Thursday, November 20, 2014

My Social Media Management Experiment : Klout

When I started this blog, I had hope that it will be something that I will be proud of. Blogging is a way for me to put myself out there, a means for me to throw my thoughts and opinions far and wide  and eventually gain new acquaintances.

Being married to someone who is digital savvy, I was posed with the question : how are you going to promote yourself and your blog?

So not too long ago I was introduced with the term Social Media Management. Well, initially I had trouble with my tweets every time I had a new blog update. I would use up all the character spaces before I could put all the necessary details because copying and pasting the link of my new blog post took up too much space.

Nothing such as a link shortener couldn't fix.

But at the same time, I came across websites that works like Google Reader and after a couple of days searching for more information, I was introduced to websites that helps someone manage their social media presence.

Klout is one of many and I decided to try it for at least a week. So I am going to share with you my experience of using Klout.


This is the Overview. I think it looks clean and tidy. Easy enough to navigate.


This is the Create page. The great thing about Klout is that it pools articles or interesting contents in one single page for you to sift through and share with your followers. You could share on Twitter or Facebook profile. I am currently sharing on Twitter only as Klout does not share on Facebook pages at the moment. But I have set my Twitter to share on my Facebook page,so whatever I share on Twitter will make its way to my Facebook page as well.

With the content, you can choose what type of contents you want to receive. On the right side of the screen, you can edit the type of content you want to receive.


The topics are many and you can choose up to 11.


With Klout, you can schedule your posts. That way, you can still maintain your online presence by sharing contents while you're away from your computer.


On this page you can check your Klout score. The score is a measurement of your overall online presence. I guess this depends on how many people click and view the content that you shared. So the more people click those shortened urls, the more points you'll get I guess. But it does not mean that that is the only way to get more points in your score. If you read the help section, they have a much more detailed explanation on how the score can go up and down based on your social media engagement across different channels.


Now what do you do with your Klout score? You can get Klout perks which are exclusive products or experiences you can get based on your influence. Is it important to get perks? Urmm, not to me. I don't go after this type of perks. I think I have enough real life based perks that I'm after at the moment.


When I click on my profile photo in Overview, this is where I'll be directed to.

For my first content sharing using Klout, I've chosen an article as shown above. I've set it to publish on my twitter account.

So this is how it looks like once the content from Klout has been published. Note that there is no inline photo in my tweet. Does it bother me? Not really.

And because I've set my tweets to be published on my Facebook page as well, you can see here that my page has been updated with the content shared using Klout. 

Over the next fews weeks or so, I'll be sharing contents using different types of social media management websites. Who knows maybe I'll stick to one that I really like.

What I like about having only one platform to use to share online contents is that I don't have to open up many applications at the same time. But it does not solve all my problems because currently not all of them can share contents over various different types of social media sites.

Join me next time as I share my experiences using a different social media management website.

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Monday, November 10, 2014

How to Exercise Your Face

Do you want to have a sculpted face?

Or perhaps you want to tone the muscles on your face?

I found some cool tips on how to exercise your face in the Better Homes and Gardens (August 2013) magazine.

I'm not sure if my face will look years younger after doing the exercises but there is no harm in doing it.

Have you ever done facial exercise before?













Monday, November 3, 2014

Family-Friendly Places : Boneo Maze and Wetlands Centre

Boneo Maze and Wetlands Centre is one of the many family-friendly places that I've been to. Located at Mornington Peninsula, it is an almost one hour drive from the CBD.

The last time I was there was in the summer of 2012 and I think it was a lovely place to take kids for a short getaway. I do believe there have been more attractions being built since the last time I was there, such as the Adventure Zone.

Front entrance

If you enjoy walking inside a maze

Insects and plants are plentiful 


Don't be surprised by the artificial living beings there



Of course you can do some bird watching there

And they do have random signboards all over the place



Ha ha!

Yes people, do not disturb the trees!

Please refer to the next photo...

Mushroom village

More mushroom villages


Live sized chess set

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Monday, October 27, 2014

Flags of Australian States and Territories

Flags! Flags! Flags! So many flags!

For the past 6 years living in Australia, the only flags that I've come to recognise are the Australian national flag and the Aboriginal flag.

It wasn't until a recent trip to the Shrine of Remembrance that I realised that the Australian states and territories do have their own flags as well.

So let's have a look at the flags for Australian states and territories.


National flag : A Blue Ensign defaced with the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter and the five stars of the Southern Cross in the fly half.

 Aboriginal flag : A black and red flag with a yellow circle in the middle.


Torres Strait Islander Flag : A five-pointed star and traditional headdress in white, on a blue, green and black background.

 
Flag of New South Wales : St George's Cross with four gold stars and a lion in the fly of a British blue ensign

Flag of Queensland : A light blue Maltese cross with a crown on a white background in the fly of a British blue ensign

Flag of South Australia : piping shrike on a gold background in the fly of a British blue ensign

Flag of Tasmania : A red lion on a white background in the fly of a British blue ensign

Flag of Western Australia : A black swan on a gold background in the fly of a British blue ensign

Flag of Victoria : The Southern Cross surmounted by a crown in the fly of a British blue ensign

Flag of Northern Territory : One third black with the Southern Cross, the other two thirds are brown with Sturt's Desert Rose, the floral emblem of the Territory

Flag of Australian Capital Territory : One third blue with the Southern Cross, the other two thirds are yellow with the Coat of Arms of Canberra

Flag of Christmas Island : The blue and green diagonal panels represent the sea and the island's vegetation, a small map of the island is included in the centre. The main emblem is a Golden Bosun Bird. The flag was selected from a competition held in 1986 and was approved in 2002.

Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Island : The flag is green, with a palm tree on a gold disc in the canton, a gold crescent for the Cocos Malay people in the centre of the flag and a gold southern cross in the fly. The flag was designed in 2003 becoming official in 2004.

Flag of Norfolk Island : A green field with a white square containing a green Norfolk Island Pine.


I'm not a big fan of flags but once in a while, I do get inquisitive and the trip to the Shrine of Remembrance did just that.

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References

List of Australian flags. (2014, October 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:08, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Australian_flags&oldid=629867221

Flag of the Australian Capital Territory. (2014, March 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:09, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_the_Australian_Capital_Territory&oldid=598958972


Flag of New South Wales. (2013, June 6). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:10, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_New_South_Wales&oldid=558583187


Flag of the Northern Territory. (2014, June 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:10, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_the_Northern_Territory&oldid=612477432


Flag of Queensland. (2013, December 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:11, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Queensland&oldid=586712021


Flag of South Australia. (2014, July 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:11, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_South_Australia&oldid=616857320


Flag of Tasmania. (2014, March 20). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:11, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Tasmania&oldid=600403501


Flag of Victoria. (2014, September 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:12, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Victoria&oldid=625411664


Flag of Western Australia. (2014, June 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:12, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Western_Australia&oldid=611174311


Flag of Norfolk Island. (2014, January 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:12, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Norfolk_Island&oldid=591716095

Flag of Christmas Island. (2013, December 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:13, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_Christmas_Island&oldid=585698034

Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. (2014, March 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:13, October 17, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flag_of_the_Cocos_(Keeling)_Islands&oldid=598320977



Monday, October 20, 2014

Family-Friendly Places : Shrine of Remembrance

The Shrine of Remembrance is located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Rd Melbourne and was built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I and a memorial to all Australians who have served in war.

It is a good place to go to for a leisurely walk with your family. The surrounding garden is just magnificent. 








The Cenotaph

The Cenotaph and the Eternal Flame

 

The 2 external buttress sculptures on the east and west walls represent the virtues of Patriotism, Sacrifice, Justice and Peace and Goodwill.
This is the eastern wall with the following inscription: 
THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED BY A GRATEFUL PEOPLE TO THE HONOURED MEMORY OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED THE EMPIRE IN THE GREAT WAR OF 1914-1918 









The Doric columns



The Ceremonial Avenue, looking towards Melbourne city from the Shrine




The Flags of Remembrance


The Driver Memorial

The Driver Memorial



The Wipers Memorial


The Wipers Memorial





Women's Garden and Memorial Cairn

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