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Non-Social Media Tech to Try
Social Media isn’t the only type of tech you should try in 2013. Other tech can also make your life more efficient and fun.
Dropbox
New
If you’re looking for a way to back up your files and/or have them accessible from multiple computers and your mobile device(s), check out Dropbox. This cloud service integrates with apps, browsers, websites and software to help you store and retrieve your files. Use it to save your documents, photos, music and other files so you never have to worry about a computer crash.
My full review of Dropbox can be found at: Dropbox: The Cloud + Local in Harmony.
Dropbox gives you 2 GB of free storage space but you can increase that in many different ways. Note that if you’re signing up for Dropbox, don’t go directly to the site. Sign up through someone else’s invitation to get an extra 0.5 GB of storage space for free. Ask one of your friends who uses Dropbox to send you an invitation or use mine: Dropbox invitation.
Advanced
Dropbox is extremely useful to share files between people. If you’re sending files that are too large to share as an email attachment or you’re working on a collaborative project, Dropbox can help you manage sharing your files. If you’re you’re emailing a document back and forth, you may not be entirely clear which version people are reviewing. With a shared Dropbox folder, you can make sure that people are all viewing the same version.
Check out the Dropbox website for instructions on How to Share Dropbox Folders with Other People.
New
Okay, you’re probably not new to email, but you may be in need of a new email provider. If you’re still using email that’s tied to your Internet service provider, now may be the time to make the switch.
Using a different service will give you more advanced options and ensure that you don’t have to keep changing your email address if you switch Internet service providers. Check out Email for Life! to learn reasons why you may need a new email provider. What seems like a pain now may save you countless hours of aggravation later.
Advanced
If you’re a Gmail user, you have lots of apps, extensions and plugins available to make your email account more useful for you. If you’ve ever regretted sending an email moments after hitting the Send button, check out Undo Send. This handy feature allows you to retrieve a sent email a few seconds after you sent it from your Gmail account. You can set the time up to change your mind and retrieve your email, up to thirty seconds. Find out how to enable Undo Send from WikiHow.
Smartphone
New
If you’ve never had a smartphone before, that may be because you haven’t wanted or needed to make the leap. Not everyone needs a smartphone, most people don’t have one. If you don’t need access to your email, search websites or other information on the go, then you don’t need to spend the money on a smartphone or a mobile data plan.
But if this is the year you decide to get your first smartphone, do yourself a big favor and research which phone you want before you head to a store. Make sure you are sure which phone you’re getting before you head to the store and start talking to a salesperson who may get a bonus for steering you toward a certain phone. Don’t regret your decision later. If a salesperson suggests a new phone you hadn’t heard of before you walked into the store, walk out and research the phone before you buy it.
While a phone might seem very inexpensive with a two-year contract, that time will seem like an eternity if you get a phone that isn’t a good fit for you. You get a big discount by buying a phone with a contract, but you’ll be stuck with that phone for a while so make sure you really, really like the phone. Try not to worry about saving a few bucks because in the long run your satisfaction is the most important factor.
Advanced
If you’ve been using your smartphone for a while, you probably either have too many apps or not enough apps. If your smartphone is overloaded with apps, try to organize them with the ones you use the most being easily accessible on your home page. You may want to remove the ones you never use to free up space on your phone. If you haven’t taken the time to discover any new apps lately, check some lists to see which ones are available that you may find useful. A smartphone is generally about as useful as the apps that are on it. The 5 Most Useful Free iPhone Apps 10 Best Android Apps Of 2012.
Bottom Line
By trying new tech and taking the tech you already use to a higher level, you can make the most of your tech in 2013. Tech will be more fun and useful for you and make your life easier and more efficient.
Have you tried any new tech lately? What tech would you recommend that people try this year? Have you taken any tech to a higher level? Let us know in the Comments section below!
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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!