On Social Media ~ Volume 1

Social Media, Blogging, Pinterest

On Social Media

(Volume 1) Courtesy of Sugar Pine Realty (Sonora, California)

On Social Media (Volume 1)

On Social Media (Volume 1)

by the Sugar Pine Realty blogger (@blogboy2)

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On Social Media (Volume 1)

TABLE OF CONTENTS SOCIAL MEDIA My Social Media Mistake............................................ 3 5 Signs You Might Be Spending Too Much Time with Social Media............................................................ 4 5 Dangers of Social Media + How to Write a Blog Post No One Will Read [infographic]................................... 5

BLOGGING The One Mistake That, If Corrected, Will Get People to Read Your Blog Post Every Time..................................6 7 Reasons Why I'm Quitting Blogging.......................... 7 8 Tips to Help Your Blogging Blast Off [infographic]....... 8

PINTEREST Name That Pinterest Board (The Art of Writing Headlines / Titles That Capture Attention).................... 9 10 Mistakes People Make w/Pinterest (plus 1 bonus).... 10 9 Keys to Your Pinning Success [infographic]...............11 2

On Social Media (Volume 1)

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My Social Media Mistake I messed up. (Confession is good for the soul.) It was a social media mistake (my mess up was). And it drew the ire of ~ I need to leave the name of the person(s) out or it will be another (and bigger) mess up.

whose feathers I ruffled, also.

I know, I know. You're wanting to know what the mess up was. Isn't that just like us (me included)? We want the inside scoop. We want to be filled in on the details.

But to do that, too, would be another (and bigger) mess up for me because it would point to the folks

The bottom line is we're gonna make mistakes with social media. And if you're gonna reach for any height of influence online (or off) the fact is you're gonna do something wrong from time to time. You're gonna tweet, post a status update, ask a question, publish a blog post, etc., that, in hindsight, you probably should have thought longer before doing so.

But did you do it out of malice (if so, you really need to do some soul searching ~ and seek counsel?) or did you do it out of ignorance (the good kind) where, in your naivety you had no clue it was inappropriate (for lack of a softer term) in the eyes of those more on the inside than you?

I hope you were able to follow that last statement. (Read it again if you have time.) It says it all about my social media mistake. I didn't do it to hurt others. If I knew it would, I wouldn't have done it. I can say that in all sincerity.

The moral of the story? Think twice about what you're posting online (and bounce it off somebody if you're not sure). And if you are offended by what someone else does on Twitter or Facebook or Google+ (or whatever your social media preference might be), the best thing to do is not to lash out, but to forgive, forgive, forgive. You just might be the one that messes up next.

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On Social Media (Volume 1)

5 Signs You Might Be Spending Too Much Time with Social Media (Disclaimer: I have no understanding as regards the topic I'm writing about?)

Oh sure, I'm in charge of a real estate blog, a couple of Twitter sites (@blogboy2 and @sugarpinerealty) and a Facebook page (click here) (not counting my personal life).

And, of course, I don't have to hardly do anything and readers, followers and friends just automatically appear like magic ~ thousands and thousands of them. Doesn't it work that way for you?

All kidding aside, if you want to enjoy the many benefits of social media it necessarily requires a reasonable investment of time and energy, thought and engagement. Right? And like anything else, if you're not careful you can begin spending too much time and energy, thought and engagement with social media. (Naaawww?) It's our natural tendency as humans.

And so where's the point that enough's enough and by passing it you're going overboard?

How does a person determine that he/she maybe needs to take a break, step back and "smell the roses"?

Well, to help you consider your own life and whether or not you're out of balance in this area, here are...

5 signs you might be spending too much time with social media: (what would you add?)

Sign #1: You're up at 3 a.m. pacific time usa for an early start on #followfriday and to see how many shout outs/mentions you're getting. (You really couldn't sleep. At least that's what you tell your wife.)

Sign #2: You're wondering if it was something you said and that's why people unfollowed/unfriended you. (Are "unfollow" and "unfriend" words?)

Sign #3: For some unknown reason your twitter account got suspended and you feel like a close acquaintance or loved one just died.

Sign #4: Reading timelines and/or tweeting have made you late for an appointment (dinner, work, doctor, etc.) more than once.

Sign #5: It's 3 a.m. again (well going on 4:00 now) and you're finishing a post on spending too much time with social media.

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The One Mistake That, If Corrected, Will Get People to Read Your Blog Post Every Time So you've written a blog post, have you? Sure you have.

And you've really put all your heart, mind, soul and strength into it? (Don't we do that with everything we write?)

And you've hit publish. (Click.) And you've sent it out to Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc. (Share. Tweet. Share.)

And now you're waiting for everybody to read it. Right?

The problem is nobody does (or very few). But it was so good (the blog post was). So what could have gone wrong?

I'd like to suggest a simple answer. And if you correct this one thing, it will get people to read (click on) your blog post every time. Well, maybe not every time, but a lot more times than if you didn't correct it!

Here's my answer. Are you ready?

Maybe it's your (spell it) ~ t-i-t-l-e ~ TITLE that needs fixing? :) I don't espouse to be an expert at writing titles (like Brian Clark and Darren Rowse), but I have gotten better at doing it.

With this in mind I've brought together a list below that includes various of my own blog post titles (in parentheses) as examples pointing to what I try to keep in mind every time I write.

So in the interest of strengthening your own title writing muscle, here we go with...

12 Things to Remember About Writing Titles (plus one bonus): They need to be ...

1. Personal (You Matter) 2. Catchy (10 Commandments of Blogging) 3. Transparent (I Have a Confession to Make...)

4. Emotional (Things That Make Me Mad) 5. Mysterious (3 Lessons from a Sunken Ship) 6. Encouraging (Parable of the Man Who Wouldn't Give In)

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On Social Media (Volume 1) 7. Seasonal (What If Santa Was Real?)

8. Ironic (7 Ways to Put Off Procrastination) They need to ...

9. Capitalize on the power of a question (Would You Do Business With You?) 10. Play off of controversial people (3 Things I Learned About Blogging from Sarah Palin) 11. Point to lists (7 Clues That Somebody’s Lying) 12. Ride on the wave of social media (10 Mistakes People Make with Twitter) BONUS: Titles don't necessarily need to be short. (The title to this blog post is an example.)

7 Reasons Why I'm Quitting Blogging Well, I'm not really quitting, but I have been thinking about the challenges bloggers face that sometimes make them quit.

Maybe you've thought these things, maybe you haven't. Regardless, I've added a little "twist." In parentheses I offer my response to each point. They're meant to be a challenge / call to action, food for thought to spend a few moments considering.

And so here we go with...

7 Reasons Why I'm Quitting Blogging...

1. It's hard (anything worthwhile is) 2. It's time consuming (go to McDonald's if you want fast food) 3. It makes me think (it's a good thing to have your brain stretched once in a while beyond playing video games) 4. It challenges me to keep going (too many quitters in life) 5. I've run out of things to say (happens even to the big boys) 6. There isn't any ROI (may or may not be able to put a money value on it) 7. I wasn't made for this (maybe you weren't?)

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Name That Pinterest Board (The Art of Writing Headlines / Titles That Capture Attention) There is an art to writing headlines / titles that capture attention.

If you want to get somebody to click on that link, if you want to get people to stop and linger awhile, you need to think through the design of your headline / title to draw them in.

If you want to get people to stop and linger, you need to think through the design of your headline to draw them in. Click to Tweet The same thing is true when it comes naming boards on Pinterest.

A "board" on Pinterest (for those of you that don't know) is a grouping or category of "pins."

And "pins" are just pictures from around the web (and Pinterest itself, too) that people post (pin!) to their "boards."

I have included a screenshot (above) of some of my Pinterest boards so that you can see what I'm talking about (click screenshot to enlarge). They are also a good example of how to name a Pinterest board.

If you'll notice the top row going across from left to right, I have a "board" for moons, horses, hearts and whales. And then in the second row going across from left to right, I have a board for colors, cats, desserts and birds. And then finally below that, even though you can't see the boards themselves, you can still see the titles ~ these boards cover winter, bridges, donuts and America.

Now, initially, that's how I named my boards. Just one word for whatever it was. Which is fine. But then I discovered others who were being much more creative with the naming of their boards. And it was eye-catching (to me). So I started doing it myself.

And so moons turned into "Good Night Moon" after the popular children's book. Horses became "Horse of a Different Color" after the famous scene in The Wizard of Oz (and I purposely chose a multi-colored horse as my board cover to go with the title). Hearts became "Heart to Heart." Whales became "A Whale of A Story."And so on and so forth. I think you get the idea. (Don't forget to look at my other board titles as examples, too.)

It makes a big difference, the naming of your Pinterest boards, to the ambiance of your site and the conveyance of your brand. And it's fun doing it, too!

The naming of Pinterest boards makes a big difference to the ambiance of your site and the conveyance of your brand. Click to Tweet P.S. If you're stuck on crafting a headline / title, just type in Google something like "songs

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On Social Media (Volume 1) that use the word Heart" for example or "movie titles that use the word Horse" or "sayings that use the word Bridge" (and so on) for ideas.

10 Mistakes People Make with Pinterest (plus 1 bonus) 1. Are afraid to be an "early adopter" (drag their feet).

2. Give up on it too soon (once they get going).

3. Don't realize it's a great platform to recycle content (My Blog Posts board).

4. Don't realize it's a great platform to promote content (My Infographics board).

5. Don't realize it's a great platform to showcase product (Our Company's eMagazine, Homes for Sale).

6. Are afraid to follow, follow, follow, follow other pinners and their boards.

7. Forget to include description with pictures (helps with search engine optimization).

8. Overlook including url on their uploaded pins pointing back to their website (or blog).

9. Neglect liking and repinning others' pins.

10. Miss the fun of it all (Some of my "fun" boards: Hawaii, San Francisco, Old Pictures, Birds).

BONUS Become overly consumed with it.

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