Facebook Timeline Image Sizes

28 Mar
0
Posted by Posted in Blog, Facebook

Questions are coming in about the new Facebook Timeline image sizes. Most are about what image sizes to use for the various page elements. Facebook is asking for some uncommon size formats, chances are you will be creatively cropping existing images or creating new ones. Here is a quick list.

  1. The timeline cover photo: 851×315 pixels. Use this for your brand, highlight a product or the people that provide your service. Long-term you may want to have a designer create purpose-built images that reflect your organization.
  2. Timeline updates: This is square at 404×404 pixels. A larger square image will be scaled to fit by Facebook. Likely you will have something available. Just don’t use any thing smaller, as the image will end up pixelated on the timeline.
  3. Feature timeline update: 843×403 pixels. This format is tricky for photos. Most cameras produce images with a height that is 66% of the length, ie. 4×6. Facebook requires an image height 48% of it’s width. In other words it’s a wide image.

Since your timeline images will be the most frequently used, and the featured update is the trickiest, I’ll cover that in a little more detail. Below are two real estate images. The yellow dotted lines represent the crop lines to obtain 843×403 pixels. Image A is an example of how you would want to frame the subject. This way when you crop, no part of the subject is cut off. In image B there is not enough space (headroom) above and below the the crop lines, thus part of the subject will be cut off.

Correct image for Facebook timeline

The yellow dotted line represents the 843x403 pixels required by Facebook to fit properly in a featured timeline post. Note the entire subject is within the crop lines (click to see full size image)

Not the right image size for Facebook timeline

In this image there is not enough headroom to crop the image to fit the Facebook timeline without losing part of the subject. (click to see full size image)

12 Things You Need to Know About the New Facebook Timeline

29 Feb
3
Posted by Posted in Blog, Facebook

If you have a business page on Facebook get ready, Facebook is about to change the look again. For those of you who don’t have a Facebook business page, that’s a whole other topic. Facebook business pages will adopt the same timeline format currently used for personal pages. Implementing the new business page timeline is voluntary for now, but Facebook will automatically publish all business pages in the new format on March 30th, 2012. The Right Mind Marketing Page has already been migrated. Click here to explore our page.

Following are 12 things you need to know about the new Facebook Timeline before March 30th:

  1. The first thing you will notice is a large image at the top of your business page. Facebook calls this the Cover Photo. The cover photo is a welcome change as it places a more identifiable brand presence front and center.
  2. Keep the Cover photo or change it often. Cover photo size should be 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall. Smaller images will be stretched. Facebook will not allow images that are less than 400 pixels wide, regardless of height. Tip: Make a template this size in your image editor so you don’t have to start from scratch every time you change the image.
  3. Facebook says they will not allow you to put promotions, special offers or incentives to like your page in the cover photo.
  4. You can pin a post to the top of the timeline for up to 7 days. Great for special offers, announcements or polls.
  5. Your Timeline Profile Picture remains the same as in the past. Use it for your logo. The Timeline Profile Picture size must be at least 32x32px but no more than 180x180px.
  6. Posts can be hidden from the timeline.
  7. Posts can also be “highlighted”. This will stretch the post across the width of the timeline.
  8. If you have WordPress or Twitter set-up to automatically post to your Facebook Timeline this will work as it did in the past.
  9. Photos and apps are located directly below the the cover photo. It’s placement is now more obvious, but the apps are now hidden with in a drop down. The old 5 tiles of latest images is gone replaced by a single image representing your photos
  10. Friend engagement is consolidated in a prominent area directly above the timeline for easy viewing by the page admin.
  11. The Facebook Timeline has a new admin panel displaying a quick overview of page insights, new “likes” and messages to the admin. Each of these metrics can be expanded to analyze page activity closely.
  12. Admin Messages are now private and can be responded to privately.
Facebook Page Before:
The current Facebook Business Page

A screenshot of the current Facebook Business Page. This will be discontinued March 30th, 2012

Facebook Page After:

The new Facebook Business Page

This is a screenshot of the new Facebook Page. As you can see the new layout is in the same timeline format used for the personal pages.

Initial thoughts – The new Facebook business pages breathe a bit of fresh air into the stale page design Facebook has been slowly updating. Branding and promotion leap ahead of the previous layout. Unfortunately, the new page design is too similar to personal pages. The new pages should have obvious differentiation from personal pages, so a visitor immediately knows they are not on a personal page. Let us know what you think about the new page layout in the comments below.

Twitter for Business - Hashtags help you at Trade Shows

22 Feb
0
Posted by Posted in Twitter

I hear the same story every day from companies “We have a Twitter account, but don’t use it that often. I just don’t have the time.” At some point, someone suggested you create a Twitter account, if for no other reason it’s what everyone else is doing. Then you aded a link to Twitter on your website. For a week you sent messages. And that was it. It’s been months since you last checked the account. Even longer since the last update. Time and how to use Twitter are often the reasons I hear.

For example, think about the last trade show you attended. You have a booth to make new contacts, get feedback about your latest products and meet with existing buyers. It’s hectic, and you always seem to be rushing. But, while you are at the trade show, you will check your email and voicemail frequently to keep in touch with the outside world. As business people we have to check for messages, to ignore either or both is unthinkable. It’s time to put Twitter on that priority list.

I recently attended the American International Toy Fair in New York City to help a client develop new ideas for her gift box business. The day before the show I sent out a simple Tweet, asking what booths were a “must see” at the show. I received several responses from companies asking me to stop by. They even provided me with their booth number. I responded back and made the effort to stop by their booths to introduce myself. But, out of 1100 exhibitors, only three responded to this direct request. For sure, this is a missed opportunity.

Let’s put it in perspective. If a buyer left a message on your voicemail asking if he should stop by your booth, would you return the message? Of course. You want as many people to visit you. Twitter is similar, in fact it is easier than returning voicemail. If you text with people you once called on the phone, you already understand why. The conversation is quick and to the point. No lengthy chit-chat, save that for the show floor.

Here is just one way to be effective with Twitter:

1 ) The #hashtag.The hashtag is simply a word, acronym or short phrase preceded by #. The hashtag makes it easy for attendees, exhibitors, organizers and anyone who is interested, to search for news about the event.

2) Where do you find the hashtag?Most show organizers will create a hashtag for their event. This helps promote the discussion on Twitter. Check the show website several  days or even weeks before the show to find it. The hashtag might also be in the emails or printed materials you receive prior to the show. The 2012 Toy Fair’s hashtag is #tf12

What is a Twitter Hashtag

Twitter hashtag from the 2012 American International Toy Fair

3) Search for the hashtag. Just enter the hashtag, including the #, into the Twitter search. The search will present all the tweets that include that hashtag.

4) Read the recent tweets.  Look for questions or comments related to your business. If you have a relevant comment or answer, by all means reply. Make sure your reply contains the show hashtag, because others are watching that same hashtag. They may add to the conversation, further expanding your network.

5) Save the search. This will make it easy to check for new posts later. Twitter allows you to save searches, but a tool like Hootsuite is far better at keeping track of your saved searches. Hootsuite is free and is available through any browser and as an app on your iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android smartphone (Bonus: Hootsuite also helps you manage your Facebook page, LinkedIn, Foursquare account and more from the same screen).

6) Be notified. Ensure your mobile device is set up to notify you when a message sent to you has been posted. If your replies are timely, you’ll gain the respect of those who are listening.

7) Add to your following list. Make sure to add any of the people you tweet with to your following list. In the future you will be able to read their tweets when they don’t use the hashtag. This can form a solid relationship, maybe one that leads to new business.

You may have noticed a grammatical error above. I used the present tense referring to the Toy Fair’s hashtag. But, it’s not a typing error. Hashtags live on. As I write this, a week after the show, people are continuing the conversation using that hashtag. So don’t delete that search. Keep an eye on it.

It’s time to put more effort into Twitter. There is a conversation going on and you need to participate. It’s as important as the flashing red light on your telephone.

PS: Follow me on Twitter @edkuryluk

02 May

@twitter: A culture changing cultures

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In April 2008, I created my Twitter account @edkuryluk.

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The act did not seem like much. Just another interesting social network I was curious about. Would it be the next Facebook or the next Yahoo! Mash? In hindsight it was neither. Back then, I unwittingly planted a flag on my piece of dirt in a new land far removed from successful and unsuccessful attempts at social media. Far removed from anything we had experienced before.

It’s difficult to pinpoint how many users were tweeting 3 years ago, but at the 2007 SXSW festival Twitter averaged 60,000 tweets per day. Twitter now averages 60,000 tweets per minute. In the early days, it was who or why do I follow someone. Sure, I followed news people to stay on top of breaking news. But there were people I followed for reasons I can’t explain. I look at their profiles now and it seems to be more based on geography than anything else. Many of the people I followed in the early days I pruned simply because they stopped tweeting. And there was a certain awkwardness. Do I respond to tweets? How personal should I be? Can I curse?

From those awkward beginnings Twitter evolved. Twitter passed the test with the early adopters, and started to move mainstream. During 2009, CNN captioned newscasts with reporters’ Twitter ids. Other news outlets followed. The first to find out about Michael Jackson’s death June 29, 2009 were Twitter users from around the world, temporarily crashing the service. And six-months later, an earthquake in Haiti galvanized Twitter’s place in world communications. With this one devastating event, I believe the Twitter culture started changing cultures around the world.

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Twitter is a culture.

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With it’s own language, unwritten rules and social events. The culture opens the doors to a flow of conversations that resonate freely across national borders, geography, celebrity, education, age, race, and so on. Anyone can join the conversation. No Visa or Passport required.

After the earthquake, China was one of the first to land relief support at Haiti’s battered airport. I first heard about this on Twitter amid people asking if there is a side to China we do not know. Discussions started debating everything from motives to how they motivated so swiftly. Yet a country, known for it’s human rights atrocities, was seen in a new light, by a population of people using Twitter. On Twitter, people on the ground posted images of the devastation, told stories of heroism and terror. People from around the world responded with prayer-filled tweets, aide and searches for loved ones.

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Micro-Connections build the cultural framework

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At the individual level, the Twitter culture is forging new relationships. On Facebook, our friends are largely those friends that existed before Facebook. But Twitter provides us the power to engage with people we didn’t know before. And if someone’s tweets irritate you, it’s simple to end the relationship forever with an unfollow. Twitter users efficiently build relationships with people, from around the world who possess similar values and interests. Search “mommybloggers” “skiing” or any global activity and you will find people talking as if they live next door. Dig a little deeper and you may find they live across an ocean or two. These are regular people. Not just the nerds and computer geeks. With little more than the right twitter id and a certain amount of wit, you may just get a response from your favorite celebrity. And a lot of new followers, who have the same interests as you.

It’s these new micro-connections with shared values, brewing new ideas, that allows the pace of cultural change to accelerate. Heck, we only need to look at Egypt as proof.

The speed of this change is rapid. And with about 56million active users, according to the Business Insider, Twitter is a culture the same size as Italy. Like other cultures, there will be skeptics, naysayers and the unaware. Positive or negative, one thing is for sure, the Twitter culture will continue to evolve the cultures around it.

Do you think there is a Twitter culture? And is the culture changing our world? Please leave a comment below.