Of course that’s what commercials are supposed to do.  They put an idea in your mind about a product and by the end you should be convinced to get one, buy one, ask for one… and if you’re lucky, maybe two.

Now something like this is happening across social networks as well.  We’re posting faster than the speed of light and the messages we put out into that digital stream have real affects on our networks.  The perfect example is with food.  Last night I Tweeted: “The best thing about being an adult is having a cupcake whenever I damn well please.”  Not only did I get responses and ReTweets but I actually influenced people to get themselves a cupcake just by tweeting about them.  One of my followers actually Tweeted me back, thanking me (with much sarcasm) for bringing up cupcakes, now she must have one. And then she preceeded to go to the store and get cupcakes.  This happens all the time.  You see someone Tweet about something they have and it puts that idea into your head.  You want it, too.

So that gets me back to my original intention for this post. Yesterday someone asked if our klout on Twitter really makes a difference to anyone.  Well I think it does on many levels.  Not only can I influence someone to take action simply by posting random thought but brands are capitalizing on this as well.  Companies like Klout are taking that to the next level.  I have a decent following on my personal account @alliecine and I have a very specific and dedicated network.  When I talk about something, they pay attention.  So when Klout and their partners send me perks like they did today, a $25 gift card to OneHopeWine.com… what did I do?  I thanked them on Twitter, “purchased” the free wine online, and I Tweeted about it.  What did that do? It let my network know, in no less than three tweets, that I was excited to get free wine and it was from @KloutPerks and @OneHopeWine (because I tagged them in the Tweets like the good Tweeter I am).  I guarantee there were people in my network that said to themselves, “I want free wine.” and they checked out both companies.

So yes, I believe that our klout online makes a difference and we have ways of influencing each other more now than ever before.  It’s not a chocolate chip cookie commercial – in a way it’s more dangerous and exciting at the same time.

Now I want a cookie and a glass of wine.

In honor of the parents who have been extremely receptive during all of our visits, we will begin to post FAQ on our blog on a regular basis so that this information can be passed along.  These are questions that we get all the time.  Please let us know if this information is useful or if you need additional an explanation.

NCP Frequently Asked Question:

How do I block someone who is bullying and/or harassing my child on a site like Facebook?

Each site has privacy settings.  On Facebook, you can find the block setting by clicking on the following options:

Account > Privacy Settings

Block Lists

Type in the user’s Name or Email Address > Block User

As a parent there are steps you can take to monitor cell phone usage for your family. It is no longer an all or nothing deal. You can give your child a way to stay in constant contact while implementing safety precautions to that will limit usage and ultimately keep your child safe and your phone bill in check.

Most major wireless providers provide some type of parental control settings. Find out what particular settings are offered through your service provider. Many mobile carriers offer a variety of features with varying levels of sophistication.  Many offer the ability to block communication from specific numbers and some even limit communication to pre-approved contacts.  Most offer some kind of filter for web browsing and the ability to restrict the times of day the phone can be used for browsing, messaging and outbound calling.

These services often come with some additional charge.  Be sure to check if these services are offered with your child’s particular cell phone model. Also, note the limits and loopholes of these settings. (For instance, web filters may not work if your child is using a wi-fi connection.)

Here are links to information about family settings for a few of the major mobile service providers.

AT&T – Smart Controls

Verizon – Usage Controls, Family Locator, Content Filters

Sprint – Parental Controls

T-Mobile – Web Guard, Message Blocking

If you’re looking for an even more sophisticated method of tracking your teens cell phone usage there are a number of tracking software applications available. These often come with a bigger price tag, but they allow you track text conversations, incoming and outgoing calls, and view any communications your teen may have deleted from their phone. You will need access to the web to view data and you will need access to the cell phone itself in order to download the tracking software.

My Mobile Watchdog (recently featured on KTLA & The Today Show) offers a range of features including:

• Notification when an unauthorized person tries to call, text, or email your child.

• Access to full content (all text and images sent and received by your child).

• Reports for all monitored activity (printable for school officials, parents, or law enforcement).

My Mobile Watchdog runs $9.95/month and works on all BlackBerry, Android and Windows Mobile 5.0 and 6.0 Smartphones.

Mobile Nanny offers similar features but is compatible with the iPhone as well as Android and BlackBerry. Mobile Nanny software starts at $49.97/per year.

Once again, be careful when shopping for these tools. Make sure your device is compatible and be sure to look out for hidden costs. Do your homework and research a little about the “spyware” you are considering.

It’s important to remember that these are supplementary tools. The most important thing you can do is TALK to your teens and tweens about appropriate cell phone usage. Discuss what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in the digital world.

Lack of Benefits

Foursquare makes creating promotions very easy and it’s free! So why aren’t more businesses taking advantage? Out of the places I check-in at on a regular basis, not a single one offers a Foursquare promotion.  While I don’t expect banks and gas stations to create promotions (although a free gallon of gas would be amazing if you ask me) you’d think that grocery stores and chain restaurants would take more advantage. One of the only places that I’ve received a Foursquare promotion is at Kafe Neo in Long Beach, CA where they offered a free latte upon first check-in. I know that if my grocery store of choice offered 5% off my purchases every 5 check-ins or a free gallon of milk upon my 3rd check in I’d be excited and I’d continue to shop there and check-in (thus promoting their business to my network).

Also, what does a badge do for you? I can’t help feeling like I’ve sold my soul to the devil when brands are sponsoring badges and I get nothing for it. Getting exclusive tips with the badge seems redundant, people leave tips at each location already and if you follow that brand on Facebook or Twitter, you’re probably getting these tips already. Presenting a badge for a discount or free sample, etc. is exciting but it’s hard to know what badges are available until you’ve acquired one or unless you do your homework – and who likes homework?!

Unattainable Goals

Recently Foursquare added a feature upon each check in. This new info tells the us how many more check-ins we’ll need before claiming the mayorship from someone else. At first I thought this was exciting since the majority of the check-ins I was making was because I wanted to steal the mayorship of the venue.  Also, since none of the places offered promotions this is the most fun I’d get out of it. What I quickly realized is that with so many new users on Foursquare, reaching the goal soon seemed extremely unattainable. When I saw that I was 20 check-ins away from becoming the mayor of a location and every time I checked in I was that many check-in’s away from yet another person… the game wasn’t fun anymore. I saw no win in site and gave up.

Mobile App Errors

I’ve used the Foursquare App on my Blackberry Curve and it consistently freezes my phone. I’d say 50% of the time I can’t check-in on Foursquare without having to reset my phone by taking the battery out and putting it back in. This gets old very quickly. I’d love to hear how others find their Foursquare App on their phones. Additionally, I can’t get Facebook Places to allow me to check in from my Facebook App (and I’m pretty savvy so this is strange). Ease of use is definitely important and so these errors (I’m assuming are the App and not my phone) keep me from opening the app and bothering with it anymore.

Privacy

Social Networks are tricky in terms of staying up on the latest privacy and security settings. I realized one day while I was traveling that my phone number was visible on my Foursquare profile. I was getting text messages from someone I didn’t know and after some investigating, I realized that it was due to my Foursquare settings. I quickly changed my settings to hide my phone number however after that, I was extremely weary of connecting with strangers on Foursquare. Really, why would I connect with people I didn’t know and wasn’t already connected with on Twitter or Facebook? That began a strict screening process of those I connect with on Foursquare.

Lack of Regulation

From the beginning Foursquare has struggled to maintain their list of locations and weed out duplicates. With a small staff they rely on power users to filter through and delete duplicate locations. But this isn’t easy when any one of the 5 million users can add a venue in 5 seconds. How do you keep up? Foursquare needs to implement a way to pull up like named locations when people are adding venues or have a process of approving new locations.  There’s nothing more frustrating than checking in at a location and eventually becoming the mayor to then find out that the same location has another profile on Foursquare and someone else is also the mayor. Also, your check-ins could be split between two different location profiles without you knowing it. This defeats the purpose of the check-ins and it dissuade users from wanting to participate.

So I ask you this: Are you using a location based social network? If you have recently stopped or slowed your use of these sites, what is your reason?  I’d love to hear your feedback. If you are using one (or multiple) and enjoy it, let me know why!