How to Deal with Undesirable Facebook Friend Requests

If someone you don’t want to add to your Facebook sends you a friend request, you have two choices – not accept and risk that they will be offended or accept and then constantly worry about what this person is going to think when they see your post, comments etc. Of course if the request is from a complete stranger, you just ignore it/block it without thinking twice; however, in some situations (the friend request from your boss, a co-worker, your ex’s mutual friend) it’s not as clear cut.  That’s where the Facebook’s “Restricted List” comes in handy.

You can accept their request but add them immediately to your Restricted list, so they’ll only be able to see your Public content or posts that you tag them in. In other words, unless the update or a picture you posted is set to “Public”, the person in the restricted list won’t be able to see it (given you don’t tag them). I would not recommend having your updates or pictures set to Public, as then everyone, friend or not, can see your content. How can you tell if your posts is seen by all? There will be a little “globe icon” by the date and when you scroll over the icon, it’ll say “Shared with Public”. You can change the setting of each update or a picture (except for the cover photo which is by default public and can’t be changed).

A word of warning: if you are commenting on a Public post or a photo on Facebook, people in the restricted list can see that.

So say that your favorite brand posted a “public” (visible to all) post on a page and you’re liking it and/or commenting on it, it will be visible to everyone on your friends’ list. However, if you’re commenting on updates that are set to friends only or friends of friends, then people on the restricted list can’t see it.

Now how to add people to your restricted list the easiest way:

1. Log in to your Facebook

2. Go to your “friends” list  (click “Friends” on your profile page)

3. You will see a list of all your friends

4. By each friend, it will say “Friends” and have a check mark by it. Scroll over the Friends button and the following pops up:

5. Click on “Add to another list”

6. The names of all lists you have will pop up, including the Restricted option (see below). Click on Restricted. If the person is successfully added, there will be a check mark by Restricted list.

7. You can repeat this by each friend you want to add to the Restricted List.

Now every time you post something that is not public can’t be seen by the Restricted List people (including your or others comments on that post). To the Restricted List people, this post simply doesn’t exist.

Create Professional LinkedIn Background in Minutes

Following in Facebook’s and Twitter’s footsteps, LinkedIn recently enabled its users to add a cover photo to their profile. Currently this feature is available to the LinkedIn Premium users and some free users, but we can expect this to soon be “fun for all”. If you want your Linkedin profile to stand out but don’t have a designer background, this article is for you.

1. Create a free account on canva.com, it takes a minute (you only need your e-mail, no payment information is needed)

2.  Once logged in, you’ll see “Start a new design page”. On the right side, you’ll see “use custom dimensions” option (see pic below) and click on it.

3. Once you clicked on “use custom dimensions”, the table will pop up asking for width and height dimensions. For width, input 1400 and height 425. From the dropdown menu, choose px (pixels). See pic below.

4. Once you have it filled out per step #3, click Design! button.

5. New tab or pop up will open. You can then either use keywords in “search” to find the background that fits what you are looking for (i.e. if you are in healthcare, type “health” or “healthcare” in search etc.). Many items are free and some are just a $1. You can create a lot for free! You can also upload files from your computer or Facebook by clicking “Uploads” on left hand side. (see pic below).

6. You can add text and background as well, which is what I did for my LinkedIn background. You will want to spend some time playing with it, especially if you are going to add text. Do not close your canva page even when you think you are finished, as most likely you’ll want to make changes. Close it only after you upload it to your LinkedIn profile and are satisfied with it.

7. When you are done with creating your background on canva, click “download or link”, then “image” and it’d open the “save as” pop up for you. You just save it as a picture wherever you’d like it on your computer to be saved (pic below).

8. Once saved, go to your LinkedIn profile, click edit, then “edit background” and “change image” or “new image” if you don’t have any yet. Upload your canva creation and click “save changes”. Don’t forget to save changes as otherwise it won’t save your new background. You’re done! Here is my free canva creation. Have fun!

How to Block Annoying Facebook Apps

If you are tired of getting Farmville, Candy Crush Saga or any other annoying Facebook app invites that your friends are sending you, just block it and never get those again! Here is how:

1. Log in to your Facebook.

2. On the top right corner you will see a little lock symbol. Click on it and privacy shortcuts window like this one will appear:

3. Click on “See More Settings”

4. The “Privacy Settings and Tools” window will appear. On the left hand side will be tab called “Blocking”. Click on it. (See the picture below)

5. When you click on “Blocking”, “Manage Blocking” page will appear. Scroll down to “Block apps”. Start typing the name of the app you want to block. When it appears in choices, just select it and it’ll be added to your “blocked app list”. You’re done! No more annoying invites! If you change your mind, you can always unblock it in the same place you blocked it! You’d just follow the same steps and click “unblock”.

How to Remove Yourself from the Facebook Group

Have you been added by someone on Facebook to the group you don’t want to be part of and don’t know how to leave the group? It’s simple and only takes a minute. Some of my friends have been added and didn’t know how to take themselves off, so here are the simple steps. I am illustrating it on Přidej sem koho chceš CZ&SK Facebook group (which I have been added to and which happens to be very annoying 🙂

1. Look up the name of the group in search or if you see the posting in the group in your newsfeed, just click on the name of it. This will take you to the main group page.

2. On the main group page, you will see button called “JOINED” (where cover photo is). Click on it (left button) or just scroll over it and then “Leave group” option will appear. Click on it and the following box appears:

3. Check the box to prevent other members to re-add you and then click “leave group”

4. After you click that you will be still on the main group page but no longer a member. You’re done! Now you can just go on your main page, newsfeed or close the page.

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 9,800 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Guest Blog by Sarah Lenssen: “Ask5for5” Cause for Africa!

guest blogger: Sarah Lenssen from Ask5for5
photos courtesy of Cate Turton / Dept. for International Development


First, thanks to  Lucie Hys for allowing me to post on her blog today! Today, more than 25 bloggers, including this one, are standing with me to Ask 5 for 5 for Africa. Here’s why….

I began pursuing a BIG dream two weeks ago. After deciding I could no longer avoid the news about the famine in the horn of Africa, I had that gut feeling that I couldn’t sit this one out. I HAD to do something because I could. Something bigger than I could do alone. That’s when #Ask5for5 was born.

Two of my children, Ashen and Bereket, were adopted and are from the region affected by the drought in Ethiopia. They would be two of the statistics if they still lived there. I see my son’s and daughter’s faces in the photos of those suffering in the refugee camps. It could have been him. It could have been her. The thought haunts me.

And moms just like us are watching their children go hungry day after day. I can’t imagine what it’s like, but I have to –I have to be there to help them, because it could have been my children. These families have lost their livestock, their crops, food prices are inflated at the market if there any food there, and don’t have any more lifelines to tap into. Many are traveling hundreds of miles through parched land in hope of finding help. Many are dying along the way. It is estimated that 29,000 children have died in the last 90 days in the famine in Somalia alone.

But I KNOW we can do something about it. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed, we can rally ourselves and our friends to respond! I set up a fundraiser through See Your Impact. 100% of your gift will go to the relief and development organization World Vision, where it will be combined with government grants to multiply up to 5 times in impact!

You’ll receive updates on just how your funding is being used to help save lives affected by famine in East Africa. I’m amazed at how much we’ve raised already — over $7,000 in just four days! We blew through our first 3 goals in just 3 days and are well on our way to $10,000 and beyond!

I need you to help me save lives. It’s so so simple; here’s what you need to do:

1. Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)
2. Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.
3. Share Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter, and join our page to stay updated too!

I’m also looking for 100 bloggers to stand with Ask5for5 to spread the word during Social Media week, September 19th – 23rd. If you’re interested, email me, ask5for5@gmail.com.

Thanks! Please donate and email your friends right now–don’t wait for a calmer moment, because if you’re like me, other demands inevitably crop up and you won’t get to it. A child’s life hangs in the balance, but you can help save her!

Top 10 Travel Apps For Every Kind of Traveler

No matter if you are a jet-setter, airport hopper or just a grocery shopper, you have to travel. If you are a “hip” traveler you own a smartphone. If you have a smartphone,  you should install these apps! I put together a list of travel apps everyone can use – read my guest post on the Top 10 Blog:

http://www.thetop10blog.com/top-10-travel-apps-for-every-kind-of-traveler/

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 10,000 times in 2010. That’s about 24 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 22 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 51 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 4mb. That’s about 4 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was August 4th with 847 views. The most popular post that day was Social Media & Hotels: Top 5 Blunders.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, hotelmarketing.com, linkedin.com, hootsuite.com, and facebook.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for what is wrong with twitter, hotel benefit from facebook, tweeple on social media, social networking and travel luxury, and lxlee.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Social Media & Hotels: Top 5 Blunders August 2010
57 comments and 4 Likes on WordPress.com

2

Twitter mystery resolved. Why the number of your followers is growing slowly / falling / or stuck! February 2010
13 comments

3

How Twitter Can Benefit Your Hotel & Why Facebook Doesn’t Cut It! September 2010
27 comments

4

Top 5 Ways Hotels Can Find and Reach Luxury Consumers Through Social Media November 2010
20 comments and 2 Likes on WordPress.com

5

About Me January 2010
10 comments

Tweet Your Way to a Better Job: Mind Your Profile!

Don’t have a job? Want a better job?  Twitter can help!!!

First and foremost, you need to have a profile that catches an eye and stimulates the brain.

You want people who look at your Twitter profile go “wow, this is good”. You want them to find your profile interesting, creative, and original, because better believe it – they will judge you on the basis of that. The recruiters and HR personnel can always use people who are interesting, creative, and original; however, if your profile screams boring, lazy, rude or dumb, you can be sure that not only you will not land a new job, you may even lose the one you do have. In other words, if you are putting yourself out in the open – and by having a public Twitter account you are doing exactly that – then tweet as if the boss (your current one or a potential one) was reading.

So if you are on the lookout for a new job, take a good look at your profile and ask yourself:

 Is your username “hireable”? If your username is “Sexy_Foxy”, “Lazy_Joe” or worse (you get the picture), go to: http://twitter.com/settings/account and change it right away to something that is easy to remember, yet tells who you are. If you are expert in medical field, be a “Medicine_Joe”; if you a travel expert, be a “travelwiz_Joe”. Anyway, you get my point.

Is it visually appealing? A plain background and no profile picture are a no-no. It reflects minimum effort, some may say laziness, no orientation to detail, messiness, whatever you call it – it is a big turn-off. If you are using a template for background that Twitter offers, dump it. You want to use your profile to show your uniqueness and point out why they should hire you and not anyone else. You want to show that you are willing to go the extra mile, that you are detail-oriented and that you are creative. 1-click on Twitter to change the background won’t cut it. The best way to “wow” people is to make Photoshop your best friend. There are many free customizable templates you can play with. Here are the sites you may want to look at: http://bit.ly/a9ArsX or http://bit.ly/d30Aax   or simply google “Custom Twitter backgrounds” and play around. If you are not too good with Photoshop or want a quick and easier solution, go to sites like http://www.freetwitterdesigner.com  where you can personalize already designed Twitter background.

One last point, the profile picture should be your best you. Not your car or cat, not you with your best friend or logo of your favorite beer. Connect the name with the face, so upload the best picture of your face you can find.  When you get compliments on the design of your Twitter profile, you know you have done a good job. Until then, don’t rest and keep working until you do (btw. your friends and family don’t count).  

Did you fill out all the information? Make sure your profile is complete. If you have a website or a blog, make sure you list it on your profile. You wouldn’t believe how many people overlook this, so go to: http://twitter.com/settings/profile and check if you are not one of them (btw. I have to thank @Twitter_Tips for bringing it to my attention :D)

Is the bio catchy?  Get a good use of the bio – it is a very powerful tool. Emphasize the qualities that employers are often after in your field that you have but many people don’t. Emphasize what makes you unique. Think like an employer. What would persuade you, as an employer, to hire you over the others? Be refreshing and focus on what you are bringing to the table for them & your followers.

Is the content clean? Very, very important point!! THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET.  Think as if your boss was reading, because he/she may!! If the potential employer scans your tweets, is he/she going to find grammar mistakes or profanities? If you are not sure, then better start discovering the “delete tweet button”. Also, keep in mind that your tweets show up on the top of the search engines, so anytime someone googles your name, your tweets show up. Oh and do yourself a favor and avoid discussing touchy topics like politics and such.

Does the content show your expertise? Do your tweets show that you know what you are talking about? Tweet interesting content from your area of interest and join a discussion with other like-minded tweeties to demonstrate your knowledge and show your value.

Last but not least a crucial question… Think hard. If you were the employer and saw your profile, would you hire yourself?

To sum this up, you want to stand out, but IN A GOOD WAY. This applies to the content and the visuals as well.  You want your profile to reflect who you are, but be professional at the same time.

Good luck tweeties and if you need help, hit me up!

Yours XOXO Lucie

www.linkedin.com/in/luciehys 

www.twitter.com/onlinefantastic

www.facebook.com/travelfantastic

The new name for happiness is Twitter!!!

Twitter makes me happy – it really does. It brings joy into my life every day and I especially appreciate its uplifting power during the rare occasions when I feel “lower than usual” (why to use the negative words like down ;-).  So stay tuned and tune yourself to happiness by using these tips on how Twitter can make you happy!

Create an energetic bio that will let your positive personality shine through!  With positive bio, you will almost feel obligated to stay positive. You will almost feel guilty to send out negative tweets, because your followers expect you to be positive! Trust me – I have it verified by experience 🙂 So check your bio and make it as positive as possible.

Find and follow people who are positive, inspiring and funny. The moods tend to be contagious and it works the same way in the virtual world too! So having optimistic and cheerful  tweeps in your stream can quickly make you optimistic and cheerful! How to find such people? The easiest way is to go to the Twitter directories like Listorious, WeFollow, Twellow etc. and look through the related categories (i.e. comedians, inspiration, funny people, comedy etc.).

Create your Happy list!  Put all the people who you find entertaining, inspiring and uplifting into one place – create a Happy list on Twitter! Then when you feel like you need some cheering up, it is easy for you to go through the tweets that can get you back in the right mood!  

Quotes work magic!  I love posting uplifting quotes and seeing them in my stream. The wise words often help us remember what really matters;  they make you think and reevaluate what you are going through, making you ultimately more at peace. Therefore, it is a good habit to tweet quotes about happiness and positive attitude as well as follow people who tweet inspiring quotes (there are many great tweeps who specialize in quotes, my favorite being @livetorque  and @lorimoreno to name a few).

Search for relevant hashtags ( #funny, #inspiring, #hilarious, #quote, #jokes and such)!  It is plain and simple – you can find great tweets by typing the relevant hashtag in Twitter search box. This will pull up many recent tweets that may amuse you and you can also find great tweeps to follow this way.

Engage in conversation!  Talking to your Twitter friends about why you are not in the mood will make you feel better. This applies to real life but it works in the virtual world as well! There are so many sweet  tweeps on Twitter who are encouraging and happy to help, so don’t be afraid to reach out to them!

Cheer someone else up!  If you don’t believe me, believe Mark Twain: “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” There are many people on Twitter who could use some encouragement and support, so trying to help them out will in turn make you feel better too!

Twitter can help you be and stay happy. Give it a try! Next time you feel blue, remember my words and the blue bird called Twitter!  

If you need some more positive energy, connect with me!

Yours XOXO

Lucie

www.linkedin.com/in/luciehys

www.twitter.com/onlinefantastic

www.facebook.com/travelfantastic