How To Optimize Your Wedding For Social Media

There is a lot that goes into planning a wedding - even more that most couples realize. Affianced men and women spend months looking for the perfect dress, the perfect tuxes, the perfect venue, and (of course) the most delicious cake. It is a literal labor of love; after all, when the planning is over they will get to celebrate their love for one another, along with all their family and friends. However, there is one element of wedding planning that until recently had gone unnoticed: social media.

Creating a social media presence for your wedding ceremony may seem like an odd idea at first, but it is an idea that is quickly gaining traction as millennials say “I do.” Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are how we stay connected in the technology age. Documenting your nuptials is a great way to save the memories for posterity, as well as sharing your special day with out-of-town loved ones or others who couldn’t be there “IRL” (in real life).

But how do you make your wedding social media friendly? Here are a few key tips:

Create a Hashtag and Spread the Word

The wedding hashtag is one of the easiest ways to collect all the memories from your wedding. With a hashtag, all the posts, selfies, and well wishes from your friends are gathered in one place online. Trust us, with all those photos at your fingertips, creating a wedding album has never been so easy!

Be sure to choose a unique hashtag early on in the planning process - try to include both your names or your wedding date, and feel free to get creative (puns are always welcome)! Then, get the word out so your guests remember to use the hashtag when they post something on their own accounts. Before you know it, your #weddingday will be a social media success. 

Work with Your Photographer (and Videographer)

There are some who argue that, thanks to smartphones with high-quality cameras, wedding photographers are no longer a necessity. Not true. A photographer has understands what makes a great picture, and he or she has skills that your cousins simply don’t, no matter how nice their iPhone is (sorry cousin Sally).

However, most photographers are happy to work with you and share a few Instagram-ready photos on the big day. Not only will they help you celebrate your wedding, they will help the photographer show off his great work! This goes for videographers too; while they may want to take time to edit and put together a killer wedding video, they may be ok with a digital live stream for those out-of-towners.

Hand Off Your Social Media Obligations

Let’s get real: while social media is a great way to memorialize your wedding day, you have better things to do on the big day than worry about getting the perfect Instagram pic. It’s your wedding day! You should be soaking in the moment, drinking champagne, dancing the night away, and being in love with your new spouse.

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So when it comes to social media, your wedding party can step up to help. Designate one bridesmaid and one groomsman to be “Tweeters of honor” (or whatever name you’d prefer). Give them the task of finding the right photos and posts, so that you can focus on savoring each moment of your wedded bliss. Plus, you can relive that special day later on, when you review those moments your Tweeters of honor captured.

-About the author-

Naomi is a freelance writer from Southern California. She loves writing about home decor and education. When she’s not writing, she loves to spend time with her husband and three children.

Easy And Fast Way To Install Instagram Widget On Your Blog

Have you been in a site or blog that captivated you because of the Instagram widget displayed on the side or footer of their site? Did you fancy it? I have visited many blogs with Instagram widget displayed and I have always wondered how they got that. I find it very interesting and engaging, making me stay longer and check out interesting photos (and articles they have!) in their Instagram collection. I even ended up following some of them. And I thought to myself, why don't I showcase mine as well and make my blogs more interesting than ever?

I found several free sites that will create the code you need to install to have your Instagram displayed accordingly either on the sidebar or on the footer of your website. These free app sites are easy to follow and you don't need any coding experience or expertise to do it.

I tried the SnapWidget, Websta, Intagme, and Uptsi and all of them gave me the same result I want with settings I can modify as per my preference. I decided to use SnapWidget.

1. First of all, you should have an Instagram account to link to your widget.

2. Open the widget creator. Fill in the necessary details required and choose your display settings.

3. Copy the HTML code to you blog and it will look like this. And place where you want it to show on your blog, either on the side or on your footer.

For bloggers:

Go to Layout and open an HTML widget and paste the HTML code. Then save the widget after you have arranged the Layout.

And here's how it looks like in my Blogger blog:

For Wordpress:

Go to your dashboard and open the "appearance." From the appearance, you open a widget and select a text box to place your HTML.

And this is how it looks like in my Home Is Where The Heart Is blog. I tweaked the SnapWidget setting to only show 2 columns of photos.

And this is how it looks like when you install the HTML code to your blog's footer after tweaking some SnapWidget settings. This is in my The Mommalogues blog.

And after you have done all the above, you now have your very own Instagram widget installed!

SocialPubli.com Earning Opportunity

Let's start the year on a positive note. Why not post about an earning opportunity for bloggers? How is that for starters?

If you are a blogger like myself who enjoys posting in Instagram and Twitter then this earning platform may be the right choice for you.

I have joined the SocialPubli site for influencers like myself who engages in social media to share my points of view and interesting market pitch for brands. It is a nice way to earn on the side if you are a social media network savvy and enjoy IG and Twitter. I joined the SocialPubli only 2 months ago and have been engaged in numerous campaigns already. This site is actually a European site, so a heads-up, not all international bloggers can sign up. Again, signing up is very FREE! No obligation required. You are not even mandated to refer bloggers; that is, only if you want extra.

What's good about this site is that if you refer a blogger and that blogger is approved and have also been approved on campaigns then you also earn a small percentage (5%, and that's not bad!) from that referral. Isn't that nice? You have your own paid campaigns and yet you have a residual earnings from your approved referrals who have campaigns.

Interested? Sign up here: https://socialpubli.com/?ref=10299


 Happy blogging! Happy Earning!!!

Reaching Your Customers Through Social Media

Customers all over the world are gravitating to social media sites to connect and learn more about the world. However, social media sites are gold mines for businesses that need new customers. Social media optimization management is a service provided by a third party that manages social media accounts, manages the information disseminated through social media and interacts with customers through social media. A business can change their fortunes if they are willing to work with a business that understands social media marketing.

Advertisements

Advertisements are posted to social media sites every day, and people who use these websites have no choice but to see these advertisements. The ads can be targeted at people who live in certain areas or have certain interests. The ads could be targeted at people who shop for certain items or shared certain items with their friends. The simple advertisements happen outside of the business' social media account. This kind of advertising is arranged through the website.

Using The Account

A social media account is a good place to hold contests, post sales and offer customers deals that they can only get if they follow the business on social media. The best way to reach customers to give customers an incentive to follow the business page or account. The account is free for the company to use whenever it likes, and the account can be seen by millions of people every day.

Interacting With Customers

Customers want to interact with the social media account of a business. Customers understand that someone is put in charge of a company's social media account, but it is exciting for customers to interact with the business on some level. Some of the most effective marketing in the world is done when the person managing a business' social media account uses the account to humanize the business. These instances are humorous and interesting.

When businesses want to capitalize on social media, they must work with a third party that is going to handle all their social media assets. These accounts can be used for traditional web advertising, to offer information to their customers and to interact with customers on a personal level.

Boost Your Social Presence In Various Social Networks and Platforms

Well, blogging opportunities have dwindled big time. Not a lot of companies are hiring bloggers now for fear of getting penalized. However, as a blogger, I think that shouldn't stop us from improving in our blogging skills and continue to promote our presence in the world wide web, more so, in the the social networking scene.

How do you do that?

Continue to post quality contents

Join various blogging forums where you can discuss and bounce off ideas with other bloggers

Contact companies to offer your blog for review or writing opportunity

Register in social media networks such as FB, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, etc.

Share your posts through various social media networks

Attract followers!

Well, the last one may be a bit daunting but if you join this site, you'll be able to find new bloggers with similar niche as yours that you can follow and he/she may follow back. One way to gain more followers and boosting your social media presence is by joining here:

JOIN ME HERE

OR CLICK THIS:

FREE Social Promotion

Review - Safe Email For Kids and Teens through KidsEmail.org

As a parent, security and safety are few of the aspects in my daughter's life which warrant paramount concern. The world is filled with vile people who will not stop at anything to spread their malicious presence and activities. And these people can do that online where they can target our kids who are easy preys.

One thing that I strive to achieve is to keep my daughter safe in her online activities. At my age, I am still getting horrendous mails from spammers and other malicious senders and I really get very upset about them. Imagine how kids will react if they read one in their own emails or see some unsightly contents in the internet?

You might wonder why some kids have emails now. Modern age and the accessibility of social media and internet are some of the reasons why the younger generation now are more exposed than ever. As a parent, I try my level best to broaden that safety circle where my daughter belongs to and it includes her online presence. One way of achieving that is to subscribe in www.kidsemail.org.

KidsEmail.org is a site where parents can create an account for their kids, including teens.  This platform aids the parents to customize safety settings on their kids' email accounts and curb any signs of misuse and receipt of spam mails.

The site's many features include:

Mail monitoring

Time management

Mail queue

Block senders

Contact manager

Custom mailbox folders,  mail interface, background for your kids to enjoy and change and can attach drawing from the paint tool

The pictures below is how your kid's email interface will look like when he or she is signed in.

It is every parents' nightmare to know that our kids' safety are breached. So, I highly recommend this to everyone with kids and even those without but who has young relatives who can benefit from this safe email service. Our children and the youth deserve to be protected and safe in their online activities. We cannot stop the advent of technology to take part in their lives but what we can do is to help make it safe for them.

KidsEmail.org can be used in iOS, Android and web platforms. You can try KidsEmail.org's service for free for 30 days and you will not be billed for the usage. You can then later on subscribe to a monthly or annual subscription which you can do before or after your trial period is over.

KidsEmail.org has also been given recognition for their service and mission to keep our kids safe with their usage of email. Below are their recognitions:

To know more about KidsEmail.org, you may visit their website or follow them in their social networks in Facebook and Twitter.


Disclosure:

All opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and based on my personal evaluation of the site and the service offered. I only review products and services that I like and will find beneficial for everyone.

iparent.tv 1 Year Subscription Giveaway

Like most parents, I am very protective of my daughter in all aspect of her day-to-day activities. That includes monitoring her usage of the internet and what she watches too.

I am very glad that an initiative such as iparent.tv is born to know if the site our kids are visting are safe. This will keep us well-informed and in line with the times. The infographic below will give you an idea of how behind parents are with the technology and social network activities our children engage in. It is a scary figure but with iparent.tv, we can help reduce that statistic.

iparent.tv, the main proponent of this giveaway is happy to give 1 year subscription to iparent.tv which costs around $49. 1 lucky winner (US residents only) will have that opportunity to access all the videos, reviews, how-tos, and live chat support. It will be the largest site on the net helping parents understand what's safe and what’s not in the world of tech.

You can know more about iparent.tv here or by visiting their Indiegogo page for more backing deals.

Join this giveaway and also help promote iparent.tv. Parents need this and so are your kids. Keep them safe from inappropriate materials be it on smart phones, webs and tvs. Entries are all easy! Go ahead, fill the rafflecopter below.

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How Social Media Influences the Development of a Company

The dilemma that lots of modern companies deal with is far removed from the early question of whether workers must use social media while at work. In fact, social media have paved way in improving the success in every company at the same time giving much more opportunities. Still, the main concern that almost all managers must deal with is how to manage the effective use of social media within the workplace. Social media, particularly Twitter, is an effective tool in improving the quality of hired talent, productivity of employees and interaction within an organization.

Hiring the Best Talent

Emerging Workforce Study have conducted a survey in which 45% of employees believed that the company’s social media existence will impact their choice concerning to where they're going to submit an application for work. In short, the more prominent the company’s social media presence is; it attracts to Buy Extra Followerson Twitter and drawing more possible employees in return.

One way for a company to enhance its online platforms like Twitter is to make the most of its employees’ personal accounts. This can be manifested whenever employees send tweets concerning the company’s current events. The combined effect of having many workers on Twitter would add up to a much greater reach than would be possible with a company's own Twitter account. It's through this that a lot of prospective workers will be reached and provide awareness at the same time concerning the organization itself.

Giving employees the freedom in making use of their own Twitter account while at work will more likely draw in today’s skilled and talented individuals. Creative minds generally discover new ideas if there’s no restricted rules hanging on their back. With that, most skilled employees choose to work in a flexible working place.

On the other hand, the level of productivity at work will be compromised if the usage of social media is abused. Therefore, any business seeking to maintain the benefits of social media should assess the best way to utilize social platforms. One way to manage the use of social media may involve much better access by departments that benefit most from its use. The departments that usually benefit most from the use of social media include sales, advertising, and customer care departments.

Enhanced Productivity

A recent study carried out by Evolv (a company that evaluates the metrics of Fortune 500 companies) found that use of social media actually enhances productivity among specific groups of workers. The social interaction offered by sites like Twitter gives the perfect opportunity for many sales people to achieve bigger reach with prospective clients. Compared to the employees who aren’t benefiting from the use of social media, these workers are able to close a number of deals and simply bringing their business to greater heights.

There were also companies which took advantage of Twitter in using their accounts to provide customer care services. Through this, any client’s complaints, concerns and queries can be immediately managed by employees. Considering this fast and trustworthy response, the company can attain customer loyalty that will also guarantee long-term sales.

Moreover, employees can easily determine the company’s reputation in accordance with the public’s perception in Twitter. Besides, any misguided opinions can be directly corrected before it shed a bad light for the firm. Early recognition of such incorrect information regarding the company will allow brand managers to take corrective action. Thus, the reputation of the firm is left unstained.

Twitter is also an ideal place to follow up the company’s previous clients. It provides the perfect opportunity for sales personnel to continually stay in touch with past clients without being obtrusive. This provides the firm far better odds of landing other sales opportunities from return clients.

Employees who accomplish prominence and recognition in social media would also give fame to the firm in which they work. Many individuals on social media would have a positive perception of the businesses in which well-known professionals work. In other words, if specialists are very prominent in social media platforms, they would also spread the fame to the organizations they are a part of.

Better Relationships at Work

Most contemporary companies have a much more open interaction between the top management and basic level personnel. Such active communication could be enhanced further through social media platforms. For example in Twitter, it will permit employees to interact with sheer honesty among other workers. With Twitter, employees at lower levels have better freedom to freely provide their feedback to higher level personnel. This is contrary to traditional memos and emails which provide less opportunity for entry level employees to express their unreserved opinions.

The emphasis on social interaction offered by Twitter allows employees to develop greater knowledge and appreciation of one another. Moreover, workers can easily share their ideas, perspectives, and how they see life which can assist them to make better choices. Having an awareness of these problems assists HR managers to develop techniques and programs that will cause least resistance within the organization.

Countless firms organize team building events partly to develop closer social interaction among the employees. Such social interaction can be boosted through social media. By interacting with one another on Twitter, numerous workers develop closer relationships beyond the work environment. This can assist develop team work and cooperation within a firm.

Once workers and managers are having a good line of communication on Twitter, this promotes understanding not just on a personal level but also to the innate skills and talents they possess. This provides useful insight especially during consideration for promotion in the organization. Nevertheless, HR managers can determine the ideals and values of the staff which also serve as a basis for promotion.

Lots of business organizations know the grave significance of social media in business management. It has become an essential item without which, no business can hope to accomplish great heights of prosperity and success. Regardless of how big or small your company is, as long as you know how to control and utilize the advantages of social media; long term stability and productivity will be in your hands.

This article is brought to you by followersboosts.com. This is the best reliable source of information and tools that will assist you establish a good reputation on Twitter.

Logging Off from Facebook

Photo credit: rahuldesai.com

Ever since I have been a member of Facebook, I got hooked to it. Initially, I used as a gaming platform because it was entertaining and it relieved my stress. I seldom sign off from Facebook since I joined and only on rare occasions that I temporarily went on hiatus because I was on vacation or probably there was no connection. So you can say, I live, breathe and have Facebook for breakfast, lunch and supper.

It is strange that I don't feel as enthusiastic as I was with this social platform. Oh, don't get me wrong. That is the common ground for me to catch up with family and friends. It is just that, these days, my time and energy spent in Facebook is getting lesser and lesser which I think and feel is a positive thing.

Today, I decided not to check my FB account. I want to enjoy my weekend like I did pre-Facebook time. Although it is just a few, short days, I think this is the right opportunity for me to do other things aside from checking my FB.

I can do my crafts, read a new book, exercise and just have a fulfilling rest and relaxation with my family here. It is not often that I stay away from the social media but I guess, as you get older, other things seem to matter most now like that actual time that you have to use it for something you have been pending to do, or actually go out and smell the flowers, run at the park, walk my dog, learn a new language and so much more.

This weekend, I am completely off Facebook and I am starting to like that idea. I may just do this every weekend then. So, don't be surprised if I didn't read your status nor liked it nor even shared a wonderful picture you have posted. I am just taking this off from FB to focus on ME.

The Blog Workshop Conference 13 Experience

I was lucky enough to be given the privilege of joining the Blog Workshop Conference 13 recently. I have learned so much and realized that my 7 years of blogging knowledge was never sufficient to catapult my blogs to a level where I get more traffic, sponsors, good link backs and more. Not only I was given access to The Blog Workshop's site, I can navigate around the Homepage and check out the resources available to members.

First of all, I would like to give my thanks to all the speakers who graced the Workshops  and shared their valuable tips and information for bloggers like myself to learn and benefit from. Also, a round of applause to all the speakers, sponsors and organizers of this event.

Above photos of the sponsors and speakers

The Day 1 of the conference was filled with tips and valuable information on blogging, video blogging,  SEO and being a blog entrepreneur.  I have not tried video blogging yet or vlogging but it sure looks interesting especially if you want to share tutorials or how-to's in your blog. It is a great way to engage your audience.

Day 2 was more in-depth in these topics: pitching sponsors and ads, building relationship with the media which gave me better understanding on how to make my blog more attractive to brands, sponsors and PR firms.

The last day of the conference was about advertising as opposed to affiliate and ways to monetize your blogs. I have picked up a lot of pointers from the conference especially on the monetizing blog aspect. It is really a vital part of being a good blogger to keep your media kit ready and those numbers showing in your About page as it serves as your "resume." These are just some of the enriching, interesting and info-filled conference of TBWC13.

There was a Q & A at the end of the presentation of the speakers and they were helpful because it cleared some grey areas and clarified confusion in the topics.

The conclusion of the conference highlights all the topics discussed. This conference also supports the sponsors and The Blog Workshop Causes by encouraging attendees to sign up in Lela Affiliate Store plug in for the benefit the Wellspring Living and Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children. Every sign up, Lela Affiliate will donate $5 to the above mentioned charitable organizations.

All in all, the conference is a big success. I am sure that all the bloggers learned so much from the Blog Workshop Conference 13.  Next year again!