Chances are you’ve heard of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. You might have even registered for an account and then gotten stuck, not really knowing what to do with it. Here is a quick guide to getting set up and begin using each of these social networking sites effectively.
Twitter
Quick set-up instructions: Go to www.twitter.com and click the “sign up now” button to register for a username. Be sure you include information about yourself in your bio, use a picture of yourself as your avatar and begin finding people to follow. See my post from December 10 for more detailed instructions.
Once you have your Twitter page set up and have started following a few people, what should you tweet about? Although the site prompts you to share what you’re doing, I think it’s better to share what you find interesting. I like to share links to articles I like that I think my followers will be interested in as well. If someone you follow posts a link to an article you want to share, retweet it. All you need to do is include “RT @[their name]” in front of their original post. If you have a new post on your blog, share it on Twitter, too.
Facebook
Quick set-up instructions: Go to www.facebook.com, put in your name, email address, password, birthday and select “Sign Up.” Fill out information about yourself and set your privacy settings as you want them (Facebook offers flexibility to keep your profile private for just your friends to see, public for anyone to see, or in between for friends of friends to see). I would recommend putting in a picture of yourself so potential friends will recognize you as well. You can begin adding friends by allowing Facebook access to your email address book, or you can manually search for a few people you already know are using the service.
Once you have your Facebook page set up, what do you do with it? Facebook is a more personal site, so post whatever details of your personal and professional life you want to share with your friends. This can include pictures of your most recent vacation or a link to your most recent blog post. You can also create a fan page for your business and ask your friends to become fans, or if you have an activity coming up you want to invite people to, create an event and invite them via Facebook. There are a lot more options for what you share. I tend to keep my Facebook page more personal and share more about activities in my personal life – anything from my recent trip to Cleveland to being excited for Christmas – although I do occasionally include professional posts such as a client’s upcoming event I think my friends would enjoy.
LinkedIn
Quick set-up instructions: Go to www.LinkedIn.com, put in your name, email address, password and select “Sign Up.” Once your account is created, fill in your work experience, education information, contact information and profile picture. You can find connections on LinkedIn by allowing it access to your email address book as well, or by searching manually. LinkedIn will also show you other people that have worked at the same companies or attended the same schools as potential contacts.
LinkedIn is a fabulous site for connecting with people on a professional level. You can share what you’re reading, join groups based on your profession or interests, recommend people you’ve worked with and ask/answer questions of other professionals. Although you can include personal information, the purpose of LinkedIn is connecting with professionals, so make sure you keep your profile business-oriented.
Once you have these three sites set up, remember to login and check them. You don’t need to be signed in 24/7, but dedicate a little bit of time to each site, even if it’s 10-15 minutes in the morning and 10-15 minutes in the evening.
Remember: The purpose of all these sites is to connect with people and exchange information. The best way to connect with others is to share who you are and what you find interesting, so be yourself! Post about details you would share if you were talking to a friend or colleague, or what you think you would find interesting if you were on the receiving end.
If you have additional questions you would like me to answer, send me an email, post a note on Three Girls’ Facebook Wall, or reply/direct message Three Girls on Twitter.