Getting Around Flickr

This is the seventh in a series on Social Media.

Flickr is the the largest of the online photo sharing communities. It boasts 11 million regular members, 30 million monthly visitors, and over 1 billion photos. There are also Flickr groups for almost anything you can imagine.

When you set up your account, uploading images requires only three steps.

1. Choose the images you want to upload.
2. Click the upload button.
3. Give each image a title, a description, and popular tags.

Even easier than that is the "Flickr Uploader," which you can download to your desktop. To upload a photo, just drag and drop it into the icon. In addition to ease of uploading, Flickr gives you great exposure with search engines when you use keywords in your tags, file names, and image descriptions. If you click on an image you will see more information about it, such as tags and descriptions; when you click on a tag, you will see all of the other images on your site with the same tag. That's why it's a good idea to fill in this information as you upload each image. Just as you would develop a marketing strategy for LinkedIn or your Facebook page, you should establish one for Flickr.

Clients and viewers can find you through your images. You can share your photos with the public (who can post comments) or limit them to your friends; you can also keep them private. Fickr allows you to organize and link to your photos, separate them into galleries or sets (collections of related images), and export them into your blog and Website.

Flickr is a powerful tool and well worth the time it takes to explore its many tools.

Getting Around Your Facebook Account Settings

This is the fourth in a series on Social Media.

The top blue bar at the top of your screen is always the same. At the far-right side is the word Account with a little arrow next to it. Here is where you control everything in your Facebook account, from whom to “friend” to how much people know about your life. When you click on the Account button, you will see a little box with your picture and name and a list of links. Each link takes you to another screen.

• Edit Friends - In the far-left column are Requests to join your network (you can Confirm or click on Not Now); your Phonebook (phone numbers for friends who have made those numbers public); Find Friends (a search box for names); and Invite Friends (a place to type in e-mail addresses, draft a note, import address books, and let invitees see your profile).

• Manage Pages is an understated heading for a very important aspect of Facebook. A Facebook Page differs from your Profile in that it is specifically intended to promote a business, product or personality. Here, you have an opportunity to describe your business or book and take advantage of all of the regular features of Facebook. There is no charge for this service.

• Tell your fans, let your current customers and subscribers know about your new Page, and Import Contacts
• Post status updates (what’s happening in your professional life) and Share your latest news.
• Promote this Page on your Website by adding a Facebook "Like" Box to your site and giving people an easy way to discover and follow your Page.

In the far right column are Top Questions regarding how to permanently delete your account, retrieve your password, remove a friend, understand Chat, delete apps and accounts, change your name, and conduct common searches.

In the middle column, you can Create a List, find a list of friends with whom you have recently interacted, and Edit Your Friends List.

In the right-hand column, as on previous pages, are places to Create an Ad and see who has Sponsored ads on the page.

Under the large box are these links: About · Advertising · Developers · Careers · Privacy · Terms · Help

You are completely in charge of your Privacy and Security Settings, what you choose to reveal and to whom. Whether you want to keep your involvement strictly social or market your book or business. The important thing is to go to your Account Page and click on all of the links to familiarize yourself with what is in each one and what they mean. If you don’t understand the terminology, click on Help.

Finally, at the bottom of the page you will find friends who are available to Chat online in real time.