As announced last week, Posterous has made significant updates to their User Interface and we at YouReach Media have not missed a beat.  See a message HERE from Jessica Thornton….

Additionally, We’ll be hosting a Live Webinar with Jessica covering all of the new updates to this platform/network open to the public but with all of our Past and Current YouReachers at the top of hearts and mind to ensure that we ALL do this together…

Register NOW for this Live session on October 12 at 3 PM PST to get in the know with Posterous Spaces!

You may have noticed that Facebook rolled out a fairly significant update on the way that you share content on your own wall or on other’s wall.  In this, they have made it easier to tag others in your posts, as well as add a location or check in to your post… pretty cool!  They have also made it MUCH simpler to utilize lists to organize contacts and target content- almost mirroring the approach that Google + is taking with circles.

Another change that seems to be going unnoticed by many is that Facebook has REMOVED the button that lets users share Links in their posts.  Even though Facebook knows to automatically create a preview for the link in the post, the long and often ugly URL remains in the text portions of the update if you do not manually delete it.  And for us marketers out there, that simply will not do.  Check out the video below for what I mean and the important final step to take before posting any links to your or others wall- to ensure that your posts continue to be clean and engaging!

Click here to see the video:

Navigating Twitter

For such a simple website, it seems that many people, including Anthony Weiner, are somewhat confused about just exactly how the service works.  And as it matures into a staple medium for businesses, news outlets, and people- even government officials- to communicate, everyone, even my Mom, wants in.  The common thread among many of those eager to be part of the Twit Club is that most are embarrassed and ashamed at their lack of knowledge and charisma in the network.

Remember, you are only as good as your Tweets.  Well, there’s gotta more to it than that, but lets start there.   There is no shame in being a rookie on Twitter, believe me when I say, its obvious… and in Weiner’s case, cost him his job and probably career.  Understanding what you are doing is a crucial first step in Social Media.

For all the newbies, rookies and novices out there- so more than 75% of you- The info below is taken directly from the Week 9 Lesson of our 24 Week training at YouReach Media.

Mentions, aka @usernames- The “@” sign indicates you are going mention a user and direct your tweet to that user. You are initiating conversation, a conversation held in front of all other users on Twitter.  TOTALLY PUBLIC, always will be.

“Hashtags” aka #conversations- Also known as pound sign or number sign, is labeled as a “hashtag” in the Twitterverse. The word or phrase attached to the hashtag links and often describes the conversation taking place among all the tweets that include that particular hashtag.

A hastag often represents an actual physical object, entity or place, like #AnEvent or a #McDonalds or #bikes. It can also signify an ongoing conversation- and is used as a tool to link many people into one single conversation simply by including that hashtag in every tweet meant for that conversation. This conversation is totally public, and also provides context to newcomers as they join by linking to others in the conversation.

For Example, #retechchat is an hour long conversation hosted each week by @drewmeyers. The hashtag stays the same, and the conversation varies each week. Additionally, #youreachers is a conversation held among YouReach trainees to meet, discuss strategy, and learn from others.

ReTweets mean that you are repeating another person’s statement, or tweet. You can retweet something exactly the same, OR add in your own comments and opinions. Re-Tweeting is an integral and important part of your Twitter strategy for sphere expansion… how come? Because it makes people FEEL GOOD to get mentioned publicly, and have THEIR thoughts shared.

Direct Messages (DMs) are the private element of Twitter. The same length as a tweet, DMs can only be sent to someone that FOLLOWS YOU, as well as received by someone you are following. Remember the cocktail party? Well, this is your avenue for the private, intimate chance to discuss business, or moving the conversation to a more fruitful medium, like email or the telephone. Make sure you avoid sending your email address or phone number in a public tweet to avoid spam and other risks. Twitter is 100% public UNLESS you utilize the DM feature.

And check out the video to see all of these elements in ACTION when accessing Twitter from a web browser

Its all quite simple really.  And @repweiner- sorry this didnt get to you about a month sooner…Remember, there is more where that came from- we are always happy to bring you into training with us. We don’t bite. Hard.

For all of us out there using the amazing Blog and Syndication Service Posterous, we know just how valuable it can be in terms of making your clicks count (conversion people!) and of course, saving you tons of TIME. 

Probably the niftiest feature of posterous is the bookmarklet.  What the heck is that, you ask?  Its like a bookmark application that allows you to use all of Posterous’ awesome functions when our browsing the web- allowing you to “DJ” content.

Below is a video by our very own Jessica Thornton (@youreachmedia) showing how to install the posterous bookmarklet and share content on the web.  Enjoy!

Posterous_Bookmarklet_HowTo.swf Download this file