If you have children old enough to be on Facebook, then you've probably had plenty of opportunity to use the platform to create “teaching moments” for your kids. There are the obvious lessons - “don’t post pics of yourself you don’t want your Grandma to see” and “don’t use foul language.” Other lessons include teaching your kids how to include or block certain groups when posting things that might be more appropriate for their friends. But last week, I had a moment of real ... Continue Reading
Facebook as a Teaching Tool: Beyond the Obvious

With teens on Facebook and social media sites, it’s easy to find ways to use them as teaching tools.
New Look for YouTube Channels

The new look for YouTube channels include 4 channel templates to choose from, each customized to fit the needs of different creators.
To provide their users with an easier way to find and connect with the content they love, YouTube launched a redesigned homepage and updated channel layouts in December 2011. These changes were well-received by the majority of users evidenced by a 60 percent increase in daily unique visits to channels, and a 50 percent increase in daily net subscriptions since December 2011. Now, on the heels of recently announced changes to Facebook Pages, YouTube announced some additional updates. You ... Continue Reading
Fully Automated: Top Tools For Automating Social Media

Manage your social media marketing with these top tools for automation.
Whether you’re blogging for fun, as a part-time side income, or as a full-time business - participating in social media can boost your efforts by helping more of your ideal readers find you. Unfortunately, many bloggers fear that using social media for marketing will consume too much of their time. Though there is some truth to the fear that social media can become very time-consuming if not properly managed … THERE IS AN EASIER WAY: There are many options and strategies that can be ... Continue Reading
PinaTwitBook? Where To Spend Your Social Media Efforts

Learn how and where to best maximize your social media efforts.
The best thing about the Internet, despite the fact that one person can Google anything in the world and become an instant expert, is that you can connect with anyone you want through social media. Social media is “web based technology and applications that turn communication into interactive dialogue” - the perfect place for bloggers and social butterflies to flourish. As a blogger, using social media is a great way to bring new readers to your website and spread the word about new blog ... Continue Reading
Facebook Introduces Timeline for Fan Pages

Learn the pros and cons for Facebook’s new Timeline for Pages.
In case you missed it, Facebook introduced Timeline for Fan Pages on February 29th. This announcement included some major changes to the look and feel of Fan Pages. The format will be similar to Timeline for personal pages, including a cover photo at the top of the Page. Also similarly, the main section of the page will be divided into two columns, representing the passage of time. Here are just a few of the Pros and Cons you can expect when Timeline for Fan Pages rolls ... Continue Reading
The Pinterest Craze and Why You Should Join

Learn more about Pinterest and why you should be pinning.
Every now and again a new online craze seems to come out of nowhere and grab a hold of us. First it was Facebook and Myspace, then Twitter, and now we have Pinterest. Pinterest is more than just an online social media outlet - it is a virtual pin board that has turned into quite the phenomenon declaring Pin-aholics everywhere. (We even have boards set up for Social Moms). Pinterest gives you the ability to "pin" any and every photo/image you want, by saving and organizing all your favorites ... Continue Reading
Google & Google Apps Get a New Look

Check out the changes coming to Google and Google Apps.
With the release of its Google+ a few months ago, Google created a new way for its customers to interact and network. With that major enhancement under its belt, Google has now introduced a new look and feel across all of its products. These tweaks will allow Google’s interfaces to be more consistent and streamlined, while providing greater ease of use. So What’s Changing? Gmail - The redesigned email is more clean and simple. It automatically adapts to any size window or you can ... Continue Reading
Top Social Networking Sites for Bloggers

Social networking sites allow you to build your blog’s following, catalog your blog content, and provide versatile platforms.
Bloggers already know how powerful Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are for sharing their blog content and attracting readers. But there are many other less publicized social networking sites that offer great resources for bloggers as well. From providing versatile platforms to build your blog’s following, to cataloging your blog content, the following social networking sites are great tools for bloggers: Tumblr – this social networking site gives users the ability to effortlessly share ... Continue Reading
Random Facts – funny, cool, interesting, fun and weird facts

Funny, cool, interesting and random facts about everything from bats to tulips to Woodstock and more from the SocialMoms network.
Every day on Facebook, we get our moms engaged with one another by inviting them to participate in posts and prompts. Last week we asked our Facebook fans to name a totally random fact -- funny, cool, interesting or weird -- that they had learned recently. And boy were there some random facts! From facts about bats dying off to the best tulip bulbs to plan to Woodstock not actually happening in Woodstock, NY, we got it all. We've listed a few of our favorites to help get your creative juices ... Continue Reading
If You’re Not Creating Video … You’re Missing the Boat

Learn the benefits of creating and adding video to your blog or website.
The world of video is exploding. Youtube is currently the second most used site for search, after Google of course. While people are searching for answers to their questions in video format, there are a LOT of other benefits to using video as a one element of your marketing campaign. True Connection. While you can get a feel for someone by reading something they write, like a blog post or an article, watching them live gives you a much better connection with the person. Once you've heard ... Continue Reading