It’s hard to keep track of all the social networking accounts you have and even harder to update all of them. Thankfully, there are several tools which help make this easier for us. In this post, we have compiled a list of web-based tools which automatically post blog updates on your social networking sites via the RSS feed.

Dlvr.it: This is a tool that publishes blogs via RSS feed to all your social channels. Dlvr.it also includes a dashboard which tracks how many people clicked the links it published as well as other statistics. Some of the social media sites it posts to include Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Tumblr, MySpace & many more.

HootSuite: Among the many other uses of Hootsuite, you can manage your RSS feed posts to your social networking sites. You can also pause the updates and resume as you wish. You can see this feature in action on their YouTube channel.

TwitterFeed: TwitterFeed only publishes to Twitter and Facebook, but it has a great dashboard to keep track of clicks and blog posts.

RSS2Twitter: Rss2Twitter lets you setup multiple Twitter accounts for blog updates. It also allows filter options and does not ask for your Twitter password. This tool is currently in beta mode.

Note: If you are using Google Feedburner for  your RSS feed, there is a automation tool built-in.

While you’re setting up your blog feeds with these tools, don’t forget to subscribe to the Freesoucing.org RSS Feed!

Although many users have been introduced to the new faceted search functionality (in beta), this week LinkedIn announced the official release to all users. If you enjoyed our first post demonstrating the power of LinkedIn’s Advanced People search, you’ll definitely enjoy this short video tutorial from LinkedIn on the launch of their new platform. The video makes a great introduction to the new feature and provides context for the power of LinkedIn People Search.

Enjoy!

Whether you’re looking for a new job, a new hire, sales leads, or connections into a new industry or company – you can accomplish it through LinkedIn’s Advanced People Search. But, the access LinkedIn provides isn’t the mind-blowing reason this search feature ranks as one of the web’s most powerful people searches – it is the “how” you get this access that makes it so valuable. Let me explain…

LinkedIn works around relationships – and no surprise, their People Search also works around relationships. When you’re looking for an “in” into a company, you’re able to do so through your existing relationships or through your alumni groups. Let me show you…

Let’s say I work for a small consulting group, and I’ve just been tasked with producing 5 qualified leads. I go to LinkedIn’s Advanced People Search and this is what I do:

I attended two small private universities, so I think I’ll first want to leverage my Alumni networks.
Step 1) Go to the Advanced People Search
Step 2) Look for current titles only, and use Boolean Logic to locate decision makers. My search criteria for current titles is “Owner OR CEO OR President OR Vice President”
Step 3) Check my University Alumni Groups (which are actually very small groups on LinkedIn)

Here is what that search screen looks like:

And here are just a handful of leads I’ve just uncovered in my small Alumni Networks:

Since that example may seem a little specific or biased, I am going to display one more search. This time, I am going to leverage all of my relationships on LinkedIn and all of my group memberships, still looking for decision makers (VP’s, Owner, etc.). This search can be refined down to specific regions, industries, and so on at any time.

Here is a snapshot of the access to decision makers I have on LinkedIn:

This screen shows that my network gives me access to over 1 Million LinkedIn members – that access could be to directly message them (if we share a common group) or to request an introduction to them – through one of our mutual connections. In any case – no one in those search results is a complete stranger, we share something in common, whether it’s something very strong like a great mutual friend or same Alma Matter, or something weaker like – we both run marathons. In any case, my company and I now have the option to work through my network to expand our business, for free.

Greetings Readers!

As some of you may know, the consulting group that owns freesourcing.org is a little heavy with LinkedIn Alumni, including myself. Recently it occurred to us that we should definitely unleash the power of LinkedIn for everyone, and then some other things occurred to us…. That said, this marks the beginning of two new initiatives:

1.) We’re introducing a new Quick Search: “Features“
Features will cover aspects of our Free Resources, not just the Freesource itself. For example, LinkedIn is an amazing tool for business. OKAY, but how? Features will show you the power of LinkedIn Groups, Search, Jobs, etc. And this move isn’t just about LinkedIn; is anyone curious about Facebook Pages?

2.) We’re going to tell you exactly how to use the features
We can tell you that LinkedIn People Search is great for finding candidates, sales leads, etc; but that doesn’t really help. Instead, we’ll find the best way to actually show you, step by step, how to use the Free Resources for your business. That means blog entries, detailed notes, videos, and whatever it takes.

With this addition, we definitely want your help. Ask us questions and give us your feedback. What do you want to know about? Do you have a trick or success story of your own? We’d love to hear about it, and let you share it with the world on the freesourcing.org blog. Please make a submission or comment below.

Tutorial & Blog Post Coming Soon: LinkedIn People Search

Many of the free resources you’ll find on dot org can save organizations time & money, break down walls you didn’t know existed, work well for teams, etc. BUT we’ve also found some awesome tools that, even just knowing they’re out there, can make you a better professional. This entry is going to identify a handful of those freesources. If you have some of your own, please send them our way!

1) LogMeIn Free
If you’re like most, you probably have a computer hooked up at home that you don’t take everywhere you go. LogMeIn has a free version of their remote access software that literally can be set up in 2 minutes. Once the set up is done, you can log into your PC or Mac from anywhere in the world, for free. And even if LogMeIn isn’t for you, next time someone you know has a “Oh Sh*t” moment, you can recommend the program to them!

2) Bit.ly
Please tell me you’re already using this! That’s rhetorical, because I know some of you aren’t. Bit.ly takes big links and makes them small. There are lots of programs like Bit.ly out there, but few with the real time tracking and advanced features. What do I mean by real time tracking? You can see how many people clicked your link, where they’re located, and possibly even where they got the link from to click it. I’d start with watching the number of clicks, check the other data when those numbers get interesting. Aside from all the advanced features, Bit.ly is simply great for sharing links that take up too much space; especially in social media status updates or emails.

3) LinkedIn
Now this time I mean it – Please tell me you’re already using this! LinkedIn can be an extremely powerful tool for all professionals. The platform is very dynamic, so I’m only going to cover a couple basics on why it’s important. At a bottom line level, you should maintain your contacts somewhere outside of facebook, and not all of your contacts belong on facebook. LinkedIn is professional, and makes having a professional network easy and rewarding. If nothing else, use it to keep* and keep in touch with the people you care about and want to stay connected to.
Next: You, and your business, should be in control of your online brand/presence. And after having a website, LinkedIn comes next. Here’s why: easily earned top Google Search results & increased visibility/awareness both with those you know, and those checking you out. It’s a must.

4) PDFtoWord
This one’s a little easier to digest. This is a simple and beautiful PDF to Word conversion site. You won’t use it everyday, but knowing it’s there will save you a ton of pain and time when you remember it. I would go check this one out just to see how slick they’ve done it.

And that’s all folks! Until next time, freesource out!