You may or may not have noticed this big change to Facebook comments, but if you’re like ME, it’s making a big difference in your life. Here’s the simple skinny on the changes that Facebook has made.

1. The order for comments and conversations is now based on relevance and user’s friends. So, comments that get positive feedback (like ‘likes’) may rank higher in the thread and comments with negative feedback (like spam reports) may be ranked lower in the comments. Also, if a user’s friend has commented, they will likely see that comment ranked higher.

2. You can now REPLY to individual comments. So, rather than having to tag a commenter with a response, you can click the reply button on their comment and your response will be shown directly under that. These rank in the same way that all new comments do, if your conversation gets positive feedback, it will rank higher up in the comments.

For now, you have the option to turn this on as a page administrator in the ‘Manage Permissions’ section of your admin panel, however as of July 10, this new feature will be active for all pages. Also, if you have more than 10,000 followers, you’ve already been automatically updated to this new feature.

Here’s the big problem as I see it. When you have a page that has a big following, like I Heart Old Towne Orange, it becomes impossible to manage the feedback because it’s so unorganized. I don’t know who posted when and the conversation between people becomes a complete cluster and makes no sense as you’re reading through the comments. I think at the end of the day, Facebook has got to make this feature optional for pages because our communities will start opting out of comments due to simple frustration and inability to follow any one conversation.

The new reply to comments feature, however, is pretty cool. I do like seeing the micro conversations, but with only 2 tiers of responding it can’t go very far.

I’ve heard this feedback from many page administrators and have been seeing the buzz out there about this. Hopefully Facebook will sit up and take note, make a few more adjustments before forcing this new feature on everybody.

What do you all think about this new feature? Like, hate, don’t care? I’d love to hear from you in the comments on the blog or on Facebook.

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This week, we hit pay dirt for a client, Brightwater in Huntington Beach, when several potential buyers on the community’s Eligibility List decided to camp out in an effort to get a home at the first sales release. When the campers first showed up (an entire week before the sales release), we knew this was a very good sign. Of course, we took pictures, posted them on Facebook, but this had potential to hit the news, so we got to work!

As always, the best course of action starts with teamwork and this team got to work in a jiffy. Monday night we decided a media alert was in order so that we could start working the channels. And work the channels, we did! Between the PR team (Open Line PR) and us (Community), we had that alert out on the wire in a day and pounded our short target list by submitting to news desks, emailing and tweeting up our media super stars!

Once the s@!t hit the fan, the WPG team was on it, hustling out to the site for the first reporter that showed up within hours of our attack, this turned into a mini media frenzy and 3 news stations visited us by the end of the day. Of course, we are slap-happy over here at Community and wanted to share this sweet & savory example of how PR and Social, when working hand-in-hand, can seriously deliver the goods! Of course, the story’s gotta be good too…

Here’s a few of the spots that aired:

Studio 11 LA, KTTV
Los Angeles Local News, Weather, and Traffic

CBS Los Angeles, KCAL 9 > Click HERE to watch it.

KTLA 5

And of course, the social channels are on fire right now!

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Many of us are avid Pinterest users – whether for work or for pleasure – and you have to admit there’s always something cool and fun to look at on this image-based social media site. In the past, it wasn’t necessary to have a login in order to access the main Pinterest website, so anybody who felt like looking through the various boards could do just that. Imagine their surprise when, just a few days ago, some people were looking forward to browsing through their usual Pinterest distractions and saw this:

That’s right…after first testing out some major changes to the website’s design such as enlarging photos, expanding the site’s navigation and search options, and enhancing photo quality, Pinterest now has the main site password locked.

It’s still possible to search for specific boards without having to log in…IF you know the URL. Otherwise, it looks like Pinterest is heading back in a more exclusive direction, allowing only those with user names and passwords to get the full Pinterest experience. However this is no reason to panic, friends. You can easily use your email, Facebook or Twitter as your login access to Pinterest, which most of us have anyway!

Will those who didn’t have a Pinterest account before be reeled back into it, despite having to create an account? That remains to be seen. This may, however, change the way businesses have to manage their social media outreach. It won’t be quite as easy to get that publicity…you’ll need to encourage your business’s followers to join Pinterest, not just casually browse through it.

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One of my favorite posts from the last week was this one by the fabulous Mari Smith about how to get more likes/shares on Facebook. When Mari writes, I sit up and listen!!

As many of you know, putting your business on the Facebook map means getting your posts seen and shared by your followers. The more shares your biz posts  get, the more likely you are to get some buzz going on. What Mari reminds us is that although “likes” and comments are great, shares in fact have the most weight in the Facebook world in terms of getting you some major visibility.

One of our favorite tips from Mari’s post is #1: Be consistent. It’s a simple idea, but so necessary! It’s seems easy to put Facebook and other social media outreach efforts on the back-burner when you’re focused on other things, but don’t let it happen! Post regularly. If you forget to reach out to your customers/followers, they may forget about you.

Our other favorite tip is #5: Be relevant. Those cat videos your great aunt sent you may very well be hilarious, but chances are your followers are following you for the content that YOUR business can provide. Post status updates that you think your followers would want to read. It’s your job to cater to their interests! Likewise, if all you’re doing is sharing posts from other pages, what is making your business stand out from theirs? Stay relevant to your business.

All of Mari’s tips are important to consider, and will help anyone looking to up their visibility on Facebook. Check out the full blog post HERE. But below is the beautiful and very pin-worthy infographic. Enjoy!

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Here’s the rut we tend to get stuck in when using Facebook for our business: we get on the computer a few times a day and each time, we go a little crazy with the posts.

Before you know it, you’ve blown up the entire Facebook news feed with things you’ve “liked,” “shared,” or posted. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But usually it’s best to spread these things out. If your Facebook activity is all crammed into a few 20 minute blocks each day, your followers aren’t as likely to pay close attention to the things your business is posting about.

Facebook has a great way to solve this problem. It allows you to schedule or backdate your posts* so that they will appear at the exact day/hour/minute you want them to.

*Note: Make sure your Facebook page is set up so that it has the year you joined Facebook or the year your business started. Facebook won’t let you schedule posts unless you have an established year. You can do this by going to the Edit Page drop down menu at the top right of your business’s home page, then click Update info. Towards the bottom there will be a section that asks what the start date (day/month/year) of your page is. Make sure that’s complete before moving on to schedule posts.

It’s really simple to schedule posts…here’s how!

1. Click in the space that says “What’s on your mind?” as you normally would to post a status.
2. Type out whatever you feel like sharing!
3. Right below what you typed, on the bottom left hand side, is a little grey clock. If you hold your mouse over it, it says “Schedule or backdate your post.”  Click it!
4. Click “add year” and choose the year you want the post to show up, then do the same for the month, the hour, and even the minute.
5. Click schedule once you’re done and your post will appear when it’s scheduled to appear.

Can’t remember what posts you have scheduled? You can check on them by clicking on the “Edit Page” drop down menu, which is located at the top of your business’s home page. Then click “Use activity log.” All of your scheduled posts should be there!

Check out the nifty little tutorial video we made for all the visual learners out there!

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Google, Google, Google, I think this company might be seeking world dominance. It’s pretty amazing how many of our businesses rely today on what Google gives us: the ability to be found. What’s more is that the playing field is pretty level no matter the size of your company. It’s within our reach to own the Google search for our businesses. But, you have to have some know-how. Today, we’re going to talk about Google+ (G+).

TODAY’S TIP: Add your personal profile AND a business page to G+.

I’m going to give you ONE GOOD REASON why you should do this: Your posts on G+ will be found at the top of the Google search, before anything else you post. So, if your mind is boggled as to ‘why’ you should post to one more social network, this simple fact is worth it’s weight in gold. Even if you don’t use G+ as a social network, put your information on it and post your business posts from Facebook or Twitter on G+ too.

Here’s what our business page looks like on G+, click to visit the page.

Now, if you use Gmail, then setting up Google+ will be easy as Gmail is integrated with all things Google and you’ll find that adding people to your Google Circles is easy to do straight from your email inbox. If you are not a Gmail user, it’s still easy to set up a G+ account, just head over to plus.google.com and get started. You will need a Google account, which is super easy to set up. Google walks you through the process.

I want to also pass along some other little tidbits to you related to owning the Google search:

• If you ask me, we use social media as a business for 2 reasons: to communicate with our customers AND for search engine optimization (SEO)
• We do both of these things to increase our visibility online and make more sales/win new business
• By using multiple social networks, we begin to take over our profile on the google search, what do you want people to see when they Google you?
• I just searched something very general ‘community social media’ … guess who came up on Page 1 of Google? A post that I made on G+ sharing my Community business page, boo-ya! It works friends.

That’s all for today folks, take a peek at Google+ and get yourself hooked up, own that Google search!

Be sure to follow Community on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. We’d also love a referral, let your friends know about GetCommunity and our weekly social media to-do’s.

Peace & Community

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Today I want to talk to y’all about SHARING. It’s that thing we’re always yelling, I mean teaching, our kids about. You know, it’s when I have something really cool and I know you want it, so if my parents taught me really well, I’ll share it with you. This week, I want to share with you what I’ve learned about sharing online. This is how you get your message heard!

TODAY’S TIP: Post your content in one place and then SHARE it everywhere else.

Here’s a few pointers I want to share. Now first, you all know that you can’t just put up a Facebook page, post a status update and that’s it, right? I mean, if you don’t have any of those precious ‘LIKES’ then who’s gonna hear you? When you’re getting started in social media, one of the best ways for people to find you is to share that post everywhere. So, go ahead and post that status update (hopefully you’ve checked in with my earlier emails and posts about how to get FB fans, but if not, here’s  link to those gems, click). Now that you’ve done that start sharing:

• First, share the update by clicking that glorious word ‘Share’ right under the post and share it with your own Facebook friends. It’s your business, let your friends and family know, remind them now and again by sharing something from your page.
• Next, if your Facebook is not linked to auto post to your Twitter, then post the same thing on Twitter, but here’s a link to get you set up with that auto post thing, click. Schedule your posts on Twitter using Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, or just post that update at least 3 times throughout the day.
• Then, and here’s a really good one > post the same update on Google +. Yes, I’m sure you’ve all heard that G+ doesn’t work, nobody’s using it, yada yada yada…well, let me be the first to tell you that G+ dominates the search engine called Google. So if you were to say…Google something that relates to your post…guess what platform would pop up first, right at the very top of that search? You got it, your G+ status update. It’s the best platform to use if SEO is part of your program.
• But wait, are you a company? Do you have a LinkedIn page? Let’s not forget that business powerhouse. You’d better set yourself up a business page, and include all of those posts in your LinkedIn updates too, talk about being in the right market.
• Ok, that covers the main bases, but think about this very thing if you started on Youtube or your blog. Those individual videos and blog posts should be posted EVERYWHERE > Facebook, Twitter, G+, LinkedIn, Pinterest (if a great visual comes with it or video).

So, ’tis the season to be jolly, but it’s also the season of sharing, so go and share, take those nuggets of gold and share them with the world!

Be sure to follow Community on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. We’d also love a referral, let your friends know about GetCommunity and our weekly social media to-do’s.

Peace & Community

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Hey Community friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend. I skipped class last Wednesday because I know that most of you, like me, were preoccupied with getting everything in order for the excitement of the weekend, and that includes meeting those deadlines at the office!

I want to conclude our lessons this month on Youtube with this 6-minute tutorial on uploading your video to the channel. You’ll learn more than just ‘how to upload’ on this tutorial though. You’ll find out:

• How to properly Title your video and why that’s important
• How to create a Description that kicks booty, and
• What Tags are all about and how they will help your video get found

Be sure to follow Community on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. We’d also love a referral, let your friends know about GetCommunity and our weekly social media to-do’s.

Peace & Community

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Oh how I love talking about Youtube, but more, I love SEEing the results of what I create and what others create. There are some REALLY awesome home tours out there, and there’s some seriously comedic ones, and I’m always entertained by the duds too, of which there are aplenty! Youtube is simply entertaining and fun. It’s a great way to unwind, laugh, and do your research. Believe me, I am not the only one who thinks this way. I am just one of the 490 million unique people that use Youtube each and every month. I hope you had a few minutes to spare in the last week to do your own research on Youtube, per my explicit instructions last Wednesday. But more, I super hope that you were inspired to get out in your communities and do your own videos. Let’s get started!

TODAY’S TIP: Create your own home tour this week and post it on Youtube. 

OK, I give. This week is a little bit of a bigger tasky tip than normal, but it’s going to be SO worth it! Here’s a few steps to get you started.

1. You’ll need a Youtube account. Sign up for one by clicking right here. Next week, I promise to do a quick tutorial on uploading a video, let’s just focus on shooting a video this week.

2. If you don’t have a flip camera or the professional fancy equipment (I use a Canon 60D, which is amazing, but pricey), then pull out your trusty iphone. I use mine all the time. Now, if you don’t have a cool iphone or other smart phone that records, then you need to get your booty out to the phone store and get one. It’s the best social media investment you can make and ahem, mobile is where it’s at, you need to get on that bus!

3. All righty, now here’s the hard part >>> shooting a good video! DO NOT under any circumstances walk around with your camera talking from behind it and making everybody watching nauseous with motion sickness. You need to dig up a partner. Grab a partner and make them do the song and dance or get your own self in front of the camera and do it. Just suck it up, nobody’s watching at you…they are looking at the house! I think that sales people can rock this part out. They know their homes better than anybody else. Here’s a look at a very simple home tour, you don’t even NEED all the captions because you can put them in the video’s description:

4. Now that you’re partnered up, prop the host of your show right up in the kitchen. It’s usually the best looking place to take a video. For the videographer, be as super still as you can and let it rip. If you are hosting, then deliver it baby. Tell me all about your home. I’m a buyer and I want details. 2-car garage? Great, but does it have a little extra space for my tools, tell me more, baby! Don’t just focus on bedroom and bathroom counts, tell me about special spaces and niches, what can I do with this home. Does it have a view, near a golf course, on a cul-de-sac? Think bigger than just the box, tell me a little about the neighborhood too. I’m sitting here, in my bed, doing my research, so give me the full scoop cause I’ve got a few minutes to spend with you.

5. Ok, now here’s where a little technical ability comes in. I’m going to start by saying that I really can’t stand watching videos where someone is walking around with the camera, but if you have absolutely no technical skill for editing, then HIRE ME. But seriously, oh wait I am being serious , if you are $$-less and have no idea how to edit, then BE FUNNY with your delivery and walk around that house with your iphone, just let your corny personality shine through. Here’s an example of how that might work:

Click image to watch video

6. Now, if you have a small budget for editing and even modest technical ability, then DIY baby! After you deliver your fabulousness to the camera in the kitchen, take that camera around and just do steady pans of each of the rooms as well as the exterior (don’t forget to tell me about how cute the outside of my new home is while you’re delivering the goods in the kitchen, all right?). Once you’ve taken all of your mini videos, plug that phone into your trusty computer and download them into your editing tool. I have a MacBook Pro which came with iMovie and that’s what I use baby! I’ll actually just overlay my clips (you can also use still shots from your camera) where the host is talking about those rooms and with my modest skills I can do this in about an hour or two max. It’s worth the time investment to learn, I promise. But, like I mentioned earlier, it’s WAAAAYYYYY easier to just hire me to do it. We love video here at Community!

7. Sweet, you made a video, now you’ll need to export it (if you don’t know how to do this, just google exactly what you want to do and the answers will fly in). Several video editors will export straight to Youtube for you.

Next week, we’ll go over how to upload a video to Youtube. We’ll also talk about Headlines, Tags, and Descriptions, and why these things are CRUCIAL to your video being found. Until then my friends….

Be sure to follow Community on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. We’d also love a referral, let your friends know about GetCommunity and our weekly social media to-do’s.

Peace & Community

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If there’s one thing you should know about we, the people, it’s that we are visual creatures. Think about one of our favorite sayings: I’ll believe THAT, when I SEE it! Right? You know you’ve said it. We humans love being communicated to visually, that is why television is so darn popular. Now, I’ll admit to you that I am a big reader, I have a passion for books and always have. I’m very good at visualizing in my own head. I’m one of those people that can pop a story right out of my head and deliver it to the kids at bedtime. I’m great at make believe, but not everybody is. However, we ALL sing to the tune of SEEing is BELIEVing. And that, my friends, is why we are talking about Youtube today.

TODAY’S TIP: Visit Youtube.com and search for ‘new homes.’

It’s simple, I want you to take a look today at what your competition is doing. Try searching ‘new homes southbay.’ This is a great example of owning your search. You’ll see that Lyon Homes project ThreeSixty at Southbay is all over that search. What’s better? They’ve made sales from these simple videos. At the end of the day, this is some of the most cost effective marketing that exists and it shows your actual product better than any other form of advertising can. Words will never compare to actually seeing what your home looks like. We are visual beings. We research online, usually starting with Google (we’ll talk about owning this search later). The more we SEE online, the more likely we’re going to be your best qualified shopper through the sales door.

Here’s one of my favorites and I’ll tell you a little secret about this video that made it super fun to watch > I hired some of my friends to give the tour. They had fun for a few extra bucks and we ended up with a video that keeps getting hits and has directly resulted in sales at ThreeSixty. One of those sales being a search of those exact key words on Youtube. Yep, we vertical beings are searching Youtube specifically in our hunt for new digs. Amazing right? Heres that video:

Now, in my effort to keep things simple, just spend your extra 10 or 15 this week searching Youtube for what other people are doing. If you want to venture out into making your own videos, then next week I’ll be giving you a a few tips to get started, followed by more tips on tagging, descriptions, headlines and the ‘not-so-visual’ stuff.

Happy home hunting!

Be sure to follow Community on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. We’d also love a referral, let your friends know about GetCommunity and our weekly social media to-do’s.

Peace & Community

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