Living with Social Media

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Chris Chase

Social media has completely permeated our culture. No one will be mad if you pass up using super-specific social networking sites and apps (like Pinterest), but you’ll definitely get sideways looks if you tell people you’re not on Facebook.

It’s odd that, with all the popularity of social media, theredon’t seem to be any tips sheets or guides on how to “properly” use it. And that’s exactly why EarthLink has put together a quick cheat sheet to help you with the basics:

BE YOURSELF

When the internet was newer, anonymity was key. Disguising your true identity with usernames like “HappyMom97″ was a socially acceptable way to communicate through your computer. This is no longer the case. People want to find you (actual people from your past and present, like your friends, relatives, and coworkers), so it’s expected that you will now use your real name and a real photo in your social media profiles (some sites, like Google+, even require it!). That being said, please NEVER including sensitive information like addresses, phone numbers, or even your current and past employment (the one exception is LinkedIN, a professional social site where it pays to show off your resume).

WRITE FOR YOUR MOTHER

If you wouldn’t want your mother to read it or see it, don’t post about it or upload a picture of it. Only share photos of yourself that you’d be proud for an employer to see (the number of employers using social media to check up on applicants and current employees is on the rise), and try to avoid heated discussions. Those conversations always work better face-to-face, and people reading it can easily take what you say out of context, no matter how well-worded or thought-out it is.

BE FRIENDS WITH…FRIENDS

Only “friend” people you know in real life. If you get a message from a stranger, feel free to message back (most sites allow messaging…like an in-social-media email…between non “friends”), but don’t “add” them until you’ve met or spoken outside of social media.

KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE

Send a message if you want it to privately talk to someone
Post on a friend’s wall if it’s for a specific person, but one of your or their friends might enjoy what you’re sharing (like a recipe or a video of a sleeping cat)
Post a status about something general that all your friends might enjoy (like the deal on lunch you discovered)
Only comment on a post or status with something relevant (Example: if the original post is “I adore ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE by The Beatles,” comment “Me too!” and not “I miss you…how are you?” That’s better for a separate wall post or message.

Use these as a jumping off point to get yourself settled into communicating through social media. It’s meant to be a fun way to represent yourself online, so have fun with it!

Web Hosting – Why EarthLink is a Great Choice, pt 2

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Chris Chase

Last week we presented the first 5 points on this list, explaining the base reasons that EarthLink is a great choice as web hosting provider. This week we bring you the other five…the “frosting on the cake” if you will. And, of course, should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us (1-888-532-5004)!

6. FREE S.E.O. Tools. Search engine optimization (SEO) can help you drive more traffic to your website through customers clicking on your search engine results. Our free tools help you optimize your business website for google (and other search engines); it also lists your website on 60+ online directories and your physical location on many popular GPS systems!

7. FREE Email Marketing Tools. EarthLink’s Email Announcer Pro makes it easy to create email newsletters, manage customer contact lists, and track the open and click-through rates of your email marketing campaigns!

8. FREE Social Media Tools. Our free SocialStream tool lets you manage and post to multiple social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN) from one simple interface!

9. WordPress blog installer. EarthLink’s WordPress Installer is makes setting up a blog on your site through WordPress (the web’s top blogging software) …all within your EarthLink Web Hosting account!

10. We want you to succeed! Our support staff is here to help you with questions, comments, and to resolve any issues that may arise. EarthLink also has a variety of self-help tools to answer your questions any time of the day. You’re our customer, and we care about you…when you succeed, we succeed!

2012 Election: And the Winner Is…the Internet

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Tom Sullivan

Tuesday’s national and statewide elections may or may not have gone your way. But they certainly went the way of the Internet. We got a taste of it in 2008 and 2010, but the 2012 elections certainly put the Internet and social media front and center. It’s clear today that they have changed how elections are reported, analyzed, followed, and discussed.

There were lots of great websites to follow the election throughout the campaigns and they are still providing interesting post-election insights and analysis.

CNN’s Election Center is filled with ongoing election-related news and interesting looks back at the campaigns. Of note are detailed election demographics from exit polls and a look back at 21 defining moments from the campaigns.

Google offers another very interesting site for the 2012 election. There’s a compilation of all the latest news, an interactive election map for President, Senate, House, and Governors’ races that even lets you drill down on the results to the county level. The election site also features the YouTube Live 2012 Election channel and showcases interesting search trends related to the campaign.

The FiveThirtyEight blog, part of the NYtimes.com Politics section, generated a lot of interest and traffic with Nate Silver’s in-depth statistical analysis and predictions (as of this writing he’s 49 for 49 in state-by-state predictions, with one race still not 100% confirmed). FiveThirtyEight does not yet have any post-election content but the Politics section is full of news, analysis, and opinion.

Social media sites, especially Twitter and Facebook, were central to the election this year.

Twitter’s @gov team tracked “creative and effective uses of Twitter for civic engagement” and the TWINDEX tracked tweets related to the candidates (and gave the candidates scores to rank their activity), plus issues, and hot topics. The Twitter Political Engagement Map showed state-by-state engagements with the candidates’ tweets throughout the campaign.

President Obama even announced his victory first to his 22.7 million Twitter followers and 32.7 million Facebook fans before he made his televised speech. Reportedly, Obama’s tweet set a record for most retweets, and Election Day 2012 became the most tweeted about event in U.S. political history.

And speaking of Facebook…the U.S. Politics on Facebook page (with 246,000+ Likes) was an active campaign watching and discussing hub. The page posted just yesterday that there were 71.7 million election-related mentions across Facebook posts in the U.S. on election day alone. The election also received a 9.27 (out of 10), the highest score for buzz on the Facebook Talk Meter for U.S. users in 2012. The page is also featuring snapshots of the most meaningful Facebook posts from Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

Leave us a comment and let us know how you used your Internet access to follow the election or promote your political views.

Use Facebook to Get EarthLink Customer Service

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Chris Chase

Lots of companies are on Facebook. EarthLink is (as it EarthLink Business!), Target is, and countless other businesses (including Mom-and-Pop shops) are. Facebook (and indeed social media in general) is a great tool for them to connect with customers. Business entities like it because they can interact with their customers for free, and customers like it so they can keep up to date and…get customer service help?

Lots of companies are listening to their customers on Facebook, which means this can be a useful tool for getting some assistance from the company. Here are some tips (these are EarthLink-specific, but they will likely help you with other companies) to getting EarthLink customer service help through Facebook:

Commenting vs. Private Messaging
1. You can either comment on the company’s wall (which is seen publicly) or send a private message. Often, a public comment is most useful when you do not need immediate assistance (for example: “Hey, noticed that Hurricane Sandy has hurt service in Manhattan…let us know when it’s up!”) and/or everyone can benefit from the information in the comment (ex. “I just discovered my.earthlink.com …thanks!).
2. Private messaging is more useful if you have a specific need (ex. “I want to upgrade my service, can someone call me?”), or are including personal information (see next point).
Keep private information out of public comments.
1. If you want a company to call you, it’s a great idea to include your phone number and account information, but do NOT post that on their public wall.
2. Companies can message you BACK if you send them a private message first, but they cannot message you first (imagine the advertisement messages you’d get if they could!)
3. If you need help, private message with your contact info, and wait for a response. (TIP: If you don’t get a response within a day, feel FREE to call-out a company with a “I messaged and haven’t heard back yet” comment on their public wall.
Keep it polite.
1. Most companies have a filter or policy to block comments/posts that include profanity or hateful speech. Make your messages as polite as possible so the company will both see your message, and be ready to help you.
2. Some companies have wall commenting turned off on their profiles, so keep it polite in the private messages with a “How can I request some assistance?” private message. A company is on Facebook because they want to interact, so make the interaction as pleasant as possible for both parties
Tag them when you like the service!
1. When typing a comment in Facebook on your personal computer (NOTE: this doesn’t work on mobile devices), you can “tag” the company with a “@” beforehand. For example, typing “@earthlink” will have a link to the EarthLink Facebook pop up in your comment…let them know you liked their service and let others know!
2. TIP: some companies (EarthLink included) even select random people who tagged them to receive “thanks for tagging” prizes, so always spread the word about good service!