Men are from Google+, women are from Pinterest

Everyone has questions about Google+.  Some people love it, some people hate it, and other don’t even want to bother with it.  So what is a social media person to do?

There are many great features to Google+.  One of the coolest features is the "Hangouts" feature where you can facilitate group video chat.   Another interesting fact about Google+ is that it is predominately male, as opposed to Pinterest, which is predominately female.  So if you are a marketer who wants to connect with males, Google+ is a great site to understand. 

I will be attending a 2 day training next week called Google+ photographer’s conference in order to better understand how one can utilize Google+.  Once I attend the conference, I will share with you all the tips and tricks that I pick up.

Here’s a little more about the conference I’m attending:

Scott Kelby is bringing Google+ photographers together for a history making conference to help photographers refine their photography skills, grow their online brand, and get the most out of Google+.

This conference brings together some of the biggest photographers on Google+, some of the best instructors of photography and some of the geniuses of social media. You’ll learn from these a-list instructors during two jam-packed days of photo walks, live photo shoots, one-on-one portfolio reviews, panel discussions and photography workshops.

Is your boss watching you?

I have been reading many articles about how more and more potential employers are looking on social networking sites to recruit for available positions.  The Society for Human Resource Management released a study which revealed that more than half of companies are using social networking sites to recruit. 

So is this good or bad news? Well, in my opinion, it depends on how you are branding yourself.  If you are active on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and have strategically represented yourself in a way where potential employers would be impressed by what they see, then that is good news. 

The bad news? That comes when you don’t take control of your social presence.  If you have public photos, comments, updates, etc. that you would not want an employer to see, learn the privacy settings on the social networking sites that you use.  Whenever posting something publically ask yourself “would I hire a person who posts similar posts?” 

It is also a good idea to Google yourself.  Be sure to look past the first page of Google search to see what else comes up.  You could be surprised (and not all surprises are good).

In conclusion, be smart and protect yourself.  You have seen many ads for safe sex, maybe it’s time to practice safe net.

Real Simple is the first print publication to reach 100,000 followers. So what? Why should I care?

This past week, I read an interesting article in AdAge about how Real Simple became the first print publication to reach 100,000 followers on Pinterest.

Now, if you don’t know what Pinterest is, you should.  Pinterest a pinboard-style social photo sharing website which allows users to create and manage  images  such as hobbies and interests.  Ok, with that said, why should you care?

First of all, in January of this year, comScore reported the site had 11.7 million unique users, making it the fastest site in history to break through the 10 million unique visitor mark.  What makes this site even more interesting to marketers is that most of the users are female.

If you are attempting to convey your message to females, you should get on to Pinterest and start pinning.  You can pin photos and videos that not only represent your brand, but that you find of interest that align with your brand. 

If you’re already using Facebook or Twitter, don’t stop.  Pinterest is  an additional way to use visuals to reach and engage your audience.  RealSimple.com General Manager Shannon King characterizes Pinterest as "bite-sized, visual and digestible."  I completely agree.