Plus 1 Tour Guide

Google's new +1 feature has been automatically added to my blog so I guess I better figure this baby out. You might want to too. Check this out...

Okay so Google Buzz sucks (my opinion) and Google Wave bombed so do you think this will work?

Time for a Qwiki?

This is amazing! It's called Qwiki and it's like Wikipedia on steroids! Here's a Qwiki on Cape Town...

View Cape Town and over 3,000,000 other topics on Qwiki.

Pretty freak cool hey?!  

No More Facebook D'Oh Moments

Not seeing all friends' Facebook updates can cause 'D'Oh!' moments when you see them out and about.

Image credit  

"I didn't know you got engaged/married/had baby/bought a new house?"
"Ahhh... sorry... I thought you would've seen the pics on Facebook."
"D'Oh!" *slaps forehead with hand*

Okay, that's a bit dramatic but come on, let's face it...when you post something on Facebook, you expect your friends to pick up on it.

So anyhoo, you can change your Facebook settings to avoid missing an update and you'll see more than ever before. This is how...

See Them Stats (Without Falling Asleep)

I'm always looking for ways to compile social media reports that are easy to follow and not a total bore. Who actually enjoys reading stats from an excel sheet anyway?

Image via Flickr 

Exactly!

So this is what I do...

How to Tame a Hungry Blog Monster

My thoughts turn into blog posts. I could be in the middle of the diary aisle, reaching for yoghurt, when it starts...an internal monologue. A bit like that movie Stranger Than Fiction, but without Emma Thompson's proper English accent.

I might have a problem. 

Ted Sabarese with monsters by Nick Cave via Hurricane Vanessa 

I guess a blog can turn into a hungry monster you're compelled to feed once you start. Like those Tamagotchis kids had back in the 90's (that's a whole blog post on it's own).

But it's what I do - I feed blogs. There's little public recognition. Such is the life of a ghost blogger. Fortunately it pays my bills.

And when I come home, guess what I do?

You guessed it! I feed my own little blog monsters.

At one point I thought I was blogging my life away. Kinda like those people who take photos wherever they go and feel like they never really experienced the events they photographed, they merely observed them through a lens. Okay, I'm one of those people too. *Deep. Like the ocean.*

Fortunately I'm discovering a few ways to tame my blog monsters. And here they are...

1. Picture this - Who reads a thousand odd words when a one or two powerful images will do? Enough said. 

2. Quotes - I don't know why this works but when I post a motivational inspiring quote on one of the fan pages I manage it's like a hitting the click-like-jackpot. I've also noticed some kick-ass bloggers do it too! Heard of Being Brazen? Of course you have! She posts an awesome quote with a stunning image every Friday and over 950 odd followers seem to love it (I'm one of them).  

3. Press Play - Gen X and Y grew up watching TV so asking us to watch an interesting YouTube video isn't exactly a hard sell. 

So, between those deep thoughtful blog posts, feed your starving blog with any one of these three fast fixes. Think of them like smoothies lunches. And hopefully you'll have more time to... like... do stuff and you'll have a tame little blog monster like this... 

Ted Sabarese with monsters by Nick Cave via Hurricane Vanessa 

A little extra chirp: How freaking cool is it that Nick Cave made these monsters?! He's cool like David Bowie cool. Like I-can-make-music-and-art-because-it's-all-art kinda cool. It's my dream to be that cool. *Sigh* Then again I'm assuming that it's the 'Bad Seeds' Nick Cave (how many can there be?!). Must Google him to find out more. Nick Cave fans, fill me in please. 

Social Email Signatures

I just discovered WiseStamp, a free application that allows you to customise your email signature to incorporate social media links like this...

or this: 

There are more options of course. It's pretty cool! 

Watch the video below to find out more and pimp your emails with WiseStamp.

WiseStamp Demo from wisestamp on Vimeo.

Facebook Balloons in 2010

Infographic via Techcruch

Blogging when no one reads

I got this odd email invite to become an admin for my city on this new site which will allow one to post videos content to certain locations. Well that's what it looks like to me.

There is a catch... bloggers have to pay for the privilege. Guess there are no free lunches.

Watch the video here…

This reminds me of something Abigail Kloppers, social media facilitator and photographer, said at her launch,

"The future of the Internet is video. Nobody wants to read any more."

Amazing, I had just posted my 'keep it simple' ramble few hours before in which I wrote, 'I don't want to read a long winded brochure online, I want point form. Better yet, I want a video or a diagram but if you have to write out your call to action, keep it short!' 

New blogger? Welcome! BTW, no one reads anymore. We better start making videos!

Keep It Simple

“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” - Albert Einstein

Image credit 

Sometimes we need to remember that! Don't make your customer figure it out, tell them how, where, why, when and who and point them to that information. 

I don't want to read a long winded brochure online, I want point form. Better yet, I want a video or a diagram  but if you have to write out your call to action, keep it short! 

I'll Facebook Ya!

I'm looking for an excellent this-is-why-we-love-social-media video and I found this. Excellent! Go on, have a Lol...