Removing Viral Facebook Apps

Is your Facebook account posting all kinds of weird, pornographic, or generally inappropriate content to your Wall and/or News Feed. Or how about the annoying "Wow I cant believe that you can see who is viewing your Profile!"?

Here's how to get rid of those annoying apps and re-secure your Facebook Page:

First, we need to remove the app:

1.  Identify the app that is causing the problems. 

In this instance, its an app call Profile Watcher.

2.  Click the setting drop-down arrow in the top right hand corner of your Timeline Page.

3.  Click Account Settings

4. Click Apps

5. Find the rogue app in the list and click the X next to Edit

You will be looking for App identified in Step 1 above.

6. Check the box to remove all activity and then click Remove

Now Change your Password:

1.  Click General

2. Click Password

3.  Enter your current password and your new password

Finally, run your antivirus scan to confirm that no malware or virus has been installed on your computer by the App.

Blogging - What is it?

I recently spoke to a group of weight loss and wellness coaches who had a lot of questions about blogging. This week I'm going to focus on teaching you how to start your own blog using FREE resources. But first...

What is Blogging?

This is a great 2 minute explanation, watch it now!  Come back tomorrow to learn WHY your business needs a Blog.

How to Register Your Own Domain Name

As soon as you start your business or even start thinking about opening a business, you should register your domain name.

First, why do you need your own domain name?

• It increases your name recognition
• It makes it easy for your customers to remember your address
• It indicates you are a serious business owner
• It helps brand your image
• Many search engines refuse to list pages from free sites
• Some search engines will only index the first page of a domain site

Where is your store on the Information Super Highway? 

So, what is a domain name?
Your domain name is basically your address on the internet.  Here's a simplified illustration: Imagine the busiest highway you've ever traveled, perhaps the Los Angeles metro area, now multiply that by a bazillion, envision that this is the internet aka the "information super highway".  Now, imagine that your business is on the side of this highway.  Your domain name is like your physical address telling your customers where to find you.
For example, the domain name here is savvybutterfly.com.


Now, how do you register your own domain name?
When you set up your domain name, there are many options and vendors to choose from.  I personally have used Network Solutions and GoDaddy.com, both offer great introductory rates and a simple registration process.  You can search around to see what works best for you and your needs, but here are the basic steps:

1. Confirm that the name you want is available.  The name registrar you choose will have a search site. When choosing a domain name, you should keep it simple so that your customers can remember it. If the name is available, you will have the option to register is with many different extensions, .com, .biz, .org, .net, .us, etc.  If your first pick is not available in a .com, I recommend trying another name where the .com extension is available.  This is what is most commonly associated with businesses and will be easiest for customers to remember.  Millions of domains are already registered, so finding an available name can be tricky, but don't give up!

Network Solutions Domain Search

2. After selecting your domain name, you will be asked to select how long you would like to secure it for, how many years you want to keep it.  You can buy domain names in year-long increments, up to 10 years maximum.  

Select Service Term 1-10 years

3.  Once you have selected your name, and the amount of time you want to keep the rights to the name, you will pay the registrar to register the name for you.

4. Congratulations!  You now own your domain name!

BUT WAIT, there's more...

Now that your domain is registered, you must specify where computers looking for your domain should go by updating your site's nameservers (the Internet's equivalent to phone books).  This is where the process is going to be different depending on whether you have an existing personally owned website or blog or if you are a direct sales consultant with a company-hosted replicated website.  

For personally owned websites or blogs, you can refer to your hosting providers and\or registrars forwarding  instructions, just search their support site or contact their customer service department.

For company-hosted replicated sites, you will need to subscribe to a forwarding service.  This is usually available from the domain registrar (GoDaddy.com, Network Solutions, etc).

Now, you're ready to roll!  Use your new domain name on your social media profiles, your business cards and all other marketing materials AND please share it with me below along with questions you may have about domain name registration or forwarding!

Pin-spired Baby Shower

I mentioned in Monday's post that I initially thought Pinterest was all artsy and creative and I had little interest in it.  Well, it really seems to inspire people to try new things.

Here are some photos of a nautical baby shower for a Navy Wife I recently co-hosted. After it was over and we were patting ourselves on the back for how well it turned out, we said, "We couldn't have done all of this without Pinterest."

Guest seating

Food

Cake with cupcakes

Soap Party favors from Soaps by Design

Diaper Boat

Cake by Melissa Thomas of Frosting

Invitation

Candy Bar

Cupcakes by Frosting

Hostesses with the mostestes and Mommy-to-be

Pinterest also worked as a great collaboration tool since we all live in different cities. Once you create a Pinboard, you can give other pinners access to pin to it too. Just click Edit Board and you'll get a window like this:

We discussed the theme and then each began pinning ideas that we liked.  Check out our inspiration pins here.

Facebook Timeline: Don't be afraid

I'm so embarrassed. Its been way too long since I've posted here. (Not recommended if you want people to actually follow your blog.)  Truth is, I've been busy being "social" offline.  But here we are and its a new year.  In the last 3 or 4 months, I've been shifting my priorities around to make room to spend  more time helping you all with your Social Media needs.  So here we go!

First order of business: Facebook Timelines!

At the time of this posting, only 9% of my friends have signed up for the new Timeline. What are you waiting for?  As a Facebook Developer, I setup my timeline back in September and I love it!

There's no reason to be afraid!
Once you get timeline, you'll have 7 days before anyone else can see it. This gives you a chance to get your timeline looking the way you want before other people see it.To help you get started, your timeline includes some of your top photos and stories. Hide or highlight whatever you want and add anything that's missing. 

A preview of the Timeline Preview!

Privacy
Any privacy settings you've already set will still apply to the Timeline interface. So the photos of you laying on the beach that day last summer when you called in sick are still hidden from your boss.Only the people you originally shared a post with can see it on your timeline. If you want, you can go back and change who sees a post, delete it or just hide it from your timeline. To hide stuff, just click the pencil icon at the top of the post, then choose “Hide from Timeline.” Simple!

Simply hover over the post, then click the pencil to edit, delete or hide post.

Personalization
Timeline is all about you telling your story! You can even start from the beginning, as far back as when you were born! To add a historical stuff to your Timeline, simply hold your mouse pointer over the line in the center of the page until it turns into a plus sign, and shows you the option to add status update, photo, place check-in, or life event.

Simply hover over the center line to add new (or old) stuff.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go, get busy! Embrace the timeline and make it yours! 

How to avoid a Facebook virus

It's probably happened to all of us.  A friend posts a link, we click it and then it sends the same link to all of our friends.  What a nightmare!  So, how can you tell if the link is real or if its a virus?First you need to recognize that spammers and scammers often take advantage of major news events, like the death of Osama bin Laden, to trick people into clicking on links that contain malicious software.  They also tend to use phrases like "you won't believe..." or "I can't believe this..."  Often when you click these links, it seems as if nothing happens or its a bad link, butin actuality, the link installed a Facebook virus and started sending out the infected links to your friends. If they click the links, they get the virus and the vicious cycle continues.

The best way to avoid getting a nasty (and embarrassing) virus is to pay attention. Before you click on a link, think! Is this the type of link this person would typically share? If not, don’t click it. If you’re tempted to click, first hover your mouse over the link and look in the lower left corner of your internet browser. You’ll see the URL attached to that link. If it’s not a URL you’re familiar with, don’t click the link. If the link has a lot of symbols or characters or is not real words but just a bunch of gibberish or contains a .info link, I would not click the link.  As a general rule, I teach my family not to click any links to sites they've never heard of.

Here are some examples of suspicious activity:

 

If you do get a virus, the first thing you need to do is change your passwords and notify your friends. I'll go into more details about the clean up in an upcoming post, so stay tuned.  Please share your virus stories or feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

Creating a Facebook Page for your business

So, you're in business and you absolutely love it! It's your passion and you want to tell the world about it!  You've been telling everyone on Facebook about it but all of a sudden you notice you're being "un-friended".  What is happening?  Could it be that not everyone wants to hear all about your product or your opportunity?  While that may be unfathomable to you, it is a good possibility. Don't worry, it happened to me in the beginning too.

What you need is a Facebook Business Page.  This is going to be the foundation of your Facebook marketing.  It's going to allow you to draw in more of your target audience by sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm and still keep your friends. 

Here's a great video that will give you basic instruction.



For direct sales professionals or consultants, I recommend using your own branding and not your company name. For example, if your name is John and you sell widgets for Tommy's Tools and Widgets, do not name your page Tommy's Tools and Widgets. Instead, consider something like John's Handy Household Tips or John's Toolbox, something relevant to the business you are in, but uniquely identifying you.

Once you have your business page set up, you should share tips, tricks and other information that your target audience will find interesting.  Make a few posts there and then invite your friends.  Those who like what they see, will click Like to join and continue getting your business updates.  Be sure to check out my Facebook Business Page and click Like if you like what you see!

I'll go further into what to share and how to do it without spamming in an upcoming post.  Be sure to subscribe to this blog to get all the newest updates as soon as they are available.

Enhancing your personal profile for business purposes

The Queen and First Lady

I have a confession to make. I judge businesses (and/or professionals) by their Facebook profile. Be honest, don't you?

In social media, this is where you make your first impression. I want you to think of your profile just like you would your business card. When you meet someone on the street, you introduce yourself, shake their hand, chat with them and hand them your business card. When you connect with someone online, it's really the same. Today, I want to give you some quick tips for keeping your personal profile professional.

1. Use your real name. You wouldn't introduce yourself to someone new by saying, "Hi, I'm Tommy's Tools and Widgets", would you?
   
2. Use a picture of yourself. People on social media sites want to connect with YOU, not your dog, not your kids, not your Christmas tree. We want to do business with people we can trust. In real life we connect and build trust by looking people in the eyes. We need to do the same thing with our profile pictures. If you don't currently have a photo like this, take one. Make it a head shot, just your shoulders and head, look into the camera just like you would look into the eyes of a person you've just met on the street as you introduce yourself.
   
3. Link to your website. If you own your business or are a direct sales professional, you most likely have a website. As long as you are conducting yourself professionally and representing your company in a professional manner, link to it. People who are interested in you, want to know what you do. Your website gives them that information without you having to tell them all about it. Check for typos and make sure the link works. Nothing looks more unprofessional than a dead link (ok, well maybe there are somethings that do).
   
4. Check for spelling and grammar. I know we live in a world where texting and Twitter have created some "acceptable" abbreviations and lingo, but poor grammar and spelling are still recognized as unprofessional. Take the few extra seconds and make sure it says what you want it to say. This is a big deal, please take it seriously.
   
5. Skip the copy and paste statuses. If you've been on Facebook for any amount of time, you know what I'm talking about. "Copy and paste this if you love Jesus, hate taxes, think FB needs a dislike button" etc. These statuses are unprofessional and may cause others to question your credibility. When you really believe in something that strongly, take real action towards it, not a Facebook status.
   
6. Hide the game and app sharing. That means your Farmville requests, your daily horoscope, quizzes, etc. Do not allow these things to post to your wall. It looks unprofessional, clutters up the news feeds of all of your friends and may prevent your business contacts from taking you seriously. If you absolutely must have these things, you can control who sees the updates in your privacy settings under "Apps and websites".

These are just a few suggestions.  There will be more in the very near future. Subscribe to this blog to get the latest information as it becomes available.

Facebook How to: Block wall-posting apps from your friends

Scrolling through the news feeds this morning on Facebook, I noticed a friend asking how to block an app that was posting on their wall. You know the kind where one of your friends asks a question about you or picks your best picture. Those things seem to be coming up more and more lately. So, here's how to get rid of them:

1. Move your mouse pointer to the right-hand side of the post you want to remove and/or block. A small X will appear.

2. Click it and you will see a drop-down menu similar to the one shown below.

3. You may remove the post, which will take it off of your wall, but will not prevent the same application from posting to your wall again. Or you may Block the application, which is the second option in the list above. 

4. Once you click Block, you will get a confirmation window like the one below:

5. Click Block and this will prevent this particular application from posting to your wall ever again. 

Unfortunately, this will not prevent all applications from posting to your wall, but you can cut down on the most viral ones pretty quickly by doing this a few times as the posts appear.

Have more "How to" questions?  Post them in the comment section below and we'll get them answered for you.

7 Simple Facebook Questions Answered

Here are answers to 7 commonly asked Facebook questions that I have found that I tend to get when I start talking to people about Facebook, whether its at church, with family, or at a business meeting.

If you have a burning question, post it in the comments section below and let's get the answer!

1. Q: How do I tag my friends in my status update?
   A:  Status Tags - If you want your friend's name or a Page to be a link in your status update, simply type the @ sign before you type their name (no space, i.e. @DrJoe in the example below), and then choose their name from the list. Once you click the Share button, it becomes a link.

2. Q: How do I find my privacy settings?
   A: Facebook Privacy - To access your Facebook Privacy settings, click Account in the upper-right corner, and then click Privacy Settings.
   
   

3. Q: How do I get a personal link to my Facebook page to print on business cards, etc?
   A: Facebook "Vanity" URL -  If you want your own Facebook web address, aka a "Vanity URL" (i.e. http://facebook.com/suddenlyslim) for your Profile or Page, go to http://facebook.com/username. You can set it up there. NOTE: Pages must have at least 25 fans to qualify for a vanity web address.
   
4. Q: How do I get back to a page that I 'Like'?
   A: Accessing Your Facebook Pages -  To navigate to a Page that you're a fan of, type the name of the Page in the Search bar at the top of your screen. Then you'll be able to select it from the list.

5. Q: How do I create a Facebook Page?
   A: Create a Page - To create a Facebook Page, navigate to any existing Facebook Page, and click Create a Page for My Business at the bottom of the sidebar on the left.
   

6. Q: How do I make my links click-able?
   A: Creating Web Links -  You have to type http:// in front of any web URL that you want to be a link, when sharing it in your status update. renewedyounow.com won't do. It has to be the full URL: http://renewedyounow.com.
   
   
7. Q: How do I share something with just one person or a group of people, but not everyone?
   A: Sharing Updates with Specific Friends -  If you only want specific people or friend lists to see something, add your content and then click the lock icon next to the Share button. Choose Customize, and then select Specific People from the drop down list. Enter the names of people or lists that you want to see the message. Click Save Settings, and then click the Share button. Only the people you specify will be able to see the content.
   

Getting started: There's No Need to Re-invent the Wheel

Image

Sometimes when we start something new, we think we have to start from the ground up.  I've been trying to determine where to start with this blog.  What basic information should come first?  I've decided that there is already a LOT of information out there, so there's really no need to duplicate it exactly.  I'm going to share some great links here about getting started with Social Media Marketing, focusing on Facebook since 51% of Americans already have Facebook accounts.  Since my goal is to keep it simple, I want to provide the most basic information first.  My concern is that with my technical background, my simple may not equal your simple.  So here are some great resources to get you started.  What I want you to do is note any questions that you have in the comment section below so that I can gauge if these links contain truly "simple" direction, okay?  Let's get started:

How to Create your Personal Facebook Profile
If you are part of the 49% NOT on Facebook yet, it's simple, start here.

To Build a Facebook Page, you need a Facebook Profile
This will help you understand the difference between a Facebook Page (for your business) and a Facebook Profile (all about you).

Facebook 101 for Business: Your Complete Guide
There is a lot of info here. It may seem complicated if you don't have a full understanding of the links above.

Now, review these links and let me know what you think.  I'm here to help and glad to do it! Post your questions below and we'll figure it out!