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this is so interesting! I cant wait for next ones!

This is so exciting! Excited for the next batch!

This is so exciting! Im excited for next ones!

10 Ways to Use Social Media for Good

There are some core things that you need to consider before utilizing social media for your business marketing needs. Below are 10 of the most important takeaways which you should definitely read.

Amplify’d from www.tricycle.com

1. Know your intentions. Doug Firebaugh of SocialMediaBlogster.com has identified seven psychological needs we may be looking to meet when we log on: acknowledgment, attention, approval, appreciation, acclaim, assurance, and inclusion. Before you post, ask yourself: Am I looking to be seen or validated? Is there something more constructive I could do to meet that need? 2. Be your authentic self. In the age of personal branding, most of us have a persona we’d like to develop or maintain. Ego-driven tweets focus on an agenda; authenticity communicates from the heart. Talk about the things that really matter to you. If you need advice or support, ask for it. It’s easier to be present when you’re being true to yourself. 3. If you propose to tweet, always ask yourself: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Sometimes we post thoughts without considering how they might impact our entire audience. It’s easy to forget how many friends are reading. Two hundred people make a crowd in person, but online that number can seem insignificant. Before you share, ask yourself: is there anyone this might harm? 4. Offer random tweets of kindness. Every now and then I ask on Twitter, “Is there anything I can do to help or support you today?” It’s a simple way to use social media to give without expectations of anything in return. By reaching out to help a stranger, you create the possibility of connecting personally with followers you may have otherwise known only peripherally. 5. Experience now, share later. It’s common to snap a picture with your phone and upload it to Facebook or email it to a friend. This overlaps the experience of being in a moment and sharing it. It also minimizes intimacy, since your entire audience joins your date or gathering in real time. Just as we aim to reduce our internal monologues to be present, we can do the same with our digital narration. 6. Be active, not reactive. You may receive email updates whenever there is activity on one of your social media accounts, or you might have your cell phone set to give you these types of alerts. This forces you to decide many times throughout the day whether you want or need to respond. Another approach is to choose when to join the conversation, and to use your offline time to decide what value you have to offer. 7. Respond with your full attention. People often share links without actually reading them, or comment on posts after only scanning them. If the greatest gift we can give someone is our attention, then social media allows us to be endlessly generous. We may not be able to reply to everyone, but responding thoughtfully when we can makes a difference. 8. Use mobile social media sparingly. In 2009, Pew Research found that 43 percent of cell phone users access the Web on their devices several times a day. It’s what former Microsoft employee Linda Stone refers to as continuous partial attention—when you frequently sign on to be sure you don’t miss out anything. If you choose to limit your cell phone access, you may miss out online, but you won’t miss what’s in front of you. 9. Practice letting go. It may feel unkind to disregard certain updates or tweets, but we need downtime to be kind to ourselves. Give yourself permission to let yesterday’s stream go. This way you won’t need to “catch up” on updates that have passed but instead can be part of today’s conversation. 10. Enjoy social media! These are merely suggestions to feel present and purposeful when utilizing social media, but they aren’t hard-and-fast rules. Follow your own instincts and have fun with it. If you’re mindful when you’re disconnected from technology, you have all the tools you need to be mindful when you go online.

Read more at www.site2you.com

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Amplify’d from www.templateninjas.com

See more at www.templateninjas.com

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Stock Photos: Free VS Paid

Pretty a cool article revealing the pros and cons of using free and paid photos.

Amplify’d from www.1stwebdesigner.com

This isn’t a post on which is better so much as it is weighing in on the different uses for free and paid photos

Free photos are awesome because they are, well, free. But, to be honest, most of the time they really aren’t that awesome at all. They are usually of lesser quality, require links or are far too small to use for anything practical

Pros

They’re free

They are sometimes very large photos like the ones you’ll find on Stock Exchange (see below)

You can use them pretty much wherever you want, even commercial projects

Occasionally you can find really good ones

Can alter them if you need

Cons

They are of lesser quality for the most part meaning less MP

Also have bad or sub-par composition and color

Often too small

Will be seen in multiple places since anyone can get ahold of them

Most likely you won’t find exactly what you need and you’ll have to settle

You’ll also have to sift through ads to find the photos…they have to generate income somehow

Sometimes require a link or attribution

A Little About Free Photos

A Little About Paid Photos

Paid photos on the other hand are a whole different breed. They are usually the opposite of free photos but also come with their own set of pros and cons. Let’s check these out.

Pros

Usually professionally shot

High Quality

Can purchase different sizes

Good composition

Plenty to choose from

Cons

Can get a bit pricey

Multiple usage restrictions

Many times can’t be used in commercial projects

Require additional research to find exact usage

So In Closing…

Keep in mind that photos can make or break your design. Obviously it’s your choice as to whether you want to fork over the money to pay for them, but most of the time when working on a client project you can pass the cost along. Just make sure you thoroughly explain your stance on using professional photos and maybe give some examples comparing free versus paid photos. Point out some differences and let the client make that call, even if it is against your better judgement. What do you think of free versus paid sites? Are they truly worth paying for or just a waste of money? What other sites do you use?

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A tiny blog about big everything