unaboutique

I don’t know about you, but fall is the busiest time of year in our house! That means less time to spend on Twitter, Facebook, my blogs, etc.   That said, there are many tools available online to keep your online presence going when you are running around town or jet setting (smile). Hootsuite has been a longtime favorite of mine…they offered Facebook business page scheduling before Facebook even offered it! I also like that their dashboard allows you to post to Twitter and Facebook at the same time or separately, sending in real-time or scheduling in advance.   Hootsuite has a new feature called AutoScheduling (no space) that I just had to check out for you. Super simple…I’ll break it down for you below. How to Use Hootsuite's AutoScheduling Feature: Compose your tweet or status update as usual. Click on the scheduling icon (it looks like a calendar). Change “off” to “on” in the “AutoScheduling” box. Click “autoschedule”. What happens next? How far apart w...

In my last post , I shared details with you about the new header space on Twitter .   Today I have a few screengrabs to share with you to get your creative juices flowing if you haven’t taken advantage of the new space yet! 1. Real Simple Magazine Love the simple header design, and would expect nothing less from this great brand! Lemons are genius, as is using the magazine cover for their profile pic.   I’d normally shy away from this, but it makes a lot of sense in the new design! 2. Mashable Mashable did something that didn’t occur to most of us – they choose a solid-colored block for their header background.   Of course, it’s no mistake the color is mashable blue.   If your company is known for a signature color, perhaps the header space could be used to reinforce that brand. Or, you could even crop the background from your website to fit this space or go with a simple pattern. 3. National Aquarium I love how The National Aquarium uses the header space to showc...

Did you know there is a new feature on Twitter with a rather simple name (called a “header”, seen above) that gives you even more room to customize your Twitter profile page? It launched this week (9/18/2012) and is a great space to further enhance your personal or biz brand! Prominently located on the top right-hand side of your profile page, the header space measures approximately 464 pixels wide by 232 pixels tall.   In other words, significantly larger than your profile photo size (in fact, as wide as your tweets displayed on your profile).   This tutorial is going to walk you through the simple process of customizing your Twitter header.   After all, the more opportunities you have to set yourself apart on Twitter, the better.   How to Customize New Header Feature on Twitter Go to Settings>Design when logged into Twitter. Look for “header” area on right-hand side of “design” page. Upload your header image (the space measures 464 X 232 w...

Twtvite has gone through a major update since I used it last.   In fact, I’m so impressed that I wanted to share with you here.   “Twtvite” (pronounced Twit-vite) allows you to easily create and share tweetups with your followers on Twitter (and beyond).   You can create a tweetup on the fly or plan one well in advance.   If you haven't planned a tweetup before, you may want to read this post first. In the past, you could add a logo and small banner to your Twtvite event invitations, but the rest of the invite was pretty generic. I’m sharing a screenshot of the tweetup I just created on their upgraded site, plus details on the upgrades below.   If you’re in Charleston, be sure to join us for the September Charleston Ladies Who Lunch tweetup on 9/14 ( info ). Click photo above for full-size look Twtvite Features I love: Customizable background adds a sleek look – upload your own or use your twitter background.   I matched the backgroun...

If you’re an avid Twitter user, you likely scan your “mentions” and “interactions” on Twitter on a daily basis (if not more frequent than that). But, if you tweet for a business, you may be overlooking a valuable tool on twitter.   Not to sound alarmist, but there may be conversations happening on Twitter right now about your business that you aren’t aware of.   Compliments, complaints, questions, you-name-it.   How is this possible?   Reasons you may be missing tweets about your business: People often assume your Twitter name instead of looking it up.   If your business is ABC Sign, most will assume @ABCSign instead of a variation of that, like @ABC_Sign or @ABC_Sign_Co or @1ABCSign, is your Twitter handle.   People may not use your Twitter name (“handle”), but instead may simply type in your business name, such as “ABC Sign.” Others may hashtag your   business name instead of using your handle (example: #ABCSign)...

By now, you're likely tweeting away! Whether you're a twitter newbie or a veteran, Twitter lists will prove to be most helpful, especially as you grow the number of people you follow on Twitter. Someone recently asked me how I seem to find goodness-filled tweets when I'm following 4,000 people. My answer: Twitter lists. Thank goodness, I had enough insight when I was new on Twitter to create and use Twitter lists. Sure, it was somewhere between follower 1 and follower 1,000 that I realized how essential the lists would prove to be.  Yep, there were a few long days where I had to back-track and list each person I was following so that my streams were super-organized.  Example: Out of 4,000 people, nearly 500 are Charleston marketing and public relations professionals.  And I have them all in their very own list .  That means at any time of the day or night, I can jump over to that list (on my computer OR phone) and see what's going on with these talented peeps. Same g...

Do you tweet? If you follow my blog regularly, you know I'm a huge fan of twitter.  In fact, I've made nearly ALL of my friendships in Charleston through the beauty of Twitter.  So much so, that I co-founded a Tweetup group with Liz Deloach and Melissa K .  I also count Twitter as a blessing, since I met Diane Gottsman   and Jacqueline Whitmore there.  If you've tweeted for some time, you're used to design changes and new features every now and then.  I have always enjoyed the upgrades and am hopeful that the latest round of changes are great improvements.  Here's a quick video that Twitter shared to walk people through the latest changes.  It's here for those reading by email.  Enjoy, and thanks to Ashley Caldwell for tweeting about the changes. Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston , SC who has been active in social media since 2005.  If you enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to th...

Let's talk about finding new tweeps by using the "browse interests" tool.  Last "Twitter Tuesday" we talked about growing your network on Twitter by using the "who to follow" and "others like you" tools. If you missed the post, it's over here .  First, how do you get to this tool?  You click on "view all" just below the "who to follow" suggestions on your home screen on Twitter.  From here, click on the "browse interests" tab. This is where you can click on the category that most appeals to you. One of my suggested interest categories was "art & design".  I can click on "view all" next to "art and design" and Twitter has a list of 59 tweeps who fit into this category that I may be interested in following. Today's exercise: Explore the "browse interests" tool on Twitter to connect with a few new and interesting tweeps today.  Time spent: approx. 15 minutes. G...

Today's "Twitter Tuesday" Tip is one you can easily execute in a manner of minutes! Let's talk about the "Who to Follow" and Similar to You" follow suggestions on Twitter. Both are great tools that are available to you via Twitter that will help you grow your network. First, the "Similar to You" feature on Twitter: Have you noticed the "similar to you" feature on twitter? If you visit your profile (and are logged in), it's just below your following/followers numbers (example below). By default you should see 3 people below the "Similar to You" header. Click on the "view all" just next to "similar to you" and you'll find a full page of suggestions for you. Some you may already follow, but others could make great new follows! Next, the "Who to Follow" feature on Twitter: From your "home" screen (not your "profile" screen), you should see a "Who to Follow" fea...

Have you visited http://Paper.li yet? According to their website, “Paper.li is a content curation service.  It enables people to publish newspapers based on topics they like and treat their readers to fresh news, daily.”  I came across Paper.li many months ago but have developed an increased interest in the content sharing after being featured in a Twitter friend’s own paper.li online newspaper.  @ SHUEDA ( Greg Shue ) publishes a “#CHS #Design Daily” using paper.li, and I have been thrilled to find myself as a contributor on several occasions (example here: http://paper.li/SHUEDA/charleston-design ). The best part? It’s allowed me to meet new people and has helped grow my relationship with @ SHUEDA and others featured in his daily paper.  A few weeks ago another Twitter friend, @ ashleytcaldwell , released her own paper.li daily newspaper, The Modern Connection Daily . Today I’m walking you through the process of creating your own Paper.li online newsp...

One of my twitter friends, @tiglu wrote an amazing post on “ Getting the Most out of Twitter ”.  Tim & I have never met in person, but have exchanged tweets back and forth over the past year or so.  I’m not sure how we found each other’s tweets, but I’m glad that we did.  Tim also shares podcasts, something that I have not done yet.  I can relate to Tim’s post about people’s reactions to Twitter.  I am used to folks saying “isn’t that just a site where you talk about what you had for breakfast?” or something along those lines.   I usually answer that Twitter has evolved a sophisticated networking tool that connects people all around the globe.  I then go onto to say that nearly all of my friends in Charleston have been made on Twitter.  Wow! Without further ado, hop over to Tim’s post! You’ll be glad you did! Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in Charleston , SC who has been active in social media since 200...

Happy "Twitter Tuesday"! I created a YouTube video on creating your very own #NewTwitter background.  This video was inspired by my tutorial post, which continues to be one of my top blog posts.  When Twitter moved to what they call the "New Twitter" or "#NewTwitter" format, the background changed a bit for users.  Although the overall space is the same, you'll find that you have a bit less space on the far left and right hand side of the page.  This is important to note, especially for those of us who placed photographs or text (like a phone number) in this area.  It may be a good idea to take a careful look at your background on Twitter and see if it's in need of some freshening up to better fit the new specs. For those reading by email, the video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/user/lauracotero#p/u/0/ahGlPoVKTfI All others may wish to watch below.  Thanks for visiting! Laura Catherine Otero is a marketing professional and blogger in...

What is Klout ? Klout identifies influencers on topics across the social web. I wrote about my experience with this service in this post last September. Since that time, they've expanded their services to integrate your LinkedIn and Facebook business page activity into your Klout score.  If you haven't created an account on Klout yet, I'd encourage you to do so! The process is super easy and they integrate your Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn info effortlessly. Your Klout Analysis  Includes: Your true reach Your amplification Your network Your topic summary Your top retweets Most popular links shared Your influence "matrix" Your content analysis Who you are influenced by Who you are an influencer of A Klout Perk I received a notification from @KloutPerks that my "Klout" had earned me a goodie pack from the new TNT series "Franklin & Bash".  I wasn't sure what this was about but I thought it was pretty neat of Klout to offer this to a select ...

I used http://search.twitter.com/ to make new connections this past week! A few weeks ago I shared a post and video with you about http://search.twitter.com (post here ). Search.twitter.com  has to be one of my favorite tools offered by Twitter! I am posting again today about this great tool in the hopes that you'll take a few of my recent real-life examples and put them into practice for yourself. :)  At the end of this post, you'll find easy-to-follow instructions on how you can get started with this great tool. Two ways I used search.twitter.com last week: 1. I have a love of the arts and am always looking to connect with other folks in Charleston who share this same appreciation.  I used search.twitter.com last week to find other twitter users within 25 miles of my zipcode who were tweeting about the Spoleto Festival.   I then followed those folks who seemed to be a match with some of my interests.  How did I determine this? We...