social media Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Denise Riches

SmarterQueue – Product Review

Not all social media schedulers are the same. When I began my VA business in 2016, I was using free versions of Buffer and Hootsuite (as in, before Hootsuite’s 30-post limit). It was great to have content being shared across my social media channels automatically.

Unfortunately, platforms such as these require constant topping up and/or updating.

It wasn’t until a client of mine asked me to manage their social media using SmarterQueue, that I noticed just how much maintenance these types of apps actually require.

SQ was different in many ways, but most of all, it recycled posts!

While it’s taken me some time to figure out some of the features, it’s one of the best social media scheduling apps I’ve ever used. It’s not perfect, though – there are still things I’d love for it to be able to do (currently, copying the queue from one category to another, rather than having to copy each individual post).

However, here’s what you should know:

Schedule both one-time and evergreen posts

When creating a post, you can choose whether to reschedule the post after it’s shared, or just share it once.

SQ offers a wide variety of platforms to schedule posts to

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. Yes, Pinterest! While not as in-depth as an app such as Tailwind, it’s quite handy!

Instagram posting isn’t automatic – YET

It was great when Hootsuite came out with automatic posting! You could just schedule your posts, and be done with it until it was time to top up your queue again. I do wish SQ would adopt the same posting structure.

So, with SQ, you add your posts to the queue, add your image, caption, hashtags… then schedule the post. At the posting time, SQ will send your phone a notification (yes, you need the SQ app on your phone). You need to open the notification, click on the post you want to share, and complete the posting process by choosing Story or Feed, and paste the text (that automatically copies to your clipboard during the process), then share the post.

LinkedIn requires account reconnection every 30 days

This has something to do with LinkedIn’s API, it resets every 30 days and requires manual reconnection via SQ. It’s not just SQ, though – this happens with every scheduler.

Tweets, after they’re shared once, will automatically come up as an RT (retweet)

This is mildly annoying, and the only way to combat this problem is by editing/changing the text in SQ so that Twitter doesn’t consider it a duplicate tweet.

Even better news…

You can share one post and vary the images that go with the post

Each time the post is shared to the platform, SQ will cycle through all of the images in sequence (which can be changed, just drag and drop the order you wish the images to be shared in) so that your content looks fresh each and every time.

You can ALSO vary the text!

As an example, if you have the same message but don’t want to repeat yourself, by rewording it several times, this also makes your content look fresh and new. This is terrific for all platforms but I especially like it for Pinterest.

SmarterQueue is very organized

SQ has awesome filters so that you can easily change or update posts, by category, profile, one-time posts or evergreen, or posts by content. SUPER handy.

SmarterQueue also keeps track of how many times your posts have been shared by displaying what cycle it’s in. At a glance, you’re able to see a post that’s been shared 8 times and decide if you want to update it or not.

Turn it off, and turn it back on

Another great feature is the ability to pause a category, profile or your entire queue. You can unpause it whenever you like.

Analytics

Like the majority of social media scheduling tools, SQ also has an analytics tool so you can easily see the stats of your posts.

In summary, SQ is not *completely* hands-free once you plug some content in there. There are some maintenance aspects involved to keep content fresh, however, it’s probably one of the lowest-maintenance scheduling tools around. SmarterQueue definitely tops my list.

Get a free trial with my link https://smarterqueue.com/?ref=6e8

Need some help with your social media? Book a free consultation call with me and let’s talk.

Online Safety – Instagram

In my online safety series, we’ve covered several social media platforms, reviewing our account settings and locking each one down. Why? Because identity thieves can do a number on you if you aren’t careful about the kinds of information you’re sharing online.

Instagram is pretty simple, so let’s go!

Locking Down Instagram

Desktop: Log into your Instagram account.
Click on your profile (your icon at the top).

Click on ‘Apps & Websites’ and review the apps that have access to your Instagram account. Be sure to remove any you don’t recognize or those you no longer want.

Click on ‘Privacy & Security’. Consider setting up two-factor authentication, and also consider turning off Activity Status. It’s no one’s business when you’re online or offline.

Visit each section and carefully review them.

Mobile: Tap on your profile icon and visit your profile.
Tap the three lines in the top right corner, and choose ‘Settings’.

As above, review each menu and check that your birth year isn’t displayed.

Now your Instagram account is more secure!

If you’ve enjoyed these online safety posts, be sure to check back for the next one.

Book a free consultation call with me and we will develop a plan that’s best for you AND your files.

Online Safety – LinkedIn

We hear stories in the news almost daily: you are not guaranteed safety when you’re online. Usually, there are two schools of thought: some people won’t share any kind of personal information online, and others don’t think it can really be that serious.

Social media is important to just about any business. We need to be out there, promoting our products and services. Not being online isn’t really as much of an option as it was a decade or two ago.

If you’ve been following along with my online safety series, you’ve been busy locking down your profiles and accounts. Join me as we walk through your LinkedIn settings, ensuring as much safety as possible.

Securing LinkedIn

Log into your LinkedIn account.
Click on the down arrow next to your photo in the top right corner (should say ‘Me’).
Click on ‘Settings and Privacy’.

One by one, go through each of the headings in this section, Accounts, Privacy, Ads, Communications, and carefully considering each preference.

When you come across the setting for ‘Viewers of this profile also viewed’, switch this to ‘No’. This isn’t safety-related, but you want to keep prospective clients/customers on your page, without directing them to other people who are in the same industry as you.

Under Ads, it’s probably wisest to switch everyone to ‘No’. You probably don’t want LinkedIn sharing your information with any third parties.

In this series, we’ve discussed how people can steal your identity by knowing your birthdate. To keep this hidden on LinkedIn, click on the Me icon, View Profile, See Contact Information, Edit. Make your changes and click Save.

And there you have it, a more secure LinkedIn account.

If you’ve found this post to be helpful, be sure to check back for my next one!

Book a free consultation call with me to see if I can help you with your business.

Online Safety – WhatsApp

In my previous blog post, I shared tips and tricks to increase your online safety on Google. In case you missed it, you can read it here.

As I mentioned in my previous blog posts, scammers only need a few key pieces of information in order to cheat you out of money or even your identity. By taking a few simple precautions on your online accounts, you can deter them.

In this post, we’re talking about WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is a handy application that allows for quick text messages, voice clips or sending small files back and forth. As with Facebook though (they actually own WhatsApp and Instagram), there have been security breaches. Protect yourself by following these few steps:

Using your phone, open WhatsApp.
Look for and click on the three dots in the top right, and select Settings.
Click on Account and then Privacy.
Review these options and make changes where you deem necessary.

I changed ‘Last seen’ to Nobody – my time is my business and no one needs to know what I’m doing or when I’m doing it.

Review your Profile Photo, About and Status and decide whether you want to change those to Nobody as well.

I strongly suggest changing Contacts to Nobody because the goal here is to keep your personal information from people you don’t know very well.

Take the time to review the other sections and subsections and make changes where you feel it’s best to do so.

Also, consider turning on the Two-Step Verification.

In Summary

I don’t know about you, but I felt MUCH safer after updating my settings on WhatsApp (and actually, all the other platforms as well).

I hope you’ve found this post helpful!

Book a free consultation call with me to see how I can further benefit you and your business.

Online Safety – Google

In my previous blog post, I shared tips and tricks to increase your online safety on Twitter. In case you missed it, you can read it here.

As previously mentioned, online safety is very important, as scammers can (and do!) access your information easily and steal your identity or your money, unless you take some simple precautions. Preventative measures are not only possible but strongly encouraged.

Scammers only need a few pieces of key information in order to steal your identity, so making sure that your online accounts are locked down is really important.

In this post, we will cover Google.

Let’s walk through this process step by step:

Log into your Gmail account
Click on your photo
Select Manage Your Google Account

On this page, you will see some options on the main page, as well as some in the left-hand menu.

Run the Security and Privacy Checkups. Next, click Manage Your Privacy and Personalization. These are all found on the main portion of the page.

Continue your way down the menu on the left-hand side and go through each section.

Repeat for any other Google accounts you may have.

What to know about each section:

PERSONAL INFO

Make sure you review ‘What Others See About Me’.

DATA & PERSONALIZATION

Ensure that you run through the ‘Privacy Checkup’ if you haven’t already. Review the ‘Business Personalization’ section, especially if you’re using your Google account for business purposes.

SECURITY

Spend some time reviewing this area, paying special attention to ‘Third-party Apps With Account Access‘. Be sure to remove any third-party apps you no longer use or don’t recognize. Consider setting up a PIN number and two-step verification.

PEOPLE & SHARING

If you haven’t already, be sure to review the ‘Choose What Others See’ area.

PAYMENTS & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Check that there isn’t anything listed here that you don’t recognize or haven’t authorized.

In Summary

It’s probably a wise idea to perform this exercise at least once a month. By doing so, you’ll rest easy knowing that your account is as secure as possible and no one can leach any of your personal information.

Book a free consultation call with me to see how I can further benefit you and your business.

Online Safety – Twitter

Turn on any news outlet, and you’re likely to hear of some new scam aimed at innocent people. It’s not hard to see how it’s become such a problem, either – with online shopping, online profiles and our general oversharing of sensitive information, it’s no wonder it’s in the news so frequently.

Scammers generally need just TEN pieces of information to pull the wool over your eyes, but not all ten. A few will get the job done. Check it out:

date and place of birth
financial account numbers
social insurance/security number
physical and email address
banking PIN codes
credit card expiration dates/codes
driver’s license or passport number
full name
phone number
employer, affiliations or memberships

Scary, isn’t it?

And what’s even scarier is that most of this information is free for the taking, on your social media accounts. So, please join me for this online security checkup series of blog posts, starting with Twitter. Ready? Let’s do this!

Log into your Twitter account
Click on the 3 dots next under your photo, and select Settings & Privacy
Go through each subsection within Settings and update as necessary
Check the other headings as well, and review your account

Let’s break it down:

ACCOUNT

Take a look at the two items in the Security section and decide if you want to enable the Additional Password Protection.

PRIVACY AND SAFETY

Review each of the subsections here and pay close attention to Personalization & Data. I chose not to share my data with business partners.

NOTIFICATIONS

Review all the information here, but pay close attention to Advanced Filters.

CONTENT & PREFERENCES

Choose whether to turn off Personalization & Data.

GENERAL

You will see the subsections: Display, Data Usage, Accessibility, and About Twitter.

LOGIN & SECURITY

This is where you can set up extra password protection.

DATA & PERMISSIONS

Click Your Twitter Data, select Apps, Devices and Information and then Connected Apps. Review and revoke access of any apps you don’t recognize or use anymore.

While you’re here, click Interests & Ads Data. You’ll see this is where your ad interests are. They are based on your activity, profile and topics you follow. You can opt out of interest-based ads but it won’t stop ads from appearing in your feed.

BIRTH DATE

Go back to your profile, and click on Edit Profile. Scroll down to Birth Date. If you’ve entered your birth date here, you can choose to remove it. At the very least, remove your year of birth – this may only slightly deter someone from finding out your year of birth though. If a scammer can find a record of when you graduated from any school, it wouldn’t take much to guess a year.

In summary

Online safety is so important these days, especially with reports of information being hacked or leaked. By removing sensitive information from your accounts, you’re taking matters into your own hands.

Check back for my next blog post.

Book a free consultation call with me to see how I can further benefit you and your business.