HootSuite Vs TweetDeck

 

 

We received an assignment this year, which required us to create profiles on various social media platforms. In the brief these two handy tools were mentioned. I was not familiar with it and was not too sure which one to choose. After conducting a bit of research, I found Hootsuite to match my needs. I downloaded it and found a whole new convenient way of monitoring my various platforms.

 For those that are indecisive, hope you are able to decide after reading this post.

What is Hootsuite?

Hootsuite is a dashboard application meant for the organization of social media accounts, designed particularly for brand management. It was created by a programmer named Ryan Holes in 2008. After realizing his need for, and the market’s noticeable lack of, a tool to manage his various social media accounts and profiles, Holmes decided to create his own. The result was Hootsuite, which allows integration with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, WordPress, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Mixi, Trenspottr, and Google+ right in your internet browser.

What is Tweetdeck? 

Tweetdeck came before Hootsuite by a couple months. If you’re wondering why Holmes, the creator of Hootsuite, didn’t just install Tweetdeck before going and creating his own tool, it’s because Tweetdeck has one notable disadvantage against Hootsuite right off the bat: it can only integrate with the social media network Twitter. As its name might suggest, Tweetdeck is Twitter exclusive, and while it did have Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn support at one point, it dropped them in updates during the years following Twitter’s acquisition of the company. 

Unlike Hootsuite, Tweetdeck is not a desktop-only application, and can be installed as a desktop app for both Windows and PC, and Google Chrome plug-in, in addition to being run in a browser.

Hootsuite Exclusive Features

·         More Social Media Network Integration

·         Analytics

Tweetdeck Exclusive Features

·         Customize Twitter Streams

The difference

Social Profile Integration

There’s a big difference between what TweetDeck and HootSuite can handle in terms of social profile integration. TweetDeck is quite limited, but HootSuite offers a lot more options.

Organizing Multiple Social Media Accounts

Both TweetDeck and HootSuite can merge a person's Facebook and Twitter account, simultaneously posting updates that will appear on every social media account linked to the person. TweetDeck allows users to link as many social media accounts as possible, such as five Facebook accounts and six Twitter accounts on the same TweetDeck dashboard. HootSuite can link only one Facebook and one Twitter account.

Columns

Users of TweetDeck or HootSuite will notice several vertical columns with several tweets being loaded in real-time in each column. This is the basic format for both TweetDeck and HootSuite, columned applications that display Tweets from various parties. One column can be catered to replies for your tweets while another column shows only tweets from close friends or associates. Both applications can allow the user to create as many columns as they wish, but HootSuite lets users adjust the width of their columns, while TweetDeck has fixed columns.

Scheduling tweets

 

HootSuite is able to schedule a tweet at a specific date. TweetDeck added a scheduling feature in 2010, but HootSuite has been the forerunner for allowing scheduling for a longer period of time.

URL Shorting

TweetDeck supports a number of third-party URL shortening, such as bit.ly and tinyurl. HootSuite allows only one URL shortening, ow.ly

THIS IS PR

For all my friends and family that keep asking me, what is Public Relations. I found this diagram for you, that sums up the profession pretty well.

Dubai

Dubai was the first stop we made on our girls trip. We weren't in Dubai for very long, just a short three days, but man did we make sure we covered that city, or at least all the shopping spots.

Dubai is a palace , its gold and shiny and clean  . Its a Muslim country and can be a bit of a culture shock for those that are not aware.

My boyfriend and his cousins visited Dubai the year before, so they  gave us a list of places to visit and things to try. First on our list the mall of Emirates, for a bit of shopping and those delicious Krispy Kreme doughnuts that he couldn't  stop raving about (and now I can't stop raving about them) .

Our tour guide fetched us directly from the mall and took us on the Desert Safari. This is a must if you visiting Dubai. Its a cultured rich evening filled with, belly dances ;Middle Eastern food;  henna tattoos ; hookahs and camel rides.   What an experience.

The rest of the trip we visited , shopping souks(markets); popular Jumeirah beach  and the amazing Dubai mall , which is unbelievable. We spent a whole day at Dubai mall and only managed to cover half the mall.

Phuket

In June 2012, I stayed on a beautiful island in Thailand call Phuket and it stole my heart. Thailand is thus far one of my favorite  places. The people are the friendliest bunch, despite their poverty, they are so generous and accommodating to tourist . I would love to return very soon, hopeful with my future husband Saadiq. He has never been and will love the cultural experience and island life of this awesome place.

We stayed at the Millennium Resort in Patong, Phuket. The location was great, we were a step away from adventure, shopping and night life . Our hotel was apart of a shopping center, down the road from the beach and across the street from night life.

Because Thailand is so affordable and our currency is stronger then the Thai Baht , we were able to live like princesses for the week. Our days were filled with adventures and our nights were packed with shopping; karaoke; massages and other beauty treatments.

All our day trips were booked from a little travel agent, right across the street of our hotel . The day trips  are much cheaper when purchased from little agents, you are able to bargain with them.

All trips include, transport ; lunch and activities. The price of the trips are so cheap . We managed to pay R2000 in total for four day trips.

Our day trips included activities such as  snorkeling  , canoeing, Thai boxing lessons; elephant trekking ; Thai cooking lesson; sunbathing and massages on the beach and much more. We visited the infamous, Phi Phi island and James bond island  which are magical and a few other islands with names I can't remember .

What a wonderful adventure, I hope to experience again.

Online tools and guide to affordable travel

The best advice I can give you when planning a trip is,  to make use of your online tools and websites. We have a variety of different channels, to find amazing destinations and affordable ways to travel. In this post I mention a few sites and affordable ways, to guide you on your travel journey.

Destination - Select a country you wish to visit , then research the best time of the year to visit the country. Focus on aspects such as weather and find out when are their peak seasons. Try and find a time before or after peak ,that still has good weather. (We travelled to Phuket in June, the weather was good and peak season was over .We were able to get  all the great hotel deals and places weren’t over crowed.)

Find flights – I used Travel Start, which gave me an idea of which airline offered the best deals. Then I went directly on the airline websites to book , because when you book through travel start you are require to pay commission . (Before booking make sure to, monitor the airline sites well in advance, to get an idea of prices.)

Research – Once you have identified the country you wish to visit , you will need to do research. Start by visiting Trip Advisor, the site offers viewers the resources to find the best area and hotels. The site has a rating list for each area and accommodation. This can assist you in selecting the perfect location to accommodate your needs and purpose such as, shopping, leisure and nightlife etc.

Accommodation - Once you have determined the area you wish to visit, you will need to find accommodation. Visit Booking.com and Agoda , to find the perfect accommodation for you . Compare specials and prices on both sites before booking. These sites are the most reliable and popular sites to find the best deals for fraction of the price.  Before booking accommodation, make sure you read the “terrible” and “good” reviews on Trip Advisor.

Confirmation- Once you have booked your accommodation, email hotel to confirm that the booking has been made, this will give you added peace of mind.

Extra tip

To avoid getting lost on arrival, arrange in advance for hotel taxi service to fetch you from the airport. You can always use local services once you settled at your hotel.

Happy travel!

My 2012 journey

In 2012 I went on an amazing journey with two of my favorite people, my cousins Naazia and Farhana. We explored three wonderful places, United Arab Emirates; Thailand and Malaysia .

Our girls’ trip was amazing we had such a great time and will cherish those memories forever. I wish I had taken more pictures, but then again each country was  so picturesque, that you felt the need to absorb in your surroundings and not be stuck behind a camera .

I really enjoyed planning this trip. I discovered a passion for travel and found a thrill in saving on travel cost. It took me a month of long hours in front of my computer to put the trip together. With a tight budget and high expectations I managed to beat every travel agents quote. We managed to stay in luxury at a low cost.

 I learnt so much from this experience that it would be selfish not to share. The post to follow is for travel lovers and those that wish to embark on an adventure .

I will create separate post focus on the different aspects- travel advice and my experience in each country.



Hope you enjoy!

Tips for students entering into the promotion world

I started promoting at the age of 16 and by the age of 20 I stared my own outsource promotion company. As a teen I loved being independent and earning my own money it gave me a sense of power.  At a young age I learnt that working was more than just a force, it requires patience, determination and skill.

Working on both sides as a promoter and a recruiter I thought I’d share a few useful tips for those interested in the industry. These tips will help you land more jobs.

Working as a promoter is a great way to earn money and become responsible. It requires commitment, reliability and a great smile.  BUT remember, this is a very superficial industry and looks do matter. The clients have their requirements and as a promoter you need to reflect their brand.

When applying to a promotion agency, make sure you have a look at some of the brands they represent. This will help you determine which company will be right for you. Example, if you not comfortable working with alcohol do not join an agency that represents mainly alcohol brands.

Tips

Show up and on time

Since most companies pay per hour, punctuality is of utmost importance. If a promoter shows up late; doesn't pitch or leave early companies will be hesitant to book him/her again. It is important to communicate with your agent and inform them of any issues you are having so that they can make alternative arrangements.  

Stick to the uniform requirements

As I mentioned, promoters are a reflection of the brand, therefore it is vital that promoters look presentable and wear the correct uniform. Pictures are taken of the promoters at work and are sent to clients, if promoter is not wearing the correct uniform it’s a bad reflection on him/her and the company.

 Know the brand and what you selling

Make sure you read your product brief and ask your agent questions if needed.  Clients may send mystery shoppers to test your knowledge so beware.

 Be respectful and kind to management and staff

If management and staff of the place of promotion are unhappy with a promoter, they are able to band promotion companies from a store. This not only affects the promoters’ reputation but the agencies too. 

Be available for shifts and be willing to go the extra mile

Promoters that are eager and hardworking are a pleasure to work with. I make sure that they are given the best and highest paid jobs.  When I was a promoter I once did a job that required me to work a few hours extra for no extra pay. After doing that favor for the company, they kept me as their main promoter and I worked at all their events, earning really well and working at amazing events.

 Be approachable and liked by clients and customers

Make sure you always have a smile on your face, NO MATTER WHAT!!! As a human you are not always happy and that’s okay ,but as a promoter you have to fake it. You get paid to be a representation of a brand and cannot let that title down. If clients/customers complain about moody promoters, that could be the end of you promo career.

Hope these few tips helped. If you have any more questions please leave your comments below….