Daily Archives: July 9, 2012

Who has the Rights on your Facebook Photos? | Waccabuc Real Estate

Photo sharing is becoming a hot topic in social media and Facebook is the first place that many people and businesses upload their photos. The photos on Facebook can be really unique and could inspire you to use these published photos on your blog, in your magazine, or designs. Think before you act as you do not have permission to use these photos and using them, no matter how cool or unique they are could put you on the hot seat.

Who owns photos on Facebook once they are uploaded?

Facebook has been very clear that once a photo is uploaded onto a personal profile or fanpage, the rights to that photo belong to Facebook. Crazy but true, and this has stopped a lot of people from uploading photos to Facebook.

Lets look at an example of a Facebook uploaded photo. You go to a family reunion and take a bunch of photos from the weekend. To share the event with family members and friends, you upload the photos to your Facebook page. As soon as you do that, Facebook becomes the owner of the photos. You no longer own the rights to the photos. So if Facebook chooses to use your photo in an ad to promote Facebook, you can not ask for compensation. You can not even ask Facebook to remove it as you did not provide permission. By uploading your personal photos to Facebook, they own the rights. No arguing.

If a business does the same on their fanpage, they lose the rights to that photo that they owned.

Facebook is the only social media network with this rule

Other photo sharing social media platforms provide the user with copyright options for their photos. Flickr explains all the options you have as the owner of the photos and lets you choose which option you want to attach to your photos. Picasso does the same. Facebook did not provide their social media network users the option, they told each user in their privacy rights what rights Facebook has for media uploads.

Take note of photo use on social media networks

5852332880 9529c52665 300x400 Who has the Rights on your Facebook Photos?If you find a photo on a persons Facebook page, comment, like it or share it within Facebook if you think it is a great photo. Do not download the photo and use it for personal, digital or paper designs. The legal use of this photo can not be obtained and you are opening up yourself to photo rights issues. Use the terms of use for Facebook and their internal ways of sharing and forget about it. The only person that has rights to that photo is Facebook.

If you need a photo, use your own personal photos, hire a photography to take photos or the best way to obtain the legal use of photos is through stock photo agencies who are in the business of selling stock photos with digital rights so you can safely and correctly use photos for a very small fee. Many photos can be purchased for under $ 1USD and in some cases as low as 21 cents. This is the best way to obtain great photos with digital rights and ensure that you do not compromise yourself, your designs, you content or the photographer. There are a lot of stock photo agencies in the business of selling photos for this very reason and it is just finding the right stock photo agency that fits your photo needs and budget.

Five Google+ Tips for Beginners | Katonah NY Real Estate

Using Google+ is becoming increasing important for business as Google continues to make its new social network more integrated into search results. For many, Google+ is still a new frontier in the social media realm, but Google makes it easy to get on Google+ and start interacting.

Below are five Google + tips for beginners, whether you are seeking new friends, new customers or new visitors to your website:

#1. Target Your Circles.

5893685462 2e46540e28 m Five Google+ Tips for BeginnersGoogle + operates differently from Facebook, and it can serve as a means for you to expand your network beyond friends and family you know in real life to people who share similar activities or interests. This is one of the most basic of Google+ tips for beginners.

Using Google+ searches, you can find people who have similar political, sports, writing, or business interests as your own, and you can monitor and engage on their Google+ thread by “circling” them and placing them into a specific “circle”. It can be a unique way to make new friends or contacts for the future, which is a key for any business.

#2. Write Interesting Content.

You probably want your information to be shared to the public, which is what makes writing interesting content so important. When someone enjoys reading what you have written, they are more likely to share it with others, and that means your message gets out to more readers.

If you have a blog or are seeking to promote a business, this is a very good and important tactic when it comes to Google+. With its “circles”, you can target your content to the people that would likely be most interested in what you have to share.

#3. Use Original Content.

3649959481 2e4c9b0d8b 300x225 Five Google+ Tips for BeginnersWhile interesting content is good enough, it should be something original. People are more likely to want to read your posts if they don’t contain writing they can find elsewhere. Original content also helps you maintain a consistent theme and tone because they are your own, and can help you build your following, and having them share with their circles what you have shared.

#4. Comment Liberally.

You like to receive comments on your posts on Google+, and so do others. People are more likely to comment or share your posts if you have done the same for them. While comments are great to get recognition from people within your own Google + circle, they also serve as a means of expanding it as friends of friends spot your comments and choose to follow your thread as well based upon what they have read in your comments. In addition to posts, you can also add a +1 to comments showing that you like would people have to say.

Remember that comments that are funnier or more insightful are more likely to expand your own Google+ circle than quick one-liners or some equivalent of the Facebook “Like.” Be engaging and interesting, and you could find yourself with a broad network whom could become friends, business contacts or blog readers.

#5. Find Groups and Interact.

Locating and joining groups or clicks on Google + can help you to expand your online network. These groups form because they have similar interests, and you will be able to recognize which of these groups would interest and welcome you the most.

For example, if you have a green business and are seeking new readers, you can almost certainly find multiple groups on Google + with similar interests such as environmentalists and make friends who can turn into regular visitors to your site. The same goes for almost any business, and of course, it’s always true of just making new friends.

Google+ is much more than just another social network. The company with about 80% of the U.S. search engine market backs it. If you generate sales through search traffic, the time to get on Google+ is now.

4 Great Social Media Tools You Should Use Everyday | Bedford Hills NY Real Estate

Since the growth of social media, many business or should I say most business are now impelled to be active on social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and LinkedIn.  The challenge that businesses face is that you have to be engaging with your following and at the same time interesting and compelling so you gain new followers. Another concern for businesses that use social media is the time it takes to manage it. This this were third party tools come in, and let me assure you the best ones can maximise your social media campaigns and help solve the above concerns.

There are tons of tools out there and it can be hard to find the right one for you and your business but to get you started, here is my top six that I like to use:

Social Mention

Social 300x223 4 Great Social Media Tools You Should Use EverydaySocial Mention is a search platform that pulls in user generated content from different social media channels. These channels include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google, Digg, FriendFeed etc…

One feature I love is the alerts that you can set, similar to Google alerts you can set daily emails to be sent to you if your company’s brand, CEO, marketing campaign or competitor has been mentioned.

Crowd Booster 

social2 300x238 4 Great Social Media Tools You Should Use EverydayThere are many tools out there like this, but crowd booster does offer some fantastic features that are unique. Firstly, you get the usual stuff like how many followers, tweets, fans, likes etc…. your business has but one thing that’s makes this tool stand out is the recommendation engine.

Based on your facebook and twitter account statistics, Crowd Booster will recommend certain actions that you should take. For example, it will identify a group of high influencers (who follow you) based on their Klout score and recommend that you should engage with them. This tool is perfect for a small to medium size business.

HootSuite  

social3 300x203 4 Great Social Media Tools You Should Use EverydayThe ultimate social media management tool that can save you time and increase your productivity. HootSuite if you didn’t already know is a social media dashboard where you can manage all of your channels from one webpage.

The social channels you can manage without hoot suite are:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Goolge+ Pages
  • Foursquare

Plus many more…

Tweet Reach 

social4 300x216 4 Great Social Media Tools You Should Use EverydayAs you can tell be the name of this tool it can only be used for twitter but you can get a great insight into how each individual tweets performed and what impact it had on your twitter conversions. It is a great ways to see how many accounts your tweets reached and what impressions they got

Conclusion

Well there you have it, 4 social media tools that you should be using right now. As I mentioned previously, there are a great number of tools out there that can help your social media campaign but my best advice is to trial a few and see which works best for you.

Best Social Networks for Renters | Bedford NY Real Estate

Being a renter has its ups and downs. Finding an apartment now, when more people than ever are choosing to rent, is not easy. Fortunately, today’s technology and social media offers some great ways to make the whole process easier and quicker. You can tour apartments virtually, review listings in your area without leaving your couch or buying a newspaper, and read reviews by others who’ve lived in the area. Since there are so many different websites that promise to help, it’s easy to get lost in them. Here are reviews of 6 social media sites for renters. Use this to decide which networks will work for you!

RentSocial

rentsocial 300x218 Best Social Networks for RentersCurrently in Beta, RentSocial features a sleek, easy-to-navigate design. Once you sign in, you get a profile with saved rental properties, friends also on the network, and a message center. Each rental property has its own page, which includes reviews, photos, general information, prices, floor plans, pet information, contact information, and more. The site also makes it easy for landlords to add properties. The drawback with this site, though, is that it’s so new that not a lot of people use it yet. If you’re looking to rent in a large city like Minneapolis, you’ll find some listed properties. However, you won’t find as many as you would on other rental search sites.

Apartable

apartable 300x218 Best Social Networks for RentersAlso featuring a navigable design, Apartable is a little bit simpler than RentSocial. Instead of having a whole profile page, you just have an account where you can save apartments. Apartment pages show mostly the same information – price, amenities, images, square footage, and more. The drawback on this site is also the fact that it is quite new. There are many apartment listings for major cities such as Chicago or Boston, but not as many or none in non-major cities.

10ants

10ants 300x251 Best Social Networks for Renters10ants is a social network for renters to connect with neighbors. We’ve all been in that situation where you need a baby sitter, or you’d like to share WiFi with a neighbor to reduce costs, or you’re trying to set up a group to play a game. On 10ants.com, you can post messages for others in your building to read. Each building gets its own home page, or “Bulletin Board”, where people can leave notes and questions for each other. While this sounds like a wonderful idea, it would appear that there’s not a lot of activity on the site, making it not as useful as it sounds.

Rental Wall

rentawall1 300x201 Best Social Networks for RentersThe Rental Wall site is for all types of rentals, from apartments to vacation homes to timeshares. Also in beta, the site is trying to catch its footing. The layout of each building or offer is nice, with the contact information readily available, and a large area for photos. However, it’s hard to find many properties to look at, as it doesn’t have many listings yet.

 

Next Door

nextdoor 300x241 Best Social Networks for RentersLike 10ants but newer and sleeker, Next Door tries to create a sort of online community hangout spot. Instead of buildings, though, this site focuses on communities. It serves as a place for residents to meet, post events, share advice and recommendations, and more. Again, depending on where you live, your community may or may not be included in the new site. However, you can recommend that they create a space for your community and invite neighbors.

Facebook

facebook 300x225 Best Social Networks for RentersAlthough Facebook doesn’t have a certain area devoted to renters, it can be used by those looking for a new apartment. Especially if you’re looking at a popular apartment building, the landlords may have a Facebook Page set up for tenants and others to get together and talk about the building and the area. Try searching for your city, such as the City of Minneapolis, or your apartment building, such as the Eitel Building, or community. Searching for the neighborhood may bring up community pages, local business pages, association pages, and more.

Saving Pennies to Pay Off Mortgages | Pound Ridge Real Estate

By now many of you have heard of a Boston man who paid off his final mortgage payment by bringing to bank a box of pennies weighing 800 pounds and worth a grand total of $620. Turning in the very last mortgage check is one of those eventful moments in life. Congratulations are well deserved, though it is unclear if melting the pennies and selling the copper would have yielded more than $620.

This story is a terrific reminder that there is indeed an end zone on mortgages. On a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, the payment will be set exactly the same for all 30 years. Your salary, hopefully, rises over time, but not your monthly mortgage payment. So saving pennies here and there will add up. Fixed mortgage payments are the best inflation-fighting instrument out there.

By contrast, forget about saving pennies to buy that pork chop. It will be an unending chase. Just when you thought you had saved enough pennies, the butcher raises the price. I mention pork because this is one product that will get a notable jump in prices over the next year for certain. Supply and demand is at work. Regarding supply, it is becoming more costly to buy feed for the hogs. Regarding demand, Germany and China, the two biggest pork-consuming countries, are experiencing a decent economic growth. The rising income in these countries will naturally mean more of their citizens will demand pork.