Learn at your own pace

The video links below provide easy understanding to the uses of LinkedIn.

General LinkedIn

How to Join LinkedIn

Creating and Managing your Profile

Navigating Your Homepage

LinkedIn Subscriptions

Adding/Changing an Email Address

Managing Your Recommendations

Removing a connection

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Name	Description/Focus	Registered users	Registration	Global Alexa[1] Page ranking
14kMedia	General, Popular in United States	&0000000000015805.00000015,805[4]	Open	&0000000000244183.000000244,183[5]
Advogato	Free and open source software developers	&0000000000013575.00000013,575[6]	Open	&0000000000118124.000000118,124[7]
Amie Street	Music		Open	&0000000000030628.00000030,628[8]
ANobii	Books	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open	&0000000000013111.00000013,111[9]
aSmallWorld	European jet set and social elite	&0000000000270000.000000270,000[10]	Invite-only	&0000000000011655.00000011,655[11]
Athlinks	Running, Swimming	&0000000000054270.00000054,270[12]	Open	&0000000000107826.000000107,826[13]
Avatars United	Online games.		Open	&0000000000302122.000000302,122[14]
Badoo	General, Popular in Europe	&0000000031000000.00000031,000,000[15]	Open to people 18 and older	&0000000000000157.000000157[16]
Bahu	General, Popular in France, Belgium and elsewhere in Europe	&0000000001000000.0000001,000,000[17]	Open to people aged 13-25	&0000000000019738.00000019,738[18]
Bebo	General.	&0000000040000000.00000040,000,000[19]	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000000148.000000148[20]
Bigadda	Indian Social Networking Site.	&0000000003000000.0000003,000,000[21]	Open to people 16 and older.	&0000000000002900.0000002,900[22]
Biip	Norwegian Community.	&0000000000013476.000000	Requires Norwegian phone number.	&0000000000016645.00000016,645[23]
BlackPlanet	African-Americans	&0000000020000000.00000020,000,000[24]	Open	&0000000000001226.0000001,226[25]
Broadcaster.com	Video sharing and webcam chat	&0000000000322715.000000322,715[26]	Open
Buzznet	Music and pop-culture	&0000000010000000.00000010,000,000[27]	Open	&0000000000000498.000000498[28]
CafeMom	Mothers	&0000000001250000.0000001,250,000[29]	Open to moms and moms-to-be	&0000000000003090.0000003,090[30]
Cake Financial	Investing	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Care2	Green living and social activism	&0000000009961947.0000009,961,947[31]	Open
Classmates.com	School, college, work and the military	&0000000050000000.00000050,000,000[32]	Open	&0000000000000923.000000923[33]
Cloob	General. Popular in Iran.	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
College Tonight	College students.	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	requires an e-mail address with an “.edu” ending
CouchSurfing	Worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit.	&0000000001118447.0000001,118,447[34]	Open
DeviantART	Art community	&0000000009040962.0000009,040,962[35]	Open	&0000000000000119.000000119[36]
Disaboom	People with disabilities. (Amputee, cerebral palsy, MS, and other disabilities.)	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
dol2day	Politic community, Social network, Internet radio (German-speaking countries)	&0000000000040200.00000040,200[37]	Open
DontStayIn	Clubbing (primarily UK)	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Draugiem.lv	General (primarily LV, LT, HU)	&0000000002400000.0000002,400,000	Invitation only
Elftown	Community and wiki around Fantasy and sci-fi.	&0000000000185000.000000185,000[38]	Open, approval needed
Epernicus	For research scientists	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Eons.com	For baby boomers	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000013675.00000013,675[39]
Experience Project	Life experiences	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Exploroo	Travel Social Networking.		Open	&Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”.Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”282,000[40]
Facebook	General.	&0000000200000000.000000200,000,000[41]	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000000004.0000004[42]
Faceparty	General. Popular UK.	&0000000000200000.000000200,000[43]	Invitation only to people 18 and older.	&0000000000002481.0000002,481[44]
Faces.com	British teens	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 13 and older
Fetlife	People who are into BDSM	&0000000000032500.00000032,500[45]	Open to people “of [legal] age to see adult content”	&0000000000054198.00000054,198[46]
Filmaffinity	Movies and TV Series	&0000000000250000.000000250,000[47]	Open	&0000000000004082.0000004,082[48]
Flixster	Movies	&0000000063000000.00000063,000,000[49]	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000000309.000000309[50]
Flickr	Photo sharing, commenting, photography related networking, worldwide	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open	&0000000000000037.00000037[51]
Fotolog	Photoblogging. Popular in South America and Spain.	&0000000020000000.00000020,000,000[52]	Open	&0000000000000057.00000057[53]
Friends Reunited	UK based. School, college, work, sport and streets	&0000000019000000.00000019,000,000[54]	Open	&0000000000008052.0000008,052[55]
Friendster	General. Popular in Southeast Asia. No longer popular in the western world.	&0000000090000000.00000090,000,000[56]	Open to people 16 and older. No children allowed.	&0000000000000064.00000064[57]
Frühstückstreff	General	&0000000000014800.000000	Open
Fubar	dating, an “online bar” for 18 and older	&0000000001200000.0000001,200,000[58]	Open	&0000000000002609.0000002,609[59]
Gaia Online	Anime and games	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 13 and older
GamerDNA	Computer and video games	&0000000000310000.000000310,000[60]	Open
Gather.com	Article, picture, and video sharing, as well as group discussions	&0000000000465000.000000465,000[61]	Open
Geni.com	Families, genealogy	&0000000015000000.00000015,000,000[62]	Open
Goodreads	Library cataloging, book lovers	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open	&0000000000005305.0000005,305[63]
Gossipreport.com	Anonymous gossip	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 16 and older
Grono.net	Poland	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Habbo	General for teens. Over 31 communities worldwide. Chat Room and user profiles.	&0000000117000000.000000117,000,000[64][65][66]	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000004050.0000004,050[67]
hi5	General. Popular in India,Portugal, Mongolia, Thailand, Romania, Jamaica, Central Africa and Latin America. Not popular in the USA.	&0000000080000000.00000080,000,000[68]	Open to people 13 and older. No children allowed.	&0000000000000027.00000027[69]
Hospitality Club	Hospitality	&0000000000328629.000000328,629[70]	Open
Hyves	General, Most popular in the Netherlands.	&0000000008000000.0000008,000,000[71]	Open	&0000000000000216.000000216[72]
imeem	Music, Video, Photos, Blogs	&0000000024000000.00000024,000,000[73]	Open	&0000000000000140.000000140[74]
Indaba Music	Online music collaboration, remix contests. Users in 175 countries.	&0000000000125000.000000125,000[75]	Open	&0000000000062781.00000062,781[76]
IRC-Galleria	Finland	&0000000000505000.000000505,000[77]	Open to Finnish speaking people 12 and older
italki.com	Language learning social network. 100+ languages.	&0000000000450000.000000450,000	Open. Global.	&0000000000015500.00000015,500[78]
InterNations	International community	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Invite-only	&0000000000030147.00000030,147[79]
itsmy	Mobile community worldwide, blogging, friends, personal TV-shows	&0000000002500000.0000002,500,000[80]
iWiW	Hungary	&0000000004000000.0000004,000,000[81]	Invite-only
Jaiku	General. Owned by Google.	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Now available to all.
Jammer Direct	Creative resource website	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to the General Public
kaioo	General, nonprofit	&0000000000030000.00000030,000[82]
Kaixin001	General. In Simplified Chinese; caters for mainland China users	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to the General Public
Kiwibox	General. For the users, by the users, a social network that is more than a community.	&0000000002400000.0000002,400,000[83]	Open to people 13 and older.	&0000000000022693.00000022,693[84]
Last.fm	Music	&0000000030000000.00000030,000,000[85]	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000000262.000000262[86]
LibraryThing	Book lovers	&0000000000400000.000000400,000[87]	Open to people 13 and older
lifeknot	Shared interests, hobbies	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 18 and older.
LinkedIn	General but mainly business	&0000000042000000.00000042,000,000[88]	Open to people 18 and older.	&0000000000000192.000000192[89]
LiveJournal	Blogging	&0000000017564977.00000017,564,977[90]	Open (OpenID)	&0000000000000056.00000056[91]
Livemocha	Languages. Used to learn and help others learn languages.	&0000000001000000.0000001,000,000[92]	Open	&0000000000005505.0000005,505[93]
LunarStorm	Sweden	&0000000001200000.000000[94]	Open
MEETin	General	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Meetup.com	General. Used to plan offline meetings for people interested in various activities.	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 18 and older.
Meettheboss	Business and Finance community, worldwide.		Open
Mixi	Japan	&0000000020936509.00000020,936,509[95]	Invite-only	&0000000000000064.00000064[96]
mobikade	mobile community, UK only	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 18 and older
MocoSpace	mobile community, worldwide	&0000000003000000.0000003,000,000[97]	Open to people 14 and older
MOG	Music	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 14 and older
Multiply	“Real world” relationships. Popular in Asia. Not popular in the western world.	&0000000010000000.00000010,000,000[98]	Open to people 13 and older. No children allowed.	&0000000000000150.000000150[99]
Muxlim	Muslim portal site	&0000000000050000.00000050,000[100]	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000094338.00000094,338[101]
MyAnimeList	Anime themed social community	&0000000000160000.000000160,000[102]	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000004500.0000004,500[103]
MyChurch	Christian Churches	&0000000000144295.000000144,295[104]	Open	&0000000000033621.00000033,621[105]
MyHeritage	family-oriented social network service	&0000000030000000.00000030,000,000 [106]	Open	&0000000000004735.0000004,735[107]
MyLife.com	Locating friends and family, keeping in touch (formerly Reunion.com)	&0000000051000000.00000051,000,000[108]	Open	&0000000000002311.0000002,311[109]
MyLOL	General. Popular in the United States, Europe and Australia.	&0000000000032000.00000032,000[110]	Open to ages 13 and up.	&0000000000253145.000000253,145[111]
MySpace	General.	&Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”.Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character “,”261,422,883[112]	Open to ages 13 and up.	&0000000000000011.00000011[86]
myYearbook	General	&0000000005100000.0000005,100,000[113]	Open to age 13 and up & Grades 9 and up	&0000000000000894.000000894[114]
Nasza-klasa.pl	School, college and friends. Popular in Poland.	&0000000012000000.00000012,000,000[115]	Open
Netlog	General. Popular in Europe and Québec province. Formerly known as Facebox and Redbox.	&0000000042000000.00000042,000,000[116][117]	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000000102.000000102[118]
Nettby	Norwegian Community.	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Nexopia	Canada	&0000000001400000.0000001,400,000[119]	Open to people 14 and older	&0000000000004362.0000004,362[120]
Ning	Users create their own social websites and social networks	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000000566.000000566
Odnoklassniki	General. Popular in Russia and former Soviet republics	&0000000037000000.00000037,000,000	Open	&0000000000000042.00000042[121]
OkCupid	Social networking and dating	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 18 and older
One.lv / One.lt / One.ee	General (Popular in Baltics, mostly Russian speaking)	&0000000001000000.0000001,000,000	Open
OneClimate	Not for Profit Social networking and Climate Change	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to People of all ages and locations
OneWorldTV	Not for Profit Video sharing and social networking aimed at people interested in social issues, development, environment, etc.	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Open Diary	First online blogging community, founded in 1998.	&0000000005000000.0000005,000,000[122]	Open to people 13 and older	&0000000000025713.00000025,713[123]
Orkut	Owned by Google. Popular in India and Brazil.	&0000000067000000.00000067,000,000[124]	Open to people 18 and older, (Google login)	&0000000000000112.000000112[125]
OUTeverywhere	Gay/LGBTQ Community	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Passportstamp	Travel	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Pingsta	Collaborative platform for the world’s Internetwork Experts	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Invite-only, only Internet Experts
Plaxo	Aggregator	&0000000015000000.00000015,000,000[126]	Open
Playahead	Swedish, Danish,Norwegian teenagers	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Playboy U	Online college community	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to college students with .edu e-mail address
Plurk	Micro-blogging, RSS, updates	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open	&0000000000027061.00000027,061[127]
Present.ly	Enterprise social networking and micro-blogging	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
quarterlife	A social network for artists, filmmakers, musicians, and creative people	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 14 and older
Ravelry	Knitting and crochet	&0000000000331000.000000331,000[128]	Invite-only while in beta
ResearchGATE	Social network for scientific researchers	&0000000000030000.00000030,000	Open
Reverbnation	Social network for musician and bands	&0000000000025000.00000025,000	Open to people 16 and older
Ryze	Business	&0000000000500000.000000500,000[129]	Open	&0000000000020162.00000020,162[130]
scispace.net	Collaborative network site for scientists	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	By invitation, but can request an invitation
Shelfari	Books	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Skyrock	Social Network in French-speaking world	&0000000022000000.00000022,000,000[131]	Open	&0000000000000041.00000041[132]
SocialGO	A social network builder that allows users to build their own online communities	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open to people 18 and older.	&0000000000008457.0000008,457[133]
SocialVibe	Social Network for Charity	&0000000000435000.000000435,000	Open
Sonico.com	General. Popular in Latin America and Spanish and Portuguese speaking regions.	&0000000017000000.00000017,000,000[134][135]	Open to people 13 and older.	&0000000000000297.000000297[136]
Soundpedia	Music		Open	&0000000000154672.000000154,672[137]
Stickam	Live video streaming and chat.	&0000000002000000.0000002,000,000[138]	Open
StudiVZ	University students, mostly in the German-speaking countries. School students and those out of education sign up via its partner sites SchulerVZ and Meinvz.	&0000000008000000.0000008,000,000[139]	Open
Tagged.com	General	&0000000070000000.00000070,000,000[140]	Open	&0000000000000094.00000094[141]
Talkbiznow	Business networking		Open	&0000000000395824.000000395,824[142]
Taltopia	Online artistic community	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
TravBuddy.com	Travel	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Travellerspoint	Travel	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
tribe.net	General	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open	&0000000000003517.0000003,517[143]
Trombi.com	French subsidiary of Classmates.com	&0000000004400000.0000004,400,000[144]
Tuenti.com	Spanish-based university and High School social network. Very Popular in Spain	&0000000004500000.0000004,500,000	Invite-only	&0000000000000587.000000587[145]
Tumblr	General. Micro-blogging, RSS	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open	&0000000000000587.000000587[146]
Twitter	General. Micro-blogging, RSS, updates	&0000000025000000.00000025,000,000[147]	Open	&0000000000000599.000000599[148]
V Kontakte	Russian social network.	&0000000036144000.00000036,144,000[149]	Open	&0000000000000029.00000029[150]
Vampirefreaks	Gothic and industrial subculture	&0000000001931049.0000001,931,049[151]	Open to users 13 and over
Viadeo	European Social Networking and Campus Networking in Seven Languages	&0000000006000000.0000006,000,000[152]	Open
Vox	Blogging	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open	&0000000000001549.0000001,549[153]
Wasabi	General	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
WAYN	Travel and lifestyle	&0000000010000000.00000010,000,000[154]	Open to people 18 and older	&0000000000000823.000000823[155]
WebBiographies	Genealogy and biography	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Windows Live Spaces	Blogging (formerly MSN Spaces)	&0000000120000000.000000120,000,000[156]	Open	&0000000000000005.0000005[157]
Wis.dm	Questions and answers about anything and everything	&0000000000050000.00000050,000[158]	Open
WiserEarth	Online community space for the social justice and environmental movement[159]	&0000000000025800.00000025,800[160]	Open to people 18 and older	&0000000000114942.000000114,942[161]
Xanga	Blogs and “metro” areas	&0000000027000000.00000027,000,000[162]	Open	&0000000000000230.000000230[163]
Xiaonei	Significant site in China	&0000000015000000.00000015,000,000[164]	Open
XING	Business (primarily Europe (Germany) and China)	&0000000007000000.0000007,000,000[165]	Open	&0000000000001814.0000001,814[166]
Xt3	Catholic social networking, created after World Youth Day 2008		Open
Yammer	Social networking for office colleagues	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Must have company email
Yelp, Inc.	Local Business Review and Talk	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Youmeo	UK Social Network (focus on data portability)	&-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.000000	Open
Zoo.gr	Greek Web Meeting point	&0000000000890000.000000890,000[167]	Open	&0000000000005634.0000005,634[168]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The Social Web is currently used to describe how people socialize or interact with each other throughout the World Wide Web. Such people are brought together through a variety of shared interests. There are different ways in which people want to socialize on the Web today. The first kind of socializing is typified by “people focus” websites such as Bebo, Facebook, and Myspace. Such sites promote the person as focus of social interaction. To do this a profile is constructed by each user. In many ways the profile is similar to a passport.

The second kind of socializing is typified by a sort of “hobby focus” websites. For example, if one is interested in photography and wants to share this with like-minded people, then there are photography websites such as Flickr, Kodak Gallery and Photobucket.

There are also two ways in which people socialize with each other in the Social Web. The most general and most common type is always at a distance and only on the World Wide Web. In such socializing there is never face to face personal contact. Much of the socializing on Flickr is sharing of photos and making comments on the photos of others. However, where Flickr members come from a common local geographical area, then they are inclined to get together physically for a common photoshoot. This exemplifies the second type of socializing through the World Wide Web: that which leads to real physical contact. Typical examples of the latter arose historically from social networking both within and outside schools and colleges. Facebook’s origins are in the facebook of college students from Harvard University.

The Social Web may also be used to refer to two different, yet related concepts. The first is as a description of web 2.0 technologies that are focused on social interaction and community before anything else. The second is a proposal for a future network similar to the World Wide Web.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Give Us Your Questions

While we are in the early stages of developing this website, we want to call on our future audience to tell us what it is about the web that you might not understand or need help doing.  Simply leave a comment below with your question and we will research it in detail and post the answer in the simplest form we can find.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

1. Here’s An Easy Way To Do Video Emails

   Videos are a great marketing tool – they get your prospects’ attention, they let you show (not just tell) about your products, and they get passed around (helping you to get more subscribers virally).

   However, as many people have found out, creating “video emails” by embedding the video directly in an HTML email (like you would on a web page) doesn’t fly. It’s simply not reliable because most email programs disable or strip out the video.

   But that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of video’s appeal in your emails!

   You just have to get a bit creative…

   Easily Send “Video Emails” Using Image Links

   In a recent addition to our Knowledge Base, we’ve shown step-by-step how to drive your email subscribers to watch videos that you’ve posted to your site or video hosting sites like YouTube.

   * How Can I Add Video To My Messages?
   

2. 

   admin
   July 1st, 2009 at 10:46 | #3

   Reply | Quote | Advanced edit

   How Can I Send Video Email Messages?

   If you’re interested in sending video email using a hosting service
   that has provided you with some HTML to embed, you can certainly
   include that in your HTML messages.

   However, please note that video technologies are generally blocked by ISPs and email clients and so your video may not be playable within an email message.

   As a result, it is not advisable to embed a video directly within an
   email message. Fortunately, there are two alternatives to consider, and
   either would provide better results:

   Sending Video Email Using a Text Link

   You can place a text link into your messages, linking to a page containing the actual video.

   The
   link would be added just like any other text link, with hyperlinked
   keywords for HTML messages, and a full URL address for Plain-Text.

   For example, you might describe the video in text, and then include a link using text like “Click to Play the Video”.

   Sending Video Email Using an Image Linking to a Page

   Another alternative allows you to include something in your email that
   looks like a playable video, but what leads the subscriber to a page
   containing the actual playable video.

   It will require a few more steps than including a text link but should not be difficult:

   1. Load the Video Page and Take a Screenshot

   In your web browser, open the page containing the video you’d like to include in your email.

   

   Scroll to a point on the page where you can clearly see your video. Then, take a screenshot of the page.

   How to Take a Screenshot

   A screenshot is just a freeze-frame of whatever is on your screen at the point where you hit specified keys on your keyboard.

   Using Windows? Hit the “Print Screen” button.

   Using a Mac? Hold the “Command” and “Shift” buttons and hit “3″

   2. Crop the Screenshot in an Image Editing Program

   After taking your screenshot, open a new file in your preferred image editing program.

   

   We use GIMP (GNU Images Manipulation Program), a free program. You may have your own preferred application, like Photoshop or iPhoto on a Mac system.

   Paste in the screenshot, and using the using the marquee (select) tool, place a box around the video portion of the screenshot:

   
   Hit the “Crop” button or use the crop feature where it is found in your
   image editor. You image should now consist of just a capture of the
   video itself:
   

   Save the file somewhere on your hard drive you’ll be able to find easily in just a few minutes.

   3. Upload the Image to Your Website and Add to Email

   As
   you would any image you’d like to include in your email messages,
   upload the image file somewhere on your website or image hosting
   service and get it’s URL address.

   Open your email message in AWeber, and scroll to the “HTML Message” portion of the page.

   Using the image tool, add the image to the message.

   4. Turn the Image into a Link

   The last thing you need to do is transform the image so that when it is
   clicked on, subscribers are sent to the page containing the video.

   Use the link tool
   to accomplish this. In the “Title” box enter some text like “Click to
   Play the Video” so that subscribers with images turned off by default
   still see an option to play the video.

   Still Have Questions?

   If after reading this article you still have questions, contact us for a personal response from our Customer Solutions team.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

10 simple ways to avoid spyware, viruses and other

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I’m here not as an expert, but to join you on the journey into social media, specifically through LinkedIn, so we can all further our efforts to BUILD TRUST among our contacts, GROW OUR NETWORKS and therefore GROW OUR BUSINESSES.

What do Boston, an avocado, Shakopee, MN, and a banana have in common? LinkedIn.

My client sells printing for Imagine Print Solutions in Shakopee. They print packaging and custom displays, post of purchase, labels and signage. He was contacted by a print rep out of Boston, who was contacted by Chiquita thru LinkedIn, to broker a job for their new avocado launch. The connection was made possible by LinkedIn, and could prove to be a very loyal and profitable customer for my husband in the future.

WHAT IS LINKEDIN? LinkedIn is a business networking website that allows its users to identify, make and maintain contact with other business professionals. It also has forum sections and “groups” where users can ask and answer business related questions.

• Has more than 30 million users
• 1.3 million new people sign up each month
• of that 1.3 million, 750,000 are senior executive level
• Average annual income exceeds $109,000
• The average age for LinkedIn users is 41, with all the top Fortune 500 business decision makers having LinkedIn accounts.

8 Tips to Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Business

1. People use LinkedIn as an online resume. Members create profiles that provide a snapshot of their professional background – where they work currently, past work history, the businesses they own, and even the side businesses they run. So, if I am checking someone out, I visit LinkedIn because it’s usually the most streamlined place to scan professional qualifications.

LinkedIn Profile Tips: Use a current photo; Include keywords in your headline, summary, experiences, and interests; Add your web URLs, blogs, links and any part of your online identity; important stuff about what you do; reinforce your marketing message. You can also add the LinkedIn Blog application to add more information to your profile; Make it public.

2. LinkedIn is also a way to connect and establish relationships with new people, and expand and reinforce existing relationships. So what exactly can LinkedIn do for your business? Use it to:

LinkedIn Tips: Expand your contacts. The right contacts can help you grow your business, whether you need to find business partners, suppliers or customers. Place a link to your LinkedIn profile prominently on your website (perhaps on the About page) and/or on your blog. That will encourage people to become one of your LinkedIn contacts. In addition, answer questions on the LinkedIn Answers network. Giving someone valuable information makes it easy to strike up an online conversation and from there build a relationship. You are building TRUST. It’s about reputation. Networks like LinkedIn are systems for communicating reputation so people can determine how much they should trust you. It’s a virtual representation of your reputation. Both what you list and who you are connected to, give critical information about who you are.

Tips on contacts: use LinkedIn Search people—who are you looking for? You are only one, possibly two, linkedin connections away from your next large customer. Bring your network online. Your network is one of your most valuable assets, but it does little good for you offline. Upload your Address Book, invite the people you want to connect with, and get connected. Having your network online means that you can now use it as a personalized search engine for both who and what you know.

STORY: It’s important to find the right person at a company. For Jeff Ragovin, doing just that has netted his company “over two to three million dollars”. Jeff writes: “I look at my network on LinkedIn,” “And I look at that as a gold mine.” As the VP of Sales and Business Development at Buddy Media, Jeff brings in marquis clients like Anheuser-Busch, Microsoft and New Balance by reaching out to the right person with a valuable proposal. Jeff says they’re more inclined to reply when approached via LinkedIn, because “they already have the opportunity to look you up … and maybe even see in your network where you have 14 recommendations. So there’s trust.” Perhaps that trust is why Jeff likes to keep his network “large but lean”.

“It’s not a numbers game,” Jeff says. “It’s not about how many people can I have in my network. With LinkedIn, it’s about how many qualified people that are valuable to me.” Jeff’s track record suggests that success is found in quality, rather than quantity. Though as quantities go, $2-3 million is nothing to sniff at.

3. Stay connected with existing business networking contacts. You’ve invested precious time in developing business contacts through networking –don’t let those contacts evaporate. Using LinkedIn, you can keep track of people you’ve met at in-person events or at trade shows – or people you’ve only met online. LinkedIn offers profile photos, letting you remember the person’s face even if you haven’t seen them in a while. Also, if you need an up-to-date email address for one of your connections, you can find it on LinkedIn.

Find connections. Who knows your client or customer before you do? Keep track of old friends. LinkedIn Identifies good networkers. Identify relationships between people you know and people you want to know. Pay attention to people’s job titles.

4. LinkedIn Recommendations – With LinkedIn, you can receive ongoing testimonials. When your clients and vendors give you recommendations, you gain instant credibility.

We are now in a time where most people will do a Google search for your name and company before deciding on a purchase. Your LinkedIn profile along with the recommendations from your clients and vendors will be near the top of any search on your name clearly adding to your credibility.

Invite and connect to people who have worked with you and can give you a glowing “specific” recommendation. You’ll want to help the person giving the recommendation use the right key words and specific solution for best results.

Give recommendations whenever possible. It will show up in Recent Activity on all the connections for both of you. In other words, you’ll both go up the referral curve!

5. Draw traffic to your website and blog. You can link to your website and blog from your LinkedIn profile. Adjust your LinkedIn settings to notify your contacts whenever you update your profile. Then update your profile once a quarter and LinkedIn will send out a notice to remind your contacts to come see what’s changed. For instance, if you redesign your website or add a product line, you can update your profile and your contacts automatically will be notified.

6. Get PR visibility. Many bloggers and journalists have LinkedIn profiles. While it may be difficult to get their attention by “cold call emailing,” try getting introduced to them through LinkedIn. You certainly do not want to spam them or annoy them. But connecting through LinkedIn is a low pressure way to start developing a relationship. Later on, after they “know” you, they may be more receptive to hearing about your online store, particularly if you serve a niche market or have distinctive merchandise. Take advantage of what you are working on to promote what you do. (keywords)

Join relevant Groups based on your interests, position yourself as an expert. Read the comments and add helpful, appropriate comments. Follow other groups. Use the news. Involve your coworkers into discussion.

7. Reinforce your business brand. Your LinkedIn profile will include your company name. You can even include detailed information about what your business does as well as your products and services. Some savvy entrepreneurs include their URL as part of their name and title so that it appears every time their name is displayed on LinkedIn. These actions reinforce your brand at no cost to you. Announce significant news about your business (new launch or joint venture. By way of a profile update. Make sure your website, blogs and other web-based content are SEO for YOUR purposes. Add something of value to the content, linked, tips, etc.

8. Use LinkedIn to hire service providers, freelancers, independent contractors and employees. LinkedIn is excellent for finding or checking out qualified help. All you need to do is request an introduction through an existing contact.

Lets review these LinkedIn Tips:

• Come recommended and reach out to the right person at the right company.
• Update your professional summary and request recommendations from your LinkedIn contacts who know what you do best.
• Search for the right person to connect with by job title, company, location or keyword.
• Review profiles to see if they’re a fit for your proposal and request an introduction through a common connection, or send an InMail directly to that person.
• By answering questions in your field of expertise you can help others while showcasing your knowledge of your particular industry in front of a wider audience. This will allow you to connect with interesting people and hopefully bring in new contracts.
• Have people familiar with your work recommend you!

Given our current economic conditions, there is no better time to utilize marketing opportunities like social media which are right at your fingertips to promote your business.

I hope you utilize 2009 to jumpstart social media strategies to improve your business.

With LinkedIn, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Update: When you’re done reading this, check out 8 More iPhone Tricks You Might Not Know.

Whether you’re an iPhone rookie or a weathered pro, take a look at these quick-and-easy iPhone tips and tricks which not only save you time, but ease your overall iPhone experience.

(These items are listed in no particular order.)

1. Scroll to Top of Page -

In any application, Safari included, you can automatically scroll to the top of the page by tapping on the “top bar”, which has the time, service bars, and battery. In Safari, this not only brings you to the top of the page, but also brings up the URL bar.

2.  Domain Resolution -

When typing a URL in Safari, you don’t have to type the “www” or the “.com”.For instance, for www.cnn.com just type “cnn” in the URL box. Note: Your search engine must be set to Google, not Yahoo.

3.   Domain Suffix – [On firmware 2.0 only]

Hold down the “.com” key for “.net, .edu, .org” keys. Note: Slide your finger from .com to .net/.edu/.org, rather than lifting and pressing.

4.   Press & Hold For Alternate Characters –

Hold a letter for a popup of various versions of the character (i.e. to type España with the “ñ” simply hold “n” and simply slide/release to the appropriate character).

5.   Click & Hold URL’s –

In Safari, hold a link to see the URL and site name.

6.   Soft Reset –

Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep button to restart your iPhone. A white light will flash, the screen will shut off and then turn back on. Keep holding until the screen turns back on.

7.   Take a Screenshot –

To take a screenshot, hold the home button and click the sleep button. The screen will flash white and the screenshot will be stored in your camera roll.

8.   Set Parental Controls –

You can enable certain restrictions or parental controls on your iPhone. You can block explicit lyrics, Safari, YouTube, iTunes, or the App Store. Just go to Settings, General, Restrictions.

9.   Save Any Image from Safari –

To save any image from the web to your camera roll, simply press and hold the image. A menu will appear asking “Save Image” or “Cancel”. Once the image is in your camera roll, you can set it as your wallpaper.

10.  Fast Forward/Rewind Music & Video –

Press and hold the skip forward/back arrows to fast forward or rewind rather than skip tracks. Also, press on the album art to manually FF/rewind.

11.   Delete Emails –

You can do both “bulk deletes” and “individual deletes” when browsing email. To do a bulk delete, simply click Edit, check off the desired emails, and then choose delete or move. To delete a single email, simply “cross it out” by swiping your finger across the email, then press delete.

12.  Double Tap Home Button –

Double tapping the home button has several useful functions, which are described here.

Although some of these tricks seem elementary to some iPhone users, I’m willing to bet there’s atleast one item on this list you weren’t aware of. And if that’s not the case, then congratulations iPhone Pro – you have graduated from iPhone 101.

Enjoy the more productive and enhanced iPhone experience these tricks will provide you!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

As an iPhone user, you’ve probably found yourself in lots of “iPhone” conversations, especially lately with the release of the App Store and iPhone 3G. If throughout those conversations you’ve found yourself thinking, “Wait, isn’t jailbreaking and unlocking the same thing?” or “What does he mean by Pwnage“, then this glossary is for you.

This glossary has lamens terms explanations of every iPhone term which seemed potentially confusing.

If there’s something you’re confused about that we didn’t include, please let us know and we’ll update!

(Note: The terms are listed in a semi-alphabetical, semi-logical flow manner. For example, EDGE, 3G, and GSM follow one another because of their relation to each other rather than alphabetical order.)

Activation -

The process of registering your iPhone with Apple and AT&T. Until your iPhone is activated, it can only be used for emergency calls. While the first generation iPhone was activated via iTunes, the new iPhone 3G can only be activated in the Apple or AT&T (or your nation’s carrier) store.

Accelerometer –

A tiny 3 axis device which comprehends the iPhone’s physical position. It can tell when the iPhone is being tilted, rotated, or moved. It inhances iPhone gaming tenfold.

Bricking -

To take all function away from an iPhone or iPod Touch hence rendering it as nothing more than a shiny “brick”. Sometimes firmware updates cause temporary bricking off the iPhone, for updates often fail or come with bugs. It is for this reason that you should frequently back up your iPhone.

Baseband -

The iPhone consists of “two parts”, a computer half and a modem half. Each half has an operating system. There is an OS for the computer half of your iPhone, and there’s an OS for the modem half called the Baseband. The Baseband handles all things “cell phone” related. In order to unlock the iPhone to use it with non-official carriers (i.e. T-Mobile in USA) the Baseband is what must be hacked. An iPod Touch lacks the “Baseband” half, hence its inability to execute phone calls.

EDGE –

Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution. EDGE is a method of providing “mobile internet”, and is no faster than a 56K dial up modem. EDGE was the only internet connection for the first generation iPhone (other than WiFi), while the iPhone 3G has the option for 3G and EDGE. The iPhone 3G only resorts to EDGE when there is no 3G connection in the area. EDGE is considered old technology.

3G -

3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology. Just like EDGE, it’s a method of providing a mobile internet connection. It is twice as fast (if not more) as EDGE, and has connection speeds similar to broadband. 3G includes HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) data transmission capabilities and is able to deliver speeds up to 14.4Mbit/s down and 5.8 Mbit/s up.

Whether a device has EDGE or 3G is determined by the hardware inside the phone. The difference between an iPhone 3G and an original iPhone which gives it 3G speeds is an actual chip. (That should settle the questions like, “How do I hack my original iPhone so it can have 3G?”…You can’t.)

GSM -

Global System for Mobile Communications. GSM is a cellular network which mobile phones connect to by searching for a specific frequency in its vicinty. In USA and Canada, GSM uses the 850MHz and 1900MHz frequencies.  GSM is the most popular mobile standard in the world, with over 3 billion users in 212 countries.

File System –

The methods and data structures that an operating system uses to keep track of files on a disk or partition. The iPhone’s file system uses two “disks”. One is public and stores your media (songs, videos, photos, apps). The other is private and contains all the techy files that keep your iPhone’s firmware running. Jailbreaking the iPhone requires access to the private file system, which could be gained by using SSH.

Firmware –

The iPhone’s built-in operating system. It controls both the “computer” portion of your iPhone and the baseband portion. There are periodic updates to the iPhone’s firmware. We have already lived through (1.0, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 2.0, 2.0.1)

SSH –

SSH is a command line program that allows you to remotely establish a secure connection between your computer and your iPhone. Using SSH, you can access the iPhone’s file system from your computer and securely transfer and alter files. Although the average user will never use SSH, it’s a very common tool in the jailbroken community, and is a must for all developers.

Jailbreak -

To gain access to the iPhone’s private file system, hence gaining the ability to override some of the iPhone’s restrictions. The use of jailbreaking an iPhone is to gain the ability to install third party applications.

Jailbroken Apps –

Third party applications which run only on iPhones that have been jailbroken (aka have had their private file system opened). These applications are not approved by Apple. Jailbroken apps can be downloaded from various repositories using Installer or Cydia.

Installer.app –

Installer.app is a 3rd party application which functions as a package manager for the jailbroken iPhone. It allows access to many repositories from which you can download other third party applications. In other words, it’s like an underground App Store.

Official Site

Cydia -

Just like Installer.app, Cydia is a 3rd party app which allows access to lots of other app downloads. Cydia and Installer are competitors, and you can have both on your jailbroken iPhone.

Official Site

App Store –

An official Apple store which sells third party applications via iTunes. All App Store applications must be developed using the iPhone SDK and must be approved by Apple. Apple collects 30% of the app’s price, and the developer keeps 70%.

Pwnage -

A program for Mac computers used to make custom firmware which after being loaded onto an iPhone or iPod Touch, jailbreaks and/or unlocks the device.

WinPwn -

The Windows version of the Pwnage Tool.

Unlock –

Making the iPhone operable with unofficial carriers. This is done by hacking the iPhone’s baseband, and could be accomplished by using the Pwnage tool. There are also “SIM unlock cards” which claim to unlock the iPhone by altering the SIM card.

iPhone Dev Team –

The group of hackers who created the Pwnage tool. They’re the minds behind the whole jailbreaking and unlocking craze.

iPhone Dev Team Portal

iPhone Dev Team Blog -

The team lists all news and progress on their blog.

iPhone Dev Team Blog

Springboard -

The iPhone’s stock software that runs your home screen from which you launch all applications. It’s the “black-background-with-icons-on-it” screen. The Springboard and icons can be altered only on jailbroken iPhones.

From now on, you’ll be the one leading the conversation, causing other amateur iPhone users to scratch their heads and say, “Huh?”. However, unlike the people who caused your former confusion, you’ll be kind enough to use your new found knowledge to answer all their iPhone questions.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

1. Choose a client software

Most individuals install a client software program (a way to send and receive Twitter “tweets”) on their computer. Here are a few choices Twitter shows on their download page, along with other popular clients:

Digsby IM + Email + Social Networks

Twitteroo Fast Tweeting, a few nice settings

Twitbin Uses Firefox Browser  – plugin

Spaz Mac/Windows/Linux

Snitter Mac/Windows (Linux in the works)

Twhirl Mac/Windows (Connects to multiple accounts – very popular)

TweetDeck Mac/Windows/Linux (my personal favorite)

Twitterrific Mac (Application that lets you read/post “tweets”)

————-

2. Twitter Shortcuts

Currently I subscribe to a few news groups. However, there has been an occasion where I just didn’t wish to receive any “tweets” (text messages) from Twitter for a short period of time on my cell phone.  The following commands will allow you to take full control of Twitter from your cell phone.

Type the following commands into your SMS device (for the newbie, here is how you can use your cell phone to command Twitter in a pinch):

1. Text Twitter (with the phone number of 40404)

2. Enter the following commands as a txt message, and send the message with your command of choice.

OFF: turns phone notifications off, to silence direct messages too, send ‘off’ again
ON: turns phone notifications on

SLEEP: turns phone notifications off
WAKE: turns phone notifications on

FOLLOW username: turns on notifications for a specific individual
LEAVE username : turns off notifications for a specific individual

D username message: sends a private message to a specific individual, but they must be following you to receive it (D joesmith Hello World)
@username: sends a public message to a specific individual (@joesmith Hellow World)

WHOIS username: returns bio info for a Twitter member
GET username : returns the last update from a specific individual

FAVE username : marks the last update of a user as a favorite
TRACK word : returns updates from the Twitter community containing the tracked word
TRACKING: returns a list of words you’re tracking
UNTRACK word : stops tracking a word
UNTRACK all : stops tracking all words

INVITE 4155225678: invites a friend via SMS/text message to join Twitter **(use their phone number with no spaces or dashes)**

STATS: returns statistics with your number of “followers” and “following”

————

3. How to Backup Twitter

On July 24, 2008, Twitter lost many users following/followers.  Twitter.com states “We’ve restored 99.6% of following/followers that disappeared. numbers & profile pics in sidebar may not be accurate until tomorrow afternoon 07:37 PM July 24, 2008 from web.”

I felt a large pit in my stomach, knowing I had lost many individuals I followed, and could not recall all of them to “search” their user name again.  Many wonderful individuals were stumbled upon.

After much research on the Internet I located two choices.

• If you do/don’t use MS Outlook, here is very good reason to use it. There is a plug-in tool called “OutTwit” which allows you to “tweet” with MS Outlook. The benefit of using MS Outlook for your tweeting needs out weighs the desire to not use MS Outlook. Here’s a quick explanation why.  Outlook downloads the usernames you correspond with daily from Twitter.com (the same way e-mail works). This pulls the information from Twitter’s server to your hard drive. Now you have the usernames stored in MS Outlook that you correspond with, if Twitter happens to lose our information again.
• The best I saved for last. The brilliant Twitter member vkoser, posted a wonderful step-by-step guide on how to download your “following” and “followers” directly from Twitter, and export them into an MS Excel file, for safe keeping.  Thank you vkoser!

————-

4. Schedule Future Dated Tweets & Autoresponder

Have you ever wanted to “tweet” an announcement for something upcoming, but knew you wouldn’t be available? Have you ever wanted to keep your “tweets” going while you were playing with your children?  With TweetLater, you can set several “tweets” for a specific time to appear on Twitter.

TweetLater.com has a user friendly interface, with free service to boot.  Members can set up an account to autorespond to new followers as well.

————-

You Won’t Break It…

Play around with these suggestions. Don’t be intimidated, or afraid to break something. You will never know what a wonderful world Twitter can be, until you unlock the power of its tools.

Now go play…

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!