unthink? Who is using it?

I heard today about unthink so I thought I would check it out from my Android Phone.

Firstly, it complained my safari on Android was out of date. Following that I tried to register with susan@clinchportal.com and it claimed invalid email address. I got my colleague to register with his hotmail account and it finally finished registration only to tell me I would get emailed a code which never arrived.

Is this site really legitimate? If so I would love an invitation so I could to a proper review of your site. It sound very interesting but interesting is only good if you can use it.

I would love to use it and look forward to an invitation please send one to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal or Chris Williams at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and we will write a review on this blog for your site.

Congratulations to LinkedIn on reaching 100 million members

In less than a decade LinkedIn has finally reached 100 million members.
Looking back over the 10 years, I see the many contracts I have gained,
the many friends I have met and got back in touch with, the business leads
I have obtained, and more importantly the many people I have had the opportunity
to help fulfill their goals.

Here is LinkedIn's official announcement:
http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/03/22/linkedin-100-million/

I am sure there are many stories on how LinkedIn has helped us all over the years.
There have been good and bad decisions made but we all have to admin that it has been
a useful tool for all of us.

The question now remains: Will LinkedIn push forward into the next decade or will tools s
such as Branch Out and others carry on the torch?

I look forward to hear some of your stories and where you would like to see LinkedIn go in the future.

My Deal Board

You have heard the word Deal thrown around a lot lately. Its been growing for a little while

with the likes of WagJag, Groupon, TeamBuy (Featured on Dragons Den) and a whole batch of copy cats. Well imitation is the

best form of flattery but there is always someone to go beyond and I feel this project is going to be it.

A tip for my fellow network. From what I have heard so far this is will blow your mind.

It would be in your best interest to keep an eye on this link My Deal Board
it's actually a Daily Deal Aggregator

I will keep you posted here as well on when the site will launch and any details I can drag out of the guys.

If you have any tips tricks or resources you would like to share please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

Teachers and Facebook

Facebook is everywhere and it is what the students are using to communicate.

For this reason, teachers have started to join Facebook and connect with their students.

However, there is great risk involved when choosing to go online especially connecting with

students. The wrong thing could cost your job. A friend of mine suggested that I share this link with all of you. Even if you are not a teacher, these tips are really good.

I really like the advice of not connecting students to your personal account. A better idea is to create a teacher account. This account can provide information on events, assignments coming up etc. It is a little more work to have two Facebook accounts but better the extra work than the risk. The alternative is don't connect to students.

Here is the link. Hope it helps you build your network safely.

http://www.onlinedegree.net/50-useful-facebook-tips-for-teachers/

If you have a tip, trick or resource you would like shared with everyone please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them here.

ViaSoc Media Review

I got invited by a friend to check out ViaSoc. I registered and logged in and got verified.

Next I invited a couple people I knew.

As any user, I like to test drive before wanting to upgrade but any time I click on a member I get the "Sorry, you don't have the appropriate credentials to access this page. To access this page please change your Member Level credentials".

My first response to this page was to edit my account details. I saw the different levels but could not find a description on what each level gives me. What is the killer functionality that will make me upgrade. If its only access to member details then why don't I just use Facebook or Linked In?

I look forward to hearing what other members think about these limitations. I would also love to hear from ViaSoc itself on what the differences are between the Member Levels.

If you wish to contact us please email Chris Williams at chrisw_88@hotmail.com or Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

Gist Workarounds

I have been playing with the beta version and as I found issues I will list them here and the workarounds if I find one.

1) If you have a contact with a very long name and you click on it to get to detail view. You will not be able to edit the contact name as the jquery edit icon will disappear on hover.

WORK AROUND: Look up the contact in the list view and the edit icon works well there to let you rename them.

2) Since Chris Williams is popular, I am running into the issue that Gist automatically took the other chris williams and merged them to me. If it is a contact that has the same name it will ask but not for your account.

WORK AROUND: You will have to create separate contact yourself and vary the name slightly maybe Christopher Williams or put in an initial or a number after it.

If you have any tips regarding Gist please insert them here.

Gist - Contact Consolidator and Manager

I came across this application on a fluke. I was looking at a way of consolidating my contacts into one place. I had contact in gmail, Google Contacts, Plaxo, hotmail, you name it.

I was looking for a tool that would let me tag contacts and help me merge duplicates. Luckily I stumbled upon this tool. It will do all this and more. Since it connects directly to gmail, facebook, twitter and linked in directly, it can tell me which contacts I have contacted most recently and give me an importance level. I can adjust this level myself as well.

It is a beta application but even so, I have only found some minor issues so far. I look forward to see where this application is headed once it comes out of beta.

If you would like to check it out go to http://www.gist.com

If you have any tips tricks, resources or articles you would like to share with the group please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them.

How to lock down your Facebook profile

A friend of mine twittered this to me and I thought it was important to share with the group.

The Facebook security settings are very complicated to navigate. This link will guide you step by step with screen shots on how to lock down your profile. There were actually a couple steps I missed so I am sure others missed them too.

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-lock-down-your-facebook-profile-2010-5#facebook-will-show-you-what-your-friends-can-see-if-all-looks-good-then-congratulations-32

For those confused and think they may have missed something, or even if you think you found it all. You may want to run this Privacy scan. I ran it and found I missed a couple spots.

Step 1: Navigate to the link below

ReclaimPrivacy.org | Facebook Privacy Scanner

http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/facebook

Step 2: Drag and drop the scan for privacy link to your toolbar

Step 3: Navigate to your facebook privacy settings page

Step 4: Click on Scan for Privacy in your toolbar.

Hope you find this link helpful. If you have any other links you would like to share please email Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

SocialGrow - Will it be the next big thing?

This tool is being hailed by a lot of power networkers I have spoken to as the next big thing in Social Media. I have not heard a lot about it other than it can "help automate recruiters invitations to connect with candidates across multiple social networks with a few clicks."

If you are a recruiter and are interested in the Alpha release please go to http://socialgrow.com and sign up. Only 500 people will be able to register for the alpha release that is scheduled for February 1st.

If you have any tips, tricks, resources or tools you would like to recommend to the group please contact Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

ipoint.to - The new Url Shortener

ipoint.to URL Shortener is a service that takes long URLs and squeezes them into fewer characters to make a link that is easier to share, tweet, or email.

I may be a little bias being one of the developers myself, but I highly recommend using this application to shorten your urls for the following reasons:

1. ipoint.to URL Shortener was developed by someone you know and network with (chris williams). Knowing the developer personally, you have more access to make suggestions on improvements.


2. We have a proven track record with custom and out of box products like Launch Pad for Web. You can find out more about this product on the website at http://www.lp4w.net/
   
3. We are accessible on all the social networking sites:


• ipoint.to has a Facebook fan page at: http://ipoint.to/ip2fb
  You can follow this product on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ipointto
  


• Launch Pad For Web has a facebook fanpage at: http://ipoint.to/lp4wfb
  You can follow this product on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/lp4w
  


• Point Alliance has a company facebook fan page at: http://ipoint.to/pafb
  You can follow this company on twitter at: http://twitter.com/pointalliance
  


• Most Point Alliance staff members are on Linked In or Facebook.



4. There is an actual company behind this product with a proven track record. You can check out their website yourself at http://www.pointalliance.com/
   
   

   Point Alliance is a premiere Information Technology services and consulting provider¸ specializing in innovative collaborative¸ web and wireless solutions. Point Alliance delivers a competitive advantage by being able to tailor flexible solutions to meet specific customer needs. Our approach is to architect solutions that build on clients' existing investments in technology. Point Alliance solutions drive value by leveraging our extensive business and technology experience¸ thus minimizing the development time and cost. By focusing on user experience and the integration of business and IT strategy¸
   
   Point Alliance implements solutions that add significant value to both the user population and the organization. Point Alliance offers strategy¸ design¸ application development¸ systems integration¸ and support services to a wide variety of high profile clients. Our firm has a solid track record of successful engagements and offers an unparalleled level of service to a loyal client base.

Please make use of this free tool and pass it on to all your friends. If you have any suggestions about the tool you can post a comment on this blog, email me or communicate with us over any of the social networking sites.

Facebook security hole - People posting to walls as Chris Williams but its not him

I notified Facebook of the issue and that I have not logged into facebook at all on November 28th until 8:00 pm that evening to report the incident. Since Facebook should be tracking IP they should be able to track who it was that hacked the system. As well they should be able to track which website the link was to and who owns it. I look forward to Facebook pressing charges against the person and letting me know what actions they will be taking.

I know the Canadian Government already had issues with them having privacy issues. I look forward to their response and will report their intentions on reacting to this situation. If you hear no response on this blog it means I got no response from facebook. In the meantime be careful of any hyperlinks

If you have any comments to make please make them to this blog. If you have been hacked too or experience the same situation please post it too. The more facebook realizes the issue the more they will be willing to fix it.

100 Tips and Tools to Research the Social Web

Someone brought this article to my attention and after reading it, I thought it would be good to share it with the group. These are solid tips so please read them and pass them on to anyone you know that is trying to build a strong social network:

http://www.selectcourses.com/blog/2009/100-tips-and-tools-to-research-the-social-web/

If you have any articles, tips, tricks, or resources you would like to share please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them.

digitweet - twitter fans this is your tool!!!

I got introduced to this the other day. For you twitter fans there is no better application than this. Its still in beta and the creators are still making it better every day. You will need SilverLight 2.0 to get the best experience from it but the download is worth it.

Check it out at:

http://digitweet.codeplex.com/

If you come across any tools you think the group would find useful please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them here.

Using Twitter More Efficently

People have been asking for help on how to use twitter more efficently and effectively.

STEP 1: Read Amanda Edwards-McArthur's article on useful twitter tools:

http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blogs/twitter-tools-by-special

STEP 2: Taking a look at my friend, Jeff Pontes' blog on 10 ways to use twitter more effectively:

http://strategysocial.blogspot.com/2009/03/10-ways-to-use-twitter-effectively.html

STEP 3: Read this article on How To Make Twitter A Powerful networking Tool. A friend of mine named Ann recommended this one.

http://communitymarketing.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/how-to-make-twitter-a-powerful-networking-tool.html?goback=%2Emml_inbox_none_DATE_1%2Emid_1121182329

As I come across more tools or ways to use twitter more efficiently and effectively I will list them here but for now please read the articles above, they are really useful.

Thanks Amanda and Jeff and Ann for sharing these blog entry.

If you have any tips, tricks or resources you think the other portal members would benefit from please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them here.

I want to pick my own ads

It has been talked about and brainstormed for a while but now someone has actually done it.
This will revolutionize ad serving. If only we could do this with conventional advertisement. Someone could click a button on their tv remote and tell them not to show that commercial again.

You can check out the article at:
http://mashable.com/2008/06/18/listenstoyo/

or check out their beta program at:

http://www.listenstoyou.com/

If you come across something you think people need to hear about social media and social networking please email Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post it.

facebook new terms of use

For anyone using facebook, please take the time to check this out and comment on it.
This will affect how we all use facebook now and in the future:

http://blog.facebook.com/

If you don't check it out and comment on it now, you have no right to complain later so please check it out and pass it on to anyone you know uses facebook.

Christian Facebook?

A while back I wrote a posting on churches and social networking. You can see the link below:

http://socialnetworkingportal.blogspot.com/2006/11/churches-bible-and-social-networking.html

The new trend now is beyond the church. It leads us to Christians wanting to connect on Social Networks outside the church. This leads to tools like http://www.faithout.com Right now it looks a little rough but the idea is great. For those used to old facebook you will find navigation is similar. If you miss the old facebook then this may be an alternative for you too. It is in beta now but I see great things happening here.

If you know of any other social networking applications or have any other tips, tricks, tools you would like shared please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com or Chris Williams at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Social Networking For Kids

The growing trend seems to be to teach networking to kids when they are young.I came across a few websites where an attempt at this has been made. Both seemto be Disney based but one is miles ahead of the other.

The first is bunnytown. I like the aspect of allowing them to control their bunnyand earn carrots by playing games. They then get to spend their carrots on their homeand decorating their bunny. Its kind of a yoville for kids.

http://atv.disney.go.com/playhouse/bunnytown/index.html

The other is a lot more flashier and has a couple really cool features thatare very ingenious. The site is Pixie Hollow and its out there for the new Tinkerbellmovie that is being launched. This site allows kids to create their own fairy and have a fairy name.There are a couple cool safety features they have put in place. Firstly you can use a domain name thatwill allow your friends to come and find you and play with you on the site or anywhere on the go network.However the cool part is it is not giving out any personal info as it cannot match your name or anything like that.

The second cool thing is the chat. There has been a lot of talk about games chat windows being a place parents don'trealize are dangerous. Well Disney is using two versions of a special chat. The first being a list of questions and answers youchoose from a list. The other allows you to choose selected words from a list. This gives the flexability of chat to kids but makesit easier to use and since the word list is sensored your kids will not see obscene words.You can check this one out at:

http://pixiehollow.go.com/

If you have any kids social networking sites or just social networking sites in general you want add or even if you have a suggestion for an article please email Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

LinkedIn Petition - Please sign it as it seems its the only way LinkedIn may possibly listen

All of us have been complaining but nobody seems to be listening.
The concerns here are only the tip of the iceberg but its a start.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/LinkedIn/index.html

Hope you will sign it and LinkedIn will respond.

Social Media and Selling Records

It seems Radiohead has opened a can of worms but in a good way. Other artists are now getting on board with it.

Niggytardust followed the Radiohead approach of donations for the album.

http://niggytardust.com/

You can Download The Charlatans' New Album For Free at:

http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/2008/download-charlatans-new-album-for-free

REM is doing similar but with a social networking spin. You have to go to Facebook and use the iLike plugin to download their new album for free.

http://www.ilike.com/artist/R.E.M.


I think this is an amazing feat. Artists are starting to meet the fans where they live. I hope this is just the start of the new wave of things to come. Keep it coming.