Here's what you've missed this week in tech and social media news:

• Employee Social Password Privacy Measure Falls in the House - An amendment proposed to the House that would protect employees from being forced to provide their employer with their Facebook password fails.
• Facebook Timeline Rolls Out to All Businesses - Whether they want it or not, all Facebook business pages were forced to the new Timeline layout on Friday, March 30.
• 'Anchorman' Marking Off to a Good Start - Anchorman sequel makes a splash this week all over social media after Will Ferrell makes a visit to Conan.

Not too much exciting happened this week!

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Starting tomorrow, March 30th, Timeline will be mandatory for business pages. Make sure your business page looks pristine before the changes automatically goes live--whether you're ready or not!

Here are 8 tips to make sure your new business page is right on track:

1. Create a Timeline Cover Image
The cover image appears at the top of your page, nested behind your profile picture and placed above your Wall (AKA Timeline). Your cover image is your first impression on your visiting audience so it's a good idea to put your best foot forward. This is an awesome opportunity to say something big in a visually appealing manner that will allow you to connect with your fans!

Just make sure you stay within the rules:

• No price or purchase information, such as "40% off" or "Download it at our website"
• No contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page's About section
• No references to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
  Calls to action, such as "Get it now" or "Tell your friends"

Other tips:

• Customize your image to fit the 851x315 allotted spac
• This image is public for all to see, not just exclusive to your fans
• Covers must not be false, deceptive or misleading, and must not infringe on third parties' intellectual property
• You may not encourage people to upload your cover image to their personal timelines

Experiment with different images to see which ones your fans identify with the most!

2. Upload Your History
Timeline is literally a historic timeline!

You can add milestone dates to your business page's timeline by clicking on the blue "Highlights" line that runs down the middle of the page. You can then enter in the dates, summary, and corresponding picture (image size 843 x 403) of your company's most important events, You can enter in anything such as when the company was founded, customer milestones, awards received/given, branches opened, offices moving, new leadership, etc. The possibilities are endless!

But why is it important to take the time to tediously put in all this information? The timeline allows your fans to humanize your brand. Now they can see where you've come from and how far you've made it as an organization.

Timeline fills in the gap that a lot of social networking sites seem to forget--we existed before this site was created and our past does matter.

3. No More Landing Pages
Default landing pages for business pages are gone with the update to Timeline. You can no longer dictate which page would be the main page when users visit your business page. To some this might be terrible, but there is really great opportunity with this change--many of which are highlighted in this article.

• Maximizing your potential with your cover photo
• Promoting your FB Page by using customized URLs, which lead the audience to one of your Facebook apps (discussed below)

4. Tabs Are Now Apps
If you're no stranger to the Facebook business page world then you're already familiar, and probably using, third-party Facebook tabs on your page. These tabs could be for job boards, places for HTML or iFrames, etc. Well now these tabs are called apps and they play a much more prominent role on your business page.

• 4 apps are always on display underneath your Facebook cover image; you can add,subtract and change their appearance order
• You can utilize a max of 14 custom apps on your timeline
• Create a custom thumbnail for your app, image size is 111 x 74
• Apps have a unique URL that can be used to drive traffic to a specific app, such as one functioning as a landing page
• You can purchase a customized domain URL and have it forward to one of your Facebook apps

5. Fans Can Send You Private Messages
Fans can now send fan-initiated message to your company. This is a great way to deal with customer service and other issues that you may not want displayed for all to see.

6. Highlighted Posts.
You can set any of your posts to be "highlighted" which means it will take up both sides of the page. This feature enables you to bring special attention to--and highlight--a particular post within the timeline. At any time you can remove a post from your page's highlights.

7. Pinned Posts.
If there is a post you want people to pay special attention to when visiting your business page it can be "pinned" to the top of the page. Pinned posts will stay on top of your timeline for up to 7 days before moving down the Timeline. This is a great way to bring attention to something happening this week. However, by pinning a post to remain at the top runs the risk of boring your visitors or creating the illusion that nothing new has been posted since the last time they checked a few days ago. Make sure you change it up open! 

8. Know the Rules Many of the rules were stated above but you may want to read over Facebook's page guidelines forTimeline just to make sure you and your business page is in complete compliance.

If you missed some of the image size requirements, here they are:

• Cover Photo: 851 x 315
• Profile Picture: 180 x 180
• Thumbnail image for apps: 111 x 74
• Highlighted & Milestone images: 843 x 403
• Images within Wall Posts: 404 x 404

Facebook Timeline offers a lot of fun and creative ways for business to connect with their fans. It just a matter of taking the time to learn and master the tools at hand so you can apply it creatively to your businesses sales and communication strategies.

I hope these tips help you with the basics as you make the switch from the old profile to the new and exciting Timeline!

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What about people's online persona and content makes your blood boil? What social media faux pas make you want to social media suicide? On this week's Social Media Meltdown, Joe and I will be discussing the ways to make sure you're not one of "these" people by giving helpful pointers on Online Etiquette.

If you're loosing online friends and followers, you probably need a lesson in online etiquette so tune in!

Social Media Meltdown goes live at 9:00pm EST on Tuesday, March 27th (and every other Tuesday night)!




If you missed this week's show, stay tuned later in the week for the archived video!

Today at sundown begins National Day of Unplugging--a day where people are encouraged to power down and unteather themselves from technology.

According to the cause:

The National Day of Unplugging is a respite from the relentless deluge of technology and information. With roots in Jewish tradition, this modern day of rest was developed by Reboot as a way to bring some balance to our increasingly fast-paced way of life and reclaim time to connect with family, friends, the community and ourselves. Shut down your computer. Turn off your cell phone. Stop the constant emailing, texting, Tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you. Connect with loved ones. Nurture your health. Get outside. Find silence. Avoid commerce. Give back. Eat Together.

Internet addiction is growing among users and studies also show that being constantly plugged in is also causing psychological issues. So although 24 hours of being away from the internet seems like a relatively short amount of time in the grand scheme of things, it be detrimental to emotions and stability of those with an addiction but it could also relieve some of the psychological and anxiety issues that arise out of over use.

I have to admit that I am guilty of technology and internet over use... but when you love something so much, how can you leave it alone? I know deep down that I need to start removing myself from technology for some much needed "time off."

So take the time to turn off your gadgets and enjoy the world. Unplugged does not mean unconnected. Reconnect with the people, places, and things you have excluded by living an entirely digital life.

You can take the official pledge to unplug, here if you are interested.

Are you prepared to unplug for 24 hours? What will you miss the most? Or if you can't participate, why not? I'm curious to see both sides of this argument since I feel like I fall somewhere in the middle.

On Sunday, Google's Chrome finally conquered Internet Explorer in internet browsing market share . To most, this was an inevitable win for Google. By roughtly .2 percent, Chrome had the upper hand... until Monday. On Monday, IE retook the lead by 5 percent.

Why this switchy switchy, back-and-forth?

The day is a key indicator for how Chrome tipped the scales. Sunday. At home on the weekends, people are free to use whichever browser they want. People might not be using Chrome at home but instead Safari or Firefox, ultimately taking away IE's market share that day. IE is popular, and mostly mandatory, in office and business settings. Alternative browsers are on the rise, especially Chrome, and without all that business traffic on Sundays IE was already feeling the pain. This also explains why IT took back it's crown come Monday--when everyone returned to the office.

At this time (roughly), Chrome occupies 30% of browsing while Internet Explorer accounts for about 35%. Firefox occupies about 25% of the global market share, while Safari trails with 7%. What was once the forefront of internet browsers, IE has been loosing users at a dramatic rate.

But can Internet Explorer make a comeback?

Have you seen this Internet Explorer commercial that has been hitting the airwaves as of late?


This commercial makes the browser look beautiful, intuitive and kind of like an Apple product. It looks like Microsoft went all out to compete with Google and Apple and fill consumers' need to be surrounded by beautiful things.

Now I'm an Apple person so I wouldn't even dare dream to make the switch. But I did find this commercial emotionally engaging (but then again, I'm the type of person that is emotionally connected with technology and not everyone is). I might have even thought to myself, I should check it out. Ehhhh... probably not. But it is a compelling ad.

Was Microsoft hoping this commercial would be their saving grace? Is it working? Does it make you want to switch?

Here are some notable stories in social media and tech from this past week:

•  Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Running for Australian Senate - Julian Assange is still under house arrest in Britain while he appeals extradition to Sweden, but that’s not stopping the audacious secret-spiller from planning his next move: running for a seat in the Australian Senate.
• New iPad Sales Top 3 Million in 4 Days - Apple set a record this week by selling over 3 million of the new iPads in the first few days.
• New iPad's Retina Display Reduces Eye Strain, Experts Say - Can the new iPad save your eyes? Experts say it might.
• Apple Denies New iPad Overheating - Tests show that the new iPad operates quite a lot warmer than its predecessors, however Apple ensures overheating is not an issue.
  

Pinterest will be hitting iPads (then maybe some Androids) near you in the foreseeable future! The roughly two-year old social bookmarking site has an iTunes app in the works, which will skyrocket the networks mobile ability.


Here are some Pinterest tips and resources you might find interesting from a business standpoint:

• How to Launch Irresistible Pinterest Contests
• Pinterest For Content Marketers: A Q&A With Reggie Bradford
• 9 Tips to Boost Your Business with Pinterest
• Ad Age Digital A-List: Pinterest
• The Ultimate Guide for Mastering Pinterest for Marketing

Obviously there is a lot going on at South by Southwest (SXSW)--music, film and "interactive." But what do they mean by interactive? Tech, of course! Social tech!


What You Missed at SXSW: Tech Launches
It has been common practice for tech start-ups to launch their product or service at SXSW. In 2009, Foursquare and Gowalla (RIP) both launched at SXSW. Whatever is buzzing at SXSW instantly becomes a social media and tech trend--last year SXSW was abuzz with Pinterest and now look at the masses! This year there were lots of mobile apps fight on the front lines, but these are the ones that stood out from the crowd.

Highlight is the "who's by me" app. Basically you can scan the area to see who in your general vicinity (on highlight) where you can then friend/follow them, if you please. At first this sounds creepy but if you think about it in the terms of traditional networking, if you meet someone at a conference and you want to initiate an online friendship or business networking you can simply scan the area for them in highlight. In today's society it is common networking to friend/follow someone you just met, this just makes it easier to find them to do so.
Task Rabbit is the "outsourcing" app. Basically think of a lame, mundane task or errand that has been on your "honey do" list for the past year that you keep putting off... now think about what it could be like if you could outsource it to a stranger who likes doing that task! There is someone out there who wants to fix your sticky door jam... for FREE! And now you can have Task Rabbit find them for you!

For other takeaway thoughts from this year's SXSW, check out this Huffington Post article on the eight biggest points.

I would really like to go to SXSW on year. Perhaps I'll make it next year!

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This show is brought to you by JustCoolEnough.com!

More information on topics we covered...

Although we are no strangers to podcasts (Girly Nerdy Goodness and Just Cool Enough), this is only our second live show so we're really relying on your feedback so we can make this show the best everrrr! If you have any questions, comments, or suggested topics email us at socialmediameltdown@justcoolenough.com.

Like I said before, I recently picked up a freelance job as a Social Media Columnist. This week my first column feature ran on HotcoursesUSA:

Anyone who is looking to start a career (or move on in their career) right now knows that the market is tough. There are an increasing number of people looking for jobs, but open positions are far and wide. This means employers have the pick of the litter when filling positions!

So how do you get a leg up on your competition?

Social Media!

That's right! Using social media platforms you can gain an edge over other job seekers in your field.

My first job at the company I work for now as a New Media Specialist was as a Social Recruiter. It was my job to go online, meet and network with engineers and sell the company to them. This aggressive form of recruiting is highly successful and is gaining mass popularity around the world.

One of the most widely used mediums for Social Recruiting is LinkedIn.

Click here to read more about how you can utilize social media when searching for your new dream job!

You can follow the rest of my building column on Hotcourses, here.

I recently picked up a freelance job as a Social Media Columnist on HotcoursesUSA.com.


HotcoursesUSA is part of a global organization that began in England as Hotcourses Ltd, the world's largest academic publisher of educational guides. There are Hotcourses sites all over the world including Europe, Pakistan, Nigeria and now, their newest, USA. Their goal is to bring advisory information to students of the region on topics such as class choice, loans, study/work balance, and student life, as well as providing student reviews on schools and programs. Hotcourses focuses on both undergrad and graduate students.

As a Social Media Columnist I will be providing information on first time job hunting via social media as well as other areas in which social media can be beneficial (or detrimental) to students.

I'm really excited to join their team! In 2012, Hotcourses was named in the UK's Sunday Times' 100 Best Companies to Work For list and was also awarded a 3-star accreditation from the Best Companies Team. So not only am I working with a great company but I'm also getting to share information about what I'm really passionate about!

Look out for more information on when and where my articles are posted!

There's no doubt about it, Pinterest has been picking up momentum and picking it up very quickly! So quick, in fact, that it is actually driving more traffic than Twitter these days!


Shareaholic monitored some 200,000 websites to see where their visitors were being referred by. During February 2012, Pinterest ranked #6 of all traffic referral websites--right behind StumbleUpon and right in front of Twitter.

Here are the things I find noteworthy from this past week in the world of tech news:

• The Future of PR is here by Charlie Kondek - An examination of the new world PR industry and the types of skills needed to be a successful PR professional. I had the opportunity to hear Charlie Kondek, Sr. Social Media Strategist at Team Detroit, speak this week on the new model of PR.
• Kony Stirs Debate - If you haven't watched the viral Kony video released by Invisible Children, then you need to watch it to understand the drama. Then a simple "Kony debate" Google search will get you up to speed on both sides. Despite who is right and who is wrong, you can't deny the power of social media word of mouth here.
• Apple's New iPad: The 9 Features that Matter - Are you still trying to sort through what actually changed with the new iPad that was unveiled on Wednesday? Here's a quick guide to the most important and exciting changes.
• How to Sell Your iPad Now - If you're in the market for an upgrade, this is the guide for you. How, where and when to sell your older iPad model.
  
• Social Media Fatigue - How it happens, the affects it has on your body, and tips to conquer the beast.
• SXSW - South by Southwest started this yesterday in Austin, Texas. As usual it is expected to have awesome film, music and internet/social media showcases. 

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Do you find yourself drained after hours of Facebooking? Pinning? Tweeting? Tumbling? This week on Social Media Meltdown we discussed the slippery slope that is Social Media Fatigue, what effects it has on you, and how to overcome the madness.

Tune in for our live show on Tuesdays at 7pm EST. In case you missed last week's, we have you covered with this recorded version! (You're welcome...)

More information on topics we covered...

Although we are no strangers to podcasts (Girly Nerdy Goodness and Just Cool Enough), this is only our second live show so we're really relying on your feedback so we can make this show the best everrrr! If you have any questions, comments, or suggested topics email us at socialmediameltdown@justcoolenough.com.

As social media becomes more and more popular, the education institutions are going to have to recognize social media and legitimate sources. We're starting to see it more and more that traditional forms of published research are not as up-to-date as what can be found online. Who hasn't been frustrated by the outdated material they stumble across in an ancient book in your school library?


Right now it is on a instructor-by-instructor basis as to what they will except as credible sources but if you are given the go-ahead to cite social media mediums then here are some guidelines to follow:

Citing a Blog

MLA

• Lastname, Firstname, “Title of individual blog entry.” Weblog entry. Title of Weblog. Date posted. Date accessed (URL).

APA

• Lastname, FirstInitial. Title of individual blog entry. Retrieved January 1, 2007, from http://www.blog.com

Citing a Tweet

MLA

• Last Name, First Name. (@username). "Tweet in its entirety." Date, Time. Tweet.

Inspired by Annie's 25 by 25, I've decided to write my own!

Although I hadn't put them into words, I already had in mind a few goals for this year. These are sure to be a lot more attainable than my 100 Things To Do Before I Die list.


25 Goals by Age 25

1. Purchase my first home
2. Start a social media video podcast
3. Get a dog, preferably a Siberian Husky
4. Attend a local tweetup
5. Start saving for a luxurious vacation overseas with my boyfriend
6. Launch a lifestyle blog with my friends
7. Take a pottery class
8. Hit 20,000 tweets
9. Attend a weekly yoga class
10. Visit the gym twice a week
11. Start seriously working on the documentary I dream to create
12. Hit 1,000 followers on Twitter
13. Go on a vacation with my girl friends
14. Attend a Murder Mystery dinner
15. Purge my life of un-needed and un-wanted belongings; De-clutter my life
16. Go hiking in a rural forest area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula known for its many waterfalls
17. Create more content on the internet (i.e., blogs, video, podcasts, etc.)
18. Bring in more freelance business
19. Learn to schedule my time more efficiently
20. Host an ice cream social with my friends where we make ice cream from scratch
21. Be on TV (even if it's just for a second)
22. Start a trending topic on Twitter
23. Pick up more guest blogging gigs
24. Be tweeted at by someone famous
25. Fine tune my video editing skills

Even though my birthday was just over a month ago (January 27th), I've already been able to accomplish some of these goals or at least have some concrete plans behind them!

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Tis the season for Girl Scout Cookies! This wonderfully, delightful time of year brings back memories from when I was an awkward Girl Scout myself.

We all know how delicious the cookies are but did you realize how the Scouts are social media mavens?


Now I'm not that old (a mere 24) but I feel like the above image is a perfect representation of what Girl Scouts was like when I was a member. I know this image if a lot older than my generation of Scouts but I feel it portrays the same message. When I was a GS, it was very conservative and was based on its traditional founding values. And now we see images like this that represent the new-aged Scouts:


Obviously the organization is really on top of its branding and making sure they are marketing to the appropriate values of their targeted audience. Loud. Bold. And straight to the point.

So they keep their branding and marketing up-to-date but how about their new-aged communication tactics? Where do they stand on social media? How do they use it?

In February 2011, the Girl Scout Research Institute presented a webinar in collaboration with Pew Research Center on Teenage Communication and Social Media Use. After conducting their research GS came out with a surprisingly upbeat outlook on social media, despite the not so great results. During the research GS discovered the pitfalls of social media in consideration of girls and self-esteem. However they insist social media is not the devil and that girls should educate themselves on best practices.

The Girl Scouts takes the suggestions of best practices and puts them into action by having a presence in social media in safe and interactive manner.

The Girl Scout Twitter (@girlscouts) account keeps with the organization's mission to "build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place." They create audience engagement and use Twitter to network with other organizations in which they have partnerships.




Then there is the Girl Scout official Facebook page, which is an experience all its own! With a non-fan landing page, it entices the user to "like" the organization to unlock information. Here they are replicating the members-only atmosphere of the Scouts, while technically still keeping it open to everyone--even those that are not Girl Scouts.

Although the Girl Scouts embrace social media in every way, they don't, however, use it for the sales of their cookies.


The Girl Scouts have a genius sales technique around their beloved cookies. By selling them once a year, the cookies become more desirable as the people look forward to them. Suddenly buying cookies becomes an event, a time of year people can rely on. Genius!

The Girl Scout Council encourages the online hype of cookies sales but they condone online sales. Instead they believe GS cookies should be sold in the traditional fashion that they've relied on since 1917. The Council believes that by allowing the girls to handle cookie sales themselves, rather than letting it be handled through an ecommerce system, they will learn about money management, book keeping, inventory, and how to run a business.

So you're not going to be able to purchase your cookies online this season, so how are you going to get your Girl Scout Cookie fix?! There's an app for that, of course!



You can download a Cookie Finder app from the Apple Store that will help you track them down!

It is impressive to see such a old and traditional organization adapting to the latest and upcoming technologies. The Girl Scouts are truly Social Media Mavens! Shouldn't there be a patch for that?

Social Media Meltdown is our new weekly live streaming video show where Joe and I will discuss a hot button topic in the realm of social media. Viewers will be able to log on, watch the show live and interact with us as we go along. At the end of each show, we'll answer the questions you've submitted!

We go live every Tuesday at 7:00 pm EST. Check back here on Tuesdays for details on how to watch us live online! Invite your friends to join us! Without an audience it won't be nearly as fun... or SOCIAL!

This was the very first live stream of Social Media Meltdown with Katelyn and Joe and this week we discussed privacy (or lack there of) in the digital age. Although privacy is priority for websites, the issue has been making headlines lately with the onslaught of security breeches. We also talked about people voluntarily exposing too much personal information online and how their voluntary lack of privacy can alter their impressions on others.

Don't worry if you missed the live stream, we've got you covered!


More information on the topics covered...

Since this was our first show, I would love to know what you think! How was the format of the show? The topics? The hosts? Any feedback would be wonderful!

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