Archive for the ‘Best Practices’ Category

Neil Patel at QuickSprout provides a mega-list of 100 Ways to Become a Twitter Power User. This amazing post is made up of 10 informative lists of 10 tips each. Here are the respective lists you can find in this post:

1. 10 Reasons why twitter power users are so influential
2. 10 Twitter tools that’ll make you more effective and efficient
3. Generate more retweets using these 10 tips
4. 10 healthy habits of Twitter power users
5. 10 iPad apps for Twitter users
6. 10 Ways to be more interesting on Twitter
7. 10 ways to maximize Twitter usage to promote your events
8. 10 ways power users get more Twitter followers
9. 10 Twitter metric tools for power users
10. 10 Twitter power users I admire

Debbie Hemley at the Social Media Examiner offers 26 Tips for Writing Great Blog Posts. These A-Z recommendations will help you create optimal blog posts every time you sit down to write. Here are her first 7 suggestions:

• #1: Anatomically Correct
• #2: Blogging Platform
• #3: Categories
• #4: Description
• #5: Editorial Calendar
• #6: Fine-Tune and Revise
• #7: Guidelines for Writing for Search Engines

Kristin Zibell writes for UX Magazine about Seven UX Best Practices of Community Design. These are all excellent tips which libraries will want to consider incorporating into their next website redesign.

“A user’s community is more important than ever. Businesses are mining online communities for valuable consumer information that can influence every phase in their go-to-market cycle, from product innovation to fostering repeat purchases. The definitive tome on the social movement, Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, foretells, “Within a few years, a company that doesn’t engage in this sort of activity will look dated… companies that aren’t wired into the groundswell in 2012 will look very 20th century—which is to say, out of touch.”

Sarah Kessler at Mashable recommends 5 Best Practices for Educators on Facebook. This useful article gathers tips and suggestions from teachers on how to effectively use Facebook in the classroom. Here are the best practices discussed:

1. Use Facebook With a Focus
2. Friend With Caution
3. Use a Facebook Group
4. Use a Facebook Page
5. Consider Other Alternatives

Amy Porterfield at the Social Media Examiner recommends 5 Tips for Creating Shareable Blog Content. If you’re looking for inspiration to spice up your blog posts and ideas to create compelling, bite-sized content your readers will devour—and share like crazy, you’ll want to check out this post. These are the points discussed:

• #1: Build instant rapport
• #2: Create relevance
• #3: Provide instant gratification
• #4: Ignite shareability
• #5: Make your closing count

Dan Klamm at Mashable writes about 6 Best Practices for Universities Embracing Social Media. I can see nearly all of these points being relevant for libraries as well:

• 1. Develop a Strategy and Set Goals
• 2. Pick and Choose Your Platforms
• 3. Empower and Support Individual Departments
• 4. Put Guidelines in Place
• 5. Develop a Consistent Voice Across Platforms
• 6. Communicate Across Campus

Debbie Hemley at the Social Media Examiner discusses 20 Ways to Improve Your Google+ Knowledge. The new social network by the search engine giant is fast becoming a major player in the social networking community. This quick primer will get you up and running in no time! Here are just 5 of her helpful recommendations:

• #1: First things first: Get started with Google+
• #2: Engage and learn
• #3: Watch and learn
• #4: Use Google+ Help
• #5: Spark interest on Google+

Are you looking for ways to better engage your blog readers? If so, you’ll want to check out Charlene Kingston’s 7 Tips to Increase Your Blog Comments on the Social Media Examiner blog. This detailed article provides screenshots and discusions of the following tips:

• Tip #1: Check your blog comments settings
• Tip #2: Ask for comments
• Tip #3: Write a blog comment policy
• Tip #4: Provide comment instructions
• Tip #5: Respond to comments
• Tip #6: Make people feel good about their comments
• Tip #7: Build community with your replies

Cindy King at the Social Media Examiner discusses 21 Dangerous Blogging Mistakes (and How to Fix Them). If you’re blogging on behalf of your library, organization, or yourself you’ll want to have a look at this insightful list. Here are the top 5 mistakes:

1. Mistake #1: Not understanding your audience
2. Mistake #2: Not having a strong niche
3. Mistake #3: Covering too many topics
4. Mistake #4: Inconsistency
5. Mistake #5: Not committing to the process

Brian Casel, web designer and co-host of Freelance Jam guest posts on Mashable where he presents a list of 10 Key Considerations for Your Mobile Web Design Strategy. If you’re entering into a mobile project, or are considering designing a mobile version of your library’s website, you’ll want to check out this post. Here are his first six suggestions:

1. Define Your Need for a Mobile Site
2. Consider the Business Objectives
3. Study the Data of the Past Before Moving Forward
4. Practice Responsive Web Design
5. Simplicity Is Golden, But …
6. Single-Column Layouts Usually Work Best

Patrick Miller at PCWorld offers 28 iPad 2 Tips and Tricks. If you’re just getting started with the device you’ll want to check out these excellent recommendations. Here are the first ten:

1. Download the free iPad User’s Guide
2. Take a free guided tour
3. Use the Side Switch
4. Multitask in iOS
5. Speed up your sentences
6. Don’t let AutoCorrect mess you up
7. Secure your backups
8. Prevent automatic sync once
9. Toggle data roaming
10. Make your passcode more complicated

Cindy King at the Social Media Examiner recommends 17 Ways to Grow Your Blog From Top Bloggers. They asked the finalists of their Top 10 Social Media Blogs contest for their best tips on how to grow your list of blog subscribers. Here are her top five suggestions:

• #1: Be Active in Other Communities First
• #2: Write About What You Love
• #3: Write Insanely Great Content
• #4: Answer Questions for Your Audience
• #5: Offer Real Value

Sharlyn Lauby at Mashable creates a handy guide to How To: Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile’s New Skills Section. With more than 90 million users in 200 countries, who conducted nearly two billion people searches last year, LinkedIn has become a powerful professional networking tool. Check out these tips for how to organize and highlight your skills in this new section of the user profile.

• Think Like a Recruiter
• Don’t Fake It
• Target Your Strengths
• Market Your Expertise

Amy Porterfield at the Social Media Examiner talks with a group of social media gurus to recommend 8 Hot Social Media Tips From Eight Industry Experts. Here are the first four in this solid list of strategies:

• #1: Offer live events on Facebook
• #2: Help others who aren’t necessarily famous
• #3: Don’t over-focus on marketing
• #4: Research what your customers are saying

Amy-Mae Elliott suggests 8 Simple Ways to Improve Your YouTube Channel. If you’ve set up a YouTube channel to share videos on behalf of your organization you’ll want to check out these quick tips to making the most of your profile. Here are the first four recommendations:

1. Create a Custom Background Image
2. Select the Perfect Color Scheme
3. Make Your Best Video “Featured”
4. Make Sure All Your Thumbnails Look Good