For those active in social networking (who isn’t these days?), it is a tall order to read all the communications you receive from individuals, groups, and/or companies on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. let alone respond. This is a problem for me as well. So, for the past several months, I have been testing a tool that organizes all of this activity and sends you results in an email, including links and buttons, so you can respond in a timely manner to the activity that takes place.
Although NutshellMail has been around for a while, it was recently purchased by ConstantContact and infused with additional development. What makes NutshellMail unique is that it sends you an email showing your recent activity on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace (for those still using MySpace) and Ning and allows you to interact from within the email to this activity.
I must admit that it took me a while to get used to NutshellMail and fine-tune the settings to suit me. But once everything was set up the way I liked it, I have really grown to appreciate it. This is not to say it is perfect for everyone. Some people, particularly the younger generation, just don’t use email (it takes too long for a response for them). They probably would not find this useful. Yet, I do believe social media managers and small business owners will find this a very useful tool. And as you heard in the video, it is free.
Facebook
Get all of your Facebook Birthdays, Photos, Friend Requests, Wall Posts, News Feed, Event & Group Invites, and Messages in one interactive email. In other words, you can control Facebook right from your inbox — you can comment, reply, post on walls, and update your status without leaving your email.
Twitter
See all of your mentions, new followers, quitters, and your friends’ latest tweets in your Twitter summary. Tweet, Reply, Retweet, and DM without leaving your inbox.
LinkedIn
Stay connected to the professional world on your schedule. Add LinkedIn to your NutshellMail account and get a summary of all the latest LinkedIn activity delivered to your email inbox: new & updated connections, profile updates, job posting updates, status updates, group updates, recommendation updates, question & answer updates and application updates.
MySpace
MySpace updates include new messages, friend requests, photos, videos, groups, and status updates.
Ning
Get the latest updates from all your networks in one convenient email. You can finally turn off all the annoying notifications without missing anything: new messages, friend requests, photos, videos and status updates.
All of these activities can be managed through an email with the schedule you set for yourself. However this is not where it ends. Additional features are available for small business owners and organizations with Facebook Fan Pages and their own Ning Network. Check out the follow email feature.
NutshellMail for Pages & Networks
Facebook Page owners can increase their Fans’ engagement with a free email newsletter for their Pages. No extra work – they put their existing wall content in email newsletters delivered when their users want them. Check out NutshellMail’s 1-minute, 4-step guide to add a free email newsletter for Facebook Pages.
Ning Network Administrators and Creators can encourage more interaction on their Network with a free email newsletter. They can put the existing content from their Network in their users’ inbox automatically, with no extra work. Check out NutshellMail’s 1-minute, 4-step guide to add a free email newsletter for Ning Networks.
As we continue to explore ways for small business and organizations to capitalize on social media and networking, NetshellMail is just one destination on the journey. Since it’s free, why not give it a try and let us know what you think. Some of our readers may already be using NetshellMail and hopefully will share their experiences with us. I am personally interested in hearing how the email for Facebook Fan Pages and Ning Networks is helping their business and organization.
If you would like to contact me, you can do so by visiting my LinkedIn page or emailing me at mike.clough@bestbizpractices.org.
Posted by: Mike Clough
