If you’re not on Instagram, after reading my Top 10 List, I promise you will want to be. It’s the who’s who of the photo sharing world. And without further ado….

1. Oscar PR Girl – Instagram: @oscarprgirl – Anyone in the fashion social media world knows Oscar PR Girl is the one to follow. With over 45,400 followers on Instagram, fashion lovers get a sneak peek into her fabulous life: getting ready for events, her style inspirations, and of course an insider’s look into one of the greatest fashion houses in the world…Oscar De La Renta.

2. Barack Obama – Instagram: @barackobama – Run by the Obama 2012 staff, who can’t get enjoyment out of a President who utilizes social media the way Barack Obama does? He tweets, pins, instagrams, and still finds time to slow jam the news.

3. Zooey Deschanel – Instagram: @zooeydeschanel – The original quirky girl, there is probably no one in the world better suited for this hipster-friendly app. Check out pictures from her everyday life as well as shots from the set of her show The New Girl.

4. Kevin Systrom – Instagram: @kevin – What would you post if you were the founder and CEO of Instagram? Follow Kevin Systrom to find out! Take a peek at the daily life and inspirations of this technology leader.

5. Kim Saigh – Instagram: @ksaigh - A former LA Ink tattoo artist who is into creepy antique finds, taxidermy, yoga, and of course, ink. Check her out if you’re looking to check out of the ordinary.

6. Kelly Oxford – Instagram: @kellyoxford – If you still want more Kelly even after her famous tweets and blog, and we all do, you can check her out here. Pictures of this Canadian housewife/mother/screenwriter/hilarious woman are nothing short of enjoyable.

7. Graffuturism – @graffuturism – Whether you are a die hard street art lover or just enjoyed Exit Through the Gift Shop, check out Graffuturism. Run by Poesia, a street artist from San Juan, Graffuturism shows the works of artists on the street and in galleries from all around the globe.

8. Jamie Oliver – @jamieoliver – And you thought your friend’s brunch pictures looked delicious….

9. Starbucks Coffee – @starbucks – Boy oh boy do we love our coffee here at Java Social Networking. We feel a little more awake just looking at these pictures. The shots come straight from the Starbucks in Seattle, WA. Check them out over your morning coffee.

10. Snoop Dogg – @snoopdogg – He’s Snoop. He gets my breed. One of the first celebrities to use Instagram, enjoy pics from the daily life of this tremendous musical artist and all his celeb pals.

Until next month,

Baxter Freemont

p.s. Snoop…call me….let’s chill. – Baxter.

 
1. Treehugger has an app that offers its users news and podcasts from its main website, and also provides Tweets with the most up-to-date environmental information. This app is especially helpful in that it categorizes areas such as: business, science, food, beauty, design, health, and gives the eco-friendly perspective for the current news related to each.

2. GreenYou has an app that allows users to track their carbon footprint and offers a customizable program called Green Plan. Green Plan gives users the information needed to monitor their carbon footprint, and suggests ways in which that footprint can be reduced. Anyone will benefit from this app—learning about your individual effect on our environment is a great tool and motivator for change.

3. iRecycle’s app takes news from Earth 911 to keep users well-informed of the different types of recyclable items they may be using, as well as the many recycling resources in their area. This app gives locations of the nearest recycling centers and also allows users to organize their materials to be recycled beforehand.

4. Locavore is a great tool that shows the locations of farms, farmers markets, and other sites at which fresh, locally-grown food can be purchased. This app gives detailed information about fresh foods that are in season, and also tells users the different ways fresh food can be prepared. Locavore is able to inform users of the importance of personal and environmental health.

5. Fragile Earth is a unique app that shows users the ever-changing face of our planet. The pictures catalogued are beautiful and sometimes startling, as the app allows you to drag across the screen to view exactly how the scene has changed over the years. The categories are as follows: “Wild Weather,” “Deserts and Droughts,” “Warming World,” “Water’s Power,” “Man’s Impact,” and “Natural Phenomena.” Understanding the power of man and nature through photography serves as another great motivator for everyone to not only be green-minded on Earth Day, but every day.

Anyone can join the Olympic Athlete’s Hub community to follow all of their favorite athlete’s social feeds. The Hub provides an easy to search list of athletes and links to their Facebook and Twitter accounts. By participating and engaging in the Hub community, fans have the opportunity to unlock badges and rewards, win prizes, see what athletes their friends are following, and share their favorite athletes with friends. Once the games begin, the Hub will launch a new section where fans can read athlete’s social commentary in real time. The plan is for the Hub to keep evolving during the events and release new features throughout the games.

It comes with surprise that these pro-social games have some very anti-social policies. Athletes are not allowed to share photos from inside the athlete’s village, and the can only Tweet in the first person. They are also banned from photographing themselves with products that are not Olympic sponsors. Fans may also not be allowed to share photos and videos of themselves on Facebook or YouTube without the threat of being charged with a criminal offense.

Twenty-five main companies will be sponsoring the events. Big names like BMW, Coca-Cola, Visa, and UPS paid close to an estimated $1.6B simply for the right to sponsor the games. For many London 2012 sponsors, digital media advertising can account for 15-20% of their budgets with Olympic campaigns costing upwards of an estimated $30M. While some of these brands have a stronger social media presence then others, social media marketing is still going to be off the charts for the games. There will be heavy Facebook marketing campaigns and some brands plan to include Tweets from athletes in the advertisements.

Cover Photo
I would like to start by talking about the most obvious change: the Cover Photo. This is going to be the first image people see when they visit your Facebook Timeline, so really think about what your company wants to put out there.

Examples:

• A photo of your office.
• A photo of all your employees.
• A photo of the city you are located.
• Your company logo.
• A photo highlighting a new product or service.
• A collage with several images.

Keep in mind you will still have a Facebook Profile picture. You want to make sure it will look good with the Cover Photo and that they will complement each other. Your profile picture and cover photo can connect, or blend with each other. Not sure what I mean? Check out Butterfingers Facebook Cover Photo. (See Below)

An idea to help promote your business: Have your employees put your company logo on their own Facebook Profile as the Cover Photo. Ask around the office to see if anyone would be willing to do that.

Still need inspiration? Mashable put out this helpful blog full of tool and ideas.
Note: There are guidelines to what you can and cannot have in your cover photo – see ‘New Rules’ section at the end of this blog.

Pin Posts
Highlight what matters! In the past, each time you post something new on your Facebook wall it would slowly slide down your page and become irrelevant. Facebook has a great new feature with the Timeline that allows you to ‘Pin’ a new post to the top of your Page each week so people notice what’s important first.

Admin Panel
With the new Admin Panel, each page admin can manage everything in one place. You can see and respond to your recent activity, and private messages right from the top of your Page. This will include all new notifications, new messages, new likes, new tags, page tips and insights.

Facebook has offered insights for business pages for sometime now, but an overview of your Facebook Insights will be at your finger tips right in the Admin Panel.

A feature in the Admin Panel that I feel is flying under the radar: Private Messages. You can receive and reply to private messages from your fans. This is a wonderful feature that I have personally been waiting for.

Facebook Applications
Formerly know as ‘Welcome Tabs’, Facebook is allowing more space for (what they know call) Facebook Apps.

• You can now create 810px tabs, rather than the 520px used previously. If you have 520px that you would like to continue using, you may do so.
• Visitors can see 12 Apps by clicking the down arrow near the apps.
• Photos and Likes are always included in these Apps, so you can have up to 10 custom Apps on your Facebook Timeline.
• Only 4 will show on your page, the others will be hidden from the main page, but easily accessible.
• When arranging your new applications, you should select the 4 most important and make sure they are first in line.
• Facebook no longer has the ability to set default landing pages – all fans will go directly to your Facebook wall.
• You can have “private” apps where only qualified visitors will receive a link to it.
• App cover image size: 111×74.

New Rules
Facebook also has changed some of their guidelines for what can and cannot be posted on fan page timeline. Straight from the new Facebook Guidelines:

 All covers are public. This means that anyone who visits your Page will be able to see your cover. Covers can’t be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else’s copyright. You may not encourage people to upload your cover to their personal timelines.
Covers may not include:
i.    price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it on socialmusic.com”;
ii.    contact information such as a website address, email, mailing address, or information that should go in your Page’s “About” section;
iii.    references to Facebook features or actions, such as “Like” or “Share” or an arrow pointing from the cover photo to any of these features; or
iv.    calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends.”

Facebook Guidelines as of February 29th, 2012.

All Timelines Were All Made Live On March 30th.
You can still change and edit your Facebook Business Page as needed, so don’t worry.

For many kids, their first job is a way to make a few dollars (which they will later spend when the ice cream truck drives by), but for others it is a window into their future.

CNN.com posted an article featuring several young female entrepreneurs, and for me, one really stood out from the rest. The youngest entrepreneur on the list: Lizzie Marie Likness. I was most impressed with her and her success at such a young age. Starting her entrepreneurial career at the age of six to pay for her own horseback riding lessons, Lizzie sold homemade breads and cookies at local farmers markets. In 2007 Lizzie asked her dad to create a website for her so she could “teach people how to have fun cooking healthy with [her] cooking videos.” -LizzeMarieCuisine.com

Now, 11 years old, her website which offers cooking tips, recipes, and product reviews has received serious recognition and has helped Lizzie expand. Not only does she have a website:

“Her ‘Tasty Tidbits’ food education project won a grant in 2007 from DoSomething.org. This past January, Likness appeared with four other young grant winners in The Kindness Challenge, a philanthropic competition run by DoSomething.org, USA Today and the Rachael Ray Show. Likness also appeared on a panel at Digitas’ NewFront 2011, discussing new media and how it affects relationships with friends and family.”  –CNN.com

This amazing young entrepreneur is currently creating her own cookbook and hoping to produce her own line of food products, (or join a chefs known brand), in the near future. Lizzie has accomplished a great deal already and is just getting started – she dreams of hosting her own TV cooking show one day.

Being home schooled has helped Lizzie to focus on her blog, videos and cooking skills. She is able to take time off for events and catch up (or get ahead) when she doesn’t have as much going on with her cooking career. Not everyone has this kind of flexibility at such a young age, but that shouldn’t stop them.

Lizzie’s advice for young entrepreneurs? Don’t be afraid to ask for help, start small, and if you encounter doubters, “that’s their own problem.” –CNN.com

How can you get started? Find something you enjoy and spend time with it. Share your experience with others and take advice when advice is given. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, everyone makes them (even if they don’t like to admit it)!

Do you know any other amazing young entrepreneurs? Please share with us!

*All food images used are from LizzieMarieCuisine.com