Google+ has been the talk of the town for at least the last year, but now more than ever people are jumping into that pool head first. I’ve heard many users talk about the lack of tools available or an open API for Google+. One reason so many people enjoy using other networks, like Twitter and Facebook, is because of the opportunity to use third-party tools like Hootsuite, Buffer and IFTTT. Well friends, don’t fret! I’m here to help YOU! Below are 6 awesome tools and extensions to use for Google+.

DO SHARE

This may be the most popular Chrome extension for Google+ because it allows people to schedule posts the way you can on Hootsuite and Buffer. You have the ability to schedule a re-share from right inside your Google+ stream or schedule posts with the extension, shown below, from any website you’re on. Do Share allows you to share on your personal profile, Google+ Page or within a Google+ Community. For a deeper look at Do Share, check out Peg Fitzpatrick’s awesome article!

Another sneaky tip for Do Share is the ability to create Polls. When you open the Do Share screen, unclick the check box and a poll will open. This allows you to ask a question and fill in answers, allowing people to +1 their selection. Do Share also disables comments when creating a poll so people will focus on the answers you provide. The poll option can be shared the same as any other post, instantly or at a later time.

HANGOUT CANOPY

I first learned of Hangout Canopy a couple weeks ago, from a Google+ rockstar named Martin Shervington. When you install the Chrome extension, you’ll be able to click it to see who is currently hanging out on Google+. It’ll show you who is hanging out in public and limited Hangouts. You’ll also have the option to be notified when certain people you select are currently hanging out.

POONVIS

Now this tool is excellent during Hangouts because it is easy on the eyes. What it does is it swaps the filmstrip (panel of other viewer’s screens) from the bottom to the top. I know this doesn’t sound like much, but it is great because you are no longer looking down during hangouts and instead looking more into the camera. Below is an image pulled from the Poonvis download page

NUKE COMMENTS ON GOOGLE+

I’ve used this tool for almost a year now and have found it very helpful. It allows you to combat spam by clicking the Nuke Comments button within a post, which will remove the comment and give you the option to permanently block that user and report for spam. It works perfect for users who receive many comments per post. It doesn’t currently work for Communities, although I suspect that is on their to-do list. It does, however, work for Google+ Pages.

CIRCLECOUNT

This is a great tool because it works as an extension within your Google+ as well as a standalone website for your profile. CircleCount is mainly about analytics, but also offers different options as a bonus. I don’t know everything available about this extension, only from what I learned playing around with it, but Google+ rockstar Ronnie Bincer gives a great breakdown here.

1. Analytics

When you go to the site and check your dashboard, you will get a breakdown of every post since your very first one, a graph of stats by day/week, breakdown of followers and frequency of gains/losses, and show you your posts with the most shares, comments or +1′s.

2. Communities

The new update will align your Communities in alphabetical order. Although simple, it can be helpful for those in multiple Communities.

3. Favorite Posts

When you install this extension, across every post you see will have 3 buttons. To view Ripples of the post, Favorite that post or Add Shared Circle. When you favorite a post, you can then go to circlecount.com and check out all the posts you’ve clicked to favorite.

4. Hovercard

I love this option! When you hover over someone’s name you’ll be able to see statistics about them such as when exactly their last post was, number of followers and rank within CircleCount, and average stats for their latest posts, which will give you a sense of how active and/or popular a user is. A new update allows you to hover over any user’s name and it will show you an arrow, which tells you if that user is following you back or not.

GOOGLE+ COMMUNITIES NOTIFICATIONS

This is one of my favorite extensions, which I recently discovered this past week. It allows you to receive, see and act on notifications for all Google+ Communities that you’re in. To make it even more useful, when you go to the settings for this extension it will allow you to choose which specific Communities you want to receive notifications for.

When you click the icon in the top right corner, you’ll be able to see the notifications for each Community. Once you click an option you’ll be able to see all posts for that Community within the dropdown box of this extension, which will then allow you to click on a post and go directly to that page. To get fresh notifications each time, you must click the “Mark as all read” option from the dropdown menu.

What did you think of these? Please let me know your thoughts or questions in the comments below and I look forward to seeing you on Google+! Feel free to Circle me here. That is it for now, I hope this helps you on your journey through the Google+ world.

Bacon

I love bacon, but there has been more bacon-related talk than just about anything this past year. I have no idea how it got so popular all of a sudden, but there is a clear obsession. Even the Huffington Post did a 2012 wrap-up of bacon! Although delicious, I don’t think its internet popularity will stick around in 2013.

Facebook

In 2013, Facebook will start to see its first real decline in users since it first began in 2004. With the rise of sites like Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr, MySpace and Twitter, Facebook cannot afford to keep making huge mistakes and expect to retain their user base. Constant problems with privacy issues, a failed IPO process and EdgeRank, these are just a few of the major problems angering users and causing headaches for Facebook. I predicted their downfall after watching Zuck present Timeline two years ago. Although I was wrong on that, I knew it wasn’t far away.

Instagram

Seriously, one billion dollars!! Facebook bought them for $1B! They overpaid big time, in my opinion. Rarely does a startup remain once purchased by a larger company, this is just another example with a different reason. As of yesterday, many believe Instagram just destroyed themselves by releasing a new “terms of service”. They were all the rage once offered on Android, but trends can only be cool for so long until something better shows up, i.e. Snapseed or Camera+. Besides, all the pictures of people’s food, skies and bathroom mirror selfies took away any coolness it had left.

YOLO/Swag

STOP IT! Saying this does not make you cool, no matter how old you are. Justin Bieber and other pop stars do not dictate the English language, a proper education does. This better not be around next year.

Justin Bieber

I’m not going to lie, he’s a talented kid, but I just wish he’d go away. Social media is what made him and is keeping him popular, damn beliebers!

Call Me, Maybe/Gangnam Style

These were pretty much the ultimate viral song and video of the year. WAY too many parodies of both songs and I’m about ready to never hear either again. To remind you how bad they are, check this out.

Jersey Shore

This is, quite possibly, the worst show on television. I am not a fan of reality TV, but this takes it to a new low. I get annoyed when my friends shout GTL (Gym, Tan, Laundry) because they know it agitates me. How can a show this bad last so long on TV? I hope 2012 is the last year that cast is ever in the spotlight.

Apple Euphoria

Apple has been the top dog in many industries for many years. I think the iPad is the best product they have across their product line, but not for long. Every year, Apple fanboys would wait in line for hours or days to get the next generation iPhone or iPad, but I believe 2013 will be different. I think Apple is no longer the best product available, I think the competition has finally caught up. In 2012, the best smartphone on the market was the Samsung Galaxy S3 with Android. Google has started to compete head-on and even surpass Apple products quite a bit this year and I believe the torch has changed hands. So far, Apple owns the tablet market with the iPad, but the Google Nexus is making a name for itself. Although Apple euphoria will never leave, it will certainly be toned down for this coming year.

Honey Boo Boo

Seriously, why do people support such garbage? I’m not sure which is worse, Honey Boo Boo or Jersey Shore. I believe that shows like this are part of the problem with our society, but that is for another conversation. I really hope that Honey Boo Boo doesn’t stick around for another year, for everyone’s sake.

Caturday

Caturday happens every Saturday and takes place mainly on Google+. If you look here, you’ll see how crazy it is, especially on Saturdays! I don’t hate Caturday, but it has gone down the same road that bacon has on the internet. There are entire blogs, Tumblr accounts and even Google+ accounts devoted to cats and Caturday. What the hell did cats ever do to get so popular? I suppose, being a dog person, of course I’m confused on the whole subject. Anyway, I think the obsession will subside in 2013.

Social media users, both rookies and veterans, know that staying up to date and managing multiple social media accounts is a very difficult task, almost impossible at times. For some platforms, like Twitter, you may be connected to tens of thousands of people! Who in their right mind could keep up with everything going on with everyone they follow? Nobody! And that is just on Twitter. Imagine being active on Facebook and Google+ as well, trying to distribute unique content to each while attempting to engage and follow what people are posting is tough. How is it even possible to stay organized on Twitter, Google+ and Facebook? Luckily, for users, each social network offers a way to group your connections and accounts you follow into categories. These include Twitter Lists, Google+ Circles and Facebook Interests.

By organizing people and accounts into categories, you’ll be able to filter out much of the noise so you can still follow along with the things you find important. Hootsuite is a great tool to help view multiple social networks in the same place. It’s a social media management platform to help you manage your accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more. Hootsuite also allows you to sync up certain social media accounts and create running streams for each tab. Streams can include your Twitter Lists or @ mentions, Facebook keyword search, etc. Currently, you can only view streams for Twitter Lists, but not Interests or Circles. For some more help on Hootsuite, check here. Below is a brief explanation how to create and use Lists, Circles and Interests.

TWITTER LISTS

Some Twitter users follow 500, 10K, even 100K people. Following a high number of users makes it practically impossible to scroll through the stream to find relevant content. Twitter Lists offer a bit of refuge from the clutter. By clicking on your profile page, on the left side is a tab for Lists. Once there, you can view lists you’ve created, subscribed to, or are apart of. Learn to create Lists here. Organize them any way you’d like, by location, company or similar interests. You don’t have to be following people to add them to a list, although they are alerted once added. One thing I don’t like about Lists are the limits Twitter places on users. Each user can create a max of 20 lists of 500 or less people.

You may be wondering how you can create Lists for the thousands of people you are connected to, without it taking an entire lifetime. There are two amazing tools to use to help manage your Lists. Twitlistmanager is by far my favorite List manager. It allows you to view your followers in a long list (like a spreadsheet) that includes Lists you’ve created and easily select large numbers of people to add to Lists at one time. Socialbro also offers a more in-depth way to create and manage Lists. You can search Twitter, with the numerous filters Socialbro offers, and add people to lists in a very simple manner. If you’d like to search for Lists to subscribe to, or even submit Lists you’ve created, check out Listorious. Here you can find Lists that are the most popular or even by category. All of these tools are great ways to find new connections and build your network.

GOOGLE+ CIRCLES

Google+ Circles work slightly different than Lists. Here, you can choose which Circles can view your G+ posts, whereas with Twitter, everyone can see your tweets. Remember, when you follow an entire Circle, you automatically follow everyone in that Circle as well, not so for Twitter Lists. Each G+ user begins with 5 default Circles, but you can easily edit them as you wish. Head to your G+ page and click Circles, and there you can manage your Circles any way you’d like. You can only follow a maximum of 5,000 users and when you “share” Circles, you can only share a max of 500 users in each.

There are many tools to help manage your Circles, including numerous Chrome apps. I enjoy using the unofficial G+ directory, FindPeopleonPlus, to find users through specific filters. This tool also allows you to view which of your Twitter and LinkedIn connections are on Google Plus. Another great resource to search for users is “Recommended Users“, also a few Circles to follow. Here is a small list of tools for Circle management, profile analytics and G+ influencers.

FACEBOOK LISTS/INTERESTS 

Facebook Lists and Interests are basically the same thing, but Lists are private and Interests are public. Lists allow you to group your friends, Pages and subscriptions by categories such as Close Friends, Family, Acquaintances, Restricted or whatever you feel. Like Google Plus Circles, you also have the opportunity to share your posts to the public, lists you choose or all of your friends. On your main page, on the left side click “More”, where it says “Friends”, and you can edit your Lists. By clicking on any of the Lists created, you’ll only be able to see posts by accounts you’ve designated for that List. I like this option because you can see posts by people you’ll never see flash through your News Feed.

Facebook Interests work the same way, but are public. Instead of creating lists of your friends (typically) you are creating lists of accounts you’ve subscribed to, friends or Pages you’ve “liked”. Here is an example of an Interest List I’ve subscribed to. Another example, as a job seeker, I’m working on a list that includes job accounts and companies I’d like to work for. On the left side column of your homepage click “More”, where it says “Interests”, and you can edit your lists there. Most people create lists by a category, but you have fun and be creative. Tip: You don’t have to “Like” the Pages you add to your Interest Lists, which can give you more free reign with your creativity.

And there you go. With the craziness that is social media, I hope these tips and tools can help you organize your connections. It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of utilizing Lists, but once you do, you’ll wonder what took you so long to do this.

They say Roger Goodell and the NFL are all about image. Well, that all went out the door tonight, the moment the Seattle Seahawks were declared the winners over the Green Bay Packers. While the normal NFL referees are on strike, the replacement referees have stepped in and made a complete joke of the NFL. (I do feel bad for them. The job isn’t easy and the world hates them. They are people, just like you and I, but the NFL needs to get the real refs back in the game before this crisis goes any further.) Roger Goodell has officially lost control and respect from the league, with zero chance to earn it back. While the NFL is spiraling out of control and into complete chaos, we think, how can this get any worse?

Enter: Twitter and Facebook. Never underestimate the power of social media. By giving the fans a voice, and players too, the issue of replacement referees has been escalated to DEFCON 1! Twitter was ablaze all game long with tweets about poor play from the Packers, great defense from the Seahawks and the pitiful calls from the replacement refs. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. From the moment Seattle was declared victorious, until the wee hours of the night, Twitter likely broke records regarding “the call” from the replacement refs. It became ugly when celebrities from Hollywood and other pro sports chimed in via Twitter, but worse when Packer players did as well. To add fuel to that fire, Clay Matthews posted on his Facebook page, the phone number of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. That number, by the way, is 212-450-2027. I am unsure of the validity of the number or if Clay Matthews actually operates that page, but it did its job. By 2:30 am, there were over 13,000 Likes, 1,400 comments and 3,300 shares and many more on Twitter.

The real social media crisis began when the NFL posted inaccurate images and captions to their Facebook page and deleted a tweet. Mashable did a great job finding this information, read the article here. They know their employees (the replacement refs) created a major blunder, in an attempt to eliminate some tension they posted a catch from that game and called it the winning catch, but the image didn’t match up. They changed the caption, which was strike two, and strike three came as they deleted a tweet. Haven’t we learned anything from past social media mishaps? Deleting posts label you as guilty (someone always has a screenshot), lack of transparency strips you of credibility and not admitting your mistakes gets you pigeon-holed for quite some time. At any company, especially larger ones, it is important that all departments and levels are on board with your social media efforts, otherwise risk of a social media goof are high. I have a good feeling that most of the time Roger Goodell doesn’t pay much attention to these accounts, @NFL or NFL on Facebook, but may think a little more about it in the future. There is so much bad publicity for the NFL and Roger Goodell, I’m not sure how they can put out those flames. The lack of transparency is evident, the answer is clear, but will they make the right move before any more damage is done?

If you haven’t seen it already, this is the best look at the apparent interception that was ruled a touchdown. You make the call (hint: there’s only one right answer):

Below are a few tweets from some recognizable names regarding the blown call from tonight’s Packers/Seahawks game.

Not too classy from TJ Lang. Michael Strahan feels for the refs, but probably not much.

Mr. Classy, Drew Brees, delicately addresses the issue at hand. While Troy Aikman gets right to the point.

Greg Jennings, who has a right to be frustrated, vents on Twitter. Tommy Chong says “chill out man”.

Jermichael Finley still can’t catch a ball nor did he appreciate tonight’s officiating. Adam Schefter simply agrees.

I don’t believe coaches should have an NFL-related Twitter account, but Pete Carroll still thinks he’s at USC. Although they didn’t say anything bad, I don’t think him nor Russell Wilson should have touched on that subject so publicly, but hey, they won so who cares, right?

Lebron James offering support. He skipped college so he’s against Carroll over at USC. And perhaps my favorite tweet of the night:

Perhaps the most overly-obsessed thing on social media these days are the barrage of memes created every minute, especially if from live national television. Below are a few funny memes that I saw once the game ended:

What is your take on the Packers/Seahawks ending?

I’d put money on it that @NRA_Rifleman scheduled this tweet ahead of time and was nowhere near this Twitter account when it was posted. Lesson 1: Just because you schedule posts on social channels doesn’t mean you can just forget about it and go on with your daily life. You always need to be aware of what is being posted every single day. Soon after this post was made, it was retweeted and condemned by many and was quickly deleted. A little while later, we learned the account was deleted, in a very cowardly fashion. 

Here’s another winner. You can tell this wasn’t automated because it mentioned a current trending topic, #Aurora. I had seen this retweeted in my Twitter stream shortly after it happened and was flabbergasted! I thought, “what idiots!!”. What ensued was an onslaught of negative replies chastising Celeb Boutique for the insensitive post they just made regarding #Aurora. Later, as @Celebboutique tweeted 4 more times apologizing for their blatant stupidity, we learned that they outsource their PR efforts overseas. Lesson 2: If you’re going to outsource your PR or social media work, make sure you are all on the same page! The worst part about this was it seemed they knew what they were doing by putting in a “wink” face, playing off the #Aurora trending hashtag. They claimed they didn’t know what the trending topic represented, but few believe that “hot air” statement. Lesson 3: If you’re going to use a hashtag in your tweet, especially a trending one, you better damn well do your research about what it represents or why it’s trending or you’ll be dealing with similar problems that Celeb Boutique is fighting with today.

RECAP:

LESSON 1: You always need to be aware of what is being posted every single day on your social channels, especially if it’s scheduled ahead of time.

LESSON 2: When outsourcing your PR or social media work, especially if outside the US, you still need to be in the loop of what is being posted or you’ll be dreadfully surprised with negative PR for a long time if something goes wrong.

LESSON 3: It takes a matter of seconds to research a hashtag’s meaning, take the time and learn. Just because it is trending, that doesn’t give you the immediate go-ahead to jump on that bandwagon.

The big takeaway from this is your company’s decision to automate their social posts or outsource their PR or social media efforts. Most companies build an editorial calendar with social content and often throw posts into Hootsuite or Buffer and go on willynilly. This is normal, but you cannot forget what you put in there each day because events like today happen at random. If you work in public relations, social media or operate social channels for a company you always need to be aware of what is going on in the world when posting to a social account, especially Twitter. Social media and PR never sleep, which means you always need to be prepared and aware. Crisis management in social media and public relations is something everyone should learn how to deal with, because it can happen to anyone.

Will we ever learn?

I haven’t done research or found stats that prove why showing off your community manager could be helpful for your company, but I believe it would help give your brand a more human voice when posting and conversing with fans. ‘Humanizing your brand’ is the new thing these days and has been adopted by few companies, but is a growing ideal. Some brands that are promoting their operators include @UPS, @Dominos, @Southwestair, @JetBlue and @Starbucks by putting the names and/or Twitter handles in the company’s profile. @Dell is the only one I’ve found that adds their community managers on the background image of their Twitter page. It’s tough to do the latter because of the lack of real estate available, but is a great way if you can! I suggest keeping the logo in the avatar and adding your operators in the company’s Twitter profile or in the background image, like the brands mentioned earlier.

I always feel comfortable when conversing with a brand that does this because I can see who I’m talking to and I’m willing to bet that others feel the same way. When I’m only talking to a logo it often feels like I’m talking to an old corporate codger who is grumpy all the time or a lawyer who is way too worried about each word posted. Personally, I like to chat with the brand’s community manager on my own Twitter account because I am in the same career field and like to learn from others like myself. By doing this, it also allows me to chat with the company like I am with one of my friends, with a more relaxed feel. This is the type of thing all brands hope for in social media, to interact with fans on a deeper, more personal level. The goal is to build a community with your following, but you need to be transparent and open about your goals and intentions. Letting people see behind the curtain of your brand’s social channels is a must, in my opinion, because it can really help attain that goal, or at least steer it in the right direction.

Just my short, quick opinion on the topic, but I really believe it can be a valuable asset for a brand’s social strategy. What do you think?

I don’t know about you, but when Twitter was down today I was affected. Much of my work revolves around social media and when there is a technical problem, I get anxious. Today’s outage was the biggest in 8 months, but much different than others in the past. It made me realize how far off our world has come with technology. Reminded me of that South Park episode (Season 12, episode 6) where the internet went down and the world went nuts. Randy took his family to Silicon Valley where millions of others flocked and were put into fenced off camps, similar to the movie Red Dawn, and the internet was being rationed in 45 second intervals per family; hilarious!

I really believe the world will end when the entire internet goes down permanently. It’s sad how much we were shaken due to the Twitter outage. I was watching other social media sites during the “blackout” to see what was being said about the issue. The majority of people flocked to Pinterest and Facebook, mainly to complain about Twitter not working. I realize that if the internet went down, most people would seriously have no idea what to do. I’m from a small town in Wisconsin and know that Twitter is virtually unheard of and certainly not used, so this entire issue has not forced anyone there to even bat an eye at the mention of a “Twitter blackout”. But in most cities, this was a major problem. I understand Twitter being down hurts a lot of people’s work progress, but I’m just pointing out a larger issue.

My point is is that our world revolves around the internet and social media so much that when it is MIA we are like blind camels wandering the desert with no idea what to do. Let this be a lesson, that there is more to our lives than the internet and Twitter. Ration your time better and spend it with friends and family more, get out and experience the world or take on new hobbies. If what you are doing on the internet isn’t helping you become better somehow, leave it alone. With the right efficiency, you can have done on the internet what you need done in a much shorter period of time if you try hard, but most would rather surf the net. Lucky for me, I grew up in an area where being outdoors was all we ever did and even now, outdoor activities still consume my life much more than the internet does.

By no means is this a rant, I just want to point out how dependent on technology we’ve become. That needs to be fixed. That being said, check out what was said with the hashtag #WhileTwitterWasDown on Twitter. I was too lazy to put together any sort of curation revolving around things being said about it, but look forward to Mashable finding the funniest things mentioned. What are your thoughts on this and what were YOU doing during the infamous “Twitter Outage” of 2012?

With the ever-growing popularity of social media in sports, you can now chalk up IndyCar racing as another group joining the club. Andretti Sports Marketing and ExactTarget have partnered for a new campaign to grow brand awareness and excitement for the veteran race track. Michael Andretti, CEO of Andretti Sports Marketing and former IndyCar driver, has always been a fan of the Milwaukee Mile and is working hard to bring it back to prominence. Together, they have chosen the 26 most influential social media users in the Milwaukee area for 2012, I was quite humbled when chosen for this list. Andretti wants to use social media to give fans a never-before-seen look into the energy, passion and real-time decisions that make racing such an exhilarating sport. The goal is to make this race the most socially connected race in the IZOD IndyCar Series. ExactTarget has paired each social media user with a driver so that, in the days/weeks leading up to the race, they can continue to build buzz around IndyFest and a specific driver (plus it gives each person someone to root for).

This sport is popular all over the world and IndyFest will have fans from around the country joining in on the fun as well. Because many are not from the area, and IndyFest is a 2-day event, part of our job as 26ers will be to provide tourism information such as great lodging spots, ticket information, dining options, local hot spots and the fun night life we have. Each person has the job of promoting IndyFest through such channels as social media accounts like Twitter and Pinterest, blog posts and whatever else their creative minds can think of. One spunky 26er (Carrie Keenan) even created a Spotify playlist for the big race! I’ve even seen Pinterest boards specifically for this event, mine included (“shameless self-promotion”). Wednesday, June 13, Social Media Club Milwaukee will have their monthly meeting as well as an IndyFest tweetup at Translator Digital Cafe.

Follow the hashtag #INDYFEST on Twitter for all the city/race info you need as well as some of the best IndyCar commentary you’re ever going to find! Please feel free to join in on the fun conversation with the Social 26ers as we discuss all the racing fun you can handle.

Milwaukee IndyFest is definitely the perfect family event to attend. The Thursday before the race, there will be a free street party for anyone to attend, hosted by Marcus Hotels and Resorts. There will be driver appearances, live music, the “Kid Zone” and much more. The full schedule of events for the street party is available here. Friday will include autograph sessions, driver practice and race qualifying, with free grandstand seats Friday only. Saturday, the nationally televised race will begin at noon and will be followed with a post-race concert by Smashmouth, free for ticket holders. Full list of the weekend schedule can be found here.

The main issue around this is that having a race at the Milwaukee Mile is a big deal. The economic impact of an IndyCar race in Milwaukee is equivalent to that of an NCAA Final Four. In recent years, the attendance for the annual race in Milwaukee has declined significantly, and even went on hiatus in 2010. The Milwaukee Mile is the oldest continuously operating race track on earth, since 1903. I believe it’s important that Wisconsinites and IndyCar fans everywhere attend so that we don’t lose such a significantly historical place. Come on out, say hi and have some fun!

They say it’s best to find someone who has been down the same career path that you’re interested in, but it all depends on what you want to get out of having a mentor. When I was in 8th grade, my mother signed me up for this program and I was provided a mentor, because I was a troubled kid and a bad student. The man was a local entrepreneur who was involved in the new mentor program at the school district, which is how we were paired up. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today, but that story is for my next post. Needless to say, having a mentor is invaluable at any age.

For people currently in the career-oriented mindset, typically from late teens through their thirties, finding and retaining a mentor is a must. The key is to find someone in your industry that can help guide you down the right path. Some people have/had really great relationships with professors and chose them as their mentor whereas others believe it best to find someone in the professional world. I understand that it may seem awkward to ask someone to be their mentor, but believe me, that person will feel honored (whether they accept or not) to be asked. It’s a great feeling to have your career validated in such a way. Approach someone who inspires you, who is honest, shares similar goals as you and can be willing to put in the time to grow and nurture the relationship you are hoping to have.

One of the best reasons to have a mentor is the fact that they can help you see your weaknesses and help rid you of them. This is a tough task as many are easily offended or too timid to take such criticism. You want someone who is honest enough to give it to you straight, but that can only happen when you can be honest with yourself. Your friends will see who you are, a product of your past, but your mentor sees a different you, a person that will become a success. In order to be successful, you have to get out of your own way and quit lying to yourself. Take advice when you get it, understand there is more to what you do than you know and always be open to learning more. Mentoring is something I am very passionate about and it can change both your life and theirs. It is very reassuring to know that when you are struggling, either in life or your career, that there is always someone there who will listen and give advice when needed. That relationship is more than just a friendship, it is a bond that cannot be explained.

Part of the passion I feel for this topic is to “Pay It Forward”. I offer this challenge to you: if you’re at a point in your career where you really don’t think you need a mentor, I suggest you look to mentor someone else whether it be from your workplace, a nearby university or even get involved in a local mentoring program. This type of guidance is essential for many children and adults alike. At some point, you need to realize that the world doesn’t revolve around you anymore, that you should devote your time to helping others. Take the time, make this happen.

RAPPORTIVE

This is a great social CRM tool to have for your Gmail. When you email someone and are composing your message, you will see this picture (left) on the right side of the email of the person you are emailing. Rapportive provides an image of the person behind the email address, location and what they do. It also shows links to their social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Google + and LinkedIn. If you hover over the icons for the social networks it will show the most recent posts too. What I like best is that it makes the email feel more personal. Seeing the face of the person I am emailing creates a whole different feel to the process. A valuable relationship management tool I believe you will find useful in your career.

EMBEDLY

I first learned about Embedly in a blog post from the great Jeff Bullas. It is a great resource and time saver when scrolling through your Twitter stream. It allows you full media previews of tweets with links. Click the tweet and it will open up and show a snippet of an article, video or image. Being able to read the first paragraph or two of an article, without having to click to view the entire page in a new window, is a great option to have available. Note, I believe it only works as a Chrome extension.

HUNTSY 

If you’re a job hunter, like myself, then you NEED to be using this bookmarklet! I recently came across this site in an article on Mashable and boy am I glad I did. The main goal for Huntsy is to keep your job hunt organized. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had 20 or more tabs opened on my browser at once because I didn’t want to lose that job listing. First, you have to download the bookmarklet or Chrome extension for your browser. When you begin searching for jobs and come to a position you want to apply for, click the Huntsy tab and a small screen will slide down on your page and fill in the appropriate boxes provided, which include company, title and job description — by extracting it from the position listed. When you are in the dashboard you have options to schedule events like interviews or set reminders as well. For more a more in-depth look at Huntsy, click the link to the article from Mashable (above) or download the extension and toy with the options. This is a highly recommended tool for anyone in the job hunt or professional keeping their options open.

POCKET

Pocket is one of my favorite new Chrome extensions. Whether you’re surfing the web or clicking on, and loading up, numerous articles from your Twitter stream, it never fails where I have too many articles to read and not enough time. Formerly “Read It Later”, Pocket is a superb bookmarking tool to help save time and can also be used as an extension for Twitter. Actually, Pocket is integrated in over 300 apps. When you are viewing an article you want to read later, click the Pocket bookmarklet and a screen will pop down to let you know it is saved. It will also give you the option for tags to sort through saved articles. To read articles you’ve saved, go to GetPocket.com and click on “My List”. The image below is an example of what I have in my Pocket at the moment, I can’t wait to finally read them!

CROWDBOOSTER

Of the five tools listed, Crowdbooster is by far my favorite. Although this isn’t something new, I just started using it recently. Crowdbooster is a social media analytics dashboard that provides stats and recommendations for Twitter and Facebook accounts. Some of the things measured include followers, tweets, mentions and retweets for Twitter as well as fans, comments, mentions and likes for your Facebook page. There are graphs and tables to provide input during certain dates as well. You will find graphs and tables for follower growth, impressions, top retweeters and engagement for each post. This allows you to tailor your content for your fans to maximize engagement. The free version allows you to manage three accounts at once. I’m new to this platform so I haven’t been able to fully utilize all the features available.

If there are things I have missed, other great tools you know about or feel like offering your thoughts on tools reviewed please feel free to comment below. I appreciate all feedback!