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Thursday, 15 February 2018 18:08

Online Social Identity - Part 3 (Social Media Accounts)

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By now you have created your Online Social Identity(s) which will now need as we go throught the various Social Media sites on the internet.

This article will help you configure these services to use them as a normal person but will not go into advanced integration, that is for another day.

Social Websites and Services

There might be more than these websites and services but these are just the ones I have come across or might feeel the need to use.

Online Services

  • Google
  • Microsoft
    • Email @ outlook.com
    • Windows login (optional – but I think it links your stuff, not quite social)
    • Skype
    • Xbox
    • Webmaster Tools
    • Windows Phone
    • LinkedIn (Does not need a Microsoft Account)
  • Yahoo
    • Email @ yahoo.com
    • Flicker
  • Facebook
    • Instagram (Does not need a Facebook Account)
    • Facebook Business Page
  • Twitter
  • Wordpress.com
    • Akismet (AntiSpam)
    • Gravatar
    • Ping-o-matic (no account needed)
  • AppleID
    • iTunes
    • iOS developers
  • Pinterest
  • Disqus
  • OpenID
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Blogger
  • Stumble Upon
  • LiveJournal – add the other writers list from easyblog - https://stackideas.com/docs/easyblog/administrators/remote-publishing
  • MySpace
  • GitHub
  • Forums and blogs – most of these when you login allow you to change your email

Security Services / Antispam

I have added these here because they either require you to use an online identity to be allowed to use them or they are involved in controlling social activities.

  • Project Honey Pot - The Web's Largest Community Tracking Online Fraud & Abuse |
  • Stop Forum Spam - A free service to block spam on your forum
  • reCAPTCHA v2
  • 2 factor authentication ( i.e. google 2 factor)
  • Google Safe Browsing API Key - Sever Key
  • Cleantalk - Cloud spam protection for forums, boards, blogs and sites
  • Akismet

Other Online Services

YouTube Share Links

These links are from a standard YouTube page and shows you the sites that YouTube regard as important in the social media and thus the rest of the web.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • reddit
  • Blogger
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • BKOHTAKTE
  • LinkedIn
  • Stumble Upon
  • LiveJournal

Social Sharing Accounts

In this section I will add my notes that I used when configuring the various accounts. If there are not notes it does not mean I did not set that service up.

Google

Google+

Google+ is very similar to Facebook (and also looks it).

  • To use Google+ you must have a Google account
  • In your google account you create your Google+ profile
  • Your Google+ profile must be a real person (i.e. you)
  • You cannot use a Google+ profile for a business, organisation or other sort of entity
  • You can create pages in Google+ which can be used for business, brands or other entities etc...
  • You can transfer the ownership of a Google+ page to another user (2 week transfer period)
  • You can have multiple editors on a Google+ page
  • All the Google+ pages must have a personal profile attached to edit them
  • You can set a vanity URL for a Google+ profile
  • You can set a vanity URL for pages
  • Vanity links can be changed after being set
  • Your Google+ profile can be linked to your YouTube account (and will be?)
  • How to change primary email address of a Google+ Profile? – plus many other Q&As
  • View & edit your Google+ profile – official google page
  • you can change your name in Google+ only 3 times in 2 years
Google+ Vanity URL

YouTube

Microsoft

Outlook/Live

Xbox

Skype

  • You need a microsoft account now to use Skype and cannot create an account seperately.
  • These were applicable before you required a Microsoft Account for Skype:
    • Always create a skype account first and then link to your outlook account (if you want).
    • I recommend setting up your skype account first to guarantee you get a decent name otherwise you get one assigned automatically (see here)
    • Skype – you can link and unlink to a Microsoft profile. (Limited number of times).
    • You do not need to link your skype account to a live account
    • Always create a skype account seperate and then link. This gives you a proper login for the skype service, otherwise you will get an automatically assigned skype id and can only access this via your Microsoft live account
    • You can have multiple Skype accounts attached to 1 email address.
    • If you want to see all your Skype accounts assigned to your email address, you need to perform a password reset. Once you click on a link it will take you to a list of your usernames and ask you which one you wish to reset the password on.
    • Contact skype customer support to see what other names are attached to your email address and have them remove them.
  • Can link skype to Facebook
  • How can I contact Skype Customer Service? – this official page is the quickest way of contacting Skype customer services
  • Can I delete my Skype account? – Official Skype Page
  • How to Contact Skype Customer Service – Discussion - Check this (I need to login)
  • There are several different levels of account deletion:
    • Don’t use the account and after 72hours it will be removed from the public directory, but not people who have added you already in to their contacts.
    • Edit the account and remove all personal information. Skype recommends this method. The rule above then applies.
    • Completely delete the account via Skype customer services. You have to contact Skype by customer services to have the account completely delete but because of some laws they have to do this. This link says you should send an email to delete@skype.com (contacting customer services should be the same if this email does not work)
    • You can simply contact customer support to request to unlink your email address from those unknown accounts – Not confirm this method and whether it is the same and a full account delete. Forum thread here.

Yahoo

Yahoo Mail

Flicker

  • A yahoo account is now needed for flicker (see link)
  • When you log in to Flickr with a google or a Facebook account a yahoo account is created behind the scenes
  • Yahoo account for login to Flickr is becoming mandatory
  • How do I transfer my Flickr photos from my old yahoo user ID to a new yahoo ID? – Yes, but read this before you do anything.
  • You can set a vanity URL on your Flickr account
  • A vanity URL can only be set once and then not changed again

Facebook

To setup Facebook account I first need to explain a few things.

Creating a Facebook Page

These are instructions related to creating a Facebook page.

Facebook Vanity URLs

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you create a custom vanity URL/username:

  • You can't claim a username someone else is already using.
  • Choose a username you'll be happy with for the long term. Usernames are not transferable, and you can only change your username once.
  • Usernames can only contain alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9) or a period (".").
  • Periods (".") and capitalization don't count as a part of a username. For example, johnsmith55, John.Smith55 and john.smith.55 are all considered the same username.
  • Usernames must be at least 5 characters long and can't contain generic terms.
  • You must be an admin to choose a username for a Page.
  • Your username must adhere to Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.
  • Facebook vanity URLs are case insensitive
  • All variations of your URL will redirect to your chosen URL (I.e. ‘quantumwarp’ is the same as ‘QuantumWarp’). Facebook performs a 301 redirect.

What Now

So after reading the points above which should answer a lot of questions you have, I would recommend that you

  • Create a Facebook profile (if not already created one)
  • Carefully decide what you want your page to be called.
  • Create a page for your Website / Blog / Software (If appropriate)
  • Get 25 likes and set your chosen vanity URL.

Twitter

Vanity URLs

What Now

  • So set up a twitter account with a relevant name.
  • If your username is not available try Twitter support for recovering it

Set These Accounts Up

You should create an account with the following services and where necessary create a vanity URL. These services are the most essential ones to have even if you do not use them yet and don't forget you should setup these for each of your online identities.

The big three all have username dependent services and these can be created at anytime because you have already reserved your by signing up to the big three at the beginning of this series.

  • Google
    • Google+
    • Google+ Business Page (where appropriate)
    • YouTube
  • Microsoft
    • Skype
  • Yahoo
    • Flicker
  • Facebook
    • Instagram (Does not need a Facebook Account)
    • Facebook Business Page (where appropriate)
  • Twitter
  • Wordpress.com
    • Gravatar
  • Disqus

 

Read 1049 times Last modified on Tuesday, 20 February 2018 16:30
Published in Blogging
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