First off, it’s pretty incredible how far back the Timeline goes. In fact, the first thing I realized was that I probably wanted to polish up a few things before all of my past photos, tags, and posts were on public display for everyone.

My first impression however is that I really like the large banner photo at the top of your profile. In fact, this made me think that Facebook is now directly going after the blogger market by having a similar appearance as current blog headers. You could even go so far as to create a custom image header and use that as your timeline banner. I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing some of this in the very near future as more people adopt the new layout.

My next favorite is the larger photos on display. This is a great opportunity to display some of your current work with large colorful images.

However, as always with Facebook, privacy is a big proponent of online controversy. So, I’m taking a moment to remind you some simple steps to control who sees what on your new Facebook Timeline.

First, go to the down arrow on the very top right of your profile. Clicking on the Privacy Settings option will bring you to this page:

Here you will be able to select individual settings for how you want to control your privacy. Facebook has recommended certain settings, however I prefer a little more privacy as I’m sure you do as well.

Click on “How to Connect” and you now have full control over your privacy for each way you connect with people on Facebook. Here is how I have my settings configured:

This allows me to still let people know I’m on Facebook, but without letting them see absolutely everything about me before I have a chance to connect with them.

Continue through the different options to personalize your privacy settings. You’ll find very specific options, such as allowing people to tag you when checking in to Facebook Places, or allowing you to review any photos you’re tagged in before your friends on Facebook can see them.

Facebook is a wonderful tool to network with colleagues, as well as stay connected with family and friends. Rather than jumping on the naysayers bandwagon about losing privacy on Facebook, take the time to figure out your privacy preferences. Take control and make Facebook work for you.

This post is brought to you by Collages.net.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE NEW FACEBOOK TIMELINE? POST YOUR COMMENTS AND RESPONSES BELOW…

So, to make a quick overview of the main features of Google+, here are some “pluses” that are worth noting:

1. Circles- Much like your network on Linked In or your Friends on Facebook, Circles on Google+ are a way to collect connections from people and organize them into groups. The main concept is that you can have one person occupy more than one circle, allowing them to overlap and create a complex yet manageable  network. Also, the visual drag and drop user interface makes adding people to your circle that much easier. Also, when you share posts or photos on your Google+ profile, simply choose which circle you wish to share it with. This makes it very easy to determine who sees your crazy late night shenanigans, and who doesn’t.

2. Hangouts- Rather than having schedule FaceTime meetings or appointed time-slots for Skype, Google+ Hangouts enables you to do just that. Hang out. While logged into your Google+ profile, users can start a Hangout session, letting other users know they are available for video chat. This allows for more spontaneous visual/audio conversations, allowing for more casual and relaxed communication with people in your circle.

3. Sparks- Much like searching for something on your favorite search engine, Sparks allows you to search for topics that interest you. The added bonus is you can bookmark the topics, and check back regularly for newly updated dynamic content in your searches. Think of it like the tabbed topics navigation bar on CNN.com, only comprised of topics that are of interest to you. When you click the “Share” link on the article, it posts the snippet to your Google+ profile, allowing other users to chime in on your Spark with their own opinions.

4. Photos- What would a social media sharing site be without photos? Google+ makes it easy to import images from your computer, from your Google profile, or even your Picasa account. And much like other sites, you can tag friends in your photos, comment on them, and organize them into albums. So whether you’re using Google+ for more personal endeavors or to blatantly self-promote your business, you have the capability to categorize your images to do both.

5. Huddle- If you’re familiar with instant messaging, Huddle is like having a group for your instant messages with the people in your Circle. So, much like having a personal chat room, Huddle allows you to collaborate with project team members, or just decide on what movie you want to see with your group of friends.

Although it’s still in it’s infancy, Google+ shows a lot of potential to become a powerhouse for social media interaction for users on a global scale. Where I see the potential for Google+ to really take off is by utilizing Google Translate into it’s interface, allowing international users to communicate across language barriers. And yes, I also see lots of potential for privacy issues, but then again if you sign up for a social media sharing site, that’s exactly what you’re getting… sharing. So whether you see it as Big Brother or as a new channel of social communication, Google+ has entered the scene in a big way.

ARE YOU ON GOOGLE+ ? DISCUSS SOME OF THE WAYS YOU ENJOY USING IT, OR SOME OF YOUR ISSUES…

However, one of the previous drawbacks was that you didn’t receive any notifications when a guest posted a comment in the plugin. For those of us that understand the importance of monitoring what goes on your site, this is a necessity. But this morning, as I began my daily social media rounds, I received a notification in my Facebook profile that informed me another user had also commented on the “link” that I had commented on (aka my Facebook Comments plugin).

When I clicked on the notification, it didn’t bring me to another section of Facebook where I could see what the person commented. Instead, it took be directly to my blog where I had inserted the comments plugin.

My first instinct is that this is not a new feature of the comments plugin. Instead, it’s a result of my having “Liked” every person’s comments that were put into the plugin by each user who had commented on the blog post. So, as a result, I received a notification when that user had made an additional comment after my own.

The moral of the story? Although Facebook Comments still has a ways to go, there is indeed a workaround to receiving notifications when people post additional comments on your blog post. It may not be the complete solution, but it’s a start.

HAVE YOU TRIED FACEBOOK COMMENTS? POST YOUR THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS BELOW…

So, as a 5-time veteran and 2-time speaker, I’m here to be your WPPI 2011 Charlton Heston with a few tricks to make sure you make it back home without looking like you just finished shooting Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield”.

1. Drink plenty of water. Sure it sounds obvious, but you don’t realize just how much moving around you’ll be doing. It’s a huge convention with two full-sized tradeshow floors with workshops and classrooms on multiple levels. We’re talking a proverbial Mecca of photography-dom! Besides, if you’re not familiar with the Nevada desert climate, you’ll learn soon enough that the dry desert air will suck any moisture out of your body pretty quickly.
2. Pack light. I see it every year. Some people want to wear their prize Canon 1D MK III around their neck the entire convention as if they were a prize turkey. What they don’t realize is that carrying around 20 extra pounds around your neck all day isn’t like shooting your regular wedding. Try it for 12 hours straight for 5 days!
3. Beware of dead zones! For real though, lots of photographers love their iPhones. And up until recently, iPhones were only available on AT&T 3G. Therefore, if there’s innumerable photogs with their beloved iPhones at WPPI, you can bet your signal will fizzle. So, if you’re not starving for 3G speeds, change your settings on your phone to not use the 3G data network. Your voice and text capabilities will work perfectly, and your phone battery will last much longer.
4. Day vs. night… shoes. Seriously, this should go without saying. Aside from the enormous long hallway between the tradeshow and the MGM casino and hotel, there’s plenty of pavement to pummel with your shoes. That being said, bring some very comfortable sneakers for daytime. Afterwards, hop into your favorite heels for your night time adventures.
5. Cash is king. I’m not talking about gambling, I do enough of that every time I fly Southwest. Just kidding. Anyway, the WPPI tradeshow is among the largest displays and sales facilities for the newest and hottest photographic gear. And the vendors know it. So, their providing plenty of deals and discounts that you can’t find anywhere else. So, if you’ve been waiting to buy a certain lens (Canon 50mm f1.2 L), now is the time to do it ;)
6. Did I mention water…? Of course, this applies again, because as we all know, Las Vegas has plenty of drinking and socializing. I’m not saying you shouldn’t enjoy yourself. Just remember to rehydrate for the next day’s adventures.
7. Be social. Some of the best friends you’ll make will be made at WPPI. I keep in touch with all my buddies from every year I’ve attended. And the best part is that we all share business secrets and techniques without the restriction of fueling our local competition! So get gabbing!
8. Twitter is your friend. I don’t even know who text messages anymore. It’s all about direct messages, mentions, and push notifications. With everyone on Twitter, there’s no reason not to be. With geo-location, photo uploading, hashtags and more, you’ll be “in the know” before it happens. Meet-ups, memories, and mayhem are all being recorded on Twitter. Just do a search for #WPPI and join in.
9. Empty your mind. Some of the best minds in the photographic business are at WPPI sharing what they know on how to make your studio thrive. So, take advantage from the sages and achieve your inner photo-ninja.
10. Have Fun! Yes, it’s a learning experience. That goes without saying. However, when else do you have the chance to hang out with great people and have some fun?

With that being said, I hope you all have a wonderful time and learn something new. See you there! -Dustin Meyer

POST YOUR COMMENTS OR LINKS TO PHOTO-SHARING SITES  WITH YOUR FAVORITE WPPI PHOTOS!

Renee:

Hi Dustin,

I have a question regarding business/facebook page.  A page was initially set up thru a personal page of one of our former employees (owners son).  It is very difficult to control the page this way.  We feel limited to the current page, our studio name had a slight change from “CHARLESWATERHOUSEPHOTOGRAPHY” to “WATERHOUSEPHOTOGRAPHY”,  we want to grow the page and do better advertising on it.  We also do not want to loose the current “fans” we have.  What would be the best way to go about creating a brand new page?    I am doing some searching on the internet but it really does show how to transfer/keep your current friends/fans….

You have been so helpful in the past (WPPI class 2010).. Any direction would be greatly appreciated.  I also registered for HootSuite also.

Congrats on the new addition to your family… Maddox.. he is beautiful

Cheers,
Renee

Here is what I wrote back to her:

Hi Renee,

That’s a great question. Currently, a lot of the more complicated Pages vs. Profiles management processes are still kept in the dark. I have closed down several of my own Pages without finding a way to transfer those Fans over to a more consolidated Page.

In the past, I was able to locate an email address for Facebook. “Support@facebook.com” I believe. However, no support email addresses can be found on Facebook. Nor have I located and support phone numbers to contact them about these kinds of questions. It appears that FB is moving everything over to a “user-based” support forum, where the customers answer each others questions.

The only thing I’ve found is to be proactive in alerting your current Fans on your old Page that you’re moving to a new Page. You can do this by adding a status update every week or so. Also, you can send out an Update, however I find that people hardly ever read those anymore now that they’re not located within the user’s Inbox.

I know it stinks, but currently this is the only method I’ve found to be successful. Yes, it’s quite possible that some of your Fans won’t migrate to your new Fan Page. However, look at this as a “quality control” exercise with your clientele. Those that are truly interested and invested in your studio’s services will elect to make the move over to your new Fan Page :)

I hope this helps, will you be at WPPI this year? If so, make sure to say hello!

Thanks,
Dustin

POST YOUR THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS, OR SUGGESTIONS:

Little things like love, joy, and inspiration. As photographers, we work tirelessly to please our clients, meet expectations, and rise to the competition. But let’s not forget why we all do it. And let’s not forget the moments in our lives that give us the inspiration to continue to create.

I’m reminded to appreciate many things. But I also wanted to let you know that I appreciate you, the reader. MpactPhoto wouldn’t be here if you weren’t here to read it. We wouldn’t be here if our wonderful sponsors didn’t believe in MpactPhoto and what it stands for. Thank you, and start fresh with an amazing new year :)

-Dustin Meyer

POST YOUR COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS BELOW

Most of us already realize that just like Google, these apps are mainly here to gather data about where we frequent and where our interest lie. Enter Facebook Places…

Facebook Places was just recently release on Thursday and it already seems to be gaining in popularity. For photographers, this new feature shows great marketing potential for our studios. How? Facebook has graciously given us the ability to not only create Places for people to check in. They’ve also masterfully created the ability for us to tag our friends when we check in. What business potential does this have, you may ask? Well, let me provide you with a brief scenario…

As a senior portrait photographer in Austin, TX, Facebook Places via their mobile app for iPhone or by using their mobile web site touch.facebook.com from your smartphone, I can tag clients at Dustin Meyer Photography when I check in for their portrait session. Of course, they have the ability to change their privacy settings on the Facebook website. But, should they allow the ability for friends to tag them in Places, I can know announce to my client’s news feed and their friends that they are currently at my studio having their portraits made by me. Brilliant!

The extra benefit this nifty feature creates is that not only do the friends of my portrait clients learn that my client is having their portraits made. Their friends can also learn where my studio is and who else is in attendance. As long as you’re ok with people knowing where your business is located, this feature can be a great way to get more people to notice your business. Also, when people check in to other places nearby, your studio will show up in a list of places they can check in, bringing further attention to your business!

So what does this all mean for the future of other location-based apps? Well, I have my own theories, but of course it’s always smarter to give it a little time and see what happens :)

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON FACEBOOK PLACES AND OTHER APPS? ENTER YOUR COMMENTS BELOW:

Collagesnet Standouts from Dustin Meyer on Vimeo.

http://collages.net. Professional Wedding and Portrait photographer Dustin Meyer gives a shoutout to Collages.net’s new product, Wall Standouts. Cheers!

Hootsuite Search Tab Tutorial from Dustin Meyer on Vimeo.

http://mpactphoto.com. Dustin Meyer provides us with a quick and helpful video tutorial on how to keep tabs on yourself in the Twitterverse. Special thanks to Hootsuite for creating such an awesome and comprehensive social media tool!

POST THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS BELOW :)