Posts By: Laura Christianson

Get a Social Media Tip of the Day for a Full Year

Last night, at the meeting of our local writers’ association, a woman approached me. “I really like getting your Social Media Tip of the Day in my Inbox,” she said. They’re helpful, and they seem to come at the exact time I need to hear that particular bit of advice.” Social Media Tip of the […]

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What Role Were You Born to Play? Take the Test & Find Out Instantly

Recently I featured a guest post from Beth Willis Miller, “Develop your imagination in social media.” Today Beth sent me a link to a cool interactive online quiz called The Strong Life Test for Women. I immediately took the free test (23 questions; takes 5-10 minutes, depending on whether you’ve downed any caffeine recently). My […]

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Universities Monitor Athletes’ Use of Social Networking Sites

Student athletes at universities around the U.S. will think twice before posting questionable material to their Facebook and MySpace accounts. Many universities are monitoring their athletes’ use of social networking sites. At the University of Iowa, for instance, student leaders monitor the profiles for members of their team. Other schools allow administrators or coaches to […]

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Social Media Mom and the Search for Her Missing Teenager

I hadn’t seen or heard from my 17-year-old son for 12 hours. After his Saturday-morning basketball practice, Ben had gone to a friend’s house to hang out. I had neglected to give him a firm time to check in or come home, so of course, he didn’t do either. Around 8:30 p.m., I began having […]

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Improve Your Blogging… Binge on a Fiction Author

In Friday’s guest column, Geoff Hoff  points out that using fiction techniques in your business blog posts makes your writing “more viscerally appealing to your reader.” I couldn’t agree more. I write non-fiction, but I read fiction (55 novels in 2009). As I inhale novels, I mentally dissect each one to learn how the author […]

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Social Media Icons for Your Web Site or Blog

If you have a profile at multiple social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., it’s helpful to upload clickable icons to your Web site, blog, or e-newsletter.  That way, if someone wants to follow you on Facebook, for instance, they can click the icon and jump instantly to your Facebook page. I’ve been […]

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Blogging Bistro’s Best Social Media Tutorials

Have you considered showcasing some of your best blog posts from 2009? “Best of…” posts are always popular with readers, and they also help you get more mileage from your archived articles. I enjoy creating tutorials for beginning social media users; here are 16 of my most-requested ones: The Blogging Barista’s Best How To-torials of […]

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Women Take the Lead in Social Media Use

Not only are women actively participating in social media, they’re using it to help them decide what products and services to buy, and from whom. In 2010, expect women to play an ever-increasing role in social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn). Here are some interesting stats I gathered: 1.  Women are joining social networks in droves. […]

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A Little Toilet Humor

Seen inside a public toilet stall: Toilet out of order. Please use floor below. (My sons do that… and our toilet works.) On a readerboard outside a pre-school: This sign intentionally left blank, just like your child’s mind. (Should parents interpret this as a compliment or an insult?) In an office break room: After tea […]

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New Web-based List-Making Tool: TeuxDeux (Review)

I’m always looking for tools to help business professionals (including myself) stay organized. Discovered a new to-do list-making tool called, appropriately, TeuxDeux. I’ve been testing this free, Web-based tool this week (you just need to create a username and password to use it) and it’s about as simple as they come. The interface is clean […]

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