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8 Signs You Need a Social Media Detox

Sarah Winfrey — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:00:24 +0000

Everyone's on social media these days. However, some of us take it more seriously than others. And some of us have to take it seriously, because our professional success relies heavily on staying connected. Then there are people who are on their accounts all the time, even when they're trying to do other things, like hang out with actual people. But are you one of those people whose obsessed with social media? How would you even know?

If you're worried about how much time you're wasting on various platforms, here are a few signs that it's time for a social media detox. (See also: 5 Ways Freelancers Can Promote Their Work Without Social Media)

1. You feel anxious when you're not scrolling

When you're not online, do you wish you were? Do you wonder what you're missing, hope that people aren't doing anything fun without you, or just feel anxious when you can't be on social media for a while? This anxiety can be a sign that you need to take a break. You should feel more anxious about missing your real life than you do about your online one. Separating from social media for a period of time can help you realize that the world doesn't end when you're not liking posts and battling trolls.

2. The photos you see upset you

Do you regularly see photos of other people's lives that make you feel sad or envious? Do you wish you had that kind of access to fancy homes, creativity, or style? If you're constantly comparing yourself to people online and feeling like you fall short, it may be time to unplug. Take the time to remember how good your own life is. (See also: How to Keep Social Media From Ruining Your Vacation)

3. You never put down your phone

Is your phone always in your hand or nearby, even when you're supposed to be working or having a real-life conversation? If you can't stop checking social media, it's time to put the phone down and walk away. Your online social life doesn't have to interfere with your real one. Delete some of the apps off your phone until they lose their hold over you.

4. You post about your life before you live it

When you're out living your life, do you stage photos specifically for social media? Are you spending a significant amount of time thinking of pithy statements to tweet? Do you think about what to post, or when, or how, even while you're in the middle of doing something fun or actively engaged in an activity? If you think about staging your life for Facebook or Instagram before you live it, it's time to put the phone in your pocket and enjoy what's in front of you. (See also: 10 Things to Stop Doing on Social Media by 30)

5. You check social media without thinking about it

What do you do when you're bored? Do you automatically go online, just to be sure you haven't missed anything? If your first line of defense against boredom to check your social media accounts, or the first thing you do while you're waiting, you may need to take a break and find other, more meaningful ways to spend your time. Set up other things to do when you would usually check your accounts mindlessly, and take back your time, and your life. (See also: 8 Ways Social Media Tricks You Into Spending More)

6. Social media interferes with your productivity

Are you online when you should be doing something important? Do work tasks get put off or not done at all because you're scrolling and tweeting instead? If social media is interfering with your productivity, or your to-do list never gets done because you're online, make some changes today. Delete your most addictive apps and download a few task management apps instead to keep you focused. (See also: Organize 8 Key Areas of Your Life With These 17 Smart Apps)

7. You make excuses to check in often

When you're out with friends or family, do you find yourself making excuses for checking your social accounts? Maybe you tell them that it's for work, or you go to the bathroom with your phone just so you can check your notifications. If social media has such a strong pull on your life that your loved ones are calling you out and you're making excuses to stay connected, then it's high time to disconnect.

8. You're disengaging from your real life

Do you choose to be online rather than go out with friends? Sure, we all need the occasional evening in, but if you are regularly choosing social media over your friends, or choosing not to go out because you're afraid you'll miss something online, it's time to think about a break. Social media can have a place in your life, but it shouldn't frequently take the place of real-life interactions. (See also: Are You Letting FOMO Ruin Your Finances?)

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This article is from Sarah Winfrey of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

12 Gov't Social Media Accounts You Should Follow

Carrie Kirby — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 08:30:09 +0000

In the Trump era, Twitter has become the de facto way that the White House communicates with the American public. But @realDonaldTrump isn't the only government social media account out there. By keeping an eye on various authorities on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, you can stay on top of just about everything: how to save energy, when you can get a deal on park entrance, how early you should get to the airport, and whether you need to board up your windows due to an oncoming storm.

1. National Weather Service

@NWS on Twitter, @nws on Instagram, @NWS on Facebook

What it's good for: Severe weather alerts nationwide, making it valuable to travelers. If you're expecting a hurricane, a blizzard, or a flood, follow one of the local accounts the NWS maintains so you know whether you need to evacuate.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

@CDC on Twitter, @cdcgov on Instagram, @CDC on Facebook

What it's good for: Handy health info such as how to differentiate a cold from the flu, or where to get a yellow fever vaccination. You'll also get warnings about food recalls due to bacterial contamination.

Add @cdcemergency to your follows, too. This is where the CDC puts its warnings about public health emergencies such as epidemics and natural disasters.

3. Department of Interior

@interior on Twitter, @usinterior on Instagram, @usinterior on Facebook

What it's good for: Stunning vistas and wildlife pics from our public lands. You'll also get a heads up when admission to National Parks is free. These accounts will also alert the public if there's a wildfire in a park or if a government shutdown is closing parks.

4. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

@CFPB on Twitter, @CFPB on Facebook

What it's good for: Education on how to recognize financial scams, your rights when collectors call, and any changes in tax laws. Also, you'll probably hear about a major financial data breach here first. (See also: 6 Ways Social Media Can Save You Money)

5. Transportation Security Administration

@TSA on Twitter, @tsa on Instagram, @TSA on Facebook

What it's good for: Your travel questions get answered here, such as, "Can my husband carry on his dead bug specimen?" Turns out, the answer is yes! You'll also find changes in ID requirements and carry-on rules. Watch for warnings about delays at specific airports as TSA rolls out new security screenings.

6. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

@USCPSC on Twitter, @uscpsc on Instagram, @USCPSC on Facebook

What it's good for: Product recalls, and safety warnings you might not have thought of, like the importance of locking up the liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes, especially if you have children or pets that could get into it. If it turns out a product you're using can be deadly, you'll want to know right away. You'll also be exposed to hilarious safety-related memes.

7. Federal Emergency Management Agency

@fema on Twitter, @fema on Instagram, @FEMA on Facebook

What it's good for: Giving you a heads up when weather conditions may lead to disaster, such as a recent warning to Southern Californians that heavy rain coming in might lead to debris flows in burn areas. In case of tornado, hurricane, wildfire, earthquake, tsunami, or any other emergency, tune in here for evacuation instructions, local phone numbers for help, and other potentially lifesaving information.

8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

@NASA on Twitter, @nasa on Instagram

What it's good for: Cool videos from the International Space Station, Q&As with astronauts, contests, and job listings. Follow these accounts and you'll be the first to hear about any massive asteroids heading toward Earth or alien attacks.

9. Department of Energy

@ENERGY on Twitter, @energy on Instagram, @energygov on Facebook

What it's good for: Energy saving tips. You'll also find instructions on how to prepare for and avoid power outages during storms. Nuclear power plant emergency or massive blackout? You'll hear that here first, too.

10. U.S. Geological Survey earthquake alerts

@USGSted on Twitter

What it's good for: Popular in seismically unstable regions such as the San Francisco Bay Area, this feed will share the most recent quakes all over the world, so you can verify whether the shaking you just felt was a truck going by or an earthquake. If The Big One hits you, you're unlikely to be able to pull up Twitter, but if The Big One hits the area where a loved one lives, you can monitor this feed for details.

11. U.S. Department of State

@StateDept on Twitter, @statedept on Instagram, @usdos on Facebook

What it's good for: A recent post advised citizens to apply for a passport before an impending price increase. You can also find official statements — often on video — to help you stay on top of developments on the world geopolitical scene. If our tensions with Russia and North Korea lead to World War III, this would be the ideal news source.

12. Your local government agencies

Probably the most useful government social media accounts are not national. You'll want to subscribe to your local police department, transportation authority (I recently checked California's to find out the conditions at Donner Pass on my way to a ski trip), and school district. Some cities have Twitter accounts you can use to notify authorities of things that need attention, like potholes and criminal activity.

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This article is from Carrie Kirby of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How I Scored Tons of Free Stuff By Building a Small Social Media Audience

Camilla Cheung — Mon, 22 May 2017 08:00:12 +0000

We've all heard of social media stars, aka "influencers," who can quit their day jobs and live off the free resort stays, paid Instagram posts, and endless swag provided by brands eager to advertise to a large digital audience. But what if you don't have a million followers on social media? Can you still reap material benefits?

I spent the last four months building up a modest Instagram following in my spare time. It started as a hobby, but to my surprise, brands started offering me free stuff to review much sooner than I anticipated. I fall into the realm of the "micro-influencer," which is a social media account with a few thousand followers, rather than a few hundred thousand. I currently get so many offers for free products that I can't possibly say yes to them all. You can get free stuff, too, with a few social media tips.

1. Find a niche

A post shared by Camilla (@gracefulfaceblog) on Jul 8, 2016 at 2:05pm PDT

The easiest way to get active engagement from the social media community and attention from brands is by "niching down" in social-media parlance. Finding a small, but dedicated community focused on a niche hobby or product can help you grow the fastest. In my case, I started by focusing on Asian beauty products, which is a very focused, but growing part of the beauty industry. My followers are highly engaged and tight-knit, making any influence in this community incredibly valuable, especially for up-and-coming brands.

If you'd like to get free swag from brands, it helps if the products you'd like to receive aren't overwhelmingly expensive. It's far more likely for a beauty, food, or clothing brand to send you some of their wares than expensive electronics brands, for instance. I see people with just 400 to 500 followers in my niche receiving free products.

2. Provide value

Providing reviews or tips to your followers can be one way to engage the community and keep them coming back for more. Even if your social media account is more aspirational and lifestyle-oriented, be sure to think about what you're offering that will keep people's attention, and what would make them likely to purchase the products you showcase.

3. Post regularly

A post shared by Camilla (@gracefulfaceblog) on Aug 2, 2016 at 4:36pm PDT

When your followers know you have new content coming regularly, they're more likely to seek it out and engage with your posts. Your followers will feel like they know you better. Brands will know that you post consistently, and are likely to follow through with reviewing or showcasing their products. This may differ based on the social media platform — you could post several times a day on Instagram without fatiguing your followers, for instance, whereas you may want to post less frequently on Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms.

4. Do your hashtag or keyword research

On Instagram and Twitter, make sure you're using targeted, effective hashtags. For other social media platforms such as YouTube and blogs, make sure you do your keyword research so your posts show up in Google search.

5. Create great visuals

A post shared by Camilla (@gracefulfaceblog) on Mar 2, 2017 at 2:36pm PST

If you want brands to be showcased on your account, you need to make their products look good. While you don't have to be a professional photographer, spend some time setting up your photos, and make sure they're clear, well-lit, and pleasing to the eye. Photo editing apps such as VSCO, Snapseed, and Facetune can help you create social media-ready photos without the need for professional photo-editing software. (See also: 6 Instagrammers Getting Rich by Traveling the World)

6. Focus on engagement

Social media isn't all a numbers game, contrary to popular opinion. You may only have a few hundred followers, but if you have a high proportion of your followers commenting and "liking" your posts, you show brands that your followers care about your opinions. To many brands, engagement counts as much as numbers, and in some cases, more. (See also: 5 Social Media Stars Who Earn Way More Than You)

7. Be authentic

A post shared by Camilla (@gracefulfaceblog) on Dec 8, 2016 at 9:37pm PST

Everyone on the social media scene harps on the importance of being authentic, but it isn't always easy when you're putting only your best photos and content out there on the internet. There's a fine line between appearing professional (and thus appealing to brands) and being approachable. Don't be afraid to share a little bit about yourself personally, but don’t veer into the realm of too much information or negativity.

It may seem a little odd to say this in an article about how to get free stuff, but don't be too focused on getting free stuff. Your followers can spot a mercenary attitude a mile away, and your account won't grow if it seems like it only exists to get freebies. I started my account to chronicle my hobby, not to get free products. The free swag was just a nice byproduct of being immersed in a great community.

8. Join influencer apps and networks

The Influenster app is probably the most well-known and popular influencer app, with broad categories such as food, haircare, home goods, beauty, and more. With this influencer network, you receive free samples to review on your social media accounts. The more followers you have, the more likely you are to receive samples regularly, though I started receiving products even when I only had a few hundred followers.

I've also started using Brandbacker, an influencer network that allows you to apply to do brand campaigns in exchange for free products or sometimes paid opportunities.

9. Approach brands directly

A post shared by Camilla (@gracefulfaceblog) on Mar 29, 2017 at 9:33am PDT

Once you have a social media presence and have established your niche, it doesn't hurt to approach brands directly for free samples to showcase. You can approach brands via private message on social media, or look for their marketing or PR contacts via their websites. Send a concise, professional message, and tell them what value you bring to the table. Do you give really helpful, detailed reviews? Or beautiful photography? How can your content benefit the brand?

Smaller brands are often willing to reach out to influencers with smaller followings, but you'd be surprised what response you might get (and the free goodies) if you reach out to larger brands who may have more of a marketing budget.

10. Be clear about expectations

It's exciting to get free products just for putting up a post on social media. Just be sure to set clear expectations, both for yourself and for brands you're working with, about just how much content you will create. Some brands expect you to create several posts across several different social media platforms in exchange for a free item. Others may be willing to send you the products with no strings attached and hope that you'll post something positive about them. It's best to be on the same page to begin with, and try to get it in writing, even if it's just a quick note via private message. And remember, you can always say no. Free products don't pay the bills, after all.

Everyone wants a slice of the social media marketing pie these days, so if you're willing to create great content in exchange for free stuff, it's not too hard to do so. Many small influencers are able to support their hobby this way, without having to shell out too much of their own cash. And who knows, once you've mastered micro-influencer territory, you might even be able to turn your social media account into a paid side gig.

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This article is from Camilla Cheung of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Flashback Friday: 34 Smart Ways to Improve Your Social Media Presence

Chrissa Hardy — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 08:30:08 +0000

Having a social media presence used to be optional, and only for the digital journalism world. But now, having a decent following seems like a requirement if you want to run a business, successfully share your art, and engage with others in your industry. Here's how to improve your social media presence.

5 Surprising Ways Social Media Stars Make Money — Start by learning from the masters. Being a social media "star" is a thing, and they are making more money than most of us. Here are some of their best tricks.

7 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Image on Social Media — Maybe you spent the first few years on Facebook posting keg party photos and trolling celebrities. Yeah, that's not a good look. If you need to do some cleanup, follow these easy steps.

10 Things to Stop Doing on Social Media by 30 — Those bad social media habits need to be left behind, because tweets and photos don't always disappear, even after you delete them. Employers, family members, and potential romantic partners can see what you're doing, so you might want to act accordingly.

How to Improve Your Finances Using Social Media — Once your social media posts are nice and tidy, use this guide to start bringing in some money on the side. Because once you start gaining a following, it's actually pretty easy!

How to Earn Extra Income With Twitter — Twitter is a great place to connect with people and brands directly. You can also use your account to make some extra money with sponsored tweets and other branded content.

Jumpstart Your Job Search With Instagram — Social media platforms can also aid you in your job search. Curate your feed and you might hashtag your way into a new gig!

This article is from Chrissa Hardy of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

So Far Trump Has Called Out 6 Companies: Here's How They've Done

Brittany Lyte — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 10:30:27 +0000

Even before he took over the @POTUS Twitter account, President Trump had long been using the 140-character social media network to settle scores, sound off on critics, initiate attacks, as well as denounce or praise the mechanics of several American businesses. Find out what happened to companies Trump has boosted or blasted. (See also: 6 Ways a Donald Trump Presidency Could Impact Your Wallet)

1. The New York Times

On several occasions, Trump has taken on The New York Times on Twitter, calling the newspaper "so totally wrong," among other things. In one anti-Times Twitter episode, Trump claimed that the newspaper "is losing thousands of subscribers because of their very poor and highly inaccurate coverage of the 'Trump phenomena.'"

So how did The Great Gray Lady fare? In a tweet responding to Trump's claims of falling readership, the newspaper's parent company said that new subscriptions were surging on the heels of Trump's public criticism. As a result, stock in the Times' parent company soared tenfold immediately following Election Day.

2. Boeing

Trump called for the cancellation of a deal with Boeing to develop a new Air Force One. "Cancel order!" he tweeted, calling the situation "totally out of control," citing sky high costs.

In the immediate wake of the incident, nervous investors drove Boeing stock down by selling off shares, but the stock's value ultimately rebounded. Boeing has since engaged in several talks and price negotiations with Trump, and company officials have said that the two parties are close to making a deal on the cost of the new presidential aircraft fleet.

3. L.L. Bean

Linda Bean, granddaughter of L.L. Bean's founder, came under fire in the media when news broke that the thousands of dollars she had donated toward Trump's presidential candidacy were, in fact, illegal. Liberal groups responded by initiating boycotts of the Maine retailer. Then Trump chimed in: "Thank you to Linda Bean of L.L.Bean for your great support and courage. People will support you even more now. Buy L.L.Bean," he said on Twitter.

In an interview on Fox Business Network, Linda Bean said her company experienced an "uptick" in business after Trump's tweet. She did not provide specific numbers.

4. Fiat Chrysler

"It's finally happening," Trump tweeted. "Fiat Chrysler just announced plans to invest $1 BILLION in Michigan and Ohio plants, adding 2,000 jobs." The praise came after Trump criticized automakers for importing vehicles to the U.S. from Mexico. Fiat officials said its decision to make the $1 billion investment praised by Trump had long been in the works, and was not in reaction to criticism by Trump. "It wasn't a pre-emptive strike against a tweet," said Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.

Nonetheless, Fiat's stock value enjoyed a bump on the heels of the announcement of its investment in Michigan and Ohio, and Trump's subsequent kudos.

5. Carrier

A hallmark of the Trump campaign was keeping American jobs within U.S. borders. For Trump, news that Carrier would export 1,400 jobs from Indiana to Mexico became a symbol of a larger problem. But Trump moved to negotiate with the company, securing a deal in which more than half the jobs said to be headed for Mexico would instead remain in Indiana. As part of the deal, the air conditioning manufacturer received seven million dollars in tax incentives. "Big day on Thursday for Indiana and the great workers of that wonderful state," Trump tweeted. "We will keep our companies and jobs in the U.S. Thanks Carrier."

Carrier benefited from Trump's use of the company's plans to export U.S. jobs to Mexico by becoming the recipient of $7 million in state tax breaks.

6. CNN

"You are fake news," Trump told a CNN reporter at the last news conference before his inauguration, adding, "Your organization is terrible." The remarks by Trump came after CNN reported that intelligence officials had briefed Trump on an unverified document alleging that the Russian government has compiled unflattering and compromising information about him. Trump punctuated his opinion on CNN's reporting of the matter with a tweet: "@CNN is in a total meltdown with their FAKE NEWS because their ratings are tanking since election and their credibility will soon be gone!" CNN responded by saying that it stands by the story.

Despite losing viewers since the election, CNN is up in year-to-date viewership. CNN's Jake Tapper, who contributed reporting to the network's story on the dossier allegedly compiled by Russia, tweeted this: "@TheLeadCNN was #1 in its time slot in the demo Tuesday, thanks for watching folks!!"

This article is from Brittany Lyte of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Earn Extra Income With Twitter

Kat Tretina — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 09:30:31 +0000

If you spend time on Twitter, you have likely seen promoted posts from celebrities hawking products. Kim Kardashian, the queen of social media, reportedly makes $10,000 a tweet. But even if you are not a celebrity, you can still make plenty of money from social media. If you have a strong following on Twitter, you can turn it into an income stream. (See also: 6 Ways Social Media Can Save You Money)

What You Need to Make Money

To make money off of Twitter, you need to have an account with a following. The money you can charge is based on a variety of factors. If you have a smaller fan base, but your followers are very engaged with your posts, you can charge more than someone with a large but disconnected following.

To be able to charge clients for tweets, you should build an audience of several thousand followers. Build your following by regularly posting content throughout the day. But most importantly, be social. Reply and tweet to other people to start conversations. Participate in Twitter chats to meet new people and get your name out there.

How to Get Connected to Advertisers

There are many different ways to get connected to advertisers, including sites that act as the middleman.

Use PaidPerTweet

PaidPerTweet connects advertisers with millions of users, from celebrities to bloggers and everyday people. For a fee, advertisers can select a user to issue a tweet from their account. Fees range from $1 a post to $5,000 a post. For example, comedian George Lopez charges $2,000 a tweet. "Camibeth33," a self-described social media junkie, charges just $1 a tweet to reach her 9,000 followers.

Reach Out to Brands Directly

While PaidPerTweet can connect you to advertisers, there is no guarantee anyone will select you out of the millions of users. That's why it makes sense to skip the intermediary and reach out to brands yourself. For example, if you tweet often about beauty products and style trends, connect with growing brands to see if they'd want to get their products in front of your followers. Many times, a groundswell of normal people can launch a brand more successfully than hiring a celebrity spokesperson, as the regular person has more credibility and authenticity.

Post Great Content and Sit Back

If you post great content regularly and build your audience, chances are, brands will come to you. List in your profile that you are PR friendly, and you will likely receive messages from companies asking you to post reviews of their products in return for free trials or a fee.

Other Ways to Make Money on Twitter

Besides getting paid to tweet, there is another way to make income from your Twitter account. Sign up for affiliate accounts and tweet links to your favorite products.

Some sites, like Shopstyle, pay you per click. Every time someone clicks on a link you tweet, you get a few cents. On other platforms, like Amazon's affiliate program, you get a percentage of whatever purchase users make. If they click on your item, but buy other things as well, you also get a percentage of those sales.

When using affiliate links, it's best to focus in on a specific niche, such as fashion, beauty, pet care, or technology. The products you feature should fit the theme of other content you post regularly. So if you post a lot of dog pictures, tweeting out links to kibble brands or grooming tools will be a natural fit.

Use affiliate links sparingly so it doesn't become spammy, and post products you have actually used and like. That will be more appealing to your followers and encourage more clicks and purchases.

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This article is from Kat Tretina of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Social Media Stars Who Earn Way More Than You

Nick Wharton — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 10:30:15 +0000

Did you know that there are thousands of people out there earning incredible amounts of money through social media? That's right, social media stars can make thousands, even millions of dollars per year through sponsored posts, original content, and consistent engagement with their followers. Here are five social media celebs who might make you want to quit your job to go full-time on Instagram!

1. Brandon Stanton

In 2010, Stanton lost his job and decided to start taking photos of random people in New York City. At the time, he had no idea that posting Humans of New York on Facebook would lead him to over 12 million likes and a career in public speaking, photography, and writing. It has also lead him to amazing contributions to local and international charities.

Stanton takes beautiful portraits and captions them with touching stories. These photos and stories were so sharable that many of them went viral on Facebook in just a few hours.

While Stanton hasn't publicly disclosed his income, he has expressed on a Reddit thread that he was never in it for a payout and he gave over a half a million dollars to charity in a six month period alone.

His work on collaborations, occasional magazine spreads, speeches, and media appearances keep him afloat. Stanton added, "I signed two book deals which pay the rent. Also, I live cheaply."

The man is an inspiration to millions and he continues to showcase different people's fascinating life stories through his work. His 50-day trip to 10 countries in the Middle East helped to shed light on the situation in the region. If you haven't seen his work, check out Humans of New York on Facebook and Instagram.

Followers: 17.75M (Facebook), 5.5M (Instagram)

Platform: Facebook & Instagram

Earnings: Undisclosed

2. Sean McBride

This Snapchat master earns his money through drawing and photo mash-ups on the popular video-based social media platform. He taught himself how to draw by learning from other artists' work and today he can make tens of thousands of dollars from a single advertising deal on his Snapchat account.

According to Forbes, McBride can earn several thousand dollars per image! Who is paying Sean all of this money for Snapchat images? Brands like Taco Bell, Disney, and numerous television networks have been his sponsors, and many of his deals have been for over $30,000. Not bad for an online artist!

McBride goes by the name of "Shonduras" on Snapchat, he is the platform's first big celebrity, and he's one of the first people to make real money from Snapchat art. If you love Snapchat, you might want to follow Sean to get some ideas on how to become a successful Snapchat artist.

Followers: Undisclosed

Platform: Snapchat

Earnings: $100K+ per week

3. Brittany Furlan

Brittany has made her fortune through her wildly entertaining short Vine videos. Her quirky and fun clips have earned her 9.8 million followers and a lucrative career in acting and social media.

The vines have led her to create a new sketch show with Seth Green. In December of 2015, Brittany told The New Yorker that for every million followers she gets, she can add another $5,000 to the price tag for a branded Vine.

Using this calculation, it's not unlikely that Furlan is earning around $49,000 for a six-second vine posted to her 9.8 million followers. That's equal to nearly a half a million dollars per hour!

Followers: 9.8 million

Platform: Vine

Earnings: $49K per video

4. PewDiePie

The granddaddy of all Internet earners, it is estimated that PewDiePie's gaming channel generated over $12 million in 2015, according to Forbes. The amazing thing is that Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg is earning his income by playing video games and publishing them on YouTube.

The next time your parents tell you that gaming is a waste of time, you may want to lead them to Felix's YouTube channel and tell them that you're trying to make a career out of it.

Subscribers: 45.5M

Platform: YouTube

Earnings: $12M per year

5. Rhett & Link

These two southern boys have a hilarious and extremely entertaining YouTube Channel featuring "Good Mythical Morning," a sort of off-the-wall morning show for people who want to have a good laugh with their coffee.

According to Forbes, the duo earned over $4.5 million from YouTube sponsorships and ads in 2015 working with numerous brands including Wendy's, Gillette, and Toyota. These guys are my personal favorite on this list and I find myself tuning into Good Mythical Morning whenever it appears in my feed.

Subscribers: 4.1M

Platform: YouTube

Earnings: $4.5M per year

Can Anyone Do It?

Of course, just like any superstar career, it is possible for pretty much anyone to make money from social media, but the fact is that it's highly unlikely to be as successful as these stars. These people are just like the actors who walk the red carpet in Hollywood, in that they've made it where few people have ever gone before. They've struck gold and that's not easy to replicate.

While it may not be easy to earn a full-time income from social media, it's an exciting prospect, and if you're passionate about it, hopefully you'll be inspired by these people who are really making a living at it.

Have you ever made any money from social media? Share your experience in the comments below!

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This article is from Nick Wharton of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: Who to Follow on Twitter to Save on Everything

Amy Lu — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 10:00:11 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found articles on who to follow on Twitter for maximum savings, easy Harry Potter DIYs, and bizarre dessert combos that actually work.

6 Ways Social Media Can Save You Money

Kyle James — Tue, 17 May 2016 09:00:10 +0000

While using popular social media platforms is a fun way to stay connected with family and friends, perhaps the most useful benefit is tapping into a new way to save money. Whether it be through negotiating a lower monthly bill, scoring a coupon, or finding the best local deals, with just a little bit of effort you can use social media to save hundreds of dollars every year. Here are some easy to implement tips to get you started in the right direction.

1. Learn to Negotiate a Lower Bill Via Twitter

Most large companies these days have employees who do nothing but monitor their social media feeds and respond directly to customer inquiries and complaints. Because of this, when it comes to negotiating a lower monthly bill, Twitter has become an excellent way to start the conversation. For example, I was recently able to do this with the folks at Verizon by accident when I responded to a friend's Tweet discussing cheaper cell phone services. Within minutes of my Twitter response, I had a Verizon representative send me a message via Twitter asking if they could help lower my bill. With their proactive help, I was able to lower my bill by $10 a month.

This experience led me to investigate other companies that respond quickly via Twitter, and sure enough I found many that did — namely Dish Network, DirecTV, AT&T, and Sprint. Simply send a direct Tweet to the company, or respond to someone else talking about the company, and drop the hint that you're seriously considering leaving the company for a cheaper alternative. In many cases, you'll quickly get a response with actionable ways to lower your bill. Could be a phone number to call, or even better, the company representative will personally help you lower your bill.

2. Use Facebook Messenger to Ask for a Coupon

Facebook Messenger has also become a great tool to score a deal or coupon. Simply visit the retailer's Facebook page, click on the "Message" button, and send them a polite message asking if they have a coupon code for free shipping or perhaps 15% or 20% off your purchase. Most big-name retailers have staffers standing by to respond to your message, often within minutes. The best part is they are armed with exclusive coupons and are ready to hand them out. After all, they know you're very close to completing your purchase and will often throw you a bone to do just that. So when you can't find a coupon in the more traditional ways, be sure to use Facebook Messenger to avoid paying full price.

Also, if the retailer does not have a current coupon to hand out, I've had some let me know via Messenger when a new coupon was going to be released. I'd then wait and make my purchase with the money saving coupon in-hand.

3. Instagram Descriptions Often Have Coupons

Using Instagram to save money with coupons is not something that immediately comes to mind for most shoppers. But the fact of the matter is many retailers and restaurants are starting to use their Instagram profile pages to drop new coupons and deals. For example, I just recently used a coupon on the Dunkin' Donuts profile page to get a free cup of coffee with my doughnut purchase. The key to making this work is to follow your favorite shops and restaurants and get in the habit of checking their Instagram page before you complete your purchase.

4. Search Pinterest Boards for Deals

When it comes to saving money, Pinterest is a great tool but requires a different approach. Because Pinterest is a very static platform, searching for deals/coupons with hashtags is going to leave you frustrated with the lack of results. Instead, you'll want to search "boards" for deals and coupons to particular retailers that users have pinned. Boards are essentially a collection of saved pins and are often kept up-to-date by users. To make this happen, you'll type in your search in the search box, hit the filters button to include boards in your search, then hit enter. By doing it this way, you'll typically get the newest pins which includes a majority of coupons and deals that have yet to expire.

5. Become a Hashtag Superhero

By becoming proficient at using the underrated Twitter hashtag (#), you can quickly find where the best deals are located for specific items. For example, let's say you're in the market for a new mountain bike. A fantastic way to search the entire Internet for a great deal is go on Twitter and search #MountainBike #Deal (or #Sale), or #MountainBike #Coupon. Often Twitter users will combine hashtags when searching, like #MountainBikeCoupon and get frustrated with the results. But if you make it a habit of breaking-up the hashtags, you'll end up with a large list of discounts and coupons that you can use to quickly find the best deals.

Also, a great way to localize your search, especially for larger items that are expensive to ship, is to add your hometown to your search query. So sticking with the mountain bike example, do a Twitter search like this: #Sacramento #MountainBike #Sale. You'll end up with search results that can easily lead you to the best current deals and sales in your area.

6. Use Live Chat the Right Way

Most online shoppers are familiar with the live chat feature that many websites operate. Have a question about the product, or want to know more about sizing? The live chat operator typically has the answers. But have you ever started a live chat session for the sole purpose of saving money? If not, you should try it as it often works. I like to start the chat sessions with a question about the product as I don't want it to seem like a gratuitous discount hunter.

Once I chat them up a little bit, I'll politely ask if they have a coupon code I can use on my order. Maybe shipping is a little costly, or perhaps a competitor has a slightly cheaper price — both solid reasons to ask for a coupon. In many cases, the operator has a few coupon codes they can hand out at their discretion. So the bottom line is to be polite, have a real conversation, and you stand a great chance of getting a coupon code you can use to save money.

How do you use social media to save money?

This article is from Kyle James of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

6 Ways to Score a Last-Minute Coupon

Kyle James — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 09:30:30 +0000

As any frugal shopper can attest, there's nothing worse than paying full-price when all your attempts to find a coupon come up empty. Fortunately, with a little outside-the-box thinking, there is almost always a way to score an online or in-store coupon and save significant money in the process. Here are six such ways that'll keep you from paying full-price on darn near anything. (See also: 4 Coupon Rules That Stores Let You Break)

1. Use Live Chat and Ask

If you're shopping online and all of your attempts to find a coupon code for a particular retailer fail, try starting a live chat session and ask for one. Most large retail websites these days employ live chat operators that are standing by to help you with your purchase or answer any questions you might have. They also often have a list of coupon codes at their disposal that they can hand out at their discretion.

Politely start a conversation, chat them up a little bit, then ask if they might have a coupon code for 20% off or perhaps free shipping. Make this a healthy frugal habit and you can save significant money over the course of a year. Retailers where this really works includes Lands' End, Home Depot, Old Navy, Office Depot, Shutterfly, and LL Bean.

2. Use a Competitor's Coupon

If you're shopping at Michaels and you can't find a printable in-store coupon, just look for a JoAnn, AC Moore, or Hobby Lobby coupon instead as they'll happily accept competitor coupons. Other popular stores that will accept competitor coupons include Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, JoAnn, Office Depot, Sports Authority, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Walmart.

When shopping in-store, the best way to gain quick access to these coupons is to arm your smartphone with a free coupon app from RetailMeNot or CouponSherpa. Then simply do a quick search for competitor coupons and save some easy money.

3. Abandon Your Virtual Cart

This tip is by far the most passive aggressive way to score an online coupon when you seem destined to pay full-price. It also takes a little patience, so it might not work if you need the item tomorrow. Many online retailers will try to entice you back by sending you a coupon via email if you leave, or abandon, items in your virtual shopping cart.

For this to work you need to have an account with the retailer so they have your email address in their system. Then simply add the item(s) you want to buy to your online cart, then logout and wait for your coupon. If you're going to get a coupon to come back and finish your purchase, you'll typically get it within 24 hours. Retailers that have been known to send out coupons this way include Bed Bath & Beyond, JCPenney, Best Buy, Williams-Sonoma, Office Max, and Land of Nod.

4. The Stores That Hand Them Out

Are you aware that some store employees are armed with coupons that they'll happily scan for you when checking out at the register? For example, if you forget to bring in your "20% off any 1 item" coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond, just politely explain the situation to the checkout employee, and more often than not, they'll pull one out from behind the counter and scan it for you.

A good way to judge whether the store you're shopping at might have a coupon ready to hand out is the frequency of their coupon offerings. If they always seem to have a coupon except for the day you happen to be shopping, there's a great chance an employee can get you one if you ask. Besides Bed Bath & Beyond, stores where you should definitely ask include Kohl's, Harbor Freight, Macy's, and Michaels.

5. Hit Up Facebook for a Coupon

Another great way to find a coupon for a specific retailer is to hit up their Facebook page. All you have to do is send them a message politely asking for a coupon for some extra savings. Most large retailers have employees monitoring their Facebook presence and responding quickly to message requests. By quickly, I mean often within 30 minutes. You can either search Facebook directly to find the stores page or look for the Facebook icon on the retailer's homepage and click directly on it.

6. Tweet for a Coupon

Twitter is another excellent way to communicate directly with a retailer in an attempt to score a coupon. This is due to the fact that most Twitter feeds are constantly being monitored and a quick response is almost guaranteed. From the specific retailer's Twitter page, click on "Message" and type your coupon request. Be sure your request is polite and conversational and not demanding in tone.

Your chances of success rise substantially if you've had a previous bad customer service experience with the retailer. Briefly explain what happened in your Twitter message and often times the retailer will give you a coupon to make up for your bad experience.

How do you avoid paying full-price when a discount seems completely unavailable?

This article is from Kyle James of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Surprising Ways Social Media Stars Make Money

Damian Davila — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 10:00:05 +0000

From a singer making $8,000 through product placement in a six-second Vine clip, to a creator of YouTube makeup tutorials making about millions per year, the stories of social media stars making outrageous sums of money seem to be getting more and more common.

While the size of these paydays are remarkable, the things that social media stars do to earn those sums may be even more extraordinary. Here are five surprising ways social media stars make money.

1. Unboxing Toys

The genre of "unboxing videos" (a package being opened, while its contents are described) is one of the highest grossing niches on YouTube. Including blenders, coffee machines, markers and pens, and smartphones — if it comes in a box, you can bet there's somebody out there willing to watch it getting unboxed.

Unboxing videos can be so profitable to YouTube publishers that 2014's highest paid YouTube star was a woman who unboxes Disney toys. According to one estimate, the DisneyCollectorBR YouTube user made $4.9 million in 2014 just from YouTube ads! The identity of the mysterious woman with the soothing voice and cool nail art hasn't been revealed yet, but that matters little to her over 6.2 million subscribers. For example, her unboxing video of "egg surprises" branded by Angry Birds, SpongeBob, and Cars has over 106.8 million views to date.

2. Playing Video Games

Another high-grossing YouTube genre is the narration of video game playing. The king of this genre is Felix Kjellberg, a Swede in his late 20s better known as PewDiePie. With his trademark laughter, unique sense of humor, and constant string of curses (warning: videos contain lots of language that is NSFW), Kjellberg pulled in a cool $12 million pretax over a 12-month period.

Other well-known vloggers posting video game-related clips include CaptainSparklez (over 9 million subscribers), Tobuscus (over 6.3 million subscribers), and SkyDoesMineCraft (over 11.7 million subscribers). While advertisers are still trying to figure out the appeal of expletive-heavy commentary of Kjelberg playing video games, they are willing to pay him to get access to his over 41 million subscribers.

3. Managing a Pet Superstar

Not all social media stars walk on two legs.

Maru, a shiba inu dog living in Japan, has over 2.3 million followers on Instagram.
Grumpy Cat, a cat with a perma-frown, has over 8.3 million followers on Facebook and over 1.3 million followers on Instagram.
Boo, a five-year old Pomeranian dog, has over 17 million followers on Facebook.
Lil Bub, a rescue cat with a unique condition, has over 2.6 million followers on Facebook and over 1.2 million followers on Instagram.

The lucky owners of these and other pets have been able to monetize their pet's large following in many ways. For example, Lil Bub charges admission for her appearances ($100 for her Meet and Greet Fundraiser at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York), and Grumpy Cat hawks plush toys ranging from $15.75 to $46.92 through her Amazon store.

4. Making Fun of Dad

In the late 2000s, comedian Justin Halpern was struggling to make ends meet with his writing job. Having to move back to his parents' house, he had a lot of free time on his hands and started a Twitter account to keep track of his dad's "rhetorical gems." Halpern had a hunch that those tweets could become inspiration for a great script.

He was absolutely right.

After getting noticed by high profile comedians, including Rob Corddry, his Twitter account gained a lot of traction (1.8 million followers in 15 months). Based on his tweets, Halpern penned the New York Times bestseller, Sh*t My Dad Says, and landed a TV deal with CBS to develop the show $#*! My Dad Says (based on his book). Halpern went on to write a second book and to write scripts for a couple more TV shows. All of this started with a single tweet!

5. Quitting Social Media

In a world of over-sharing, the shocking thing to do is to stop sharing.

At age 19, Essena O'Neill had a lucrative modeling career leveraging her large following on Instagram, YouTube, and other social media channels. Through her hundreds of thousands of followers, 750,000 on Instagram and 200,000 on YouTube, she was making money in many ways, including $2,000 in YouTube's ad revenue per month and payments for product placement.

In November 2, 2015, she quit all social media through her video "Why I REALLY am quitting social media - The Truth," warning others about the destructive nature of trying to gain approval online. O'Neill's original video (now deleted) quickly amassed hundreds of thousands of views and gained attention worldwide within just a few days. Some fellow YouTubers even criticized her move as a marketing ploy to gain even more attention. Despite her disappearance from social media, she continues to make headlines and announces her soon to-be-released satirical book, How to Be Social Media Famous.

What are some other unusual ways that social media stars make money?

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This article is from Damian Davila of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

6 Twitter Updates That Are Making You Look Dumb

Damian Davila — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 12:00:15 +0000

500 million tweets are sent every day. Some of them are great, and some of them are doozies.

And then there are those tweets that make you look dumb. Smarten up your Twitter feed by avoiding these six types of terrible Twitter updates. (See also: 5 Ways to Break Your Social Media Habit)

1. #AllHashtags #AllTheTime #OMG #EpicFail

Hashtags are a great way to tie your tweet to a trending topic (e.g. #HITsunami is used by Hawaii residents to tweet about hurricane warnings) or to curate a series of tweets around an event (e.g. #SDCC for San Diego Comic Con).

Using a hashtag is a good idea because it extends the reach of your updates beyond your followers and makes you part of a bigger conversation.

However, the key is moderation.

Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake show in this skit how abusing hashtags makes you sound like a total doofus.

The folks at Twitter recommend using no more than two hashtags per tweet, because:

While tweets with hashtags receive two times more engagement than those without hashtags, tweets that use more than two hashtags show a 17% drop in engagement.
Tweets with one or two hashtags have 21% higher engagement than those with three or more hashtags.
Tweets with one or more hashtags are 55% more likely to be retweeted.

2. TV and Movie Spoilers

As a resident of Hawaii, I'm used to keeping away from the Internet on days that I want to catch a TV show in real time. For example, I'm a big fan of AMC's The Pitch, and I religiously tune in whenever a new episode airs. Since the show's fanbase is very social media savvy, I have to tune out from Twitter to prevent from knowing the episode's winner in advance.

However, Hawaii residents are not the only ones that hate TV show and movie spoilers. More than one-third of all primetime TV ratings are from time shifted viewers, who view the content within seven days from airing, and another 10% comes from video on-demand viewers.

This means that over 140 million Americans watch time shifted TV every day. And they're dreading the sight of a spoiler. For example, it's estimated that 170,000 spoilers are posted on social media per episode of Game of Thrones. "Spoiler alert" is such a common term nowadays that the term was added to the 2014 edition of the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

So, be mindful of your followers and keep your Twitter feed spoiler-free. You'd be surprised at the great lengths some users go to avoid spoilers on Twitter. Heck, there's even an app to avoid spoilers on social media! If you keep ruining somebody else's entertainment options, your follower count is likely to take a hit.

3. Twitter Feuds

Unlike feuds IRL, Twitter feuds have several disadvantages.

They never remain between just two people. Fans of Lady Gaga are so well known for sending death threats to anybody that upsets the Mother Monster that the she had to ask them to stop.
Even after the parties involved make peace, somebody may keep a record of your bad behavior. TV host Jimmy Kimmel and rapper Kanye West went to great lengths to squash their Twitter feud. Even after West deleted his tweets against Kimmel, several publications still keep screenshots of those tweets.
Losing your cool can mean losing your job, too. Capital One dropped actor Alec Baldwin as a spokesperson after Baldwin tweeted homophobic rants against a British reporter, George Stark.

Keep your tweets classy and your feuds private.

4. ALL CAPS EVERYTHING

Even if you…

Have an estimated net worth of $3 billion,
Were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom,
Have been dubbed "The Queen of All Media", or
Have launched your own TV network

…you will still be called out if you tweet in all caps.

Even the U.S. Navy bowed down to the "no all caps" maxim on Twitter. The U.S. Navy had been sending messages in all capital letters since the 1850s but switched to mixed case in June 2013 for all platforms, including social media channels.

Why? Because mixed case messages provide a more readable format and don't read like you're being shouted at.

5. Only Retweets

Cat got your tongue?

Remember that Twitter is asking you "what's happening?" not "what would you like to retweet today?"

Your followers are interested in your thoughts. A retweet every now and then is okay but don't let them fill up your feed. A good rule of thumb is to keep 80% of your tweets original, leaving 20% for retweets of interesting comments, links, or articles from somebody else.

Also, try to add your two cents to the original tweet by using the "Quote" button on Twitter's smartphone app or editing the text of the tweet. Even a "good tip!" or "what do you think?" or "+1" adds value to a retweet because it generates a conversation.

And please oh please, only retweet things that you have actually read. Don't assume what's actually said in an article just by the text of a tweet.

6. Too Many Third-Party Tweets

What do these tweets have in common?

"I just unlocked the 'Shutterbug' badge on @foursquare for adding photos to my check-ins. Say cheese!"
"How I did on Twitter this week: 48 New Followers, 1 Replies, 2 Retweets, 444 Retweet Reach. How'd your week go?"
"Having an awesome day! #fb"
"I gave @MrSuperMarketingGuy +K about Marketing on @klout!"
"Random Paper is out! paper.li/random-paper-12345… Stories via @abc @def @ghi"

All of them are automated tweets that add little to no value to your feed. More importantly, these type of tweets are lazy, impersonal, and irrelevant.

Imagine a group of people having a great time sharing stories and interacting with each other. This involves listening, paying attention, and reacting. Now picture a stranger butting into the group to drop off a recorder that randomly plays any of the one-liners from above, and then leaves. What a total jerk!

Twitter is a great place to interact with each other. Let's keep it that way.

What are Twitter updates that drive you nuts? Please share in comments (and on Twitter)!

This article is from Damian Davila of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

3 Easy Ways to Save Money With Twitter

Damian Davila — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 09:24:15 +0000

I spend a lot of time on Twitter.

And by a lot of time, I mean "my-wife-needs-to-hide-my-phone-from-me" a lot of time. To justify all of my tweeting, I figured that I needed to prove that it could help us save some money. (See also: How to Break Your Social Media Habit)

With some planning and these tips, you can use your Twitter account to help you save money, too.

1. Search for Deals and Discounts

Before you buy anything online, make it a habit to first search on Twitter for coupon codes for the product or service you are about to order. Use the Twitter Search page or search field on your browser or smartphone app to do some basic deal sleuthing.

Find the Vendor on Twitter

Some vendors offer a promo code if you follow them or retweet specific tweets. It is a good idea to also Google if the vendor offers discounts in exchange for following them on another social media channel (e.g. Facebook). (See also: How to Make Facebook Productive)

Check on Flash Sales

Some companies use Twitter to promote clearance sales. For example, @DellOutlet is well-known for announcing flash sales of refurbished computers and electronics with up to 30% discount.

Keep an Eye on Giveaways

Some companies run giveaways for promo codes or gift cards in the most unexpected places. Take a look at this contest from the Zappos Careers account:

Let's get this week started off right! Zappos trivia and winner gets a 20% Zappos discount coupon! What year did Amazon acquire @Zappos Zappos Careers (@InsideZappos) April 14, 2014

Now that's one account you wouldn't expect to get a 20% coupon code from! (See also: Get Coupons for Every Online Store)

Use Hashtags to Find Deals

#deals, #freebies, #coupons are examples of some hashtags that can point you to savings. Remember that companies often release on holidays and special days (e.g. Tax Day).

2. Use Twitter for Better Customer Service

If you mail a letter or send an email to a company to file a complaint or request help, only the company's customer care department knows about your pain. But when you share your problem on Twitter, you are increasing the number of people who are aware of the issue. (See also: Getting What You Want from Customer Service)

Publicly shaming a company on Twitter can be a useful tactic to get your voice heard. Here are some things to consider before sending off your tweet:

Avoid tweeting when you are upset.
Focus on facts, not rants. You want your tweet to have the potential for going viral for the right reasons.
Include in your tweet the account from the company's customer care department , instead of the general company Twitter account (e.g. @WarbyParkerHelp versus @WarbyParker).
Consider including a high-profile and relevant journalist, consumer advocacy group, or local politician that would support your case.
Identify yourself via private message (PM) with a case ID or order number.
Follow the company so that its reps can private message you.
If the company does not contact you within 48 hours, send a reminder tweet that it still has not replied to your original tweet

Does it work? It surely can; just ask Aetna, AT&T, British Airways, and Southwest Airlines.

3. Sync Your Twitter Account to Company Services

Some companies are using the Twitter API to provide some high-tech ways to save money. By connecting their accounts to their Twitter accounts, customers can find offers on Twitter. Companies that have participated in the program are Virgin America, FedEx, Whole Foods, and H&M.

Who says that all your tweeting cannot help you save money? After getting several coupon codes and freebies (and better customer care for a smartphone replacement claim through our carrier) through Twitter, my wife has become a lot more lenient to my Twitter usage.

As long as I keep on looking for discounts for her next shoe buying spree.

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This article is from Damian Davila of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Suze Orman's Approved Card Gets Mixed Reviews and Controversy

Ashley Jacobs — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:12:30 +0000

On Monday, personal finance expert Suze Orman launched her prepaid debit card, The Approved Card From Suze Orman. Suze is putting all her credibility behind this product launch. "I didn't just approve this card," said Suze. "I created it."

Feedback on the card has been mixed and even sparked a Twitter war between Suze and several top personal finance bloggers (more on this below).

Reviewing the Featues

Suze highlighted several features of the card on her website. Below is an analysis of each feature compiled from reviews from various media outlets and personal finance bloggers

The Fees are Competitive

According to Fox Business, compared to other checking account alternatives, The Approved Card offers competitive costs that best other celebrity prepaid cards. Cardholders pay a $3 purchase fee for the card and have to pay a $3 per month maintenance fee (which is waived for the first month). Using the card to make withdrawals from a Non-Allpoint ATM costs cardholders $2 per withdrawal and over the counter withdrawals cost cardholders $2 per transaction. For a list of all fees associated with The Approved Card, take a look at the Fee Schedule.

Suze has faced a lot of backlash due to all the fees associated with her card. As Jeremy Vohwinkle from Generation X Finance reminded his readers, Suze Orman is a personal finance expert who encourages people to get out of debt and avoid excessive fees. Throwing money towards debit card fees means consumers throw less money into eliminating their debt. This fact has raised some objections among personal finance experts and bloggers.

You Get Free TransUnion Credit Scores

For the first year, cardholders get access to their TransUnion Credit Scores for free.

ABC News pointed out that consumers can access their credit reports once a year for free by going to AnnualCreditReport.com. People can also access their credit reports from sites such as Credit Karma.

The Approved Card is Part of The Credit Project

Suze has embraced the idea that activity on debit cards should count towards a person's credit score. Since they aren't currently included in your credit report, Suze has set out on a mission to do that. Your activity on The Approved Card will be reported anonymously to TransUnion in an attempt to help Suze accomplish this goal. The Approved Card is the only card available that is part of this type of project.

Phil Taylor from PT Money highlighted the fact that The Approved Card will have no impact on cardholder's credit scores. He also made it clear that he believes The Credit Project is likely to fail due to the fact that prepaid and debit cards do not demonstrate someone's credit-worthiness.

You Can Establish an Emergency Fund

Cardholders have the ability to set up an emergency fund using their card. This way they can be prepared for unexpected expenses.

SmartMoney believes the emergency fund aspect of the card could be helpful, but also pointed out that there are currently no interest rates associated with the emergency card feature. Interest rates are supposed to be implemented later this year.

You Can Stay Debt Free

Since the card is a prepaid card, provided you are debt free when you get the card, you will not be able to spend more than what is in your account, making sure you don't go into debt.

MSNBC highlighted the fact that The Approved Card is similar to other prepaid cards in regards to keeping people from going into debt. In an interview with MSNBC, Gerri Detweiler from Credit.com made it clear that The Approved Card is "a very typical prepaid card."

The Card is FDIC Insured

Deposits up to $250,000 are insured by the FDIC. Bancorp Bank, the card issuer, is a member of the FDIC.

As MoneyCone pointed out, FDIC insurance is common among most banks. The fact that this card is FDIC insured doesn't really set it apart from other debit cards offered by other banks.

Cardholders get Free Identity Theft Protection from TrustID

Identity theft is a huge issue today but with The Approved Card, cardholders will have access to free identity theft protection through TrustID.

The New York Times highlighted Suze's statement that identity theft protection services tend to be costly. This service adds value to the card if cardholders had originally planned on purchasing identity theft protection.

The Personal Finance Blogger Community Reacts

One of the main responsibilities of personal finance bloggers is to report on product launches such as The Approved Card and give honest feedback.

A few of the top bloggers on the Wise1000 publicized their thoughts on the card and consequently had a run in with Suze Orman on Tuesday evening. (The Wise1000 is Wise Bread's authoritative listing of the top personal finance blogs.)

Here are a few of the highlights from their interactions with Suze:

Many personal finance bloggers were shocked by the dialogue from @SuzeOrmanShow. Phil Taylor of PT Money took the biggest hit in the scuffle. Phil is well-known throughout the personal finance blogging community. He was the organizer behind the personal finance blogging community's first ever Financial Blogger Conference and is in the process of planning FinCon 2012. Phil has been featured on numerous sites including MSNBC, U.S News & World Report, TurboTax, and Fox Business.

Phil's blog is the 26th most respected blog on our chart, and he is the 16th most active member of our blogger community. Here's what Phil had to say about the exchange:

First, regarding Suze: I like her and I respect her for her work. No doubt she's helped millions of people throughout her career. I consider her a teammate in helping people to improve their financial lives. She does it through her classes, books and TV shows. I try to do it through my little blog.

Second, I'm not one of these people who believes in inherently bad financial products. I actually like prepaid debit cards for certain situations. I even promote them on my site. I realize some people are "unbanked" for whatever reason and can't get a regular bank account, thus, the prepaid debit card comes into play. But only as a short-term solution until a bank account can be opened. The goal, in my opinion, should always be to get the unbanked folks off of fee-based products and into the mainstream banking arena.

So my review was never about Suze or prepaid cards in general. My review was about how the card is being marketed. It is being marketed as a long-term solution to the unbanked as well as to the middle class (wanting out of credit card debt and disillusioned by big banks) and to the 99% (who've had it with the fees). This attempt to promote the card amongst the banked is what really fired me up. Additionally, the fees on the card actually make it just on-par with the best prepaid debit cards already on the market. So the card is not exactly revolutionizing the prepaid debit card market for the unbanked.

As I said above, I like Suze, but I was obviously shocked and disappointed that she chose to respond to our tweets and blog post the way she did. She's since apologized, and I accept that.

The community response was awesome. I think the dismissive tone of Suze's tweets really rallied the community. It was as if she was telling us all that our opinions didn't matter. That obviously upset a lot of people.

Briana from 20 and Engaged "was completely disheartened" by the exchange but also felt that the fact that the pf blogger community supported each other during Suze's attack "showed loyalty and true camaraderie." (Briana is the top contributing member in our blogger community.)

As seen above, Suze did apologize for the dialogue. She maintains her own twitter account, so all tweets from @SuzeOrmanShow are written by Suze. Wise Bread reached out to Suze for additional comments on both her card and the Twitter exchange, but she declined to comment further at this time.

What do you think of Suze Orman's Approved Card? Will you sign up for it? And what about the Twitter feud? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section!

This article is from Ashley Jacobs of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

3 Simple Ways Small Business Can Maximize Twitter

Rae Hoffman-Dolan — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:23:29 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/3-ways-small-businesses-can-maximize-twitter

By now you've probably read, "Your business needs to be on Twitter!" in one small business marketing publication or another. But you may be asking yourself, "How will Twitter help me improve my local small business?"

When we think of Twitter, we often think of celebrities, the media, and businesses with a national brand (and national customers). And Twitter probably makes sense to you in those instances.

But maybe you're wondering how a local caterer, landscaper, or accounting firm can use Twitter to increase business and referrals on a local level.

1. Build Relationships First, Business Second

Remember that Twitter is best used as a networking tool (and later a referral tool) for locally based businesses—not a sales pitch tool. You wouldn't walk into your local Chamber of Commerce meeting shouting your latest special over and over again every time someone walked up to you and said hello. And you shouldn't do it on Twitter either. Now that's not saying that you should never mention your business, but it shouldn't be more than a single digit percentage of your tweets.

The point of Twitter is to network and create relationships like you would in real life. As a small business owner, creating real relationships through Twitter will often lead to more referrals and potential business than tweeting your latest special ever could.

Need an example? Someone who follows me on Twitter began conversing with me about a movie we both liked after I tweeted about it. We later found out that we also had a love of football in common. After multiple times of conversing back and forth, I ended up following the person back. Occasionally this person made mention that they owned a local fitness studio. About three months ago, a person I know in that locale tweeted saying they needed to get in shape. I tweeted back that so and so had a fitness studio where they lived and they should check it out. They did and ended up purchasing a membership.

That's the potential for business generation and referral power by creating real relationships on Twitter.

2. Make Local Connections

So now that you know how Twitter can help you generate business and referrals, how do you find your local community on Twitter? A site called Twitter Grader has made it a pretty easy process.

If you're in a big metro locale, you'll likely find your city in the "top cities" list. Let's say you live in San Diego. Click on San Diego from the top cities list and you'll quickly be given a list of the top 50 Twitter users listing San Diego as their location in the Twitter bio.

But what if you don't live in one of the "top cities" cited on Twitter Grader? Never fear. You can click on any top city link and find the locals in your area by performing a new search at the top of that page for your own location. Say you're on the San Diego page. Simply change out the "San Diego, CA, United States" in the search box at the top of the page with "Your City, Your State, Your Country" and click "Go" and you'll be presented with a listing of the top users in that city.

Look at the bios of the users in your city and check out what they're tweeting about. Follow those you think you can find something in common with and/or that you'd be interested in learning more about.

Remember that your goal is not to advertise your services to these people but rather to form local connections much like you would at a Chamber of Commerce meeting. I typically tell people to follow those you'd be interested in having coffee with if Twitter were "real life".

You can repeat this process for every city you can think of that your local business serves.

3. Find Media Contacts

Twitter is not only great for creating a referral network, but it can also be a great tool for gaining traditional media exposure for your business. Thousands upon thousands of journalists use Twitter. Much like you can seek out your local community on Twitter, you can also seek out the media that are local to you and/or specific to your niche as well. And a site named MuckRack makes it incredibly easy.

MuckRack tracks the accounts of thousands of journalists on Twitter and various other social media networks. You can view their publications list to find the Twitter accounts of all the reporters at specific publications such as The Charlotte Observer.

The paid version of MuckRack also allows you to search by "beats" and topics to help you find reporters specific to your niche. While the pricing (starting at $99 per month) may be a bit hefty for many small business budgets, there is no minimum term or contract. So you can always sign up for one month and get as much "advanced information" as you can during that time.

As with making local contacts, the point of identifying these journalists is to attempt to create relationships with them and get on their radar long before you have a story idea to pitch or potentially offer up your expertise for their latest story.

This article is from Rae Hoffman-Dolan of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

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