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New Year, New Tech! If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to try new tech, you’re in the right place. If one of your resolutions is to make more of the tech you already use, you’re in the right place. If you don’t have a tech New Year’s resolution, well maybe you should.
Tech doesn’t stand still, advances and innovations keep coming. Some people (not just me) find this exciting while others find it overwhelming. Whichever way you look at it doesn’t matter, so long as you try to keep up with tech.
As 2013 begins, we don’t really know what the future holds. You can read rumors about the next iPhone or Surface tablet, but until they launch we won’t know for certain what capabilities they will have. What we do know is that this time next year we will be familiar with all sorts of tech we haven’t heard about yet.
Whether you’re new to tech or want to take your tech to a higher level, here are some ideas to make the most of tech in 2013.
Social Media
Did you know about Pinterest this time last year? Do you know about so.cl now? Have you tried Google + yet? Social media sites can roar to life, fizzle, or grow slowly. The key is to discover the one that fits best with your interests and then connect with others on the site.
While we may not yet know which social media site will be the hottest one this time next year, we do know that social media isn’t going away in 2013 and most likely will grow. In 2013 how will you make social media work for you?
New
If you haven’t tried Twitter yet, 2013 may be the time to give it a try. Sign up for a Twitter account and find accounts to follow. Before you follow someone, look at their tweets to make sure they’re tweeting interesting, relevant information. Twitter is only as useful as the tweets you see.
Don’t send out tweets at first. Learn the lay of the land to see how Twitter works before sharing your tweets with others. Remember, once you post a tweet, it’s public. Make sure you understand what you’re doing first before jumping in head first.
Advanced
If you’ve been on Twitter for a while, perhaps it’s time to clean out your Twitter account. Unfollow accounts that aren’t active, tweet dribble or do nothing to enhance your Twitter experience. Find out who isn’t following you back so you can decide whether you’re willing to have your Twitter relationship be a one-way street.
Manage Flitter is a free website that help you to cull your Twitter follows easily. Manage Flitter organizes your Twitter followers into groups based on the following criteria:
- Not following back
- No Profile Image
- Fake Following
- High Ratio of Following/Followers
- Inactive
and others. Manage Flitter sorts through the accounts you follow so you can weed out ones that aren’t relevant to you any more. You can quickly see which accounts are worth saving and which are unfollow-worthy.
New
Not everyone is on Facebook yet and if you’ve been holding out, you may be looking for a reason to sign up. If connecting with new and old chums isn’t reason enough, then consider Facebook as a resource. You can follow Facebook Pages of your favorite businesses to discover discounts and new products. Facebook can also be an organizational tool with new resources to help people share information. Create a Facebook account to see what you’ve been missing. You can always drop it later if you decide Facebook just isn’t for you.
Advanced
You may have been using Facebook for years, but are you making the most of it? While Facebook is great for connecting with friends, you can also use it as an organizational tool. Facebook Groups got a bad rap initially because people were being put into Facebook Groups without their permission (see, How to Leave a Facebook Group).
But Facebook Groups can be a useful resource for collaboration. You may only need to connect with some people for a specific reason, you don’t necessarily want to see pictures of their new pet iguana or their most recent tour of the Sewers of Paris. With Facebook Groups, you can post images, status updates and share files within the group, while avoiding seeing the members’ other posts.
Check out Back to School with Facebook! for other ideas on how Facebook can be used as a tool for you (even if you don’t have kids in school).
Google +
New
You may have heard plenty about Google +, but have you had a chance to check it out? Like any social media site, Google + is what you make of it. If you follow the right people, Google + can show you a side of people that they don’t reveal on other social media sites. Because Google + is still much smaller than Facebook or Twitter, the site has a significantly different, more intimate feel than the larger sites.
You may want to set up an account just to check out Google + and see if it’s a good fit for you. If you have a Google account, you can easily sign up for Google + based on your existing Google account. If not, well, Google accounts are free and easy to start.
Advanced
Google + Hangouts may be the very best reason to join Google +. Hangouts are live video conferences with up to 10 people at once. Hangouts may be spur of the moment or scheduled, but they are a fun and useful way to hang out with others.
Hangouts can be serious, when people are discussing important topics, or fun and silly. Google gives you special effects to liven up your video chat. If your hangout needs a dose of merriment, try a few special effects to get the giggles going!
Be on the lookout for Hangouts to join. Try joining a few before you start a Hangout on your own. Once you get the hang of it, you might be creating your own Hangouts.
New
People join Pinterest for many different reasons. They may want to look at pretty pictures, organize images on boards, or promote their products or services. Pinterest must be doing something right because other well-established sites such as StumbleUpon and eBay have redesigned their sites to be in the style of Pinterest.
Pinterest’s appeal for me comes from its ease of use. If I need a break, I pop over to Pinterest for visual stimulation. The beauty of the pictures can transport me on a mental vacation without much work on my part. Repinning my favorite images is an easy way to share beauty with others. Pinterest also brings a lot of readers to The Wonder of Tech.
Discover Pinterest boards to follow by searching for “Best Pinterest Boards” in your niche.
Advanced
Broaden your Pinterest activity by joining and following Group Pinterest Boards. These boards are a conglomeration of pins by group members for a certain topic. These might be related to food, jewelry, crafts, holidays, zombies or other topics of interest, the possibilities are endless. Pinning on a group board can get much more attention for your pin than if you pin it on your own board.
Visit Tips & Tricks for Group Boards and How to Get More Pinterest Exposure With Less Work for more information on getting started with group boards.
Check out Page 2 for ideas of other (non-social media) tech to try =>
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2013 image by Christmas Stock Images
Wonderful tech to try in this year Carolyn!
Yes, though I am on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and most of the social medias you mentioned, I still need to explore and learn about the advanced options you mentioned – those are the real hidden treasures. 🙂
Even the non-social media tech like Dropbox, about which you did write a post isn’t something I’ve started using as yet, even though I downloaded it the same day – so thanks for the reminder once again. I guess keeping yourself updated with what’s going on is what we all need to do to make this year fruitful.
Thanks for sharing, and hope you had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones too. Wishing you much joy and success in the New Year as well 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, you make excellent use of social media. You are an inspiration how you share meaningfully on so many sites.
You may find Dropbox to be handy as a blogger. You can keep drafts and photos in Dropbox folders to have them handy wherever you are and refer back to them later if needed.
Thank you for your good wishes and all of your incredible support, Harleena. I hope 2013 brings you and your family much health and happiness! 🙂
I never tried Pinterest, going to make it first……and checking out all those best pinterest boards that you mention over here.
Thanks
Hi Asiru, You may really like Pinterest. Make sure to find boards on topics you’re interested in, and repin others’ pins that you think will be interesting to others.
I hope you enjoy using Pinterest, Asiru!
I am on every one of these platforms! Does that make me addicted? 😉
I feel social media has a lot to offer – for personal and professional purposes also! But one just needs to be careful and not get too carried away by the whole addiction trap.
Hi Hajra, No, that’s not what makes you addicted. 😉
Are you on so.cl too? That is a social media website from Microsoft that is very cool but late to the party. I think that social media websites need to have something special and different now if they are going to emerge as a hit.
You’re right, social media does have a lot to offer, but the sites must be used wisely. Some kids are just on Facebook but they are on it all the time. All things in moderation is a good rule.
Like Harleena, I’m either using or have been testing all the social media you mentioned. But, I need to be exploring them and testing them so I can become better at it. I am testing many different services, and I am doing my best to teach my clients what they should be doing and what they shouldn’t.
One thing I am going to do, probably during January, is to get a new theme for my blog. I want it to become even more professional in 2013 🙂
Hi Jens, I look forward to seeing your new theme. I enjoy “theme shopping” and changing the look of my website, but I think I’m set now for a while. I like the look of your site now, but what you like matters the most.
Yes, when you’re looking at how best to present your clients, you must be looking at these social media websites in a different light. Each one might have different needs that are served by different sites.
As you are familiar with each site, you are well-positioned to offer your clients excellent advice about where to focus their social media marketing. Best of luck in growing your business in 2013, Jens!
Hi Carolyn. Thanks for the new information! It was a banner year for me on social media in that I expanded into Twitter and Pinterest, added a Google+ account, and worked on my Facebook presence. But still so much to learn! I’ve yet to really “master” Google+, and every time I think I am “getting it” on the other platforms, something new comes up. Like just recently, I learned I needed to verify my Pinterest account. Thanks for the “Advanced” advice, which is exactly what I need!
Hi Carol, Wow, you really took social media by storm in 2012! Yes, each social media site had changes in 2012. Perhaps I should do an article covering the latest changes for each of them. I try to notify readers when Facebook makes major changes, but all the sites had changes last year.
The latest is that Google + now has Communities. They are like Facebook Groups and seem to have been adopted quickly. Whether they will be used effectively remains to be seen, but the Communities I’ve joined seem very active.
I’m so glad you verified your site on Pinterest. That will keep traffic flowing to your blog from Pinterest. I just pinned an image from your amazing Alyeska article onto Pinterest so others can discover your article and Alyeska! :-bd
Hi Carolyn, I do use some of these Tech. You’ve shown me some interesting advancements. Stuff I didn’t think was available in these social media platforms. It can definitely make my experience a lot better. Thanks.
Hi Connor, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, even when we’re using sites, there may be ways to use them better. I am glad that this article was helpful to you.
All these sites are quite useful for brand building, spreading awareness and increasing traffic. However you must know how to use these platforms correctly so that you can get maximum outcome.
Hi Aasma, Yes, each of these sites can be used for business, but if these sites become a series of billboards for businesses, they will lose their appeal as a forum for social interaction.
You’re right, too often businesses look at social media sites as free advertising. But these businesses need to understand the nuances of each site so they don’t run into difficulties or embarrassing situations in promoting their products.
HI Carolyn
Great tech to work on in New year
I am using most of these but need to look into so.cl. I need to check how effectively I am using all these platforms.
Thanks again for sharing these.
Sapna
Hi Sapna, Yes, so.cl is a beautiful site, but hasn’t gotten much traction yet. Do we really need another general social media site? If so.cl had been launched prior to Facebook, it may well have emerged as the most popular social media website. But for now, so.cl is playing a difficult game of catch-up.
Hello carolyn
This is indeed a very nice post. i’m in facebook, twitter, google +, pinterest, so.cl and i must say that they are great tool for any blogger. Thanks for a wonderful post
Hi babanature, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! It sounds as if you’re making good use of social media. Are you enjoying so.cl? I really liked the site but it didn’t seem very active when I signed up for it over the summer. Perhaps I need to check back in with it.
Hello Carolyn,
So.cl is one of my favorite hanging spot after google plus. The community is responsive. you should check it out sometime.
Thanks, Babanature. I will definitely give so.cl another try. I really like the look of the website so I’m glad it’s gaining traction. :-bd
Hi Carolyn,
I am on all of those except for Pinterest. I haven’t really had the time to dabble with that yet. Have you gotten an increase in traffic from it?
Hi Justin, Yes, I have gotten quite a bit of traffic from Pinterest. Pinterest was one of my top ten referrers last year. What’s even more impressive is that I wasn’t even using Pinterest the entire year. As Pinterest continues to grow I should get more traffic from Pinterest. But even if I didn’t get traffic from Pinterest, I would still be active on that site I enjoy it so much. 🙂
Twitter? I think I’ve heard about that one; do you think it will become popular?
Probably not, Bill. What can you really say in 140 character or less? 😉
What a fabulous list Carolyn. I have no doubt that there are plenty of people out there that get just excited about tech updates as you do.
There are always so many new social sites that are popping up and a good bit of the people are rushing to join them hoping they’ll get in on the ground floor and they’ll be the next Facbook or Twitter. Pinterest certainly took the web by a storm I will admit but like you mentioned, some might be our cup of tea while others might not.
I often times feel that I need to give them all a good go just so I can report and blog about them with my readers but some of these social sites I haven’t been able to really get into them myself. Of course I’m mainly speaking about Pinterest so maybe I really need to concentrate more on which ones I really like and which ones I just don’t want to deal with anymore. Food for thought!!!
Thanks Carolyn for giving us the goods along with the advanced features of these sites. They are definitely worth taking a serious look at and if it’s a site people think they’ll enjoy learning about it can be a great traffic source back to your own site.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, some sites will click for you and others won’t. If you’ve tried Pinterest but it just isn’t working for you, then there’s no need to waste your time with it. There are plenty of other sites writing about Pinterest that your readers can find out information about it.
You share so much important information at your place, Adrienne, that I’m sure your readers are very grateful for the topics you do cover! (*)
Great post! Pinterest and Google+ is attracting lot of traffic these days and they are considered to be the best social media sites in the upcoming history of social marketing. I think Linkedln and MySpace should be explored more for better eye on social marketing skills. Nice list and information about the latest tech!
Hi Sam, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. You’re right, LinkedIn is a very important social media site and MySpace seems to be making a comeback as people look at Facebook alternatives.
Hi Carolyn,
Manage filter sounds interesting concept to me. Indeed, yet to try and see how it helps. 🙂 I believe Face Book and Twitter had given enough room for tech geeks and app makers to play with their million user community.
If app makers concept is really very attractive and useful there exist a clear path to clutch community from these monster data banks. Let me surely have a try.
tahnks for sharing the info.
Hi Manickam, Yes, I have tried other Twitter management sites, but I think ManageFlitter is the best because of how it organizes your followers and the people you follow. I like how you can see who is following back, who is dormant, etc. ManageFlitter lets you efficiently manage your Twitter account so you have more time to, you know, actually tweet! 🙂
ManageFlitter is new to me. Guess I will have to give it a try.
Thanks for the list.
Hi Elly, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech. I’m glad you like ManageFlitter. I think you’ll really find it worthwhile as a tool to help you clear out your Twitter account.
… and don’t forget to give foursquare a try if you haven’t done so already!
Hi Dwayne, Great idea. I’m a big fan of Foursquare, though I’m not happy that they will be revealing our full names now. I know we can go in and change our full names, but I always prefer Opt In to Opt Out with revealing our private information.
Nice post Carolyn. I was using Facebook than any other site but gradually my focus is heading towards to Google+ and Twitter. Twitter, because I get targeted people on my site from here with very low bounce rate which is quite good. Google+, because I don’t need to login on one more site.. Just login in gmail does all. apart from this benefit Google+ also impacts the search rankings which is good to me and every website owners.
~Atish Ranjan
Hi Atish, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Wow, you seem like a big fan of Google+ and I can see why. It’s important to find the sites that are the best fit for you and you seem to have found them with Twitter and Google+. You’re right, these sites have a lot to offer and it seems as if you’re making the most of them.
Thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts with us!
Hey! Great Stuff!
I have to say that Google + have really upped their game, their Ipad App is brilliant! far better than facebook or twitter in my oppinion.
Wow you’re using Commentluv – It’s really hard to find blogs that use it. I’ve actually just become a member to find out what all the fuss is about.
Jake
Hi Jacob, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, Google+ keeps making positive changes. I agree with you, their iPad app is fantastic.
I’m a big fan of CommentLuv. I really think you’ll enjoy using it. I love rewarding commenters that way plus it helps readers discover other wonderful posts. Good luck with it!