Social Media Is Easy!

What is URL shortening? A URL is a Unique resource locator. On the internet, that is the web URL that goes in the internet bar. A URL could be quite long, such as the URL for this blog which is 40 characters... www.socialmediaiseasy.blogger.com When shortened on www.tinyurl.com , it looks like this... http://tinyurl.com/962rvbv Why shorten a URL? There are several reasons for shortening a URL. It could be easy to share if it is shorter. Also, changing the URL to something shorter could help it not to be identifiable, for example in affiliate marketing. One of the most important reasons for shortening a URL is to be able to track the statistics. How do I shorten a URL? The easiest way to shorten a URL is to use www.tinyurl.com . However, if you want to track the statistics of your click through rate, I recommend www.bitly.com.  The Bitly Pufferfish! If you use Hootsuite for social media, Hootsuite automatically shortens web addresses or URLs when posting on Twi

What are Google+ Communities? Early this month, Google+ rolled out Google communities, to allow people to join discussion groups about their personal interests. Google + communities can be created as private or public, depending on who you want to join, and they work in a similar way to Facebook groups. Google +, however, offers the facility to virtually 'hang out' with people in your community. This means that you can have a video conference with them on your screen.  For example, if you love Greenday and join the Greenday Community , you can Google 'hangout' with other members of the community to discuss their new releases! Three key ways to use Google+ Communities 1. Gather people together -  It could be for for your family, your local club or people around the world who share your interests.  Google+ communities allows you together people together in an online group.   2. Have rich and focussed conversations - You can post photos and videos to

Getting started with twitter!! Tweeting - As well as tweeting comments you can also tweet a picture, you can use photo sites like Instagram to upload or can upload straight form your mobile phone. You can also put links to a website you like or an article, allowing you to share things with your followers.   You can also retweet somebody elses tweet or they can retweet something you have said. This allows a tweet to reach further networks and therefore more people see it. Hashtag – When you tweet something you can hashtag a keyword to categorise your tweet and make it accessible to those who are interested in your tweet topic. Tagging – You can also tag someone in your tweet by using the @ symbol and then writing their tweeter name. Allowing the person you have tweeted to directly receive your tweet. Trending – When you here some one refer to something trending, this means a popular topic of twitter, often because of an event, for example #christmas will b

How to get a Twitter account To get a Twitter all you need to do it go to Twitter.com you will be asked to enter your name, an email address a password and user name and then simply click create an account. You will receive an email from Twitter and then you are away. Profile - Like other social media accounts you can edit your profile, there is a cog icon it that top right hand corner of the page, which is your settings. If you click that and then click Profile you can add a picture, your location, links to websites you have and write a bio about yourself. Design – You can also change the design of your profile by again clicking the cog icon in the top right hand corner of the page but them clicking design. This will allow you to pick a theme which it the background of your twitter page, you can upload your own picture or customize an existing theme template. Then you are ready to get tweeting !! If you need help using twitter check out our blog on how