Merry Christmas to All

As mentioned in yesterday's Wednesday Words, with today being Christmas Day and spending time with family (and video games), we will not have a Thursday Tutorial due to the holiday.  The same will be true for next week with New Years Day.  We hope everyone is enjoying time off, if they are fortunate enough to not be working, and having a fun and enjoyable holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Wednesday Words: Handle

Today's word is for Twitter and I'm actually surprised I haven't defined this word already (I looked to be certain I didn't).  Today's word is handle.  A handle, on Twitter and other websites even, is the name you choose to represent yourself.  It is, effectively, what appears after the @ in your twitter account.  Mine, for example, is @kayhynn.

Every handle needs to be unique and should be something representing you or your brand.  Kayhynn, for example, is the moniker I used in gaming and other websites for years.  It was available and a unique nickname I made for myself.  I use it to promote all of my work, now both gaming related and non-gaming related, like tweets for this blog and other blogs, as well as my author blog and such.  Other sites that I've created Twitter accounts for, are reflective of their website. For example, SciTechNerds.com is @SciTechNerds.

So if anyone ever asks for your Twitter handle, you now know what to give them or what you need to create if you don't have one.

Being as it's Christmas Eve, there will be no Thursday Tutorial post for tomorrow, which is Christmas Day.  We will have a scheduled Christmas post, but we hope everyone is spending time offline with their friends, family and loved ones.

Merry Christmas.

Wednesday Words are a series of definitions released on Wednesday each week regarding a word found specific to Facebook's social media platform, or may be a generic word dealing with social media. These definitions are to help provide you with a better understanding of common and uncommon terms associated with Facebook and social media. You can find all the Wednesday Words by clicking on the Wednesday Words tag below.

Tuesday Tips Revisited: Post Seasonal Related Topics

This is an updated reprint from last year.  Since it is this time of year and the information is still viable and useful - especially if you are new to social media, I see no harm in revisiting it.

Christmas, and the holiday season in general, is upon us.  Christmas eve is tomorrow and Christmas day follows and that is quickly followed by New Years Eve and Day.

It doesn't matter the holiday you are celebrating, be sure to engage your customers/fans with a seasonal related post.  It can be something as simple as - we'll use today as an example - "Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas"  or "Happy Holidays" or "Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas".  The message doesn't have to be this generic, but it can be.

Or you could go a step further and create a custom graphic with the message to present to your customers.  Images are often liked and shared and creating a quick single or double image Christmas card isn't hard to do.

It's also good to engage folks with questions leading up to holidays and after holidays.  For example, on  one of the gaming pages I maintain, I have scheduled to ask "What games did you get for Christmas?" After Black Friday, we asked gamers what games they snagged.  On another of my blogs and facebook pages, I asked about what books or programs were on their Christmas wish lists.

This type of interaction shows that you aren't just about business and engages users in a different way.  If you are a creative type, you can even share custom holiday images, company holiday photos or a digital card with your followers.

That being said, we hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and you get what you were hoping for.

Tuesday Tips are a series of tips released on Tuesday each week regarding a hint or tip to help you manage and market your Facebook presence better.  You can find all the Tuesday Tips by clicking on the Tuesday Tips tag below.

The Monday Search: Job Listings Current as of 12/22/14

There are many jobs available out there for people knowledgeable about Social Media, but sometimes finding the job isn't easy.

Don't worry! Each week (when I have time) I will be featuring 3-5 jobs currently available as of Monday. Additional sites will be linked at the very bottom of the article and listed as sources. Other sites may be listed as well.

Here are this week's job listings I found interesting:

VISIT FLORIDA is hiring a Social Media Manager in Tallahassee, FL.

Responsibilities:

• Social media management and audience growth across all digital channels 
• Drive creation, conception, and presentation of the organization’s social media strategy and social aspects of integrated marketing initiatives.
• Lead digital content distribution on social channels, including working with creators to plan and schedule content, uploading, optimizing, publishing and tracking performance per channel
• Use analytics, knowledge of community, and personal creativity to continually refine best practices for channel optimization and audience growth 
• Help connect the dots amongst all VISIT FLORIDA digital efforts
• Develop audience acquisition, retention and engagement plans
• Develop and nurture brand advocate relationships
• Serve as a thought leader for community building and social media excellence 

Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree 
• 3-5 years of consumer marketing or digital media experience, with a preference for those working in a community manager or an audience development role, and those with consumer acquisition, audience development, digital marketing and/or brand building experience at a major publisher or digital agency.
• Technical knowledge of social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr…etc.) and a solid understanding of SEO and SEO optimization
• Thorough understanding of all available digital marketing techniques, including emerging technologies and platforms.
• Experience developing and implementing tactical plans that build and nurture online communities, social influencers and brand advocates
• Advanced analytics skills, with the ability to communicate insights and make recommendations based on data
• Proficiency with Omniture SiteCataylst, comScore / Quantcast, Nielsen, social media platforms / monitoring tools and email service platforms.

For more information: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter-jobs/jobview.asp?joid=174879&c=jfbatl

Society for Science & the Public is hiring a Social Media Specialist in Washington D.C.

Responsibilities:

• Manage all social media promotion for SSP, its programs and publications
• Build partnerships and joint efforts with SSP external audiences (sponsors, partners, advertisers, alumni, members, subscribers) across social media channels
• Collaborate with internal staff on content and social media promotion strategies, including close collaboration with newsroom web managers who publish using social media
• Develop and maintain social media assessment tools to analyze and understand communication efforts
• Cross-train SSP staff as necessary in effective use of various social media channels
• Continue to build a culture within SSP of valuing social media communications

Qualifications:

• Expertise and experience leveraging social media communication channels to provide a compelling and inspired sense of an organization's mission to a broad range of audiences
• Significant experience managing an organization's presence on social media sites, preferably for an organization with an alumni/membership focus or a publication with social media presence
• Significant experience with Facebook and Twitter required. Experience with Flickr, YouTube, Instagram, and Tumblr preferred
• Demonstrated ability to work within a team as well as independently with minimal oversight, to multi-task, and to be a self-starter
• A strong understanding of and appreciation for science and other STEM fields is desired
• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in communications or related field, with demonstrable experience leading organizational social media efforts
• Bachelor's degree required
• Extensive experience in web analytics
• Experience in HTML and content management systems required
• Experience with design and editing software strongly preferred
• Experience with photography, photo editing, and video strongly preferred

For more information: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter-jobs/jobview.asp?joid=174840&c=jfbatl

Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board is hiring a Social Media Manager

Responsibilities:

• Develops and executes Social Media strategies
• Develops and maintains weekly Social Media Editorial Calendars for all channels
• Creates content for discoverLosAngeles.com and finds every opportunity to drive traffic to the website
• Manages social media advertising budget and executes programs including Facebook ad buys
• Oversees international social media channels and advertising managed by offices overseas in Japan and China, with opportunities to expand in other markets.
• Conducts influencer and blogger outreach to manage and grows the "Listography" section of discoverLosAngeles.com that focuses on getting celebrities and personalities to share their favorite things to do in Los Angeles. 
• Manages the "Photo of the Day" program that showcases the diversity of Los Angeles through imagery via several social media channels using user-generated content. #LAstory #LA365
• Coordinates with Partnership and Membership departments to integrate stakeholder efforts in the overall Social Media Editorial Calendars. Logs all efforts monthly into CRM system for reporting.
• Manages and executes dineLA social media strategy under the guidance of the dineLA Director
• Tracks key metrics on a monthly basis to illustrate performance across engagement, referrals and follower adoption, proving the effectiveness and added value of creating community online.
• Contributes related information to reports and presentations for upper management on a periodic basis.
• Coordinates with Media department to ensure all key tourism board messages are incorporated into social media outreach and crisis communication is funneled appropriately
• Executes partnerships and manages online relationships with regional, state and national tourism organizations
• Attends member events to create Social Media and web content, focusing on Tourism Marketing District (TMD) hotels
• Develops relationships with members and partners to generate relevant social media content and create social media partnerships
• Monitors and analyzes social conversation about Los Angeles using tools including HootSuite and Simply Measured
• Manages Social Media contests/sweepstakes and fulfillment with the primary objective to increase email acquisition.
• Responds to social networking and online community questions on an ongoing and frequent basis, including all channels and TripAdvisor.
• Develops and executes a Social Media program of offerings for citywide conventions and delegates.
• Uploads content and images to the Content Management System in order to connect social network users to discoverLosAngeles.com
• Coordinates awards submissions for LA Tourism’s digital efforts
• Reports to VP, Digital Marketing

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in digital media, marketing, communications or a related field
• 3 years experience in marketing/communications, Social Media community management or a related field
• Strong knowledge of online communications strategies and tactics, usability standards, branding and latest digital technologies, tools and best practices
• Experience in tracking and analyzing key metrics such as engagement and sentiment
• Excellent writing and editing skills and the ability to write for a variety of audiences in a variety of formats
• Knowledge of Social Networks, online communities in the hospitality industry, content management systems, image editing programs and relevant mobile applications
• Must have a passion for Los Angeles and be knowledgeable of the destination's culture, attractions, history, restaurants and trends.

For more information: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter-jobs/jobview.asp?joid=174911&page=1

Other listings:

• Media Bistro Job Listings (note not all the jobs listed here are social media positions):http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter-jobs/?c=stnav
• LinkedIn Social Media Job Listings: http://www.linkedin.com/job/q-social-media-manager-jobs and http://www.linkedin.com/vsearch/j?keywords=socialmedia+manager or http://www.linkedin.com/job/q-social-media-marketing-jobs or http://www.linkedin.com/job/q-social-media-strategist-jobs
• CareerBuilder: http://www.careerbuilder.com/Jobs/Keyword/Social-Media-Manager/
• Indeed.com: http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Social-media
• Simply Hired: http://www.simplyhired.com/k-social-media-jobs.html 

The Monday Search is a brief listing of jobs available for those in the social media marketing field. All jobs are found through internet searches and are just featured because they are of interest to me. Monday Searches will contain links to sites with other job listings in addition to the ones listed here.  If you are interested in having a Social Media job opening featured for your company, please send me a message via Facebook on my page or my profile.

We're Back...just in time for the holidays

As mentioned in a previous post somewhere, we were moving and I got some of the posts I wanted done to post, but not all.  So here we are, in December with Christmas a few days away and I'm just now able to get back into the swing of things here.

We will have posts this week, but only generic posts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Keep in mind, we are also looking for guest bloggers so if you're interested, gimme a shout.

Thanks for checking out the blog the last month despite the limited number of posts.  We do appreciate it.