It’s not every day you get to be a wizard on TV. Well, a social media wizard, according to the CW’s Eye Opener TV morning show. I had the honor to be asked by Danielle Vollmar, one of Eye Opener’s co-anchors, to come on and give them tips on how to spring clean your social media life. In this 3rd and final segment, I show Danielle some great tips on spring cleaning her email inbox.

Check out my spring cleaning your Facebook segment!

Check out my spring cleaning your Twitter segment!

(1) Take an Hour to CLEAN Your Inbox – There’s no quick shortcut on cleaning out your email inbox unless you wish to declare “email bankruptcy,” which is what some of us tech experts do when we’re completely overwhelmed. Bottom line, take at least an hour of your day and focus on nothing but deleting emails you no longer need from your inbox. For those emails you do need to keep, Jeff will show you how to easily file them with folders.

(2) Create Folders for Read-Later – One of the best “email tips” I’ve ever learned is creating folders under your inbox’s main folder to quickly organize your emails. If you’re like the Moxie Mo and receive hundreds of emails a day, it may be smart to create folders such as “Read Now”, “Jokes”,”Important Email”,”To Do”,”Family”, “Friends”, “Work”, etc. Why? Most of us don’t have the time to read all of our emails in a day, so you can easily keep your inbox manageable by putting all of your incoming email in appropriate folders for “reading later.” Trust me, it works!

(3) Update Your Contacts and Clean Your Contacts List – one of the most overlooked spring cleaning tips is keeping your contacts/address book updated. How many emails have you received lately where you don’t have the sender’s contact information in your address book? Since the majority of us use our smart phones as email, this is imperative so you can always contact the person you wish to contact. Whenever I get an email from someone, I always quickly make sure I’ve added his/her name, email address and other pertinent information in my address book!

(4) Change Your Password – as I’ve told all of the CW crew at Eye Opener TV, spring cleaning should ALWAYS mean one thing: CHANGE your password. Your email has some of the most proprietary and private information in your digital life and you don’t want to take a chance of someone being able to access your email so change your password often!

What are some other helpful spring cleaning tips you have for your email? What about Facebook or Twitter? Leave a comment below and share it with the world!

Don’t forget to check out the Moxie Mo’s other helpful spring cleaning tips for your Twitter and your Facebook page!

I want to personally thank Danielle Vollmar at the CW’s morning show, Eye Opener, for having me on as their “social media wizard.” It was a great experience and I can’t wait to come back.

Here’s part 2 of my moxie interview series on the CW’s Eye Opener morning TV show. As you recall, spring cleaning is important in every aspect of your life, including your social media life! The Moxie Mo already showed you the best tips for spring cleaning your Facebook page, now we’ll show you the best spring cleaning tips for your Twitter account… (tips are posted below the video)

(1) Update Your Twitter Pic – if you want to get more Twitter followers and keep your page “brand right,” make sure you update your Twitter profile to a recent pic. Like I discussed on our Facebook segment, viewing yourself as a brand is the right approach. Keep yourself updated. Change it up a bit.

(2) Update Your Twitter Bio – as I showed Oliver, your bio speaks about you and who you are. This is a great time to update it so you can tell the world why they should follow you!

(3) Promote Yourself – Yes, add a website to your Twitter page and let the Twitterverse know they can find more information about you at your blog, your podcast, your Facebook or even your own business page.

(4) Change Your Password – I can’t emphasize this enough, particularly with Twitter… you must change your password at least 2 times per year and this is the perfect time to do it. Twitter is known for “phishing scams” and viruses – people will direct message you with a link, once you click on that link, they’ve got your Twitter password. So change it.

(5) Stop Following Strangers – Yes, I said it. It’s not always the most talked about advice, but it’s true and it’s helpful. Twitter allows you to follow people and people can follow you. Unlike Facebook, it’s possible to follow someone and see everything they write on Twitter but they may not follow you at all. So, a good rule of thumb is to unfollow anyone that you can’t remember why you follow them. Why? Twitter can get easily overwhelming and the more people you follow, the harder it is to keep real conversations going with those who you want to continue. Stop following strangers you never interact with.

There you have it. I hope these simple Twitter tips will provide you a great way to spring clean your social media life and make sure you stay updated on segment 3, how to spring clean your email! We all need that!

Thanks to the CW’s Eye Opener morning show for having me… and giving me a wizard outfit and a falcon!

So yes, I finally made it on TV! The CW’s Eye Opener morning show is a new, great show for the young and hip! It’s a news and variety show that airs every weekday mornings on the CW (Eye Opener airs in Dallas, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia and Portland). They just started this live morning show last year, so make sure you tune in! It’s a fun and very moxie show!

The Moxie Mo (Jeff McCord) was asked to be a part of a segment that discusses how to spring clean your social media life! In this segment, Jeff works with co-anchors Danielle Vollmar and Sean Dowling and we ambush Sean’s Facebook page. As you can see, Jeff McCord goes over the big tips that everyone should follow when spring cleaning your Facebook page.
(tips listed below video)

Spring Cleaning your Facebook:

(1) Update your photo! Your social media life is your brand. Treat it like a brand. Keep your page updated and fresh.

(2) Delete old pictures by cleaning out your photo albums! Maybe that one night out with your friends (after a few beverages) isn’t the best photo you want on your page. Take a few minutes and clean out any old photos or albums that you don’t want on your page.

(3) Delete old status updates – with the new Facebook timeline, the Moxie Mo explains how anyone can see any of your posts very easily. It may make sense to go through your past posts and delete the ones you don’t think are relevant anymore. If your update doesn’t make sense today, it won’t make sense for anyone else who reads it in the future.

(4) What apps are using your Facebook credentials? As you can see, Sean had no idea that applications were using his Facebook credentials! The Moxie Mo shows Sean how to see which apps are using his credentials.

• Simply go to your Privacy Settings, click on Edit Settings under the Apps and Websites section, and any app using your Facebook credentials will be listed. If any app is listed that you aren’t aware of or that you haven’t used in the past 6 months, it’s a good idea to remove that app and revoke its privileges. Simply click Edit Settings again and click the “X” next to the app to delete it.

(5) Change your password – the Moxie Mo can’t enforce this enough! You must change your password to your social networks as many times as possible. One of the greatest spring cleaning tips is to change your password so no one can hack into your profiles!

Stay tuned for segment 2 and segment 3 on CW’s Eye Opener TV! The Moxie Mo will show the Eye Opener TV crew how to spring clean their Twitter page and their email inbox!

Click here to subscribe to the Moxie Mo Show – one of the top technology podcasts/WebTV shows that discusses everything moxie in technology: from gadgets to social media to the top technology news!

This is one of my most favorite times of the year, thanks to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which is held every year in January.

We will be covering CES 2012 for you all next week, so make sure you subscribe to the Moxie Mo Show to get all the latest in gadgets and technology news.

What To Expect

As we discussed with you last year, HDTVs will still be the “hot thing” when it comes to entertainment and family. We can expect much thinner HDTVs this year with even smarter features and now they will all connect to the internet. Apps are a hot thing for HDTVs as is 3D, except you won’t need those annoying 3D glasses anymore.

What else can we expect from CES 2012 that’s similar from last year? Tablets, tablets, tablets. As I said  in our special episode for the top gadgets of 2011, tablets will dominate this year. The much anticipated iPad 3 should launch (not at CES but in March) but we can also expect much more powerful and more competitive tablets to be unveiled next week to rival the almighty iPad.

Of course smartphones will be unveiled – nothing, yet, that really sticks out.

CES 2012 could potentially unveil even more details on Microsoft’s Windows 8 which will be a big event. According to PC Magazine, “we’ll learn more about how Windows 8 will work on more traditional desktops and notebooks. I also expect to hear more about Windows Phone and wouldn’t be surprised to learn a little more about Xbox and Kinect plans, as well as Microsoft’s upcoming Flight game.”

Social networking apps, sites and media will of course be unveiled at CES 2012 too and according to Mashable.com, the next big thing could be announced next week. “Quite a few of these apps and networks revolve around videos and photos,” reports Mashable. Also, an amazing 25% of ALL photos taken are now captured on smart phones, so expect lots of photo and video apps to arrive!

Finally, what about the almighty laptop? According to our sources, the thinner the better and if you don’t have a thin laptop coming out, you’re already a “has been.” Like the Macbook Air, we can expect a plethora of newer, thinner notebooks to pop up at CES 2012. Check out HP’s new Spectre Ultrabook which promises to be a powerful and thin masterpiece.

What we know for sure is the Moxie Mo Show will cover all of CES 2012 next week, so please subscribe to the show and watch next week for what is sure to be a very exciting 2012.

It’s not every day I get to share with all my viewers a personal vacation, but this one was too good not to share. New York City is by far my most favorite city in the United States (and ranks second best with Paris being the top cities I’ve visited). That said, I was blessed to go a 2nd time to New York and take my Mom and Aunt with me.

Hope you enjoy my vacation video that I quickly produced…. and if you get a chance to go to New York (our airline tickets were only $200 round trip!), please head there ASAP!

One of the most popular email clients is Google’s Gmail and it just got reinvented with a brand new look and added features. Why is Gmail so popular? Many reasons, including the following:

(1) No Spam, No Spam and No Spam – Out of all the email clients I’ve personally used, including Apple’s MobileMe/iCloud, Yahoo Mail or even Microsoft’s Hotmail, Google’s Gmail has one of the best spam filters I’ve ever seen. Rarely do I get the obnoxious spam that floods my inboxes of other mail clients.

(2) Google is King – Yes, I am an Apple “fan boi” but one thing I also am is honest. Google’s suite of products from email to maps to even online documents is one of the biggest and most popular line of free products to use.

(3) Gmail’s New Look – As this blog post states, Gmail just had a complete redesign so lets take you through the main points…

— Gmail’s new streamlined conversation view is perfect for those who want to read email easily and effectively. Not only do you see the threads of previous conversations, but now you can see profile pictures of who is emailing you. Google says its easier to focus on who you’re communicating with:

— Better Screen Views: According to Gmail’s new blog post, “[you can view] Gmail from a variety of screen sizes and devices, so now the spacing between elements on the screen will automatically change based on the kind of display you’re using.”

— HD Themes and Customization: Nothing makes email better and more “moxie” than a customizable screen and look. Gmail has completely rebuilt their themes with HD resolution and several new choices. Hit the Settings menu and choose your favorite new look:

— Smarter Navigation and Better Search: Something Gmail has that other email clients do not is Google Chat, Hangouts and other integrated pieces of Google+ (Google’s popular social network). In this newest Gmail redesign, you have better navigation thanks to the left panel. You can resize chat windows, hide the chat feature and use arrow keys to navigate. Google’s Gmail also has improved its search, which in my opinion, is a MUST when it comes to email clients. You can search a person, a word, a subject or even an attachment.

So in a nutshell, Gmail is the best free email client that I use and know. If you’re not a Gmail user, click here to sign up today. Check out Google’s Gmail Redesign video below:

We nailed it almost. Every single “expert” on the web, including the Moxie Mo Show, predicted Apple would release the iPhone 5 today, if not both the iPhone 4S or iPhone 5. Regardless of the name, one thing is certain: we nailed the specs as well as the BIG news for Sprint customers (the iPhone 4S is now on Sprint) and we’re excited for the new phone.

Here’s everything YOU need to know about the new iPhone 4S:

The iPhone 4S will arrive October 14 for $199 (16gb), $299 (32gb) and $399 (64gb). You will be able to PRE-ORDER on October 7. As we predicted in Moxie Mo Show 226, the iPhone 4S will have a dual-core A5 processor chip, the same as the iPad 2. This promises extremely fast apps, fast processing and more power. And the iPhone 4S will even be faster than the iPhone 4 in terms of “wireless 3G speed.”

The camera has been revolutionized in this iPhone. We’ve already discussed time and again how the iPhone 4′s camera was revolutionary, now Apple takes it one step further. The iPhone 4S will have an 8 megapixel camera, 5 unique built-in lenses that will provide stunning photographs and videos. It not only takes faster photos, it provides stunning detail and allows you to film in 1080 HD and with new light sensors, the iPhone 4S will take much better photos and videos in low-light conditions.

One of the biggest features to take the world by storm is Siri, the “personal assistant” that comes with the iPhone 4S. For all intent and purposes, Siri is artificial intelligence at its best. For you geeks, think of the movie HAL 9000. For you non-geeks, Siri will do anything you ask via your voice and it actually thinks in an intelligent way. What’s the weather? Siri provides you with a forecast. How do I get south of Hwy 75? Siri intelligently takes your GPS coordinates and provides you directions. Tell my friend I need to change our dinner plans… and Siri notifies your friend and changes your calendar. What does Moxie mean? Siri will provide you a definition and ask you if you want more information. Take a look at this GAME CHANGER for the Apple iPhone 4S.

Oh and don’t forget the iPhone 4S will come with iOS5 which is going to arrive to iDevices (iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPod Touch) on October 12. This operating system will literally change your phone. Notifications are much better, Bluetooth is improved, Twitter is integrated into everything from email to photos, iMessage arrives allowing you to message friends on your iPad or iPod or iPhone. Your iDevice will undergo over 200 changes to become the “world’s most advanced mobile operating system.”

What else can make this iPhone the best smart phone yet? iCloud. Remember the Moxie Mo telling you all about iCloud – a “cloud” to literally gather all of your documents, songs, files, photos and more and sync them to your computers, phones, iPods, and iPads? According to Apple, “iCloud is a breakthrough set of free cloud services, including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that work seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and push it to all your devices. When content changes on one device, all your other devices are updated automatically and wirelessly.”

So, it’s not the iPhone 5 that so many of us predicted, but it is much better than the iPhone 4, which is the best-selling smartphone to date. Even if this phone isn’t in your future, the new iOS 5 coming to all of us who own an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad will be amazed.

Price and Availability? MOST of us iPhone 4 owners will NOT be eligible for an “Early Upgrade” which means we will have to wait until November to order if you want the $199 – $399 price. How do you know if you’re eligible for a reduced iPhone 4S price? Click here.

Quietly but with a major impact, Facebook has unexpectedly upgraded their iPhone Facebook app to version 3.5. This new version is a major update as it has fixed several annoying bugs, added new functionality when writing your status updates, allows tagging of photos and videos and updates your Profile and Group Wall design.

According to Digitaltrends.com, “in terms of straight functionality, Facebook says it’s ‘made it easier to share with who you want,’ which would appear to be in line with the recent stream of updates to its web version that come in response to Google+ and its popular Circles feature.”

As you can see in the image above, when you write a new status, there’s a completely new interface. You now have the option to tag friends OR places in a post, check into a place directly from the status window, upload a photo or video and now change your status’ privacy settings: by clicking the icon in the right corner, you can choose whether to share your post publicly, only with friends, or only with pre-made lists of friends.

You can also click on external links in-app and share those links directly to your Facebook friends (i.e. next time you see a Moxie Mo Show episode link, click on it with the iPhone app and it will open the external link and allow you to share it as well).

As you can see above, this is new view when visiting your profile or a Group page. Facebook for iPhone v3.5 has added these much needed features finally and overall, this update will improve stability and performance according to Facebook.

Overall, this update is definitely moxie and for a complete list of fixes and changes, please check out Facebook for iPhone app v3.5′s change log:

Bugs and fixes with v3.5 include:

•    Improved Notifications speed
•    Fixed a number of Chat bugs
•    Made it easier to select filters in News Feed
•    Fixed a bug with the Notifications bar disappearing
•    Fixed a number of Photos bugs
•    Improved performance and stability overall

Make sure you follow and LIKE the Moxie Mo Show Facebook page by clicking here!

As promised, the Moxie Mo is keeping you up to date on the latest iPhone 5 and iPad 3 rumors. As the supposed launching date nears, Boy Genius Report is claiming sources close to Apple will announce and allow pre-orders of the new iPhone 5 on September 30 and allow will launch the iPhone 5 on October 7. Presumably, this will fall in line with the already confirmed new iOS 5, the amazing new iPhone and iPad software that will revolutionize your iDevice.

According to several sources, the iPhone 5 has been rumored to launch sooner rather than later, especially since Apple keeps releasing more and more iOS 5 beta versions – typically a sign that they’re under a deadline. Now, Apple’s iOS 5 does not mean there will be an iPhone 5, but most experts believe Apple will announce both of these together, as it would only make sense.

In a surprising turn of events, the iPad 3 has supposedly been delayed, according to other sources close to Apple. According to DigiTimes, Apple’s supply chain provider of the new Retina display for the iPad 3 has been delayed, causing Apple to push back the launch of the iPad 3. As we discussed in Moxie Mo Show episode 215, the new iPad 3 (or iPad HD) will sport a “new 9.7 inch display [which] will feature a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, four times more than the current iPad and three times more than the HD displays on most Android tablets.”

As usual, rumors abound with the iPhone 5 and the next-gen iPad, so we will keep you updated on the iPhone 5 and the iPad 3 – make sure you subscribe to the Moxie Mo Show and follow us on Twitter @MoxieMo.

Do you ever wish that you could watch all the TV shows you bought in iTunes for the past several years on your Apple TV 2 without streaming them from your computer? Maybe you accidentally deleted an episode of Dr. Who you purchased but didn’t get a chance to watch? Apple has introduced a solution just for you. And, if you happen to be a Vimeo fan, then Apple is going to make you doubly happy today.

With release of Apple TV version 4.3, two new additions were added to the growing list of features for the 2nd generation Apple TV. The first new feature and probably most important since the release of the latest Apple TV is “Purchased” content. With this new addition you can watch any TV show you previously purchased on your Apple TV. Even better, it means that many of the TV shows that were not available to Apple TV yesterday, are available today!

Not all networks wanted to make their shows available to rent, only buy. Those shows that you could only “buy” were available in iTunes, on the iPad, the iPhone and the iPod Touch; but not on the 2nd generation Apple TV. There were work arounds, but none of them elegant or as simple as just streaming from your TV. The millions of users of second generation Apple TVs were just left out in the cold if they desired to watch True Blood or any other show not available for renting. As of today’s new Apple TV update (4.3), you can now watch True Blood! Once you update, you can see all of them, along with all the shows you already bought. Wait, there’s more! If you aren’t sure if you bought a program already, don’t worry. Anything you previously purchased will show up with Apple’s new “cloud” symbol next to it, letting you know that it’s available for immediate streaming.

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Since the introduction of the iPad 2 long lines and long wait times have been the order of the day. Released on March 11th of this year, the iPad 2 was met with incredibly long lines, both on launch day and for the weeks that followed. Most stores sold out the very first day and have had limited shipments since. The Apple Store on the web pushed ship times from days to weeks within hours of becoming available and stayed there. Finally, over 4 months since the launch ship times on the iPad 2 are now down to 1 to 3 business days.

Selection in brick & mortar stores has improved as well, but if you want to buy an iPad 2 and get the smart cover or case you want along with all the other needed accessories; then you should purchase through the Apple Store on the web. All models are currently available and personalized engraving remains a free option. If even waiting a few days is too much, check your local Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Apple Store to see what each currently has in stock.

The iPad 2 comes in white or black, 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models, and three different wireless options: Wi-Fi only, Wi-Fi with AT&T 3G and Wi-Fi with Verizon 3G. The price ranges from $499 to $829. Prices will be the same at all stores, although some occasionally offer gift cards or freebies to sweeten the deal.

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Kelly Spore - Moxie Mo Show Blog Contributor, Follow on Twitter - @kspore

Mac OS 10.7 Lion is coming very soon and with it will bring over 250 new features. Are you excited about this release? Will you be one of the first to download and install? With marquee features like multi-touch gestures, full screen apps, Mission Control, Launch Pad, Apps that Resume where you left off, auto save, file versioning, air drop and so much more, it’s hard not be excited. Yet, before you make the move you need to prepare. If you don’t, the early days of your upgrade may be met with drudgery instead of excitement.

Many of these are hard learned lessons for this writer and many others.  There are 5 steps to getting ready for any OS upgrade, do them all or pick and choose; it is truly up to you. Those steps are:

1. Don’t Be Afraid To Wait
2. Check the Mac OS Lion System Requirements
3. Check App Compatibility with Mac OS Lion
4. Clean House on your computer – Deleting Files you don’t need and Apps you don’t use anymore
5. Backup All of your Data to a Bootable Disk

Don’t Be Afraid to Wait: For a diehard Mac user the hardest thing to do is to wait to upgrade. They will throw caution to the wind and install the upgrade as fast as possible. All could go fantastic, or disaster could strike. Taking a “wait and see” approach may not be as thrilling, but sees far safer results. If you have a special project for work or school, then definitely wait until the project is done or you are at a safe stopping point. When you are ready to upgrade, schedule it for a weekend to give you plenty of time, although you most likely won’t need but a few hours to download and install.

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