ, etc. much faster because they'll serve you a light-weight and less cluttered mobile version of their sites thinking you're on a mobile phone.

Source- labnol

How to Transfer Mails from one Email Account to another.

2012-01-20T10:32:00.000+05:30

For Gmail to Gmail the best method is POP, not IMAP. IMAP is best for other services like outlook (as mentioned) or for syncing to multiple devices (such as your cell phone).

Below are instructions for a POP connection

In the original Gmail account.

1. Go to Mail Settings

2. Click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" Tab

3. In the POP Download section, click "Enable POP for ALL MAIL".

4. Save Changes

In the new Gmail account.

1. Go to Mail Settings

2. Click the "Accounts and Import" Tab

3. In the "Check mail using POP3" section, click "Add POP3 email account" button.

4. In the popup window, enter the original email address.

If you have a Google Apps Account, STOP, read the lower instructions.

5. Enter your original gmail username without @gmail.com.

6. Enter your original gmail password.

7. For POP Server leave it as pop.gmail.com or pop.googlemail.com

8. For Port, 110

9. Read through the checkbox options if you want to use them for your settings.

10. Click "Add Account"

This will prompt you further, it should ask if you want to send mail as the original account address, you may choose that based upon your preference.

5. Enter your original google apps username with domain (i.e. example@domain.net)

6. Enter your original google apps password

7. For POP Server change it to pop.gmail.com or pop.googlemail.com (if those don't work try the default option it gave)

8. For Port, change it to 995

9. Read through the checkbox options if you want to use them for your settings.

10. Click "Add Account"

This will prompt you further, it should ask if you want to send mail as the original account address, you may choose that based upon your preference.

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Thanks! Will this actually transfer over all my OLD sent email and chat history to the new address though? Or will this method just apply to future sent/received email?

2 of 3 people found this answer helpful. Did you?

There are two options within the original gmail that you can choose from, one is Enable POP for ALL mail, the other is Enable from now on. So if you choose that first option, it should transfer all mail, including sent mail to the new account. I'm fairly certain it will transfer the chat history as well, as gmail basically saves those as a email anyway, but I'm not 100% certain on that. Also, I won't lie to you, depending on how long you've had that old account, it may be a pain reorganizing everything, as it doesn't transfer your labels, but it's doable.

Also, be patient after you initiate the transfer, it takes several minutes to begin and, depending upon how much is in your original account, it could take several hours to complete. It will transfer everything into your new inbox, based upon the dates of the emails.

Windows 7 automatically switching to basic (non-aero) theme. I need a way to disable that behaviour.

2012-01-20T10:14:00.000+05:30

The aero theme is basically enabled depending on video card.
Windows Display Driver Model is the graphic driver architecture for video card drivers running Microsoft Windows versions beginning with Windows Vista.
WDDM driver model version 1.0 is that it does not support multiple drivers in a multi-adapter, multi-monitor setup, the latest version is 2.0 is introduced.
Windows will disable the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) that controls the transparent glass effect or other effects of the Aero theme. The DWM manages the desktop and the primary display settings in Windows.

I would suggest you to check with your manufacturer for latest drivers to support your hardware configuration.

How to install windows from pen drive.

2012-01-20T09:59:00.000+05:30

Using win2flash is the easiest method i found to install windows from pen drive or any other USB.
First you have to download the file "wintoflash.exe" form link "Download" it is free of cost, once you downloaded the software open the zip file and extract the win2flash row file and the open it, and follow the instructions.

Usage

When you fire up WinToFlash, you might see a warning that WinToFlash is not supported on your operating system. As of this writing, Windows 7 is not officially supported; however, WinToFlash does work flawlessly on Windows 7. So you can ignore that message.
The main window is very simple to use. As you can see in Figure A, you simply need to click the Windows Setup Transfer Wizard to begin.

Figure A

The Wizard will walk you through just a few simple steps to get you on your way.

Using the Wizard is not the only method. You can also click on the Task tab (Figure B) to set up the process.

Figure B

The default creation is Windows XP.

The first step is to select Windows 7 from the drop-down menu. You will notice that there are two Windows 7 choices: Windows 7 Pre-install Environment (PE) or Windows 7. If you install the PE, you will be able to get away with a smaller flash drive. The simplest method is to select the non-PE version. After you have made this selection, click the Create button to go to the next step.
The next screen is the Basic Parameters tab (Figure C), which is all you will need to configure for your installation.

Figure C

You cannot change either the USB drive type or the Format Type options.

The most important section on this window is the “setup files path” and the “USB drive” options. Make sure these are selected properly or you could wind up overwriting data on a drive you don’t want to lose.
Also, on the Process Steps tab, you can select what steps you want to take place. From that tab you can select:

Format drive
Collect information of setup
Create folders structure
Copy files

It is best to leave all these steps checked, or else your installation might fail.
Once you have all your options configured, click the Create button on the Basic Parameters tab. When you click this button, you will have to accept the licensing terms and click Continue. The next window will warn you that all data will be lost. Go ahead and click OK and the process will begin.
The creation of the USB installation drive doesn’t take too long (should take approximately 15-30 minutes — depending on the speed of your machine). When the process is finished, you will get an OK window, which you can dismiss.
When the process is complete, you can look at the contents of the USB drive (Figure D) to see that all the usual Windows install suspects are present and accounted for. Now all you have to do is insert the drive and boot the machine from USB to install Windows 7.

Figure D

The Windows 7 installation files are ready.

Final thoughts

WinToFlash has to be the easiest method of creating a bootable, installable copy of Windows on a flash drive I have ever used. This is definitely a keeper for your administrator tool kit.

How to Install Windows 7 using Pendrive!

2012-01-20T09:45:00.000+05:30

Using CD’s has been out of fashion today with the increasing trend of using Pendrives (Flash drives). Pen drives have now become an eternal part of our storage devices arcade and are even used for installation of Operating system on your PC which was once traditionally done using CD-ROMs. I would like to introduce a tool called “Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool” which lets you create bootable version of your Operating system ISO file directly to your USB Pendrive or DVD. The tool comes directly from Microsoft Store and is available Free of Cost for Licensed users.

Steps to use the USB tool (post-installation)

1. Using the Start menu, run the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.
2. Select the source file (.iso) using the Browse button from your Computer. The window shall look somewhat like this:

Note: You can create an ISO file of the Setup through software like WinZip or 7-zip. Even your CD Burning software are able to create an ISO file or popularly known as “Image files”.
3. Select an option whether you want to create a Bootable USB device for installation or a burn to a DVD. In our case, we will go for USB Device.

4. Insert the Pendrive to your machine and select the appropriate drive as given below.

5. After this, press the button “Begin Copying”. If the Pendrive is not empty, it will ask you to format the pendrive.

6. Once formatting is done, it will automatically begin to copy the ISO file contents onto your Pendrive.

If you are using the tool on Windows XP Operating system, remember the following two things:

You must have the .NET Framework 2.0 installed on your PC [Download here].
Microsoft Image Mastering API v2 should be pre-installed [Download here].

The final output will be that your Pendrive will become a Bootable source and you can boot and install Windows 7 to your PC without any hassles and even when your CD drive is not working. There are lots of such tools available online for Free however with Microsoft providing such a tool, its easy to trust that we are using the right software.

How to install windows xp/vista/windows 7 from pen drive

2012-01-20T09:41:00.000+05:30

If you want to installing windows vista , 7 or 2008 from a usbkey its very straight forward.
first you need to check you have a few things
1) your usb flash drive (at least 4Gb in size to be safe) and
2) A windows instalation disk or ISO image of the OS instalation disk you want to use.
(if you want to use an ISO you will need an image mounter or unzip util i recommend 7zip its free and awesome)

Step 1) from vista or 7 (this wont work from XP or earlier as the XP version of diskpart does not recognise USB flash drives as Disks)
open a command prompt (make sure you right click and run as administrator)
Step 2) Type in DISKPART then press enter
Step 3) follow the commands bellow in order
list disk (Disks always start with 0 so it will probably be disk 1 but check the size info for example 4000 MB = 4GB disk)
select disk 1 ( if 1 is the right number if not substitute for 2 or whatever)
clean (very important )
create partition primary (creates a partition for the files)
active (makes it bootable)
format fs=ntfs quick (you have to put a filesystem down before you can copy files onto it)
assign letter=T: (give the usb key a drive letter T = temp but can be any letter not used by system)
exit (this exits you from diskpart)
exit (this closes the command prompt)
now when you open my computer or windows explorer you should see the T: drive
Step 4) open up the DVD rom drive and copy all files from the dvd to the usb or extract the ISO to the USB

Thats it now restart your PC and remember to " boot to USB" from your Bios settings this can typically be done by hitting F2 or DEL when your system restarts then find your "boot order " and make sure the USB is first.

How to use face in your mobile ?

2012-01-20T00:14:00.000+05:30

If you’re anything like me, you encountered the whole Facebook phenomenon unfashionably late. “What rot” you’ll have said, nose in the air, “what vacuous nonsense,” as you desperately tried to steer clear of all those hip young things populating the site.

Then, in the process of signing up for Facebook while researching this very article, I came across someone I knew from my school days. Then another. Then another. When I looked up I realised an hour had passed and my editor was exactly 61 minutes annoyed by my lack of progress.

Which basically means that, like it or not, Facebook remains a huge draw and a genuinely useful tool for renewing old acquaintances (not to mention all the cool games available for it).

But did you know that you could view, update and upload to the site on your humble mobile phone? And all without installing a thing?

All you need is:

A Facebook account
An internet-capable phone

That’s it. Read on to find out how to get up and running:


Point your internet browser to Facebook’s mobile section. You might be required to sign in, after which you’ll be shown to the mobile page. Click on the “Activate Facebook Mobile” button on the top right of the screen.

Input your mobile number in the left hand box, remembering to add your country code (+44 for the UK) in place of the first ‘0’. Then click on your carrier, or operator, in the right hand box. Then click on the Activate button.

You’ll receive a swift text from Facebook containing your Confirmation Code. Bring it up and type it in to the box that now appears on your monitor. Click Confirm.

That’s it, you’re now signed up for Facebook Mobile. By texting a message to 32665 (if that sounds a little random, it’s FBOOK on your keypad) you can update your status for all your friends to see. You can also receive texts when people poke, message, wall post, or befriend you. When you next check your Facebook profile you’ll see that the Facebook Mobile application has been added.

You’ll now be shown to the customisation page, where you can set limits on what you receive on your mobile. You can choose whose messages, comments and status updates get sent to your phone and whether you should be notified of friend requests. You can also set the maximum number of texts you receive in one day and when they get delivered. When you look at the reams and reams of “friends” some people seem to have, this is an important feature that shouldn’t be skipped. You could be checking your phone all day otherwise (you popular thing you).

Finally, you should really point your mobile towards Facebook and keep it bookmarked. There’s a specially mobile-optimized page for speedy updates. Go to m.facebook.com on your phone’s internet browser. You’ll be able to do most of the things you can on your PC from here, but it’s presented in a clear, simplified way that shouldn’t hit your data usage tariff too hard.

How to Use Facebook for Business and Marketing

2012-01-20T00:11:00.000+05:30

As much as Facebook may not be kind to businesses, it’s still a tremendously valuable business tool. After all, Facebook could eat the web. In fact, you’re likely spotting the shift; instead of companies posting their URLs on television commercials, they’re asking their followers to join them on Facebook. Therefore, it’s a force to be reckoned with. Let’s just take a look at the potential of Facebook for business for a moment here and review the various options business owners have in order to be effective with Facebook business marketing.

Profile Page versus Fan Page

The average Facebook user uses Facebook not for business but for personal communications. I am one of those users. In fact, I explain my Facebook usage by stating that if you want to follow me in a professional capacity, you can use one of my two fan pages. Simply stated, for a business, you should create a Fan Page. Want one? Go here. If you are officially representing your company, you’d want to create an Official Page.
Don’t use a Facebook Group. They are outdated (from Facebook’s early days) and do not support Facebook Markup Language (FBML) or Facebook Apps, so they are not as interactive and thus do not make as strong of an impact. Additionally, don’t create a personal account (a regular Facebook profile page) for your business. You’re supposed to use your real name and you’re also only supposed to have one account. Your Facebook Page should be created under your primary Facebook login. If you elect not to have one, you can still create a Facebook page by following the steps after you fill out the relevant data for your business Facebook Page.

Identification

For your page, consider using a title that’s memorable here because you won’t be able to change it later. It’s preferable to reflect your business and use a business name, not a funny character or other business persona that nobody can relate to. People will be looking for your business on Facebook, so make it easy for them to find you.
Once you get 25 fans, you can set up a username which makes accessing your profile a lot easier. Make sure you apply the username to your Facebook Page, not your personal profile, and be sure to use something memorable that people can find by plugging in the URL. I have a hard time believing that Facebook will address errors like these without an intellectual property complaint.

Customizing Your Profile Page

Great! Now that you have opted to create a Fan Page, you need to customize it. Simply stated, you can upload a profile picture (200 by 600 pixels maximum, though there are some reports that 180 by 540 pixels might work instead) and start filling out the relevant details about your business. Tell people how to find you and give them a history. They’re there because they want to learn! Depending on what type of page you are creating (for a business, publication, celebrity, etc.) the text fields differ, but utilize what’s available to you to your advantage. Don’t shy away from giving your community the information needed to find you elsewhere both online and offline.
If you want to be more creative, start thinking about building upon your profile with the aforementioned Facebook Markup Language (FBML). Here’s how to create a memorable Facebook Fan Page via FBML. In short, you’ll need to install the Static FBML app, add a custom tab, and learn the language, which is very similar to HTML, to create content that is appealing to your customers and prospects. Need some inspiration? Check out the screenshots for some current implementations below.

Reese’s uses its Facebook page to welcome users and compels them to join. It also reminds you that Facebook is one of their social destinations on the web, but that you might be interested in their YouTube page. (Their YouTube page, ironically, only features a playlist of videos that they love but does not show any videos made by themselves, such as the process of making a Peanut Butter Cup. Wouldn’t you love to see how they’re made? I know I would.)

Promotional products company rushIMPRINT features on its Facebook page a tab of products for sale. These tabs take the visitor back to their website where they can complete the purchase. This method is smart because it helps build interest on another platform and drives conversions directly on their home base. (Disclosure: I helped plant the social media seeds for rushIMPRINT.)

Offer Deals

Lisa Barone calls this specialized content, and that’s exactly how you should see it. Give people a reason for telling the entire world that they like you.
The big question of return on investment comes up often. How do I know if there’s ROI in Facebook? One way is to see is by giving exclusive deals to Facebook fans. You can elect to do this one of two ways. You can offer deals exclusively to Facebook followers only. Don’t cross promote to Twitter (offer a different incentive on Twitter). Don’t post it on your blog. Don’t share it on your email newsletter. This is a good way of checking specifically if your Facebook efforts are working when you see that the Facebook coupon codes have been redeemed.
On the other hand, you can also share the same discount code across all social platforms. What if you want to offer 10% off? Share the 10OFF discount code for everyone, for example. Let it be posted on every social platform of choice and then watch as it seeds through other communities (which is likely to happen and shows that your marketing is viral).
Of course, you can also just use a Facebook application for that.

Buy something, get something. That’s how Baskin Robbins is doing it besides making an interactive page that visitors might be interested in exploring further.
People interact with brands online because they want deals. Try to offer some every so often.
And while you may not be able to easily run contests within its rules, you have some flexibility with the Wildfire App platform, so consider that as well if you’d like to offer incentives of some kind.

Encourage Community Interaction

In the simplest form, have a Facebook wall and ask your fans questions or share cool company or even personal insights with them. Give them a reason to want to communicate. Better yet, to show that the page is active, give the users control by letting their Fan posts show up on the front page. (Not all companies will be comfortable with this option as it will require frequent moderation.)

Instead of using your updates as the default view, let your fans take over. In the screenshot above, control is shifted to everyone and empowers your community members. As a result, engagement goes up as the page appears very active.
There’s a cost to this, though. The page should appear active but it should also appear like you’re not neglecting your community. Therefore, beyond letting them have control, grab the mic regularly (a few times per week and daily if possible) and engage your community.
The more you engage your community, which could be as simple as asking your followers how they are going to be spending Mother’s Day or sharing a link of interest to your followers, the more visible your page is to your Fan’s friends. After all, every interaction shows up on the Fan’s news feed. And that translates to more visits, which you’ll start seeing when you receive a weekly email from Facebook entitled “Your Weekly Facebook Page Update” that features fun statistics like these:

+41 Fans this week (3,284 total Fans)
31 Wall Posts, Comments, and Likes this week (68 last week)
1,477 visits to your page this week(1,869 visits last week)

You might also be interested in learning more about EdgeRank, Facebook’s own algorithm to determine visibility on a user’s home page. This algorithm takes hold from three main components: (1) the affinity score between two users: how often do they interact?, (2) the type of interaction (is it a like? a comment?, etc.), and (3) the length of time since the action was done. Based on this information, fresh content with actively engaged brand adopters are is key. Give them a reason to be actively engaged. This is basic News Feed Optimization.
Engagement is not limited to wall posts. Post photos of your service and product offerings and invite your fans to do the same. A tremendously wonderful execution of this is on Graco’s photos tab. You’ll learn about their products but you’ll also see a plethora of user-submitted images — complete with cute babies.

And that’s not the only thing you can do to encourage online interaction. Why not solicit reviews from your community to see what they think about you? If you offer great value and have firm believers amongst your midst, you have nothing to fear. Online retailer Newegg isn’t afraid and proudly displays its Facebook reviews for all to see.

Another great way to do this is to host polls where you can get customer feedback. That’s how Ben & Jerry’s is doing it.

Of course, there’s also the potential to encourage community interaction within Facebook using the Facebook page as that home base. The EA Mobile Human Tetris project takes you to a Facebook application where everyone participates in a game of Tetris.

Such games require expertise of a Facebook Application developer but could have lots of potential as long as your Facebook Apps resonate with your audience and compel users to install them.

Aggregate Your Other Social Streams

If you’re only on Facebook, this step isn’t for you. Hopefully, though, you’re considering other social networks to broaden your social media reach. If so, you should show your Facebook fans what you’re up to elsewhere! Hootsuite, for example, has multiple tabs that highlight their social involvement elsewhere on the web.

There are takeaways from this. Offer different content to your different audiences. Don’t just broadcast the same messages to your Twitter and Facebook followers.

Be Creative

Facebook confines you to its site and its feature set, but clearly we can see that they do have a pretty rich feature offering. You can do many things to market your business, add value, and empower your customers. It might be a good opportunity to build upon that to further your mark in the online space.
You’ll find that as your page grows, you’ll likely be tasked with handling customer service issues. People don’t care who is running the social media presence online; if it’s the marketing department, they’ll still demand technical support. Help them where you can or redirect them to the phone number, email address, or contact link that gives them direct contact with your support representatives. Be on your best behavior — after all, good customer service is good social media marketing.
Growth can be a good thing. You may find opportunities to host real life events, be them at conferences or whatever else. This is especially true of businesses who have a brick and mortar location and even better for businesses. Why not invite your Facebook fans to a special event at your venue? Let them connect with each other and build bonds.
There are a lot of different opportunities here, and with such a tremendous penetration, it’s silly to ignore Facebook altogether.
Your Facebook page might be a great opportunity to market your business, but it’s earned media, so keep in mind that it’s a community too. Give your Fans a reason to want to come back.

Evaluate Your Needs and Tread Carefully

Ask yourself what you want to use Facebook for. Is it to communicate with friends and family or is it to drive prospects? Are you joining Facebook’s social network with the intention of spamming your friends with marketing messaging? If so, don’t. Brent Csutoras ruffled my feathers when he said that he doesn’t use Facebook for marketing and “maybe that is why I still have so many friends.” The truth of the matter is that to an extent, he’s right. Of over 1500 friends that I have, I’m constantly being pitched to join groups I have no interest in. What I didn’t like about Brent’s statement is that most savvy marketers do understand the fragile nature of online (and even offline) relationships and that smart ones do not abuse those relationships at all.
If you’re a business, ask your customers to follow you — don’t force it out of those people you are already connected with for other reasons.

How to use facebook for professional networking

2012-01-20T00:08:00.000+05:30

If you’re like most people, your personal and professional lives have already blended. You share your personal stories and pictures with your work colleagues, you discuss both work and your personal life on your blog and Twitter, and you’ve probably let go of the notion that professional and personal must be kept completely separate.
But even with that blurring of our work and social lives, most of us still want some separation, and I would recommend actually splitting the two on Facebook. Once split, you can continue to reap the social benefits of Facebook with your friends and family while simultaneously connecting with your professional colleagues.
Here’s how to split the two.

– Go to your friends list by clicking on the Friends tab -> All Friends at the top of your Facebook page.
– Click the “Create a New List” button and create one called Professional.
– You can now go through your entire friend list and add all of your professional contacts into this new and separate business list.
– Once you’re done, navigate to your profile privacy settings by clicking on the Settings link in the top right corner of your Facebook; then click on privacy; then click on profile.

On the profile privacy settings page you can begin slicing and dicing your Facebook world into personal and professional segments by restricting access to various parts of your profile using your newly created friend list. For example, if you don’t want your professional friends to see any of your pictures, click on “edit photo album privacy settings.” In the “who can see this” drop down, click on “customize” and then in the “except these people” field type in your newly formed professional friends list. Now only your personal friends will be able to see your pictures.
Though these settings can get fairly complicated because of their granularity, you can control your entire Facebook experience from this area of the site and decide what parts of your personal life you would like your professional friends to be able to see. Bear in mind that there are no best practices here. Meaning, if you don’t want your professional friends to see your wall comments, don’t let them. If you don’t want your professional friends to see your pictures, don’t let them. It’s your world and you can set it up exactly how you like.

Using Facebook groups for networking

One way to professionally benefit from Facebook’s enormous user base and to grow your professional network is to participate in Facebook Groups. Facebook Groups is a feature that allows Facebook users to connect, discuss and network with each other within the context of a common interest or topic.

Finding groups

There are groups on Facebook representing just about every topic under the sun. To find the right group for your professional aspiration, think of topics that will motivate you, allow you to connect with others of professional interest, and will allow you to gain insight into your industry/skill set – groups around these topics are the ones where you’ll find professionals you can network with.
Now that you have a direction in mind, enter your keyword into the search box on Facebook, and click on the “Groups” filter to the left of the results. You can also filter down the displayed groups by drilling into a number of sub categories, including business (a good bet for many professional groups), common interest, geography, Internet and technology, and organizations.
There are, of course, other ways to find Facebook Groups. Here are a few techniques that should give you plenty of groups to get started with.

– If you have friends whose professional advancements you respect, go to their profile page and click on their info tab. Towards the bottom of the page, you’ll see links to all of the groups to which they belong.
– On the main page of any Facebook Group, there are links to several other similar or related groups.
– Conduct an Internet search for “popular Facebook Groups” coupled with some of the keywords that interest you. You’ll often uncover blog posts, articles and people tweeting about a variety of groups, some of which may interest you.

Once you find a group that interests you, it’s a good idea to evaluate whether or not it will be a good fit before joining and pouring too much time into it.

What to look for in a professional group

There are millions of groups on Facebook, so how many should you join and which ones? Joining too many might prove to be unmanageable, so it’s a good idea to only join the ones that you can actually see yourself participating in.
Below is a list of the features you’ll find in each Facebook Group and what to look for in each to determine whether a group is quality enough to be worth joining.

Recent News – This section contains news from group administrators that is either about the group itself or is about a topic that might interest the group. Is it up to date? Is it useful information or just self-promotion?
Member Listings – Lists all group members including their profile photos, location and link to their profile page. This is an easy access way to send a message to a specific group member OR to request them as a friend. You can also use this tool to evaluate the group before joining. Does the group attract people with similar backgrounds and interests to yours? Can you see yourself giving information to and appreciating information from these other members? Do they seem like people you would value interacting with?
Discussion Board – The group’s discussion board allows members to engage in a discussion about topics listed by other group members. Before joining, use the discussion board to measure group activity and member engagement. Are discussions recent? How many are there? Are they interesting and on-topic? You should contribute to an existing discussion or start your own, once you’ve joined.
Wall Posting – This section is usually for member introductions or job postings. This is a great way to introduce yourself and your interest in this group. How recent are the latest postings? If there is any spam, how quickly is it cleaned up?

Groups also often have photos, videos, links sections, and event listings. You should evaluate these areas for recency and quality of information, as well.

Group participation

Once you’ve joined a group, it’s time to start participating. This is where the real fun begins and the true business value will happen. Below is an example workflow I would recommend following upon joining a group for professional purposes. It’s a great way to show your presence in the group and get some professional networking activity under your belt.

Post an introduction on the Group’s Wall stating your interest in the group. If you’re looking to network, say so. If you’re looking for a job, say so. If you can offer advice, say so. The key here is to make this a simple introduction so the group knows who you are – not an advertisement for yourself or services, which may come across as spam.
Add links to interesting events, pieces of news or blog posts. Anybody who reads them will know you posted them, which will add to your professional branding efforts.
Go to the discussion board and comment on a few topics; don’t be generic. Find a discussion where you could truly add value and help some fellow members with their questions or contribute to some discussions with your thoughts.
Post a topic for discussion. Ask a question or propose a thought-provoking topic of discussion and share your thoughts — the object is to engage your fellow group members. Check back on this discussion often so you can participate and remain an active part of it.
Add friends. Because Facebook was intended to be an online extension of your offline social graph, it is proper etiquette to know somebody before adding them as a friend. While being in the same group might satisfy that requirement for some people, I think it’s a good idea to have some sort of further engagement with a member before requesting them as a friend. Once you’ve engaged someone (such as in a discussion board topic), request them as a friend but include a personal note letting them know you appreciated the interaction. That way, they will have some context for the request and will be more likely to accept. Once you’re friends, make sure to add them to your professional friend list so that you are able to maintain that line between social and professional.

Now that you’ve gone through this workflow for each group you’ve joined, you can now consider yourself to be an active member. So what’s next? Networking! Come back to each group often to post new links and videos, engage in discussions or start your own. You should also invite other existing contacts to join the group as a way to help spread the word and keep the group active. Also remember to befriend those with whom you’ve been active and take your professional relationship to the next level.
Once you have the basics down, professional networking on Facebook is very similar to professional networking in real life. The same rules and etiquette apply. As you build your professional network on Facebook you’ll be able to use those contacts for job hunting, business development, and more.

Conclusion

Although Facebook was built as a social network and most people treat it as such – there is a tremendous amount of professional value that can be gained there. Once you’re a member of a few groups and have completed the introductory workflow for each one, the professional value of Facebook should be evident and ready to be fully realized. Be creative, have fun, and remember: What you put into things is what you get out of them, so always try to stay active!
If you have any other tips for professional networking on Facebook, please share them in the comments.

How to Use Facebook: 5 Tips For Better Social Networking

2012-01-20T00:05:00.000+05:30

Facebook is a social networking site that is enormously popular, but it can be a frustrating user experience. The design of Facebook leaves a lot to be desired and there are almost too many choices for things to do on Facebook. Also some of the more popular Facebook activities are trivial instead of useful - throwing sheep is an oft-quoted example.
Having said that, there's no doubt that Facebook is a powerful social networking tool. So how can you best utilize it and find the good apps? In this post we aim to find out. We'll be focusing specifically on social activities, rather than the many other potential uses of Facebook (work, brand management, etc).

Tip 1: Update Your Status Regularly

This is a simple thing to do to keep your Facebook profile active. Right at the top of the page there is a place where you can "write something." Usually a comment about what you're doing or thinking. Once a day, or even once every few days, is enough. But update it enough to keep your page interesting.

Tip 2. Use Groups (a.k.a. Lists in Facebook Terminology)

Groups are a core feature of social networking on the Web. To effectively use Facebook, we recommend you set up some groups so that you can filter content. One person who does this very well is our own Marshall Kirkpatrick. Marshall says that he generally scans his Facebook homepage first, then clicks to his groups for family and old friends from school. He noted that "this way most of my time spent on Facebook isn't re-reading the same things I've already read on Twitter."

There is a bit of a trick to setting this groups feature up. Facebook calls this feature "lists," probably to differentiate them from its other Groups feature (which have been usurped by 'Pages' now). Confused? Get used to it, Facebook navigation is awful.
To set lists up for your Facebook account, go to your Facebook homepage and click the "more" link on the left-hand sidebar. You will see a link entitled "Create new list" at the bottom - click on that to create a new group.

Tip 3: Add Your Content From Other Sources (Carefully...)

In this day and age, you are likely creating content in more than a few places on the Web. This ranges from the extreme cases (early adopters who have personal RSS feeds coming out their ears), to those who may just use YouTube and a couple of other niche social websites.
Many early adopters use FriendFeed to aggregate their 'lifestream' of content from multiple sources. Facebook just bought FriendFeed, so expect to see it integrated into Facebook over time. As of now, if you have more than a few content sources and they aren't necessarily the well-known ones like YouTube or Last.fm, then you'll need to use FriendFeed or an equivalent lifestreaming product to aggregate those feeds. But if you find FriendFeed just a bit too geeky (and many people do), then you can adequately enrich your Facebook profile with external content.
One thing we'd caution, which this author took too long to notice: don't pipe your FriendFeed content into Facebook if you aggregate a lot of content into FriendFeed! It quickly overpowers your Wall and will likely annoy the friends you have who also subscribe to your FriendFeed.

To add external content to Facebook, on your Wall page click the 'Options' link on the top right. Then click 'Settings.'
You can then choose to "import stories" to your Facebook wall from a select number of sites: Flickr, Digg, YouTube and others.
You can add content from other external sources to Facebook by clicking the 'application settings page' link further down the page.

Tip 4: Brighten Up Your Profile With Photos and Videos

This almost goes without saying, but adding multimedia makes your Facebook profile interesting and attractive.

If instead of Facebook you usually use a specialist photo site (like Flickr) or video site (like Vimeo), then you'll need to search around for ways to export your files. I use Flickr and didn't find a satisfactory way to export photos from Flickr to Facebook's Photo albums. But via my Twitter network I managed to discovered a plug-in for iPhoto, which allows Mac users to bulk export from iPhoto to Facebook.

Tip 5: Search Out the Best Facebook Apps

Ever since Facebook became a development platform back in May 2007, thousands of apps have been built to add to your Facebook page. As noted in the introduction, these range from trivial (e.g. sheep throwing) to very useful. The best tip here is to find apps that complement your interests.

All About Twitter

2012-01-19T23:41:00.001+05:30

What is Twitter and How Can it Help Me?

Twitter is changing the way that many people connect and communicate online and should be an indispensable part of your overall marketing plan for your Squidoo Lenses, blogs and websites. Twitter is free to join and you can get set up with an account in a matter of just a few minutes.

Twitter has two main components. Just like social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook, you can add "followers" and follow other people as well. They'll receive your updates and you'll receive theirs.

What is unique is that your messages are limited just to 140 characters, which is why some people call it a "microblogging" tool. You have to keep your messages brief and to the point.

Sometimes it's a real challenge to get the point across in the allotted space, but it also leaves room for a lot of creativity! Coming up with ways to say what you have to say in that small space is part of the fun of Twitter. It makes you think about the core aspects of the message you are trying to convey. You may also find, like me, that it helps you write shorter reports and emails generally!

4 Ways Twitter Can Help Jumpstart Your Traffic!

Before you set up your account, let's go over a few of the ways that you can use Twitterr:

1. Getting traffic to your Squidoo Lenses, websites and blog posts - With a simple post to Twitter, you can have lots of readers come to your lens, blog or site. Even though feeds do the same thing, you can often find new readers on Twitter or remind current readers to re-visit your lens, blog or site.

2. Connecting with your readership - When you write, you're speaking to your readership from a distance. You write your lens or post, edit it and then post it. During all of these activities, you're removed from your audience. But when you use Twitter to communicate, it becomes a conversation. You can show more of your personality to your followers and truly communicate with them on a different level. This can get them more interested in you and your writings which will build more traffic over time.

3. Building your brand - In order to stand out amidst the large amount of Twitter accounts online, you need to develop a persona for people to connect to and identify with. You can further your branding by using a Twitter account. You need to figure out what makes you unique in your niche and then extend these differences between you and others in you Twitter posts. Decide what your persona or approach is and then make sure your Twitter posts reflect that.

4. Researching - With Twitter, your target market can be at your be at your fingertips. You can spy on their interests, ask them about their needs and automatically get ideas for your blog posts.

The advent of Twitter and other social networking sites, as well as the popularity of text messaging, have made short-form communication an everyday reality. But expressing yourself clearly in short bursts-particularly in the 140-character limit of Twitter-takes special writing skill.

In 140 Characters, Twitter co-creator Dom Sagolla covers all the basics of great short-form writing, including the importance of communicating with simplicity, honesty, and humor. For marketers and business owners, social media is an increasingly important avenue for promoting a business-this is the first writing guide specifically dedicated to communicating with the succinctness and clarity that the Internet age demands.

* Covers basic grammar rules for short-form writing

* The equivalent of Strunk and White's Elements of Style for today's social media-driven marketing messages

* Helps you develop your own unique short-form writing style

140 Characters is a much-needed guide to the kind of communication that can make or break a reputation online.

More Twitter Resources

How To Use Twitter Effectively

What Should You Be Tweeting About?

Many of us have taken on the social networks as marketing tools for our businesses. And in doing so, we have decided to use Twitter. Now we have accounts, at which we stare blankly.

What should we be tweeting about?

We have 140 characters to work with and while that seems easy, it can prove more difficult to provide a valuable post in 140 characters or less. We want to engage our audience, but the question then becomes how.

What should you be sharing with your followers? What is it that they want to see?

They want great conversation. Give them a statement worth replying to. Reply in kind and open the lines of communication.

They want to get to know the person behind the tweets. Give them the opportunity to get to know you, your personality, as well as your company and services.

They want links to great sites, videos or information. If you find it relevant and useful, chances are someone else will appreciate the resource as well.

They want a tweet worthy of sharing with their own followers. Whether that comes in the form of a particularly humorous quip or a great article you have read, give them something they can retweet.

While you want to engage your followers, they want to engage you as well. Don't be afraid to jump in and get involved yourself. Join in on the conversations, thank a fellow Twitterer for sharing a resource you found helpful. Retweet their posts as well.

In any good relationship there is balance, give and take. Don't ask anything of your audience that you are unwilling to give yourself. If you are afraid to take your social networking to the next level, don't expect that others will find you approachable and worthy of their time and effort.

Give them what they want and what you will get in turn will be invaluable to you and your business.

Using Twitter

Now that you know some of what Twitter can do for you, it's time to get your Twitter account set up. If you don't already have a Twitter account, head on over to Twitter. You register by using your e-mail address and picking a user name.

If you want to use Twitter in conjunction with your lenses or blog, you should use a user name that reflects them or do as I have done and use your real name!

Once you've registered, you'll need to upload a picture to use as your avatar. You can use a picture of yourself or an illustration that reflects your blog as your avatar. Make sure it's a clear picture and one that will show up well in a column with other pictures surrounding it.

On Twitter, you can search for other users and then request to follow their updates. Once someone approves you to follow them, more often than not they will choose to follow you as well. You can build your followers list by searching for keywords on the Twitter site that relates to your blog. If you find that the Twitter search function isn't working then use www.summize.com which shows you who is talking about a particular topic once you search on a keyword(s). This way you can build a list of followers that are interested in your topic. Once you start posting updates on Twitter about your blog, you'll automatically get more traffic.

When you join, you'll probably get follow requests as well from other users who are using the search tools. You can choose to follow these people if they seem interesting and that they could be a potential traffic source for your blog. Make sure that your follow list doesn't get too crowded.

Twitter works best when you can actually communicate with the people that you are following, and vice versa. If you crowd your list with thousands of people you may initially get more traffic but you'll lose out on many of the other benefits of using the site.

Before you get started with posting Twitter updates, you need to decide your primary purpose for using Twitter. If you're focused before you get started, you'll be able to produce better quality lenses or blog posts and get the right kind of traffic.

There are many different ways you can use Twitter, and everyone uses it a little bit different. Consider these different ways of using the platform when you decide how you're going to use it:

-To build your expertise and your authority in a niche

-To drive more traffic to your lenses, blogs, and websites

-To brand yourself

-To be more social with your readers

-To make your lenses and blogs more of a community experience

You can do all of this and more with your Twitter account, or you can choose just one aspect and run with that. Keep in mind though that if you decide that you're going to use it just to post links to your blog, you're going to be a bit disappointed.

Since Twitter is a social networking tool, people will quickly unsubscribe from your updates. On Twitter, people want to know more about you and see a more personal side of you. This is why it's such a powerful way to drive traffic to your blog.

How To Tweet - How To Post on Twitter

Tweeting Away

Let's next take a look at exactly how to go about using Twitter. What exactly is the language of Twitter? What does it mean to Tweet? All will be revealed!

There are a few different ways of posting on Twitter that you need to know about.

*First, there's a regular post. When you type in a message to Twitter and hit "update" it will be viewable by all the people who are following you.

*The next type of post is a reply. When you type in a regular message, people may reply to your post. You'll see your user name with the symbol @ before it when someone replies to your message. You can respond to other people the same way. You simply type @ and then their user name directly after that. Replies are viewable by everyone who is following you or the other person you are replying to.

*Finally, there' a direct message. If you want to send a private message to someone that no one else can see, you can send a direct message. To do so, simply type the letters dm with the person's user name. You'll receive messages from others on a special page of Twitter and be notified via e-mail when someone direct messages you.

How to Post for Success on Twitter

The most basic way of using Twitter to build traffic to your lens is to post updates on Twitter whenever you create or significantly update a lens or when you make a blog post. But there's so much more to Twitter than that. The Twitter site has one question and one question only - What are you doing? How you answer this question is completely up to you.

A lot of people simply post about what they are up to. You'll see a lot of posts like "Just finished eating lunch." or "Working on a project." But you'll also see a whole lot more. If you're having trouble answering the question "what are you doing" try thinking of it in terms of "what are you interested in" or "what has you attention."

To start out with, you'll want to post things that are related to you personally and not your blog directly. Remember, first and foremost Twitter is a social networking utility. People have a low tolerance for blatant advertising.

Here are some ideas for non-promotional related Twitter posts:

-Share information. You can post links related to your niche, or just interesting things you find around the Internet.

-Ask questions. You can increase your relationship with your followers by asking questions. Ask people what they ate for lunch, what they think of the latest news story or their opinion on a topic.

-Share your opinion. You can post links to recent news stories, especially those related to your niche, and offer your opinion.

-Post tips related to your niche. Add to the value of your twitter feed by sharing tips that aren't on your blog. 140 characters are a great space to share a short, helpful tip.

-Share links to other people's sites and explain your view.

When you do post a link to your blog, make sure to add more to your Twitter post than just the link. Explain what it's about and tell your audience what is coming next on your blog. This way you won't just be spamming your link all over the "Twittersphere."

Following the Etiquette of Twitter

All social networking sites have a certain etiquette that you need to follow, and Twitter is no different. Before you commit a Twitter faux-pas be sure to keep these rules in mind:

* Don't be a spam twit. When you post nothing but your blog posts, or posts to your other sites, your followers will lose interest fast. Don't spam your followers. Be sure to talk about something other than yourself so that you don't come across as a spammer.

* Respond to all replies. When someone replies to your message, make sure to respond to them to let them know you got their message. Since messages move so fast on Twitter, especially when you have a lot of followers, it can be difficult to keep up with replies. Fortunately, Twitter has a handy function that will track your replies for you. However, do keep in mind that if your replies start to become overly personal tone, make sure to use the dm function. You don't want to clutter up your follower's update feeds with your personal prejudices, opinions or rants!

* Don't use all caps in your updates. This is one of those general online etiquette tips that applies to Twitter as well.

* Check in from time to time with your account. Don't start a Twitter account only to check in with it every few days or once a week. Make it a part of your daily routine so you can connect with your followers.

* Don't post the same link more than once. If people are really interested in your blog and your links, they'll visit it the first time you post it. You don't need to post your link multiple times.

If this lense hasn't convinced you that Twitter is a great way to get traffic to your lenses, websites and blogs, you should try it out yourself. It's free and easy to use. You'll be suprised by how much traffic you'll build from this simple tool.

Top Ways Of Promotion Through Twitter

Everybody has heard about, seen and used social networking sites but a very few have thought of it as a viable business marketing tool. Why spend on advertising when you have your customers' are right there in front of you on these sites?

You can connect with them personally and grow your business. Twitter is the most popular of such social networking sites. While others such as facebook and orkut took time to establish themselves twitter was a hit from the beginning. People are glued to it worldwide and it can serve as a medium to expand your business.

HOW?

1) TAKE FROM IT-

Do a search to see if there is anything related to your product which is being discussed on twitter. Learn what expectations customers have from your product and what their core requirement is. Watch closely what others are doing wrong and avoid those mistakes. Use twitter as a research tool to look out for what to do in marketing for your product.

2) BACK KICK -

In twitter everything is in your face. You can use it to get feedback on your product. Use the positive responses to plan for the future and the very possible negative ones to stop making more mistakes. Negative responses can be very harsh and straightforward at times so you have to brace yourself for that. But this will help you ultimately.

3) CHAIN REACTION-

What you get from twitter is instant word of mouth publicity and references if your products or services are good. You have to start by contacting a few people at first. They will tell others about your business if they are impressed. This will eventually form a chain reaction. Always remember word of mouth is the best form of publicity.

4) INSTANT SERVICE-

On twitter you do not have to wait to get your discussion going. What you are doing now is sending emails, newsletters etc to your customers and hope for their response. Twitter dissolves this waiting part. Here everything is immediate. You contact your audience and instantly you will get your answers.

5) PROMOTIONAL TOOL-

Twitter is best for promoting your product. You just have to be consistent with your posts. Well written posts that inform clearly about your products can work wonders for your business.

6) FREE-

Best part of twitter is that it is absolutely free. You can do your promotion at no cost whatsoever.

Twitter has become a milestone in social networking today. It is a very useful marketing tool. Use it to connect with customers, update them with your services and have discussions on it. Take advantage of it as soon as possible because many others are doing the same.

How to Use Twitter Effectively!

There is a massive range of resources available to support Twitter and your tweeting. Let's take a look at them and you can decide which are going to help you with how you use Twitter

As previously mentioned, using Twitter allows you to connect with your readers in a new way. You can also gain new blog readers as well. When you use Twitter, you'll be able to tap into parts of your existing market that you weren't aware of before.

The first step in using Twitter to improve your lenses and blogs is to "listen" to other people by reading their updates. A lot of new Twitter marketers make the mistake of posting too much about themselves and not responding or paying attention to others. As long as you keep in mind that Twitter is a social tool and not just a traffic machine, you'll be able to keep things in perspective and pay attention to others.

Interact with other people, answer their questions and ask them questions back. This way you can become part of the community.

There's also another good reason for paying attention to what other people have to say on Twitter. If you add a lot of people to your follow list who are in your niche, pay attention to their problems, their questions and the type of things that they share. This can all be part of your niche research and you can incorporate what you find there in your blog or in the form of a new product. You'll find that your Twitter account can be a treasure trove for blog post ideas.

You can use the information that you find on Twitter to create blog posts that meet the needs of your readership. You can also address specific questions or concerns. You'll be surprised at what a great brainstorming tool your Twitter account can be. You'll read someone's update and then it will get the wheels turning for a blog post, or even a series of blog posts.

The next step to using Twitter effectively is to be useful to your followers. The information that you post should be relevant, helpful and interesting. Set yourself apart from the pack by finding interesting news stories that relate to your niche. Post tips related to your blog. But don't forget to be personal and connect with your followers. If you just burned your lunch, feel free to share it! You may start an interesting conversation.

Be sure to ask lots of questions! When you ask questions of your followers, you'll get a chance to hear what they have to say. Asking questions is a great way to source information for blog posts, or just to get to know those who are following you. Sometimes Twitter functions like a water cooler at work. Don't be afraid to have fun with your questions.

Another benefit of asking questions is that when people respond, it's like free advertising. They will reply to your question with the @ symbol and your user name. Other people who are following them but not you will see your user name and may join your followers list.

Finally, make sure that you get readers from your blog to follow your Twitter feeds. There are widgets that you can add to the sidebar of your blog, and you can remind people in your posts to follow you on Twitter.

How To Use Twitter

2012-01-19T23:39:00.001+05:30

Twitter is a way of connecting with other people who share your interests or who might be interested in what you have to say.

Please do not view it simply as a source of traffic for your Squidoo Lenses, Blogs or other Websites. Something new has happened online and if you are not making use of it, you are missing out.

That new thing I am talking about is Twitter.

Twitter, is a free service available at Twitter, and is essentially a combination of a microblogging tool and a social networking site.

Twitter is a great way to generate more traffic for your blog and through which to build a real relationship with your readers.

If you are brand new to Twitter, or even if you have been using the site for some time, you will find out in this lens how you could use it to generate traffic to your Squidoo Lenses and your blogs and open the doors to brand new subscribers.

Download your FREE Copy of How To Use Twitter Effectively by right clicking on the link and saving the PDF to your own computer.

You can watch a video- Click Here

How to do everything with google+

2012-01-19T23:37:00.001+05:30

Google+ shows you how to get started with the setup and use of the brand-new social network launched in July 2011 by Google. You’ll learn how to share content with specific social groups using Circles, view and share info on the Stream, video chat with multiple people in Hangouts, and manage interests in Sparks. Google+ has a totally unique way of establishing privacy controls and other settings. The book explains the setup and includes details on integration with other Google features like Gmail, chat, and photos.
How to Do Everything: Google+

Provides an overview of Google+ and shows how to create and extend profile information
Explains how to set up privacy controls from the start so you feel safe with what you share, and with whom
Contains details on setting up Circles to organize contacts according to real-life social connections
Offers tips on managing interests in Sparks for access to relevant videos, articles, and other features from around the web
Explains how to set up multi-user video chat with the Hangout feature
Describes how to manage data in the Stream and avoid unwanted “junk”
Covers using Google+ around the web and for business
Compares Google+ to Facebook and points out the unique capabilities of Google+
Shows how to take advantage of integration with other Google services like Picasa and Gmail

What is Google Docs and how does it work?

2012-01-19T23:27:00.000+05:30

Google docs works as a microsoft word document through internet connection and your all data will be recorded online your google account.

Increasingly, people are using mobile phones to access information -- from email to web browsing to editing documents. Part of getting work done on the go is being able to easily access, edit and share content, which is why we’re happy to announce the new Google Docs app for Android.

With this new app it’s easy to filter and search for your content across any Google account, then jump straight into editing docs using the online mobile editors. The app also allows you to easily share items with contacts on your phone, right from within the app.

The Docs app also allows you to upload content from your phone and open documents directly from Gmail. You can also add a widget to your home screen for easy access to three core tasks: jumping to your starred documents, taking a photo to upload, or creating a new document with one tap.

And my favorite feature: Using the app and your phone’s camera, you can turn photos with text into editable Google documents with the power of optical character recognition (OCR). Just create a new ‘Document from Photo' or select the camera icon from the widget, and your converted document will appear in your documents list shortly after you snap the picture. You can also convert photos already stored on your phone by sharing them with the Google Docs app. OCR does a pretty good job capturing unformatted text in English but won't recognize handwriting or some fonts - stay tuned, it will get better over time!

The Google Docs app is currently available in English and works on Android 2.1+ phones. Try it out by scanning the QR code below or by visiting Android Market.

Let us know what you think of the new Google Docs Android app in our forum.

How Google Docs Works

2012-01-19T23:26:00.000+05:30

Cloud computing -- a networked computer system that harnesses the resources of several servers to complete tasks and store data -- is shaping up to be the next big trend in the computing industry. Traditionally, only a few people could access the processing power of a supercomputer. With cloud computing, practically anyone could tap into that sort of power.
Since the debut of the personal computer, we've become used to storing information either on an external storage device like a compact disc or on a computer's hard drive. We're also conditioned to buy new machines or upgrade old ones whenever applications require more processing power than our current computers can provide. With cloud computing, the responsibility of storage and processing power falls to the network, not the individual computer owner.
Although it's a relatively young industry, many companies offer cloud computing services. One of those companies is Google. The Internet giant offers a suite of Web-based productivity applications under the name Google Docs. While these applications aren't as complex or comprehensive as the leading desktop counterparts, they have other advantages over traditional software.
The most obvious of these advantages is that the applications aren't tied to a specific computer. There's no need to download and install software on a particular machine. Any computer connected to the Internet can access Google Docs. Because each user saves information to the cloud system, he or she can access the same file from anywhere. Users don't have to worry about which version of a document is the most current -- it will always be saved in the Google cloud.
Another advantage is that multiple users can make edits to the same files at the same time. This is called online collaboration, and it could streamline teamwork over the Web. Because Google Docs preserves earlier versions of documents, there's no reason to worry about irrevocably changing a file. Collaborating on files might mean changing the way we think about document management. But it might also mean project managers can save time and effort.

How to Embed Youtube Videos in Powerpoint 2010

2012-01-19T23:22:00.001+05:30

You are making a presentation for your business, and want to show some video demos to the viewers from YouTube, YouTube is the biggest source for almost any topic, you can make your presentation more professional by inserting some example videos. But unfortunately there is no such an option to embed the YouTube videos in earlier PowerPoint versions. Now it’s introduced in the PowerPoint 2010 version. So let us see how to embed a YouTube in the PowerPoint presentation.
It is very simple process, all you need to have is the URL of the YouTube video, now see further..

Embed YouTube Videos Powerpoint 2010 :

1) Go to Insert menu and click on Video > Video from Website .
2) Now a dialogue box will appear just paste the YouTube video URL ( Not Embed Code ) there.
3) That’s it. Your done.
So you learned how to embed YouTube Videos in PowerPoint 2010, let me know if you have any problems or questions on Powerpoint in the comments section below.

How to Put Youtube Video Clip to your PowerPoint Presentations

2012-01-19T23:21:00.000+05:30

It depends whether you will present your PowerPoint presentation with Internet connected or not. Different situations require different approaches.
So, this tutorial was divided into two parts.

(1) Play YouTube Video Online in PowerPoint with Internet Access

You simply have to know the URL of the YouTube video (e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AnQbSPWRmI) you like and then insert it to the very slide you want.

Solution One

In PowerPoint 2007
Step 1: Click the Office icon in the top left corner and then click PowerPoint Options. Enable the Developer menu tab by checking the box next to Show Developer tab in the Ribbon on the Popular tab and click OK.
Step2: Click on the Developer tab on the menu ribbon and click the More Controls button.
Step3: Choose Shockwave Flash Object from the list of controls and click OK.

Step4: Use mouse to draw a box on the slide where you want to add the YouTube video. Right-click the box and choose Properties.
Step5: On the YouTube page with the video you want to add to your slideshow, copy the URL (located in the box, not the address line) from the sharing area.
Step6: Paste the YouTube URL in the box labeled Movie on the Property Pages box in PowerPoint. You'll need to make a few changes to your URL to make it work.EG:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hChq5drjQl4
Step7: Replace the phrase watch?v= to v/, and now the address become
http://www.youtube.com/v/hChq5drjQl4.

Step8: Close the Properties tab when everything is done. Preview (Run) your slideshow to verify these steps worked and you should see the YouTube video appear in the slide you pasted it on. The video will not appear in PowerPoint edit mode. Done!

Accordingly, if you have PowerPoint 2003 and earlier versions, go to View -> Toolbars -> select "Control Toolbox".

Solution Two

You may find that the process above is a little complex. Then you can refer to the second solution below to add your Youtube video using an add-in named Youtube Video Wizard.
Step1: Download the YouTube Wizard from http://skp.mvps.org/youtube.htm. You should pay attention to that you need to download different zipped package for PowerPoint 2003 or PowerPoint 2007.

Step2: Extract the contents of the zip to a folder. Then follow the Installation Instructions on http://skp.mvps.org/youtube.htm to add the add-in to your PowerPoint.
I have PowerPoint 2007. After doing this, I can get a new choice named "Youtube video" when selecting the Insert tab on the menu ribbon.

Step3: Find the URL (located in the box, not the address line) for the video you chose from the sharing area. Then follow the wizard of the new add-in to insert Youtube video to your presentation.

You are also allowed to resize as well as reposition the player anywhere on the slide.

(2) Play YouTube Videos in PowerPoint without Internet Access

The approach in the first part works great if only the presentation have Internet connected.
What can we do if we do not have internet access when presenting?
You may take this solution.
Minor premises:
->> Have no internet access when presenting.
->> PowerPoint supports adding many different types of movies, including AVI, MPEG, and WMV.
->> YouTube videos are Flash movie (FLV) or MP4 formats by default.
->> PowerPoint doesn’t understand flash FLV files.
Therefore, you need to

Step1: Download and save Youtube video as WMV or AVI format to your local drive and then use online conversion service or some video converter to do this.
You may download a free Youtube downloader to download your favorite video movies, which is also FLV converter that allows you to convert your FLV video to other formats.
http://www.flash-on-tv.com/free-youtube-downloader.html

Below are some recommended online converting websites. You may choose any one to work for you.
http://vixy.net/
http://www.zamzar.com/url/
http://www.mediaconverter.org/
http://all2convert.com/download-video-youtube.html

Step2: After getting the video on your computer, go to Insert -> Movie –> "Movie from file" to embed the YouTube video in the slide you want if you have PowerPoint 2007.
If you have PowerPoint 2003, select Insert menu, point to Movies and Sounds, and then click Movie from File.

Step3: Choose the movie you saved and click OK. Then you will be prompted to choose how you want the movie to start in the slide show, Automatically or When clicked. Automatically is recommended. Completely done!

Basic software and application needed and how to use a computer for a new user.

2012-01-19T23:18:00.000+05:30

To download pictures from your digital camera onto the computer, get Windows Live Photo Gallery. This software can also upload your photos to our common family Flickr account so everyone gets to see your pictures even though we are several hundred miles away from you.

If the computer is not able to play your huge collection of DVD movies, you're probably missing some codecs (don't worry about the term) - just download the VLC player and the DVDs will play just fine.

You should also get Live Mesh - it will allow us to share files and documents with each other privately plus you can use Mesh to backup important files onto the cloud (I mean the web).
I am almost always available for chat on Google Talk but if some of your online friends use other chat software (like Yahoo! Messenger or AOL), you can easily connect with them through Miranda or, if you don't want to install any software, use Meebo.
Another thing - do open an account at PayPal and link it to your main credit card as this will make online shopping easier. If you ever have a problem with PayPal or something isn't clear, just call their toll-free 1-800 support number from your browser using Gizmo.

If your current voice plan is too expensive, I suggest that you download Skype - it lets you make calls from the computer to any landline or mobile phone at much cheaper rates. We can also use Skype to have video chats on weekends but if you don't find me online, just send me a video email with Eyejot.
If you have newspaper clippings, bill receipts and business cards lying in the closet, just take a picture of them separately using the camera of your mobile phone and transfer them to the computer with Evernote - it will turn your "paper" documents into digital format that is always so easy to find and manage.
When planning a movie or weekend dinner with friends, you can send all of them a quick reminder for the event via phone and SMS for free using Notifu. If you're inviting people at home for a party, head-over to sites like VideoJug.com, SuTree or 5min.com for new ideas about food, cocktails, party games, etc.
If you ever need to fax a document somewhere, just go to FaxZero, upload the document and fax it for free. FaxZero is only available for fax numbers of US or Canada but for international numbers, you may try eFax.
You can also consider dropping those magazine subscriptions that are delivered by snail mail - switch to Zinio instead that delivers the same magazine but in digital format.
As far as I remember, you're currently using an unlimited data plan for the Internet but if that's not true, get BitMeter - it will help you visually monitor your bandwidth usage so you never exceed the plan limit. You may also want to download FlashGet for downloading big files from the Internet.
If you notice carefully, some websites add an orange colored icon in the browser address bar (go to cnn.com to see a live example) - this icon means that you can get updates about new articles posted on that site automatically without having to visit the site again and again. If that's the case, go to Feed My Inbox and type the address of that website - you'll be notified automatically via email.
When browsing the web, you'll frequently come across photographs, web pages and videos that you'll want to share with us (your family members) - you could either send the link in a group mail or better still, simply create an account at Tumblr and start saving all the "interesting" stuff there.
And if you ever find yourself spending too much time on the computer, get RescueTime to know about websites where you spend most of your time.
There are a few other things that I want to do on your computer like installing a hosts file and configuring OpenDNS so that sites load quickly on your machine. These however require some geeky knowledge so I will try configuring them from here itself via CrossLoop - a remote desktop access tool.

You should create two email accounts one Gmail.com - share the primary email address with your friends and family but for everything else (like the newsletter and shopping deal alerts) always use the secondary email address. If you come across a site that requires registration, generate a temporary email address from 10MinuteMail.com and enter without sharing your main email.
With so many websites around, you'll soon find it very hard to remember all those passwords so get into the habit of putting down all the different passwords into KeepPass from day one.
If you plan to carry this laptop in public places (like the Library), get this Laptop Alarm software that will emit a loud sound if someone tries to shut down your computer or remove the power cable. Laptop thefts are not so uncommon after all.
The trial version of Microsoft Office on your computer will expire after 60 days so you may completely uninstall that software and switch over to Google Docs - it has all the basic feature you would need in an Office suite including templates for tracking expenses and utility bills. You can use your primary Gmail address to log into Google Docs.
Sometimes your friends will send you documents, images or video clips that won't open on your computer - that's because you don't have the right viewer software on your machine. You can simply go to zamzar.com and convert the file into some simple format (like avi for video, jpg for images, doc for documents, mp3 for songs, etc.) that you computer can play/open.
If the computer contains too many programs that you'll rarely or never use, get the Revo Uninstaller to get rid of such programs permanently. To free up additional space on the hard drive, use WinDirStat to learn about file folders that are occupying the maximum space on your computer and delete the unnecessary files.
Be very careful when deleting files on your computer but if you ever delete something important accidently, Recuva may help you recover all those erased files. It even works with the memory card of your digital camera.

Adobe PDF files and their uses.

2012-01-19T23:13:00.000+05:30

Adobe PDF is the best format for sharing documents because they are compact, the formatting is preserved and most computers / mobile devices / ebook readers can easily handle PDF files.
Here you'll learn how to do just about everything with PDF documents without buying Adobe Acrobat. You can edit PDF files, combine multiple files as one, add signature images to PDF pages, fill PDF forms online, add clickable hyperlinks to existing PDF documents and so much more.

Adobe PDF Guide and Tutorial

Q: How do I create PDF documents on my computer without Adobe Acrobat?
A: Get a copy of DoPDF - it installs as a virtual printer driver on your desktop just like Acrobat and lets you print PDF files from any Windows application including images, documents, emails, websites, etc.
Q: Not wanted to install software just for converting a bunch of documents to PDF. Do you know of any alternative?
A: Upload your documents to Google Docs via the browser and then export them as PDF files. Simple.
Q: A client just sent me a PowerPoint presentation by email. Since I am travelling without the laptop and my mobile phone cannot read PPT files, what should I do?
A: Forward that email message (with the PPT attachment) to pdf@koolwire.com - they'll convert the presentation to PDF and email it back to you immediately. Most smartphones and web enabled mobile phones can read PDF files.
Q: How do I directly save a web page as PDF without having to save that page as an HTML file first?
A: Go to PrimoPDF, type the URL of the web page and they'll send you a PDF version of that page via email.
Q: How can I convert PDF files into other formats like Word documents, images, HTML web pages, etc.
A: You can upload the PDF document to Zamzar and convert it any formats like doc, html, png, txt or rtf (rich text format). Alternatively, you can convert PDF to HTML using Gmail.
Q: How do I create a single PDF package by merging files of different formats.
A: Try Loop PDF - it's a free service that lets you combine multiple documents, images and even web pages into a single PDF file.
Q: How do I merge two or more PDF files into one? Can I also change the page order?
A: You can grab PDF Fill - it's a versatility PDF editing tool that lets you combine PDFs from the desktop. PDF Fill can also help you rearrange pages in any order or for rotating pages inside a PDF.
Q: I want to extract some text from a PDF and use it in my Word document. What is the best option?
A: Go to PDFTextOnline and upload your PDF - it will extract text from the first 10 pages of your PDF document (to start) and will also show the PDF bookmarks, document properties, and form data (if available).
Q: I can't get the above trick to work since I have a scanned PDF.
A: You can extract text from scanned PDF documents with Google Search. It's not an instant process but probably the only free solution we know of.
Q: I have some restricted PDF documents on my computer in the sense that they neither allow printing nor can you select text with the mouse.
A: Get the PDF Unlocker - its a free Windows utility that will remove all common restrictions around a PDF file without requiring any passwords. Alternatively, you may use the online service at ensode.net that will remove all the printing or copying/pasting related restrictions from your PDF.
Q: Some PDF files on our company's intranet are protected by a password that no one can remember anymore. Can we still open them?
A: Check this article - How to Open Password Protected PDF
Q: I am looking for a service that would let visitors download my articles as PDF files.
A: Add the Web2PDF button anywhere in your website - it converts web pages to PDF files on demand and also keeps a track of all PDF conversion related activities on your website.
Q: Someone sent me a PDF document in Chinese but I can read only English?
A: You can easily translate PDF files using Google Translate and Zoho Viewer.
Q: How can I add annotations or text notes to some of my PDF documents?
A: Get the PDF-X Viewer - it's like Adobe Reader but with some extra features. You can add comments, annotations or even paste images to your PDF pages. You can also add annotations, call-outs and text to your PDFs online with PDF Escape.
Q: How do I read PDF files online without desktop software?
A: You can open PDF documents in the browser with PDFMeNot without requiring any software. See more options.
Q: Can I fill PDF forms online without Acrobat Reader?
A: Sure, go to PDF Filler, upload the PDF form and start typing. PDF typewriter works by converting PDF forms into images and allowing the user to type right on top of the images.
Q: How can I add watermarks or even my (real) signature to a PDF document?
A: First draw your signature in Paint (or other photo editing tool) and save it as an image. Make sure you crop all the blank portion that lies outside the signature. Now open the PDF document inside PDF-X Viewer and copy-paste that watermark / signature image. Simple.
Q: I have a PDF book that contains some 200 pages. Is there a way to extract selected pages from that book and save it as another PDF.
A: You can either PDF Merge or PDF SAM (split and merge) to extract pages from a PDF document.
Q: How can I protect my PDF documents with a password?
A: Upload your PDF file to PDF Hammer, set a security password and export it as PDF again.
Q: A PDF document has lot of links but I can't click them as they are in plain text. How do I make them clickable?
A: Go to PDF Escape, upload the PDF and then place hyperlinks anywhere on the page.
Q: Which online service(s) would you recommend for uploading PDF files on the web?
A: My favorite is Issuu - they have built an excellent PDF viewer inside a beautiful interface. You can also use Issuu to embed PDF files in your own website. Next recommendation is Scribd - it's a more popular service so your PDF document would get more eye balls.

How to make a PDF File ?

2012-01-19T23:10:00.000+05:30

There are few steps to be followed to make a PDF (Protected Document File).
Step 1. You should have a google account, if not then create it as gmail etc.
Step 2. The log in into your gmail account.
Step 3. Click more and go to google docs.
Step 4. Create a new document and then save it.

Step 5. Now go to file menu on google docs and the click save and download as click as pdf and download it to you computer.

How to convert PowerPoint presentation

2012-01-19T22:58:00.000+05:30

This page describes how to use PPT To Video Scout to convert PowerPoint presentation into video file (WMV or AVI). WMV and AVI video files can be played by most mobile devices, hardware dvd players so if you want to show your PowerPoint presentation on computers or mobile devices where PowerPoint is not installed or not supported then you should convert presentation into AVI or WMV video file.
Since version 1.20 PPT To Video Scout is capable of converting into WMV and AVI video movies.
This tutorial will guide you through PPT to AVI, WMV video conversion process. PPT To Video Scout integrates itself into PowerPoint so you can convert PPT into WMV or AVI video by simply using File menu in PowerPoint.

First download and install PPT To Video Scout

Now start PowerPoint and open presentation:

Now simply open File menu and select "Convert To AVI" command as shown below:

PowerPoint will start Bytescout PPT To Video conversion wizard:

Click Next button to enter next page

Change output video file name and video format (if required) and click Next button

This page provides settings for slide show mode for presentation conversion. You can change settings to automatically change slides after predefined delay so you can automate entire conversion process.
Click Next button to switch to next page
Change default resolution (width and height) and frame rate for output video file (if needed):

Click Next to get Audio Recording page options:

Uncheck Sound Recording checkbox if you don't want to record sound from converted presentation.
Please note that you should not run another sound players during conversion because their sound output can be captured as well.
Click Next to start conversion:
PPT To Video Scout now will convert your PowerPoint presentation into video:

Click Next to show next slide
When conversion is done you'll see final page with:

Click Close and program will launch produced video file in default video player:

You can watch video- Click Here