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Social Media Experts

The great thing about Social Media is that it’s all around us.  And as Baby Boomers, we need to know that the answers to our questions about Social Media are all around us, too.  Stuck?  You won’t be for long.  Can’t figure out how to Tweet?  There’s a video on YouTube for that.  Looking for the latest on creating a Facebook business page?  Google that puppy.  Take a look at the link below and check out Social Media expert Chris Brogan.  He’s smart and down-to-earth, and talks about SM in a way we can all relate to.  You’ll find him online… along with hundreds of others.  Ya gotta love the internet. 😉

Chris Brogan Kitchen Table Talks Continue reading “Social Media Experts”

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Cell Phones in Class???

You remember school.  It’s that place that Boomers went to years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth.  For the most part, we sat where we were told to sit, did what we were told to do, wrote on blackboards, read text books and did our essays by hand on foolscap.  Oh how the world has turned.  Now, teachers are using SMART PHONES as teaching tools, and students are being ENCOURAGED  to bring their own phones into the classroom.   “Outrageous!” you say?  Let me tell you why it really isn’t… (More…) Continue reading “Cell Phones in Class???”

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Parenthood 2010: Facebook Safety

You’ve done it before.  Sure you have.  You’re talking to your kids and you launch into a story about “the good old days”… the days before banking machines and cell phones and satellite TV when life was simpler and people knew their neighbours.  Years from now, you’ll be telling your grandchildren about the days before Facebook... the days when people actually picked up the phone to find out what their friends were up to instead of reading a post online.  With 400 million users, Facebook is one influential social networking site.  It also has the potential to be dangerous.  And millions of parents still don’t fully understand those dangers.   (More…) Continue reading “Parenthood 2010: Facebook Safety”

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Tweet Insanity

Admit it.  If you’re a Boomer, you may still not understand the point of Twitter.  Odds are you still haven’t signed up for an account, and may drag your feet for months or even years before you jump on the blue bird bandwagon.  Many of you are convinced that Twitter will soon go the way of the dodo bird, in fact.

Now comes a story that may convince you to keep your distance for good:  Call it “The Bieber Effect”.  Even though you’re not on Twitter (egads!), you’ve probably heard via the Entertainment Tonight grapevine that teen pop sensation Justin Bieber is seeing the dark side of the instant messaging phenomenon.  (More…) Continue reading “Tweet Insanity”

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Social Media Addiction

Sometimes you’ve just got to have it.  Chocolate comes to mind.  Or for some people, drinking or gambling or sex.  ADDICTION.  You probably heard about a recent study by the University of Maryland suggesting that students on campus there are addicted to Social Media.  Giving up their iPhones, laptops, Blackberries and their internet connection for 24 hours was enough to induce withdrawl symptoms much like those of a drug addict.  Are you kidding me???  Apparently not. (More…) Continue reading “Social Media Addiction”

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iPhone Hesitation?

Last week, I visited a place that every geek dreams of… They call it Paradise… They call it Nirvana… They call it… the Apple Store. As I walked past the sliding glass doors, the angels began to sing.  No, really.  Now let’s get one thing straight.  Technically, I am not a geek.  I have a real appreciation for all things technology, but I do not lay awake at night dreaming about gizmos and networks and pods.  I went to the Apple Store to find out more about the iPhone I’ve admired from afar for months now.  Why did I wait?  Good question.  I was waiting for the price to come down and the service packages to shape up. (More…) Continue reading “iPhone Hesitation?”

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Top SM Tip? Better to Give than Receive!

It’s a Boomer memory that most of us can relate to.  Remember when you were 10, and your parents took you to the Dairy Queen for a special treat on a Saturday night?  Such a big decision… Dipped cone or chocolate sundae?  Those were the choices.  And everyone stuck by their favourite.  I was a chocolate sundae kind of girl.  Couldn’t see the benefit of  switching my allegiance to a dipped cone.  Why would I want to do that?

Fast forward 40 years.  There are two camps in the world of business these days, too, when it comes to Social Media.  Some people – let’s call them the chocolate sundae people –  wonder why the heck they need to embrace SM.  “The things we’ve always done have always worked,” they say.

Others – let’s call them the dipped cone people –  understand the importance of learning all they can about SM and using it as the brilliant marketing tool it is.

Let’s face it.  Sooner or later the chocolate sundae people are going to become dipped cone people.  And once they’re holding that cone, they’re going to want to know how to lick it in the best possible way.   Are you ready?  Write this down.  The number one tip to remember is this:  “It’s better to GIVE than to RECEIVE.” (More…) Continue reading “Top SM Tip? Better to Give than Receive!”

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Personalize Me!!!

There’s a national hamburger chain in Canada that found a formula for success many years ago:  give the people what they want.  How do they do that?  They personalize your burger.  All the fixings are right there in front of the customer, and you tell the teenager behind the counter in the wacky hat exactly what you want.  Onions, pickles and mustard?  No problem.  Tomatoes, relish and lettuce?  Coming right up.  Well now, Facebook is about to personalize the internet for you.  And it’s got a LOT of people talking.  Want to know why?  Grab your burger and come with me… (More…) Continue reading “Personalize Me!!!”

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Privacy and Google Buzz

You may have heard the buzz this week about “Google Buzz”… Google’s answer to Facebook.  Company execs are hoping that g-mail users will abandon Facebook and embrace the Google version.    Sounds innocent enough.  But Google has set off a firestorm of indignation when it comes to privacy.  The world’s leading privacy regulators are joining forces to fight what they call “the persistent and willful disregard by internet giants of the rights of web users to protect their personal information”.  Why should you care?  Let me explain. (More…) Continue reading “Privacy and Google Buzz”