Twitter

Every CLNC^® consultant using social media to market your Certified Legal Nurse Consulting business, raise your left hand (keeping your right hand on your mouse). That’s terrific! I know a lot of you participate and interact regularly with Vickie on Facebook^® and Twitter^TM. I also know that Facebook and Twitter can be semi-frustrating if you’re using them directly through a web browser instead of an application like TweetDeck or HootSuite^®. Why frustrating? Because you need to refresh the page on a regular basis to see the updates.

Likewise, if you’re a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant who’s bidding on business equipment on eBay^® or another auction site and you want to keep ahead of last minute snipers or just watch bidding trends, you face a similar problem. A problem whose only remedy is sitting, mouse-in-hand, and relentlessly clicking the “refresh” button on your browser.

Well my CLNC^® amigos, I have a solution for you, at least if you’re a Firefox^® user. Simply visit the Add-ons for Firefox page for ReloadEvery and install this nifty little add-on. It allows you, by right-clicking on an open web page, to select an automatic refresh interval for that page. You can even set your own custom refresh timings. This allows you to watch your Facebook wall or profile page and keep up with Vickie and your CLNC^® colleagues without the need to click the refresh button. It does have the innate danger of wiping out that half-written, pithy status update you typed in and hadn’t yet sent so be careful when you use it. Internet Explorer^® and Safari^® users are out of luck but I’ve read that the Opera^® browser has this already built-in.

With ReloadEvery installed, you always have the most current page/news in front of you and you’ll never miss a Farmburg Piglet request again. I think this is just another reason to move to Firefox as your web browser for your legal nurse consulting business.

Keep on techin’,

Tom

I know more and more Certified Legal Nurse Consultants are joining Twitter and the ranks of the tweeters. I also know from looking at the Twitter homepages of some of the people following Vickie that many of you don’t customize your Twitter homepage (not even using a stock Twitter background). Some of you don’t have a photo or any personal information in your profile!

How in the world will anyone know you’re a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant if you don’t have any profile information? How do you expect to gain followers or credibility if people don’t have a clue who they’re following?

For those Certified Legal Nurse Consultants who want to make a splash on Twitter, log into your Twitter account, select Settings and select Profile. Then upload your photo, put in your website’s URL and, in the bio field, add a short paragraph about yourself and your legal nurse consulting business.

Next, open another tab in your web browser and navigate to TweetyGotBack.com. This website gives you all sorts of custom backgrounds ready for your use. Browse around and find one that fits you. (One tip, you don’t want too dark a background on the right side of the screen or it will hide that profile you just set up!) Once you’ve selected your new background, follow the easy TweetyGotBack.com steps and your new background will be in place!

Your new background will be much better than the over-tiled backgrounds you often see when someone uploads a background photo that’s not properly sized. If you have the skills and can create your own background, go for it! Take a look at Vickie’s Twitter page to see an example of what’s possible. Remember, backgrounds will display differently at different screen resolutions so be careful. For many CLNC^® consultants, a professional looking standard background (along with a full profile) will do. While you’re looking at Vickie’s Twitter page – follow Vickie_Milazzo to stay up on the most current legal nurse consulting business information!

Get your Twitter page looking good and working hard!

Keep on techin’,

Tom

Locating testifying experts for attorneys can add a huge amount of revenue to your legal nurse consulting business. As part of the screening process, Certified Legal Nurse Consultants research the background of the potential expert witness candidates. Most people just get on the web and start Googling or binging away with variations of the name of the unsuspecting searchee. Some will go to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to see what can be learned about the search subject.

But it gets better after you’re finished with this blog. People like our Chief Techie Blogger, Tom, have long known and used the so-called “invisible Internet” to discover information. Today, the average Certified Legal Nurse Consultant has those same tools (some of them anyway) at their fingertips. By using these new tools, you can learn more about a search subject than the subject knows about themselves!

How? Using one of the new “deep-web” search engines. Sites like Spokeo.com, CVGadget.com, Spock.com and Pipl.com will all give you more information than is typically available through a regular search engine. Depending upon the site or service, they’ll search not only the social networking sites but also look for things like the wish lists and reviews a person posts on Amazon.com. They also search blog postings and comments associated with the person’s name and can even look for anything associated with a person’s email address. This includes photos the search subject posted on Flickr or that have been tagged with the subject’s name (these can be quite revealing). Some of the search sites will give you basic information and then “default” to the public information sites that sell information while others provide it for free.

Whether you’re searching for information on a potential expert witness, future attorney-prospect or just your daughter’s prom date, “deep-web” search engines can reveal more information than most people know is out there.

I’ve recommended in past blogs that every legal nurse consultant search for variations on their own names at least once a month. Now you should add a few more searches using a “deep-web” tool and if necessary, take steps to remove any potentially damaging or incorrect information. Remember, while you’re searching for information on other people, they may be searching for the same about you.

To paraphrase one of my favorite lines from the movies, “Here’s looking for you, kid.”

Success Is Inside (and the truth is out there)!

First impressions are important. Today, more and more Certified Legal Nurse Consultants are making their first impressions online, not only with the legal community but also with other CLNC^® consultants. So, what impression are you making with your online presence? Do you have a plan to guide and steer your online efforts in the right direction? Here are some strategies for making your first online impression count.

Facebook

Facebook is one of the fastest growing forms of social media. My own Facebook profile is open to anyone to view. This includes attorneys, legal nurse consultants and just about anyone with a Facebook account. Keeping an open profile makes it easier for people to find me and takes up less “housekeeping” time. Other people choose to keep their Facebook profile open only to their “friends.”

Whatever your preference, think about who your “friends” are and what they are saying. Screen your prospective Facebook friends carefully. Do you personally know everyone on your friend list? Whether you do or don’t, you’ll need to check your Facebook postings daily and keep your profile page tidy. While you don’t have a lot of control over your “home” page you do want to cut out postings like “Susan invited you to a squirt-gun fight” or “Jamie scored 100,000 petals on flower-pot-mafia-shootout.”

You may not write something offensive on your “wall,” but someone else might and if an attorney-prospect sees it while vetting you, that might put an end to a relationship before it even begins. Make a choice, Facebook is either business or personal but you blend the two at your own risk.

LinkedIn

Another form of social media is professional networking sites like LinkedIn. We’ve discussed LinkedIn in past blogs. Be sure that the members of any networking organizations (online or offline) that you join act professionally. As social networking grows in popularity, more and more people are drawn to it. But another caveat – be careful who you endorse, recommend and admit to your network. There’s an old saying that people judge you by the company you keep so keep that in mind when signing up for some of the networks out there.

Twitter

As Twitter has grown in popularity, it has also grown in the number of people who send nothing but endless streams of meaningless dialogue (“RT @SammyTune Rock on You Mad Dogue”). In my opinion there are fewer and fewer people tweeting content. Just take a look at the main Twitter timeline and you’ll see what I mean. Yogi Berra is credited with saying something to the effect of “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” Twitter is rapidly reaching that point as spammers are now getting on board. Despite that, I’m staying with Twitter as an effective way to communicate with my “followers,” that is, people who read my tweets.

Be sure to use Twitter carefully. If you join Twitter you should know why you’re joining and be prepared to put some thought into your tweets. Be careful who follows you and who you follow. Just because someone has 2,121,407 followers doesn’t mean they have something important or relevant to say. There are lots of ways to artificially inflate follower totals using “autofollowing” programs. If you want to follow someone, take a look at who is following them. If their follower list is packed with spammers, crackpots or other undesirables you may not wish to follow that person. Likewise though, it’s easy for people (and their inane comments) to appear on the list of people you follow (and on your timeline). The more popular you become, the more people will try to ride on your coat-tails. (Believe, me, I know. Tom says some people have hung onto mine for so long they couldn’t even stand if they let go and tried to walk on their own.)

I recommend that you cull your Twitter followers, and people you follow, no less than daily. Again, people will judge you by the company you keep and I personally don’t believe Twitter is the place to let it all hang out on your religious and political opinions or anything you wouldn’t want your children to see.

Twitter is also no place for shameless self-promotion and you don’t want to be a serial tweeter. If someone has nothing to do but tweet all day, it’s apparent they’ve got nothing else to do and that tells you all you need to know about their success level. Tweet when you have something to say that informs and entertains.

Just remember to “protect your tweets.” You should approve each potential follower. It’s a slower way to build a following, but more reliable than letting just any old twit follow you. (If you want to entertain, remember Ashton Kutcher can show Demi in her undies but we don’t want to see your spouse in theirs!)

If your Twitter homepage is public and you list it in your marketing materials, you want only professional tweets appearing in case a prospective attorney-client visits your Twitter homepage. That means you follow only people who tweet professionally. My motto is quality over quantity. If you want to use Twitter for personal use only – keep it out of your business materials. There’s no middle road in my opinion. Tweet professionally and to professionals and expect the same back.

Keep It Professional

If you’re using your social media networks for professional use, the same rules apply to all social media sites regarding headshots, biographies and content. Post only a professional-appearing photograph for your thumbnail and reflect the image you wish to convey when adding photographs to your galleries. Those Catwoman Halloween costume shots are out no matter how much you like them.

Write a professional biography for your profile and only post when you have something to say. Make sure your posts are about something you’ll be comfortable with other people reading (friends don’t let friends drink and post). Always remember, social media is a form of communication that will last on the Web for a long time after you (or someone else) have posted and may come back to haunt you when you least expect it.

Remember, when posting anything online there’s no such thing as personal use only. More and more attorneys and their staff are searching the Internet, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites for such diverse purposes as expert witness screening, jury selection and looking for evidence. Companies have long been Googling not only prospective, but current employees as part of the hiring and retention process. You’re being looked at whether you want to be or not.

Keep It Your Own

In whatever types of social networking you choose to participate, use the same good judgment you would when creating your website or running your legal nurse consulting business. Don’t use materials or intellectual property owned by others without their permission. Remember, as the ultimate publisher, you’re the one who will be held responsible for any infringements.

Find Yourself

Savvy legal nurse consultants run variations of their name through the different search engines at least once a month. These used to be “vanity searches,” but today think of them as “image maintenance.” Look to see what profile you present to the web and to prospective clients. You might be surprised, pleasantly or otherwise. If it’s unpleasant, it’s time to take some steps to correct that image. See you on the Web!

Success Is Inside!

Attorneys are flocking to Twitter. So are over 4,000,000 other people who have signed up for this site along with your technologically-advanced potential attorney-clients.

What Is Twitter?

Twitter is the fastest growing social media site on the web today. It is taking the Internet by storm with about 10,000 new users per day signing up to participate in this Internet revolution.

Twitter is best described as a micro-blogging platform. You are limited to 140 characters each time you do an update, which initially, may seem a small amount. However, as you become an experienced Twitterer, it’s amazing what you can fit into 140 characters.

That said, Twitter is like one huge chat room with as many people as you choose to connect with…in your case, I’d focus on attorneys and other Certified Legal Nurse Consultants.

So let’s get started and set up your Twitter account.

How to Set Up

There are a few things that you should be aware of when organizing your legal nurse consulting account. Even if you have an existing account, consider these tips to improve your Twitter experience.

Go to http://www.twitter.com. If you don’t have an account, then you will need to register, otherwise login as you usually do.

Registration

The Twitter screen will ask you for your full name.

The next box asks you for a username. This is where you need to give some thought to how you are going to represent yourself and your legal nurse consulting business on Twitter. Using your name or business name is up to you.

It isn’t critical that you register your own name, but I would advise you to if you can, particularly if your name is an unusual one. I’m sure the last thing you want is someone else impersonating you or your CLNC^® business on Twitter, or anywhere else for that matter.

If you wish to register your business name, then you can do that also. Just make sure you use your own name in the sign up process so you are identifiable and connected with the business name you register.

You are now asked for your email address. Email addresses are linked to accounts and you will only be able to use your email address once. For every Twitter account you register, you will need a different email address.

Be sure to fill in the Captcha letters you see and click Create My Account.

The next screen asks if you want to add any of your email contacts. You can skip this step, or Twitter will search your email address book to find all your friends and business contacts who are already on Twitter.

If you opt to have Twitter search your contacts, then the next screen presents those contacts who already Twitter and asks if you would like to follow any of them. Choose some if you like, but be selective. Social media sites like Twitter can consume a lot of your valuable time.

When you click Finish, you will see your very own Twitter account. You are logged in and ready to go!

Your Settings

On Twitter it’s important to fill out your Settings. You’ll find the access to this at the top right of the screen, fourth link from the left.

On this page you will notice there are some tabs across the top. We’ll cover each tab in detail.

Account Tab

The information you entered when you set up your account shows on this screen, but now it’s time to enhance it so people can find you and your legal nurse consulting business on Twitter and you also make yourself an interesting person to be followed.

People will use the information you enter here to make that decision. Beware that much of what is entered is searchable on Twitter and through various third-party applications.

One thing to note is that you can change your username at any time on this screen. You just have to enter your password to do so. Although it can be done, it can confuse your follower base, so I wouldn’t recommend doing it on a weekly basis.

First select the correct time zone.

Then add your website in the “More Info URL” box. Make sure to include the http:// prefix.

Now fill out your “One Line Bio” box. You have 160 characters here to “sell” yourself as a CLNC^® consultant. Take some time and include your USP.

Add your location so people can search and find you if you are in their same area.

English is the default language in the language box.

Then you’ll see a check box titled, “Protect updates.” This is included if you want to have a private account and you wish to approve followers. NEVER turn this on if you intend to use Twitter to meet new attorney-clients. They won’t bother to request permission to follow you unless they know you personally.

You can now save your settings, but note here that there is also a link to delete your account should you ever wish to do so.

Password

This tab lets you change your password if you want.

Devices

You can enter your mobile phone number here if you want Twitter to send updates to your phone. Personally, I can’t think of anything worse, particularly when you get close to a thousand followers.

Notices

You can have Twitter “nudge” you with a text to your mobile phone if you haven’t updated in 24 hours. What a pain!

The Replies function is an interesting one and will determine what tweets you see that are prefixed with the @ symbol. This is how you direct a tweet to a particular individual or your attorney-client. Read the great help-screen explanation on this, before you make your decision.

The rest of the notices are self explanatory.

If you are new to Twitter and you are following someone and they are following you, Direct Messages can be sent that won’t appear in the Twitter timeline. They are private messages between you and the other person only.

If you are an infrequent user of Twitter, it may be worthwhile to switch on receiving notifications by email so you can respond. Otherwise leave it off as it will just fill up your email inbox with more clutter.

Likewise, the notifications that you have a new follower also clog your email and I would leave it off unless you like the buzz of knowing someone new is following you.

Picture Tab

This is really important. When you open this page you will see the small avatar on the screen which is the default for Twitter.

Add a professional photo of yourself to stand out for a good first impression. This is often more important than your name when people are scanning Tweets.

Design Tab

Here you can change your Twitter page background from the default. Select from the options Twitter provides or you can upload your own background.

You can also change all the colors if you wish. Again, the point is to change it to demonstrate you have taken some time setting up your account.

A note here worth mentioning is that with the plethora of Twitter client applications out there, many people don’t even look at your Twitter page anymore. Still, it is one component of your presence on Twitter and is worth doing well.

Just make sure you save your changes, and you’re done!

Well, that’s it for the setup. The last thing to do now is to click on Home at the top of the screen and send your first Tweet. Something like, “Hi, I’ve just joined Twitter and am looking forward to meeting interesting people” is a good first one to send. Just type it in and click the Update button.

You are up and running! You now have the official “cool factor” of being a CLNC^® consultant who is up-to-date with this social media site.

Guest Blogger Profile

Brian Horn is an Internet marketing consultant who specializes in search engine marketing, site optimization, social media marketing, link building and web data analytics. Brian has consulted with Vickie Milazzo Institute for over three years.

Brian also speaks at seminars and conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada on how to use the Internet to improve business.

We’re all looking for a few ways to save money – whether it’s the budget for our legal nurse consulting business or our family budget. This week’s Tech Tips will focus on some innovative ways to save money.

A recent headline in one of my tech journals exclaimed that Dell Computers has made over a million dollars (U.S.) from Twitter. Not being a Twitter subscriber, I was immediately curious how they could do this. It turns out it’s pretty simple. Dell has thirty different accounts on Twitter, each with a specific purpose. But if you subscribe to the Twitter stream for Dell Outlet you’ll get special offers on computers and other Dell products. That’s one way to get something useful out of Twitter. For those of us who aren’t “Tweets,” you can also use your blog reader to subscribe to a variety of Dell’s RSS Feeds that offer special deals, support and other information.

My mom was an inveterate coupon clipper (she also collected S&H Green Stamps if anyone remembers those). I have fond memories of her clipping through newspapers and magazines in search of 5 cents off this, 10 cents off that and driving across town to catch double coupon day at the Acme market. If you’ve ever used a shopping cart to check out after an Internet purchase (especially on Amazon.com), you’ll often see a box asking you for promotional claim codes. Ever wonder where everybody else but you gets these? It’s pretty simple – there are any number of websites on the Internet offering coupons (I’m trying to picture my mom and her scissors and a computer screen – too funny) but most are for groceries and other useless stuff.

One truly good site is RetailMeNot.com. This site allows you to search for coupons for a variety of items by category and instead of toothpaste, it offers technology. You can actually search for computers, software, consumer electronics and more. Once you get into the computers category, you’ll find a searchable listing of coupons by manufacturer and by reseller. If you’re willing to spend some time searching you’ll find some great bargains here (I repeat: if you’re willing to spend some time searching). Some of these aren’t really coupons and will point you to special offers by web merchants that you may not have found on your own. They also rate “unreliable” coupons to help keep you from getting outfoxed. Good luck!

My last tip on saving money – other than Mozilla Firefox with its really cool add-ons, Thunderbird for email and most Google Apps – don’t download free software off the Internet. If you must, do a simple Google search for that software and include the words “bugs, complaints, issues, malware” in your search. This is a pretty good way to see if what you’re about to download is freeware or malware. At the risk of painting my pixels with too broad a brush, lots of free software is really malware. You don’t want malware on your computer and the best way to get it is to download a cool cursor, load an off-brand “required player” for a video or song, or sign up for a free virus scan at a website you’ve never heard of before. Free can cost you a lot of money and time when you get your identity hacked or have to dial 1.800.Call.A.Geek or haul your computer off to get it cleaned and vaccinated.

Keep on Techin’,

Tom

Entrepreneurs are using the newest Internet trend to meet and collaborate with colleagues worldwide. Professional social networks such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, Twitter and Facebook, can provide legal nurse consultants another way to promote and expand their CLNC^® business.

Social media marketing is the systematic approach to using social networks and other “Web 2.0″ and “Web 3.0″ technologies as a part of an all inclusive marketing plan.

Step One: Define your goals, then match the network tool to your goal.

Goals vary from business-to-business and professional-to-professional, but the identification of goals is key to determining what characteristics are needed in a social network.

Step Two: Set boundaries and budgets that govern the efforts expended in social networking.

Most professional social networks offer a free, and one or more “premium,” membership. In most or all of those with “premium” memberships, it is possible to “earn” free premium upgrades by recruiting new members to the network platform. With these incentives, it is only necessary to spend money on professional social network membership if a specific paid premium membership function or service is needed to achieve the goals set in Step One. This does not mean that social networking is free. Most successful business social networkers agree that success requires a minimum of 40 hours per month spent building the network and communicating with network members and online contacts.

The biggest area of budget bloat for online networking is time. Time has a definite value in real dollars and time spent on social media marketing must provide a real and measurable return on investment.

It is all too easy to spend endless hours enjoying the many “features” of social networking sites. Whether answering posted questions and earning the tag “Expert” or racking up endorsements and testimonials, every minute spent online must have a purpose, must contribute to achieving your legal nurse consulting goals and must provide a return.

Step Three: Begin networking.

Once your goals, budgets and boundaries are set, it is time to begin networking. Whether online or in person, the most important tool of the social networker is dialogue. Online networking must include direct and individual communications with every member of the network.

Every time a new member joins your network, that new contact must receive a personalized email welcoming them to the network. This mandates that the new contact’s network profile be read and the contact’s interests be made the focus of the email.

The process of customizing the welcome to the new contact has a side benefit to the business because it forces the business to define its relevance to an ever expanding and ever deepening market demographic described by the online social network.

Step Four: Communicate and connect, don’t just collect.

The object of the entire social media marketing effort is to build a network with a personal bond and the ability to refer paying customers or become a paying customer. This means the network members must become raving fans even before they make a buy or referral.

Those who have been networking in real life for years know this is much harder than turning a satisfied customer into a raving fan. Unlike in-person networking, online networking limits the level of interpersonal exchange and thus “likability.”

A social network makes the transition to raving fans because of the personality of the network leader. Use the regular communication with network members as a “personality conduit.”

Step Five: Attract like-minded people, then lead them.

The key to becoming a leader in a market niche is to become a gathering point for other online professionals and their respective networks. All professional social networking websites have the ability to create clubs, or groups, or collectives. By volunteering to create and manage such a group, the leader becomes the point of convergence for everyone interested in the topic.

Step Six: Make it real in real life.

Depending on the local culture and networking traditions as well as the subculture of the online network, a traditional “dinner and drinks” networking event may be in order, but a “picnic in the park” or a “burgers and baseball” format may be more appropriate. The key is not the surroundings, but the opportunity for people who have built an online, but nonetheless real relationship, to put a handshake, or a hug, to the profile and prose.

Guest Blogger Profile

Brian Horn is an Internet marketing consultant who specializes in search engine marketing, site optimization, social media marketing, link building and web data analytics. Brian has consulted with Vickie Milazzo Institute for over three years.

Brian also speaks at seminars and conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada on how to use the Internet to improve business.