I’ve already talked about how you can integrate LinkedIn with Outlook (click here for the Outlook toolbar download). I’ve also talked about how important it is to make the most of your LinkedIn invitations to connect. (I know that’s not a tool, but I wanted to work it in up front because it’s just so darn important.)

But did you also know LinkedIn has browser toolbars for Internet Explorer 3.2 and Mozilla Firefox 3.3 that make LinkedIn even easier to access in a single click? It’s true. I wouldn’t kid ya. Check them out! If for nothing else, the toolbar across the top of your browser will remind you that LinkedIn is there for you to leverage.

Do you have an email signature setup? LinkedIn can help you create a customized email signature for Outlook, Outlook Express and Thunderbird.

Are you smartphone equipped? Keep your digital LinkedIn rolodex at your fingertips.

Are you making the most of LinkedIn Apps? They’re free and they can automatically integrate with other tools you may be using to further enhance your profile. I just added the Legal Updates app by JD Supra to my LinkedIn homepage so I can stay informed of legal issues in the categories of interest to me.

If you’re job-hunting, then downloading the browser tool for LinkedIn Jobs Insider is a MUST. When you open any job posting at Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, SimplyHired, Dice or Vault, you’ll be able to instantly and automatically see the people in your network that work at the hiring company. You can then request an introduction to the hiring manager, get your resume to the right person or find out more about the company via LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Jobs Insider Sidebar box

It’s all there for you to use. And they all work to help you save time.

For the record, this isn’t a plug for LinkedIn. It’s a plug for WEB TOOLS! I try to keep my blog’s RESOURCES page up to date with all of the great web tools I come across, but every now and again, I come across a few that I find worthy of a little special attention. If you use LinkedIn at all — and, as of July 2010, 70 million professionals do — these tools are unquestionably handy to have in place.

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Here are a few social media backup solutions you might like to check out. Some free, some not. I use one or two of these myself. You may find, as I did, that the search functionality they offer is reason enough to set up an account.

Backupify

Backupify provides daily automatic backups, archiving and export for all your social media and SaaS (Software As A Service) data. You’ll get regular emails confirming when your backups have completed. They have a free basic plan or paid plans for more robust needs.

Here’s a look at backupify’s archive dashboard for Twitter:

Socialware Sync

Socialware Sync provides “marketing departments, power users and socially-enabled businesses” with “enterprise-class archiving.” Sounds good to me. I’m in. Here’s what I have with Socialware Sync: a 30-day free trial for backup/archiving support for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. This solution has some pretty cool search functionality if you’re into that sort of thing. You can search a term across all three of your profiles just by entering it into the search box. Easy breezy. Not sure if it’s worth the price of admission for an individual…but for a large organization I would think it would be rather handy in managing and monitoring multiple accounts.

Here’s a look at the Socialware Sync search dashboard. You can see where you enter the search term in the upper right and that you can select the profiles you wish to search with a little check box.

Need more basic backup for a single social profile?

Maybe you only want to focus your backup efforts on a single network. That’s cool, too. I’m not here to judge. There’s a few solutions I came across, but — disclaimer — I don’t use any of them because I prefer having one solution that covers multiple profiles. But that’s just me. Different strokes for different folks, right? That said, here are a few you might want to check out.

Back Up My Tweets

BackupMyTweets.com provides more control over your Twitter account. They also offer like-solutions for email, blogs and pictures (BackupMyMail, BackupMyBlog, BackupMyPics).

Tweet Backup

Tweetbackup.com provides a free, daily backup of your Twitter account.

Tweetake

Tweetake.com allows you to backup your Twitter account without revealing your name and password.

SocialSafe (For Facebook Backup)

SocialSafe will backup your Facebook Friends, photos, profile and wall status updates to your computer for a modest (one-time?) fee. I looked for the language “one-time” fee, but couldn’t find it. It seems to be a one-time license fee of $2.99 USD, but call me needy for wishing the copy were a bit more clear on this point. I actually had to click on “Buy” in order to satisfy my curiosity on this pricing issue. Perhaps that was the strategy, or maybe I’m just slower than most, or just very used to monthly fee plans. Halfway down the FAQ page, they mention that there might be an upgrade fee for a major version update. Really, we’re talking about a very reasonable fee here, I just was a little frustrated at how much time I had to spend to find all those pricing details as I’m trained, like most, to look for the fine print in today’s disclaimer culture. Would have been easier if that messaging were more clear on the homepage, IMHO.

ArchiveFacebook

ArchiveFacebook is a free Mozilla Firefox add-on tool that allows you to “save content from your Facebook account directly to your hard drive” so you can archive your photos, messages, activity stream, friends list, notes, events and groups. But you need to be using Firefox. If you’re using Internet Explorer (IE) or some other browser, you can’t use this cool add-on or any of the other supercool add-ons and plugins that the Firefox browser supports. (See that? I refrained from launching into a whole spiel on why I think Firefox is superior to IE. I’m maturing, I guess. To show just how objective I have become on the subject of browsers, I offer you this little test to see which browser is right for you.)

Want More Backup Solutions?

Get your Google on, friends. There’s a few out there for Flickr (Downloadr and FlickrEdit, for example) and I’m sure for other major networks. If you’re blogging, you naturally will need a backup solution there, as well. Make that priority one. If you’re looking for off-site backup storage, there’s a few “cloud storage” solutions, like Lifestream Backup, Mozy and Memopal that might be worth checking into.

Bottom line?

If you’re living a digital life, probably worth leveraging the digital tools to back it up, eh? No pressure. Just something to think about.

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2.) Analytics App: If you blog, this is handy when you’re feeling lonely or unloved. It gives you mobile access to all of your Google Analytics data. (No guarantees that seeing your stats will turn your mood around.)

3.) U.S. Postage App: But this isn’t “social,” you’re saying to yourself. Sure it is. Ever send things out to your network via snail mail? This helps you do it without having to stand in line at the post office. Tell your friends. I love this app. Seriously. If I had a stamp for every time I used it…

4.) Mashable App: All the cool kids have it on their iPhones. (The uncool ones, like me, have it on their iPod Touches.)

5.) E! Online App: How else is a busy businessperson supposed to keep up with pop culture? Besides, what makes for better small talk before a meeting?

Why didn’t I list other social business apps on my iPod Touch (that’s right, I STILL don’t have an iPhone because of my stubborn refusal to be told which service provider I must use…take that Steve Jobs), like the Hootsuite App, Tweetdeck App, AP Mobile App, LinkedIn App and the like? The truth is — and please don’t let this get around — I find them cumbersome to maneuver through on that tiny little touchscreen.

Is it possible that the only solution to my problem is an iPad?

Until then, there you have it…a Top 5 list in 60 seconds or less. I aim to please. In case you don’t already have them installed, here are the links to download these babies:

• Facebook App
• Analytics App
• U.S. Postage App
• Mashable App
• E! Online App

Oh, and yes, I realize that technically these are not my top 5 “iPhone Apps,” but using “My Top 5 iPod Touch Apps” as a title sounded way less sexy, so be a sport and go with me on this. Thanks.

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Me? I see a HUGE missed opportunity here…and I’m not picking on Michael, because there are plenty of people that — innocently — just haven’t taken a moment to think about the broader networking opportunities that LinkedIn can create.

Here’s what I see:

1. He used the default message to connect. Why? Why not take an extra second and give some context to your invitation? Let the person know why you’re connecting or remind them of how you know each other if it has been awhile since you chatted (in person or online). It takes 2 seconds to personalize the message. I think it’s very worth the time.
2. I opened a door of communication. I took the time to look at his work on his web site and was actually very impressed. I responded accordingly, and tried to politely ask and obtain some of the basic information I just described above since his invitation didn’t give me anything to go on. Then I opened the door to have a conversation. So how did he respond?
3. He answered my question and closed the open door…which is perfectly fine…that’s his prerogative, of course. But this, to me, is the opposite of what LinkedIn positions you to do from a networking standpoint. Needless to say, I didn’t accept the invitation because he didn’t give me a reason to do so.

How well are you leveraging the professional networking potential of LinkedIn?

Are you moving your online relationships offline? Are you creating or responding to opportunities to have further conversations? Why not? I always tell professionals that there is typically good SEO value to being on LinkedIn because if someone googles your name, your LinkedIn listing is likely to rank highly in the search engine results…in which case you want your LinkedIn profile to be buttoned up. But don’t you want your LinkedIn correspondence to work just as hard for you? Whether sending or receiving invitations, think of them as opportunities to make a good impression, just like you would at a traditional (offline) networking event.

Just something to think about the next time you log in to LinkedIn…

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Elliot Schmukler has offered up 3 easy steps to get you started:

1. Download the latest version of the Outlook Social Connector from Microsoft (Outlook 2003, 2007 or 2010 is required)
2. Once that is installed, download the LinkedIn Outlook Connector
3. Restart your Outlook and follow the instructions to connect your LinkedIn account to Outlook

Here’s a video to if you’d like a visual introduction to the process. (Click here if the video is not appearing below in your feed reader.)

There you have it. Now go sync up and leverage your contacts and connections!

Oh, wait…hold on, before you go…just one back-to-basics suggestion from little old me on LinkedIn etiquette. (Make that two suggestions…)

1. CUSTOMIZE YOUR LINKEDIN INVITATIONS: Please do NOT use the default “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” unless you literally just got off the phone with that person. Say hello, tell people (especially if you don’t know them well) WHY you thought it would be good to connect. And if you’re connecting to someone you haven’t seen in 100 years or only met once 5 years ago, remind them of how you know them. Remember this is a professional network — so be professional and personable.
2. CHECK YOUR PROFILE, PEOPLE: By all means, please fill in your LinkedIn profile to as close to 100% completion as you can get it BEFORE you start sending out invitations to connect. It sounds obvious, but I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t see a need/reason to say it. Tips for your profile? Be succinct. Address the “here’s-what-I-can-do-for-you,-Mr./Mrs.-Visitor-To-My-Profile” benefit quickly and right up front in your summary. Use keywords relevant to your business/job/industry. Post a logo or image of some kind if you don’t want to use your own portrait, but DO NOT leave the image blank so that default human outline pops up.

That’s it. Link up and link on, my friends.

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However I opted to step aside and let it pass me by. (Traffic schmaffic.)

When I look back and consider my time in social media in 2009, it’s not the cool marketing tools I’ve experimented with, the great content that I’ve consumed or even the new business opportunities it has created — it’s with complete humility that this anti-social curmudgeon confesses (with uncharacteristic optimism and utter embarrassment at my public display of “joie de vivre”) it’s the people I’ve met and reconnected with that made my 2009 brighter, more interactive, more professionally rewarding and, even, more entertaining.

So as I look at 2010, I hope to continue to experience all of the spectacular and unexpected side effects social media, social business and social networking put before me each and every day.

We are all of us so much more than the sum of our work and it is the people with whom we work that make the work itself more pleasant…or unpleasant.

Social business provides more consistent, personal and direct access to people we like — people we want to be around and work with — which can bring greater value and meaning to how we spend our workdays.

If you’ve interacted with me here on this blog, on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, meetup.com, blip.fm, slideshare.net, at a local Panera, at a conference, at a seminar or event, through email, on google wave, by phone, at one of my presentations, on a sailboat or through Social Gets Local… I just want to say thank you.

You have enriched my life — online and off.

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Joan Schramm, who is an executive, career, business and personal coach at Momentum Coaching, has leveraged the power and reach of multiple social media tools to “achieve momentum” for her business.

In this “Social Gets Local” post, Joan shares her social media approaches, ideas and successes as both a business owner and a skilled social marketer.

Q: How has social media impacted the way you market your business?
A: My blog readership has tripled. By leveraging the power of blogging, I am able to earn more traffic and generate more requests for information.

Q: What social media tool do you use the most?
A: Tweetdeck for Twitter – it is a great tool for posting and for search, as well as for keeping track of important Tweets. I also use Friendfeed to further boost my exposure.

Q: How much time each day do you spend using social media?
A: I spend about 15 – 20 minutes a day on Facebook and on Twitter (@JoanSchramm) I’m in and out all day: 10-15 minutes in the morning; 10 minutes in the afternoon and 10 minutes in the evening.

Q: Do you consider your time on Twitter “time well spent?”
A: Absolutely. It keeps me up to date with what other people in the field are doing, and allows me to effectively communicate with a large number of interested people.

Q: What percentage of your new clients come from social media?
A: About 75 – 80% of my new clients come from social networking – LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook (in that order). The others come from regular networking, which is often an out-shoot of the social networking, so it’s all related. My outreach is more focused and I have started hosting a bi-monthly radio show on BlogTalkRadio. I’m also putting together a teleclass on social networking for job search.

Q: How are you gauging “ROI?”
A: I use search and monitoring tools (Google alerts and Twitter search) to gauge the Word Of Mouth (WOM) of my name/brand/business. Right now, I view the addition of new clients, as well as boosts in WOM as my primary measuring sticks for ROI.

Q: Can you describe one of your “social media successes?”
A: During the holidays, I ran a “10 Days of Holiday Giving” campaign in which I donated (to charity) $1.00 for every comment made on my blog. I got a lot of good feedback on that idea. I also have a Twitter account for a non-profit I volunteer with – Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League (MAGDRL). The response has been incredible, and MAGDRL was named one of the top 26 charities on Twitter by Mashable.

Q: Do you encourage your sales force to use social media? How or in what ways?
A: Our marketing efforts include our blog, newsletter and social media marketing. I use Google Reader every day to monitor my Top 10 list of blogs – which are great sources for sharing information.

Q: What would you say to other local business owners about social media?
A: Get ahead of the curve NOW. You are missing opportunities! Social media is NOT for kids – it’s for innovative marketers.

Q: What question do you have about social media that you’d like to ask your local business community?
A: Why aren’t more of you involved in social networking? I see a lot of skepticism and misunderstanding about its role in business, and I wonder why that is.

Click here if you’d like to be a part of Social Gets Local, a FREE local directory supporting businesses located in Baltimore, Washington DC and Annapolis that are using social media effectively.

I’ve heard it all.

And I’m not here to convince you otherwise unless you ask me to…so feel free to sidestep social media if you’d like, but there’s a 3-step strategy that anyone who has a name, social security number, personal or professional interest, and a resume should know.

These are 3 simple steps that will keep you in step with “the latest technology,” even if you want to sidestep social media.

I always bring these three things up when I speak to a group about anything that’s going on online, and the pens/pencils always come out. (Oh, who am I kidding? No one uses pencils anymore.) These are pearls of Web 2.0 wisdom folks, three easy essentials that will cover you on the basics until you accept the power of social technology into your hearts and minds (and businesses).

1. MONITOR: Set up Google Alerts. This is so easy; I almost didn’t include it but for the fact that it always surprises me how many people haven’t done it. If you want to be alerted ANYTIME your name (or your family members’ names or any other keywords that are important to your personal security or professional development) is published online, anywhere in the world, set up an “alert” using Google’s FREE Google Alerts tool and you’ll get an email notification. THE QUESTION: I have been asked, “Why would I want to know when my name is published?” THE ANSWER: My response is always the same, why wouldn’t you? Always a good idea to do regular vanity searches by googling yourself so you can see what other people would see if they googled you, but even better to set up an automated system to alert you and keep you informed and aware of your digital trail. (And these days, we ALL have a digital trail.) While you’re at it, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have some kind of identity fraud protection on your SSN. It would cost less per month than what you might spend at Starbucks and delivers peace of mind without the caffeine.
2. MANAGE: Set up an RSS feed reader. I’ve talked about this before. I even put together a handy “how to set up an RSS feed reader” step-by-step guide that you can download for free. Gratis. That’s how much this means to me. It’s my little gift to you. THE QUESTION: How do you get the information that interests you most? THE ANSWER: You do an online search. Everything is about SEARCH these days. THE NEXT QUESTION: Are you controlling the flow of information in your life or are you overwhelmed by noise, a slave to pages and pages of search results? THE REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION: Do you only seek information when you need it, or have you set up an RSS feed reader so the information you desire most comes to you AUTOMATICALLY and is thus available to you to peruse or share at your convenience? THE DRIVE-MY-POINT-HOME QUESTION: In the Web 2.0 world of information overload, are you a victim of the volume or in control of your content consumption? THE EASY ANSWER TO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS: Manage the content, kids — set up an RSS feed reader and live a happier online existence.
3. MAINTAIN: Set up your LinkedIn profile. Got a phone? Got email? How about a job or a desire to have a job? THE QUESTION: How can you have all of that and not have a LinkedIn profile set up in the year 2009? THE ANSWER: Sorry, but you’re going to have to tell me the answer because I cannot come up with one! I’m not saying LinkedIn will revolutionize your life, but gee-whiz, it sure can serve to make your life easier. (Yes, I still say “gee-whiz.”) There are lots of ways to use LinkedIn. Use it as an online, access-from-anywhere Rolodex of contacts; use it as an online resume you can refer people to quickly and simply; and use it to throw your hat in the virtual ring because people who you liked once upon a time and lost track of might love to send some business your way. You don’t have to post status updates if you don’t want to in this space. (Though it is recommended.) You don’t have to post photos of your kids. You don’t have to connect with anyone with whom you don’t wish to connect. You don’t have to post what you ate for lunch on anyone’s “wall.” You don’t have to tweet anything. But you do have to be there and properly maintain your presence and your profile. It’s your online “web cred” and, all things considered, it’s pretty low maintenance. Seriously, not being there is like going to a meeting without a business card. You can sidestep Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, YouTube, etc., but I can’t figure out why one would opt out of LinkedIn if you’re in business. IF someone looks for you there for professional purposes and you’re not there, you miss the chance to make or enhance an impression. Being there is one more way to make it easier for business contacts to reach you if they haven’t seen you in a while or refer you to people within their networks in a few simple clicks. How is this a bad idea? I don’t see LinkedIn as being about social media as much as I see it as being about good business. Furthermore, should you ever find yourself in a position of needing to change jobs, LinkedIn ensures your network is quite literally at your fingertips. The big question here is: what impression do you think it leaves on prospects if you’re not on LinkedIn?

These are technology basics that EVERYONE in these curious times should consider, IMHO.

You can snub the social media mania for a while longer, if you’d like. As it was with the telephone and email, new communication tools are scary to some folks, and I’m down with that. But I swear by my Technology 3-Step.

Monitor, Manage, Maintain. It’s the very least you can do — for you.

In this (very first) “Social Gets Local” post, an interview with GrayMatter Minute contributor @cameronbarry, she shares the successes and challenges of adapting new communications tools in an organization with a social mission.

Q: How has social media impacted your marketing efforts?
A: The biggest change we’ve seen to date is in public relations.  Social media is where the journalists are. Sites like Twitter and Facebook are the new bridge to our media contacts and the answer to the question of what’s the best way to get in touch with them.  They also give us insights into the stories that journalists are talking about and covering. However, we’re about to launch a new social media campaign that I think is really going to change the way we communicate.

Q: What social media tool do you use the most?
A: Twitter, where I have both my own account and one for the Foundation.  We also have a Facebook page and I’ve been working with my colleagues on the benefits of using LinkedIn, but between listening and posting and answering questions about what it is and why my colleagues should care about it, Twitter definitely gets most of my attention.

Q: How much time each day do you spend using Twitter?
A: I worked with our IT department to install Twhirl on my desktop. Since then, I’ve been able to keep an eye on our accounts and post or respond quickly.  I can’t put an exact amount of time on it because it’s always kind of a low hum in the background.

Q: Do you consider your time on Twitter “time well spent?”
A: That’s a lot like asking a PR person if there’s a value in building a relationship with a reporter if the story you pitch doesn’t come out right away.  In other words, yes, especially in maintaining and managing relationships with journalists.  The Foundation tends to keep a low profile and now, because I’m in regular communication with reporters, they remember us.  We don’t have to constantly restart the conversation every time we have a story to share. In the area of policy and communications strategy, we see more and more members of Congress using social media to take the pulse of their constituencies.  They’ve discovered that there’s more than one way to have a conversation and maintain relationships and we’re going to be taking a look at social media from the policy perspective as well.

Q: Is the leadership of your organization supportive of your use of social media?
A: They are supportive and curious.  All foundations are on information overload, but as tools like Twitter get more and more mainstream media coverage, our leadership is realizing that we have to make an investment in learning about how to make good use of these tools to engage with all of our audiences.

Q: Do your colleagues use social media?  How and in what ways?
A: Yes.  In addition to the basic networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, we’re also using social media to help our grantees across the country stay in touch with each other.  The Foundation awards grants to address specific issues and our grantees have been asking for help in setting up their own smaller social networks.  We use ning, an online platform for creating, customizing and sharing your own social networks.

Q: How are you gauging “ROI?”
A: Right now, we’re being modest, but we’re getting smarter as fast as we can.  We’re still evaluating what success means, but we’re tracking how often bloggers write about us and how many tweets we get and of course, our website traffic. Our new social media campaign is going to give us a much clearer idea of how we can make social media engagement work for us.

Q: How is social media working for you on the…
Local level?
A: Our success is most visible locally, probably because I’m here in Baltimore.  I can see our message getting out via local channels, I hear from our grantees, the media can see our local programs at work….
Regional level?
A: We have offices in several cities around the country and from our headquarters here in Baltimore, we view a regional rollout of our social media efforts as a next step.  We’re going to take what we’ve learned here and share it with our offices in Atlanta, Seattle and New Haven so they can use social media to support their efforts.
National level?
A: Nationally, there’s a lot of internal recognition for our efforts, but extending our social media efforts nationwide is still a goal.

Q: What would you say to other area philanthropies about social media?
A: I would say that social media engagement is totally worth the effort if you’re willing to take the time to build relationships.  Social media is great for taking the pulse of what people are talking about, thinking about and listening to. It’s easy to get insulated – we all have a tendency to think that because we want to say something, people want to listen, but that’s not always the case.  Social media encourages you to listen and it gives you the quickest return on being a good listener.

Q: What question do you have about social media that you’d like to ask your local community?
A: I go right back to the question of ROI.  Even with the phenomenal growth of social media, how are folks out there figuring out when it’s worth doing?

Click here if you’d like to be a part of Social Gets Local, a FREE local directory supporting businesses located in Baltimore, Washington DC and Annapolis that are using social media effectively.

Every day you get dressed and consult a mirror before stepping out into the business world. But what about how you look online? Are you looking your very best, virtually speaking? Here’s a few fashionable ways to dress up your business profile style.

Email

Now, many may consider email “casual wear” as far as the look of it goes. But every email (and most of us zip through dozens every day) is an opportunity to make a statement.
•    Check Your Signature: Do you have all relevant contact info presented in an attractive format? If not, there are surely a few folks around the cubicle who are handy with a mouse. Add some color. Make your name bold. Every email leaves an impression; why not make it your electronic best?
•    HTML or Text: Most email clients can handle html code adeptly, so please don’t let yourself be seen in plain text. (It’s so ‘80’s.)
•    Accessorize: Go crazy, if your corporate culture allows, and add an image to your signature. Nothing unseemly. Ideally it’s your company logo, which, hopefully, was professionally done. If so, by all means, work it!

LinkedIn

This is solid online business networking. Don’t show up to the event with the wrong profile picture. C-level executives rub elbows in this space and people will be expecting to see professionalism. It’s like putting your resume on a runway…lots of eyes looking at your business outfit (literally) and a few curious folks watching to see if you’ll trip.
•    Portrait: One word: retouch. I’m not saying you don’t look good au naturale, I’m just saying, if you haven’t had your portrait taken professionally, at least find a Photoshopper to point and click you toward absolute perfection.
•    Resume: One more word: proofread. Seriously. A typo in an email is one thing. No excuse for it here. Have someone else look your profile over to check grammar and spelling on everything you input. No matter how far up the ladder you are, grammatical errors on your resume don’t fly and they could cost you a really good sale.
•    Groups: Two words: join some. This is where you can really show your stripes and meet some new people. Do a search for groups related to your industry. Peruse the weekly email digest. Contribute and converse. The big plus here is that you can do it all without having to wear a nametag on your suit. A note of caution however, when you decide which group logos to make visible at the bottom of your profile, consider that you are showcasing your professional associations and affiliations. Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised what some people put on.

Twitter

Imagine every business dinner you’ve ever been to…got it? Okay, now imagine them all happening at the same time. Welcome to twitter. Step lively.
•    Profile Picture: It’s okay to go casual, but remember, if you’re representing a business you want to look buttoned up, whether you’re on the deck of your fishing boat or at the megapixel mercy of your webcam. Choose wisely.
•    Bio: Be interesting. This is akin to “speed networking,” so whatever you have to say about yourself, say it succinctly and memorably. Don’t want to pressure you here, but for many, the bio decides the follow/unfollow fate of your relationship with other tweeters. Be original. Be yourself. Be smart. Be your absolute best in 160 characters or less. (And if you’re not tweeting for a business, you still should consider your “personal brand” and tweet accordingly.)
•    Site Link: Who doesn’t love a link? Twitter is a fabulous traffic generator. Drive your tweeps to your blog or your business web site…the point is, drive them somewhere. Show them the rest of your professional wardrobe.
•    Colors: I know this is subjective. But some colors have absolutely no business being on a twitter page. If it hurts your eyes in real life, imagine how it looks on the monitor in all its 1280 x 1024 glory. Sunglasses, please.
•    Background: Customize, customize, customize. Toss that old twitter template for a custom design (that you can acquire at any of the online twitter background design websites, (if you don’t have an ad agency or design firm already on retainer, that is). It’s inexpensive and the visual impression you make can go a long, long way. Even if you choose not to have a twitter profile page designed, make sure the image you use sets you apart from the masses. This is one instance where it pays to stand out in the crowd.

There you have it. A few simple tips for looking as good online as you do off…and for people like me, maybe even better!

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While I’ve heard a bit of grumbling from long-time twitter users (using since 2007!), worried that twitter would be ruined (somehow made less useful and/or less cool) now that it’s being investigated and embraced by the mainstream, I am ECSTATIC! (I’d also love a break from the trend I’m seeing in blog posts about why you’re unfollowing people…our apologies for creating so much “noise.”)

Only in mainstream understanding and adoption will ANY type of social media gain more versatility and usability for businesses.

Think about it in terms of the introduction of email, whose mainstream and mass adoption led to exciting (and ongoing) opportunities to advance communication, productivity and content sharing on both professional and personal levels. That said, utilization by the masses always comes with a few extras we’d all prefer to do without, such as SPAM, get-rich-quick schemes and abusive/annoying marketing tactics (hence the grumbling by the early adopters)…but you have to take the good with the bad, no? That’s just how life is. Accept it. And if you feel like getting your zen on, embrace it.

I want to extend a WARM WELCOME to the masses.

Welcome to twitter. Welcome to LinkedIn. Welcome to facebook. Welcome to youtube, ning, flickr and digg. Welcome to Web 2.0. Thank you for coming. Because YOU are here, we (the collective “we”) will be able to advance the power of these platforms.

YOU are driving “traditional” businesses to shift in their seats, sit up, take notice and evolve. Thank you!

This communication evolution will…scratch that…IS creating an abundance of personal and professional opportunities for us all. Each social platform offers something unique; so come one, come all and ask for help whenever you need it. Don’t “get” something? Google it. Everything you ever wanted to know is at your fingertips, the trick is in finding the platforms and tools to navigate through all of the excitement to find what you are looking for. Don’t look for social media “experts” busy building up their egos…look for businesspeople who can help you help yourself.

The cost of entry here begins with your time.

If you’re a small business owner, you should be doing cartwheels right now (right after you make sure your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete). Spend a few minutes asking someone who is using online social tools a few questions. Educate yourself, grow your business.

In January of this year, Peter Kim asked social media thought leaders to help move us all toward tactical solutions for social businesses. So while the masses are amassing online, I want to tip my hat to all of the businesses that are busy about developing their internal social media policies, plans and guidelines to expand their methods of external outreach. I’m thrilled to be working with clients and companies who are focused on finding ways to overcome some of the actual and perceived barriers that other businesses are using as excuses to keep their heads in the social sand.

“I don’t have time for it” is simply shortsighted; successful businesses find ways to overcome barriers, of time and tactics, period.

If you want to learn more about some practical solutions for engaging in social business, Amber Naslund is doing an amazing job right now on her blog, Altitude Branding, providing blueprints for moving forward. Another practical person to tune into is Kyle Lacy, whose blogging offers post after post of socially creative insights.

Me? I’m seeing the virtual rubber hitting the road all over the place and I know EXACTLY who we have to thank for it.

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I put together a little poll, if you would indulge me…

I have also posted a similarly worded poll on LinkedIn to reach my non-twittering, non-blog-reading connections. Feel free to click here to view the LinkedIn poll results if that is your preferred venue.

Lastly…if you take this poll and check ANYTHING other than “YES! And my primary use for it is to share what I find with my network,” please do take a look at this (free and downloadable explanation) so you can leverage the RAW POWER of your RSS feed collection in order to:

• Add value to your network with GREAT links and resources.
• Stay top-of-mind with your clients/prospects.
• Stay informed of the latest industry trends.
• Save tons and tons and tons and tons of time searching for the information you need.
• Get the newest information published on the web sent directly to you (automatically).
• Experience the full range of benefits that come with sharing quality information.

Maximize your content consumption!

Thanks to my exposure to a recent blog post, “What Is RSS? Avoid These RSS Feed Syndication Mistakes,” by Lenin AND to a recent speaking engagement, I realize that I can’t understate (nor state often enough) the value of using RSS feeds EFFECTIVELY and EFFICIENTLY, whether you’re a business owner, employee or lucky enough to be neither.

I’m on a mission to spread RSS understanding wherever it is absent.

If you’re going to make the most of your time maneuvering around online, you’ve just got to trust me when I tell you that an RSS feed will revolutionize the way you consume and use Internet content.

Learn what an RSS feed reader is TODAY and start grabbing the content you care about most!

Guess that’s all I have to say about that.

If not, then why not?

When I find myself talking about why I like spending time in the online socialsphere, I always like to make the point that, for me, it’s not about sitting in front of my computer for hours on end. It’s about meeting new people and building those relationships into a quality network.

Consider your ratio of social networking to social business.

I have to credit Peter Kim for raising my awareness of the term “social business,” and his point is not lost on me. If you’ve ever had to explain “social media” to a C-level executive, I’d highly recommend the “social business” positioning. Of course I’m not saying you need to be all business all the time, but the fact is many of us have integrated social media into our workdays. We learn here. We share here. We connect here. Sure, I’m entertained in and by the process, but I also have a job to do, clients to serve and projects to complete. So I take the time I spend on the socialwebs somewhat seriously.

What’s more personal than talking or meeting offline?

Time is money. So I do my very best to put my money (and my time) where my mouth is. (Literally.) That means I want to talk with you offline. Sometimes we’ll connect on a business level and sometimes on a personal level. I’m happy either way. This post is NOT about looking at everyone with “what-can-you-do-for-me?” eyes. It’s about further personalizing your engagement, your conversations and your network. Or, as Jacob Morgan puts it, “You ARE a social network.”

Call or meet a virtual contact today. If you enjoy your time talking with people online, imagine the reward of talking with those same people offline. Go ahead, do it.  I triple dog dare you.

And now the TRANSPARENCY DISCLAIMER: I’m behind on my calls, (for obvious reasons), but I look very forward to speaking with @JoshSmith12 @ariherzog @CharityHisle @bruceyang @ApothecaryJeri @peabodytweets @mrshadeed @cirqueldesign @JohnSheridan and @GusSent. Talk to you all soon. (Well, as soon as I can!)

In particular order:

Facebook: Personal Connections

MYTH: All people post is stupid stuff about baking cupcakes, I don’t care about those kinds of things.

FACT: I have never posted about baking cupcakes on facebook. (No matter that I don’t bake.)

BENEFITS: “What’s in it for you?”

• Connect with friends you can’t find time to talk with more often because life is so crazy busy

• Reconnect with old friends you didn’t realize how much you missed

facebook login page

• Find out what all of your friends are up to without having to get on the phone (because who of us has time to get on the phone “just to chat” when you’re over 30)?

• Share life/work happenings that are interesting, but would otherwise not warrant an immediate phone call or email to one (let alone all) of your friends. Example? “You’re leaving tomorrow for a biz trip to Okinawa.” Or “you just found out you’re pregnant with your 5th child.” These “status updates” are unequivocally interesting and each are likely to illicit some feedback from your friends, like, “watch out for the poisonous Habu snake” or “haven’t you two figured out how babies are made yet?”

• It’s fun. And I say this as a longstanding, regionally renowned, anti-social curmudgeon. It’s been great to have quick and easy chats with people that matter to me with whom I would not otherwise have been able to manage keeping up with due to the business of life. It connects you with your “inner circle” of friends AND your “outer circle,” too, in a highly efficient way: you can just listen in or join in the conversation. Either way, you remember how many lives intersect with yours and it turns out that’s pretty cool. (Though I’d prefer you didn’t mention I ever said something so blatantly uncurmudgeonly.)

LinkedIn: Professional Connections

MYTH: People just like to show off how many people they know.

FACT: Some people, maybe. Others are simply what you might call “power users.” But the truth is, in my opinion, most people really just want to bring all of their professional connections under one, easy-to-reference, access-from-anywhere roof.

BENEFITS: “What’s in it for you?”

• It’s EASY. Easy, easy, easy. This one is a no-brainer, I swear. If you can send email, you can set up your Linked In Profile lickety-split.

• It’s low-maintenance. You don’t need to be a power user. You don’t need to “update your status” daily (or at all, for that matter). You can set up your profile and chill. Your local network will build itself organically. I guarantee it. Once your network grows, you may want to revisit your profile for a good spit-polish every now and again.

Click here to vote in my LinkedIn poll

• It’s like having a web-based, open-access digital rolodex. LinkedIn is a great tool for keeping up with other professionals with whom you might otherwise lose track of over the years. You may also be surprised to see the people you and your own contacts know in common in your local network.

• It’s an at-a-glance resume. Think of it as a resume that is easy to maintain and will get a lot more traffic than the one you have to type up and perfect when you’re looking for a new job or a job change. This gives you a nice, easy-access “backup” resume, one that’s always current and ready to go.

• It keeps you top of mind. As people dip in and out of their contact lists on LinkedIn, your name is going to pop up. When you add a new contact, your name pops up. If you join a group and make your involvement public, your name will pop up. As a matter of fact, if you do end up joining any of the Linked In groups, you might find yourself engaging in conversations with other professionals outside of your “firsthand” network, thus building a whole new set of connections and a more “robust” network. Me? I’ve made some nice linkups with people (I did not previously know) from my college alumni group. Probably wouldn’t have otherwise met them. So I think that’s pretty solid networking in action.

• LinkedIn Apps. If you want to go really crazy and pimp your Linked In profile, you can incorporate some of Linked In’s applications that enable you to display your blog feed, post a poll or showcase your slideshare presentations, among other things. There’s more, but that’s all I have to say about that at the moment. The apps are relatively new as of this writing and I’m still playing around with them.

Twitter: The Personal-Professional Connection Conduit

MYTH: “I have nothing to tweet about.”

FACT: Sure you do. You know something about something. Tweet that.

BENEFITS: “What’s in it for you?”

• Speed-networking. Yes, twitter is like a networking function that takes place in the backseat of a Formula 1 race car. Gazillions of conversations happening in 140 characters or less. The twitterstream flows fast, but that doesn’t mean you’ll drown.

My Twitter Homepage

• Options. Here’s one example of how it works: you get an email that so-and-so “username” is following you on twitter; you click the link and go to username’s twitter page; you look for a real name behind “username;” you read username’s bio (a whopping 160 characters); you thank username for the follow via DM (the “direct message” function in twitter); you decide if you would like to follow username back; you click “follow” if you’re so inclined; you’ll now see username’s tweets in your twitterstream… and usename, will thus, see yours, if you chose to followback, of course. It’s that easy to “meet” someone and that easy to “move on” if a followback doesn’t feel appropriate for you. Personally, I also always glance at the person’s list of tweets to see if username is a “broadcaster” or a “converser.” If you don’t see any @other_username tweets, (tweets directed at another username), then they’re just broadcasting which I find to be less useful, generally speaking.

• Web traffic. Twitter also provides the option of including your web site in your profile. This can work to generate traffic to your blog or corporate site that you might not otherwise attract. You can also occasionally (and not spammingly) promote your accomplishments (again, sparingly) which could drive traffic back to your blog or your business.

• Retweetability. Okay, this is pretty cool. When you see an “RT” at the front of a tweet, that’s called a “ReTweet.” This is when you read the tweet of someone you are following and think it’s so great that you want to share it with your twitter followers. So you RT it. Now imagine if you tweet something and someone else RT’s it. Think about how far your tweet could go! And this all happens with a velocity behind it you won’t find anywhere else. It’s Word of Mouth (WOM), done RT-style.

• New Tweeps. Again, I am anti-social. So don’t think it’s because I’m some kind of impassioned extrovert that I say this…but you can actually “make friends” on twitter. That’s right. AND, you can make them, as I’ve pointed out, faster than in most other venues. This is a forum like no other. A party where you make your rounds repeatedly (or “retweetedly,” you might say) in only 10-15 minutes a day (if you’re disciplined). [NOTE: To make this opportunity work at its best, I highly recommend Tweetdeck and Tweetbeep as key support services to help you enhance your twitter experience. There are many others, as well. But these two are essential, in my opinion.)

• The Twappetizer Effect. (Twitter Appetizer, I’m herein creating the term.) Because I love food, I’ll make it the center of my analogy:

Twitter is like a conversation appetizer. You may then decide to make an entree out of the conversation and move it on over to Linked In, giving your connection more substance. And for dessert, you might decide to move your connection and your conversation on over to facebook where you may see each other more often and in a definitively more relaxed light.  THIS is what makes twitter such a great connection builder. If birds of a feather, flock together, they all probably met on twitter first.

So that’s it. There you have it. That’s my perfect social media trifecta. A perfect balance of engagement venues, each perfect in its own right and even more perfect in triplicate.

Now I ask you, (“tri” as I may to get you all to quit being so shy and leave a comment already), if you had to keep it to three, what’s your social media network trifecta?

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Up until now, my posts have illustrated my obvious enthusiasm about engaging in various communication platforms which we’ll call “social media” for the time being. And doing so has made my world so much bigger, so very quickly.

Consider That Networking Now Means Getting the ‘Net Working For You

The very fact that most of my subscribers are NOT friends and family tells me (and thus, you) how much bigger a person’s world can get when you put yourself out there. This was not how I thought things would get going. Believe me, I’ve been doing virtual handstands to get my friends and family to jump on the party bus with me. I finally had to pay a few of them off, although I think they would have been willing to pay me to leave them alone…could this be a new strategy for monetizing my blog? (Hmm, may have to give that strategy some serious thought.)

You Learn Something New Every Day.

How could you not? At any given time I know that if I have a question about something, I can Tweet it to HUNDREDS of people and they will share their answers and ideas. I know that by using my RSS feed to follow the blogs of DOZENS of businesspeople, designers, artists, authors, up-and-comers, motivators and innovators, I will get the content I’m most interested in delivered right to me, automatically.

Social media is about opening the door to one-to-one conversations, but it’s also open to the masses.

If my efforts thus far have inspired you to take a new look at your LinkedIn profile, join facebook or sign up for a twitter account, then a big “Ta-Da” goes out to you, right here and now. If you’ve invested the time to understand how these platforms work, you’ll probably agree that they enable us to converge, en masse, only to organically and, rather efficiently, find other people who share common interests and can enhance your/our thinking. I mean people you really want to talk to…people who are happy to share information and expertise.

I’ve had my “Ta-Da” moment.

After much, much, much, much ado, GrayMatter Minute is designed, coded, redesigned, recoded, tweaked, recoded, tested, recoded, officially launched, live and fully functional, even in blankety-blank Internet Explorer, (hence the need for all the aforementioned recoding).

“Ta-Da!”

Now it’s time to move my conversation forward. Please join me. This is going to be fun. So…what would you like to talk about next?

Ask a question. Go ahead, I’m serious. Or am I going to have to break out that “triple dog dare” again?

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Friends don’t let friends use Internet Explorer.