HootSuite Basics and Updates

Those of you who know me, know I’m a big fan of HootSuite, the social media dashboard, as a tool for research, filtering and engagement. When I began using HootSuite, my productivity soared! However, it’s not the most intuitive to learn and recently they added some updates. The following is a basic tutorial on how to begin with HootSuite and a review of the recent changes. Don’t forget to download the free app for your smart phone – no jumping through extra hoops here. Once you set up your dashboard the app will automatically appear as a duplicate on your phone. Create Your Account There is no download to do, simply go to www.H…

4 Signs Your Social Authority is Growing

You’ve taken the plunge into social media. You’re posting, tweeting, and sharing. Now you’re wondering if all this time and energy is worthwhile. How do you know you’re not spinning your wheels? Our knee jerk reaction is to look at numbers. We all want proof - especially senior management. But, it’s really not ALL about the numbers. There are some signs your social authority is growing (and you’ve probably taken them for granted). Are you starting to think about your industry differently? Diving into social media is like jumping out of the nest for the first time. It’s a whole other world out there! And you didn’t even…

Finding Coaching Moments that Shine

As a business coach in the social media realm, there are all kinds of moments ranging from apprehension and fear to inspiration and joy. Having coached business executives on how to grow their social authority for more than three years, my job is to find those moments of inspiration (in my students) and show them how to harness, direct and leverage it. Students arrive in class on the first day either hoping for magic to happen (change doesn’t work that way), doubting the value of social media, or thinking our class is a technical how-to with regard to each network. My goal on Day One is to welcome them outside the box of their own four w…

Looking for Blogging Inspiration?

by Denise Bahs, April 21 2015 Brilliant ideas don’t just pop into our heads, well, not mine anyway. In order to be consistent with blogging,  I have to search for inspiration and one of the keys to finding good blogging fuel is to have a go-to list of places to hunt. Here’s my go-to list which fills my cup of inspiration: Bookmarking sites You have to be careful  because once you start hunting around, you can go straight down the rabbit hole and emerge several hours later! However, they are a great way to find great information usually vetted by the community as a whole. Here are a few popular sites: StumbledUpon, Tumblr, Diig…

Basics of Evernote

A yellow pad and a pen (or better yet, a pencil) have been a part of my entire career. I didn’t feel I could focus clearly without a pen in my hand - you never know when you might need to capture a note. Fast forward to 2012 when I launched my own business. The yellow pads started multiplying on my desk and soon I couldn’t find the notes I had taken - there were just too many. I  knew I had to make a change. I tried Evernote, a note management application, in the past, but I didn’t find it very self explanatory and couldn’t figure out how to use it.I abandoned it. It’s a classic case of “you don’t know what you don’t know.…