YouTube Converter & Downloader: http://www.youtubedownloadersite.com/

It is software you have to download, which I don’t always love – but it has worked much better for me than the many online options I have tried.

Just enter the URL of the video and it will download it for you and post it online your computer. As the name implies you can also convert to various platforms – including device-friendly formats.

MobyGratis http://mobygratis.com – is a website where nonprofits (and others) and download music for use in non-commercial film or video. It’s maintained by the Moby, the musician.

A quick note of explanation – you can’t legally use any old music you find online in your video. Someone will have rights to the music you want to use; you need to get permission from them. Some folks make is easy and affordable; some do not. Rather than create something that you may not be able to show anywhere they care about copyright, you might consider using MobyGratis. (Businesses can also download music there for a fee.)

On an unrelated note, I’ll be giving an intro webinar on Google Analytics through MNREM (as part of a project called MIRC):
When: May 3 at noon (CST)
Register here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/980553998

For example, I follow Cash Mob Minneapolis on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/CashMobMpls I saw on Facebook that they were planning a Cash Mob near me. I got the notice a couple hours in advance but it worked for us and we went up and spent about $20. It was a small shop, jammed with people who were all clearly happy to be supporting the local business. Then I proceeded to stop in several other shops in the area spreading more good cheer and money. So it’s not the kind of thing you’d want to attend weekly – but it was fun and hopefully good for the business and area.

You can find a Cash Mob near your neighborhood online: http://cashmobs.wordpress.com/near-you/ If there isn’t one near you, you might consider starting one. I think it’s such a good idea to boost a little local economic development.

Pinterest is growing rapidly. In January they were just shy of 12 million users (86% are women). Businesses and marketers are starting to look at how to use it. It can be a great tool if your product or service is visual. If not, Pinterest may not be a great tool for you. It’s great for nail polish, not so much for dental floss.

Here are some of the tips I heard for using Pinterest as a business:

• See what others are doing and learn from what seems to be working
• Be strategic, think about who you want to reach and what would interest them. Think about keywords they might use to find you or someone like you, use them in your boards and descriptions.
• Start a board – you may start a couple, but maintaining one well is a good first step
• Keep it going. This isn’t a build once tool.
• Align with your social media strategies. Mention you board in the blogs, Facebook, newsletters.
• Interact with you potential target market (follow them, repin them, comment)

And here are some of the top activities:

• Home
• Arts & Crafts
• Style/Fashion
• Food
• Inspiration/Education
• Holiday/Seasonal
• Humor
• Products
• Travel
• Kids

I’m not the biggest pinner, although once I found a topic that interested me I got into it a little. http://pinterest.com/attreacy/bands-i-ve-seen-in-2012/ If you haven’t checked Pinterest out, you might consider it.

1. The most obvious change is the big banner (aka cover) added to the top of the page. The dimensions are 851 x 315 px. It might be fun to change that on a regular basis. One idea might be a “guess the cover” contest. Choose a cover that’s a close up or obscure image and ask fans to guess what it is. Or take a page from Google’s playbook and use a standard image that you alternate with fun, meaningful surprises every now and again.
2. You can pin a post (make it sticky) so that it shows up at the top of your page. You can only pin for 7 days and it appears as if you can only pin your own update. You might want to choose a weekly post to rise to the top to create a conversation or theme for the week.
3. You can highlight (or star) a status update. This means they will show in full screen (covering both columns). This is a good way to draw attention to ongoing discussions.
4. You can also hide or delete items if necessary, which is a good way to minimize conversation that didn’t go very far.
5. You can create a history by adding posts and changing the date. So if your business opened in 1999, you could write a post as if you were writing on opening day, change the date and it will become part of your historical timeline. You can also mark items as milestone, which, like starring, makes posts full screen. This could be a compelling way to keep people on the Facebook page longer.
6. Images and videos have always worked well on Facebook. They are shown more prominently on your fan’s walls. So that’s my last tip, continue to use video and images to draw people in.
7. One note: You can feature friend activity on the right column. This column can appear boring when in test mode – but when people visit your Page any activity by fans they know will be highlighted. So in the field, I think this section will be more successful that it original appears.

This is a high level look at strategy and the new timeline – for instructions on to make changes you might check out the following resource: https://www.facebook.com/FacebookPages.

Highlight: http://highlig.ht/

Sadly it’s not available for the Droid, so I can’t use it yet – but I think just the idea of it is interesting in a kind of creepy way. It’s an app you can download to your iPhone. Then as you stroll the streets of your city, Highlight is checking out the people around you – and letting them check out you. Here’s the description from the Highlight website:

If someone standing near you also has Highlight, their profile will show up on your phone. You can see their name, photos of them, mutual friends, and anything else they have chosen to share. When you meet someone, Highlight helps you see what you have in common with them. And when you forget their name at a party a week later, Highlight can help you remember it.

As you go about your day, Highlight runs quietly in the background, surfacing information about the people around you. If your friends are nearby, it will notify you. If someone interesting crosses your path, it will tell you more about them.

Highlight gives you a sixth sense about the world around you, showing you hidden connections and making your day more fun.

Again it’s kind of cool – but kind of creepy. It will be interesting to see what becomes of it.

You can register here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/606704318

Here’s the official description:

Google has a range of free tools that can not only save your money but make it easier for you to collaborate with others online. This session will highlight a few of the tools that are most useful to small businesses.
Title: Survey of Free Tools from Google
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2012
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CST

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
I will post the slides and an archive from the presentation on the MNREM site later today if you’re interested in the topic but can’t make the time.
Sorry for the last minute notice – but sometimes that’s the best way to get fit it into your schedule.

Type in your address and it will give you the addresses, names and a map of your neighbors. While I have some privacy concerns – I like having access to the info.

I know, short but sweet today – but maybe enough to get me back in the habit.

Today’s Byte is a little different. First I wanted to send a reminder on a free webinar that I’m doing on Thursday on Facebook Stats: http://tinyurl.com/7m6hccc Please feel free join us.

Then I’m working with a group that is looking for product reviews – one lucky reviewer will win a $100 gift certificate. And you can review some of their free products and still qualify. Learning ZoneXpress http://www.learningzonexpress.com/ creates fun educational products that promote healthy choices – especially nutritional choices. They are running a Facebook contest, So if you write a review (fewer than 400 characters) and post it on their FB page you qualify for a drawing to win the gift cert.

• You can get the rules on their blog: http://tinyurl.com/6o39zxs
• You can check out their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/learningzonexpress
• You can sample some of their products for free here: http://freemyplate.com/

Good luck!