Claim your Facebook Place Page without a cell phone?

Posted on August 24, 2010 by CScholz

So I am probably one of the last remaining tech girls without a web browsing plan on her cell phone.  Big deal – or not?  I’ve got a MacBookPro that works just fine for me and I since I am sensitive to EMF’s (electromagnetic frequencies) that radiate from cell phones, I actually prefer browsing the web, sending text messages using Google voice and checking email with my laptop.

Today my task is to find out how to claim my Facebook Place Page without the use of a cell phone.  Turns out, I can access the mobile version of Facebook (touch.facebook.com) just fine with my laptop browser (using Firefox).  The page spreads out to fill my screen, I can post my location, access my personal profile, my Facebook email inbox, my photos, and my news feed.

Screenshot of touch.facebook.com on my laptop

Screenshot of touch.facebook.com on my laptop

It seems the only thing I can’t do is “check in” which instantly reports my activity and location to my Facebook friends.  When I click the “check in” button, I get the repeating “loading” icon and it never resolves.  This is a bummer!

Hangup

can't check in!

Got a mobile device and want to claim your Facebook Places Page for your business?  Go to http://touch.facebook.com/#places.php and follow these directions from Facebook:

  1. Access the Places application on your supported device.
  2. Click “Check In.”
  3. Click the “Add” button to the left of the Places Names search box.
  4. Enter a name for the new Place as well as an optional description of it. Then, click the “Add” button at the bottom right of the page.
  5. You will then have the option to both write a description of what you are doing at the new Place, and/or tag your friends there
  6. Click the “Check In” button to share your visit.

The default location for any new Place you create will be where you are currently located. Also, keep in mind that any Place that you create is public. This means that other people may see your created Place while browsing Facebook or the Places application.

Please keep in mind that only official representatives of a business can claim the Place on Facebook. Click here to learn more about the benefits of using Facebook Places for your business.

Here is the official Facebook video on how to edit your Facebook Places privacy settings:

And here is the complete Facebook FAQ on Facebook Places: http://www.facebook.com/places/#!/help/?topic=places

At the end of my quest, the answer for me: wait until Facebook merges Facebook Pages with Facebook Places.  Then I should be able to update my Facebook Place on my Facebook Page.

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AWeber improves email stats for targeting your list

Posted on August 3, 2010 by CScholz

Another reason to use AWeber: AWeber email marketing service just added more detailed email stats for targeting your lists.  For example, you can find out who did not open your email campaign and then choose to send just those folks another email.  Here is a short video outlining the new email “Quick Stats” feature:

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Load WordPress FAST with Dreamhost, Amazon CloudFront and W3 Total Cache Plugin

Posted on July 29, 2010 by CScholz

Brenda Horton of Hware was looking at my website to check out my BuddyPress integration and noticed my site was loading very slowly.  I started researching ways to speed up my site and this post is the outcome of a full day’s work (literally, 9am – 8+pm, eating at my desk).  Let me share the results with you.

First of all, why speed up your site?  The search engines now look at page load time to give your website a good page rank.  Plus, you may easily lose potential sales or email captures if your site takes more than a second to load!

My quest for faster load time information led me here: http://www.larre.com/2010/01/24/amazon-s3-and-cloudfront-with-wordpress-and-dreamhost/ – a blog post about using Amazon CloudFront with my web hosting company, Dreamhost to create a CDN (content delivery network) to spread out the http requests from users (thus decreasing load time).  Turns out, my favorite web hosting company, Dreamhost, is not only a green web hosting company, but is the first to roll out this new feature!

Dreamhost/Wordpress users, here are the steps involved:

1) Deactivate and delete any other caching plugins you may already have installed on your WordPress site.  Verify they are completely deleted using your ftp program to make sure the plugin folder is REALLY gone.

2) Create an Amazon AWS Account. Please note: it may take several hours for your account credentials to be functional.

3) Log into your Dreamhost web hosting panel and go to “Goodies” –> Amazon CloudFront.

4) Copy your Amazon CloudFront settings into the Dreamhost settings and click “Create CloudFront.”  Dreamhost automatically creates the new CloudFront bucket for you.  It will appear in your AWS Console after it is created.

6) Install W3Total Cache DEVELOPER version.

7) Activate the plugin and enable CDN only.

8 ) Configure the CDN settings and click “create bucket” then “test.”

9) Upload the media library, includes files, theme files and custom files to the CloudFront using W3 Total Cache , the AWS Management Console or S3Hub (for Mac) or the Firefox add-on S3Fox (for PC).

10) Make sure you set the ACP (permissions) to “Read Only” for “All Users” or “Everyone” otherwise your images and other content may not show up.  Here are the screenshots for using S3Hub:

Read up on how to use Amazon CloudFront.  Also you may want to take advantage of the new AWS default root object feature for enhanced security.  Let me know how it goes!

P.S. I am an affiliate of Dreamhost as well as a user and a big fan (as you can tell!).

Posted in Amazon CloudFront, General How-To, Plugins, Wordpress | Tagged , , , , , , | View Comments

Privately work on a new theme with this WordPress plugin

Posted on June 30, 2010 by CScholz

Have you discovered a new WordPress theme you would like to use on your site, but want to work on it privately until it’s ready for the world?  With this Theme Preview plugin, you can start working on a new theme using your current WordPress install, while your current theme is still showing to the public.  Only administrators on your WordPress site can view and/or edit the new theme under construction.  This eliminates the need to develop a new theme in a different install location and move the theme files and database over later, saving you much time and energy!

By the way, the new WordPress 3.0 named after American jazz giant, Thelonius Monk, looks cleaner, is faster and has more bells and whistles such as a one-click plugin updater and a fresh new default theme called Twenty Ten.  And with WP 3.0, it also possible to run multiple blogs, just like you could with WPMU, with one self-hosted WP install.   Remember to backup your wp-content folder and your database before you upgrade to WordPress 3.0. For more information on how to back up properly, see this post. :)

Here is the WordPress 3.0 video tutorial for you:

Posted in General How-To, Plugins, Themes, Training, Wordpress | Tagged , , , , | View Comments

Nevada County Business Owners: Get connected Thursday, June 24, 2010

Posted on June 10, 2010 by CScholz

From Nevada County New Business Network (Jesse Locks): On Thursday, June 24, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Express in Grass Valley, CA, the Nevada County Economic Resource Council (ERC), Nevada County New Business Network, and HWare (Brenda Horton) will present a Small Business and Entrepreneur Seminar for local business owners and entrepreneurs.  This free three-hour seminar will cover the many business resources that are available to business owners and entrepreneurs, including starting a business in Nevada County – the demographics, industries, and markets; public funding and private lending opportunities; advertising, marketing and promotions; sustainable business practices; and social networks.

Hear from trusted and knowledgeable business experts and professionals from the ERC, SEDCorp, the One-Stop Business Center, GROWSierra Foothills, Private Industry Council of Butte County, City of Nevada City, City of Grass Valley, and Sierra Commons.

Connect with other local business owners and organizations that can help you succeed. The Nevada City Chamber of Commerce will introduce the area’s many local professional organizations including Business and Professional Women, Soroptomist of Nevada County, The Exchange, Rotary, Local Green Sierra/Green Drinks, Think Local First, WHEEL, and SIGBA among others.

What: Nevada County Small Business and Entrepreneur Seminar Presented by Nevada County Economic Resource Council, New Business Network and H-Ware
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2010
Time: 830am Registration, 9am-noon Seminar
Where: Holiday Inn Express, 121 Bank Street, Grass Valley, CA
Tickets: Free, Space is limited please RSVP to jesse@ncerc.org
Info: Jesse Locks, (530) 274-8455 or jesse@ncerc.org

See you there! Bring lots of business cards!

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3 great plugins allow you to add tables, add a Favicon, and update multiple plugins at once

Posted on June 4, 2010 by CScholz

In this post, I am showcasing a few plugins I’ve tested that add functionality to your WordPress website:

1) Add custom tables with MCE Table Buttons plugin

This plugin allows you to insert a table to your specifications right within the WordPress WYSIWYG editor by adding buttons to the kitchen sink.  As you can see here,

You can give your whole table a…background color
then go back and make changes if you want to remove a color…or change the color

2) Add a favicon with Favicons by Ioane.  A favicon is the little image that appears on the left side of the tab of your browser like this:

To transform your own image into a favicon, use this Favicon Generator.

3) Update all of your plugins at once with One Click Plugin Updater.  This plugin makes updating plugins you can rely on fast and easy!  If you have any concerns about plugin compatibility, however, it is generally best to update plugins one at a time.

Posted in Plugins, Wordpress | Tagged , , , , , , , | View Comments

How to discover image dimensions using Firefox and Web Developer Tools

Posted on May 6, 2010 by CScholz

This tutorial shows you how to use the Firefox add-on, Web Developer Tools, to discover the image dimensions and  the URL and on a website.  You may need this kind of information to replace images that come with a WordPress theme or find out where images are being hosted on a server.  To begin:

1) With Firefox open, install the Firefox add-on, Web Developer Tools

2) Re-start Firefox when prompted

3) Go to the Firefox Menu—>Tools—>Web Developer—>Images—>View Image Information and Firefox will open a new tab for you listing all the image information you need.

Any questions? Feel free to leave a comment.

Posted in General How-To, Wordpress | Tagged , , | View Comments

How to add audio to your Facebook Page (video tutorial)

Posted on April 26, 2010 by CScholz

Have you noticed streaming audio on Facebook lately?  Here is a video tutorial and a how-to guide on adding audio to your Facebook page:

1. Upload your .mp3 file to your media library through your WordPress backend.

2. Copy the file location.

3. Paste the file location in the “share link” area on Facebook.

4. Add a description in the text field above the link and a short link back to your site (use TinyURL.com if it’s long).

5. Click “attach” to attach the link.

6. Change the artist name and album name if needed.

7. When you are ready, choose your privacy settings and click “Share.”

Your .mp3 will now stream live on Facebook!

More Facebook techniques from Cat’s Web Weave

Posted in Facebook, Featured Content, General How-To, Social Media Strategies | Tagged , , , , , , | View Comments

Add a Facebook “Like” button to your WordPress self-hosted blog

Posted on April 22, 2010 by CScholz

Now that Facebook is spreading out across websites all over the internet, you, too can join in on the connectivity by adding some code to your WordPress self-hosted website or blog.  With credit to Ruhani Rabin’s post, here’s how to do it:

(*make sure you have a backup copy of all your template files before you do this!)

1) Log into your WordPress backend.

2) Go to Appearance: Editor

3) Open single.php

4) Place this code right before <?php the_content(); ?>

<iframe src=”http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=<?php echo urlencode(get_permalink($post->ID)); ?>&amp;layout=standard&amp;show-faces=false&amp;width=450&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=light” scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ allowTransparency=”true” style=”border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px; height:60px”></iframe>

5) Click “update”

6) refresh your blog page and see the new Facebook Like button at play!

And if you don’t want to delve into the code, use this super easy plugin by Todd Williams!

Posted in Facebook, Featured Content, General How-To, Social Media Strategies, Wordpress | Tagged , | View Comments

Create your own Share link for Facebook

Posted on April 20, 2010 by CScholz

Another free tip from Cat’s Web Weave!

Facebook is a powerful tool for marketing your products or services online.  There are smart ways to use Facebook and there are ways to lose Facebook friends.  Brenda Horton teaches you how to use Facebook effectively in her online self-paced social media training.

This post is about how to create a link within your email to help your subscribers share your content easily on Facebook.  Here are the instructions:

1) Add the text “Share on Facebook” to the content of your email

2) modify this hyperlink url with your webpage url and title:

http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=<your url to share>&t=<title of content>

3) hyperlink your “Share on Facebook” text with the modified link you created

4) send yourself a test email to make sure it works – you may need to edit your webpage to your liking so Facebook displays what you want

Source: http://www.facebook.com/facebook-widgets/share.php

Questions?  Leave me a comment!

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