Who else thinks the new Facebook toolbar is a big usability and accessibility #FAIL? Click to see a larger image.

For the April 16 #AskAngel chat, I interviewed Leslie Anneliese, a nurse who’s also a long-time practitioner of The Radiance Technique®. TRT is something everyone can learn. What is it? How does it help? Find out by reading the slideshow of the chat, complete with notes and graphics, powered by Storify. (To read the whole chat in list format, click here to read on Storify.

If you enjoyed this discussion, join us every Tuesday at 2pmET (7pmGMT) for #AskAngel! Learn more about the chat here. Use the form below to get text-message reminders of the chat each week. Hope to see you!

The April 2 #AskAngel chat may just be full of useful information! We discussed the best times to tweet, how to be more popular on Twitter, and social media scheduling services, including Buffer and HootSuite.

Here’s the slideshow of the chat, complete with tweets, notes and graphics, powered by Storify. (To read the whole chat in list format, click here to read on Storify.

Are you doing Camp NaNoWriMo? Do you have advice about the best times to tweet? Are you a Nigerian chef? Tell us in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this discussion, join us every Tuesday at 2pmET (7pmGMT) for #AskAngel! Learn more about the chat here. Use the form below to get text-message reminders of the chat each week. Hope to see you!

It turns out we have many musically- and artistically-inclined #AskAngel chatters! On March 26 we talked about passions we’d like to pursue, as well as the pitfalls of trying to quantify social influence, Facebook’s latest awful “feature,” and how New MySpace keeps conversations going.

Here’s the slideshow of the chat, complete with tweets, notes and graphics, powered by Storify. (To read the whole chat in list format, click here to read on Storify.

Are you pursuing your passion right now? Do you want to get back to a life passion? What do you think about Klout, Kred and other attempts to quantify social influence? And do you think Facebook’s out-of-order comments are a sign that it’s “jumped the shark”? Please tell us in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this discussion, join us every Tuesday at 2pmET (7pmGMT) for #AskAngel! Learn more about the chat here. Use the form below to get text-message reminders of the chat each week. Hope to see you!

In the March 19 #AskAngel chat, I wanted to know how the participants handled a sudden glut of problems. In turn, they wanted to know how to get links to their websites and my predictions for new pope policies. We also explore the close relationship between social media and #bacon!

Check out this great slideshow of the chat, complete with tweets, notes and graphics, powered by Storify. (To read the whole chat in list format, click here to read on Storify.

What about you? What do you really do when too many things go wrong at once? Do you have any pope-policy predictions? Where do you stand on #bacon? Share in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this discussion, join us every Tuesday at 2pmET (7pmGMT) for #AskAngel! Learn more about the chat here. Use the form below to get text-message reminders of the chat each week. Hope to see you!

In the March 12 #AskAngel chat, I asked the participants to tell me what bored, frustrated or excited them about the various social networks. The answers are quite illuminating! These are all people who use social media regularly for both work and play. Some of the results: several people agreed with me that Facebook is in trouble, and we all worried that Twitter’s new policies will make it far less useful for us. We also discussed Google Plus, boutique social networks, Ning, BuddyPress, Spotify and New MySpace. We took a ride in the wayback machine to see Yahoo Groups and Voy. Scary for Pinterest: we almost forgot them!

Other topics from March 12: blog hosting and integration, why people follow blogs, and the difference between Angelique and a Victoria’s Secret model. (Hint: It’s in the hashtag!)

Check out this great slideshow of the chat, complete with tweets, notes and graphics, powered by Storify. (To read the whole chat in list format, click here to read on Storify.)

#AskAngel March 12, 2013

Is Facebook withering? Is Twitter in danger? We talk about which social networks bore and and excite us. Also: How to tell the difference between Angelique and a Victoria’s Secret Angel.

Storified by Angelique· Fri, Mar 15 2013 17:31:19

What about YOU? What bores you about the various social networks? What do you think is fun or exciting? Share in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this discussion, join us every Tuesday at 2pmET (7pmGMT) for #AskAngel! Learn more about the chat here. Use the form below to get text-message reminders of the chat each week. Hope to see you!

On Wednesday, February 13, I was a member of a small group of people who got to talk to author Chris Guillebeau (The Art of Non-Conformity, The $100 Startup) about writing and publishing. On the left is a screenshot; you can see me in the lower left corner! The talk was recorded; you can watch it on YouTube.

Here are some ideas I had during the talk:

This blog needs some “flagship content.” Flagship content won’t get outdated, at least for a long time. Examples are articles that people can turn to again and again, articles that can be enjoyed months after I’ve written them. Chris’ flagship content is his manifesto: “A Brief Guide to World Domination.” I think writing a manifesto is a great idea. I mean, if you’re going to offer something that will stand the test of time, why not make it a statement about your strongest opinions or most cherished beliefs? (For those of you who are reaching for the dictionary, a manifesto is a public written declaration of principles, policies, and objectives.)

This blog needs a way cooler title. I’m not even actually sure “The A.F.MarCom Blog: Advice by Angelique” counts as a title. My new blog, which I haven’t shared with you because it doesn’t have anything on it yet, doesn’t have that problem. It’s called Our Green Dreamhome. Catchy, right? And it lets you know what that blog’s about, too. I gotta think of something to use here. I’m open to suggestions! Leave them in the comments, and if I pick yours, as usual, you will win….

I need to start saving all the stuff I write on my various social networks, in discussion forums and in blog comments. Chris says he strives to write a thousand words a day. I am absolutely positive that on most days I exceed a thousand words, and that I’m often writing over a thousand words on the same subject. I shouldn’t let all that go to waste!

Do these ideas give you ideas? How about when you watch the video on YouTube? Let me know in the comments!

I’m back on MySpace! I’ve been checking out New MySpace, and I thought I’d share my experience with you. MySpace used to be so fun, and I really hope it will be again. They’ve already thought of a great new unique feature for self-expression that should thrill anyone who enjoys Pinterest: Mixes. (See number 11 below.) Here are twelve images to give you an idea of what the rebooted MySpace is all about.

UPDATE! I talked about New MySpace, as well as reviewing all the social media strategies that worked or didn’t work for me in 2012, when I was the special guest on the Twitter chat #mediachat on January 10. Click here to read the transcript of that chat!

Click images to see larger versions in a new window

1. Register! MySpace, thank goodness, still respects the musicians, artists, dancers and writers who made it famous in the first place. They accept mononyms, stage nyms, pen nyms and any other sort of nym. And for those of you who don’t have a stage name, but want the kind of identity protection offered by Pinterest and WebMD, you can do the first name/last initial thing (preferred by all of my female non-techy friends.)

While your “full name” can be anything, your “username,” which becomes part of your personal MySpace profile address, can’t be identical to anyone else’s. If you want your name to be part of your username, and you have a common name, be prepared to be creative!

2. Choose your account type. It won’t make much of a difference right now, but eventually each account type will have unique layouts and apps. This is already true for musician and photographer accounts. Marketers: Notice that there’s a “brand” account!

3. Your profile: Avatar, cover image and bio. Here’s what’s really different about new MySpace: your profile scrolls horizontally! What you’re looking at here is the “start” of my profile. To the far left are my avatar and links to my connections, my photos and my “mixes.” (More on mixes later!) Then there’s space for a large cover image, and after that a short bio. Right now you can only feature one URL, but eventually you’ll be able to feature several.

Profile cover image dimensions: The minimum size is 1024 x 768. The recommended size is 1920 x 1080. The maximum height and width is 2000px.

4 & 5. Your profile: The “content and activity” area. Here are two views of my “content and activity” area. Note the Pinterest-style individual image modules.

6. Photos. Here’s a shot of the photo gallery.

7. Searching for people and musicians. This is what New MySpace search looks like. Yes, the name you’re searching really is that big! The results are broken down into categories, so if you’re looking for a particular song, you only have to scan the “songs” column.

8. A musician’s catalogue. I don’t think there’s anything particularly striking about the new musician catalogues and profiles, but that’s not at all a bad thing; musician and label websites are often very hard to view and navigate because they’re filled with tons of confusing images and links. At least this is easy to use!

UPDATE! 2013 02 09. When I wrote this article, by chance, the musicians I knew had chosen to limit their profiles to their catalogues, which is why I thought their profiles “weren’t particularly striking.” Turns out that many musicians, particularly independent ones, have full profiles that include a stream and mixes.

9. Connecting with people, musicians and graphics. New MySpace uses two linked circles to symbolize a connection. MySpace uses the word “connect” in unexpected ways. Not only do you “connect” with people and bands, but you’re said to “connect” with photos and songs. “Connecting” with a photo that some else has posted will duplicate that photo in your profile’s “content and activity” area.

10. Browse People. When it comes to connecting with new people, New MySpace is a lot more like Twitter than Facebook. On Facebook, you’re unlikely to get to know someone new unless it’s through a mutual friend. On Twitter and MySpace you’re likely to meet new people because you share common interests. Right now the browse feature is very much in beta; the only parameter besides city is type of music. Yes, they’ll be adding more!

11. Mixes. “Mixes” are a completely new MySpace feature that really should have their own article. Basically you can add photos, video, songs and status updates into a type of album called a “mix.” Think of it as a multimedia horizontal Pinterest board. MySpace generates three for you: one of all the images and songs you’ve ever uploaded, one of all the cover images you’ve ever uploaded, and one of all the profile photos you’ve ever had. Yeah, the last two are pretty lame. You’ll definitely want to make your own custom mixes.

12. The Help Screen: UPDATED 2013 02 01! Go ahead, find the “help button.” I dare you! When I first wrote this article, I actually through MySpace was hiding their help section, but they’re not; it was just really, really hard to find, and I don’t think it was deliberate. They really thought it was obvious! Anyway, if you look reaaaaaly carefully at the veeeeery bottom of the screen, you’ll see a row of links, including “Help.” Or you can go to http://new.myspace.com/help. Right now they have real staff members answering your questions very quickly, so I kinda feel like I’m going to regret giving this away, but I guess if they get overwhelmed because so many people learned about their help section from this blog, that’s a good problem for me to have.

Finally: What about blogs? “Classic” MySpace had a pretty cool blogging platform. Photos looked great, and uou could make it very clean and easy-to-read. (Or admittedly, you could make it a hot mess.) On the left is an entry of mine from 2009. I asked if New MySpace would have something similar, and what would happen to our old blogs when all the Classic profiles become New. MySpace hasn’t decided how they’ll handle blogs yet. They may offer them via third-party applications. They did say that a lot of users want to have blogs on New MySpace.

Have you tried New MySpace? Tell me all about it in the comments, and don’t forget to add a link to your New MySpace profile!

It’s baaaaack! I created the Christmas Vacation Facebook Challenge in 2010. Here’s the updated version for 2012. Taking the challenge? Post your results on the A.F.MarCom Facebook Page!

Whatever you call it — Christmas vacation, winter break, holiday leave, plant shutdown, my-company-is-saving-costs-by-giving-us-unpaid-vacation — a lot of you have time on your hands between December 25 and January 2. So do your friends and relatives, some of whom are trying out new computers and joining Facebook for the first time.

Christmas vacation is the perfect time to really get to know your way around Facebook. During my challenge you can:

Establish good social networking habits

Experience the successful and unsuccessful posting techniques of your friends

Get a feel for what works and what doesn’t on business pages

And best of all….

Reestablish and reinforce personal relationships with friends and family who live far away or have busy lives.

Even if you’re primarily on Facebook to manage a business page, if your enterprise is business-to-consumer, it’s important to understand how Facebook is used personally.

The last point is so important I’m going to repeat it:

1. DIVIDE YOUR FRIENDS INTO EASY-TO-FOLLOW LISTS.

Did you know that you can put your Facebook friends into lists, and then see customized newsfeeds containing just those friends? This is a very helpful feature, especially if you have a large number of friends that you know from different activities or times of your life. Facebook does shuffle your friends into preset categories, but Facebook’s robots make some funny decisions, and the default lists aren’t necessarily useful. You’ll definitely want to make your own lists.

On Facebook, as in life, the boring people drown out the interesting people. Therefore, the most basic way to divide your friends is between “people whose stuff you don’t want to miss” and “people who’s stuff you don’t mind missing.”

Another way to divide your Facebook friends is by their interests. This is helpful if you want to quickly see what your musician friends are up to this weekend, or if your marathon-running friends are still training in the face of cookies and egg nog.

Other possible lists are local friends, out-of-town friends, high school friends, friends with political interests, friends of your gender and friends who are parents. Not only do lists like these make it easier to follow groups of friends, but you can write updates that are visible only to the members of a specific list.

Facebook has made many changes in 2012, so here are some screenshots to help you find your friends list. Click on them to see a larger version.

2. RESPOND TO YOUR FRIENDS’ POSTS

Do you scan your newsfeed for updates but never interact with the people who are posting? It’s time to join the fun! Participation can be as simple as giving “thumbs up” to a photo via the “like” button, or as complex having a conversation with several people who have all replied to a friend’s status update. Make it a point to respond in some way to at least one status update, photo or link each day during this challenge.

3. SHARE YOUR NEWS, THOUGHTS, PHOTOS, FAVORITE SONGS, FAVORITE VIDEOS AND THINGS YOU THINK YOUR FRIENDS MIGHT ENJOY.

I feel confident that all of you reading this post have, at least once, shared something with a group of people via email. I’m also sure that most of you do this regularly.

Communicating with your friends via Facebook is no different, except that you’re not cluttering up their mailboxes. To get into the habit of connecting with your friends via Facebook, for the duration of this challenge, pick a time each day during which you will always update your status. You might start in the morning with your plans for the day, post in the evening with a recap of the day, or choose the afternoon so that you have a little of both. Or maybe you won’t talk about what you’re doing, but rather how you feel about something — so excited that your kid is coming home from college, or so bummed that you have to shovel two feet of snow.

Don’t get hung up worrying that your posts won’t be interesting to every single one of your friends. You are not a professional entertainer. You’re a person whose friends have a variety of interests. If you have friends who love shoes, then you’ll want them to know about Your Next Shoes. If some of your friends love Star Trek, you’ll want them to see this.

4. “LIKE” YOUR FRIENDS’ PAGES

Hey, it’s always good to help out your friends, plus it’s another way to get to know them. If they’re bad at running their business pages and flood your newsfeed with useless chatter, you can always hide their pages, and you’ll have learned a valuable lesson you can apply to your own page. And if they run their pages well, you can imitate them!

5. REPEAT STEPS 2 – 4 FOR YOUR BUSINESS PAGE. Respond to at least one other business every single day of this challenge. Share their information, advice and good news whenever it’s appropriate. Share your news, thoughts and business-related favorites with this important warning in mind:

PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW THE CHALLENGE IS GOING FOR YOU! I encourage everyone to “like” the A.F.MarCom Facebook Page and post updates and questions there. I’m also thrilled to get comments here on the blog!