Internet Tracking: How To Minimize Data That Is Used

How to miminize interest-based adsMany of us have dabbled in Facebook ads at one time or another with mixed results. As an “Ad Placer,” we can carve out what types of people we want to see our ads by geography, age groups, interests, and more. Up until now, as a Facebook user, the ads you see have been a result of what you do on Facebook, your profile, status updates, and interests.

This is all changing and changing dramatically. Facebook is making a shift to give advertisers more options to tailor ads to what people do outside of Facebook. As if we didn’t get the heebie-jeebies already, Facebook is teaming up with retail stores to analyze data about purchases and what Facebook knows about you. In other words, Facebook is sharing with retailers the fact that you saw an ad for shoes and matching it up with the fact that you purchased the same brand in a retail store later. This is powerful information for advertisers and of course, helps Facebook sell more ads.

The reality is, you are being tracked everywhere. The only way to prevent tracking is to stop using the Internet. That is not an option for an Indie Author. Continue reading “Internet Tracking: How To Minimize Data That Is Used”

#twitter #hashtags for novices

hashtag hashOnce upon a time, I believed Twitter to be a site filled with dull people reporting about their dreary days or people bombarding me with tweets asking me to buy stuff. Yes, those exist on Twitter but it is a useful social platform and as I have gradually become more au fait with it, I have discovered a good way to use it to reach a target audience and gain interest in your tweets—use a hashtag.

What is a hashtag? It’s almost anything that begins with the hashtag symbol “#”. You will find silly hashtags #eatingsweets and sensible ones #newrelease. They are a way of organising information on Twitter. So, if you want to find out about new releases, you’d type #newrelease in the search box on Twitter. This will direct you to a Twitter page with all tweets using this hashtag. Continue reading “#twitter #hashtags for novices”

Search Engine Ranking- The Value of Social and Search

The role of search and socialWe’ve talked a lot about Google+ the past few weeks. So much so, you’re probably wondering if I’m getting a kickback! No, that’s not the case. It’s really simple, actually. Combining social and search is a powerful combination.

The days of static websites dictating Search Engine Results Page (SERP) ranking is over. You might even think that setting up a Pinterest or Facebook Page gets you in the game, but it doesn’t. Activity plays a huge role in the business of discoverability. Continue reading “Search Engine Ranking- The Value of Social and Search”

The Only Three Social Networks I Need

social-media-seo-logosI have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Blogger, Shelfari, Goodreads and many others whose names escape me. I’ve spent time on Kboards, KDP Community Forums, Yahoo Groups and again, many other forums with long-forgotten names. I’ve posted ads for my books on Craigslist as well as multiple other free online classified sites. And, in between all that I’ve written some new books. Eighteen months ago it became too much so I made some decisions. I knew I had to pare down my efforts and decide which sites were working for me and I had to eliminate the ineffective time drainers. So, I determined which three sites were the platforms that would help me connect with readers. I ignored the ones that weren’t working and I found the ones that worked. For me. Continue reading “The Only Three Social Networks I Need”