How to Manage your Facebook Newsfeed

Hey girls,

You’re social, you’re connected, so there is no doubt your Facebook newsfeed is an exhaustive list of updates from friends, family, co-workers and Pages. It can be overwhelming trying to sort through the clutter and actually find an update worth reading…not that we don’t care that [Insert Name] just bought the hottest peep-toe pumps. Narrowing-in on the newsfeed helps cut the clutter and make your Facebook time more valuable.

There are two options at the top of your newsfeed: (1) Top News and (2) Most Recent containing a drop-down menu. That drop-down menu will be your newsfeed lifesaver!

Top News is determined by Facebook’s Edgerank algorithm. The most interaction (i.e. thumbs-up and comments) an update has by people you interact with frequently, the more robust Edgerank it receives, thus making it “Top News.” You can learn more about Edgerank here.

I am definitely an advocate for the Most Recent option on the newsfeed. You can sort your newsfeed to see Facebook update just by Pages you like, updates that contain photos only, updates that contain links only and other options.

I like the Edit Options on the drop-down menu. This will show you the specific Facebook friend updates you have chosen to “Hide” from your newsfeed. It also gives you the opportunity to view updates from: (1) Friends and Pages your interact with most or (2) All your Friends and Pages.

Do you see “Katango?” It’s an app I used to help me create Facebook friend lists. Check it out here! This is not an ad, nor did I receive any payment or benefit for mentioning Katango.

Gain Exposure with Twitter Trends

Hey girls,

If you tweet from Twitter.com, have you ever noticed the “Trends” column on the right-hand-side? It’s about half-way down. Twitter is using an algorithm containing your Twitter account location to yield the Trends query. Often times the trends are reflective of breaking news from around the world, like #Libya, or something as normal and basic as #WorstFeeling. It changes every day and it’s certainly worth looking at.

Here is a screenshot snippet of the Twitter Trends occurring in Los Angeles on August 22. In an effort to gain more exposure for my Twitter handle and my personal brand, I would participate in some of these trends if I felt that I had something valuable to contribute.

I practice what I preach and joined the #ICanHonestlySay Twitter trend here.

Are there Twitter trends you frequently participate in, other than #FollowFriday? I’d love to hear them!

Take a Trip Down Memory Lane on Facebook

Hey girls,

I think this is sort of interesting. The new “On this day in…” feature is very stealth…I almost didn’t notice it!

Facebook now shares your year-old status updates with you. For example, I was visiting the Mashable Facebook Page and noticed on the right-hand-side my status update from exactly one year ago. It looks like I enjoyed some Yogurtland!

It reads: Thank you Yogurtland for making my afternoon sweet.

What I find bizarre, is that Facebook does not share the “One this day in…” on your Facebook profile. You’ll find it on Pages that you “Like,” but not every Page. It will pop-up randomly. I hope Facebook makes this a permanent box on our Facebook profiles or on the side bar of our News Streams. I would definitely be interested to see what I posted one year ago from the day.