With the events over the last 2 weeks I have decided to shed more light on the problem of hackers on social networking sites, such as Twitter. Although hacking has been an ongoing problem for several years now, the problem has been continuously growing and is potentially putting everyone privacy at risk. Everyone (not just celebrities) needs to be cautious and aware of the potential problem, taking the proper steps to avoid an incident.

These hackers are getting more and more creative in their attempts to get information from users on Twitter. For example; some were sending personal messages to models about potential photo shoot opportunities from friends of theirs who’s accounts had already been hacked, . This was an attempt to obtain photographs of the individuals to be used in a manner that was not authorized by the “high profile” senders.

Another popular tactic for the hackers is to send a message “updating” them with their new cell phone number, and asking them to text them. Usually the hacker has a similar name and so forth of a friend on the account, or is sending this message from an account that has already been hacked. The victoms would then send their contact infomation to a complete stranger through text message, thinking this was someone they knew very well. An experienced hacker can use the little bit of information they find out about you to get all of your personal information.

Phishing sites have been one of the favored methods for obtaining your account logins and passwords for several years now. However, many of these hackers are posing as people you know, and are sending links to these phishing sites as a personal message from a friend. The links and site appear to be a legitimate site, like twitter, asking you to login to see the message from your friend, however  the sites are fakes, and steal your login  information and passwords so they can use it.

Some of these phishing sites will try to get you to download or install a program, commonly referred to as a virus, or a trojan. Some of these programs will log every key stroke you make on your computer, giving them all the information they need to have full access to all your online accounts. Now the hacker can obtain access to just about anything, bank accounts, medical records, retirement funds, etc. Pretty scary, huh?

Companies like Twitter are doing their best to combat these issues, but with the limited personnel at most social networking companies, it is important that you do anything you can to not fall for the trap in the first place. Everyone has the potential to be hacked, however it seems as though the hackers were targeting high profile users this time. Every social networking user should protect themselves by using common sense, and not opening emails or private messages from people they don’t know.  Always type in the web address of the site you are trying to login to. Never login to a site by clicking on links you received in a message or email, even if the link is from someone you know. Change your passwords frequently, using passwords with capital and lowercase letters, and numbers. It’s important that all of us take a proactive approach to protecting our online accounts and profiles.

Over the last few years I have developed a great rapport with Twitter and other social networks, so if you have been hacked or ever need help protecting your online identity you can contact me directly.  I also help to get celebrities, athletes, models, etc. verified on Twitter.

Listen to the Radio Interview here —> Shane Barker Interview on LockDown Radio Show

“You’ll be learning how to do everything from SEO to social media from some of the top authors and speakers in the industry, for thousands less than our competition, making our certification program the best value around,” said Barker.

The program features an open enrollment policy, allowing students to begin training and working at their own pace for maximum flexibility. Participants have access to question and answer forums with students and instructors, along with online quizzes and live inter-disciplinary training webinars presented weekly. Those completing the course will be required to complete a final test to earn their certification. Individuals that maintain their membership have access to new information and developments as they become available.

Students begin with online marketing fundamentals and a core curriculum of SEO techniques that includes keywords, garnering traffic and link building. Social media, blogging and viral video marketing are explored and how to coalesce them all into a whole to build brands and increase visibility. Today’s PR involves more than simple press releases and the course shows students the many changes that have occurred and how to take advantage of each, from online releases to videos.

All the best SEO techniques won’t produce results if conversions aren’t being made. Creatine Marketing shows participants how to stretch advertising dollars and convert website visits into sales through a myriad of elements contained in within the website. Analytic tools provide essential information, but they can be overwhelming. Students will learn the fundamentals of analytics and how to use them effectively.

Despite reports to the contrary, email marketing does work and the course will demonstrate how to utilize email as a cost effective means of generating leads, and ensure emails aren’t blocked by ISPs. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising sounds confusing to many and the course demystifies the process with a no-nonsense approach to creating, building and maintaining PPC programs.

Modern marketing has moved from the realm of ads in phone books and newspapers to social media and online content. Social media has become the online equivalent of word of mouth advertising and marketers that aren’t cognizant of the latest developments will see business going to their competitors. Creatine Marketing takes the guesswork out of online marketing, with a one-stop resource for solid techniques and strategies to obtain greater sales and revenues.

Creatine Marketing’s new Internet marketing training and certification program represents the first of its kind to provide a one-stop destination for training that’s located on a single, easy to use website. The program’s self-paced format allows users to access training when it’s convenient and learn from some of the premier experts in online marketing to increase their expertise and overall revenues.

Creatine Marketing can be reached toll-free by phone at 800-35-SOCIAL, or via email with the convenient form on the website. For more information, visit http://creatinemarketing.com.

Media Contact:

Shane Barker Creatine Marketing, 800-357-6242, sales@creatinemarketing.com

SOURCE Creatine Marketing

So now that we know that the Pinerly is alive and working well, I need to better understand what will drive more clicks, likes, repins and reach.  So after some research I have noticed tons of quotes on Pinterest.  There are funny quotes, motivational quotes, social media quotes, etc and so on.  So I found this Pinerly Infographic that shows what kind of quotes you should pin on your Pinterest profile to get the most clicks, likes, repines and reach.

Quotes on Pinterest-Pinerly Inforgraphic

So let’s review what types of quotes will get you the most engagement for your on your Pinterest profile.

It is the age old saying: K.I.S.S

Keep It Simple Stupid

What does that mean?  It means people want to pin quotes that generally are easy to read, easy to grasp and that have a clear message!

It is important that you take unique photos and not just upload every picture you capture. You should look for pictures that give you a “feeling’ of some sort or are creativity in nature. For example, don’t just take pictures of your dog sleeping with your children without giving a small explanation on why you are posting it. Make sure the picture has something behind it.

It seems as though the people on Instagram are geared more towards the artistic side of photography and not the simple pictures the average person takes. Instagram is more “dressed up” than “casual” website. Once you are able to determine the types and styles of pictures that are working for you, stick with it. You can and should make minor modifications and tweaks to it without entirely losing what works. You don’t want to have all of the same pictures, but some variations with similar styles can prove to be beneficial.

Many people tend to overload their Instagram regularly. Instead of overdoing it, upload one or two pictures at a time. Give your followers a chance to spread the word before you add more. When someone clicks on your name, they are going to see the last few pictures you added so it is important that you make sure they are pictures that are “worthy” of your name and not just snapshots that you could live without the world seeing.

Another thing that is vital to gaining followers, is the social aspect. Don’t be “that person” that is only looking for people to like your stuff. If you see something that you like, “like” it, if a thought comes to mind when you see an image, post a comment. This will let people see the person behind the account. By interacting with the other users you are also advertising yourself. You are putting your name on another persons picture that will bring people to your picture, in turn they will click on you and in many cases they will become one of your followers. Keep it social!

Instagram Recent Announcements:
3/20/2012 – Instagram Android Release: New App Now At Google Play
04/07/2012 Instagram raises 50M with an 500M evaluation

Here are some of the most common mistakes new business owners in Sacramento have made. I have made some of these mistakes and some I have learned how to avoid from friends, colleagues and mentors showing me the right direction. Thankfully, I was surrounded by others that had started at the bottom and created great businesses through their very own blood, sweat and tears. Most of them willing to help me avoid making “their” mistakes by showing me what they did wrong and giving me guidance on how they would have done it differently in a challenging Sacramento market.

Now it’s my turn to share this same information with you. Here are a few of the mistakes and misconceptions I had about being my own boss.

1. Hours Dedicated to the Business

The most important, and probably the biggest misconception I had was regarding my hours. I was like the thousands upon thousands of other business owners that assumed we would be able to make our own hours, would not have to account to anyone and simply get rich quick. Looking back now, I should have known better and I feel like a fool, looking back at the way I originally had my business dreams planned out.

You will have to work long hours for quite a while before you are going to be able to begin putting a cap on the number of hours you will work and taking time off. For me, this took about six months of sleepless nights, juggling money from my savings account to my checking account and paying only the minimums on my credit cards and mortgage. Don’t be discouraged, I was able to get on my feet and looking back now, I wouldn’t change a thing. After all, everything worth a damn is well worth the fight and sacrifice to get it.

2. Target Audience

The next thing, which I was not a victim to, was knowing who your target audience is. From the business owners that I know, they have reported that marketing to the wrong groups was among their biggest and most financially troublesome mistake they made. Why is it important for you to know the exact market you are targeting? If you just randomly advertise for your company, you are taking a gamble at getting customers. On the other hand, if you know the demographics of the people that are going to be interested in your product or service you can focus on those people as your clients and potential clients. This, will save you a substantial amount of money in a fairly short period of time.

Thankfully, this next mistake was not one that I made. However, most of my business is achieved online so this mistake was not an option for me. A few of my friends have reported their mistakes of forgetting to include a website in their business plan, making social network profiles and things of this nature.

3. Online Presence

The majority of people will “Google” a company to find out a little more about it before they decide whether or not to take their business to that particular company. Some of the things potential customers are looking for is:

• Customer complaints
• How the complaints were handled
• What the company is about
• Does the company stand behind their services or products

This might not seem very important right now, however, an online presence is vital to all surviving businesses. If your company cannot be found online, you are definitely losing customers nationwide, as well as customers that could very well be within your city limits.

4. Benefits of Your Product or Service

Finally, you need to figure out why your product or service is important and desirable to the general public or other target audience. If you are considered “just another new business”, your company will likely be overlooked because of lack of experience and even because you are merely average in comparison to other companies offering the same services or products.

Once you determine why your business is necessary and important, you need to convince others that your business is right for them. To do this ask yourself a few questions:

• Why is my product essential for a home, office, business etc.?
• How can my product make life easier for others?
• Who will benefit from using my product or service?

If you can answer these questions easily without having to spend too much time thinking, you are on the right path. Keep in mind, just because you have a great product and great idea your business needs marketing strategies (that is where I come in), advertising and your dedication to make it work. You have a long road ahead of you, but the “pot of gold” at the end will be very rewarding. Trust I have been there multiple times. Cheers!

“I’m happy to see that years of ignoring my family and working 15 hour days has paid off,” joked Barker.

PROskore ranks individuals based on their professional background, social media influence and popularity. Barker is a master marketer with over 12 years of experience assisting firms build their brands, increase visibility and generate new customers. Barker is enthusiastic about new developments in technology and is one of the first to adapt them for use within the industry to benefit his clients.

The master marketer accrued a number of coveted rankings. His local ranking within the industry is number 1 and he ranks number 1 for Internet marketing. He also maintains a number 1 ranking for business development, SEO, social media consulting and blogging.

A serial and social entrepreneur, Barker has developed and executed long-term marketing strategies and social media strategies for some of the most well-known companies in the world. He’s an expert in start-ups and product development, and was a partner in a start-up venture valued at over $15 million in less than two years.

The social media expert graduated from California State University with honors. In the business world, he has a proven record of accomplishment and extensive experience that he brings to every project. Barker’s expertise has been sought by an array of celebrities in need of assistance with their non-profit and charitable organizations.

As a social media specialist, Barker offers social media and reputation management, brand awareness, link building and SEO marketing to insure clients obtain the exposure their enterprises deserve. He shares his knowledge on a variety of topics through his blog, and speaks at venues throughout the nation on social business topics ranging from QR codes and augmented reality to branding images and the power of social media.

Barker is an expert in start-ups and product development, partnering with an exclusive array of individuals seeking investment capital or assistance in marketing the next million-dollar product or service. His acumen as a consultant has placed him in high demand due to his ability to evaluate the potential value of new products and developments.

“I’m always looking to invest in start-ups that have great ideas, but even more important is who is involved with the start-up,” said Barker. “Drive, motivation and resilience are a must!”

Barker has a passion for giving back to the community and a strong social conscience. He’s a strong community advocate, participating in a variety of events. He supports an array of causes, including the Child Abuse Prevention Center, EMQ Families First, Volunteers of America, and the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.

Barker’s prestigious number 2 ranking at PROskore is a validation of his efforts and dedication to clients, and establishes him as a master within his field. His social media and SEO expertise, combined with his with start-up and product development success, has made him a highly sought professional by businesses, organizations and celebrities.

One of the best aspects of Pinerly is the way you can set up your “pins” or schedule a pin. This gives you the ability to pay closer attention to your stats. The more informed you are with your statistics the better it is for you to modify your “pinning” to better meet your needs. You will be able to find out fairly quickly what is actually working and benefitting you and what is just above a waste of your time.

The downside to Pinerly is it is not yet open to the public. For now, you will be placed on a waiting list (see link below). However, if you have any of the other popular social networks such as Facebook or Twitter, you can use those to get you moved up the waiting list a bit faster.

It’s interesting, although Pinterest is extremely popular; the site itself has not even reached its peak in popularity yet. More people are finding out about the site but it still is not a “household” name like Facebook and Twitter. Users should be warned, whether you are going on the site out of mere curiosity or you have stumbled upon it you might become highly addicted.

For those of you that do not know what Pinterest is, it is a website that is strictly for visual bookmarking. You can follow people with similar interests and ‘pin’ their images on your own pin board. Once you receive your invitation to the site you are ready to go. It only takes a few minutes to set up and you can begin saving your visual bookmarks and gaining popularity yourself.

Using a Pinerly account alongside of your Pinterest account can be beneficial as long as you have a decent strategy or plan. Without a plan in mind you just might find yourself “pinning” things that are not relevant to your business which in turn could cause you to lose valued customers.

If you are interested in getting in the “que” to beta test Pinerly, you can do that here

Pinterest is a website that gives people the ability to share and organize pictures on the internet. You can use virtually any picture on the internet and “pin” it to a board. It really is that simple. Some people use Pinterest to keep a photo log of things they want. For example, if you are planning a wedding you can “pin” ideas for gowns, bridal dresses and so forth. It really is a unique idea and very creative way to market.

Once you receive your invitation, you can easily begin making your mark. You now have the ability to connect with people with similar interests, common goals and even future clients. After all, if you have a product you are marketing you surely have a picture of it. Here’s how to make Pinterest work for you.

You will be creating what is called a “pinboard” with your account. You should create a “pinboard” that is going to be beneficial to you an appealing to others. Instead of being broad with your pinboard name, be a bit specific. For example, it would be better for you to name your pinboard something like “Great Place to Eat in Sacramento” as opposed to “Sacramento” because some people places to eat might overlook a pinboard called Sacramento. The more precise you are in you pinboard theme name the easier it will be for followers to find it and repin it to their personal pinboards. Can you see where I am going with this?

Now that you have gotten this far, it’s time for you to own your pinboard name/theme. What I mean by this is become the person everyone will look to when they are trying to find a great place to eat in Sacramento. You want to be the one that everyone repins and follows on the topic. As your pins are pinned on another pinboard you are now being “advertised” to a new line of people, thus increasing your leads for your business.

Keep in mind that Pinterest is not your typical social site. This one works on the pictures or images that are pinned to a pinboard. If you want to increase your traffic on a particular page of your website be sure to pin it to your pinboard. As people begin noticing your pins they will look at your website. Add an image to each page that you can pin which will bring in views to all of your pages. Pay attention when you are adding images to your site. It’s important that you do not violate the copyright laws. You can find images that do not violate these laws by looking for images that are under a Creative Commons license.

Finally, I added a “Follow Me on Pinterest” button to the side of my website. This gives individuals that go to my website the opportunity to follow my pins and again increase my traffic. As you can tell, this is all really simple to do. However, it can be time consuming at first while you begin setting it up. In my opinion, it was well worth my time.

If you have questions about Pinterest or other social media platforms, I am an open book!

My Pinterest profile: www.pinterest.com/shanebarker

I have put together, my favorite 15 quotes from some of the industries top influencers.  Some are funny, some informative and some are witty!  If you have other social media quotes that you want to add, please do so in the comments section (below).  Cheers!

1. “Social marketing eliminates the middlemen, providing brands the unique opportunity to have a direct relationship with their customers.”

- Bryan Weiner, CEO at Digital Agency 360i

2. “The qualities that make Twitter seem insane and half-baked are what makes it so powerful.”

- Jonathan Zittrain, Professor of Law at Harvard

3. “You are what you tweet.”

- Alex Tew, Monkey Inferno

4. “The goal of social media is to turn customers into your personal evangelist.”

- Shane Barker, ShaneBarker.com

5. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas; what happens on Twitter stay on Google forever!”

-  Jure Klepic, jureklepic.com

6. “Think like a publisher, not a marketer.”

-  David Meerman Scott, Marketing Strategist

7. “Focus on how to be social, not on how to do social.”

- Jay Baer, Convince & Convert

8. “All one needs is a computer, a network connection, and a bright spark of initiative and creativity to join the economy.”

- Don Tapscott, dontapscott.com

9. “Innovation needs to be part of your culture. Consumers are transforming faster than we are, and if we don’t catch up, we’re in trouble.”

- Ian Schafer, Deep Focus

10. “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is.”

- Scott Cook, co-founder Intuit

11. “Our head of social media is the customer.”

-  McDonald’s

12. “Privacy is dead, and social media hold the smoking gun.”

- Pete Cashmore, Mashable CEO

13. “Today people don’t trust companies. One of the things marketers want to do is to humanize their brand. What better way to do it than put a live person in front of them.”

-  Jackie Huba, Author

14. “How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?”

-  Seth Godin, sethgodin.com

15. “If content is king, then conversion is queen.”

- John Munsell, CEO of Bizzuka

After talking with Luke Deering, founder of Entrepreneur Finder, about his concept and what he plans to do for fellow entrepreneurs, I had to do an interview with him.

So what exactly is EntrepreneurFinder.com?

EntrepreneurFinder.com is a free interactive resource designed around the needs of entrepreneurs, professionals, skilled individuals, students and investors.

1.  How can entrepreneurs leverage your site?

The very early premise for the site was to design an online platform that would funnel all the information, people and resources that entrepreneurs need in their company’s life cycle to one place.This is a really big question, but in short, if you are an entrepreneur you can leverage EntrepreneurFinder.com to find the right investors, mentors, partners, employees, or interns, access key resources, news and relevant events. The site is designed to help so many types of users, but the back bone of the EntrepreneurFinder.com is to stimulate entrepreneurship.

2.  If I am an entrepreneur with an idea how do I get started?

For now the best thing to do is to reserve your EntrepreneurFinder.com Username URL and invite your friends to join, since this will get you onto the early access list. In regards to getting started, once you receive your invite, we have made it as simple as possible. On the front page users select their primary reason for joining the site: to raise funding, find a mentor, or employees etc. Once this is completed, all users need to do is to select a country of origin, tag themselves as one or more user types (entrepreneur, recruiter, student, professional, skilled individual, investor or mentor), then upload a picture and they are on the site. Profiles are full of options to provide additional content to bring your identity to life.

3.  Will there be local mentors for entrepreneurs?

Absolutely, and that list will consist of successful entrepreneurs, professionals, successful alumni from university networks, and retired professionals. This is an area of the site’s tools that is very personal to me. When I was leaving university, I approached my school on numerous occasions to see if they could put me in touch with an alum that would be interested in becoming my mentor. However, they did not have the time, the interest or the tools to do that for me. I could not leave other students mentor-less, like me, so we have put a lot of time in developing the perfect mentoring environment.

4.  If I want to find consultants to help get my business to the next level, will that be available on the site?

Definitely. In fact, we have an automatic matching feature that is tailored to the needs of the user and based on the content they provide. We also have various search tools which will help you find consultants and be found as a consultant. These tools are powerful, discipline-specific and designed to help you find the exact person you need as easily as possible.

5.  How do I protect my ideas once I have posted on EntrepreneurFinder?

So, predominantly it’s up to the discretion of the user when they post content and make it public or not. If your idea is not far enough along for you to feel comfortable, we encourage our users not to publish it. We do have safe guards in place so that you can control who can view that specific content, but we still advise users to be smart about what they share.

6.  Will there be rating systems for providers/consultants that we use?

Yes, for sure. We allow users to endorse other users, and the number of endorsements is reflected on the user’s profile. Members can also leave comments attached to the endorsements. These comments are either approved or not approved by the user receiving the endorsement. We do not have a “vote down” function. But we do have two options for bad experience: one is to simply not endorse the user and the other, if your experience is that bad, is to report the specific members to us. I am sure over time we will add additional features around the rating system, based on what users need.

Thank you for your time Luke and I am really excited about being a Entrepreneurial Consultant on Entrepreneur Finder.  Cheers!

Article written by: Shane Barker