A simple way to export all your Instagram photos to other social services or your local hard drive.

This works!

← When Techies Do Marketing

A Box You Want to Uncheck on LinkedIn

August 10, 2011 by Steve Woodruff 81 Comments

Apparently, LinkedIn has recently done us the “favor” of having a default setting whereby our names and photos can be used for third-party advertising. A friend forwarded me this alert (from a friend, from a friend…) this morning.

Devious. And I expect that you, like me, don’t want to participate.

This graphic shows you how to Uncheck The Box (click to biggify):

1. Click on your name on your LinkedIn homepage (upper right corner). On the drop-down menu, select “Settings”.

2. From the “Settings” page, select “Account*”.

3. In the column next to “Account”, click “Manage Social Advertising” .

4. De-select the box next to “LinkedIn may use my name, photo in social advertising” .

Nice try, LinkedIn. But, no thanks!

*UPDATE: After you finish with Account, check the new default settings under E-mail Preferences (such as Partner InMails); and Groups, Companies & Applications (such as Data Sharing with 3rd-party applications). It’s a Facebook deja vu!

————-

Hire Steve Woodruff  if your identity and message need clarity (personal or company Brand Therapy)

Recent posts on Connection Agent:

>> When Techies do Marketing

>> Purpose-built Networks

Subscribe to the Connection Agent blog via Reader (RSS) | via e-mail

Twitter: @swoodruff | @ConnectionAgent

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Filed under Networked Communications, Networking, Social Media Tagged with connection agent, LinkedIn, privacy, Steve Woodruff

About Steve Woodruff
Steve Woodruff is a blogger, a Connection Agent, and a consultant in the pharma/healthcare industry. He specializes in helping people and companies make mutually beneficial connections.

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5 bloggers like this post.

81 Responses to A Box You Want to Uncheck on LinkedIn

1. Gabriele Maidecchi (@maidoesimple) says:

   August 10, 2011 at 10:47 am

   Wow, it indeed feels like Facebook all over again. Thanks for the tips.

   Reply
2. Emily Leary (@EmLeary) says:

   August 10, 2011 at 11:07 am

   Shocking. Doing it now. And yes, total Facebook flashback. You think LinkedIn would learn from the mistakes of others, wouldn’t you?

   Reply
3. Lisa Creech Bledsoe says:

   August 10, 2011 at 11:10 am

   Hate it when stuff like that gets by me, ugh. Just went and changed mine, too — wouldn’t have been able to find this setting without your screenshots, either. Thanks for a very useful post, Steve!

   Reply
4. Ross Brown says:

   August 10, 2011 at 11:16 am

   Thank you for this news, Steve.

   Not cool, LinkedIn. Not cool.

   Reply

5. Pingback: A Box You Want to Uncheck on LinkedIn « Connection Agent

6. Cory Huff says:

   August 10, 2011 at 11:22 am

   Thanks for the heads up. Low move, LinkedIn. Not cool.

   Reply
7. killian schaffer (@kschaffs) says:

   August 10, 2011 at 11:23 am

   Did an announcement go out on this? I missed any notification?

   Reply
   • Alison says:

     August 10, 2011 at 7:44 pm

     I’ve been wondering that myself, I don’t recall seeing one but I also tend to disregard a lot of notification-type emails.

     Reply
8. JPlovesCOTTON says:

   August 10, 2011 at 11:28 am

   Great post — thanks for helping us all find the new setting.

   Reply
9. Lori Randall Stradtman says:

   August 10, 2011 at 11:29 am

   Outrageous!! I expected this kind of chicanery from Facebook, but not LinkedIn. *sigh*

   Thanks so much for this notification and tutorial! I’m sharing it immediately.

   Reply

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11. Steve Woodruff says:

    August 10, 2011 at 11:34 am

    I heard about through a message from a connection – I don’t know if LInkedIn ever announced it (why would THAT be a surprise?) Maybe once the IPO is done ideas like this seem like an OK move – methinks the rest of us don’t agree!

    Reply

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13. Brian says:

    August 10, 2011 at 11:45 am

    I can’t see why it is so bad…

    Reply
14. Software Candy (@softwarecandy) says:

    August 10, 2011 at 11:49 am

    3 things come immediately to mind:

    1. LinkedIn recently had an IPO.
    2. YGWYPF
    3. LinkedIn’s legal agreement with users.

    You can connect the dots however you like…

    Steve, thank you for an excellent and very useful post.

    Reply
15. Ryan L says:

    August 10, 2011 at 12:05 pm

    In a world where all the SM types are so big on “engagement” and “credibility because it’s tied to individuals,” you’d think people wouldn’t have a problem having their image or name next to a company or product that they have already endorsed or followed. Why be upset or outraged? If you cared enough to “like,” “endorse,” or promote a product or company, why would you care if that company used your name or image to do the same in a broader sense?

    If anything, you’re spreading your name to other people and expanding your network enabling you to “engage” and “connect” with more people.

    Reply
    • Zack R says:

      August 10, 2011 at 1:12 pm

      Because:

      1- LinkedIn turned “on” this feature without the users’ explicit agreement, which is the equivalent of using their data (name, photo) without their consent, and that’s illegal; and,

      2- just because a user endorses a product doesn’t mean that they also endorse their data being used for an advertising campaign they get zero revenue from.

      Or, to put it simply, if they’re going to use my name and photo to advertise something, I’d want them to at least have the courtesy to ask me first, and maybe pay me for it too since other people are going to be making money from that campaign.

      Reply
      • Steve Woodruff says:

        August 10, 2011 at 2:53 pm

        Zack – exactly!

16. MekQuarrie says:

    August 10, 2011 at 12:22 pm

    Thanks. Spotted your article on G+. Turned off necessary spam. (I do like conference invites though…)

    Reply
17. Intelligent Challenge says:

    August 10, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    Nice find – I figured I had my social media privacy pretty well sorted, but that one sneaked under the radar. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
18. Ken Pryor says:

    August 10, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    Thank you very much for this tip. Had no idea they had done this, so I appreciate you sounding the alarm, so to speak.

    Reply
19. PL says:

    August 10, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    I love you, thank you. I work for a very large retail corporation and have sent this out to a very large number of folks. Not as “OMG IM PISSED”, but more of an FYI they did this without your consent.

    Reply

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22. Pingback: Why Facebook- and now Linked like your picture! « Geek in the Web

23. Tom Jamieson says:

    August 10, 2011 at 12:46 pm

    Thanks for sharing this information. done, done, and done!

    Reply
24. summerseale says:

    August 10, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    Thank you for the wonderful article and tip.

    Just one major critique: “biggify” is completely incorrect.

    The correct term is “embiggen”, which is a perfectly cromulent word.

    Reply
    • Steve Woodruff says:

      August 10, 2011 at 3:07 pm

      Thanks for critiquifying!

      Reply
      • jake says:

        August 10, 2011 at 3:32 pm

        LOL seems like summerseale has no sense of humor

    • Raq says:

      August 10, 2011 at 3:58 pm

      Wrod.

      Reply
25. Ann says:

    August 10, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    *goes uncheck some boxes* Thanks for the tip!

    Reply
26. Greg Ostravich says:

    August 10, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    So lame they did this. I guess the revenue they make out does the bad will they’ve just created with their user base by doing this? I don’t use LinkedIn much and am debating if I should quit it. Already used your tips to protect my privacy; thanks for posting this.

    Reply
27. NLP Training says:

    August 10, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    Thanks…worked a treat. If they want my picture they’ll have to pay for it.

    Reply
28. Tom Redwine (@TomRedwine) says:

    August 10, 2011 at 1:46 pm

    Thanks for passing this along, Steve, and I’m passing along to my Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn friends as well.

    Reply
29. Zos Kia says:

    August 10, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    Thank you.

    Reply

30. Pingback: LinkedIn: A cautionary tale « NHR Transition

31. Karen Montana says:

    August 10, 2011 at 2:17 pm

    Thanks for the heads up, Steve! Implementing this without consent is a big no-no in my book. And by the way, I like the word “biggify”…think I’ll add it to my vocab…LOL!

    Reply
    • Steve Woodruff says:

      August 10, 2011 at 2:54 pm

      Thankify for coming by!

      Reply

32. Pingback: LinkedIn Wants Your Privacy! « Impactiviti blog

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34. Don Platon says:

    August 10, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    Add my name to the list of people grateful you posted this so quickly!

    Reply
35. Lisa Marie Mary says:

    August 10, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    Thank you so much for this!

    Reply
36. theactivechatRobert Eby says:

    August 10, 2011 at 3:08 pm

    Great info. Learning all the time, while looking for employment, entry level, in the social media field..

    Reply
37. Bart Grootveld says:

    August 10, 2011 at 3:09 pm

    Hi, there is an easier way for this. Just visit; https://www.linkedin.com/settings/social-advertising

    All done!

    Bart Grootveld

    Reply
38. Shawn says:

    August 10, 2011 at 3:18 pm

    Cheers, i’m getting flattened with spam all over the place lately. good on ya mate.

    Reply
39. Rob Golbeck (@robgolbeck) says:

    August 10, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    Thanks for the info. Just goes to show it’s good idea to keep an eye on your settings every now and then….

    Reply
40. Gary says:

    August 10, 2011 at 3:33 pm

    Thanks for the heads up, I’ve closed my account as I’d rather not keep having to do this every time they think of a new feature and automatically enabling it. If it’s such a good feature I’ll hear about it from colleagues and opt-in myself.

    Reply
41. Paulo says:

    August 10, 2011 at 3:55 pm

    Thanks for the heads up Steve!

    Reply
42. Bhavin Gandhi says:

    August 10, 2011 at 3:59 pm

    Hey Steve,

    Thanks for the heads-up. Though I use LinkedIn on daily basis, I wouldn’t have figured out this catch with your help.

    Thanks again – Bhavin Gandhi

    Reply
43. Joel Ungar (@JoelUngar) says:

    August 10, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    Saw this from a tweet on someone I follow – thanks for pointing it out!

    Reply
44. peter donegan says:

    August 10, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    thank you. and done.

    i dont use them for advertising so…. fairs fair

    Reply

45. Pingback: So suddenly you find yourself in an ad for their sister site, KinkedIn | Druid's Glass

46. Richard Holliday (@rholliday) says:

    August 10, 2011 at 4:09 pm

    The 3rd party application setting is most likely for when you link things like Klout to your account, I’d imagine.

    Reply
47. John says:

    August 10, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    Thanks Steve. Really quite amazing what LinkedIn is trying to pull off here.

    Reply
48. marian b says:

    August 10, 2011 at 4:15 pm

    What a sneaky tactic! Thanks for exposing it.

    Reply
49. Paul S Allen says:

    August 10, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    Thanks Steve, good to know and to fix. Shame that LinkedIn have reverted to facebook privacy tactics.

    Reply

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51. Pingback: LinkedIn quietly sells your info « Mark Turner dot Net

52. Nic0 says:

    August 10, 2011 at 4:35 pm

    Nice to know, thanks indeed…

    Reply
53. Laurent says:

    August 10, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    How is this not illegal…..Using a user’s photo that was taken by that person’s colleague or friend…wouldn’t that break Copyright and Legal release?

    Wouldn’t they need consent from the person who took the photo and the person in the photo?

    Reply
54. michellebeckham (@michellebeckham) says:

    August 10, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    Steve,

    Thanks for the heads-up. I have shared this with my network on FB, Twitter & Google+. Oh yeah, and LinkedIn!

    Reply
55. mikisaxon says:

    August 10, 2011 at 5:03 pm

    Steve, Dennis D. McDonald posted a link to your post on LinkedIn Bloggers and I immediately went to fix it.

    However, that setting doesn’t appear on my basic account, which makes no sense to me. I cna’t imagine LinkedIn would not apply it to the vast numbers of free members.

    Here is what shows on my account,

    PRIVACY CONTROLS

    Turn on/off your activity broadcasts
    Select who can see your activity feed
    Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile
    Select who can see your connections
    Change your profile photo & visibility

    Can someone tell me what am I missing?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Steve Woodruff says:

      August 10, 2011 at 5:41 pm

      I’ve had some people report not seeing these settings, and often it’s mentioned that it’s a free (non-premium) account. I cannot say for certain if that is universal, or exactly who/who does not have these settings.

      Reply
      • Jack Repenning (@jrep) says:

        August 10, 2011 at 5:52 pm

        The settings are right where you describe them on *my* free account, so whatever’s going on here, it’s not as simple as “not in free.”

    • rcmckee says:

      August 10, 2011 at 5:48 pm

      You’re looking at the Profile tab (far left column, top).

      You want to be looking at the Account tab (far left column, bottom).

      I did the same thing for a few minutes. The OP on this, while extremely useful, isn’t entirely clear on that point.

      Reply
      • mikisaxon says:

        August 10, 2011 at 6:00 pm

        I’m sure it’s me, but the Profile I’m looking at is at the bottom…

        Profile
        Email Preferences
        Groups, Companies & Applications
        Account

        and the white ‘box’ extending from it has the “Privacy Controls” (an oxymoron if I ever heard one:)

        Perhaps you or @jrep could be more explicit for the dummies like me.

56. qrrealtytag says:

    August 10, 2011 at 5:03 pm

    Thanks for the update…QRrealtyTag

    Reply
57. MrMacvos says:

    August 10, 2011 at 5:04 pm

    Thanks! Good tip.

    Reply
58. drstevelewis says:

    August 10, 2011 at 5:08 pm

    Does Linked In actually work?

    Reply
59. JOHN L EVANS says:

    August 10, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    LI have been using people’s information without their permission for years – I was once cited in a campaign suggesting that terrorists could learn about you and steal your identity on line – as if!!?

    Why get worked up about this – they won’t be paying you if you untick the box and it won’t stop them publishing your details as you agree by signing up.

    Cheers John

    Reply
60. Cathy Cleary says:

    August 10, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    Thank you!

    Reply
61. raincoaster says:

    August 10, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    Thanks, this is very useful.

    Reply
62. Allen Johnson says:

    August 10, 2011 at 6:51 pm

    I just closed my LinkedIn account. TBH, in spite of the thousands of network acquaintances related to my profile, I never used it for anything but a online ‘who is’. Now that I have been using Google+, I am convinced it can be used to promote better by contributions. This is enough for me to maintain a personal/professional bio and link any commercial sites I want to cross promote.

    Reply
    • Antony says:

      August 10, 2011 at 8:32 pm

      I’ve unchecked it. I have been building my G+ account, but think it may take some time before it outstrips LI for professional connections (with context)

      Reply

63. Pingback: LinkedIn May Use My Name and Photo in Social Advertising – NOT | StepForth Web Marketing Inc.

64. Kristen says:

    August 10, 2011 at 8:16 pm

    Wow, I had no idea about this! Thanks for the heads up.

    Reply

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66. Dave says:

    August 10, 2011 at 8:32 pm

    Old news, but thanks anyway.

    Reply

67. Pingback: They Learned They Could Get Away With It | The Many Faces of Mike McBride

68. jeffwaddington says:

    August 10, 2011 at 9:12 pm

    Appreciate the tip!

    Reply

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• July 25, 2011
• 1 Comment

How to Customize Google+

These 16 Greasemonkey scripts, Chrome Extensions, Firefox Add-ons, and other browser plug-ins can alter your Google social networking experience.

By Jill Duffy

• 1diggdigg Share7

Not crazy about Google's design choices for Google+? Using scripts for Greasemonkey, Extensions for Chrome, Firefox Add-ons, and other browser plug-ins, you can make some pretty wild changes to the look and feel of the site. You can also take a more utilitarian route and take advantage of code that can translate posts from directly within Google+ or port all your Facebook photos to Google+ Photo (i.e., Picasa), where storage is virtually unlimited if you have a Google+ account (photos 2048 x 2048 pixels and smaller don't count toward your 1GB allowance).

Check out these 16 scripts and tools that modify or enhance Google+

1. Google Plus Header Hider (Mozilla) hides the black bar at the top of the screen. Hover over it to bring it back.

2. Google+ Enhancer (Mozilla) adds the number of unread items in Gmail, Reader, and Calendar to the black bar.

3. Google+ Manager (Firefox) and Goo Plus Manager (Chrome) gives you keyboard shortcuts and a table that outlines them all, as well as adding a translation button next to every post.

4. Google Plus Tweaks (Mozilla; also available for Chrome) hides Google+ functions or features that you don't use, expands the page to the full screen width, and lets you toggle comments, preview images on roll-over, and more.

5. Adhik (Safari, Chrome) is somewhat similar to Google Plus Tweaks, streamlining the look and general experience of Google+ with design modifications that focus on the content being shared by people in your Circles. Notice in the image the "linen" background and how posts are more prominently boxed off.

6. Google+ Commander (Mozilla) lets you add keyboard shortcuts for sharing, plus-one-ing, commenting, displaying notifications, and jumping between your homepage, profile, photos, and Circles.

7. Fixed Google+ Notification Bar (Mozilla) freezes the Google+ notification bar for quicker access to notifications and other features on Google Plus and Google Search. Two variations are included: only that freezes the right part of the bar, and one that freezes the entire bar.

8. G+ Friends First (Mozilla) shows your friend stream by default when Google+ first loads.

9. Google Plus Auto Pager (Mozilla) auto-selects the "More" button at the bottom of posts on a profile page, letting you scroll through more updates faster.

10. Nicknames For Google Plus (Mozilla) lets you add nicknames and icons to your contacts in Google Plus, using a Google Doc spreadsheet. (Note that the original spreadsheet adds nicknames for existing users whom you may not know or want to follow. The second link provides details on creating your own spreadsheet.) 11. Show full size links to Google Plus album photos (Mozilla) gathers links to full-sized photos being previewed on a Google+ album page via a button in the menu bar.

12. Google+Facebook (for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome)—currently in dispute with Facebook and not supported at present--adds a Facebook icon to your Google+ page to the left of the home icon that displays your Facebook feed. This plug-in worked at first until Facebook pulled the plug on it. We can't guarantee that service will resume.

13. Surplus (Chrome)

The toolbar offers plenty of useful functionality, but unlike Mary's little lamb it simply doesn't follow us everywhere we go. Pop the Surplus extension into Google Chrome, and you'll have access to your notifications no matter where you are. Surplus also lets you utilize the Google+ sharing functions even when the bar is MIA.

14. Google+ -> Contrast, Denser, More Features (Chrome) lets you customize scrolling, background, navigation, image size, and placement of other elements on the page.

15. Google+ Ultimate for Google Plus (Chrome) rejiggers a lot of the look and feel of Google+'s UI, such as the making the status bar at the top of the page and the left sidebar float so that they stay in place when you scroll, slimming down the scrollbars, and adjusting the whitespace on the page.

16. Move Your Photos (Chrome) transfers your Facebook photos to Google+ Photos (i.e., Google Picasa).

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

If you're on Google Plus and you use Google Chrome, you should review these great extensions.

You know an app is on its way to going mainstream when a major brand like Starbucks has its own account. There’s simply no denying Instagram‘s popularity. In fact, it looks like the app just got a little bit more popular when Justin Bieber shared an image of LA traffic using Instagram.

Bieber-traffic aside, Instagram already has a user base of over 7 million and the amount of third party apps that have cropped up around the service is impressive. Instagram continues to prove that it is the smartphone photography app to beat.

In no particular order, we’ve put together a list of the many apps and sites available for use with your Instagram account.

Manage your Instagram account

The fact that Instagram has no web interface to speak of is probably one of the main user complaints. Luckily, there are a lot of great alternatives popping up, giving you the opportunity to take advantage of some or all of Instagram’s features in the comfort of your own browser.

Inkstagram

Inkstagram gives you the missing web interface that Instagram so desperately needs. You can keep up with photos your friends post, comment on them, and find new people to follow. The interface is divided into four tabs – your feed, your photos, your likes, and popular images on Instagram. In addition to browsing by category, you can also search for specific tags. The display can also be altered to suit your preferences – with the choice of small, medium and large for image sizes.

Pictarine

Pictarine gives you a unique way to browse your own Instagram photos, along with photos from other online services including Flickr, Facebook, Picasa and Twitter. By installing the plugin, you can also download all of your Instagram images to your computer in one go. Another great feature on Pictarine is the ability to create slideshows of your images and share them with other people privately or publicly, even if they don’t use Instagram.

ExtraGram

ExtraGram is another site which gives you the means to keep up with your feed, with popular photos and to interact with other users in a browser. Like Inkstagram, it gives you all the features found in the app, along with a cool Discover tab, which displays the hottest tags, a featured user and more.

Webstagram

Webstagram lets you keep up with your feed as well as see the latest popular photos on Instagram. You can search for specific tags, view your own photos, and share the link with others. Webstagram takes it one step further by offering users the opportunity to get featured in their Photo of the Day section. To submit your photos, simply tag them with #Photooftheday. You can also view images on Webstagram as a list or as a grid.

Gramfeed

Gramfeed gives you a web interface making it easy to get to all of Instagram’s features in your browser. A cool addition to each user profile in Gramfeed is a map with markers of where all your photos have been taken. With Gramfeed you can view your stream, popular photos, your likes and your own photos. You can also search for photos based on location, username or tag.

Carousel

Mac users can bring the Instagram experience to their desktop with Carousel, an app that has already received high praise here at The Next Web. The app allows you to interact with other users, comment and like photos, as well as follow and unfollow other users. You can view your own feed, as well as the latest popular photos on Instagram, and you can even drag-and-drop photos to save them to your desktop.

Flipboard

Flipboard makes it easy to keep up with your Instagram stream, and like Instagallery, takes advantage of the iPad’s larger screen. You can view your stream as you would any other source on Flipboard, and you can also add images to your favourites, comment on them, or share them via email or through the social networks you’ve plugged in to Flipboard.

Connect Instagram with other services

Instagram lets you automatically share your photos with other sites including Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. There are a few additional services which aim to enhance or improve that connection.

InstaFB

InstaFB is an easy way to connect Instagram and Facebook in a much more efficient way than what Instagram provides. While connecting your Instagram account to Facebook automatically notifies your friends when you’ve added a new photo to Instagram, it just adds them as a link on your Wall. InstaFB creates a Facebook album and each time you add a new photo to Instagram, the album is automatically updated.

Gramjunction

Gramjunction gives you a visually appealing way to display the images that you’ve shared on both Instagram and Flickr. Just enter your Flickr username, and Gramjunction will display them on your personal page, which you can easily share with others.

Instadrop

Instadrop allows you to backup all of your Instagram photos using Dropbox. After connecting the two services, any photos you share on Instagram will be automatically saved to your Dropbox folder in real time.

Connect Instagram to Google+

Since there’s no easy or direct way to do this just yet, Edward Boches came up with a workaround to share your Instagram images with your Google+ followers in real time. It takes a combination of the desktop app Picasa, Dropbox and InstaDrop, and requires that your computer is turned on at all times.

Discover photos and users on Instagram

If you want to discover new users or popular photos without having to use the Instagram app, there are a few gorgeous sites and iPad apps that make it easy to find photographers you’ll want to follow on Instagram.

Insta-Great

Insta-Great displays a slideshow of popular photos on Instagram. By signing in, you can also view your timeline and your own photos, and add photos to your favourites.

Heroku

Heroku allows you to to search Instagram photos, and you can also narrow down your results to photos taken using a specific filter.

Instagallery

Instagallery is a $1.99 iPhone, iPad and iPodTouch app which lets you keep up with your friends’ photos, view your own photos and your favourites. Instagallery really does come to life on the iPad’s larger screen and is a great way to keep up with Instagram on the go, using a larger screen than the iPhone. Not only can you view your own and popular photos, you can also search for specific tags. Photos can be viewed as a grid, or even better yet, as large images making the most out of the iPad’s screen real estate.

Cartagr.am

Cartagr.am lets you browse Instagram photos based on location. The site can either detect your current location to show you nearby photos, or you can search for a specific location of your choice. You can zoom in and out on the map but there is no way to connect with the photos displayed. You can’t view them on their original Instagram page or find out who took them. That said – it is a pretty cool visual representation of Instagram use around the world.

InstaCat

InstaCat has to be one of the most niche Instagram websites available and it displays photos of only one thing – you guessed it. Cats. So if you’re in need of a cat photo fix, InstaCat is the place to go for a constant slideshow of Instagram cats.

InstaPuppy

If you’re more of a dog person, InstaPuppy will bring you all the puppy-goodness found on Instagram to your browser. InstaPuppy does also have it’s own kitty sister site, InstaKitty, if the constant scrolling in InstaCat proves to be too much for you.

Instarium

Instarium is a flash-based screensaver which you can download for your Mac or Windows computer. The screensaver displays a constant reel of Instagram photos. You can set it to view your own photos, your feed, your favourite photos, or even just popular photos. Clicking on images in the website will take you to their Instagram page.

Screenstragram

Screenstragram is another screensaver which displays the latest popular Instagram photos, but it is currently a Mac only download, compatible with Snow Leopard and up.

Create an online display of your Instagram photos

If you want to share your images with other users who aren’t on Instagram, there are quite a few free services that let you share your online portfolio with just about anyone.

Instagrid

Instagrid allows you to create a pretty slick online gallery of your Instagram photos. Your photos can be displayed as a grid of small photos, or as a list of large images. Users can subscribe by email to be notified when you add a new photo to Instagram, making it a great way for non-Instagram users to keep up with your latest images.

Make a game out of it

If you want a fun way to browse Instagram photos randomly, there are a couple of sites that turn the experience into a game.

Instawar

Instawar pits Instagram photos against each other in a little game where two random images are displayed side by side. You can either choose the image that you prefer, or if you think they’re well suited, hit the Make a pair button to create a diptych. You can then submit the paired images to Instawar’s tumblr to share with others.

Pic-a-Fight

Pic-a-Fight is similar to Instawar, minus the ability to create a diptych. You can add your own photos into the mix by connecting your Instagram photos. Why would you want to do that? Photos that get the most votes are placed in the Top Pics section, meaning your Instagram photos could get a little bit more attention.

Create products and prints using your Instagram photos

Creating products and prints of your Instagram photos seems to be all the rage and there are a lot of sites offering their services for just that.

Instaprint

Instaprint is one of the coolest ideas we’ve seen emerge as a result of Instagram’s popularity. If you have a special event or party, rent Instaprint’s special Instaprint Box. Each box is associated with a specific location or hashtag, so any photo tagged with either will be automatically printed. Instaprint is kind of like a photobooth and Polaroid camera all rolled into one.

Instagoodies

Instagoodies will provide you with a book of 1 inch stickers created using your Instagram photos. Each book can have a maximum of 90 stickers and will cost you $14. Logging in with your Instagram account will let you select the order in which the stickers appear in the book. If you don’t have 90 photos on Instagram, the existing photos will be repeated.

Instamaker

Instamaker will turn your Instagram photos into t-shirts, mugs and postcards. With Instamaker, you can’t use just one image. Any design has to consist of at least a row of 3 images, or more. The site makes it easy to create a mosaic out of your Instagram images and select the product you want it printed on.

Stickygram

Stickygram turns your Instagram photos into fridge magnets. Sign in with Instagram, and you can create a set of 9 little magnets. Unfortunately if you want to use Stickygram, you will have to wait for an invite code since they’ve been inundated with requests.

Prinstagram

If you’re looking for a way to print Instagram photos, Printstagram gives you a ton of cool options. You can print a large poster of 50 to 400 of your Instagram photos, you can print mini wallet-sized prints, small stickers, a mini book, or a tiny book.

TeenyTile

The name says it all. TeenyTile gives you a way to turn your Instagram photos into a cute little 2 inch ceramic tiles. Import your photos from Instagram and checkout. That’s all there is to it.

Postagram

Postagram is an iPhone, Android and web-based app which allows you to send your Instagram photos as postcards. Select any of your Instagram photos, add a personalized message, and ship it to the address of your choice.

Artflakes

If the smaller sticker size available from Prinstagram and Instagoodies doesn’t suit your taste, you can use ArtFlakes to order large 4 inch stickers using your Instagram photos.

Keepsy

With Keepsy, you can create a gorgeous book of your Instagram photos. In addition to Instagram, the site also supports Picasa, Flickr, PicPlz and Facebook, as well as the ability to upload photos from your computer. You can drag and drop photos and pages to rearrange them, to get the images in the exact order you want. Keepsy also lets you share the digital version of the book with friends on Facebook and Twitter.

HatchCraft Boo Box

For $19, HatchCraft will let you create a Boo Box simply by entering the url of your Instagram photo. A 4 inch print of your photo will be placed in a gorgeous bamboo shadow box to frame your photo.

Backup your Instagram photos

Aside from using Instadrop to back up your Instagram photos in the cloud, there are a few services that make it easy to download all of your Instagram photos onto your computer in one go.

Instaport

Instaport makes it easy to download your Instagram images to a zip file, and a direct export service to Facbook, Flickr and RSS is in the works.

CopyGram

CopyGram works in the same way as Instaport, allowing you to download all of your Instagram images as a zip file, in addition to providing you with an easy-to-remember vanity url with your username.

Get an Instagram Vanity URL

As with any service, it’s pretty cool to have a vanity url which makes it easy to direct friends and followers to your profile page. If you want a vanity URL check out the following examples.

We’ve already mentioned CopyGram as a backup tool for your Instagram photos. Vanity urls with Copygram look like this:

copygr.am/username

In addition to giving users a Follow Me button to place on their sites, Followgram.me provides vanity urls for Instagram profiles that look like this:

followgram.me/username

Do you have a favourite Instagram service or site? Let us know about it in the comments.

http://instakitty.com/

You probably already know how hooked I am to Instagram. Here's the proof: http://www.davemadethat.com/2010/11/02/hooked-on-instagram/

This TNW collection of Instagram extras is amazing. Check it out if you're as hooked as I am.

A must for Google+ users.

In the above YouTube video, the user BITcrash44 claims to hack the video screens in Times Square using just an iPhone, a weather balloon, a transmitter, and something called a "video repeater." But like anything amazing that happens on the Internet, a lot of people doubt it's real. It might just be an advertisement for video effects!

Watching the clip, it's fairly convincing, as the quality of the effects, if that's what they are, is impressive. But using some common sense, we'd like to imagine that taking over some of the largest, most prominent video screens in the world would require a little bit more effort.

DesignYouTrust.com, one site that posted the YouTube video, is currently down, but when one Twitter user saw the clip, he automatically doubted it, based largely on the surrounding website (see update below). "As cool as that looks, it's a hoax," he wrote. "The focus on video effects on the rest of the site is pretty sufficient proof."

(UPDATE: Here's the video posted at Momentum Blog, the aforementioned effects blog, by Alexandros Maragos, whose About Me section notes an emphasis on "HDSLR Cinematography, Cinematic Documentary, Modern Filmmaking & Contemporary Photography." We've reached out to Maragos looking for some more info. If you have insight either way, email.)

YouTube commenters voiced distrust, too, based partly on the fact that the YouTube account that uploaded the video never existed before this clip, with one user noting that when that happens, "Alarm bells instantly start sounding."

The same commenter noticed that BITcrash44, the iPhone Times Square hacker, favorited a video with the following description:

"HeadBlade hired viral marketing agency Thinkmodo to create an engaging and entertaining video to get people talking about head shaving. Thinkmodo created "The Shaving Helmet" which quickly became a global viral sensation and sparked conversations about head shaving around the world."

Others note the technology limitations of the equipment used, casting doubt on the authenticity of the prank, while some are willfully ignorant. "Holly $hiiiiiit!" writes one commenter.

As fun as it can be to get excited about a YouTube video, we're going to side with the skeptics: This one stinks of bullshit.

UPDATE 2: Maragos, the video equipment blogger mentioned above, tells us that he too initially doubted the veracity of the stunt, but now thinks "the motion of the camera is too choppy to quick-edit and mask the video." That said, "this kind of editing is very doable, but it also needs a lot of time to do it so perfectly with this kind of footage. One of the things that makes me believe that the video is real are the reflections appearing on screen at 0:56 right and left of his transmission."

But more YouTube commenters are chiming in with dissenting opinions: "The image in the display moves slightly at 0:37-0:39. Good attempt if this was a one time view on TV, but unfortunately it's on YouTube where anything that doesn't look perfect can be analyzed over and over again."

We've sent a message to the YouTube uploader BITcrash44 and will update if we hear back.

[jcoscarelli@villagevoice.com / @joecoscarelli]

The plot thickens! Hat tip to @anarchival and @ZackTN.

Sometimes it’s nice to be able to see where you’ve been in a visual way. Adding Foursquare’s KML feed to Google Earth makes it easy to see your Foursquare checkin history on a map.

Follow these steps to add your checkin history:

1. Visit your Foursquare Feeds page, right click on the KML link and copy the link location (do not download the file).
2. In Google Earth, go to Add > Network Link.
3. Give your feed a name and paste the URL you copied into the “Link” box. Click OK.
   

4. Your Foursquare checkin history will appear in your Google Earth “My Places” folder. It will be updated when you check in to new venues.

You can now browse the map with pins marking each location you’ve checked in. You can even create a fly through “tour” that moves between each venue. Just choose the network link you added in My Places and click the “Play Tour” button at the lower right of the “Places” box. Here’s a fly through of some of my recent checkins:

To increase the number of venues shown, add “?count=50″ (or whatever number you want) to the end of the KML link.

Related posts:

1. Display your foursquare checkins on Google Maps the easy way
2. Track your Foursquare checkins using Google Calendar
3. Three ways to visualize your foursquare checkins

Want to see your foursquare checkins on a map without a lot of fuss? Try this quick, easy method to show your checkins using Google maps.

1. Visit your foursquare feeds page. Right click the KML link and copy it to your clipboard (don’t download it).
2. Visit Google Maps and paste the link you copied into the search box. Hit enter.
3. There is no step 3.

Your foursquare checkins will be highlighted with pins on the map. You can share the map with a friend by clicking either “Send” or “Link” at the top of the map. Be careful who you share the map with, though, because once they have the link, they’ll have access to your entire checkin history, both now and in the future (for example, don’t post the link on your website).

For more advanced users, adding “?count=100″ to the end of the URL (after .KML) you copied will increase the number of venues shown. You can change it to any number you like.

The foursquare feeds page provides a wealth of information. For instance, you can also use it to visualize your checkins in Google Earth and see your checkins on your Google Calendar. Do you have another creative use for foursquare’s feeds? Let us know about it in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Visualize your Foursquare history with Google Earth
2. Track your Foursquare checkins using Google Calendar
3. Bing Maps Launches Foursquare Everywhere

This entry was posted on July 8, 2010, 4:40 pm and is filed under Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Here's a neat idea for next time you're organizing an event.
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25 Suggestions For How To Use Twitter

11.02.02

Twitter sent an email around to users yesterday, giving four suggestions for getting the most out of Twitter in 2011:

1. Follow your interests: Follow the people who share your passions
2. Get specific: Follow your favourite leagues, teams, players, writers etc
3. Don’t panic: Search for hashtags and relevant accounts during emergencies to stay informed
4. Return to Twitter: A call for lapsed users to return to  a service that apparently now has over 200 million user accounts

Four suggestions seems a little thin to me. I often get asked why people should use Twitter; here are 25 ideas for ways you can get value out of Twitter, with a mix of business and personal focus:

1. Stay in touch – Find your friends and use Twitter to post and read micro-updates on what’s going on in your lives
2. Meet new people – Get to know friends of your friends and widen your circle
3. Network professionally – Follow and get to know other people working in your industry
4. Find local events – Watch for interesting events that your connections are attending. Take advantage of the opportunity to take online connections offline
5. Research destinations – Travelling somewhere? Search for what people are saying, and poll your network for pointers on your destination
6. Get recommendations – Looking for a vendor, at home or at work? Ask your Twitter friends for recommendations on who to go with
7. Grow professionally – Identify the leaders in your industry. Read what they post; follow who they follow; learn from their activity
8. Fuel your passion – Find people who share the same interests as you, and geek it up! Let other peoples’ passion for your interests fuel your own
9. Influence the influencers – Get to know the people with influence in your field, before you need to ask them for anything
10. Stay on top of news – Follow news-related accounts, both traditional and non-traditional – to stay up-to-date with news in your area and your industry
11. Get to know journalists – Whether you post or you just lurk, follow the journalists in your field, learn what they read and what they like, and get to know what will be helpful for them
12. Research competitors – Follow your competitors. See what they post; see who they engage. Learn from their successes and their mistakes
13. Gain insights – Solicit feedback from your connections on ideas, products and services
14. Filter your reading –  Rather than fearing drinkin from the Twitter firehose, create a list of people who consistently post things that interest you and let them generate your reading list. Bonus: you’ll find stories from sites you don’t normally check
15. Generate ideas – Whether it’s through case studies other people post, ideas sparked from conversations or reactions to your posts, let your connections help you to generate new ideas
16. Organize meetups – Found yourself with some time on your hands? See who else is around. Planning to be somewhere at a certain time? See if anyone wants to meet up with you
17. Boost your reputation – Post your own content or curate others’ to build your own reputation in your chosen area
18. Inbound job hunting - Network with peers in your industry, build relationships with hiring managers, develop your own reputation and watch the number of job offers you receive rocket
19. Outbound job hunting – Follow executives at the companies you want to work for and keep your eyes open for job openings
20. Stay on top of trends – Identify the thought leaders in your industry and stay on top of trends by listening to what they’re saying
21. Drive conversions – As a business user, point people towards your points of conversion… but don’t do it too often, and make sure it’s something people will find valuable
22. Engage with your community – Don’t focus all of your company’s posts on pushing content; try to make a majority of your posts more conversational
23. Solve problems – Monitor for problems with your company’s customers, and solve them
24. Re-purpose content – Have something interesting on one of your other online properties? Let people know where to find it
25. New business generation – Get to know people at companies you want to work with; watch for requests for help from people looking for your services; post/curate content that generates inbound demand

I’m sure you can think of a tonne more. Let me know what you’d add in the comments below!

Posted in: Twitter, how to

Tags: how to, Twitter

This is pretty accurate.

Major, major stumble from Flickr today—a Zurich-based photoblogger says Flickr deleted his account by mistake and lost his 4,000 photos.

Mirco Wilhelm has the original files saved elsewhere, but the photos from his extensive Flickr collection had been linked to from all over the web, including the official Flickr blog. Those links will now point to deadspace. Additionally, the followers he had accumulated, tags, photo captions and copyright information have been wiped out and may not be restored. (Blogger Thomas Hawk points to the Google cache of Mr. Wilhelm's impressive collection.)

Mr. Wilhelm was shocked when he tried to log into his five-year old Flickr account and was prompted to create a username. Then he remembered a support ticket he had submitted to Flickr a few days before, complaining about another user who had posted photos Mr. Wilhelm suspected were stolen. Had Flickr received his support ticket and deleted the wrong account?

In fact, that's exactly what happened, and the response from Flickr staff was discouraging and not nearly contrite enough.

Check out 20 of Mirco Wilhelm's photos that Flickr accidentally deleted >>

After Mr. Wilhelm's paid Flickr account was permanently deleted, with no recourse for retrieval, Flickr said:

Unfortunately, I have mixed up the accounts and accidentally deleted yours. I am terribly sorry for this grave error and hope that this mistake can be reconciled. Here is what I can do from here:

I can restore your account, although we will not be able to retrieve your photos. I know that there is a lot of history on your account-again, please accept my apology for my negligence. Once I restore your account, I will add four years of free Pro to make up for my error.

Please let me know if there's anything else I can do.

Again, I am deeply sorry for this mistake.

This wasn't much compensation considering Flickr Pro costs $24.95 per year, and Mr. Wilhelm has already received a year's worth of Pro through his participation in some events and competitions.

"They cannot reactivate anything more that the account itself, leaving me with an empty shell of what I did during the last 5 years. This would be acceptable, if I had a free account. But since I'm a paying customer, I would expect a bit more than a 'Again, I am deeply sorry for this mistake,'" he wrote on his blog in a post titled "You have to fucking kidding, Yahoo!" Flickr is owned by Yahoo.

Most services don't delete active accounts because of dangers like this. Facebook, for example, "deactivates" a user's account before anonymizing the information after something like two weeks.

This cautionary tale should remind all Flickr users—especially people who rely on the free version of the service—to back up their photos. Despite a growing reliance on cloud storage across industries, negligence or a rookie mistake by a new employee could irreversibly wipe out user data—be it Facebook friends, blog posts or a photographer's oeurve.

UPDATE: Mr. Wilhelm's account is still deleted, but Flickr is scrambling to rectify the situation.

Mr. Wilhelm received the following email from Flickr:

Hi Mirco,

I can definitely get you logged back in to your account.

However, we are taking a look to see if there is anything we can do in this particular case to restore your content.

While we investigate this we need the account to not be touched. As soon as I have any further information, I'll get back to you and will also provide the instructions on how to get you logged back in and the [...]@yahoo.com account re-connected to this Flickr account.

Thanks,

Cathryn

Mr. Wilhelm said Flickr Pro is still the best photosharing platform available—it's affordable and it gives photographers great exposure and access to a wide community, so it'll be tough for him to give it up. But he's understandably upset about the loss of his account and not sure whether he will continue to use the service after this is all over and is considering taking the conflict to court. "I did a quick check of the terms of service, and in my eyes deleting my paid account without any reason or misconduct from my side could be interpreted as a breach of contract," he wrote in an email. "Deleting the content might even be counted as theft. And since my contract originally was established with Yahoo! Germany I wouldn't even have to go to court in the US if necessary.

"But first I will wait, [to see] what they can restore and how Yahoo! responds in the next few days. For any further steps I will have to consult with some experts in the matter," he said.

A Yahoo spokesperson sent The Observer this statement:

Yesterday, Flickr inadvertently deleted a member's account.  Flickr takes user trust very seriously and we, like our users, take great pride in being able to take, post and share photos.  Our teams are currently working hard to try to restore the contents of this user's account. We are working on a process that would allow us to easily restore deleted accounts and we plan on rolling this functionality out soon.

Check out some of Mirco Wilhelm's photos that Flickr accidentally deleted.

ajeffries [at] observer.com | @adrjeffries

Backup your Flickr photos TODAY: http://www.davemadethat.com/2010/11/20/how-to-download-your-flickr-group-photos/

January 24, 2011

27 Things to Know Before You Work in Social Media

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 7:57 am

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Let’s Be Honest

Every day, I’m immersed in social business. I spend as much time on my computer as some people spend in their shoes. I rarely talk about “social media” except with clients, because to me that’s like talking about “pencils.” I’d rather be using one than talking about what they do.

I use social media tools to work on SOBCon with @Starbucker, to build communities and brand visibility for clients, to write blog posts and to curate content for people with similar interests. Social tools are business development, customer service, marketing, pr, community building, change management, and leadership — all at the speed of the Internet.

So I guess you could say I work in social media. If that’s your reality, your goal, or even a possibility for you, I’d like to point out a few things about working in social media worth knowing. This is not a rant, simply a set of observations which are quite similar to the challenges of any communication-based, people-centered endeavor.

The purpose of this list is merely to share that most people who are in this new and quickly changing area of business are finding that the work often has more nuances and challenges than we expected.

The problem with working in social media is …

1. that, when you start, no one will believe you know anything useful — and you might not.
2. that you’ll have to be multi-lingual, speaking and translating between two vocabularies — that of the social media culture and that of the people who’ve little to no experience with it.
3. that you’ll have to figure out how to measure something that traditionally hasn’t been measured and to explain why those measurements are valid — you’ll have to have goals, tools to match the goals and reasonable expectations — without history that’s hard to do.
4. that some folks will believe that impressions, eyeballs, and broadcasts are the best use of the tools.
5. that, though you were enlisted to bring about change, the very folks who enlisted you might be the most uncomfortable with changing — one friend advises you might take care if you’re hired to be the “heretic” because heretic stories don’t end well for the heretic.
6. that some people won’t be able to see the value of making relationships to growing business and keeping satisfied customers — even though relationships have fueled the businesses based on decades of trade shows and sales calls.
7. that, when you do social business well, it looks easy, but it’s not — and no one will care how hard it was.
8. that some people will misread safe responses as dangerous ones and dangerous responses as safe ones — understanding the culture of social business online is a learning curve that most folks acquire incrementally.
9. that you’ll find most folks have a different sense of urgency — their sense of urgency will change some as they experience the speed of the Internet.
10. that social media work isn’t glamorous.
11. that the pay for the hours worked is even less glamorous.
12. that, if you build a strong public presence, your mistakes will be public too.
13. that, if you build a strong public presence, some folks will think you are all about making yourself “internet famous” — and that could be true.
14. that some folks will be confused when you promote what other folks are doing — you might accused of “going native.”
15. that you’ll need to personally invest and be detached simultaneously.
16. that you’ll be critiqued by people who don’t know how to say things nicely.
17. that you’ll be critiqued by people who don’t know what they’re talking about.
18. that you won’t have resources to bring all of your strongest ideas to life.
19. that some of your ideas will be out-of-sync, out-of-reach, or out-of-date before you have them.
20. that only other social media advocates will “get” what you do — you won’t be able to explain the thrill of a ReTweet from someone you admire.
21. that your significant other may think you care more about your online friends than your offline friends — your significant other might be right.
22. that being social online means you’ll have to be social offline too.
23. that no one human is good at every aspect of social media interaction.
24. that no matter where you sit, stand, listen, or talk, you’ll have to change your point of view to see and respond to the whole picture.
25. that the second you forget that social media is about the people, the people will find a way to remind you — sometimes they’ll remind you even when you haven’t forgotten.
26. that each day will require that you focus fiercely, that trust yourself so that people can trust you, and that you learn more things faster than ever before.
27. that, if you’re the person introducing social media to a business, you face the challenge of getting people to imagine the possibilities of something they’ve never experienced.

So there you have 27 things to know before you work in social media and here’s the one that makes those 27 worth it.

Inside each frustration is a chance to be a leader, to reach out and invite people to help build something we can’t build alone. The effort, the explaining, the energy can transform a a business by enlisting and celebrating customers, employees, vendors, partners who help it thrive. The first connection occurs when we show folks how these new tools make what they do faster, easier, more efficient, and more meaningful.

Soon enough, I hope we lose the term “social media” in the same way that we no longer have classes in “computer” or people who teach “email.” In the meantime, I tell my family that I write spy novels. It’s easier.

Bet you could add to this list. What do you think people need to know about working in social media?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

I’m a proud affiliate of

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29 Comments to “27 Things to Know Before You Work in Social Media”

1. January 24th, 2011 at 8:11 am
   Alasdair Munn said

   Humanizing social media. Nice.
   I would add that there is nothing virtual about social media. It is in fact grounded in real business application and acumen. Understanding what you are trying to achieve is always the first step. Keep that in mind, be transparent, true and efficient and the rest will follow.
   The other truth is to set expectations and practices according to how well you are resourced. If you are committing yourself to an online profile, ensure you have the resources to maintain, manage and effectively meet the expectations you are creating.

2. January 24th, 2011 at 8:28 am
   Susan Young said

   Hi Liz,
   Thank you for this wonderful post; it is spot-on. Personally investing and detaching really hit home, and Nos. 17 and 19, too. We are in uncharted waters here and it’s nice to know we are all experiencing the frustrations and rewards together.
   Cheers,
   Susan

3. January 24th, 2011 at 8:29 am
   ME Liz Strauss said

   Hi Alasdair!
   I couldn’t agree more. I’m constantly saying “This IS real life. This is growing business the way great businesses have been growing ever since great businesses have growing.”

   And expectations has become a real talking point for me too. Every conflict and unfulfilled promise I’ve seen of late has been a result of poorly managed expectations. Your statements about profiles and resources are a great example!

   Thank you for adding this to the list!

4. January 24th, 2011 at 8:55 am
   ME Liz Strauss said

   Hi Susan!
   The nuances of social media work are similar to those of writing work. People think it looks easy, but the easiest part is getting it wrong. heh heh

5. January 24th, 2011 at 10:12 am
   Ashley said

   Great article! I totally agree with everything you’ve said.

   My biggest issue is convincing people it’s worth it. There is ROI just like any other form of customer satisfaction has ROI- not alway direct.

   Another issue is that people think that because they don’t ‘get’ social media that it’s going to disappear. Sound familiar? That’s why die hard fans of radio said with the advent of the television!

   Thanks,
   Ashley

6. January 24th, 2011 at 10:43 am
   Elizabeth Doherty Thomas said

   Great, timely post! Consulting with a well established organization who do a lot inside their offices and want me to “make magic.” Um, the magic is not one way blasting.

   I believe Social Media is a journey, not destination! And the more you’re open to the twists and turns, the more possibility and excitement there are. It’s just that when a majority of an organizations people don’t use SM, you have to then rethink who is SM for and how to reach those younger folks. And that requires energy back on their end “offline.”

   It’s a fun back and forth for sure!

7. January 24th, 2011 at 11:32 am
   Karen Malone Wright said

   Great post, Liz. But I confess that by the time I reached #7 I was thinking that most of these insights describe my career in public relations. the person who creates, buys, places an ad is easily understood. The behind-the-scene nuances of massaging a message and crisis management are often (deliberately) opaque.

8. January 24th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
   Shannon Paul said

   I LOVE No. 8. That is one of the most vexing and difficult to explain.

   I might also add that sometimes being social 24-7 can feel very lonely since you have each foot in a different world, you technically belong to both and neither. Also, your online friends might lose any sense of personal loyalty and publicly bitch about your company as if they were a stranger to you.

   You’re right though — it is totally worth it when you see things start to work well, when you can actually see lightbulbs go off in other peoples’ heads and they share good ideas that weren’t even on your radar. Social really can make everything we do as a business better and more meaningful and it’s nice to be someone working on that side of the equation.

   I’m so glad you wrote this

9. January 24th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
   Sean Clanton said

   “that your significant other may think you care more about your online friends than your offline friends.”

   This can be very true, especially if your family/friends/significant other doesn’t understand social media. Social media is all about relationships. Just as you said in #15, you have to be personally invested and detached at the same time. Social media is more than just a tweet or a Facebook post; it’s about building lasting relationships with people. For people that don’t fully understand social media, it can be a difficult concept to understand.

   Yes social media is your job. Yes you sometimes seem more interested in your online friends than your offline ones. But the real reason for this is that if you are doing your job well, then you have built a relationship with these people that you can’t just turn off at the end of the day.

10. January 24th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
    Tami Belt said

    Social Media is a community, not a commercial. Just as one wouldn’t show up to a party empty handed, you don’t show up online with your hand out. It’s permission-based - you have to earn respect among followers. The old adage remains true, ‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood.’ Listen, share, engage, then speak.
    Great article!

11. January 24th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
    Danielle D. Ali said

    This is spot-on! I was nodding to myself on every single one.

12. January 24th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
    Kalisa said

    This is so timely. I begin my job as “Social Media Director” at a PR firm next week. I tell people my new title, and those who don’t use social media think I got Julie McCoy’s job.

13. January 24th, 2011 at 8:20 pm
    Shayna Walker said

    Really, really well put. There is such frustration when walking into a room of “traditional” business professionals and advocating for “social” media…and such potential too. It’s tricky using the potential as enough motivation to battle the frustration. I love your insights - thank you so much for sharing the list.

14. January 24th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
    Mike Cassidy said

    That no matter how many times you explain it, social media is not free.

    As always, thanks Liz.

15. January 25th, 2011 at 5:04 am
    Serena said

    Found myself nodding along to all 27 of those things. It’s so true.

    Social media sometimes feels like you’re in a partially lit tunnel going at lightspeed with things coming at you to catch, handle and pass on whilst also battling against a strange crosswind of resistance and misunderstanding. all the while, you’re commentating on yourself for the benefit of others…

16. January 25th, 2011 at 5:26 am
    Tuesday January 25, 2011 Business Buzz, News, And Insights said

    [...] 27 Things to Know Before You Work in Social Media By Liz Strauss [...]

17. January 25th, 2011 at 6:48 am
    Betony said

    Great post! I really hope more people will “get” social media soon, as these 27 make it a very difficult job. I too tell my family something else and my friends from university seem to think I “play with facebook” for a living.

    Also @Tami, loved the analogy of turning up at a party empty handed!

    ~ @Simpli_B

18. January 25th, 2011 at 7:29 am
    Chris Theisen said

    28. Just because you use the tools personally doesn’t mean you have a grasp on how to leverage them for a business.

    29. Unless you start at a strong brand or within a strong community it takes more offline work than online work to be great at your job. If you don’t have offline skills then dont bother applying to do online work.

    30. You will need to engage, interact and drive your businesses community to action; not the “social media” people you follow and talk to all day. There is a difference.

    31. That your awesome/best idea in the world will get less traction than you thought.

    I could go on and on Your list is pretty great and a welcome read for all those who say I want to do what you do

19. January 25th, 2011 at 10:16 am
    Allen Mireles said

    I also found myself nodding my head with each of your points.Excellent and comforting to see it put into words.

    One of the things I ponder recently is how to describe what I do when so using the phrase “social media marketing” is considered by people within the social media and marketing to be inaccurate and yet people from outside (current and potential clients) use that phrase to describe what they want help with.

    The fast pace of e digital world and the constant arrivals of new tools and changes in the landscape make it a compelling and exciting place to work. But bridging the gap can be confusing and knowing what words to use to convey has me tied up in knots at times.

    Thanks for the post. (BTW, coming to SobCon Chicago! Finally. Woohooo!)

20. January 25th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
    Keri Jo Raz said

    I’ve been in the business for a year now and totally resonate with the thoughts you expressed in this post. Thank you! I think people need to be careful about false expectations. Also, if you’re not flexible by nature, this might not be the right area of work. Being able to roll with the punches and adjust at a moment’s notice are definite temperament requirements.

21. January 26th, 2011 at 2:35 am
    27 crazy realities of social media management | Stories, ideas and other things said

    [...] That’s exactly how I felt when reading Liz Strauss’s post on 27 things to know before you work in Social Media [...]

22. January 26th, 2011 at 9:15 am
    Christina Rigby said

    Brilliant article Liz, I agree with each and every single point you made. I was going to pick out a few that particularly resonated with me but… they all do!

    Thanks for sharing.

23. January 26th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
    LisaDJenkins said

    True. It’s all true and to some might seem unattractive. But not to me. I LOVE this work.

24. January 26th, 2011 at 8:19 pm
    Chris Eh Young said

    I’m pretty sure that in order to comprehend this list and be able to comment means that I must work in the same environment. I do.

    Social media is still so new and still in a state of constant evolution. People don’t understand it so they assume and believe misinformation as truth.

    To understand the community, you need to live in the community. When you spend more time online than you do off, the lines get blurry. Those of us on the inside still understand and relate.

25. January 26th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
    Margaret Doyle said

    The best part is that you address the uncertainty of it all–it’s sometimes the hardest part of trying to convince people of the value when things are changing at the speed of light. Thank you Liz, this is a very human, real, list that obviously resonates with those of us in the position of working in social media.

26. January 27th, 2011 at 4:52 am
    Susie Blackmon said

    The unfortunate issue I see with [legitimate] social media experts and those who truly are knowledgeable in the field is that, like real estate, too many people are able to claim to be experts. How do you raise the bar so the many wannabees do not dilute the vocation?

27. January 27th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
    Jay Baer said

    Simply brilliant. Bravo.

    I’m putting this in the time capsule and plan to look at it every year on this date, to see how the industry and its participants evolve.

    Thanks for so perfectly capturing this snapshot in time.

28. January 27th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
    Selena Larson said

    As a student at the Cronkite School of Journalism, learning and using social media is second nature to most of us. However it is often learned outside of the classroom.

    As soon-to-be graduates of what some would consider a “dying,” field, we are constantly looking for new ways to tell, create, and share stories. Personally, I enjoy learning the next best thing to hit the social media market and am always open to how new media will affect us in the future. Especially when it comes to the job market.

    I have had a few internships where I am the go-to person regarding the social media strategy. And I love that. Although many people may still be skeptics, I am embracing everything I can, and hopefully when I do go into the working-girl world I can bring something new and different to the table.

    Thanks for posting!

29. January 27th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
    Nicole Ott said

    I, too, thank you and completely agree that your points are valid and widespread. I would add only one other point -

    That no matter how many hours you spend doing SM, you can never know everything about it. SM changes so rapidly and constantly that it is next to impossible to keep up with each new idea, blog, platform, service, etc.

    Overwhelming much?
    Still, the passion for it continues, so I suppose I have to keep trying.

An amazing post by Liz Strauss that you *need* to read if you work in social media marketing.