“Red Sign Stop Icon Plus Octagon” © 2012 Nemo, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Dedication license: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

Online advertisements can really disrupt the seamless experience that the internet can offer. Luckily there is a way for Google Chrome users to switch these off by installing a simple app from the Chrome Web Store. Follow this quick guide to see how you can do it too:

(We would like to point out that we have no affiliation with Adblock Plus app, we just think it’s really cool!)

The Method – Block Ads on Google Chrome

Skill Level: Intermediate

Time Taken: 45 seconds

Who for: Chrome Users

What to do:

1. Start Chrome.
2. Enter the following URL into your address bar: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock-plus/cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb
3. Click ‘+ Add to Chrome’
4. Adblock Plus will now install and will immediately begin to filter ads
5. VIDEO: In the video below I have shown some examples of how side banners and video advertisements have been removed from the YouTube.

Video:

So What?: Advertisements can quickly fill up your screen, constantly urging you to buy things you may have browsed in online stores (if you want to see this in action, head over to Amazon or Play and look at some cameras, then look at the adverts which pop up later!). Turning off adverts can let you focus on exactly what you want to see, without being tempted to buy something you really don’t need.

The Chrome Web Store also has plenty more fun apps that you can try out for free, so it might be worth having a browse of that too (…quick game of Angry Birds anyone??)

The post Chrome tip: Block Facebook and YouTube Ads appeared first on The Worst Kept Secret | Social Media Agency | Bespoke Training, Strategy Consulting and Community Management.

“Padlock Security Lock Closed Computer Icon Open” © 2012 Nemo, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Dedication license: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

Stop people from trying to access your Facebook account by using your mobile phone: If you, or someone else, tries to log on to your Facebook account from an unrecognised computer or mobile device, your mobile phone will receive a text message with a code that you will have to enter to continue the log-in process.

Every time you use a new device to log on to your account, you will have to follow this process. However, you will get the option to allow Facebook to ‘save’ the new device, meaning you will be able to skip this process for specific devices in future.

The Method – Protecting your Facebook Account

Skill Level: Intermediate

Time Taken: One minute

Who for: Facebook Users

What to do:

1. Log in to your Facebook account.
2. Activate the drop-down menu next to ‘Home’ in the top-right corner
3. Click on ‘Account Settings’
4. On the left-hand side of the screen, click ‘Mobile’
5. Click on ‘+ Add a phone’
6. (You may be required to reenter your password at this point)
7. Select your country and network provider
8. Text the letter ‘F’ to 32665. You will receive a confirmation code.
9. Enter the confirmation code
10. OPTIONAL: We would suggest un-ticking the two boxes below. Hiding your mobile number from Facebook is highly recommended if you want to keep your account as private as possible.
11. Click ‘Next’ to complete the registration.

Video:

So What?: The process of safeguarding your Facebook account using a mobile phone might seem an unnecessary step to some, and it’s really up to the individual to decide whether they wish to implement this process. This is a useful option for someone who is afraid of having their account hacked, and wants total knowledge that they are the only one’s accessing their profile.

The post Facebook Tip: Protect your Account from Unauthorised Users appeared first on The Worst Kept Secret | Social Media Agency | Bespoke Training, Strategy Consulting and Community Management.

“Office Table Free Flip Calendar Hanging Monthly” © 2012 Nemo, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Dedication license: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

Event invites are fast becoming the new junk mail, this tip will help you clean up your Facebook. Here’s how it’s done:

The Method – Stop all Event Notifications

Skill Level: Basic

Time taken: 30 seconds

Who for: Facebook users

What to do:

Video: 

So What?: Turning off event notifications can prevent your Facebook home screen from becoming cluttered with junk posts. By selecting to not receive event notifications, you will have a more personalised space where you are not bombarded with posts you don’t care about. Remember, turning these notifications off means that you won’t receive notifications about ANY events, so please bear that in mind when making your choice!

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“Black Controller Cartoon Electronics Grey Remote” © 2012 Nemo, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Dedication license: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

The YouTube website is pretty straightforward: You search, you click, you watch. But did you know that there is a much more seamless version of YouTube that you can navigate with your tablet or smartphone? Here’s how to access it:

The Method – How to access and use YouTube TV

Skill Level: Intermediate

Time taken: 3-5 minutes

Who for: YouTube users

What to do:

Video: 

So What?: YouTube TV is an innovative way of integrating portable devices in to your YouTube experience. In the future we can expect to see an increased level of interactivity between smartphones/tablets and larger devices (laptops, gaming consoles, etc.), and this is just one example of the new possibilities which we can expect in the future.

The post YouTube tip: Navigate YouTube with your Smartphone or Tablet appeared first on The Worst Kept Secret | Social Media Agency | Bespoke Training, Strategy Consulting and Community Management.

“Red Sign Symbol Target Circles Roundel Circle” © 2012 Nemo, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Dedication license: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

This will help improve response rates from your target audience. Creating a Facebook page post for a specific demographic is simple, all you need to do is define your target audience and hit the post button! Here’s how it’s done:

The Method – Create a Targeted Post

Skill Level: Intermediate

Time taken: 2 minutes

Who for: Facebook users

What to do:

(Please note that your page must have at least 5,000 likes before this feature becomes available)

Video: 

So What?: Targeted posts can help you get a response from the right demographics. For example, asking wives questions about their husbands (or vice-versa) would be easy to do by creating a post, and selecting to target only married men or women. Another example might be asking teenagers what they think of a certain brand, and selecting who to target accordingly.

The post Facebook Tip: Better Target your Audience appeared first on The Worst Kept Secret | Social Media Agency | Bespoke Training, Strategy Consulting and Community Management.

QR codes are small images containing data, which are accessible through a variety of mobile applications. It’s easy (and free!) to create  your own QR code, which you could put on posters, leaflets, business cards or any other form of promotional material. Follow this quick guide to see how it’s done.

The Method – Create a QR Code

Time taken: 1-10 minutes (depending on the information you are entering)

Who for: Website admins/bloggers

What to do:

Video: 

So What?: QR codes are a fun way for your customers to engage with your page and/or content. They can also add a twist to traditional methods of sending out text messages or connecting with a customer via a phone call, which will be started by the customers activating the QR codes.

The post Web 2.0 Tip: Create a QR Code appeared first on The Worst Kept Secret | Social Media Agency | Bespoke Training, Strategy Consulting and Community Management.

“Flat Plus Add Bookmark Bookmarks List Links” © 2012 Nemo, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Dedication license: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

Twitter lists are an important part of keeping track of tweets from your favourite tweeters, but were you aware that you can also make lists on Facebook? Keep in touch with the brands you love or keep on top of what your friends are doing by creating targeted lists, here’s how:

The Method – Create a Facebook List

Time taken: 2-3 minutes

Who for: Facebook users

What to do:

Video: 

So What?: Facebook lists are an easy way to keep in touch with your interests, which can help you ensure that you see all the latest posts from the pages and friends you follow.

The post Facebook Tips: Create a List appeared first on The Worst Kept Secret | Social Media Agency | Bespoke Training, Strategy Consulting and Community Management.

“Keyboard Mac White Silver” © 2012 katschinski, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Dedication license: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

YouTube is the most popular video website on the net, and you would need several lifetimes to watch absolutely everything on the site. If you really want to attempt doing this, we can make it a little easier with our simple list of keyboard short-cuts.

The Method – YouTube Keyboard Short-cuts

Time taken: 30 seconds

Who for: YouTube users

What to do:

1. Search for, and play, a video on www.youtube.com
2. Click on the black border at the bottom of the video player
3. Now you have selected the video player, you can use the following functions by clicking the corresponding keys on your keyboard:

• Left: Rewind
• Right: Fast-forward
• Up: Increase volume
• Down: Decrease volume
• Home: Restart video
• End: Go to the end of the video
• Space bar: Pause/play video
• F: Fullscreen

Video (with sound):

So What?: YouTube is the most popular video websites around, thanks to their simple video player mechanics. Learn to use these short-cuts for a more dynamic experience, and wow your friends by showing them how you can utilise your keyboard as a YouTube accessory.

The post YouTube Tips: Keyboard Short-Cuts appeared first on The Worst Kept Secret | Social Media Agency | Bespoke Training, Strategy Consulting and Community Management.

“Traffic Sign Road Sign Shield Traffic Road” © 2011 Roadrunner, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Public Domain Dedication license: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

When someone mentions Facebook, it’s never too long before someone screams ‘What about our privacy?!’. This will be part one of four Facebook privacy tips that we will be releasing over the coming few weeks.

The Method – Mobile Phone Post Privacy

Level: Basic

Who for: Mobile Facebook Users

What to do:

1. Log in to your Facebook account from a computer.
2. Select the drop down arrow (next to home). From here, click on ‘privacy settings’
3. You will be presented with three options, ‘Public’, ‘Friends’ and ‘Custom’.
4. Clicking on ‘Public’ will provide you with the least amount of privacy, meaning that any post you make from a mobile can be seen by anyone, even if they are not friends with you. We would not recommend choosing this option.
5. The ‘Friends’ option is the basic privacy choice, as only your friends will be able to see your post…except if you’ve tagged a someone in the post. (The friends of the Facebook user that you have tagged will now be able to see this post, even if you aren’t friends with them, meaning that you don’t really have that full level of privacy.)
6. The best option is to select custom, after which you will be presented with a new window titled ‘Custom privacy’. From here you can select exactly who you do (or do not) want to see your mobile posts.
7. Click on the drop-down box next to ‘These people or lists’ and choose your desired audience for your posts. (This is the part of the guide which is completely up to you. You can play it safe and click ‘Friends’, or you can decide who exactly gets to see your posts.)
8. You also have the choice of posting to ‘These networks’, meaning that only friends within those networks will see your mobile posts.
9. ‘Friends of those tagged’ should be unchecked at this point, unless you don’t mind your tagged friends friends reading your posts.
10. Finally, you can specifically choose people who will not be able to see your posts.

Video:

So What?: Privacy is always key when using Facebook, and that counts for mobile usage as well. It is all too easy to post a great deal of personal information online without thinking twice about it, so by taking these simple steps you can ensure that your posts remain as private as you want them to be.

The post Facebook Tips: Mobile Phone Privacy appeared first on The Worst Kept Secret | Social Media Agency | Bespoke Training, Strategy Consulting and Community Management.

YouTube is available in almost every country in the world, and with 500 years of content being watched every day (http://www.youtube.com/t/press_statistics) we would be very suprised if you hadn’t heard of it! A feature of YouTube which may not be known to you is that the platform provides the ability to search in several different languages, thanks to its virtual keyboard option. Depending on whether you have chosen a default language that contains letters not usually found on a European keyboard, you will be presented with the virtual keyboard which contains these letters.

The Method

Level: Basic

Who for: Individuals who can speak two or more languages.

What to do:

Learn how to use the virtual keyboard in the video below, or follow these simple steps.

1. Head over to YouTube (www.youtube.com)
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the front page
3. Click on the language shown next to ‘Language:’ (for UK users this is usually set to English by default)
4. Choose your desired language
5. Should your desire language require letters not normally found on UK keyboards, you will notice that a small image of a keyboard appear in the search bar.
6. Clicking on this keyboard will open a virtual keyboard, which contains the letters required.
7. Use the virtual keyboard to enter your search request

Video:

So What?: YouTube is used around the world, and for those multi-linguals out there, using English for your search might not give you your desired results. By switching to a specific language, your searches will be more accurate, and you will find content in the language of your choice much easier.

The post YouTube tip: How to Search in different Languages appeared first on The Worst Kept Secret | Social Media Agency | Bespoke Training, Strategy Consulting and Community Management.