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Lots of people don’t think twice before advertising where they are, or where they’re going, on Twitter or Facebook.

If that describes you, and you also use the FourSquare app on your phone, don’t be surprised if your smiling face and your next tweet show up on PleaseRobMe.com, a site that mocks people who broadcast to the world when they’re leaving home and where they’re going.

Here’s how it works.  People download the FourSquare app to their phone and create a profile.  You can invite friends from your Gmail, Facebook or Twitter accounts.  You then use FourSquare to ”check-in.” When you tell people where you are, FourSquare tells your friends where they can find you and recommends places to go and things to do nearby.

The problem occurs when you tell FourSquare to automatically broadcast your whereabouts to your Twitter and Facebook followers.  As soon as somebody checks in, their tweet or message shows up on a scrolling list on PleaseRobMe.com’s home page.  Dozens of new messages appear each minute.

Thieves can use the information on PleaseRobMe.com several ways.  They can set up a filter and search by username or city.  Both Twitter and FourSquare note when you have marked your location.  That gives thieves an idea of about how long you’ll be away from home.

You can find some of the best tips by reading comments at blogs.

For example, if you’re curious about how to use Twitter to publicize local events, you’ll find a slew of tips in the comments at http://budurl.com/uymm

They include:

–Use Twitter Grader at http://twitter.grader.com/  After entering your Twitter username and getting your grade, click on your city, state or country.  A list of local tweeters will appear.  If you find them of like mind, you could choose to follow them.  Then tweet about your event so they’ll see it.

–Download and install Tweetdeck, a browser that will let you organize your tweets and see everything all at once.  Then set up search columns based on your local area.  You’ll then “see” people talking about that area.  Chances are that if they are talking about it, they either live there, or visit regularly, so follow them.  Chances are also good they’ll follow you, too.

–Follow the premiere local tweeters in your area, including bars, hotels, clubs and local businesses whose target customers are the people you want to attract.  Retweet events and posts they tweet.  This will tell them you’re interested in promoting what they’re doing and, in turn, they may follow you and promote your event.

–Two good tools for finding Twitterers in your area are http://TwitterHawk.com and http://Twellowhood.com

When you score publicity in traditional media outlets or online, be sure to let your Facebook Friends and Fans know.

–Post a Note to your Fan Page and link to the online video or radio interview.  But go one step further.  Ask your Fans to critique your performance. When you post the Note, you can actually “tag” certain Facebook Friends who you think would be most interested in reading about it.

–If you’re included in an article that appeared online, link to it. Don’t duplicate the entire article for your Facebook page because it’s most likely copyrighted.

–Excerpt tips you’ve offered to newspapers and magazines and tell your Friends and Fans where they can find the article online.

–Has a blogger written about you?  Link to the post, and encourage your Facebook Friends and Fans to comment at the blog.

–Share with your Friends and Fans what it was like to be interviewed by the media.  How did you prepare for difficult questions?  Did you take advantage of media training before appearing on a TV show?  What little extras did you include in your pitch that tipped the scales in your favor?

Don’t forget about Internet radio shows.  Let your Friends and Fans know how to find the archives.

Google, the granddaddy of search engines, is measuring your
influence.

Let’s say you sell dog toys and somebody types “dog toys” into
the Google search box. Google will rank your site on the left
side of the screen according to several factors. One of the
biggest is whether your site includes those keywords in the title
bar, description, meta tags and copy on your website.

Another factor is how many other influential websites link to
yours.

It gives high ranking to videos, too. When Google bought YouTube
for $1.65 billion in October 2006, that was the company’s way of
screaming “We think videos are important.”

Same with Twitter.

If Google buys Twitter, chances are good that one of the factors
it will use to measure your influence is your Twitter presence,
how often you tweet and how often you join the conversation.

If your competitors are on Twitter but you’re not, what kind of
message do you think that will send to Google?

At Stompernet’s Internet marketing seminar in Atlanta earlier
this year,several speakers predicted that the search engines will
place a greater emphasis on your influence in the social networking
world.

Already, you can measure your influence on Twitter with a variety
of tools and applications. One of them is Twitalyzer at
http://twitalyzer.com/twitalyzer/index.asp

Type in your Twitter name, and it will grade your impact and
success in social media according to several factors: relative
influence, signal-to-noise ratio, generosity, velocity and clout.

Compare your score to the scores of your competitors.

This story proves that the power of creating our body image revolution lies in social media! Case in point: I met this wonderful, vibrant , fully alive gynecologist named Dr. Lissa Rankin on Twitter. Dr. Lissa is a gem, and one of those women who has mastered using both the left and right sides of her brain. She is amazing… did I tell you just how great I think she is? :)

Lissa has created a community called Owning Pink. (You may also know Lissa from her work with Betty Confidential.com and College Candy.com. )

She contacted me because she felt we were sisters of PINKY POWER - both dedicated to helping women learn to love and own their bodies. We simply fell in love and a lifelong friendship has begun - from one single Twitter post! Yes, Twitter!

Lissa is a huge OnePinky fan, and she and I will be holding a workshop in September in Northern CA (you cannot miss it) called “Owning Your Body” and we want all of our Owning Pink and OnePinky sisters to join us!

Listen to what Owning Pink and OnePinky gals have to say about these programs:

“The past year has been a journey of discovery for me. I learned more about who I am and how I want to live my life than I ever imagined was possible. Never had I dreamt that there was so much depth to the universe and so much simplicity all the same. I go through each day with the philosophy that ‘thoughts become things.’ Therefore I simply have to imagine what it is that I want for myself and my life, visualize it, feel it, put an action in place that corresponds with my desires and anything I want is truly possible.”
–Megan of Owning Pink

“The big mental shift I have had since the joining OnePinky.com is the glorious realization that my body is a temple. It is loving, efficient vessel that holds all that is me. After that, health is pretty much a given. Prior to OnePinky.com or attending one of free Laura’s teleclasses on the phone, I took everything about my body for granted. Now it is simply a priority and feel today that it always will be, even though I am still young. I am back to working out regularly because regular exercise and conscious eating are important to and for my temple. Emotionally, there has been an awakening of the knowing that I am beautiful just as I am. NOW. Period. All the time. This prompts me to continually affirm this in my mind and heart. As a result, I AM more Free, Open, Peaceful and happy about my body. There is less judgment, pressure and comparing myself to other women. Whatever path my body is currently on is the right one for me. The time for my heart and body is NOW. Thank you Laura. You are a love.”
–Jennifer of OnePinky

Body Love, Pinky Power… Body Image Revolution… a Love Fest… I am blessed… to live in a time when we can connect at such rapid rates… and blend and support and hold one another’s work and movements.

If you’d like to help get the word out about OnePinky on Twitter, please feel free to do so here! Or tweet @LissaRankin …

Pinky Power! Pinky Promise! Owning Pink! YES!

Almost two-thirds of the people who use Twitter don’t have a bio
or a link listed on their profile, the 160-character description
just under their avatar.

So what’s the big deal?

Does having a bio and website link in your Twitter profile really
make a difference in the number of followers you have?

Absolutely.

The Hubspot Internet Marketing Blog has crunched the numbers and
says that users with a bio have over eight times more followers,
on average, than users without a bio.  Users with a link have
over 7.5 times as many followers as users without.

I’m betting that the typical Twitter user who reads somebody
else’s bio and sees nothing remotely interesting is gone in a
flash without ever clicking “Follow.”

What a shame.  Another potential follower–maybe even a
customer– lost forever.  It doesn’t have to be that way.

Social networking expert Nancy Marmolejo says your bio should
communicate immediately what you do, who your target audience is,
and how you can help people.  Mix in some fun and people will
practically be begging to be part of your tribe. For an example
of a great bio I love, see Can Your Social Networking Bio Pass
the 10-Second Test?

What would be possible if you were totally confident and comfortable in any social situation, and could easily build the relationships you need to succeed? (more…)

One of the biggest misconceptions of social networking is that
you must produce mountains of content–and still keep your day
job.

Yes, you need content galore for your blog, articles, Facebook
page, press releases, Squidoo lenses, HubPages and video-sharing
sites.

But here’s a little secret.

You don’t have to produce all of it yourself, or even most of it.
Outsource, outsource, outsource.

Thousands of competent people, many of them unemployed, would
love to work with you right now, at prices you can afford.
And smart Publicity Hounds who realize that a bad economy is the
very best time to outsource are casting their nets for the best
writers, photographers and video producers.  Those include a glut
of newspaper journalists who have joined the already crowded
market for freelance writers.

Here are three tips to get started:

–Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can help you
find freelancers fairly quickly.  Just let people know what
you’re looking for and they’ll spread the word.

–Hire fast, and fire faster.  Never let freelancers learn on
your nickel.

–Reward outstanding work.

You can find more tips in Joan’s article on how to outsource
freelance jobs.

If you work for someone else, you’re probably more vulnerable
than ever to losing your job.

If you work for yourself, simply treading water during this
recession isn’t good enough. You need every tactic possible to
outsmart your competitors.

In both cases, a long list of glowing recommendations on your
profile at LinkedIn.com can be a valuable trump card–the
difference between landing another position in a glutted job
market, or not. Or getting a big client whose project will carry
you through
the next six months, or not.

LinkedIn recommendations carry a LOT of weight. Hiring managers
are reading them closely to make absolutely sure they hire the
best candidates. So are decision-makers who are in a position to
give you business.

Here are eight circumstances when it’s entirely appropriate for
you to ask for one on LinkedIn:

–Someone calls or emails you to compliment you on your blog,
newsletter, an article you’ve written, a story about you that
they read in the newspaper, or any other facet of your work.

–A past or current client or customer comments about how much
they enjoy working with you.

–You make contact with a former co-worker who you haven’t seen
in awhile. If you like and trust each other, ask!

–You offer free professional advice for someone who comes to you
with a problem and they reply, “How can I return the favor?”

–You offer professional advice via email to someone you don’t
know, and you notice the same person has come to you several
times.

–You write a LinkedIn recommendation for someone who you know
and who knows you, and you’re confident the person will
reciprocate.

Often, a short list of glowing recommendations is much more
impressive than a long list of contacts.

I am continuing the discussion on where to meet people to date when you are watching your pennies.  In my last post, I mentioned many sports-oriented groups and activities to meet singles. (more…)