You too can make a difference

You too can make a difference. How? It does not have to be big; it could be as simple as putting a smile on somebody’s face. Another example might be is to volunteer at your local animal or homeless shelters. Me, I am modeling for Breast Cancer at Meet me at the Promenade in Downtown Boca Raton on October 22. That is when Make a Difference Day is. I invite you all to make a plan for Saturday, 10/22 to “Make a Difference.”

I look forward to hearing your comments.

LinkedIn’s New Causes & Volunteer Section

LinkedIn has added the new volunteer section to the profile, This gives the job seeker experience to potentially land a job. By volunteering it demonstrates you care, it shows that you are contributing to society , and increases your network — you never know who you are going to meet. Many hiring managers have hired job candidates based on job candidate’s volunteering.

Now it is time to add the causes you support and volunteer experience to your profile. Check off the types of causes that are of interest to you, then enter the names of the organizations that you support and last but not least, enter your volunteer experience, such as the duties you performed, the years you were there and you are well on your way.

Best of luck.   I look forward to hearing what kind of results that you are getting by adding this section to your LinkedIn profile.

The New Look of LinkedIn

The New Look of LinkedIn on your mobile phone. Wow! Check it out. Just like it says. “Get started”. Click on the tab and do your status updates, go to my inbox, get the latest news, go to my groups, my profile, and or prospect and network. All of this is right in the palm of your hand.
Just think You can do this anywhere or at anytime.

You can also conduct searches, share and more.

The LinkedIn mobile app has definitely improved and one can do a lot more. I have to say for the short time this app has been available, it is rapidly evolving to an amazing mobile app. Give it a test drive and see where it takes you.

Liking Facebook’s new features!

Facebook’s latest updates makes inviting friends to your fan pages easier.  All you have to do is go to the fan page and change it to your “Use Facebook as___” and then you choose Invite Friends. Then a drop down menu  pops up, and first it goes to recently interacted with or you have a choice of cities of where your friends are, simply put:  this new feature filters your friends in specific cities, which is a nice feature if you want to target a specific area.  Another added bonus is you can invite friends from your groups as well.  It is about time Facebook make it easy to invite fans to fan pages.  The invite friends is an improvement over to suggest friends, which only had a box with no filter, just had pictures of friends and those that had been previously invited were grayed out, like the new feature does.

Also sharing links with photographs is another way to attract fans. Here is how it works.   At the top right of the part where you share there is a tab and it provides a choice to share with everyone or to customize.  The customize option allows you to choose your audience by “Making it visible to fans with” by choosing country and language. These are some of the new and easy features to increase your fan base and do specific target marketing.  I welcome feedback on how you are utilizing these features.

Dropbox, the ultimate time saver

Are you sick and tired of the old and archaic way of attaching a document to an email?  You don’t have to anymore.  The Dropbox application is here and will be your ultimate time saver. File sharing has never been easier for the business owner, friend, or family member.  This user-friendly application can be saved on your computer, phone, laptop. You can also update on one device and will sync to the other.  What is really nice is that  Dropbox is Mac and PC compatible.  Also, you can now save and share files such as documents, videos, and files to all of your computers and smart phones.  How? To share files, just view the file, then tap the link icon and tap on the email link.  You also have the choice to Copy Link to Clipboard so you can paste the link into the app.  Just email whom you want to send the file to and then send it.  Done!  Another great feature is if an emergency should arise, for example, if  your computer crashes, you will still be able to access your folders on the Dropbox website.  Dropbox is now available on mobile devices, such as the iPhone.

Just download Dropbox on your iPhone by downloading from the App Store free of charge.  Once you download the app on the iPhone, you will be able to view your documents, photos and videos from your  iPhone.  This application makes it very convenient when you are traveling or you are at a meeting, you can just access the Dropbox application and you are set.  You can even share your files via Facebook, Twitter, text or email as well as photos and videos by uploading the files from the iPhone to the Dropbox folder, it is that simple.   All you have to do is just press upload tab,  then tap the plus sign, and select the photos and videos you want to upload, choose the location, presto!

The only downside of Dropbox is the basic account, which is free of charge, is 2GB.   However, you can always upgrade for more space.  If you don’t share a lot of files or photos free would work nicely.  Boy, what did we do before mobile apps and file sharing?  If you want more space for your Dropbox app, all you have to do is refer your friends to register and more space will be provided.

Want some simplicity in  your life, you like to share photos, videos, and files with your friends, families or clients, why not get started with Dropbox.  This is a very handy app that is very efficient and a huge time management saver!

Ways to clear the mind and renew the spirit

This week I decided to write about ways to clear the mind.  Let’s face it as social media experts, we are working on the computer all day, our minds get very full and the brain conks out. 

I recently attended a Women’s Empowerment Event by Inspiration University and heard Kimberly West from Allow Your Spirit to Soar speak about some ways to clear the mind.  One of them was to go the beach and take nice walks, another one was to create a nice oasis outside of your home, and meditation.  As a result of attending her workshop, I decided to follow suite.  I went to Lowe’s and purchased a couple of plants to put outside my patio so I can go outside and breathe the fresh air and to clear my mind.  I also, since I only live literally 5 minutes away from one of the most gorgeous beaches in the world, I go there four to five times a week and take nice walks and yes, I do bring my dog Maxwell.

I make time for myself.  I know for me working on a computer for clients and for myself can get crazy and at time I feel my brain will explode.  So these are some of the actions I have taking. 

Journaling is another way to clear the mind. Just sitting down for 20 minutes, showing up to the morning pages is cathartic. It is amazing what happens when your write things down on paper, this exercise also clears out, as my coach, Paulette Halpern eloquently says, “Head trash”.

Gratitude is another way to change your attitude and shift your thinking immediately. Writing out what you are grateful for creates the space for more good.

What are actions that you take to clear out your mind? I look forward to hearing your responses.

Square app, the perfect solution for collecting money!

Are you sick and tired of running around collecting from your clients?  You angry over lost revenue of lost time and gas?  Well, have no fear, the Square App is here….the perfect solution.  All you have to do is go to iTunes, download the app on to your smart phone free of charge (Droid and iPhone) or your iPad.   The apparatus to attach to swipe the credit card is free as well.  All you have to do is activate your account by filling out the info and you are on your way.

How much does it cost?  2.75 percent a swipe.  But how much does it cost you in gas, the time that you lose chasing clients to pay your bills?  Plenty.  Another great feature is there are no monthly fees, commitments or contracts.  Just straight 2.75 percent per swipe.  The information is secure and the info is not stored on the server, so no worries.

How do you get a receipt? Sign on the dotted line, and your receipt will be either emailed or text.

You want to track how much you bring in each day, just download the report.

This is a very simple application that will save you lots of time and, most importantly, improve your bottom line as well as give you piece of mind.

For more details, go to https://squareup.com/.

Once you submit the payment, your money will be deposited into your account the next day!

News Feature on LinkedIn’s Mobile App

LinkedIn’s 3.6 version gives you the opportunity to share the latest headlines and trends in industries that are of interest.   This is the new “News Feature” on the home screen of your LinkedIn iPhone Mobile App.  In this area, you can also see what articles/headlines that your network and connections are posting and how many times they have been shared.   Attached are pictures to further demonstrate how this latest feature works!

First, on the top of the screen reads: Top headlines. Then on the left of the screen indicates the number of times the headline has been shared.

By tapping the screen, will show what industries you are following.  Tap which will take you to the next window of featured headlines in the industry that will also show on the left-hand side of how many times it has been shared by your network and connections.

Second, on the same screen where it says, “You are following”, shows “Suggested Topics” that are “Popular on LinkedIn” You can tap on the topic you are interested in, on the next screen will give you the choice to follow.  This area is an opportunity to broaden your horizons by learning about a different industry and perhaps increasing your network by clicking on the article and contacting the author, if it is of interest, of course!

Third,  “Shared by Connections:” This screen speaks for itself:  What headlines are “Shared by Connections.” On the bottom left-hand corner where the plus sign is, you can save the article. You can also unsave it by clicking the minus sign.

Fourth, on the right-hand side of the screen you will see an arrow that gives you the opportunity to “Post to Updates” and or “Send to Connection.” This is a great way to increase your visibility.  Each time you post an update is to your advantage because every week your connections receive an email entitled “Network Updates,” for the date of the week from profile to connections, from posts, discussing, groups, photos, and more!

Fifth, “Send to Connection” is an excellent networking tool.  If you see an article that is of interest to one or multiples of your connections, by all means, send it, this action demonstrates that you are thinking of them, which makes you stand out from the crowd.

Lastly, is  “Saved Stories.” This section is where you can save the stories that peaked your interest and can read them from time to time.

The new LinkedIn News Feature is just another added bonus to increase your visibility on LinkedIn and build your network through your iPhone mobile app.