Twitter Photo Filters: How to apply and use

Last week Instagram pulled Twitter cards support from its App, which means that users who take a photo and share the same on Twitter. Will only be able to share a link and not the photo as users are used to. So sharing a photo with Twitter followers will not share the photo but a link to the photo. Followers will need to click on the link to view the image. Twitter on the other hand have released their own Instagram type of photo-sharing program which allows you to add filters to your photos before sharing on Twitter. The enhancement a product of Aviary -- brings to you the classy filters, Instagram users are used to. There are 8 photo filters and effects for you to use on your photos -- ranging from black & white to vintage. You can make use of these filters and effects to create stunning images and share with your buddies on Twitter.

How to use Twitter's Photo Editor and add filters to Twitter images
1. You will need to Twitter App for iOS and Android -- since the app is Mobile based it can be used only on your iPhone. iPad and Android devices.
2. To start after composing your Tweet click on the camera icon
3. Click on choose from library to browse your photos and choose the one you want to use.
4. Use the wand like icon to enhance your image automatically.
5. use the crop icon to crop your photo
6. Clicking the 3 circles icon allows you to choose a filter for your photo.
7. Tap images to view up-close or simply swipe to try another image.
8. Click 'Done' when you're finished and Tweet to share the photo.

All your photos you add to Twitter will show up on your Twitter Timeline. Your followers can then click on them and view the entire list of photos you're shared on Twitter.
Source to learn more: Twitter Blog and you can read Aviary's post on the new feature here.

http://youtu.be/2giNzaZunqE

Google+ Communities: How it works

Google+ have launched Communities and it is bieng compared to Facebook groups. Google+ communities are like Facebook groups in that sense and other types of groups that users might be familiar with. Google+ communities however offer the large Google+ community as potential users who can join a community. You can create a community and make it either public or private. Once you create a community you can wither invite people to join or let people who like the topic find you and join your community. A great place to share ideas and just about anything. Anybody with a Google+ account can create a community and you can choose just about any topic from under the sun.

There are already a large number of communities set up on Google+, they also have a large number of members who are contributing together. Also good if you want to learn new subjects like 'Photography'. Google+ communities are a good place to create your own community or join someone else's community and contribute. Before creating a community you would need to know that creating and maintaining a community is a lot of hard-work, especially if it grows and becomes big. So if you are dedicated enough -- go for it. Also before creating a community make sure there are no communities that exist with the same name already. Be creative and come up with something original, this is turn will ensure a lot more people join and share in your community.

How to create a Google+ Community
1. Login to Google+
2. On the left-hand side menu click on 'Communities Logo'.
3. Click on 'Create Community' choose either private or public.
4. Chose if anyone can join or do they need permission to join.
5. Click on create community and you're done

Once your community is setup you can add videos, links, events, photos and status updates.

How to edit my Google+ Community
1. Go to your community page and under community page photo click on 'edit'. From here you can share, edit or invite people. Under actions click on edit community to add a category and other benefits to your community. Under the same actions you will also be able to delete our community.

So go ahead and create your own or join someone else's Google+ community. Google+ has a vibrant user base and it is sure going to prove to be a lot of fun to create and maintain a Google+ community.

Visuals below in the video
http://youtu.be/zU6GGNWOkes

Refresh their Facebook pages to see Romney's Likes decrease and Obama's increase

The battle was long and hard-fought and to the victor goes the Facebook Likes. This is the power of Social Media and it's open for all to see. Post elections if you go to Mitt Romney's Facebook page and click on refresh you can see his likes count decreasing in real time. The opposite is true for the president. If you go to Obama's Facebook page and refresh the page you will see his likes increasing. The power of Social Media is now most evident and for all to see in real-time.

The reports first started surfacing that after the elections Mitt Romney was loosing followers. Going to his page you can see it for yourself. We cannot accurately predict when it will taper off and settle down to a number which might stay steady, as of now it just keeps happening. There is now also a website dedicated to this phenomena called Disappearing Romney. You don't need the website however as you can see it for yourself. Facebook Likes matter and it only proves that in a democracy the power of the people will always matter and although all the campaigning happened off-line the on-line world matters and somehow into the mix Facebook Likes also matter.

Check it out now at Mitt Romney's Facebook page and Obama's Facebook page.

Facebook Sound Notifications: How to turn off

The latest feature being tested by Facebook is Notifications sounds, this means each time you get a notification you will hear a small beep on your PC or Mobile device. Whether users will like it or not is left to be seen. The options to have a small sound played whenever you receive a notification is something you can expect very soon. If you do get it and want to turn it off. It is quiet simple and easy to do. Basically with this option you can continue doing your work and whenever a friend updates their Facebook status and the story gets posted to your News feed. You will hear a small sound alerting you to the new story on your news feed. Might be quiet useful and will save you all the time and energy checking for status updates. With sounds you can carry on with whatever your doing and each time there is a status update, you will hear the sound.

How to turn off, disable or stop Facebook Sound Notifications
1. Login to Facebook
2. Click on the drop-down next to home
3. From the left sidebar choose notifications
4. Beside 'all notifications sounds on' click on view
5. Uncheck the bob beside 'Play a sound when each new notification is received'

To enable notification sounds follow the same process and check the box beside 'Play a sound when each new notification is received'. So if you want to check if your notification sounds are not working or working. The option is to be found under notifications under account settings. Notifications sounds or audio alerts are not just for the web but should be available on your iPhone, iPad and Android phones.

How to create a secret or Pinterest private board

Pinterest always had one feature that was lacking. The ability to create private boards that are visible to only people you invite. Up until now all boards created on Pinterest have been public and if there was one feature Pinterest uses wanted it was this -- the ability to create private boards meant only for certain people who you want to share these boards and pins with. Once a private board is switched from off to on it is a one time thing and stays permanent. As of now you can create only three secret boards.

Can I convert existing boards to secret boards?
This is not possible as pins from these boards might have already been shared on the site.

What happens when you add a pin to a secret board?
It will not show up on Pinterest and will remain totally secret only visible to people who you have invited to view the board.

Where do I find my secret boards and pins?
They are found at the bottom of your Pinterest profile

What if I have used up my 3 boards?
If you want to create a new secret or private board and have already used your quota of 3 boards. You will need to make one of them public before being able to create a new secret board.

How to create a Secret or Pinterest private board
From the Add + button on the top, click on it and then toggle between secret and public or from the drop-down on the top click on boards and find your three secret boards at the bottom.

How to create a secret board on your iOS or Android device.
You need the latest version of Pinterest for this option to work. Once you have the latest version of Pinterest on your iPhone, iPad or Android phone or tablet you can then go to your profile. Tap on the boards tab and then scroll down till you get the options -- create a secret board.

Video below if you want the visuals, read more here at the Pinterest blog
http://youtu.be/gtp_6GPn0G0

CircleMe adds concerts near you feature

CircelMe the social networking site for people to discover new places and recommendations from fellow CircleMe users -- has an announcement to make. Through the private API of Songkick, Circleme users will now be able to keep updated of concerts by their favorite musicians happening around them. With this new recommendation service CircelMe gives users the chance to view concerts happening near them also book tickets and add value to the social media site. Stamped the social network that worked on the principle of people stamping things and places they liked -- CircleMe's known competitor, has been acquired by Yahoo and should be Sunsetted by the end of this year. This leaves CircleMe as the only place for people to collect things and be updated about them.
So you can find your favorite bands on CircleMe, like them and be updated on all their activity and what other users are also saying about them. This is a definite + for those who like to follow their bands and also interact with other users who have similar tastes in music. Simply checking out your favorite band pages on CircleMe will give you a list of their concerts that could be taking place at a destination near you.
CircleMe

Why HR must embrace Social Media [Infographic]

Social Media and its use within companies have posed quiet a challenge for Human Resources. With some companies outright banning their employees from using social media in the workplace or even tweeting and posting Facebook updates relating to work and the company. While there are others who have a more open view to using social media in the work place. There have been many instances and this is something that is ongoing -- with recruiters asking potential employees for their Facebook passwords. Giving employers Facebook passwords can be dangerous as a lot of what is personal will now become available to a professional environment. Both of which do not mix. This has prompted some college students to create an ideal Facebook profile. Check out the infographic below which goes into much detail as to why HR must embrace Social Media. This Infographic comes courtesy of Compliance and Safety.

How to get the New LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn has been hard at work releasing improvements, that it believes will help build more interaction between you are your connections. With that said -- LinkedIn now has something called the New LinkedIn Profile. The new LinkedIn has an all new sleek look and you notice that it has a Twitter style header. That is one of the first things you notice, you can place you photo with a brief bio about you. Below that is the The brief bio is for visitors to your profile to get a good first impression. The Snippet of you profile has your current company, previous company, education and geographical location. Below which is your activity, this is new as older profiles have background and experience. Now activity has taken the top spot, a clear indication in the shift in  Social Media being incorporated on LinkedIn. What you share is very important and user engagement adds credibility to your influence among the community.

The right column is solely dedicated to your connects. This includes people who you might know. The strength of your profile (All Star) and the 'Also viewed' option. You can get the all new LinkedIn profile now by applying for an invitation. As it is being rolled out in phases. To get started with the new LinkedIn profile please follow the link below and request an invite.
Get the New LinkedIn profile now

Like-A-Hug: Wear the Social Media Jacket

As if posting on Facebook and waiting for the 'Likes' to come were not enough. There is now a jacket that will inflate itself a little to give you a hug. It is a simulation but still gives the feeling of getting a hug. The way it works is like this - you post your status update on Facebook about your new cat, dog or cute something. The likes that pouring in - especially if you have a healthy Facebook circle. Now, every time you get a a like - you also get a hug from the jacket. We really don't have any idea what to make of it. Is it another web simulation to gain appreciation in the virtual social world. Will it compensate for human contact - give you the feeling of being loved.

Check it out now at Like-A-Hug

http://vimeo.com/46629037

Sad YouTube: To read Melancholic comments by Strangers

Everyone who uses YouTube is aware of the aggressive community of trolls that sail the YouTube ocean. They are always there and ready to pass judgement and comment on videos. Some of these comments are simply amazing and some are not so. A lot of these comments simply get voted down and eventually disappear. Sad YouTube however shows that there are those comments worth reading of people who actually write and post comments that are sad and not written in troll standard.

Another thing to note about comments like these are that they are usually found beneath songs. Reminding people of their past loves and stirring emotions that might have been buried for a long time. There are some of us who actually like reading comments as many can be quiet insightful. One of the best places for this is Reddit -- some of the saddest comments you might ever read. Sad Tube however brings this kind of thing to you from YouTube. So if this is something you might want to rad give the site a whirl and you can also contribute by submitting comments you think should make it on there.

Sad YouTube 

Nextdoor Social Network: How does it work

Nextdoor is a Social Network that is meant for neighborhoods and people living close by. In a way bringing your neighborhood online and creating awareness among communities. Also a place if you would like to get to know your neighbors a little more and start sharing. Provided of-course that they are already there on Nextdoor. The social network also says that they've been inspired by the early days of Facebook and to join you would need to enter your real name and your real address. Once you have entered this information you will get a postcard to verify that it is you at this address. A call to your landline phone number. Credit card verification or reference from an already verified neighbor. These are the four methods that Nextdoor uses to verify that you indeed live in that neighborhood. 

Nexdoor: How it works
1. Head over to Nextdoor and you will be asked to enter information like your email ID, street address, city, state and Zipcode to see if your neighborhood is already listed.
2. If you neighborhood is already listed you would need to enter any of the four methods mentioned above to prove your existence in that neighborhood. 
3. If your neighborhood is not listed you can send the site a message asking them to add your neighborhood.
4. Once setup you will need to create a profile and introduce yourself to your neighbors and let them know a little bit about you.
5. Now that you have joined other neighbors online you can view your news feed, maps and recommendations. All the things you must be familiar with if you are used to using Facebook, Google+ and Twiitter.

You can also draw your neighborhood on top of a Google map. Each neighborhood online might consist of 50 to 2000 members. Kind of safe and sound and considering you know the person's real name and where he or she lives might actually lower the risk of spam and other problems usually associated with larger social networks like Facebook etc. Will it take-off, let us know in the comments section below. Currently available in the US only.
Nextdoor

The video introduction to Nextdoor - check it out to learn more.

An original post by

Sociolatte

Gangnam Style: How to dance [Video]

GANGNAM STYLE - by Korean K-pop artist PSY has now crossed over 218 million views in just over two months. These numbers are staggering but what is more staggering is the number of Gangnam Style parodies that are being churned out. There are people creating their own Gangnam style videos, flash mobs and what have you not. One pressing thing however seems to be that people get the dance wrong - once you know how to do the four step horse dance. You look at every other video now on YouTube to see if people creating their parody videos are getting it right - sadly many of them get it wrong. So what is the correct way to do the Gangnam style dance. Well, check the video below to see PSY teaching you his original dance.


How to do the Gangnam Style dance
1. You need to keep your body fluid and in motion.
2. Pretend your riding an invisible horse.
3. Cross your arms at your wrists.
5. Start with your right leg and step once and then left leg step once and back to your right leg and step twice. Well, watch the video below and learn how to do the correct Gangnam Style

This video is from the Ellen show where PSY teaches Britney Spears to do the Gangnam Style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZmkU5Pg1sw

Samsung Galaxy S3 Social tag

The Samsung Galaxy S III comes with a feature called Social tag. Once this is synced with all your contacts, tapping on a contact will allow you to find out their SNS Status. SNS status stands for or means Social Networking Status. So using the Social tag feature of your Galaxy S3 you can check out a friends' Facebook profile with a simply tap on that contact. according to Samsung this is how it works - using its Face recognition feature the Samsung Galaxy S3 has the capability to instantly recognize identify and properly tag people in your photos, as long as you have added them as contacts. These contacts have to have a profile picture attached or you could add one. With Social Share you can instantly share the pictures with your S3 contacts recognized in your photos.



Adding Social tag to contacts as Facebook connections.
If you have synced your contacts with Facebook - you can check by opening the Contacts App and see if your contacts have a Facebook symbol next to their entry. if you see someone who does not have the Facebook contact added you can then tap on contact and go to 'Connections' and from there link them to a Social network contact.

Using Social tag on the S3
So once you have linked your friends as Social contacts, you can go to your photos and start using Social tag. Go to your photos and click on your friends face and match them to your contacts. The S3's Face recognition software will then be able to automatically recognize friends faces in your photos. After which all you need to do is click on the relevant button below your friends photo and you can mail them the photo, call them, tag them or check out their Facebook profile instantly. be sure you have Social tag switched on in your settings menu for this to work.

Check out the video below from the Vodafone teach team about Social tag on the S3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGDyiZ0hRJw

How to import all your Pinterest pins and boards to LoveIt

Loveit at first glance looks a lot like Pinterest. Almost like a replica and doing almost the same thing with a few key differences. Loveit has private collections that you can share only with friends and families. Which means if you want to work on a private collection for business, you can use Loveit to do just that.   The content importer toll also has an algorithm to correctly identify the pictures original source. So if you run a website or blog that has a lot of pictures that people would like to share, the originial source content is identified and credited. The rest of it is just like Pinterest and therefore loads of fun for people who like to share and find beautiful pictures and images on the internet. Loveit also has the ability to import all your Pinterest pins and boards with just a few steps. This post will detail these steps to help you have all your great content on both the sites.



How to import, move or bring all your Pinterest pins and Boards to LoveIt.
1. Log in to LoveIt
2. Login to Pinterest
3. On Pinterest click on the arrow beside you name and either choose pins or boards. You are now on the page tah contains all your pins or boards.
4. Now click on the Loveit button in your borswer bar.
5. A message is displayed - We notice that you are on your Pinterest profile. Would you like to import your images to LoveIt?
6. You can now choose to import all your collection or just a few.
7. Confirm 'Import' and you're done.

All pins and boards are imported as-is and nothing is changed. Your collections still remain on Pinterest. You can now reorganize your collections on Loveit and make some or all of them private.

LoveIt - check it out now.

Visuals in the video below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPIzl5ZvPq0

Medium: The new Blogging tool form the Twitter Founders

A typical collection found on Medium

Twitter founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams have launched their latest project. It is now open to sign-up with your Twitter account but not ready for use. You can log-in and read about it but might have a wait a little to actually use the service. The founders have a history on the internet for launching projects that changed the face of the web - Blogger and Twitter. Blogger being a full-fledged blogging service which was bought by Google and Twitter - a micro-blogging service. Coming with such a background makes the web wonder if their next project will have this kind of success again. This project comes from the Obvious Corporation. 

Medium: How does it work

We are able to post how this service would work based on sneak peeks by the founders and their blog which explains further. Medium is a blogging service whose front-face looks a lot like a pin-board - like Pinterest. Users can join together to collaborate on a project. Actually adding content to already popular subjects. This takes away the problem of single-users having to build and grow an audience and becoming authorities on a specific subject. Users also get to choose the level of contribution they prefer. So if you are one of those people who simply like to read, comment and up-vote. This is perfectly fine, since all the content that finds its way to the front page will depend on the number of likes it receives. This will show other users what is trending on the site and increases the likelihood of that bit of content being found. 

Collections: This seems to be the keyword here as you can see from the image. All content gets organized into collections. These collections will also have a theme and a template. These collections can be made up of articles, images, videos and much more. So if you become a contributor to a collection, you material will show-up on the top depending on how many people like it. You can post to these collections any number of posts during the day. If you are a little more ambitious and would so choose. You can start a collection of your own. So sign-up now for the service and let us know what you think in the comments section below. Will this become the next hit blogging network of the future?

Medium - Sign-up now or read more on the Medium Blog.

 

An original post by

Sociolatte

Tips to help keep your Social Media Campaign on Track [Infographic]

Here comes an Infographic that offers you helpful tips on how to keep your social media campaign on track. The Infographic is brought to you by Return On Digital after their successful completion of their webinar - how to keep your social media campaign on track?. The tips cover Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, since these are the three big three when it comes to social media right now. A useful Facebook feature mentioned is to track what posts are most shared from your page this is helful to know what your audience likes and what they share the most. This way you can see what makes your audience tick and bring more of they type of content to your Facebook page. 


Twitter receives the best CTR - click through rate, either early in the afternoon or earlier in the week. So if you want the most traction out of your Twitter campaign this is the best time to send out your Tweets. A helpful tip for your LinkedIn campaign is to add products and services to brand pages to prove bran validity. So if you want to get the most out of your Social Media investment, these helpful pointers can go a long way in increasing your Social Media ROI. Check out the Infographic below and let us know what you think in the comments section below. 



Source: Return On Digital

An original post by

Sociolatte

Charlie Sheen would have stayed on Twitter it the founders had called and thanked him

Charlie Sheen talking about why he decided to quit Twitter

That's right folks, Charlie in an interview with Extra confessed that he has quiet Twitter even though his follower count was coming up to 8 million. He further said that he felt it was an invasion of security and privacy. He said that the whole Twitter thing reminded him about his past and the words he made famous like Tiger-blood and Winning. Winning still applies he said as that can be seen with his new TV-Show 'Anger Management'. But Twitter kept digging into his past and he also says that he did not make a dime with his Twitter account. Yes, people were approaching him to promote stuff in exchange for $ but he did not do it he says. Some good-old fashion fun is what he likes. The guys who run Twitter did not call him even once to say 'Thanks You'. Thanks for putting us on the map. If he ever returns he would with the S in Sheen changed to $. Kind of like Kardashianville. Make the bucks and to hell with everybody. Watch the video below and see for yourself. 


video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

An original post by

Sociolatte

The New Digg V1 will be available on Aug 1, developers want your help

Yes that's right Digg has been acquired by News.com and the guys from News.com say they are rethinking and rebuilding the new Digg. The new version V1 will be available on Aug 1 and you can follow what the developers have to say and add your suggestions. Digg will continue to run under the same name and News.com will remain the same. Identities of the two web apps are not going to change in any way. The developers of the new Digg says that it is being treated like a startup again and that there is still some meaning to be had among all the chaos of internet news. In-between LOLCats and  Kim Kardashian stories there are still individuals who can get together and brake news of real-importance. 


There has been a lot of debate on the internet - Did Reddit kill Digg?. In many ways the develops of the new Digg seem to be comparing themselves to Facebook and Twitter with no mention of Digg in the news. Reddit seemed to be the one that killed Digg and not the other two. Sites that are dedicated to building a community around news and web culture need to have in place a way to accommodate everyone. Digg did not seem to have this and somehow a culture of wanting only the best to be around and survive was what we found happening at Digg. People would post news and it always got lost there was a 1 in a 100 chance of any coverage - somehow Digg lost contact with people. The new Digg would take care to notice that it was people who made Digg and they need to ensure that every single person on the new Digg is able to share news and voice their opinions. So let's hope Betaworks has something good planned for the new Digg and all the old die-hard Digg fans are awaiting to see what's new on Aug1.  
Source: Rethinking Digg V1 you can also follow the discussion on Reddit. 

An original post by

Sociolatte

Did Reddit kill Digg?

Image Source: Chasnote

The news that Digg has been sold is all over the news. The popular news-sharing-commenting and voting site Digg which was once valued at close to $200 million has been sold for $500,000. This comes as a shock to many but not to people who have been following the rise and fall of Digg. I for one was not at all shocked at the sale and the valuation. It was common knowledge that Reddit was rising in fame and popularity while the regulars at Digg were on a mass exodus to Reddit. As Forbes points out that this happened once the final version v4 was out. Prior to this Digg had had a few updates which constantly irked users of the site. Reddit was also built on kind of the same concept - to share news and other articles found on the web with users who might find it interesting. Users could then downvote or upvote news, articles, videos and images and bring the same onto the first page. They also had other relative subreddits like IAMA, where people could come and share something personal about their life.


Analysts might credit the rise of Facebook and Twitter as the sites that led to the downfall of Digg. It was Reddit the new comer that had grown in popularity actually and had begun to takeover the destination on the web - the destination of  where people on the internet could go to find and share info. Fast flowing and freely available on the internet. Reddit has also become the destination on the web for cultures and subcultures to group together and talk about things they love. The WSJ reports that last December Reddit overtook Digg and has maintained the lead. The difference we believe is that these subreddits that users can join to group together and form communities is the strength of Reddit. let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Source: Forbes via WSJ

An original post by

Sociolatte

SHOCK: 40% of social media accounts are SPAMMERS

Image Credit: Digital Media Camp

The BusinessWeek has an article which reports that almost 40% of social media accounts belong to spammers. Facebook tops the list with Spammers making headway to abuse the 'Like' button and spammers have not spared Twitter or Pinterest either. Since email companies like GMail are pretty good at blocking spam and Hotmail also going all the way to disable botnets. It is reported that spammers are now turning to social media. Since Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest are soft targets. Google+ seems to be the better of the lot in terms of trying to stop spammers - with their real-name policy and all. No one of these sites are totally secure.


How do spammers abuse the Facebook 'Like' button.
If they get you to hit the like button, that means it gets posted to your news feed, your friends then also view it and they might be led to malicious sites which try to do nothing but steal your money and other important info. Spammers also use social sites to trick people into visiting porn sites. 


On Twitter
If you are a regular user then you might be used to it by now. Spammers flood the trending topics and add links that are not related to the topics at all. They are simple malicious links intended to lure you away and make use of your info.


On Pinterest
Your site can get hurt, when someone uses a photograph from your website and then links it to something that is X-rated or worse, a total spammy site.


All social media companies are trying to do something about it and they are seem to be succeeding but Spammers are always trying to stay one step ahead and the best protection against spammers is your own wisdom and judgement. You need to be careful and not get into the habit of 'Like Bombing'. If you are careful and use your own discretion you can stay safe.
Source: Business Week

An original post by

Sociolatte