7 Easy Tips for Killer Social Video

This post originally appeared on Infinity Insights, the official blog of Infinity Dental Web.

Eighty-nine million people in the United States watched 1.2 billion online videos today.

Fifty-two percent of consumers say that watching product videos make them more confident in online purchase decisions. And, 96 percent of consumers find videos helpful when making purchase decisions online.

Your social video content needs to be on point

Whether you’re recording a video for YouTube or going live on any of the latest social media video platforms (Facebook, Blab, Periscope, to name a few), social video is currently the most effective marketing tool at your disposal.

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare

Know what you’re going to say. Or, at least have an idea. If rehearsing or writing a second by second script feels inauthentic, at least sketch out your main points. Preparation creates confidence and eliminates “um’s”—meaning you’ll come across as a thought leader.

2. Keep it right, keep it tight

When TED curator Chris Anderson invites the world’s most intelligent leaders to speak, he gives them 18 minutes. Our brains are wired to pay attention for 10 to 18 minutes, no longer. 18 minutes is the length of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech. If 18 minutes is good enough for JFK, it’s good enough for you.

But, that’s long-form video.

The ideal length of a YouTube video is less than three minutes. Instagram limits video to a maximum of 60 seconds, but ideally video on the platform should be 3 to 15 seconds. For maximum engagement, Facebook videos should be 30 to 45 seconds. Snapchat records for 10.

3. Rule of thirds

Keep in mind the rule of thirds. Using your imagination, divide the video screen in thirds, you should occupy one-third of the screen. If you don’t, move the camera closer (move, don’t zoom). If you’re taking up more than one-third of the screen, move the camera back.

The rule of thirds is one of the most used compositions in film and photography. Use two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines to break up the frame into nine parts.

4. Be aware

When you sit in front of your bookcase, does it look like there’s a plant growing out your head or a trophy that looks like a neck growth? Be aware of what’s behind you and how it looks on camera. Consider positioning yourself in front of a blank wall or sheet.

5. Slow and steady wins the race

Whether you use a tripod or prop up your smartphone with a few books and binder clips, do something to keep your video steady. The “Blair Witch Project” wasn’t good in 1999, so let’s not recreate it. It doesn’t matter how informative, creative, or inspiring your content is, viewers won’t stick around if they get seasick from watching you.

6. Drop the mic

Using your smartphone to record? Invest in a smartphone mic. I purchased mine on Amazon for less than $30. It’s unidirectional and plugs directly into the headphone jack.

7. Light the way

If your office tends to be a bit dark—and even if you think it’s not—add additional lights. Desk lamps on either side of the camera, pointed in your direction are an inexpensive and effective way to brighten  your video.

 

Video–including social video–now appears in 70 percent of the top 100 Google search results.

Adapt your video content to best fit the platform. Sharing the same content across every platform is inappropriate. Where a live Q&A might work on Blab or Facebook Live, a demonstration or tutorial might be more appropriate for YouTube.

No matter the platform or the content, it must be interesting, emotional, positive, and brand-centric.

Resolve to Do Social Media Better in 2016

This post originally appeared on Infinity Insights, the official blog of Infinity Dental Web.

I’m not usually one for making concrete and definitive New Year’s resolutions. Every year the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, and I promise to do the same thing. Smile more in the upcoming year.

Sure, there’s no real way to measure success. But, if I can look back at a year and say I embraced every opportunity life threw at me, overcame the challenges, and learned a few lessons along the way, I probably came out in the black.

While this may work in my personal life, I’m not aware of a company that experienced sustained success by throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks—or at least not without a strategy behind the toss.

If changes to existing social networks, the additions of new networks, and ever-evolving best practices have you feeling like you spent the 2015 playing catch up, have no fear. I’ve put together a list of social media marketing resolutions to add to your list.

It’s all about the Benjamins

Adults online report noticing approximately three sponsored social media messages per day. In our newsfeeds sponsored social looks and acts like native content, making it almost impervious to ad blocking—intentionally, or unintentionally, not looking at the right-hand side of a webpage to avoid ads.

In addition to visibility, sponsored social offers consumers something else. Value. Hyper-targeting allows marketers to serve content to the audience seeking that information. For example, a family dentist might target a blog post on the reasons a family should see the same dentist throughout the course of each member’s lifetime to new and expectant moms within 10 miles who have a propensity to click on health-related content.

In 2015, 54 percent of marketers sponsored social content; and significantly more marketers are expected to get onboard in 2016. New sponsored social opportunities (think: carousel and Instagram ads, andpromoted pins) and additional players entering the auction-based market, will continue to drive up ad prices. While these ads remain significantly less expensive—and more effective—than traditional advertising, you’ll need a budget to ensure these messages get to the right audience at the optimal time.

Resolution: In 2016, I will increase my budget for sponsored social.

Live in the moment 

Discussions about real-time marketing dominate list after list of social media trends. Consumers expect brands to be nimble enough to respond to what’s happening in the world.

Facebook recently announced a small percentage of iPhone users in the United States are testing live video. Similar in concept to Meerkat, Periscope, and Blab, throughout your broadcast you’ll see the number of live viewers and their names, as well as any comments in a comment stream. When finished, broadcasts save to your Timeline for future viewing.

By clearly defining your brand’s authentic voice and persona, you empower your social media team to participate in in-the-moment marketing. Knowing the brand allows them to know what the brand would “say” in these impromptu situations.

Real-time marketing shouldn’t completely circumvent planned content. Successful social brands plan the majority of their content, so that they can take advantage of situations in which they interact with fans and consumers in a more off the cuff manner.

Try collaborating with your Sonicare rep to chat about the benefits (and even drawbacks) to the Sonicare DiamondClean. Or, ask your hygienist to demonstrate proper brushing and flossing techniques. If you’re on the lecture circuit, try flipping the script—broadcast from the stage while you’re warming up or during the Q&A session.

Resolution: In 2016, I will make instant, real-time connections by marketing in the moment.

Video killed the radio star

In case you missed the last time I mentioned it, video is kind of a big deal. In last year’s 2015 State of Digital Marketing, 70 percent of brands reported video as being the most effective content marketing tool available. And, in November, Facebook announced video views hit 8 billion daily (literally doubling just eight short months).

With Facebook expected to roll out a dedicated video stream featuring suggested videos in early 2016;360 video and native Twitter videos already available; short-format video on Vine and Instagram (including one-second Boomerangs), and features like Story replies, lenses, and filters building Snapchatinto a more relevant (and exciting) branding tool, expect an upswing in the amount of video users consume in 2016.

Avoiding video because of the expense? Great video content doesn’t have to have a high-production value. We have several clients who’ve incorporated video into their content strategy by taking advantage of their Smartphone’s video capability. The addition of these videos has increased their organic visibility and elevated their online reputations. Start recording.

Resolution: In 2016, I will incorporate video—produced and real time—in my social content.

SEO has a new friend

Ask five friends where they would go to learn how to French braid their daughter’s hair. Go ahead, I’ll wait. I asked this same question to five friends last week. Without fail, all five said they’d search YouTube for a video. YouTube. Not Google. Not Bing. While your results may not be unanimous, I’ll bet your survey participants mention YouTube as well.

A culture shift is on the horizon in which we’ll see an increase on the number of consumers using social media networks in lieu of search engines to research a product or service. Even now, if you search a particular business (or long-tail keywords), Google results are peppered with the social accounts of that brand. This is one reason why Facebook is critical to your successful local SEO strategy.

Consumers are influenced by other consumers’ online comments. While the specific survey results vary—Moz reports more than 67 percent, while BrightLocal reports that the number is closer to 88 percent. In the dental vertical specifically, our research found that 57 percent of prospective patients read online reviews before booking. And, according to Healthgrades, “nine out of 10 consumers check patient reviews before choosing a physician—and most trust these reviews as much as a personal recommendation.” Because social media content regularly features online reviews and customer testimonials, customers will skip Google and Bing, and heading straight to Facebook, YouTube, Yelp, and Pinterest for options.

Social results are more visual than the text heavy results that appear in search results and on websites. Visual content (photos, videos, infographic) is easier to digest for consumers, and considered more trustworthy.

Resolution: In 2016, my social media content will closely reflect my SEO strategy, particularly long-tail keywords. Bonus, I’ll also offer discounts or specials developed specifically for social users.

I think I’ve found myself a cheerleader

The seemingly overnight success of Slack—the social media like collaboration tool for business—suggests that employers are now embracing the concept of social in the workplace.  With the launch of Facebook at Work planned for early 2016, employees at Fortune 500s, small to mid-size businesses, and startups will have access to company news and information nearly instantaneously.

Your employees are already on social media—and 50 percent of them are talking about you. Employee activism allows companies to add value to those messages. According to Nielsen, 90 percent of consumers trust recommendations from people they know.

Only about one-third of employers encourage employees to use social media to share information about their organization. Providing your employees branded messages allows them to actively engage their networks, leading to increased sales (72 percent increase in sales versus 48 percent in increased sales for companies not encouraging employee activism) and brand awareness.

Resolution: In 2016,  I will engage my employees in our social media efforts, encouraging them to advocate on behalf of our organization.

Facebook is the new Facebook

Facebook currently claims about 54.4 percent of social networking market share. Don’t expect that to change. What will change, however, is the demographics of the social network. Facebook’s over 65 demographic is growing, as well as their international audience.

With mainstream networks like Facebook and Twitter already saturated, brands are turning to alternate, niche platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and Periscope for increased viability. And they’re smart to do so. Engagement on these apps is sky-high, which works out well for the brands with a presence on these platforms.

Resolution: In 2016, I will evaluate the social networks I’m currently active on and consider potential networks based on my target market.

Do you even sell bro?

Mobile and social commerce are no longer the future. They. Are. Here. This year Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter introduced a new way to shop—Buy buttons—giving consumers the ability to purchase items directly though their network.

Consumers are embracing these buttons. A Shopify study found that the average price of purchase made on Pinterest is $50. What if a customer is at the top of the sales funnel? Shopify reported as many as 93 percent of Pinterest users plan their purchases with the platform.

Expect social commerce to skyrocket in 2016.

Resolution: In 2016, I will evaluate our products and services for ecommerce opportunities—can I see myself selling gift certificates or Sonicare using social platforms?

Content still reigns

2015 was the year of content as social media shifted from funny memes and baby pictures to a platform on which brands were sharing relevant, valuable content. “Content is king” was used by marketing thought leaders ad nauseam, and when the horse was dead they added the caveat, “but, context is queen.”

The addition of publishing platforms like Facebook’s Instant Articles, Twitter Moments, and Snapchat Stories, on top of oldies such as Medium, Tumblr, and Reddit, reinforce the importance of good content (presented in a relevant context).

Having a good product isn’t enough. Being a great dentist isn’t enough. Your practice has a unique story. Telling that story in a meaningful way resonates with today’s consumer.

Resolution: In 2016, I will continue to produce and share relevant and useful content.

If I ruled the world

Good social media seamlessly blends public relations, customer service, brand management, advertising, and sales in a way that provides value for the consumer and the brand.

Gone are the days when social media or digital teams worked in a silo. Social media, SEO, digital, content, and community manager positions are now considered integral parts of the marketing team, allowing for a more comprehensive marketing plan.

Resolution: In 2016, I will include my social media team in marketing discussions, ensuring that our social strategy ladders up to meet overall marketing goals and business objectives.

Often social media is your first line of customer service. Remember the Friends episode during which Phoebe’s on hold with the customer service department of her bank for like 48 hours? Yeah, five minutes on hold is about my limit.

Whether it’s a private message, public comment, or review, social media is a convenient way to get the attention of a brand, and your customers are using it. It’s important to have a reputation management policy in place. At a minimum, your policy should include who is responsible for responding to posts or reviews, what response should look like, to whom to direct customers for a negative review or questions, and expectations for response time.

Bonus Resolution: In 2016, I will be prepared to respond to positive and negative comments and reviews, in addition to a public relations crisis on social media.

What marketing resolutions are you making in the new year? Share in the comments.

37 Blogs to Subscribe to If You’re Doing Social Media Marketing

This post originally appeared on Infinity Insights, the official blog of Infinity Dental Web.

I’m not going to a dentist who’s still using a hand drill. Seriously. Ouch.

Professional development is vital to achieving success in any profession, in the fast-paced world of social media, professional development is imperative. Rolled out daily are new trends, new platforms, and new features.

New social media professionals and seasoned marketers building social into their strategy alike, often ask how to keep up with the changes in social media. Because it’s me, and I tend to be a bit loquacious, there isn’t a simple answer to how we social media peeps do what we do.

If you’re not regularly experimenting with your social media efforts, you’re not maximizing your social.” –Neal Schaffer

Much of what we do in social media marketing is experimentation. I know clients like to believe there’s a magic formula for creating a piece of content that goes viral or ads that result in hundreds of new patients, but that’s not quite how it works. There are evergreen principals we always keep in mind—be personable; educate, don’t sell; know your audience; share and entertain. But because social media changes at breakneck speeds, the tactics that garnered organic reach and engagement yesterday may not be effective today—think, Facebook’s Reachageddon.

In addition to trial and error, we turn to other thought leaders and social media experts—who are also experimenting—to learn from, in a kind of collaborative pedagogy.

Webinars, and podcasts, and blogs. Oh my!

In a typical week, I spend maybe twenty hours reading, watching, and listening to what’s happening in social media, digital, inbound, content, and search marketing.

In my completely unbiased (someone should invent a sarcasm font…) opinion, the blog offering the most comprehensive and useful marketing advice for dentists is Infinity Insights. Since you’re already reading our blog, I’ve put together a list of my favorite social media influencers and blogs to take a look at as well.

The award for Influencer of the Year goes to…

My all-time favorite influencer is Gary Vaynerchuk. Crude and no-holds-barred, he reminds me of my grandpa—if my grandpa were a fast-talking Jersey native obsessed with the Jets. Like my grandpa, he’s an entrepreneur and marketing genius. He uses The #AskGaryVee Show as a platform for providing value to other marketing professionals and aspiring business owners by taking questions about social media, entrepreneurship, startups, and family businesses. Oh, and he’s a fan of the vino.

One of the bubbliest humans I’ve ever heard speak, Facebook evangelist Mari Smith landed her dream job this year when Zucks hired her to teach during Facebook’s Boost Your Business series. She’s using Facebook live video and Instagram ads better than any other marketing thought leader.

Speaking of Facebook, Amy Porterfield has owned Facebook marketing since the platform’s inception when she launch Harley Davidson’s social media program. Amy’s now using her blog and podcast to teach the importance of and proper techniques for hosting webinars.

Looking at social media holistically is Kim Garst, owner of Boom Social. I’m not a huge fan of her email campaign, which is more salesy (yep, not technically a word, but it’s my post and I do what I want) than I like, but she offers an incredible library of guides, whitepapers, templates, etc. And, she is killin’ it on Periscope.

Neil Patel is using his blog posts to inform on everything from writing better social media content to evaluating your search engine marketing strategies. Follow his personal Facebook or Instagram accounts for super inspirational, feel-good quotes.

If there were a godfather of direct marketing, it would be Seth Godin. You know the name because he wrote “Tribes,” in which he argued that mass marketing was dying and leadership marketing was the new black. Seth’s blog holds the distinction of being one of the most popular in the world.

Speaking of best-selling authors, we can’t leave Dave Kerpen off this list. Dave authored what I’d consider the first successful book about social media, “Likeable Social Media.” Yes, a book. Like with pages and a spine and stuff. Weird, I know. If you work in social media and you haven’t read it, go back and start at the beginning, which is reading this book.

What’s the happs?

Knowing the latest and greatest in marketing takes some dedication. Like you, I prioritize my day and sometimes I don’t read every single one of the blogs and websites listed below. However, they usually get a cursory look for new developments—an argument for writing interesting headlines, BTW.

• Facebook Newsroom
• Twitter Media Blog
• Think with Google
• HuffPo Social Media
• Inc. Social Media
• Forbes Social Media
• Tech.Mic
• TechCrunch
• Wired
• Mashable
• HubSpot
• Social Media Examiner
• Social Bro
• SocialMediaToday
• SocialFresh
• Sprout Social
• AdWeek Social Times
• Digital Trends
• Smart Insights
• Marketing Nutz
• Marketing Land
• Search Engine Land
• Moz Blog
• VentureBeat
• kissmetrics
• Coschedule
• AZTechBeat

Just for fun. Just for a second, just to see how it feels.

Because I try to over deliver, I’m also going to include a few of my favs that don’t necessarily have to do with professional development.

The first is TheSkimm. If you’re not Skimming, then I’m not sure how you’re functioning. TheSkimm is a daily news digest written by some of the most talented writers I’ve come across in a while.

My second go-to entertainment is a Mommy blog, dooce.com. Heather is raw, inspiring, and authentic. And, she curses. A lot. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. By the way, I say I read this is solely for entertainment value, but truthfully Mommy bloggers are mastermind social media marketers. They get social better than many professionals I know. Follow a Mommy blogger and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

I’d love to know who’s influencing you. Leave a comment with your favorite blogs or go-to experts.

7 Creative Social Media Content Sources for Dentists

This post originally appeared on Infinity Insights, the official blog of Infinity Dental Web.

To me there’s nothing more daunting than sitting down in front of a blank Word document or content calendar. That’s one of the reasons I use templates–although my tendency to overthink things might also play a part in that…

Creating content is the hardest thing we do in social media. Every blog post, status update, Periscope, and ad need to provide value while being engaging, conversational, pithy, and witty. And, it should go without saying, content should also be grammar and spelling mistake free, and within brand guidelines.

As a dentist, or member of a practice’s team, generating social media content probably isn’t the first thing on your mind in the morning. Here are some ideas to help you cultivate shareable content, or to use as inspiration for your own content.

1. Social media content should be social

Use social media to cultivate relationships with existing and potential patients. Allow them to get to know you by posting pictures and videos of your team celebrating a team member’s birthday or from a content you’re hosting in the office. Awards establish your authority, so post links to the magazine or organization that named you the “Valley’s Best Dentist.”

The types of content are up to you, and should reflect your brand. For example, if you’re a luxury cosmetic dentist focusing on smile makeovers in LA or New York, shy away from photos featuring your grandkids. Instead, establish yourself as an expert in your field—perhaps post a picture of you with a celebrity client or lecturing on an advanced cosmetic technique.

2. A little bit professional, a little bit rock and roll

Follow or like the professional organizations to which you belong (e.g., Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry), charities you’re affiliated with (e.g., board member for March of Dimes, volunteer for Give Back a Smile), and the brands you offer (e.g., Invisalign, Zoom Whitening, Sonicare). Share or re-tweet content they post.

3. Keep it local

Follow a local news channel and share or comment on local news. This increases your organic visibility.

For example, we have a client who’s a Phoenix Suns fan. When the Phoenix Suns participated in a birthday party for a boy in the hospital, our client commented that he was proud to be a Suns fan. This is a great way to expose him to the more than 1.7M fans of the Phoenix Suns Facebook page.

4. A picture—or infographic—is worth a thousand words

Content doesn’t always have to be written, but it does have to provide value. Cartoons or memes may be funny occasionally, but use these sparingly. They can cheapen your image and provide little value, and therefore no reason for a visitor to return to your page for more expert advice.

If you have graphic design or video skills, create something visual. If you have no skills, Canva.com, has infographic and other visual templates you can fill in with your own images and information. Be sure to pay attention to image copyright limitations and attribute when appropriate. Blogger and social media strategist Jeff Bullas recently wrote a blog post featuring 20 Cool Tools for Creating Infographics.

If you’re going to share an image, be sure it’s the correct size.

5. All you really need to know about social media, you learned in kindergarten

In the real world, sharing sucks. Seriously. No, I have no interest in giving you my last Portillo’s cheese fry.

In the social media world, we share—a lot. For every piece of self-serving marketing or sales content, you should post four educational or interesting pieces of content from other sources and one post lighter nature (think, a behind the scenes picture of your reception desk).

The challenge: curating four articles.

Articles about general dental health, the dental industry, and healthy living make for great sharing material. Sources include blogs like MyNewSmile and PatientConnect365, Dentistry Today, Men’s Health, and MindBodyGreen. There are a plethora of health and dental-related magazines and blogs available online. Because, you know, the Internet.

After you gather this content you can do one of two things:

• 1. Post a link to the article and include comments about the article. Something like “Wow! We tried tip number three and we’re blown away.”
• 2. Use the article inspiration for your own blog post. For example, after reading an article about dentistry apps, you could put together a list of your favorite apps for encouraging proper brushing techniques.

 

6. Hashtag bling that post.

Use hashtag themes to inspire your content for a particular day. We have several cosmetic dental clients who use #MakeoverMonday to highlight their smile galleries. And a general dentist client who dabbles in health education shares tips for healthy living on #WellnessWednesday.

7. Jump on the bandwagon

Pay attention to what’s trending. Social media trends are the one time you won’t be made fun of for jumping on the bandwagon (Yep, I’m talking to you Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers “fans”).

Is it national coffee day? Great! Share an article about the many places giving away free coffee with a comment about your teeth whitening services. Just be aware of what a hashtag or trend is really about. Sometimes a seemingly positive hashtag may have a negative intention.

How about a bonus tip?

Planning what you’re going to post days or weeks ahead of time empowers you to be creative because you’re not under-the-gun. I use a content calendar to pre-schedule content for Infinity Dental Web andMyNewSmile.

Not all content is appropriate for all clients, your brand and persona will determine what content makes sense. Know your voice and clearly define brand guidelines to any employee who’s posting on your behalf.

Where’s your favorite source for great content? Tell us in the comments.

Keeping Up With the Facebook

This post originally appeared on Infinity Insights, the official blog of Infinity Dental Web.

My intention for this post was to touch on changes recently implemented on several social media platforms. And then I started writing. When the Facebook section got to four pages, I decided to just focus on the Book.

As Tiffany, Devo, or the Baha Men can tell you, getting to the top is easy, staying at the top takes planning. Which explains Mark Zuckerberg’s obsession with innovation, and his propensity to develop new product offerings—whether you ask for them or not.

Changes to Facebook are harder to keep up with than Blake Shelton’s love life. Facebook announced several updates as recently as yesterday. And, some changes announced as far back as September, are really only now coming to fruition. Grab some popcorn this is going to get interesting.

So…what’s Facebook up to?

First and foremost, if you haven’t heard—don’t forget to give me the address of the rock you’re residing under so I know where to send a Christmas card—Zucks and Cilla are having a baby. So cute!

Facebook is all about that video

Whatever Facebook wants, Facebook gets. Just ask WhatsApp. And, Lightbox. And, Oculus. And, Pebbles.

Years ago Facebook realized the power of image hosting services like Photobucket, and set out to become your favorite place to host photos. How? They deprioritized your text updates in the Newsfeed and prioritized your photo shares. So what did we do? We started uploading more and more, and more, photos. And, when we grew weary of just uploading and began looking for a platform on which to edit and share our photos, Facebook bought that one—yeah, we’re talking about you Instagram.

Facebook continues its quest for world video domination. Streaming platforms like Meerkat, Periscope, and Blab have demonstrated success, so Facebook joined the party—why, hello Mentions with live streams for verified profiles. And, in true Facebook style, they’re taking the medium to the next level with360 Video.

Let’s say you’re not The Rock and don’t own tens of thousands of dollars in video equipment. Facebook’s making several changes applicable at the end user—and most importantly marketer—levels starting with a new Video Newsfeed experience, and multitasking and video saving features. In a move designed to directly contend with YouTube, Facebook’s offering a 55 percent revenue share for content curation. One of my favorite social media thought leaders, and Facebook marketing expert, Mari Smith, recently shared this video highlighting these features.

What would Don Draper do?

Facebook has embraced its pay-to-play mantra. If you’re not already advertising on Facebook, you’re missing out. One of our clients recently advertised their Halloween candy buyback program solely on Facebook. Every single one of their fourteen participants learned of the program through the boosted Facebook event. That’s fourteen potential patients who visited their office, and who were exposed to their brand. With an ad spend of $28.14, that’s a cost of $2.01 per lead. When was the last time you attracted a new patient for $2?

While you’re already in Power Editor, take a look at the new SlideShow option. Create video ads from still pictures using images you already have, or the Facebook stock photo library. This is a great option for a practice without raw video footage, but wanting to take advantage of the power of video.

The Notifications tab gets a makeover

Similar in concept—and name—to Google Now’s Cards, on Monday Facebook rolled out an updated Notification tab featuring Cards for its mobile app.

In addition to traditional updates, the tab now includes information on trending topics, birthday reminders (because really, how else would I remember that kid who ate paste in the fifth grade is turning 29), local events, and newly released movies.

And, because the Internet tends to be a little stalker-ish, Facebook now suggests nearby businesses you probably didn’t know you needed to go, but now that it’s been suggested you really want to visit.

Facebook knows what you need–even if you don’t.

My Grandma…what an intriguing bio you have

Have you viewed your personal profile recently? Facebook added a revised introduction area featuring a short bio and profile tags, a la LinkedIn, as well as featured photos (beware these are publicly available) and a pronunciation button—clearly not necessary for Heather King, but if your name is Siobhan pronounced shi-VAWN you may find this useful.

Profile tags—self-selected labels informing others of your likes, interests, hobbies, and skills—are one of the aforementioned offerings for which most users weren’t clamoring. From a marketing prospective, my educated guess is that Facebook’s planning to incorporate into the options available for hyper-targeting ads. Stay-tuned, it’ll be interesting to see how users respond to the LinkedIn-ification of Facebook.

On a side note, is “taking naps like a boss” a skill or hobby?

Go ahead, I like to watch

It seems your Facebook friends and the creepy dude in apartment 14C have something in common. According to a recent survey by Global Web Index, Facebook users are visiting the platform more than ever, but only 34 percent of them are updating their status. For a medium that relies on content, this could prove problematic, and clearly, Facebook saw this coming and had a plan.

Last year Facebook introduced prompts that appear at the beginning of your timeline. They say things like “The Country Music Awards are on, who’s going home the big winner?” Listen Facebook, ask me to write a status update on why nachos should be breakfast food, and you’ve got yourself a deal.

Facebook recently launched Search FYI, an enhanced search server that not only yields news and the latest trends, but publicly available posts on your search subject. Fresh and engaging content is key to the success of this search engine that could, hence Facebook’s push for your content, photos, and status updates.

Using Facebook to search for information on your favorite political candidate? Expect to see search results with opinions from friends and strangers alike. Cue the drama.

That’s got to be it, right?

Yeppers.

Students in New Deli learned this week that Zucks endeavors to be the creator of an artificial intelligence system that can identify what’s in a video or image–not even The Google can do this yet. This has practical applications for the visually impaired, and technology like this has the potential to change the future of search.

We’re finally seeing previously announced features like Happy Birthday Videos and profile pics that can be temporary or a seven-second looping video pop up on user profiles. And animated GIFs are now supported on pages in addition to personal profiles.

Page administrators got a treat as well. Until recently Page admins could only chat directly with users if the user direct messaged them first. Last month Facebook added the “Message” option in the comments section for faster, private communication. Great for reputation management, this addition allows customer service representatives to take a conversation private quickly, allowing them to better mitigate a dispute.

Finally, as for Reactions, no news seems to be good news. We haven’t heard much from the social giant about those cute little emojis. I assume this means Reactions is getting a thumbs up from users in Ireland and Spain.

What are your favorite–and least favorite–new Facebook offerings? Let us know in the comments.

Be Cyberaware: Social Media Hacks for Avoiding Hackers

Originally posted on Infinity Insights, the official social blog of Infinity Dental Web.

T-Mobile. Rutgers University. China. It’s hard to remember a time when cybersecurity wasn’t a fixture in the headlines. Online attacks at popular retailers, data leaks, and far-reaching computer viruses have left consumers wondering just how safe their private information really is.

In addition to being National Dental Hygiene month and Breast Cancer Awareness month, October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a public awareness campaign designed to raise awareness about cybersecurity and increasing the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber-incident. Each week features information and activities focused on a cybersecurity awareness theme including work place cybersafety, connectivity, and the Internet of things.

Staying cyberaware on social media

Be cyberaware. Stop. Think. Connect.

As of January 2014, 74 percent of online adults and 95 percent of teens use social networking sites. In a world where we’re connected 24/7, it’s never been more important to be aware of potential threats. Week three’s theme, Connected Communities and Families: Staying Protected While We Are Always Connected, reminds us that while our social networks are connecting us to our fourth grade teacher, they’re also connecting us to potential hackers.

Here are a few tricks I use to avoid cyberattacks on social networks:

Lock it down.

I check my email, scroll my Facebook newsfeed, post amazing photos with witty captions on Instagram, pay my cell phone bill, check my Walmart receipts for price matches, balance my checkbook, and about a thousand other super personal activities on my phone. I’ve also lost my phone…several times. Yep, it’s disturbing to think about all that personal information in the hands of my phone’s eventual finder.

Lesson? I always password protect my phone. Are there times that it’s slightly annoying that I have to unlock my phone to read my Mom’s fourteenth text of the day? Yes. It is better than an unauthorized user posting to a client Facebook account? Absolutely. Of course, instead of entering a pin, I could always use my fingerprint or one of those nifty patterns if I was so inclined.

Log out.

Staying logged in to social media accounts certainly facilitates faster Snapchats and shaves off precious seconds when you’re trying to live-tweet an event. Of course, this also means a fun-loving spouse or friend has access to your account to post a silly message on your behalf—one of my sorority sisters and her hubby post super cheesy messages from each others accounts about once a month.

But, what if someone more nefarious is posting on your behalf? When the wrong person has access to your unlocked laptop, smartphone, or tablet they have unbridled access to your social media networks.

Think before you click.

I recently received a Facebook friend request from a friend’s Mom. I’m already friends with her, but though maybe she’d accidently deleted me. Upon accepting her invite, she immediately Facebook chat messaged me about a grant she’d just received for Facebook users having trouble paying their bills. She also encouraged me to apply—because if they’re giving out free money, why not? Turns out a hacker had spoofed her account—creating a replica account with her publicly available personal information and photos. PS, this is a good argument for keeping your profile private as well.

Phishing attacks can use email, instant messenger programs, or social posts to direct potential victims to a malicious website on which they request the recipient’s personal information, account login, or credit card number.

They are, at first glance, hard to distinguish from those of a reputable company. Phishing messages are carefully crafted, but often claim there’s a problem that can be easily solved by verifying your personal information, or that you’re a winner of a fictitious contest and you must provide bank information to claim your prize.

Take two.

Whenever possible, opt to use two-factor authentication when logging into an account. Two-factor authentication requires two independent authentication factors. One example is inputting a second code sent to your phone after entering your password. Services such as Gmail, Apple, and Microsoft accounts, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and LinkedIn offer this option.

Perfect your password.

Your password is the first and often, only, barrier between an unauthorized user and sensitive information—so make it good.

So what makes a password strong? First, it should have at least eight characters—the more, the better —that are a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, if allowed. Try not to use the same letters or numbers consecutively. Passwords are typically case sensitive, so use both uppercase and lowercase letters. Avoid using words found in the dictionary, your name, or company name.

A passphrase is typically more secure than a password. You can easily remember a passphrase using a mnemonic device. Finally, don’t recycle passwords. Use a unique password for each social media network and account.

Forgot my password.

So now that you’ve got super strong passwords, chances are you’ll forget one or two—a password manager can help organize your passwords. If resetting your password is as easy as emailing yourself a link, you might be at risk—especially if someone has physical access to your unlocked devices on which you continue to stay logged in to apps (see numbers one and two).

(Go ahead, say password one more time.)

Social networks often offer more advanced methods for restoring the password on a hacked account—e.g., Facebook’s Trusted Contacts feature.

Unlink unused apps.

I just did an audit of my Facebook and Twitter accounts. I had granted permission to access these social accounts to no less than 44 third-party apps. I can honestly say I’ve used all of these in the past 30 days, but if I hadn’t, they’d be gone.

Third-party apps can serve as a backdoor for hackers. If you’re not using an app, unlink it.

It’s a big, online world out there. Stay cybersafe kids.