5 Social Media Trends for 2020

 

By Fred Felton

Dec. 17, 2020

It’s been quite a year and one thing 2020 has taught us is that nothing can prepare you for the unexpected.

                                                Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

Covid-19 has resulted in a whole new form of language terms that we now use in our daily lives. It has also changed the way we conduct ourselves daily.

Along the way during this year we have picked up some new trends and hashtags that have landed in our dialogue box. We use them almost daily now.

Here are 5 of some of the biggest trends/hashtags that people use in their daily lives:

COVID-19

Depending on which format you use it comes in various shapes and sizes from COVID-19 to Covid-19 to the stripped down version C-19. I have even heard it called ‘The Covid’.

CORONAVIRUS

Once again it comes in different shapes and forms from coronavirus to corona and even rona.

SOCIAL DISTANCING

The term used to designate how far we should stand apart from each other. I have seen some people stand 2 metres behind others in shops but this is another term which has popped up this year. It refers to one of the protocols that people should adhere to if they want to avoid the virus.

FACE MASK

A term we now use to describe that piece of material we put on our face to protect us from the virus. Not only has it changed the way we do things it has also become somewhat of an essential fashion accessory.

REMOTE WORKER

Now this is a term that most people who work online are quite used to. However for the rest of the world they very soon became acquainted with it if they wanted to work this year. With it came such wonderful concepts as Zoom Meetings and the familiar phrase ‘You’re on mute’.

There are many more interesting words and phrases that have popped up this year but one thing is for sure 2020 will be a year that many people remember.

5 Social Media Goals For 2019

It’s 2019 and time for you to take a look at your social media marketing for the year ahead.

Here are 5 social media goals to keep you on the right track:

More Video

Twitter and Facebook reps have recommended that you focus more on video this year. They get far more engagement than normal posts. So start shooting small videos that you can package and post.

It’s Story Time

Focus more on your Facebook stories as those are now getting far more engagement than normal posts. We each have a story to tell. What is yours?

Become a Vlogger

It’s time to set that YouTube channel up and focus on becoming a vlogger. A vlogger is basically a blogger that uses video to tell their story. Whatever that story is I’m sure you have something to tell. When you get enough views you will eventually be able to monetize your channel and who knows you might just make a business out of it.

Cut out the negativity

Time and again people and brands have been caught out posting the wrong content. So start taking a long hard look at those posts you are about to post. Do you want to be known as a troll or as a thought leader? The choice is yours.

Plan ahead

If you are a community manager or running the social media accounts for your office it might be the time to look into a schedule for all those posts. So set up a simple schedule for each month of the year. Plan those campaigns well in advance and anticipate any problems. Will you be able to handle a social media crisis? If not now might be the time to learn how to deal with them so that when they hit you are prepared.

Here’s to your success in in social media in 2019.

Fred Felton | Twitter @fredfelton

Social Media Specialist and Trainer

Food Photography Tips

Street food photography can be a challenging project. Here are some great tips courtesy of London based food blogger Mike Tsang. 

Image: Mike Tsang

He likes to use the Canon EOS M5 he also suggests if you are an amateur photographer take a look at the Canon EOS 2000D.

It’s great for food photography and the auto functions are perfect for capturing that delicious sizzling burger.

When you are confident with your shooting start using manual mode and adjust aperture, shutter speed and ISO to the specific shot and conditions. With time you will get some great shots out of your equipment.

Here are some great tips from Mike on how to shoot street food photography:

Apply the basics of food styling         

‘Whether you are taking pictures of the street food from above or from the side, there is much one can do to improve the styling.

Evenly distribute and fill empty spaces with plates, side dishes, glasses and cutlery in a way that frames the food you want in shot. If eating from a small table, distribute the food and drink evenly to ensure you capture everything in shot using the Canon EOS 2000D and experiment by adding a little motion to the image. Pouring sauce onto the food is another creative way of filling the frame.’

Fried chicken tacos at Pergola, Paddington, London.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk93bJvAWhZ/?hl=en&taken-by=freshmikeeats

Apply a little creativity

‘If you want your photos to stand out on Instagram it’s important to think creatively about how you showcase the items you photograph. You shouldn’t be afraid to have a little fun and try something different to encourage the viewer to ask “how did they do that?”

By setting your Canon EOS 2000D camera to a very wide aperture f/ 1.4, adjusting the ISO sensitivity to 200 and shaking the cup, you can capture drops of melting ice falling off your frozen tea!’

Yifang Fruit Tea, London

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlVyn63gSx-/?taken-by=freshmikeeats

Shoot from the side with no angle

‘Everyday street food such as hamburgers, kebabs and sandwiches can come in different heights and layers and are better captured close-up and from the side. For this photograph consider using a 35mm lens setting with an aperture of 1.4, then position the camera at the same height and as close to the food as the focus will allow. This will result in an impressive picture that highlights the food’s intricacy and deliciousness in stunning detail.’

Black Bear Burger, Hawker Union, London

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkryhQxAotT/?hl=en&taken-by=freshmikeeats

All images were taken with the Canon EOS M5 using the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM. Mike Tsang also uses the Canon EOS 2000D for capturing street food photography.

Images and tips courtesy of Mike Tsang and Canon.

Hopefully these tips will help you with your food photography. I would love to see your food photography so comment below or tweet me with your latest food shots.

This edition by Fred Felton | Twitter @fredfelton 

Your Social Media Goals For 2018

A new year brings with it new goals.

In the world of social media that is constantly changing it is time to reflect on your best goals for the year to make sure this year is your best yet in the land of social media.

Here are 5 easy goals to get you started for the year:

Be Careful What You Put Out There

Last year we saw some awful social media fails resulting in backlashes, people getting fired, people resigning, people losing everything all because they posted the wrong thing.  So be careful what you put out there. Once it is out there, it is out there and people will be quick to screen capture it and share it with their followers. It escalates when celebrities with millions of followers start sharing it as well. So think it through before you hit enter.

How Many Hashtags Are Enough?

Unless you are on Instagram where the hashtag is king you don’t really need to post something with close to 100 hashtags.  Just 2 or 3 are perfectly acceptable. 

What’s Your Story?

Many social media networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have added in their own version of a story section which enables users to post a story into their updates. So take full advantage of it and share a day in your life in pictures or updates.

Upload That Video

YouTube videos get more and more popular daily. Do you have an idea for a great video? Well shoot it and upload it.  Share it with your friends and family. Who knows you might just get a million views and build your brand out of nothing.

Help Others Out

No matter what it is be it a great job opportunity you saw or funding grants for students, help others out by sharing the news. Who knows you might just get someone a job and help them on their way to a wonderful 2018.

Fred Felton | Social Media Consultant & Keynote Speaker | Twitter @fredfelton 

What the future of design will look like

This week I am looking at the future of design and trends we need to consider now.

In particular I will be looking at the design of homes and offices.

Homes

If one looks at society today one could easily forecast that the homes of tomorrow will be designed with a focus on smart homes and even a home that conserves energies.  This is especially important in South Africa.

Another focus to look at is how social media could be integrated into a home.  Each family member could easily have their own social media feeds scrolling along their wall.  One could easily see what is trending when you wake up by just looking at smart walls or even windows that double as screens.

For the Kitchen a smart wall could show shopping lists and what the fridge could show what items are running low.

The lounge and TVarea could be transformed into places where walls are transformed  into huge TV displays along with Trending discussions about the movie or TV series you are currently watching.

Smart messages could display on walls to remind you to save electricity in the home.

Offices

A business office is normally a place where many things are happening all at once.  Added to that you have many people working in this environment and it is very easy to imagine offices where your emails or company social media posts are displayed on smart desks or smart walls. 

The office could also be wired to make sure the company is saving on energy.  Business tasks and goals could also be displayed on smart walls along with project tasks and trending topics that relate to the company.

Windows could also be transformed into smart devices and tables could easily change into charging stations for mobile devices, tablets and laptops.

It is easy to see that the future of design looks amazing and using the trends of today one could easily transform the future of tomorrow into a wonderful place to live and work.

“This blog post is a part of Design BloggerCompetition organized by CGTrader”

To find out more visit: https://www.cgtrader.com/blogging-contest

This edition by Fred Felton | Social Media Specialist | Twitter @fredfelton 

5 Tips To Keep Your Email Account Secure

The internet is a wonderful place and at the same time it is a dangerous place.  There are hundreds of hackers out there just waiting to get access to your email and even worse your email password.

With that they can have free rein and even access your social media accounts and send out fake emails and fake social media posts from your accounts.

Here are 5 tips to keep your email account secure:

Keep a watch for strange emails

Be on the look out for strange emails that may look like they come from your email host company or even from social media companies.  Check from which email address they actually came from.  Most companies will not email you to type in your password or email address.

Protect your password

Don’t give out your password to anyone and don’t type it into emails if someone asks you to.  Make sure your password also has a mix of letters, numbers and characters and is over 8 characters long. 

Change your password regularly as well

It’s very easy to get into a lull and enjoy your passwords, you remember them so well but in terms of security it is a very dangerous thing and it’s always best to keep changing it regularly. 

Have different email accounts for different groups

It’s always a good idea to keep your email accounts separate for the different needs in your life.  For example I have email accounts for the following:

·         Friends and Family

·         Business

·         Newsletters

That way you can very easily see if a strange email pops up in your account.

Report Spam and Phising

Most email accounts now have an option whereby you can report strange emails or suspected spam or phising.  In the long run this will help email companies find out who is real and who is trying to get your important information out of you.

Fred Felton | Social Media Specialist & Keynote Speaker | Twitter @fredfelton 

What Gets You Up?

You wake up every morning.  What gets you up?  Are you doing what you love at the moment?  Is that your driving force or do you just get up and do a job every day?

If there was one thing you could do what would it be?

Here are 5 tips to get you started:

Do what you love

What’s the one thing you love? What do you enjoy doing?  Could you do it even if money was not a question?

It will take time

Don’t think you will be an overnight success.  Doing what you love takes time.  It takes time to build a craft or business.

How badly do you want it?

Are you willing to work over weekends and late at night?  Are you willing to cut out a personal life until success is coming your way?  It’s going to take a great deal of dedication and focus to get on the right track and stay there.

Avoid negative comments

People might dissuade you from doing what you love.  Some of those people might be your friends and family.  You need to hold on to that dream and that love for what you want to do. If those negative comments make you stop imagine if you hit a huge roadblock in your career, how will you handle it?

Surround yourself with positive people

At the start it is important to surround yourself with positive people and thoughts.  So make sure you have a close team that support you.  Meet weekly with some friends that can help you along the way.  A brains trust if you will.  Have breakfast together and inspire each other.

These tips will help you on your way to success.

Fred Felton

Keynote Speaker and Workshop Facilitator

Twitter: @fredfelton

What are your social media goals for 2016?

It’s 2016. 

Have you even thought about your social media goals for 2016?

Do you even have a social media calendar for 2016?

Here are 5 tips to get you on track for 2016.

Make sure your social media calendar is in place for 2016

This will help you post content that is already in place and you can structure your posts to your correct target market.  Take note of which posts are your most popular.  Remember that for future posts.

What social media networks should you be on?

Be sure to be on the big networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.  Also take a look at other networks like SnapChat and Periscope.  There’s always new one’s popping up and there are also networks that close down as well.

Who will do your posting for you?

Are you a small business? Is it just you or are you going to appoint someone to do the posting for you.  Do they know the rules? Will they know how to handle daily tasks? This is where training comes in. 

Learn how to handle a social media crisis

Keep a note of what happens on social media and learn from the experts.  We’ve all had one or other social media crisis to deal with.  Learn from them so that you can go into the future calmly.

Keep track of your followers

At the end of the day if you are a brand it is all about growing the brand and growing the brand popularity so keep a handle on how many followers you have, see which are your most popular posts and which are your worst post.  Learn from that as you go further into 2016.

Article by Fred Felton

Twitter @fredfelton 

Why your company needs a social media policy

You see people online every day, walking down the street, on public transport and yes even in the office.

Most of these people are checking their Twitter stream or updating Facebook or posting pictures on Instagram.

So just why does your company need a social media policy?  Social Media has taken the world by storm and just about everyone in your office is probably sending out a tweet as you are reading this article.

What’s in the tweet they sent out?  Do you know? Do you care? Some of them might be taking a picture of their friends in the office and perhaps a few business documents might be in the shot but who cares about that right?  Perhaps those documents have confidential details of a huge business deal between your company and another company.

Perhaps someone from another company sees that picture on Instagram and decides to offer the other company a better deal and just like that you lose $1 billion dollars.

What you see there is a worst case scenario and it has already happened to some companies.  How can your company protect itself?  This is why you need a simple social media policy drawn up. Each staff member should get a copy and read it and sign it when they join your company.

So what should your social media policy contain?  At the very least it should cover the basics like:

·         What can a staff member post on social media while they are at the office

·         What are staff members allowed to post and what are they not allowed to post

·         If a staff member uses the social media account of the company what are they allowed to post

·         What images are staff members allowed to put out there

·         What blog posts are staff members allowed to write

·         What can staff members post and what can’t they post in their profile

·         Remember that a staff member represents your company and the brand so remind them of that before they post on social media

·         Have a disclaimer that protects your company from what people post on your social media pages

For a more detailed social media policy do not hesitate to contact Falconscove to set up an appointment to discuss your needs.

Fred Felton - Falconscove

Email: falconscove@gmail.com

Where do you want to be?

Have you decided which social channel is for you?  Take a look at the various options and see where you belong.

Is it Twitter with its fast, short bursts of tweets.  Where everyone is part of this community and at any given time someone is fighting with someone else.  On the other side Twitter is also a wonderful community of support amongst peers.

Are you perhaps drawn to Facebook with its status updates and where everyone is drooling over baby pics and pet pictures.  Perhaps you prefer Facebook for keeping up with family.

Is your aim to take wonderful artistic photography.  Then perhaps Instagram is right for you.  Just remember to learn about hashtags.  Each picture can have up to 30 hashtags.  That’s a lot of hashtags.

Are you drawn to making videos?  Then perhaps you should be looking at YouTube where everyone has a channel and then are more channels than on cable television.  So make sure what you put up is worth a viewing.

Whatever channel you decide on make sure it is one you love being on.  No point being on a channel and nothing is on.  Think it through.

Yours in social

Fred Felton

Social Media Specialist and Keynote Speaker 

Falconscove

Twitter @fredfelton 

Your Social Media Goals For 2015

Think about that for a moment.

What are your goals for this year?  Make yourself a strong cup of coffee and sit down and plan out your year on social.

Here are 5 tips to get you started:

Have A Brainstorm

What is it you exactly want to do on social media?  Are you wanting to use it to share personal stories?  Are you wanting to become a though leader or social media influencer.  Are you here to build your business.  Think it through.

Choose Your Social Media

It’s all very well to sit on every social media network but you will find that one of them works better for you than any other one.  So choose which one fits your brand better.  Is it Twitter with short and sharp tweets?  Is it Facebook?  Are you more visual and do you prefer Pinterest or Instagram?  Perhaps you prefer making video content, then focus more on YouTube.

Have A Strategy

Once you have decided where you are going have a strategy in place.  Decide exactly what it is you want to do.  Have a plan and stick to that plan. 

Build your Brand

Set mini-goals for yourself and try to slowly build your brand on social media.  Share amazing pictures.  Tell people about wonderful places.  Upload spectacular videos.  Start following interesting people.

Track your progress

At the end of each quarter of the year check your progess.  Are you on track?  Do you need to change anything?  Do you like what you see on your timeline?

If you follow these simple tips you might just have your best year yet in 2015.

Fred Felton - @fredfelton

Creative Director – Falconscove – Advertising – Social Media Strategy – PR

Email: falconscove@gmail.com

15 Ways To Take The Ice Bucket Challenge

The Ice Bucket Challenge is a wonderful viral campaign for ALS to help find a cure for motor neuron disease.

It involves having a bucket of ice and water dumped over you and challenging 3 other people to do the same within 24 hours.  If they don't they have to make a donation.

It is sitting on the top of Twitter Trends at the moment and anyone from celebrities to politicians to everyday people have taken it.

Here are 15 ways to take the Ice Bucket Challenge

The Funny Way - Will Arnett 

The Mission Impossible Way - Tom Cruise

The Cute Way - Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner

The Film Director Way - James Cameron 

The Kermit The Frog Way 

The Presidential Way - George W. Bush 

The Facebook Way - Mark Zuckerberg 

The Microsoft Way - Bill Gates

The Eveyone Gets An IceBucketChallenge Way - Oprah Winfrey

The Star Wars Way - J.J. Abrams 

The Writers Way - Stephen King 

The Amazon Way - Jeff Bezos 

The Classy Way - Sir Patrick Stewart 

The Ambush Way - Seth Rollins

The I Just Broke The Internet Way - Benedict Cumberbatch

To find out more about ALS and how you can donate visit their website
www.alsa.org

50 Apps That Will Blow Your Mind

Greetings Dear Readers

This week I was asked to appear on LotusFM and chat on the Alan Khan show all about Apps.  I was asked to bring a list of 10 Apps.  I found plenty more.  This is the result and you can find some wonderful apps in this list.  Just a warning, some of them can be very addictive and some have resulted in families having huge arguments because people are too busy playing with their apps.  Enjoy!

Apps list (There are 50 Apps here plus a few extra just for good measure!)

Games 

• 2048 - addictive game
• Candy Crush 
• Angry Birds
• Plants vs Zombies 
• The Room
• Words With Friends – made famous by Alec Baldwin, Airplane Steward asked him to stop playing

Photography 

• Instagram 
• Pixlr-o-matic  
• Pocket Light Meter – a light meter for photographers

To Do Lists

• Wunderlist 
• Any.do 
• Evernote 
• Clear+

Travel 

• Waze A GPS 
• Mango App
• Uber your own mobile taxi 
• TripAdvisor
• Find my Way – transport schedules - for BlackBerry devices
• Gautrain App

Audio 

• Garage Band to make music 
• Hokusai a recording tool for journalists

Social Networking 

• Ubersocial for Twitter and Facebook 
• Flipboard - magazine style view of your social feeds
• Vine – small videos
• Jelly – crowd sourcing answers to questions,

Chat 

• WhatsApp
• BBM
• WeChat
• Skype
• Mxit

Banking 

• FNB lets u use geo-payments to pay people 
• Standard Bank App
• Pebble from Absa
• Nedbank App

Bloggers 

• Tumblr 
• Wordpress 
• Blogger 

Shopping 

• PriceCheck 
• Checkers App – has discount vouchers 
• Pick n Pay App 
• Mr Price App – you can find your size of an item and shows you which store it is at
• Ster Kinekor App book tickets and use it to show your ticket so go ticketless. Uses passbook. 
• Snapscan - a simple payment option 

Video 

• Ted - interesting talks you can watch
• YouTube
• iMovie – you can edit your movies

Books 

• Kindle  - your own private library 

Security 

• Find my iPhone - enable it and then install this app on another ios device to find it, lock it or erase it or play sounds

Fitness 

• Endomondo - great for workouts, plotting your cycling or training. With thanks to @gordsreid 

Weather  

• YahooWeather

Presentations 

• Haiku Deck 
• Paper which is a sketch app

Cloud Storage 

• Dropbox 
• Box 
• Google Drive

Mail 

• Gmail 
• Mailbox

Weird Apps

• 20 Day Stranger

Futuristic Apps 

• Wikitude - augmented reality app uses phone camera so you can see interesting data around u.        

GoogleGlass Apps

Good site to learn how to build apps www.code.org

Do you have a favourite app?  Let me know which is your favourite app and why?

+Fred Felton 

Communications Strategist & Keynote Speaker

Falconscove

e - falconscove@gmail.com